Laiola got me thinking...

Rather than trying to take on the enormous task of just reviewing restaurants,
and honestly, let's face it, I'm no food critic by any means, I got to thinking that perhaps I should expand my writing horizons a bit. Although there are restaurants that I have reviewed on here and probably will do so again in the future, please know that I do my best to be as fair and objective as possible and I typically try to go or have gone to these restaurants several times before I write about them. I just have been thinking lately that it would be a better idea to keep writing as I have been and continue to write about what I know in a broader aspect...

With that said, what do I know about? Well, my friends & family can vouch for this - I know Food.
I think everyone does to an extent. One thing for sure is that we at least know what we like and don't like, right? Of course it is also very subjective...
I, on the other hand, am extremely Passionate about and admittedly, somewhat Obsessed about Food...
What we're talking about here is not just about any old Food, but Good Food...

Great Food...

Memorable Dining Experiences
from both high-end places to hole-in-the-wall joints
that linger in your mind long after you've eaten...

Yes, that's right...

Food or Experiences that you find yourself telling others about
for weeks, months, even years after you've had it...

Food that essentially becomes an Experience and Vivid Memory in your Mind and has you wanting, yearning to go back for more...

If you read my blog, then you know what I'm talking about.

So here I am, intent upon broadening my writing horizons by penning down anything and everything Food-Related from Random Thoughts & Musings on Food to Individual Dishes that really Stand Out and Memorable Dining Experiences that are Visually and Sensually Extraordinary in My Book.
You with me? Well, alright then! Let's get this started...

I got to thinking about all of this after the Meal I had at Laiola the other night... I was really excited to try this new place after reading several reviews that, although were mixed, were mostly glowing and positive. I wanted to go there and see for myself. After our Meal there, I found that I really liked this place a lot in spite of the fact that some Dishes were a little bit hit & miss as I had read.
Let me tell you what did do it for me though. It was the Great Service and also two Dishes in particular that just knocked it out of the park. Food that was memorable enough to make me want to write about and share with you. And this was how I came to the conclusion in this instance, that I need to be writing about Individual Dishes that are remarkable and stand out in my mind.



Let me give you the Raptor Breakdown...
We walked in and were immediately struck by the warmth of the space & the lively atmosphere created by the backdrop of burnt orange walls, pressed copper ceiling and a copper food & wine bar spanning the length of the room. The place was seriously buzzin' and it was a Tuesday night. We walked in without a rez, and although it was packed we only had to wait 20 minutes for our table. The time went by quickly because the server/host kept us occupied with choosing & trying different Spanish wines of which we were unfamiliar. He was very accommodating and pretty knowledgable, which was really great. Before we knew it we were seated with our Menus and we were instantaneously on a first name basis with our server & host. I love that...

We opted to get a number of Starters versus Entrees so that we could try more Dishes and really get a feel for the Food. Although some of the Dishes were not worth mentioning here at this point, there were two Dishes that I found to be truly memorable and actually quite exceptional.

The First Dish that we fell in love with was the Grilled Young Octopus prepared with Fresh Shelling & Romano Bean Salad. One bite made us quickly forget what we were talking about and a heady silence ensued. I was reeling...
The Octopus was Grilled to Perfection, Incredibly Tender with Amazing Flavor... The Combined Flavors of the Grilled Octopus with the Bean Salad, which included Nuances of Celery, Capers and Tomatoes tossed together with a bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a Beautiful Vinegar was perfectly balanced. It was Exquisite. We loved this dish... A definite Must-Try.

But it was the Next that was our Favorite Dish of All...
This was a Grilled Quail that was prepared with a Moroccan-Spiced Rub with Roasted Sunchokes and what I believe was an Artichoke Puree, and I can hardly express it better than - this Dish was Awesome!
The Skin was Perfectly Crisp and So Flavorful in Contrast to the Quail Meat which was Incredibly Tender, Substantial and Juicy...
It was Unbelievably Good and gave us both that 'Eyes-rolled back kind of reaction'...
Our reactions were so impassioned that the girls having dinner next to us couldn't help but notice and asked what we could possibly be eating that would cause such a fervent response. We breathlessly went on to tell them about the Grilled Quail and how Unbelievably Good it was. Before we knew it we actually shared a bite with each of them. Now that was some 'Food Bonding Love'...
Yes People, our socks were definitely knocked off with this Dish...
You gotta try it.

Trust me, I'm still reeling...

To get the Visual, here is the Quail Photo Shoot from that Evening...



Also, a Nice Little Tip for you - Rather than the typical serving of a Glass of Wine, they serve their Wine in Carafinas, mini carafes, that hold 250ml of Wine which is equal to 1/3 Bottle of Wine. Bonus.

UPDATE 12/17/07: Went back for the Quail and was extremely disappointed. It was nothing like the last time, unfortunately. Like I said, this place is totally hit or miss...

The Raptor Does New York...

ah New York... I just love that City... I love the Energy of that place.
Being from Philly, we used to go there when we were feelin' bored and itchin' for a lil' excitement. New York never failed to disappoint.
In actuality, I had not been back to NYC since 2002, one year after 9/11 happened.
That is a long time... What was I thinking?

Well, my NYC drought ended and I found myself running through the City like a Wild Woman (Yes, Rick Dare, the hands were up in the air... haha..)... Like a Woman starved, I lost all abandon and...

ahem. yeah, and so uh...

Needless to say, I had a fantastic time...

So here's how it went...

I met my old college roommate from from my Freshman year at St. Joe's for dinner at Babbo, Mario Batali's restaurant in Waverly Place. I hadn't seen her in 14 years and it was great to be able to catch up. I had tried to make a reservation a few days prior, but was unable, so the restaurant told me that if there was just the two of us, then we could try for a walk-in. This worked out great because we made it to the upstairs Dining Room. Score.

I was really excited to go here and I really wanted to like this place, but sadly I was a little disappointed. Perhaps my expectations were too high, or maybe it was an off night. Who knows? Once seated, we chatted with the Sommelier and she suggested rather than getting a full bottle, that we should get a Vino al Quartino, which are Wines by the Litre (250 ml). Very nice. We got the Morellino diScansano I Perazzi La Mozza 2005 Toscana for $11. It was great! Score again...

To start us off, we were given a complimentary Bruschetta topped with Garbanzo Beans and Olives, which was just ok. The rest of the Meal went as follows:
Appetizer/Anitpasti - Prosciutto San Daniele "Riserva" with Black Pepper "Fett'unta" - This was great. The Prosciutto was fresh and buttery. You really can't go wrong.
As for our Mains, I'm not gonna get into it in detail, but we had the Mint Love Letters, the Lamb & the Guinea Hen and were disappointed unfortunately. I will have to give the place another try... Sorry Mario...

We wandered down the streets and the next place we went was Sushi Samba on 7th Ave. When I initially walked in, I was a little wary that it would be too cheesy, but after drinks and apps at the bar, my mind changed on that. The Decor was very trendy with glowing orb lights on the ceiling which cast an orangish-red glow in the room with linear partitions, bamboo and glass... I guess you could say it had a similar vibe to one of my fave sushi joints in SF called Tokyo Go Go, but in a much larger scale... The people who work there are gorgeous and accommodating... The people who went there were beautiful and the drinks were tasty.


My New Love...

But it was there that I found a new Love... And found it in the Seared Otoro Kobe Beef with Warm Shiitake Mushroom, Ponzu gelee & a Truffled Tofu Sauce which was DIVINE! It was so good, it made me have one of my 'moment's. You gotta try it to know what I'm talking about! After our huge dinner at Babbo's a few blocks away and watching the Food that went around and were being served to the people around us made me want to try more. What little I had was surprisingly good...
Note to Self: Must come back and get more Seared Otoro Beef...

The next day I met a friend at the Blue Water Grill at Union Square. This is a great sprawling space, traditional in decor with beautiful vaulted ceilings and crown molding and it seemed to be a great place for lunch meetings - from business & power lunches and just to meet with friends...

The Menu is eclectic, but consisted mainly of Seafood and a somewhat New England/Asian fare. They had such things as Lobster Bisque, Maryland Crabcakes to Thai Calamari, Lobster Spring Rolls & Lettuce Wraps and even Sushi.
A little tip: they have a very reasonably priced Prix Fixe Lunch Menu for $24.07 which my friend had. She started out with a refreshingly good Red Snapper Ceviche with Passion Fruit & Malagueta Pepper, and for her Main she had the Wild Striped Bass with Edamame, Pea Shoot Salad & a Sesame Miso Vinaigrette which was delicious. I, on the other hand, opted for something from the Simply Grilled section which featured different Fish & Seafood items that are marinated with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Lemon, Garlic & Capers and then Grilled. Each of these are then served with a Side that you choose and a Sauce, which is cool because it's kinda served A la Carte style like a Steakhouse, but for Seafood. What a good concept! I chose the Organic Salmon with Rapini and Chimichurri Sauce. All Good...

We finished off our Meal by sharing the dessert that came with my friend's prix fixe which was a Chocolate Ganache Tart with Butterscotch Crunch Ice Cream & Caramelized Bananas. YUM! Overall, the Service was great and I had a great lunch experience... Good Times.



Now, I can go on and on about all of my Food & Dining Experiences in NY, but NY and its 5 boroughs are massive as you know. I stayed with my cousin in Brooklyn in Bay Ridge and this was my first time there. Y'know, I was really digging Brooklyn and its great little towns - like Bay Ridge, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Park Slope and D.U.M.B.O.
Brooklyn kind of reminded me of Philly. I liked it.

One thing that I miss in SF is Turkish & Greek Food. I learned to love Turkish Kebabs, when I lived in Europe and there they called them Doner Kebabs. They were great when I was hankerin for a little somethin' somethin' in the middle of the day shopping, walking to school or in the middle of the night after drinkin at the bars. Those were the days... *sigh*.

So I asked my cousin where to get me some good Turkish Kebab. We ordered from Bay Kebab on 3rd Ave. and I loved it! This place does some seriously good Kebab! No joke...
I got me a Lamb Kebab from here and it rocked! I mean I'm still thinkin 'bout it... We also got the Lentil Soup/Ezogolin which is a Savory Soup consisting of Red Lentils in Tomato Sauce and some special Turkish Bread to dip it in. SO good, especially on a rainy day... I might just hafta move my ass to Brooklyn so that I can get it on a daily... Fo Real..

That night, my cousin and her friends took me on a driving tour of Brooklyn & Manhattan. We ended up in a nice little spot in the Meat Packing District called Revel. This was a Cool Space in the same block as Tenjune and Buddha Bar. I really liked the exposed brick walls, tree-lined open back patio and the overall openness of the space.
We had a bunch of drinks there and I found myself really digging the space and overall vibe of the place. And after taking a look at the Menu and other reviews, I will definitely be back to give the Food a try...
Before I knew it, it was 5am and we were stuffing our faces with a Slice from Joe's. Awesome.



Saturday morning I was hungover and hankerin' for more Bay Kebab. But I had to meet my other cousins and goddaughter who came up from Philly in Soho for some shopping and eventually Dinner for my godchild's 16th birthday at a cute place on Prince Street called Zoe Restaurant.



At our table, we started with a Zoe Salad and French Fries with a Side of Truffled Cheese. Fancy Cheese Fries, who knew? I had the Duck Two-ways - Pan-Roasted Duck Breast & Leg Confit paired with Rice, Sauteed Chard & and Fig Jam. Good stuff... My cousins had the Pan-Seared Arctic Char with Marinated Vegetables, Pearl Onions, Fingerling Potatoes, Dijon Vinaigrette & Chive Oil which I thought was really good and also The Lemon-Thyme Marinated Whole Roasted Red Snapper with Spring Vegetables and a citrus-shallot Vinaigrette. That one was just ok for me. The Server was attentive and the Raspberry Cosmos were delicious and they kept coming, which was nice...

For Dessert we had the S'Mores - Toasted Marshmallow on top of a Fudge Brownie & Graham Cracker and Malted Milk Chocolate Ice Cream on the Side. This dessert was awesome! All in all, we had a great meal and friendly drinks and would recommend going again...

Eventually Sunday came too soon and it was time to leave. Between you & me, I actually missed my flight because I wasn't ready to leave just yet. My cousin & I ended up exploring Brooklyn a little more and having Brunch at this great little place called Bar Tabac in Cobble Hill.

I really liked this place. I loved the rustic French country setup and friendly atmosphere from the moment I walked in... I had my Egg's Benedict with Bacon instead of ham and I loved it! (I know, Bacon instead of Ham? It's a Raptor thing, I'm not a fan of Ham, but trust me, it's a great substitution that adds a little crispy texture. You oughtta try it some time...) The Hollandaise was flavorful, the Eggs poached just right and the Bacon perfectly crisp. The Dish definitely passed the Raptor Brunch test...
Great place for Brunch and a Great way to send me back on my way to SF...

All in all, I had a fantastic time in New York and cannot wait to go back for more...