Big 'Apple'?

Forget the apples. There are way better things to eat in NYC.

The trip to New York was...awesome. A whirlwind of food and drink, traveling and cooking and not much sleep.

We stayed at Hotel le Jolie (yes, i realize the name is not in gender agreement, but I didn't name it!) in Brooklyn and the first night ate at Diner, not far from our hotel. The menu changes everyday there so instead of printing new ones, they just tell you the menu verbally and write down the main item in each dish on the butcher paper on the table. We ordered at least one of everything and passed plates around the table, sampling everything. I took pictures of each plate (of course) and took some notes on the butcher paper, but reached a point where there was too much goodness happening and had to just enjoy it.

My favorite dishes were...

bean salad with sungolds, shallot vinaigrette and aged goat cheese

roasted carrots with sunchoke puree (notice the note taking)

pork rillet and pickled vegetables

Their big brother restaurant, Marlow and Sons, sent over a few dishes (compliments of the kitchen) which were also delicious...however the only one I can remember now was the razor clams.

We made sure to also order one of everything on the dessert menu, and again were treated to a couple desserts from Marlow and Sons. The one that stole the show for me was apples baked in phyllo dough. Simple, but executed perfectly.

Thursday we spent day prepping, cooking and serving a dinner for 74 at the James Beard House. We experienced more 'speed bumps' than desired, but had (mostly) plenty of time to over come them. Most of the problems were small and easily remedied. However, the big problem was with the steaks. I'm not sure what specifically what the problem was, but they were not to Chef's standards and he didn't want to serve them. He spent a good amount of time on the phone calling around to local butchers and finally was able to get a hold of some beef. They said they would deliver it between 530 and 7pm. ....we waited. and waited. we got nervous and waited some more. The meat arrived at 7:05, partially frozen and needing to be butchered. So, as guests arrived and passed through the kitchen, Chef cut the loin from the ribs, portioned and cleaned the steaks. Talk about cutting too close for comfort. Although, I thought Chef handled the situation really well (much better than I would have), I'm sure he was freaking out just a little bit.

Photo credit: Tom Kirkman

 Every dinner is going to have a few unexpected obstacles, that's what makes it interesting. The trick is to not let your guests realize them. Which, if nothing else, is what we were able to do. At the end of the meal, we were paraded through the dining rooms and all the guests seemed thrilled with the dinner and none the wiser to our challenges that day. Whew.

First Course: Fountain Prarie Farm Beef carpaccio with pea vine, fried shallot, pickled mushroom, Dunbarton Blue cheese and brioche crouton (Photo credit: Tom Kirkman)

Third Course: Orecchiette with house sweet sausage, Blue Mont Raw Milk cheddar and autumn chicories (Photo credit: Tom Kirkman)

Forth Course: Dry Aged NY strip steak on sweet potato puree, crispy Buttermilk Blue crumbles, brussel sprouts with bacon and topped with spicy peanuts (Photo credit: Tom Kirkman)

After spending all day in the kitchen, we were tired but ready to spend sometime on the other side of food service. We headed to Fatty 'Cue in West Village and once again ate our way through the menu. The menu here was bit bigger than Diner, so we didn't try everything, and to be honest I'm not sure of everything we ate. Chef ordered for the table and we shared everything. There was a lot of bacon and a lot of bold flavors. Asian influenced for sure. We had a couple bottles of '09 Sauvingnon Sket a sparkling wine from Austria (delish!) and the show stealer for me was the 1/2 buttermilk fried rabbit. By the time we got it, I was already stuffed and had to over come my fear of eating meat off the bone (which I have noticed seems to subside after a couple glasses of wine). But some things are worth it and that wascally wabbit definitely was. The whole experience at Fatty was awesome. The service was great and the kitchen obliged chef's request for 'something not on the menu' and set out a huge meaty plate of something.

Friday we slept in as long as we dared. Our flight left at 630 and we all wanted to see the city before going home. A few of us took the train to Times Square and walked around there for a couple hours. I kept my eye out for the Naked Cowboy, but I didn't see him. Nor did I see anyone famous. :/ But we found Le Bernardin, Eric Ripert's flagship restaurant and home to a painting you Grand Rapidians might recognize! Nic bought his daughter a snow globe and I got a Giants t-shirt before we split up for lunch. Nic, Eric and Brent got to go to Per Se, a restaurant by Thomas Keller where our old sous chef now works, but because of dress code, I wasn't able to join them. But in New York City, great food is never hard to come by. I got lunch at Bouchon Bakery, another Thomas Keller restaurant, and found a spot in Central Park to enjoy my sandwich, macaroon and latte.

Spotted: B snacking in the park

 I resisted the urge to go to the Upper East Side in hopes of seeing anyone from Gossip Girl by searching for some electric blue pants. I saw a pair in Bloomingdale's the first day we were in the city and was set on finding some affordable blue 'New York' pants. I found them at H&M before heading back to the hotel for the fun task of getting everyone's bags to the airport. Two wheely suitcases, one back pack and one huuuuuge duffel bag and my purse...not a dainty thing. Somehow, I was able to load myself up with all the bags and make it to baggage check. I checked the duffel and set off for security with the remaining 3 carry on + purse. :/ Have you ever gone through airport security with 4 bags including a lap top and camera? Don't forget to remove your shoes and put electronics in a separate bin. I'm sure the people around me figured I must be the most high maintenance person ever. Finally, I made it to my gate and realized I had to pee. But couldn't leave all the bags and of course I don't trust a stranger with all that. So I waited until everyone else arrived from bringing the coolers from the beard house.

The crew (Photo credit: Tom Kirkman)

The trip went by so fast and left me with a list for things to do and places to eat for my next visit. As I said in my previous blog, I feel extremely honored to have been able to go on this trip. It certainly was an experience I will never forget. A big thanks and shout out to Tory for seeing something in me and wanting me to be apart of the NY team! The trip was amazing.