Christmas Dinner 2021

Since we celebrated Christmas physically by ourselves without family, we made only dinner for 2 without all the dramatic presentations.  But delicious as ever.

This year, with everyone vaccinated within my family who could be with us at home, I decided to celebrate!

For appetizers we had Jamon Iberico de Belleto fed only with acorns, Gilda (peppers, anchovies and olives) I brought back from our trip in Bilbao and San Sebastián, cheeses from our neighborhood cheese place.

I was going to make the mashed potatoes and garnish it with fresh white truffle but I had no more time to sieve it nor mash the potatoes.  So I just cut them into pieces and added butter and sprinkled them with salt and shaved the white truffle on top.  Next time, I may drizzle some truffle oil too.

Desserts this year were Tunisian traditional desserts crafted by @Layla of California and festive chocolates with peanut butter centers by @JohnKelly 

If you need any of the recipes - please let me know.  

Below were sweets I ordered from the website  I provided in my link.  But I quickly made up my concocted dessert with some  japanese style cheesecake  with whipped cream, pink strawberries and crumbled French style meringue.

.Layla's Delicacies

John Kelly Foods, Inc

THE BOATHOUSE in Central Park NYC

A great get away even Monet would love. The setting is pretty by the lake where boat rentals are accessible to set the mood.

Whether you are spending money in the main restaurant or the snack bar, it's a picture perfect place.

We opted for the light sandwiches and iced coffee. The prices are very reasonable.

If you want to be outside closer to the lake by the paddle boat rowers you pay a little bit more for food but you get a real menu like omelettes.

They also have a piano bar.

The Loeb Central Park Boathouse
East 72nd Street and 5th Avenue, New York, NY
Monday12:00 – 3:45 pmTuesday12:00 – 3:45 pmWednesday12:00 – 3:45 pmThursday12:00 – 3:45 pmFriday12:00 – 3:45 pmSaturday9:30 am – 4:00 pmSunday9:30 am – 4:00 pm

Menu:

viewmenu.com

LUNCH AT THE SQUARE

I had to have one if my meals in this week's vacation at a Michelin starred restaurant.  Because of proximity to my hotel, I chose The Square by Chef Philip Howard.  He had just come out with a book in 2012.

Sample of the day's menu when I went.

They recommended I try one of their signature dishes so I did:

Lasagne of Dorset Crab with a cappuccino of shellfish and champagne foam:

This was excellent! The concentrated lobster cream sauce foamed with super thin green parsley lasagna dough at the bottom and on top of the crab meat.

My main course:

Breast of New Season's Yorkshire Grouse (from France) with a croustillant of the leg, summer turnips, elderberries and smoked bacon. 

And for dessert, I chose the plum soufflé which was perfectly done served with a spooned homemade spiced gelato.

Above, the ice cream melts into the hot soufflé like it's sauce.

Above was my amuse bouche:

Tartlette with custard and crumbled onions and crumbs. On the right is Bonito cracker with seaweed with curd cream ( like a fine thin kropek - but homemade - so he calls it cracker - with toasted sesame seed).

It is open at lunch time although sometimes when you google it, it inky shows evening hours. So make sure you check!

Excellent Chef, perfectly executed, nice ambience, great service, edgier nouvelle versions of French cuisine.

I had the honor to meet the Chef briefly for a quick photo.

At #17 Bruton Street is where the Queen was born!

THE SQUARE

1. 6-10 Bruton St, London W1J 6PU, United Kingdom
2. +44 20 7495 7100
3. 
   

• Opening hours:

  Lunch served noon-2.45pm Mon-Sat. Dinner served6.30-10pm Mon-Thur; 6.30-10.30pm Fri, Sat; 6.30-9.30pm Sun

FRENCH PUB BISTRO

What is a Bistro and what is a restaurant?!

Amelie, to me is a pub bistro. They call it a Wine Bar. Yes, there is a bar counter area and tables too where you can dine.

We tried the brunch. Below is spinach with poached egg:

Above is their French Toast

Eggs poached in wine served with salad is actually a new taste for us. Good flavor!

We've also had the dinner here:

For dinner, we had a better dish - grilled Brook trout above. and Gratin Au raviole, a cheesy pasta below which is like a rich macaroni and cheese.

Not to forget, I ordered this. Yes it was cheese too but it had more potatoes in it mashed up to a ball. Tasty but too much carb for me.

The food is okay and the drinks are very reasonable especially during brunch on weekends.

AMELIE

• 22 W 8th St, New York 10011
• (Btwn 5th Ave & MacDougal St)

VILLAGIO #Italian

This is a perfect place to see and to be seen restaurant (it's in Central Park South) with good "home-type" Italian food. 

This just opened this year located just west  of Fifth Avenue where many tourists flock to see Central Park and walk around shopping. It is definitely a place to be seen and to see who may walk by or may be in the restaurant.

Above, we were served with breads as you have decided to stay for lunch.  A basket of assorted breads and herbed thin bread plus crisp cracker-type bread were paired with a little bowl if chopped seasoned tomatoes.  I guess it's to make bruschetta with the breads.

Their vongole is an excellent choice. The  clams were fresh and the pasta was cooked al dente. Authentically prepared the Italian way, one may opt for the tomato kind if you want.

Their Ceasar Salad is generously prepared with the Parmesan cheese and anchovies which we requested!

We shared the salad. This was my half.

So far, it has been a very good experience for me. They are new in NYC and I welcome them!

VILLAGIO 

• 40 Central Park S, New York 10019
• (Btwn 6th Ave & Grand Army Plaza)
• villagiorestaurants.com/locations.php
  Villagio On the Park New York, NY 40 Central Park South New York, NY 10019. Tel: (212) 369-4000.
• 
  

DARUMA-YA

This is authentic Japanese.  They do use good ingredients.

We came here for the soba which is handmade.  I agree, he does make good soba.  It is also cooked Al dente.  And having just returned from a trip to Japan, they also gave us a pot of broth where the soba was cooked in to add to our broth in the bowl after finishing our soba; just like they do in Japan.

The Omakase is the best deal of the house. For a fixed price, one can get 7 items.  They are small "tapas" tasting size.  My favorite out of the Omakase were the following:

First was the foie gras.  Seared and probably torched with sugar on top was excellent.

The rare beef which was almost like Italian carpaccio on a bed if sliced onions dipped in Japanese Yuzu-sho was excellent.

Home made soba with uni which we requested replaced the plain soba they were going to serve but charged a little extra for this request.  This came with wasabe, some scallions and a broth that you'd pour into the bowl of noodles and mix.

Other items served were:

Lobster with uni. The lobster a little tough.

Black cod replaced the foie gras we had which someone else in our group did not want so had the fish instead.

Above were small plates if assorted vegetables. Some pickled seaweed, eggplant and tomato with wasabe mayonnaise.

There was also tofu with uni but I had forgotten to take a picture of it.

While waiting before dinner because we arrived early, I ordered corn tempura.  It was quite good and reasonable. Eaten dipped in Japanese pepper.

I think it's this condiment above that they use or similar.  I got this one from my trip to Japan.

Daruma has a sushi bar downstairs. Maybe I will try it next time. They said the sushi area is open only in the evening. But Daruma-ya on the main floor is open for lunch and dinner.  I think I will try it again next time.

It's not easy to find this restaurant so here's a map for you:

Daruma-Ya

Sushi Azabu (downstairs)

428 Greenwich Street

New York, NY 10013

AMELIE #Frenchrestaurant

Finally I get to try Amelie - the French restaurant in Greenwich Village.

They serve quality Classic French food not the haute cuisine French.

I particularly liked the mini ravioli French style with lots if cheese and some grated truffle on top:

This dish is like a super Mac & cheese with the right cheese! The grated truffle is amply garnished on top as you can see.  I suggest a side dish of haricot vert (French greenbeans) as a side dish with it.

Their trout cooked with wine and capers is perfectly done fresh and beautifully fried crisp skin yet moist inside. 

Above was a dish I thought would have more fish and cheese.  I didn't realize that the fish is mashed or incorporated in a mashed potato. But the compte cheese around and on top was delicious.

We decided we would like to try this place for brunch some time. 

Amelie

ameliewinebar.com/amelienyc/

22 W 8th St., NY, NY 10011

ameliewinebar.com/

ABBOTEGA #NorthernItalian, #Restaurant

This is down the south-most part of the West Village.

After trying the Vietnamese influenced food stop at Varrick st., I bumped into this Northern Italian little restaurant.  I couldn't resist passing it up so I decided to stay for a small dessert.  Looking at the menu, it was described as a chocolate flan with white ganache. I was lead to believe it was like a cake with chocolate inside.  But to call it a flan is far fetched.  This is really a Jean George copy if his "lava cake" which is a light chocolate cake with liquid center.

At this restaurant, they decided to serve it over a white chocolate ganache with some sweet crumbled cookies like biscotti or maybe a meringue. Overall, it made the dessert too sweet for me.  It would have been better served with chantilly sauce or zabaglione.

The place has charm and the street is one of my favorite quiet neighborhoods in the city.

It has a local charm about to it which attracted me to stay.  Judging from the menu and the late lunch the staff was having, I plan to go back and try their lunch or dinner.  They serve Northern Italian  food and their prices for the main course seem reasonable.

This restaurant has several branches in Milan and their first in New York City. They said they soon will open one in Miami, Florida.

ABBOTTEGA

14 Bedford Street, New York, NY 

+1(212)675-9080

RUSS & DAUGHTERS CAFE #smokedsalmon

As a regular customer at their over 100 years old store in the Lower Eastside where I buy the best smoked salmon and herring available in the city, I remembered to stop by their new cafe a couple of blocks away south of their store.

It looks like a glamorous diner all sleek and clean.  The daughter recognized me and was pleased I stopped by to try.  I had her describe the items so I could decide what to order.

I am happy with their borscht. 

It is a little thick but really delicious.  No skimping in the ingredients used served with a light crisp pumpernickel or was it rye bread?

The green salad was very light with baby kale, frisée, capers and dill.  Very healthy!

I chose the hot and cold smoked salmon spread served with their homemade waffle potato fries.  This was excellent!  Very good a still reasonably priced.

As a dessert, I opted for the chocolate egg cream.  It was just a bit thicker than I wanted.  It was more like a milk shake.  But the bar tender was kind enough to add more seltzer when I wanted it watered down.

I want to go back again to try their fish chowder next time.

In case you like alcohol, yes they do serve wine and hard drinks too.  They also make their own non-alcoholic beverages - about 5 kinds.

RUSS & DAUGHTERS CAFE

127 Irchard St., New Yirk, NY 10002

(212) 475-4881