photo op: BUDDAKAN

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A tasty happy hour at Buddakan in Caesars ended our Atlantic City adventures for Yelp’s Spring Break.

We slowly sipped full-bodied cocktails, some hot with jalapeno and gin, others smooth with an array of sweet fruit flavors, and others still, floral with lychee and sake.

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We gorged on slippery dumplings bursting with spicy beef or gingered chicken or even pureed edamame with traces of truffle.

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We had crunchy chicken and shrimp spring rolls and crunchy tempura vegetables, sweet, meaty and green.

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And we finished with cinnamon sugar dusting our lips, residual from tiny dough pockets filled with a light cream paired with tangy sweet banana sauce.

Thanks AC (and my plus one) for the amazing time per usual!

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3.8.15

RER 3.8.15

drink2that: a TOAST to 2014

Cheers to another year, with its ups and downs, its ins and outs, its savories and sweets.

It may seem like I eat far more than I drink (there is a reason for this, it’s because I do), but somehow, this year I have managed to indulge in some sumptuous sips out and about, on the West Coast, and closer to home.

There was a decadent milkshake at Lori’s Diner and strong and spicy cocktails at Flea Street in California, while carefully curated wine at Wine Spot and La Nonna warmed. Fancy, sophisticated and colorful concoctions at Bea, Left Bank Burger, Union Bar and Kitchen, and Fig & Olive made dinners and dates come alive. Tart, tangy and fresh drinks at Marco and Pepe, GP’s and Hog Island Oyster Bar tasted like the seasons. Parties and events, intimate gatherings and home conversations were backdrops for tasty libations. Brunchy drinks at Park & Sixth Gastropub and exceptional coffee from Little Collins were perfect starts. It was a pretty delicious year—I’d drink to that!

It’s practically 2015! Thank you for support in following foodie ventures on facebook, instagram, twitter, and yelp! Let’s make the coming year even bigger, better and more flavorful!

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12.31.14

tasting with a VIEW: Battello

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Stunning views steal breath. The night glitters with magic— the dark sky kisses the reflective water, twinkling, and the fall air drifts in, circling the high ceilings of Battello in Jersey City.

It is the perfect setting to be seduced. Open widows and glass let the still outside in. Vaulting rafters allow whispers to vanish, evaporate into intimacy and stay warm in the ear. Dotted Edison bulbs dangle just right, like tangible stars.

The menu speaks of a different kind of intimacy. A repetition of ingredients guarantees a closeness of flavors and feelings. The variety is pleasant, but the theme is to elevate: to inspire with the insipid. Many menu items seem done to the point of overdone; Battello wants to prove otherwise.

The Shipwrecked cocktail is a sweet note amongst its bitter companions, fresh with strawberries and savory with vibrant basil.

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A doughty crabcake sits on a bed of electric green slimy seaweed and capped with thick fennel. Each layer plays to the one beneath it, matching stringy texture, layering salt, fish and fresh.

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Smoky octopus, blackened with grill marks and effort, is brightened with green olive tapenade, briny and rough. The saltiness is soaked up by heavy grilled potatoes, creating a balance verging on innocuous.

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Added salt brings out the disguised sweetness of the autumn squash and the tender too cooked short rib dispersed through the curled edges of cavatelli. A monotonous blandness that weighs the dish down, flat-lining something that was destined for deliciousness.

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Pillowy gnocchi bathe in Bolognese pronged with spicy sausage and tangy acidic tomato. The browned pasta melts in the mouth, leaving fat chunks of crumbly sausage and not enough feeling.

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A four-bite braised short rib stands tall on a slab of smooth mashed potatoes and silky greens. The juices are sweet like fall fruits left with time, instant age for the fatty meat.

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Two delicate pancetta wrapped scallops sit triumphantly on red quinoa gravel, briny with green olives and sweet with gems raisins. Decorative pretty puffs of toasted almond supply another level of earthiness to the quinoa, highlighting the sweetness of the scallop.

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Dessert is a trio singing sweet songs with a melody too saccharine for honeyed ears. Almond ice cream lays thick on crunchy layers of cold granola, nuts, and the bluest of blueberries to make a tiny parfait. But bitterness invades with a round of dark chocolate gelato, towering chocolate mousse and a soft rectangle of dense brownie. A sole praline profiterole, salty and sweet, paired with a tart macerated strawberry, finish the group.

The airy atmosphere breeds romance—dim lighting, refined rustic notes, and glass, lots of glass.  Though luscious textures and refined ingredients are the language of the food at the eatery, a little piece of love is missing in some of the dishes, leaving them soulless.

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10.12.14