Resto

We recently went to Resto for Baxter’s going away lunch/celebration for finishing a bunch of different projects. I wasn’t too excited about the option because my friend Hana said she had a terrible experience there; when she went for dinner, she was served a frozen chicken dish and the other dishes weren’t cooked to the right temperature, either. I thought it would be okay if I just stuck to a salad and possibly something that is difficult to mess up (like a grilled cheese sandwich).

The restaurant is close to our office in Murray Hill and specializes in nose-to-tail dining and also has a large variety of imported beers. I ordered the salad with a light vinaigrette to start:

And then shared a grilled cheese sandwich:

As well as their take on spaghetti carbonara (I forgot to take that photo!) The salad with the light vinaigrette wasn’t bad, although it was mostly just lettuce and a plain dressing. The grilled cheese was too greasy and the side salad that came with it didn’t have any dressing; the wetness in the photograph is actually water! I usually don’t use that much dressing on my salad but I need *some* flavor. The spaghetti carbonara was also really badly made and I didn’t even finish it because I was so grossed out by the sauce and the pasta.

This is close to our office but I hope we never have to go back for another work lunch – it’s slow, the food isn’t good, and it’s definitely pricier than your normal $10 salad.

Gemini Bistro Chicago

After a day of searching for our wedding venue, Ken and I met up with our friends for dinner at Gemini Bistro in Lincoln Park. It was on my list of restaurants to try in Chicago and they seemed to be okay with accommodating a large group of people on a Saturday night and it was also close to the bars everyone was going to after dinner, so it seemed like the perfect restaurant for dinner!

I started out with the beet and goat cheese salad:

There was a combination of yellow and red beets but it looks like they cooked them together because it was just one large red beet party. It was light and refreshing with a nice vinaigrette – a good way to start the meal, especially since we were eating outdoors.

John Brady, who sat next to me, ordered the scallops as his entree:

And some seared tuna as well:

Drew ordered the steak and asparagus:

Ken ordered the braised short ribs:

And I ordered the sea bass:

Everything was made well and the service was also really great for a boisterous crowd of eight. For dessert, we ordered and shared two desserts – the warm cookie served in a pan with lots of ice cream and the cheesecake:

I was too slow to take a photograph of the cookie – there were spoons in the pan before it even hit the table! We all loved the food and thought it was a great atmosphere – definitely a good spot in Chicago!

Mission Chinese Food

Ken and I were in the mood for Chinese food the other night and I told him we should check out Mission Chinese Food, a new restaurant that just opened on the Lower East Side, close to The Meatball Shop. We cabbed it over because we were so hungry and I told him to be ready for a really long line. When we arrived, we saw a ton of people waiting outside and realized we weren’t going to last the wait. Instead, we decided to order take out and then eat the food at home – the wait was a lot shorter and we took another cab home so the food was still really fresh! The front of the restaurant is where you put your name down and order take out…it’s also where the keg is located if you are interested in hanging out (because it’s definitely going to be a long wait). The area is really tiny and we were surrounded by lots of bearded hipsters. The front area:

They give you free seltzer and free beer so you can hang out while waiting for seating (which one person complained was more than two hours). We ordered a few things (and tried to stay healthy, but I don’t know how well we did). We started with smashed cucumbers in garlic sauce:

The cucumbers are smashed and mixed with garlic, sesame paste and fresh coriander. I thought the sesame paste added a Middle Eastern flavor to the dish but my mom makes it without the paste (and uses oil instead) which I think has a fresher taste.

Next, the congee/porridge with peanuts:

The dish is rice that is cooked so long in a pot of water that it breaks apart the rice and makes it similar to oatmeal. This one also had peanuts, cilantro, ginger and lots of really great green onion. It was so good, even on a hot summer night!

Next, a seasonal dish of spring peas:

The spring peas were sauteed with hot peppers, ramps and topped with sesame. It was REALLLLLY hot but also really good – a seasonal dish but definitely worth ordering if it’s in season and they have it on their menu!

Last, we ordered the the rice cakes sauteed with bacon, bitter melon and tofu skin:

A really good dish that had a lot of different flavors and a TON of heat. I love bitter melon in the summer time (and it’s supposed to cool you down) so it’s a really good vegetable to cook with the abundance of hot peppers.

We were quite pleased with the meal and definitely plan to return. The restaurant is always busy (it just opened) so I think we’ll continue to get take out – maybe next time, we’ll eat on our rooftop!

Golden Unicorn

On the Saturday before our birthday this year, Ken and Laura organized a dinner for our family at Golden Unicorn. We ate a lot of food, including shark fin soup:

And duck prepared tableside:

The duck skin is all removed carefully by a skilled server and then the carcass is taken back to the kitchen so the meat can be removed for another dish:

We were left with two duck skin buns a person with scallions and sauce:

We also had sea urchin, the duck meat was brought back (sauteed) and lots of veggies. For dessert, David and I shared a mielle crepe cake, which is a specialty cake that Laura and Ken found at a bakery on the upper east side called Lady M:

David and I loved the cake – it’s layers upon layers of thin crepes with very light pastry cream and the cake is infused with green tea flavors. Ken and I are actually thinking about doing a mielle crepe cake for our wedding! We topped off our birthday celebration with a bottle of Dom Perignon, a bottle that we were saving to celebrate both of our engagements. What a wonderful way to celebrate our birthdays!

Mandarin Oriental Lobby Lounge

For our birthdays this year, my mom came to visit us in New York. David was turning 30 and we thought it would be nice to spend some time together before he headed off to San Francisco for the summer (and my mom was able to help him pack a lot of stuff and get ready for his move!) We had a nice afternoon tea at the Mandarin Oriental, which has breathtaking views of Central Park. My mom wanted to have tea and everyone else actually ended up eating lunch at the restaurant.

I had the chicken salad with cashews, oranges and a fresh citrus vinaigrette:

Ken had the kobe beef sliders with a side of Parmesan crusted fries:

Laura had the wonton soup with noodles and vinegar:

David had the chicken wings with a soy ginger dressing and crudite:

And my mom had the tea service, which came with three trays:

I shared a bit with my mom and my favorite level of food was top level, which had two scones and clotted cream that was sweet and light:

The food isn’t spectacular but the views are very enjoyable and it’s a nice place to rest after a morning of shopping along Fifth Avenue:

The floor above the lobby has a large ballroom that we visited after our afternoon tea/late lunch – they were setting up for a large wedding and it looked like it was going to be a really fun time – lots of bar areas, a band setting up, and beautiful flower arrangements.