This is a restaurant from the same people that brought Maiella. Even though that restaurant was modern Italian, this one was more New American. It sits across the Gantry park near the Hunters Point library. Our first visit was on a Sunday, prior to the day that New York City had to shutdown dining in restaurants due to the coronavirus. Because people weren’t really out and about, the restaurant had many empty tables.
Le Bernardin is a three Michelin Star restaurant in New York City that primarily deals with seafood. The head chef is Eric Ripert, who is very well known in the higher end spectrum of the culinary world. We actually saw him on the floor with a mask on talking to some of the wait staff. This particular occasion was for a birthday celebration. Our reservation was at 5 PM, and it had to be reserved a month in advance. The spinning doors don’t actually open till 5 PM sharp, so there wasn’t too much of a benefit to arrive before.
This French restaurant is located at the southern part of Vernon Blvd right across the street from Cafe Henri. We were able to walk in without reservations. The interior is quite cozy in this COVID environment as it has this very French (Paris) cafe feel to it. Each table was separated by a plastic wall. Be warned though that this place only accepts cash or AMEX. More on that later, so onto the food…
This place is across the street from Food Cellar. It’s nestled in a garage and used to serve a lot of steak dishes. The menu has changed into a more casual patio like experience (I am guessing just for the summer). When we arrived, there was no table service. Instead you have to go to the counter and place your order there. The menus are shown via QRCode. After you place your order, you carry the utensils, dishes, and drinks back to your table. The waiter will serve the dishes, so you don’t have to go pick up that. When you order, you (can) leave with them your credit card to open a tab. When you check out, they will tell you that gratuity is already included.
This restaurant has been on my list for a while. Before I moved out of North Williamsburg, I wanted to eat something with pork. Unfortunately at the time, they were closed on a Tuesday for whatever reason, so I did not have the opportunity to try this place until today.
The ambiance is a dimly lit romantic setting right near the corner of Havenmayer. There were a lot of candles all over, and the tables were pretty close to each other reminding me of my time in Paris. Keeping in mind that I am getting over a slight head congestion, my tastebuds might be a little on the dull size.
This post is going to be a big one. For our first anniversary, we treated ourselves to a nice French place that I think is generally underrated and under the radar. Gabriel Kreuthers has been something that I’ve always wanted to try, and it’s rated 2 Michelin Stars in 2019. We went bold with the Chef’s Carte Blanche Tasting Menu. There are a total of at least 28 dishes spread through of what they say is 9 courses.
I’ve walked by here many times, but I’ve never actually ate here until now. One of our guests loves this place because of the burger.
The prime beef tartare was pretty good. It definitely was tender and tasted like good quality beef.
The rotisserie chicken was really tender. If I had to dock it points, it’d be for how salty the sauce and everything was. Also, it was oily too. However if you’re wondering about the meat, it was juicy and cooked nice.
I’m not a fan of brunch at all, so this was the first restaurant in the area I was in that seemed interesting to me. I completely forgot it was Easter Sunday, but luckily their prixe fix menu had all the regulars on it.
The bread was nothing to write home about. It came slightly on the cold side.
The escargots de bourgogne in baby potatoes were actually pretty good. Albeit slightly salty in some bites, they tasted better than the other appetizers on the table.
This place is right around the corner of Katz in the Ludlow Hotel. We sat in the patio area which is much nicer and quieter than indoors where everyone else is sitting.
Starting off, they serve bread that seems to be freshly made for your table. The bread comes with some butter with oil on it, and it’s really good.
We ordered 2 cocktails: Laboulaye which is the green one and Petite Socco which is the red one. My green drink wasn’t as good as the red one. The green was definitely smokey, but I was hoping the bell pepper would provide a more significant kick. The red drink was definitely very good.
Walked in on a Saturday at 7 PM with no reservations, and it was packed despite it being pretty frigid outside.
Luckily, we got seats at the bar.
The french onion soup was really good. The gruyere cheese was nice and toasty, and the beef broth with the onions wasn’t salty like typical french onion soups.
The porterhouse of course was cooked a perfect medium rare. The strip side was preferred over the filet mignon. There was some sauce on the side, but we didn’t need to use the sauce on the side because the steak was seasoned well and had a good flavor.