Category: <span>NY Eats</span>

The Clam

The Clam

White curved ceiling, white linen, dark chairs, with the semi-open kitchen, The Clam is a cozy restarrant on Hudson St opened over a year ago. Chef/ co-owner Mike Price is cracking up clams everyway there is. On the menu, there are clam dip, clam red sauce, deep fried clams, clam pizza, stuffed clams, clam soup, steamed clams, and of course, raw calms. But I have to say I am surpised that at The Clam where Clam should be the star, none of the entree feature clams. Since we came to The Clam to have clams, so clams we have.
Purple RainYuzu Pomergranate Swizzle
There were 8 selections from the cocktails menu. Immediately 2 stands out to us, the Purple Rain and Yuzu Pomegranate Swizzle. Love the Purple Rain, unlike the dark purple color, the drink was light and crisp, and the ginger added a little zest. It was perfectly balance. The Yuzu Pomegranate Swizzle was not as sweet aas we fear. It brought us to that little tropical island, with toes in the sand and enjoying the sun. absolutely love the yuzu. The only thing is that, the tall glass was filled 95% with ice, there were only may be 3 slip of cocktail in it.

the clam dip zesty potato chips

    THE CLAM DIP zesty potato chips
    Clam Dip is served with large basket of thick crunchy potato chips. The chips seasoned, and would be by itself. The clam dip was very creamy and has plenty of clams in it. Between the dip’s creaminess and chips’ saltiness, I would be happier if it was a little more lemony. This would be the perfect snack/ finger food for the Super Bowl.

diver scallop crudo

    DIVER SCALLOP CRUDO red blush pear, hazelnuts, chives, lime
    One of my favorite dish of the nigh. The scallop crudo was the only thing we ordered that is not clam, and it did not disappoint. The scallop was sweet. The pears and lime help bring out the sweetness and flavor even more. The crushed hazelnuts on top added crunch. It is refreshing, and just delicious.

6 littleneck clams with cocktail sauce

    6 LITTLENECK CLAMS cocktail sauce
    Clams were very fresh. Nice cocktail sauce with a little kick.

steamed littlenecks

    STEAMED LITTLENECK juicy bread, natural broth
    This was a bigger portion than I thought it would be. Clam broth was great. All the flavor from the clam came out. I could drink it as soup. While the broth was perfect, the clams were a little bit salty for me. And the garlic bread was fantastic.

spaghetti & clams spicy gravy, fried clam & lobster sliders

    SPAGHETTI & CLAMS spicy gravy, salad on top, FRIED BELLY CLAM & LOBSTER SLIDERS griddled bun & OLD BAY FRIES cocktail sauce
    Since we were sharing everything, our server was very thoughtful to have the portion split in 2 for us, so the tiny table doesn’t seems as crowed. For any pasta dish, the sauce is the soul. And this spicy clam sauce was excellent. It was rich with a just enough kick. The salad on top was a great idea. since the spaghetti is rather heavy, salad added a certain lightness to the dish.
    Fried belly clam was gorgeous. Not too much dough, crispy on the outside and juicy inside. Griddled bun was buttery and soft, lightly toasted. Lobster on the other hand, was kind of absent here. I would wish for a little more lobster and tartar sauce or maybe a slide of lemon on the side, to balance out the greasiness of the clam and buttered bun.

    For so long, oyster has been taking the spotlight, it is about time that clam takes the stage. After a clam-ful night, we didn’t have any room for dessert. My high note was definitely the scallop curdo and the spicy clam spaghetti. Service was warm and attentive. When our check arrived, it came in a little notebook, filled with comments or sketches left by customers. It is a cute thoughtful idea, and we enjoyed flipping through it. The Clam
    On a side note, I found it odd that there is a window to the street where the bathroom is. While I do not know what it would look like from the outside, it certainly didn’t make me feel comfortable going about my business. We all know there are a lot of creeps in this world. (Feb, 2015)
    The Clam

Batard

click to view slideshow
click to view slideshow
I don’t often go to Tribeca. It is an inconvenience place for me. Subways are not close by, and I always get lost. But there are so many excellent dinning options in Tribeca. To name a few, Bouely, Atera, Junsik, Brushstoke, Nobu…… I was genuinely upset when Corton decided to close its door. In its place, is a beautiful fine dinning restaurant – Batard. Backed by the same group that is responsible for Nobu and Tribeca Grill, Batard opened last year, and immediately has won over the critics. Peter Wells gave it 3 stars, and also named it one of the best new restaurants in 2014.
We went to Batard the day after the “faux” snow storm Juno, it was freezing cold outside. We opened the door to a very warm welcoming place. Wood floors, faint yellow walls, chandelier, it is very formal, elegant, refined. It was 7pm, dinning room was half full. Dinners seems to be more sophisticated, more of a country club crowd, whispering conversation. We sat down in the deep corner of the dinning room. From we sat, we could get a glimpse of the kitchen’s ceiling. If the kitchen and dinning room is actually separated by glass instead of a wall, so the action in the kitchen is in full display, it would make me so happy.
batard
The first thing that Batard did made us happy is warm bread. We were each offered a poppy seed roll and a olive french baguette. The olive baguettes smelled so good. Both crunchy on outside and soft spongy inside, serve with creamy whipped butter, most importantly, warm!
batard
My co-conspirator ordered a cocktail. The server sat the cocktail down on the table with a coaster, what is unique about it was that the coaster was printed with the cocktail’s name and it’s ingredient. Very smart and detail. The menu breaks down to 8 appetizers, 9 entrees, 4 desserts and a cheese cart to choose from. We both chose 3 course menu opting out of cheese.

batard

    OCTOPUS “PASTRAMI”
    braised ham hock, pommery mustard, new potatoes

batard

    RED SNAPPER
    mandaarinquat, grilled squid, fennel

We were a little disappointed when we didn’t see sweetbread on the menu, since we heard so many good things about it. We had the Octopus Pastrami, and Red Snapper for appetizers. Octopus legs were pressed into a brick form, with chunks of ham hock, dressed with an excellent whole grain mustard. Octopus was not as good as the one at 15 East, but still very tender and good pair with the mustard. Red snapper was sweet. Mandarinquat not only added acid and brought out the sweetness of snapper, also added color to the dish. However, the olive oil was a little too much that almost covered. The celery was a little bitter, I would prefer it to be apple or maybe asian pear. But the little bits of squid was amazingly good.
batard

    DUCK BREAST
    foreleg pear, mushroom crêpe, duck liver mousse

Duck was beautifully cook. Perfectly medium rare, tender and juicy. There is a spring roll like mushroom crepe. Very moist and well season, although I wish the crepe would be a little crispier. I absolutely love the pear, so sweet and fresh; and the duck liver mousse was just as good as it could be. The only thing the didn’t fit in this plate was the matcha like green power underneath the duck liver mousse. I couldn’t make out what it was. It was powder like, green breadcrumbs but have absolutely no taste.
batard

    VEAL TENDERLOIN
    “tramezzini,” trumpet mushrooms, sweetbreads, sauce diable
    It is a veal medallion wrapped in a pastry like golden crust. It had the crunch I expected. But I would like my veal a little more red. The trumpet mushrooms gave the dish a different texture.

batard

    CARAMELIZED MILK BREAD
    blueberries, brown butter ice cream

batard

    ARBORIO RICE PUDDING
    preserved raspberries, earl grey-milk ice cream

Desserts were good, not too sweet, I have heard a lot of good things about this caramelized milk bread. It was very good, very fluffy, but the caramelized sugar coat might have been a little too much. For us, this milk bread is something can be easily acquired at a Japanese bakery, and there were places that we have had better, so we were a little confused why so many people were head over heels about it. Nevertheless, everything we had was great and elegantly presented. And for its reasonable price tag, we’ll be back. (Jan, 2015)
batard

Hot Pots – the Non-Chinese style part 1

On a cold winter day like today, nothing is more comforting than sitting in front of a hot pot with friends and family. You are warm, there is soup; there is meat and vegetables; you can put anything in there you want; you can pick your own sauce. The only thing I would complain about hot pot is the amount of dishes I have to do afterwards. I’m not a fan of dishwasher, and against paper/ plastic-wares. So my solution to that is to eat out. There are a lot of Chinese hot pot places we can go to in the city, some of the best ones are in Queens, but I am recommending 2 hotpot places that are not Chinese.
The first one is right in the city. It has been around for quite some years now. Over the years, we have been back again and again, and the quality is very consistent. hakata tonton
Hakata Tonton, a little hole-in-the-wall place in the village, serving hotpot Japanese style year around. This is not a regular shabu-shabu place, in fact, it has nothing to do with beef, but everything to do with pork- The logo of the the place is a pig’s nose, and the front cover of the menu stated “I heart pork”!!! Hakata is a town in Fukuoka, known for their rich pork broth ramen. Hakata Tonton utilizes that broth and turn it into hot pot soup base. Yes, that rich, white creamy soup that is so good, you can drink it by itself.
All the hot pots are half cook before it is brought to the table. It will keep boiling down with the help of a little stove, and keep it hot while you enjoy it.
HAKATA TONTON Hot Pot

    HAKATA TONTON Hot Pot (min. 2 orders)$13
    A specialty of Hakata, Japan. Collagen broth, tofu, dumplings, vegetables, berkshire pork belly and tonsoku

The namesake hot pot comes with tofu, homemade pork dumplings, veggies, pork belly and tonsoku. You can order additional sides if you don’t have enough. But the portions are petty generous. And if that is still not enough, with an extra $4, you can choose to add ramen or rice to the pot, to make full use of that tasty, cooked down broth. There are 4 kinds of hot pots, and occasionally, there is a fourth broth which is in red. Honestly, there are no bad choice here, just pick one, sit back, and watch it bubbling down into a delightful, comforting bowl that warms your heart.
hakata tonton

    Shabu Shabu Hot Pot ( min. 2 orders) $17
    Collagen broth, vegetables, thin sliced Berkshire pork sirloin and pork belly

hakata tonton

    Grill Pork Tonsoku with scallion and ponzu sauce

hakata tonton

    Grill Pork Tonsoku with spicy garlic sauce

hakata tonton

    Sauteed Pork Tongue w/scallions

hakata tonton

    Foie Gras Inari Sushi 

However, the hot pot is not the only star at Hakata Tonton. The Tonsoku is the true lead. Before diving into the hotpot, we tried the speciality tonsoku, with scallion and ponzu sauce and spicy garlic sauce. Both are absolutely delicious. I recommend to ditch your manner and eat it with your fingers, and suck every tiny bit of meat out. If you want less messy and more meat, go with the sauteed pork tongue. We also couldn’t help ourselves but ordered the foie gras sushi. Yes, the sauce was a little excessive, and it is a little sweet, but it is only $5 a piece. And since I am indulging myself, the soba crème brulee with black sesame ice cream is great note to end the night.

*Note: Hakata Tonton is a very cozy place, reservation is strongly recommended.

Quality? Italian

Quality? Italian

This might very harsh, but Quality Italian is not the quality I seek.
The full name of the place is “Quality Italian Steakhouse” empathize on “Steakhouse”. The 2 stories 6th Ave restaurant is very nicely decorated as a old world tradition steakhouse. There are beautiful glass lighting fixtures throughout the place, not only hang from ceiling, some are by the wall and hang from meat weight or hook. Wooded chairs and leather booths, glass panels wall dividers and bar stools all very rustic, industrial chic . Columns were cleverly exposed and enough to shelf flowers and plants. A beautiful, well designed place creates great atmosphere, could definitely contribute to a good dinner. And the food we had, could really use the help.
Quality Italian
To me, a good warm piece of bread is very important. It is a statement. It’s the first thing you eat when you sit down. Its a nice tender touch to the heart. The garlic bread came in an iron pan, the bread is very good, but only warm on top, a bit cold at the bottom… strange, since it did came in an iron pan.

Oyster Ricci

    Oyster Ricci, Sea Urchin Butter, Jalapeno $14
    I’m sorry, but this is a big flop. I couldn’t find the oyster underneath all the bread crumbs. Couldn’t taste the urchin butter nor jalapeno either. All I had was a mouthful of oily, mushy, blend bread crumbs.

Scallop Crudo

    Scallop Crudo, soppresata, pickled Serrano $17
    Thinly slice scallop need a bit more seasoning, and the soppresata didn’t quite help.

Corn Gundi

    Corn Gnudi pistachio, basil & Black Pepper $19
    Gnudi was very nice, soft little pillows. The corn sauce tasted like the same thing that came out from a Del Monte can. Despite the pepper shown in the picture, the dish could use a bit more seasoning.

The Quality Italian Chicken Parmigiana

    The Quality Italian Chicken Parmigiana $58
    the raved chicken parmigiana that can feed more than 4 person, was a disappointment. Ground chicken?? I’m not convinced that this worth $58. Yes it’s huge, but blend, its a huge 13” of disappointment. It cost just as much as the fantastic veal parm at Carbone, but it far from same quality. The high note of this though, was the chili infused honey. The honey help the chicken parm a little bit. I also added drips onto the salad it came with, which was the best thing of the night.

Balsamic Lacquered Filet Crispy Bone Marrow & Cippolini

    Balsamic Lacquered Filet Crispy Bone Marrow & Cippolini $44
    Filet although was cooked to our requested medium rare, and it’s pink, but it was dry, where did the juice go? Bone marrow was all soaked up by onions, and was very good. However, not enough to justify the $44 of dry filet.

We ended up doggy bagging over half of the chicken parm and half of the streak home. Have absolutely no room for dessert but less than half satisfy. Quality Italian certainly has quantity, but as I stated in the beginning, is not the quality I seek. (Jan, 2015)