Tuesday, June 30, 2009

wd~50

You know when you go into a restaurant, and it gets busy and they start a waiting list, and they start calling out names, "DuFresnes, party of two." They say again, "DuFresnes, party of two." But then if no one answers, they'll just go to the next name, "Bush, party of three." Yeah, but what happened to the DuFresnes? No one seems to care. Who can eat at a time like this? People are missing! And they're hungry! That's a double whammy! "Bush, search party of three!" You can eat once you find the DuFresnes! - one of my fave jokes from Mitch Hedberg

Ok...so the only thing to tie this joke into my post is the chef. His name is Wylie Dufresne. Pronounced 'Do - frane'. Every time I hear that name I think of that joke. Ok...moving on. Wylie was formerly the sous chef at Jean Georges and in 1999 became the chef at 71 Clinton Fresh Food. wd~50 is the first restaurant where Wylie is both the chef and an owner along with his partners, former employers, Jean Georges Vongerichten and Phil Suarez.

Here is picture of the dining room.

When we came in we only wanted to try an appetizer, so we sat at the bar.

The menu at wd~50 is what is called molecular gastronomy. It utilizes elements and techniques from a wide array of cuisines. Both Wylie and the pastry chef, Alex Stupak, have garnered praise for their inspired culinary combinations, cutting edge culinary techniques, and innovative use of ingredients.
This was the first appetizer we had. Corned duck, rye crisp, purple mustard, horseradish cream. It was amazing. The horseradish really tied it together. I could have eaten a million of those.

Also, I can't blog about wd~50 and not talk about the bartender. Our bartender was hands down one of the best bartenders in NYC. He had been working for Wylie for about 6 years or so and he truly loved his job. He was talking about the different types of drinks he has made and while I forgot most of the crazy concoctions they've created - we got to taste a few samples of some really out there stuff. Plus, the drinks are to die for. Expensive but out of this world!

I tried to look up the names of the drinks we had but they aren't listed on the website. But you know what is? Crazy pictures of all the food they serve! Go check it out here!

They served us these crazy sesame wafers at the bar. They looked intimidating but were suprisingly light and delicate. Yummy. We also had another appetizer that I forgot to get a picture of. It was aerated foie, pickled beet, tamarillo-molasses, brioche. It was also good.

Wylie and wd~50 have been honored by the following James Beard Award nominations: 2000, Rising Star Chef (while Wylie was the chef at 71 Clinton Fresh Food); 2004, wd~50 for Best New Restaurant; 2008 and 2009, Wylie for Best Chef, New York City. Restaurant Magazine (UK) voted wd~50 34th in its annual "The World's Best Restaurants" issue, 2005. In New York magazine's 101 Best Restaurants edition (January 9, 2006), wd~50 was awarded four stars (out of a potential five) and was ranked fourth restaurant in New York. Frank Bruni of the New York Times awarded wd~50 three stars in March of 2008.

In 2006, in the Michelin Guide's inaugural American edition, wd~50 received one star, which it has retained through 2009. I don't get to eat at a lot of restaurants with a Michelin rating, so this was truly a notch on the ol' belt. In fact, it is the only restaurant in the LES with a Michelin rating!

Friday, June 26, 2009

Village Person

Bromance.

Me and Alicia.

Mike and Randy Jones...one of the original dudes from the Village People.

Alicia and Macho macho man.

Me and the singer. :)

Sunday, June 21, 2009

For my wine friends...

The label says, "Intense aromas and flavors of dark red berries, cranberry and cassis." Well, I remember what cassis is from blogging about wine before. Cassis is a hint of earthiness and is typical of the Sangiovese grape. What? You didn't know I was becoming smart at this, did you? Anyways, the wine label continues, "Full bodied yet elegant and supple...silky tannins (we all know what tannins are, no explanation)...food friendly." I would agree about the cassis but I don't get intense aromas. I think this Chianti is...ok. But again, I'm not like a chianti fanatic, so this is hard to judge.

Ah, Rosenblum. One of my favorite vineyards. This Zinfandel is very spicy and very fruit forward, so if that’s your preference this may be a good pick for you. Rosenblum is known for it's Zin's and while it's not the best Zin ever, it's a really good pick for a California Zin that won't break the bank at about $12 a bottle. On the nose it is mostly cedar, black pepper and plum. There is also a subtle cherry cola aroma. The palate is predominantly big blackberry flavor and raisin. There is also some plum and cherry with less intensity than the blackberry. The finish brings a touch of raspberry and a snappy spice giving this wine a nice complexity. The tannins are fine grained.

The Next Food Network Star...

Homemade Caiparinias. The Best!

Shaved fennel with sliced pear and slivered almond salad. Champagne Vinaigrette dressing.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Wine Tower

Curtis and I have been wanting a wine tower for quite some time. We saw one we really loved at Crate and Barrel awhile back, but we waited to see if we could find one cheaper. We forgot about the wine tower and got distracted with other things until recently. The haunting tower from C and B came calling for us again and this time we decided to just go buy it.

This is part of it laying on the floor.

My honey putting it together.

Viola! Here is the top half.

The bottom half.


The whole enchilada. :)

Monday, June 8, 2009

BBQ In Brooklyn

Terence and Brandi had a BBQ last weekend. I just got my camera back today - hence the delay in mas photos. Terence made this flyer for his shin dig. Cute.

Me and Souse. I think I'm shrinking?

Aww. Look at us all. So cute!

Kurt and Heidi. Kinda blurry but still cute.

Curtis made a sauce to marinate his turkey burgers in, but it some how made the meat fall apart on the grill. We ended up throwing it away because it looked like dog food. Also, look how festive the back yard looks?

Mexican Cat Fish!

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Paladar

We went to Paladar for dinner tonight. Paladar is a Pan-Latino restaurant serving high quality food and drink at affordable prices. The relaxed and friendly, "funky but chic" atmosphere is reflective of the neighborhood -- a place where the old and the new Lower East Side are simpatico...

The word Paladar is Spanish for "palate" or "to taste." In Cuba today there are myriad small restaurants operated out of private homes, called "paladares." On Ludlow Street Paladar strives to bring its visitors the same welcoming and intimate character of a typical Cuban paladar.

Comer, Beber y Amar -
baja un solo techo...
Eat, Drink and Love -
all under one roof...

Every day from 5 to 7 pm they have happy hour and drinks are half price!!! For dinner tonight I had:

Sopes: Corn tarts with black beans, avocado salsa & cotija cheese and the BEST mussels I've ever had in my life!!! They were steamed in tequila & chipotle chile broth. Curtis had Costillas LES" Pork spare ribs with guava BBQ sauce, served with mango, jicama & cabbage slaw. Of course, we both shared. :)

Paladar is home of Chef Aaron Sanchez. Chef Aarón Sanchez As a former co-host of Food Network's 'Melting Pot', Aarón introduced a national audience to his technique and creativity with contemporary interpretations of classic Latino cuisine. His audience gets to sample this fare at his New York City restaurants, Paladar and Centrico. (as from his website...)

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Damn you Food Network!

Curtis and I were watching Diners, Drive Ins and Dives on the Food Network the other day and they were doing a marathon special on BBQ. We got quite the craving and headed over to Georgia's Eastside BBQ on Orchard St in the LES.
WE WANTED RIBS! These were so good.

Plus the place is super cute. Small, yet quaint. I liked the cotton in the pottery. Cute touch.

Food.

Strawberries with vanilla ice cream.

Grilled Smart Beat Cheese Sammy. You can't even tell it's not real.

I made tofu again with broccoli rabe and yellow onion. It was delish.

Morning Star tacos. I took a few bites before I remembered to take a pic.

Love.

My vegetable/tofu soup. Curtis actually liked it.

Garden Salad.