Kin Shop

Dinner with the family: Mr. M&P, Ms. Pastry Chef, Mrs. Green M&M, and Mr. HP Sauce. We spent the night in the city and celebrated with food. And lots of it. Our first meal that weekend was at Kin Shop. I have previous enjoyed Chef Harold Dieterle's Perilla and The Marrow. Kin Shop is a contemporary Thai restaurant with a casual feel. The dishes are all made to share so it's a great group place.

To start, we had the lobster summer roll ($16), fried broccoli and Chinese sausage ($12), stir fry of aquatic vegetables ($9), and fried pork and crispy oyster salad. While everything was delicious, I personally enjoyed the stir fry of vegetables and pork and oyster salad the most. The former for the simplicity and the latter for the wonderful textural and flavor contrasts.

Read more »

Barraca

This post is extremely old. I mean prior to my Spain trip old. But what can I say? I like to post about everything worth posting about. So Barraca which gets mixed reviews all over the internet was chosen as a place for us to gather and talk about the Spain trip. We were still in the planning stages and needed to settle flight, hotel, etc. So as tradition goes, we went to eat the cuisine of the place we were going to visit.

Once we arrived, we were quickly sat at our reserved table. People were being turned away at the door because the wait was too long. I guess that's a good sign, right? It was a busy night but we managed to juggle the papers, books, and food all in one sitting. The waiter even quipped that we should be there to eat, and not to study. Hah! Was it that obvious?



Anyway, here is the recap of the food we had. Above are the gambas al ajillo ($13). Although larger than normal, the shrimp dish was lackluster. There was no abundance of garlicky oil to sop up using the accompanying bread. Actually, the dish lacked the pungent garlic flavor one would expect from this dish.

Read more »

Perla

Date night in the city with Mr. M&P. We didn't want to spend too much money nor did we want to do something too casual. So we met halfway and went to Perla. We sat at the bar so that we would watch the staff work behind the counter and prep food.

After we sat down and ordered, they brought over some amuse bouche to star. It was homemade ricotta cheese with honey on top. A nice light taste to start to meal.

Read more »

The Marrow

When a friend decides to move and leave for greener pastures, it's a sad time. I never want to see anyone go. But I always like to do a last hurrah. And for this dear friend, we went to The Marrow. This Harold Dieterle restaurant in the West Village boast both contemporary German and Italian food. And ode to his heritage and the food behind it.

We started with the bone marrow ($17) with sea urchin, fried potatoes, meyer lemon aioli, and baby celery greens. A fat boasting marrow with briny globs of sea urchin schmeared on some toasted bread. I'm a fan of both marrow and sea urchin but the latter was overpowered by other other strong flavors. The delicate flavors of the ocean was muted although the texture did lend a nice creaminess to the dish without adding more fat.

Read more »

Barbuto

Months ago, a bunch of us FBM friends went out to celebrate our dear KC's birthday. She always wanted to try Barbuto but never had the chance. So why would we and not help make that birthday wish come true?

The great thing about Barbuto is that it's a casual restaurant but the place feels fancier. The cool neighborhood decor with lots of windows and the open kitchen are all key. And now the food. Oh my! What can I say about the food? If you don't know about Chef Jonathon Waxman, then you're missing out on something. He's often described as a Jedi with a cool, laid back approach to food. Food can be comforting and delicious if it's sourced well and cooked well. No fancy tricks here. Just good food.



So after our dear KC scared the waiter with her Human Centipede scarf, we ordered a bunch of appetizers to share, and then entrees for ourselves. First, the calamari fritti ($15) with lightly battered squid tossed with frisee salad, chilis, and olive dressing. Fried calamari can often times be very heavy but not this dish. Nope. In fact, it was light, tender, and flavorful. Even though we were in the dead of wintry weather hell, this dish kept it interesting with the heat. This dish is very versatile. It can definitely be served in warmer weather. A good all season plate.

Read more »