NYC's WESTVILLE is worth a visit for veggies and more (4-1-25)

Our friend had told us about WESTVILLE in NYC which has several locations and that they specialized in veggie dishes, so we decided to try it prior to seeing Gypsy on Broadway last night as one location-WESTVILLE-is at 9th Ave @53rd St!

It is a simple setup with a varied menu that does include many veggie options as well as vegan and then some meat options as well. The booths have benches with cushions, but the iron chairs are none too comfy!

The wine list is simple with about 4 or 5 reds and whites each and a rose with a cocktail menu as well. Samuel tried the Hot Toddy with Jack Daniels and Apple, and we liked the simple light-bodied and fruity ERA Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. 

Onion Rings were crispy and a fun start with a BBQ Ranch dip, while Will loved his Turkey Chili. The portions are pretty large here and the Beef Burger came medium (Will never specified how to cook it) and the arugula salad was huge; alas the tomato was not anywhere near ripe. Sam's Impossible Burger was a hit with vegan smoked gouda on a vegan bun with homemade Russian sauce. He ordered Pesto Mashed Potatoes with it instead of fries and said that it was really more like plain mashed potatoes.

My Pozole with chicken was just perfect for a chilly night and had enough avocado and tortilla strips, but I would have loved a tad more spice in the soup. The hit was the choice of veggie sides, which offers up a dozen or more and we loved the Brussels Sprouts with Honey Dijon and the excellent Toasted Curried Cauliflower with Crispy Quinoa, herbs and a white sauce.

I would stick to the soups and chilis and especially the veggies if we return!

NYC's The LEOPARD on the west side is intimate but iffy Italian (3-31-25)

 For years Cafe Des Artistes was a hot spot at West 67th St & Central Park West. We loved to head there before going to Lincoln Center but it began to go sour and closed some time ago. The East Side's IL GOTTOPARDO took over and reopened it as THE LEOPARD (English for Gottopardo, also an important figure in Sicilian 19th century history--and I met his son several years back in Palermo, but that's another story). We met some friends for dinner there last night before the opera, and of course, the east and west side confusing names sent them to the east side location instead...but they quickly traversed Central Park and we sat down to a very nice and tasty, if expensive, meal. It was much less than our East Side dining experience at Casa Cruz, but nowhere near the deal at Osteria al Doge at Times Square the night prior! Starters tended to be 20$+ and mains were in the $40+ zone but we found a superb Vernaccia di San Gimignano from Panizzi 2022 in the $60-range and really loved it, especially since the temps had warmed up to 70...only to fall into the 40's overnight.

An okay arancini with prosciutto (I could not find any) arrived and when we said Sam was a vegetarian, they must have thought very hard before bringing out a small chunk of parmesan cheese with a nut and some honey on it! 

I started with a superb Vitello Tonnato made with thinly sliced veal in tuna sauce, caperberries and a lemon vinaigrette while others loved the Burrata Salad. 

The mains fared less successful with my Pasta (Torre Annunziata) Mista Con Capesante having very little sauce and desperately calling for seasoning. The Osso Buco came with a huge risotto which was declared was too salty. The Pasta with Beef ragu did fare better and our son seemed to loved his gnocchi.

We had to rush to the opera, so no dessert and a might come back, but probably not with so many options around this area....

OSTERIA al DOGE at NYC's Times Square is super Italian (3/30/25)

 Our friend Denise suggested OSTERIA al DOGE on West 44th St just off Times Square after we attended a wonderful performance of Death Becomes Her on Broadway and we loved this little Italian bistro find! The place is cozy, but you should sit away from the door in the winter///it was warm last night. The wooden chairs could use some padding, but I guess they want to move folks along. The menu is very traditional, and the wines are simple, but not pricy! We had a bottle of Polizano Rosso di Montepulciano which was a very nice medium bodied red. The special starter got us very excited, and it was a huge hit: Crispy Artichoke Salad with Arugula, Parmesan, Garlic, Coriander & Lemon dressing. The yummy fried artichokes were excellent, and the portion was quite large. Whole cooked garlic cloves were a fun spice and we loved it. The Caesar salad looked good too and the Minestrone got a thumbs up.

Mains were pizza Napolitana which was gone quickly and Spaghetti alla Vongole with a bunch of clams and a superb rich lemony clam sauce. Nothing wrong here at all. The desserts were a Creme brule which Will said needed a crunchier top, but Sam & I split a huge superb Torta di Mele "Tatin" which was a yummy upside-down apple cake with Tahitian vanilla ice cream. I asked for a glass of Capovilla di Albicocche (apricot digestif) and all they had was pear, which was quite nice anyway. Definitely a place to think about pre- or post-theater, though not for fine dining.

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NYC's CASA CRUZ, costly but good (3-29-25)

 Last night we took Samuel and two of his friends to dinner at Casa Cruz on the Upper East Side. The address (61st @Park Ave) already had me seeing dollar signs, and on arrival, all this and more was confirmed. We were escorted past a curtained door into an elevator and whisked up to a dining room on the 3rd floor that was quiet, elegant and plush. Menus arrived and an i-pad with the wine list and there was pretty much nothing under $150 on that! Some of the dishes were in the $100+ zone to boot! We ordered a bottle of Domaine Barruad 2022 Pouilly Fuisse 1er Cru "La Marechaude" which was quite nice and went superbly with the Yellowfin Tuna Carpaccio with Bergamot Orange, Acacia Honey & Baby Arugula. Other dishes were a creamy (but vegan) Butternut Squash Soup as well as Scallops that looked delish. Portions were good-sized but not huge or overbearing.

I do have to comment on the wine glasses as they were the same as the water glasses, short and stumpy and did not serve the wine well at all. For these prices, decent crystal is really important. Our red was a superb Poggio Antico IGT "Madere" 2020 from Tuscany that again was simply ideal with my Colorado Lamb Chops (cooked over Marabu Charcoal) with Grilled Artichokes, Thumbelina Carrots and Nicoise Olives. I cut into the meat, and it was pretty past medium, so it went back and was replaced by perfectly medium rare chops very quickly. The meat was tender and the seasoning perfect. Grilled Branzino and Ora King Salmon were the fish choices which got raves, and the Black Truffle Fettucine was indeed smothered in truffles and tasted superb.

The weather outside during the day was very warm (80 degrees) and it really chilled down to 50 when we got there, but the room was quite chilly, despite being such a cozy setting, the warmth evaded me.

The Dark Chocolate Souffle was cooked perfectly and served with a yummy White Chocolate sauce that was a foil to the dark chocolate. The Charcoal Grilled Apples with Sage Gelato and Olive Oil Melba was declared "creepy" and indeed was a very bizarre combination of flavors that should be avoided.

We left happy, but with an emptier wallet for sure!

Alexandria's VERMILION is very very very good! (3-26-25)

 Last night a group of us returned to Vermilion in Alexandria and settled in for a truly wonderful meal with our servers Juliet & Sam. We ordered a bottle of Cabernet Franc 2023 from Blenheim in Virginia which is offered by the glass as well. There are many wonderful Virginia wines on their list and the restaurant and its superb Chef Tony Chittum stress that everything is really locally sourced (save for those wines from out of the region). Indeed, there is a map on the back of the menu showing all the vendors and what comes from where.

Bread lovers beware an addition to Bettie's Buns which are old fashioned yeast rolls sourced from grandma's recipe served with soft sorghum butter topped with pickled chilis.

We were also treated to a superb amuse of Sunchoke Soup with diced apple that was rich and creamy with a tartness and crunch from the apple.

I started with the Crispy Chesapeake Oysters which have become a staple and are served with celery root/sweet and sour apple remoulade and a whole grain mustard aioli. I rarely feel like steak, but the Garlic Crusted Fluke Filet (which got raves) came with shaved fennel (not my cup of tea), Lobster Tortellini (one felt the pasta was thick) pickled chili and a shellfish emulsion. It sure looked good, but I adored my Roseda Farm Beef Striploin with Finger Sweet Potatoes, little deep-Fried Bay Blue Cheese Cubes(I would have loved a couple more!!), super charred Cipollini Onions and a fab salsa verde. The only problem was the wonderful fancy steak knife kept falling into the center of the curved plate! The meat was perfection, tender and rare and not a piece of sinew in sight!

Braised Creekstone Short Rib was also a hit with a Sunchoke Gratin and wilted greens in a red wine reduction. The dessert chosen by most was the very rich Dark & Milk Chocolate Cremeux with Virginia peanuts, shortbread crumbles and kumquat marmalade. I loved the Trio of Mid-Atlantic cheeses as it brought back the Bay Blue in its virgin form!!

Super fun night for all.

Vin des Pyrenees worth a visit if in the Paris Marais (3-10-25)

 Our last dinner before heading back to the states (unhappily) was at an adorable little bistro in the Marais district just blocks from our hotel. Vin des Pyrenees is as quaint as it can get with black and white tile floors, lots of mirrors, wooden tables that wobble, benches with cushions and chairs that can make your already bad back feel even worse. The walls were wines stored on shelves and in "lot" boxes and the server, while looking like a jail matron, always served with a smile and made us feel more than welcome. A couple of nice French ladies sat next to us and when the table at the window near us hosted three loud cackling foreigners (two very loud Americans) we began to cringe. The "1905" vintage bar at the rear was also a site to be seen.

The menu was as traditional as it gets with special hints of the Pyrenees, so we started with Croquettes de Confit Canard des Pyrenees which were thinly super crunchy crusted balls filled with only duck confit and deep fried with a "raita" sauce which is not the Greek one we know, but more of a mustard/sauce vert combo that was superb. These were a real treat. We ordered a bottle of Les Terrases 2017 Cabernet Franc from Clotilde Legrand in Saumur-Champigny in the Loire (where we shall visit this August) which was a medium bodied red that really fit the bill. The sommelier was impressed that we even wanted a Cab Franc and he remarked how nice it would be with our varied dishes.

The Tartare de Boeuf au Couteau avec Pignons (pine nuts), Olives Taggiasche, Parmesan et Frites arrived, and it was a gorgeous one indeed with lots of flavor so that we need not add any of the tabasco or Worcestershire sauce our server provided! the bread was superb and for a change the crust was less chewy. 

Back in December we had an amazing Croque Monsieur at a small bistro and we were ready for L'Incontoumable (essential) Croque Monsieur au Gouda Truffe avec Jambon et mesclun.  The gouda oozed and reeked of truffle, and it was indeed a treat, but we did have to agree the one from December may have been a tad better. We needed more wine and ordered a glass each of VDP Herrault Les Creisses 2022 from Philippe Chesneloy made of Cab, Syrah, Grenache and Carignane that our server suggested with the croque--perfect!

There was no room for dessert, so we headed back to our hotel for a farewell to Paris drink at the rooftop bar overlooking the city very sad that we had to leave our adopted country.

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Paris' GLOU is still great (3-9-25)

 We had lunch back in December at Glou in the Marais district and loved the upstairs all glass view of the Picasso Museum across the street, so the other day when we made new friends in the Bourdeaux countryside, it was our first choice to meet them at for dinner. Their hotel and ours were a mere 25 minute or less walk, so it just made sense.

We entered and they were already seated in a cozy booth at the downstairs rear, and while there was no view, it was quiet (unlike the very crowded and noisy upstairs as at lunch) and we were quite happy.

Our server Lilion was a gem and very helpful as we tried to get through the wine list helping us to choose a Saint Veran 2022 Ovoide "La Soufrandiere" that was a magnificent chardonnay to start. Last time I had the magnificent Tartare de Veau Basque (Veal Tartare Basque style) which both Will and Francis chose. I would have but the seeded crackers would not be friends with my diverticulitis! Christine chose L'Oeuf to start and Lilion said I must have the Rilettes de Canard au piment d'Espalette which was a huge portion (must have been 2/3 pound) which I eagerly shared with everyone on the superb thick crusty bread.

After a nice break and some tales of our recent travels we went on to a Maranges 1er Cru "La fussiere" 2022 from Bachelet-Monnot. I knew this was a nice, medium-bodied Bourgogne Pinot Noir but had never heard of Maranges and was thrilled that Lilion suggested it. It was amazing with my Pintade fermiere rotie sauce forestiere (Free range guinea-fowl with mushroom sauce) that was cooked perfectly and indeed a portion that would have fed two. Will and Francis again had the same Entrecote de Boeuf Holstein affinee 21 jours, or basically the 21-day ages Steak-frites. They said the edges were chewy, but the center superb and tender. Christine got the monster sized portion of Poulpe grille (grilled octopus) which was a tad chewy but very tasty.

There was no way we could eat dessert after these huge portions, so we chatted more and waddled off to our respective hotels, hoping that we would see our newfound friends again in the near future..somewhere.