a lunch at Sushi Samba 7- West Village

Noted for its Sex in the City hey days, I've been meaning to check out the Latin-Japanese fusion menu at Sushi Samba 7 since an old colleague expressed a deep love for the the River Crabs. We decided to take in the cloud-free sky and hot afternoon by walking there from our Financial District apartment.

The vibrant walls house various hues of orange and green squares, walls open to the streets and diligently focused folks slicing fish and fresh citrus fruit. Trendy music laced the air with just enough air conditoning to neutralize the humidity outside.

I sipped on a Lychee-elderflower-prosecco cocktail, garnished with a fuschia orchid, my husband dove into a flight of sakes.

We decided to order a handful of small dishes to allow us to sample the menu. To begin,  selected the seared Waygu beef dressed with warm honshimeji mushrooms, ponzu gelee and truffled tofu crema. It should come as no surprise that this is truly an excellent plate. Light and well-matched flavors collaborated well. My husband was tempted to order a second!

Moments after the Waygu arrived, our River Crabs were presented- claws up ready for attack! The bartender took in my husband's precarious expression and offered, "Pop them like pop corn!"

The flash-fried little buggers are dressed with sea salt and a caramelized lemon for squeezing over top. Crunchy and delicious, they are a must.

For our third plate, we requested the tasting of four sashimi seviches: Yellowtail (ginger, garlic, soy), Salmon (arugula, jalapeno, orange, aji amarillo), Tuna (grapefruit, serrano, cilantro, coconut) and Shrimp (passionfruit, cucumber, cilantro). I must speak the freshness- all of the varieties were impeccable. I would have to say that I favored the Tuna for the marinade, and the jalapenos in the salmon.

If we were to return, I'd head to the roof top!

a dinner at Scarpina

Yesterday evening, we managed to pull ourselves into the rain and wind,  for a prix fixe dinner at Scarpina. The Mediterranean-Latin fusion venue hosts amber lighting, square mirror-clad walls and modern silo lamps. The eager staff seated us and immediately showed a twang of frustration when we showed our Travelzoo offer (pre-purchased, includes 3-courses each and a bottle of wine).

We were impressed with the extensive selections on the first and second choices to select from. I love going out with my Chris (my fiance!), he understands and embraces that I love picking things we both feel for and sharing. We selected the lamb tacos with black bean spicy hummus and P.E.I mussels with fennel, tomato and garlic for our first course. The tacos could have been warmer, the mussels were piping hot and mediocre. In this round, the lamb won with the tasty grilled pita around it. The tacos could have been a meal in themselves.

Before we could finish our first course, three servers crowded our table, one empty-handed, the others with our entrees. They apologized that our food was ready and offered to wrap up our first courses. Strike 2. We declined to have our appetizers wrapped (who reheats mussels?!) and accepted our mains: horseradish crusted salmon with cucumber slaw and steak Latino with Vidalia escabech, creamed spinach and yucca fries.  The salmon arrived luke-warm and lacking flavor, surprising for something that has been spiced with horseradish. The steak came in a massive cut, the fries were tasty and the spinach tasted mostly of fresh cream.

We finished our bottle of Argentenian Malbec and accepted coffees and our dessert selections: creme brulee and panna cotta. Both dishes were dressed in summer berries and were otherwise average. We didn't finish any of the three courses. It appeared as though they were trying to "wow" patrons with portion size, when I feel they could have benefited from better quality ingredients and smaller portions.



Images: (here & here).

Pieces of My Weekend

I'm a little pink on my shoulders, a bit exhausted, well-fed and deeply satisfied. A good weekend, to be sure.

a brunch at Mercandito

We tend to stick to the East Side- a habit we decided to remedy. This morning we headed a few blocks West, heading North through Tribeca, SoHo and eventually, into the West Village. Mercandito courted us in with the breezy outdoor seating and South American brunch menu.

The prix fixe menu offers a mimosa or coffee with choice of entree for a reasonable $15. We each opted for the Mimosa (clearly;) and requested a first course of guacamole. A bit bland, we flagged the attentive staff for salt and habanero sauce. For our mains, we both went the taco route. I selected the cameron (shrimp, roasted garlic, chipotle mojo and avocado slices) and my fiance the pollo (herb marinated chicken, pickled sweet potato and chipotle salsa). We were also brought rice and black bean plates to share.

The food was quite excellent, though the shrimp tacos wore the crown! We requested house margaritas on the rocks for dessert...decent, albeit pricey, for what they were.

Good Mexican is hard to come by in the city. This was good.

Under $40,000 and in the West Village!

Well, actually, it's just a temporary set-up. From Toronto-based Meka Modular homes, the unit is 320 sq feet of sleek and modern living. While only ten units have been sold, it stands to reason that there is certainly a market for these in densely populated urban habitats like Manhattan! Read the full scoop at the Wall Street Journal.

Komforte Chocolates

I'm going to have to make a trek to the West Village to pick up a handful of these unusual chocolate bars at The Meadow.

Mermaid Inn- Greenwich Village

Painted white plank ceilings and the long crowded bar of Mermaid Inn welcomed us from the torrential rain. Within the soft gray, white and champagne lights- groups of two or three huddled around large platters of oysters (the chef selects a daily 1$ oyster special...and it's only available at the bar!). I sipped on the Mermaid Mary, which is pitch perfect with stout, old bay on the rim and a cocktail shrimp garnish. A bowl of Goldfish crackers and a cone of everything spiced crisps with butter were placed before us for nibbling, as we waited for our first round of oysters.

The daily selection: Malpeque. We also requested a side of gouda hush puppies for our first round of plates. With foursquare check-in, you are offered a free side! Other tempting choices include Old Bay Fries and sea salt asparagus.


The condiments served with the oysters are gorgeous- vinegar tart with shallots and horseradish plopped over cocktail sauce. We took the liberty to dip the hush puppies in them as well.


For our second course, we partook in the steamed P.E.I. mussels with shallots, white wine, butter and garlic- as well- we requested the the sauteed calamari tossed with shitakes, criminis, feta and radicchio. I could base a religion around the calamari. The marriage of ingredients is absolutely stunning: tart, protein and modest bitter of the greens.

We transitioned to Prosecco and considered dessert. The verdict? Another 1/2 dozen of the 1$ Malpeque special!


Images: from my iPhone.

Slaughtered Lamb

My interest in the Slaughtered Lamb peaked when I noticed the venue featured in a sexy scene from New York, I Love You. A detail, which left me a bit surprised to discover that the bar is best described as a combination of dive pub and Universal Studios "horror" attraction. A small entry room houses the wooden bar, low dark wood booths cram a dining area in the back and a basement noted "Dungeon," rests below with games and pool.

I sipped the Blood Bath (one of the many cocktails or shots with awesome names like "murder," "slash," "knife"), which is an interpretation of sangria. The menu is limited to deep fried pub-grub, but the list of 80 bottled beers is noteworthy. The bathrooms were arguably the scariest aspect of this homage to An American Werewolf in London inspired venue: cramped, dirty and better to avoid. When I attempted to grab some toilet paper, the dispenser flew open and both rolls plopped into the toilet. Oops.


Images: NY Mag

Warm Sunday, a photo series

red door, red frock.

doom.

refuse.

hop to, seniors.

american peep show

brothers

corner pop

fantasy world claws

little pilgrim

Blue Note

My driver shoved through the mess of cabs outside Blue Note-- many empty--waiting-- for live jazz buffs to shuffle out of the West Village venue. I entered to be immediately interrogated by a bouncer, in what appeared to be his grandfather's hand-me down-suit, "You meeting someone or you have a reservation?" I ensured him my company was at the bar, to which he escorted me to the tiny space that had be procured for us in the standing room.

I sipped Maker's on the rocks (always bourbon with jazz) and took in the crammed tables, 80's style geometric mirrors to the back and doorman shhhhing patrons who dared above a modest whisper. I suggest venturing upstairs to use the loo, where cases of kitschy souvenirs will stir up nostalgia of roller skating rinks from childhood.


The club is noted for outrageous cover and policies (you pay a steep admission per set), New York Magazine writer Peter Landau explains:

The sole reason to endure this pseudo high-class torture is the Blue Note's exclusive booking practices: Certain artists, like John Coltrane's powerhouse drummer, the late Elvin Jones, wouldn't play anywhere else within city limits. At least they pay the industry's workhorses well.

I would suggest having an evening at Blue Note, then moving on to other venues such as Terra Blues where delicious Delta style blues is cover free- given that you're securing your table by ordering drinks



Images: NYMAG

December Saturday, a photo series

Santacon:1

Santacon: 2

West 12th:1

West 12th:2

Stop Bar

Italian Hero

polka parade

silver chips