After our great meal at Balthazar, Chris, my mom, and I walked to Vosges Chocolate to see/taste some chocolate. I remember seeing the founder, Katrina Markoff, in an issue of Town and Country or a bridal magazine because the magazine covered her wedding, so I wanted to check out the store (I think it started in Chicago). Anyway, the store is extremely purple (in a cute way):
We had two pieces of chocolate split among the three of us – a chocolate with sweet Indian curry and coconut and another chocolate with chili peppers. I preferred the Indian curry and coconut (I’m suddenly starting to REALLY like coconut) but the chocolate with chili peppers was interesting – it had a kick as an aftertaste. Two pieces of chocolate cost $5.15, so it’s quite the splurge, but I think the Indian curry with coconut is worth it. On a side note, my mom brought me back some 99% cocoa bars and….MAN they pack a punch (to put it nicely). I think I’ll stick to milk chocolate and hershey kisses.
After AVENUE Q, the three of us headed to Balthazar for dinner (we’ve only been to the restaurant for brunch and wanted to check out the options for dinner). The restaurant was packed, but luckily, Chris made a reservation before going to the show so we were seated right away. Since we saw a matinee, my mom and I didn’t really have time to eat lunch and apparently, neither did Chris. By the time we got to the restaurant, we were all starving. We started off with king crab legs:
Balthazar is my favorite Keith McNally restaurant so far (beating out Pastis and Schillor’s Liquor Bar) but Chris and I still have a couple to check out before making a final decision. The king crab legs were chilled over ice and seaweed and served with a side sauce and lemon. I loved the lemon juice with the crab legs and it was a great way to start the meal. We also ordered Brandade De Morue, which is a combination of salted cod and mashed potatoes with lots of cream and roasted garlic, served on toasted bread:
An interesting combination, right? It was really tasty (especially with the toasted bread…carbs on carbs!). It’s a great hors d’oeuvre and I’m going to make it the next time I host a party (….most likely in North Carolina). For our main courses, my mom ordered the grilled brook trout with spinach, lentils, and asparagus:
My mom really enjoyed the fish and it tasted very fresh. The asparagus was also really tasty, and the only complaint was that there might’ve been a little too much vinegarette on the fish.
Chris ordered the cheeseburger:
It was tasty, but I was a little disappointed with the bread. I love love LOVE Balthazar bread (seriously, it’s the best) but the bread for the cheeseburger was a little too crusty. I think the bun should’ve been softer on the inside (the core) but maybe it was just toasted a little too long. Chris liked the bread, so that’s all that matters.
I was originally going to order the duck’s Shepard pie, but at the last minute, I decided to order the Saturday dinner special: braised short ribs with mashed potatoes:
Oh. My. God. My braised short ribs were freaking AMAZING! The vegetables (carrots, leeks – possibly, and onions) were all really delicious as well. The mashed potatoes were so buttery and creamy and paired well with the short ribs (which were marinated with red wine and then braised). The meat literally fell off the bones (I took them home for my roommate’s dogs) and the meat wasn’t too salty (which is sometimes a problem with braised meats, in my opinion, since you’re cooking it with all these sauces for such a long time). The mashed potatoes were perfect (not too salty and just creamy enough that you could still taste some of the potato chunks) and the braised short ribs just melted in your mouth. Wow…it still makes my mouth water as I think about the dish. My mom and Chris agreed that the dish was awesome as well.
After dinner, we were all so stuffed that we didn’t order dessert (maybe next time!). Balthazar is such a great place to go after a long day of shopping in Soho, or a safe place to get a great meal. It’s also a great spot for brunch on the weekends or coffee on the weekdays (it’s a celebrity hangout during the week and many celebs/producers have their own tables). It’s great for a first date (maybe a blind date!) because if you can’t think of anything to say, you can look up to the ceiling and mention how quirky the playing cards that are sticking to the ceiling are. It’s also great for a party because there are so many different dishes for everyone at the table to order, or a great place to just enjoy some awesome bread (or if you can’t get to Balthazar for their bread, check out Whole Foods – they stock the brioche breads!).
On Friday night, my mom flew in from Italy and she’s staying with me until Wednesday. Chris thought it would be a good idea to bring her to a musical, so on Saturday morning, we bought tickets for Avenue Q, a musical we’ve been interested in checking out. For those of you interested in what the musical is about, I’ll give you a little synopsis from their website: AVENUE Q is the story of Princeton, a bright-eyed college grad who comes to New York City with big dreams and a tiny bank account. He soon discovers that the only neighborhood in his price range is Avenue Q; still, the neighbors seem nice. There’s Brian the out-of-work comedian and his therapist fianceé Christmas Eve; Nicky the good-hearted slacker and his roommate Rod — a Republican investment banker who seems to have some sort of secret; an Internet addict called Trekkie Monster; and a very cute kindergarten teaching assistant named Kate. And would you believe the building’s superintendent is Gary Coleman?!? (Yes, that Gary Coleman.) Together, Princeton and his newfound friends struggle to find jobs, dates, and their ever-elusive purpose in life. Here’s a picture of their set:
The musical was hilarious (especially since it’s performed with puppets!) and we all enjoyed the show. There were a bunch of little kids at the show as well, which was kind of odd since there’s so much adult content (in my opinion, children probably shouldn’t be watching…puppet sex). AVENUE Q won best musical in 2004 and if you’re in NYC, you should definitely try to snag tickets (if you get in the TKTS line, you might get really good seats for $70-$90!) A picture of me and Chris after the show:
There are also a lot of other musicals that sell great seats at the TKTS booth – it changes daily and when Chris and I went, they were selling tickets to Curtains, Mamma Mia!, AVENUE Q, The Color Purple, Tarzan, and a lot of other popular shows. If you have the time when you’re visiting, you should give it a try!
On Friday night, Chris and I headed to bruschetteria for a quick bite to eat. bruschetteria is known for their sandwiches, wines, and…bruschetta! The place is tiny and right next door to teany, the tea shop that was once owned by Moby. The place is very cute and there is only enough space for 20 or so people:
I ordered a pressed sandwich with arugula, turkey, avacado, and tomato and Chris ordered four pieces of bruschetta with tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and olive oil. My sandwich was really well made (there’s only one guy behind the counter making sandwiches and boy did he take his time). The turkey was really good (honey roasted) and the bread was crunchy on the outside, but soft and chewy on the inside (it tasted like it could’ve been from Balthazar). Chris’ bruschetta was okay (he enjoyed it) but I don’t think there was enough olive oil to bring everything together. I didn’t take pictures of the food (sorry!) but I’d definitely go back for a sandwich some time, so don’t worry, there will be pictures eventually!
After bruschetteria, we headed to teany for a Raspberry Lime Ricky, made with fresh raspberry puree and lime juice, blended, then lightly carbonated and sweetened. It was pretty tasty, although I would’ve preferred it without the sweetener (it was already pretty sweet on its own). They also specialize in vegan dishes (and desserts) and might be a cute place to check out sometime. I hear that moby doesn’t own the space anymore since he broke up with his co-owner, Kelly, so they sold it off, but who knows, I could’ve just made that up. Check back tomorrow for more updates!
On Sunday, Chris and I headed to Goodburger to try out their cheeseburgers (a lot of my friends from work said it was better than Shake Shack). Since I love Shake Shack, I had to see what all the fuss was about. There are a couple of Goodburgers around the city (there’s actually one RIGHT by me on 54th and Lexington) and there is a new one opening up around Union Square this August. Goodburger is home of the …goodburger:
And you can order online, so for really lazy and chubby people, it’s perfect! 🙂 (meaning, I will always order online from now on). 😉 I ordered my usual cheeseburger without mayo and onion and Chris ordered the same. The prices are a little higher than Shake Shack’s, but you don’t have to wait in line, which is always a good thing. Our meal:
And a close up of the burger:
Goodburger grills their burgers on a huge open flame and they definitely taste like it. Very delicious. The cheese is melted perfectly, there’s not an overload of vegetables and condiments, and the flame taste makes the meat extra tasty. It isn’t as heavy as Shake Shack, either, which is a good thing because everytime I leave Shake Shack, I feel like I need to go on a diet. Actually, just writing about Shake Shack makes me feel a little greasy. I still love Shake Shack because of the buttery bun taste and the meat’s seasoning, but I feel like Goodburger is almost…good for you. 🙂 Do you think my doctor would buy that?! The fries were also good – freshly made and very crispy.
One complaint: I’m not sure how cooks are SUPPOSED to handle burgers, but our cook didn’t use gloves on both of his hands, meaning his right hand was exposed while he was touching my beef patty, touching my bun, all of the different veggies, etc. That can’t be clean, right? The other person working behind the counter was wearing gloves on both hands, which leads me to believe that the guy should have been as well. They definitely need to work on that. Overall, I think Goodburger is – dare I say it – better than Shake Shack. Yes, I said it. Now I’m going to order some online and wait for it to show up at my door. 🙂
