Category: <span>American</span>

The Cecil Harlem

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Cecil the Hotel was burnt down in 1974. Today, Cecil the restaurant lives on. On a quiet Saturday morning, we headed to harlem to get a taste of this self-proclaimed the city’s first Afro-Asian-American brasserie. I love how they decorate the place. It’s very modern, yet has a certain charm that make us feel warm. It could double as a lounge, even a club at night.
The menu is an interesting read. There are dim sum, buns, kimchi, and country breakfast. There are plenty of asian influence, no doubt. But I’m a bit confuse… I don’t know what to make of it. May be it is just like this neighborhood, a mixture of different cultures, all blend together and created something unique.

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We have (from top left) OXTAIL DUMPLING, Pastry Board, SALMON FRITTERS, and SPICY CRISPY SQUID. Oxtail dumpling is a must have. Perfectly cooked, thin dumpling skin wrapping up a tasty, meaty little pockets. The oxtail dumplings come in a thick curry sauce. The curry could use some more spice, but I am happy as is. Crispy squid is more or less just calamari. Crunch, crunch, crunch!

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HERITAGE POACHED EGGS 16
– chicken Sausage, Collards, Red Curry Holandaise
Look at how fluffy that egg is. This might be the best egg of the day. The dish overall is a little too salty.

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ROTI PIZZA 15
– oxtail, Aged Cheddar, Fried Egg
Oxtail flatbread! Good flavor, but I felt that the oxtail is too finely chopped, hard to get a solid bite of the meat. And the fried eggs, I would love for it to be running. While the pizza is very crispy on outside, it was kind of soggy in the center… good plate, needs improvement.

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BRISKET & EGGS 18
– fried Rice, Duck Egg, Hoisin
Duck egg is nicely poached, the brisket was way too fat… even fatter than pork belly……

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SMOTHERED CHICKEN & GRITS 19
– boneless Chicken Thigh, Okra, Tomatoes
Our favorite dish of the day! Very tasty chicken. The tomato sauce lighten up the grits. Love it.

It was a decent brunch. Very comforting, but hard to tell where the “Afro” influence is from breakfast. Oh, there is a unlimited pineapple mimosa (90 minutes) for $18 during brunch hours. So, YES please!
Esquire named The Cecil the best new restaurant in America last year. I think we will need to come for dinner to get a true taste of Cecil. I can totally imagine a live jazz band here at night, jamming it out with comfort food. It would be quite a party. (June, 2015)

Yard Bird (Delicious Miami PT IV)

click to view more photos
click to view more photos
Yard Bird needs no introduction. Between it’s outpost in Las Vegas and the fact that it was featured on Anthony Bourdain’s Emmy winning series “Parts Unknown” with a special appearance of QuestLove, foodies flocked here for it’s famous fried chicken and waffle. But I can assure you, this place is way more than just fried chicken.
Not far from Lincoln Street Mall, in a quiet residential area, there is Yard Bird Southern Table and Bar. A white building with huge windows and glass door, the space was once a grocery store, now famous for it’s fried chicken and waffle. miamiyb03
I absolutely love what they did to the space. It’s bright and light. Exposed beams and ducts, white brick columns, dark wood feature wall, and especially the mason jar chandelier. Its rustic, chic, clean and contemporary. Take a closer look at the wall. They hold wisdom… if these wall could talk… wait… they could.
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The pig said “God gave the angels wings, he gave us bacon”
The chicken said “there are 2 kinds of people in the world; those who love fried chicken, and communists”
The bottle on the wall said “Bourbon is sunshine mixed with love and genius”
and my personal favorite “never trust a skinny pastry chef”

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Drinks are colorful and delicious. Served in a mason jar. Both of them were unique, and extremely refreshing especially during the hot Miami summer.
Blackberry Bourbon Lemonade (left)
– Buffalo Trace bourbon, fresh lemon and cardamom 12
just the right amount of sweetness
Watermelon Sling (right)
– Troy & Sons platinum white whiskey, fresh pressed watermelon juice & fresh lemon balanced with rosemary & Aperol 12
FRESH! FRESH! FRESH!

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Deviled Eggs
– fresh dill, smoked trout roe ‘redneck caviar’ 10
Creamy, dreamy!!! the devil is smiling

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Chicken Liver Toast
– grilled country bread, cuke & fresno pepper relish 5
For only $5, this is a steal!!! crunchy toast with thick layer of chicken liver moose generously spread. The pepper relish and scallion on top added a sweet taste and crunch. Love it!!!

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Chicken n’ Watermelon n’ Waffles
– Yardbird’s signature ‘old school fried chicken’, honey hot sauce, chilled spiced watermelon, Cheddar cheese chow chow waffle, bourbon maple syrup 36

Despite the fame, we were still hesitant to get the chicken and waffles. Because, this $36 dish feature half a chicken!!! with just the two of us, we couldn’t possibly finish it along with other things we wanted to have. But how often are we in Miami… we have to!!! and if we didn’t, we would definatelty regret. Chicken is so moist and tender, not only the dark meat was awesome, even the white meat was amazing. Although deep fried, it is not oily like all other fried chicken. Very lightly breaded, and no excessive oil, nor greasy, just flavorful, juicy chicken. Then there were waffles. I’m not a waffle person, but I am totally taken by these little corners of goodness. As Fluffy as it can be. Cut a corner, and the are cheese inside!!!! a light layer of cheddar in the middle of the waffle. Making is extra fluffy and melty. Pair with the bourbon maple syrup….. yum yum yum. Too heavy? That’s what the watermelon are for!!! chilled, spiced with pepper, lemon and herbs, watermelon just become more mouthwatering.
With all these excellent goodies, my suggestion is— rally up the whole gang and share the joy of good food. There are so many more items we wanted to try, but couldn’t. Our neighbor at the next table had the fried green tomato BLT and shrimp and grits, and they look so good!!! next time, may be dinner? There are more items on the supper menu!!!
*** 1600 Lenox Avenue, Miami Beach, FL
www.runchickenrun.com

Cesca- great pre-theater near Beacon Hill

click to see slideshow
click to see slideshow

Went to a concert at the Beacon Hill Theater several weeks ago, and we were having trouble deciding where to eat nearby. Thanks to the wonderful App “OpenTable”, we found ourselves at Cesca for per-theater dinner. It is the closest restaurant available in the vicinity of Beacon Hill Theater and surprisingly, our dinner was quite good.
Trendy, it is not, it is elegant. Bar in the front is crowded, with sports channels in the tube. Down the hallway is a raw bar, then semi-open kitchen and a comfortable dinning room. Natural toned walls with dark wood furniture and dimmed lighting, it’s rather old school, rustic, and neighborly.
Seeing the raw bar on our way in, how could we not have oysters. Served with mignonette form, oysters were fresh and sweet. Grilled octopus was not rubbery at all. Cooked just right, with a little charred. I doubt that it had been massaged for half an hour like the one at 15 East, but this is tender enough. Although I could go without the ceci beans and opt for more greens. House-made Pappardelle was al dente. And I could not believe the amount of meat in the ragu. Perfectly seasoned, simply a hearty, fulfilling dish. Then came the special- Lamb shank.
Lamb Shank
Lamb Shank

Lamb is the wow of the night. Portion is generous, big haunch of meat, braised in wine, tender and tasty, surrounded by garden vegetables and grilled potatoes. Meat fell right off the bone with the help of a fork, which is a beautiful thing.
For dessert, we had the chocolate fondant cake. But honestly I think we should have bypassed that. It has a lot of components but just too much going on, and overly sweet.
(March, 2015)

Park Ave Winter (Best of NYRW’ 15)

This winter has been brutal. Snowing every week, record freezing cold, even Niagara Falls is frozen. However, the winter on Park Ave is wonderful. We have tried their brunch before, and we love it. Knowing that they are participating in NYRW; I know i have to tried their dinner. And who can turn down a good deal?!


We were greeted by a mini iron tray of monkey bread with rosemary and sea salt and several pops of Black truffle croquette with the menu. I cannot stress enough how important that a piece of warm bread is. Not only were they warm, they were heartwarming. The Black truffle croquette was a very nice surprise. They were not much of a looker, just tiny little dots laying a clear bowl of uncooked rice. It was a very interesting presentation. I get the contrast of color, but I hope they are not throwing away every single bowl of those uncooked rice. That aside, the croquette was delicious. Crispy outside, warm and moist inside and it screams truffle. Not only can i smell the fragrant, I can taste the aroma. And the amount of the truffle was just right, not overwhelmed. Monkey bread has rosemary in it and top with sea salt. Tasty as is, no need for Butter or olive oil.
Blood Orange Bellini
Listed as one of the recommended cocktail, I had a blood orange Bellini to start. While I love the blood orange, most of its juice was down at the bottom. The sparkling wine obviously has lost its bubbles. Still delicious, but could have been better.


Appetizers were fantastic. The scallop sandwich is more like seared scallop on a thin piece of bread. Golden brown hash, finely chopped chives, and perfectly seared scallop all goes very well together. Slices of jalapenos added a kick and make it all better. I love crab cake. Most crab cake out there, no matter how much crab it is stuffed with, can’t escape the fact that they are a little doughy and firm. This crab cake at park Ave Winter takes crab cake to a new level. It is a fantastic crab slaw sandwiched between two thin crepes. It is crunchy, airy with plenty of sweet crab meat. We also got the steak tartare with foie gras and truffle for an extra $5, and it was well worth it. The portion of the steak tartare is very generous. Steak tartare and foie gras are perfect combination. And drops of truffle oil made the flavors even more rich. I think the bread underneath could be cut thinner, because it was difficult to cut for its thickness. And we could hold back the parmesan shaves.


Pork Chop Schnitzel Pear Mustard, Anchovy Brown Butter


Pork Chop Schnitzel
Pear Mustard, Anchovy Brown Butter

I have to say, the potions are huge. Large slap of pork chop lightly battered, just enough to make it crispy outside, and still juicy inside. Perfectly seasoned, pieces of cabbage and apple on top balanced out the oiliness and saltiness.

Halibut 

Brioche with Poached Egg
Halibut 

Brioche with Poached Egg
We were a little disappointed with the halibut. It was served with a poached egg. Unfortunately, both were a little over cooked. The poached egg yolk was no longer running. For $10 supplement, the piece of halibut seems small, and it was a little underseasoned too. The sweet sauce, however, was great, just too little.

Braised Short Rib Sandwich

 with Horseradish & Braised Short Rib, Roots & Aliums
Braised Short Rib Sandwich

 with Horseradish & Braised Short Rib, Roots & Aliums
The two big chunks of braised short rib were beautifully braised. Soft, dense, and tender, its meat juice still intact. It was delicious and hearty.

We have had Winter White Sundae and Sticky Toffee Pudding before when we had brunch here. But this time, they had a different presentation for the sundae, which is far less appealing or eye pleasing. Instead of a sundae glass, both ice-creams were served in a rice bowl. It was awkward and left me wondering what they would normally use that bowl for.
We were very satisfied with our dinner. There were a couple things could be better. But for $38, it is well worth it. Unlike many other places where they treated you as second class customers when you order restaurant week menu, staffs at Park Ave were attentive and warm. Dishes did came out from the kitchen petty quickly, made us suspicious that they were precooked, especially with the overcooked halibut. All of the RW menu items are from the regular menu. There are plenty of choices. And in my opinion, it truly fulfills the purpose of RW, to showcase a restaurant at an affordable price. My friend claimed that this was the best restaurant week experience we have had. (Feb, NYRW’15)