Wildwood BBQ: the latest in NYC's BBQ frenzy

On Saturday during a stroll to find lunch, Thighs declared "I feel like eating meat. Does that make sense?". Honestly, it didn't until we found ourselves standing in front of the latest entrant into New York's race for BBQ supremacy, Wildwood BBQ.

Reviews for Wildwood have been mixed, but I was certainly willing to give it a try. The woody airy decor was enticing, however, it did make me long for the former inhabitant of this space, Park Avalon, a former new American establishment in the B.R. Guest empire.

We began our meal with 1/2 dozen chicken wings; choosing the "rubbed and fried" version since Thighs was going to have her main with Wildwood's chipotle-raspberry sauce and we wanted to taste as many flavors of sauce as possible. The wings were juicy and not as heavily battered as I expected, a pleasant surprise.

Thighs followed with the Memphis-style baby back ribs which are "wet and slathered with Wildwood spicy chipotle and raspberry BBQ". The ribs were tender and the sauce was rich and hearty. The best dish of the meal.

I chose the pork spare ribs which are "dry dusted with Lou's sugar and spice rub". The ribs were meaty and on the lean side yet still slid off the bone with ease.

We enjoyed our vegetarian's nightmare with a side of sweet potato fries which were decent, but not as crispy or salty as I would have liked.

Overall, it was a noble effort by Wildwood to stand up to the competition and while it slightly missed the mark, this might improve with time. The quality of the meat may be slightly lower than the high standards set by Hill Country (an obvious competitor) but the level of smoke and flavors are on the right track. That is, until the next wave of cuisine takes over the city.

Batali-Bastianich Double Header: Lunch @ Esca, Dinner @ Lupa

The dining extravanganza continued this week with a Batali-Bastianch double header on Wednesday.

Kenny and I had lunch at Esca, Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich's foray into the world of seafood with David Pasternack at the helm. I kicked off lunch with a lovely sweet rhubarb bellini while Kenny kicked back with a beer. After a short wait we were seated outside and treated to an amuse bouche of mackerel and white bean bruschetta.

For a first course I enjoyed the caprese salad with creamy buffalo mozzarella, oven dried tomatoes and basil. There is just something about buffalo mozzarella... beauty in it's simplicity that makes it an amazing part of any meal.

My main course was the polipo; grilled octopus with giant corona beans, preserved sorrento lemons and rosemary on a bed of frisee. Kenny chose the scallops with citrus and greens. I was curious to see how Pasternack's scallops would stand up to the amazing ones I had at Tocqueville the previous evening, and they actually fared well. The citrus added a nice flavor to the sear on the scallops and it was the perfect choice for a light lunch. I was equally impressed with the octopus, which can be either very good or very very bad. It had a great char on the outside without being overcooked or rubbery. The creaminess of the beans and the dressing added a nice balance to the dish.

Overall, I was pleased with my lunch at Esca and it more than made up for an abysmal meal that RRR and I had there about a year ago. I'm glad I gave it another chance!

Now that dinner was over, it was time to get ready for dinner! We had decided on a trip to Lupa prior to lunch at Esca and it didn't seem like it would be a culinary conflict, as long as I stayed away from the seafood offerings. Lupa is yet another jewel in the Batali-Bastianich crown, this time with partners Jason Denton and and Mark Ladner.

We decided to eat at the bar and after a short wait, RRR and I were perusing Lupa's fantastic menu. Having eaten at Lupa a handful of times, we were pretty well versed in the menu offerings, especially the house cured salumi and outstanding pastas.

I began our meal with another one of the delightful rhubarb bellini's I enjoyed at Esca a few hours earlier and we finally decided on a game plan. We started with an order of the coppa cotto and quickly added a creamy blended goat and sheep's milk cheese we saw being served to the couple seated next to us.

After slathering some fresh Italian bread with the cheese and sopping up some of the nutty olive oil served with our meat and cheese, we were ready for our pasta course. We decided to split the asparagus cappellacci and ramps, a creamy unique mix of fresh veggies and creamy pasta. The cappellacci were shaped like small envelopes with a delightful package of asparagus and sharp fresh ramps. Absolutely wonderful!

For our main course, we split the pork shoulder with treviso and aceto. The pork was fork tender and melted in our mouths. The aceto provided a bit of sweet richness and I'm certainly glad we decided to split this dish, I would have been jealous if RRR got to enjoy this all about herself. Did they cook this all day? Oh my!

Once again, we ate ourselves into oblivion and we unable to muster up enough of an appetite for dessert which was fine since of all that Lupa does so right, the desserts are fairly unimpressive in my book.

What an outstanding culinary day!

Tocqueville - Still the best restaurant in Union Square

Tonight RRR and I treated ourselves to dinner at Tocqueville. In the early incarnation of this blog, I declared Tocqueville to be one of my top three restaurant choices in the city. Will it still fare as well?

Since that post, Marco Moreria and his wife Jo-Ann Makovitzky, have expanded Tocqueville into the larger space next door and opened a Japanese restaurant, 15 East, in Tocqueville's former home, so this was our first foray into the new digs.

RRR and I were in a celebratory mood so after enjoying our amuse bouche, we decided to treat ourselves to the calorically decadent short rib and Hudson Valley foie gras ravioli appetizer. The ravioli were served with some wilted arugula which gave the pasta a peppery bite and worked in perfect harmony with the richness of the short ribs and foie gras. Pecorino cheese added some saltiness to the plate and we debated the other spice we tasted in the dish. Fennel seed? Cumin? Simply a red wine braise of the short ribs? It was so simple, so rich, mouthwatering and utterly amazing. I could have ended the meal here and been completely satisfied.

While waiting for our entrees, we were treated to some white asparagus, courtesy of the chef. We believe this was mainly due to the extremely long wait between our first and main courses. This seemed to have been a theme in the dining room this evening; since many tables were sat simultaneously and the kitchen became a bit backed up. However, our server kept checking in and the sommelier kept the wine flowing, so all was good in the proverbial hood.

When our mains finally arrived, I was treated to Tocqueville's signature dish, seared diver sea scallops and foie gras. This was the dish that caused me to obsess over Tocqueville in the first place, so it seemed fitting to return to my 'first love'. I was not disappointed. The scallops were perfectly seared and seasoned and the lightness of the fish held up well to the richness of the foie gras.

RRR enjoyed the local wild striped bass poached in asparagus vichyssoise, with rutabaga purée, white and green asparagus. The fish had a great char on the outside and was moist and extremely tasty. The asparagus was thinly sliced and perfectly seasoned. It was such a standout that the asparagus would have worked well on it's own.

By the time we finished with our main courses, we were a bit too sleepy (I think I was in a foie gras induced coma) to enjoy dessert so we decided to call it a night. On the way out, we found Marco sitting at the bar and struck up a conversation (I used to sell Marco potatoes and tomatoes during a stint years ago at the Union Square Greenmarket). Jo-Ann joined the conversation shortly thereafter and the couple were quite charming. I certainly think it added to RRR's "I am dining like a rockstar" experience!

Drunch: The Redux

Rockstar, Thighs and myself, known to some as "The Trinity", gathered on Sunday for a drunch at Il Bastardo. Dunch is a drunken brunch for those who are not-in-the-know. Previous drunches have been held at Sette, the restaurant next door, which shares a kitchen with Il Bastardo. Now it seems the owners are reinventing Sette as another establishment but I'm not exactly sure what the story is there.

Since our last visit, it seems that drunch has become more popular and the new found popularity is reflected in the prices. The previous deal of an $8 all you can drink Bloody Mary, Mimosas or Screwdrivers has been replaced with a $15 deal. Still a deal even though the glasses are smaller and the refills less frequent.

The portions have decreased as well but the food still fares well. After some internal debate, I decided on the frittata with parmigiano and mixed vegetables. The eggs came with a small side of potatoes with some peppers and eggs and without the usual accompaniment of toast. At least the mini muffins that are served when you first sit down are still part of the service.

On a more positive note, I chose to polish off the meal with a surprisingly delicious ricotta cheesecake, complete with fresh fruit. I usually skip dessert and decided to treat myself this go around and it was well worth it.

So while Il Bastardo might have fallen a bit off the mark, it's still a decent deal in the city of over priced over crowded brunches. And after a few Bloody Mary's, does it really matter?