So I finally visited the chicken & rice cart on 53rd and 6th Avenue last week. Steve, Andres, and I strolled on over in search of a quick bite after the ABC TV previews party.

The line was, of course, ridiculously long, but we wanted to chat a bit about the pilots we'd just seen, anyway, so we waited it out. And it was definitely worth it. Now, I don't know if it can compare to my favorite chicken & rice cart (located in Astoria, Broadway stop, right by the C-Town) but the lamb was well-seasoned and greasily delicious. The rice was a fine complement to the lamb without overshadowing the meat, and the white sauce enhanced all the flavors. The pita was wonderful. I always wonder how it is they manage to get them so they are a little crisp on the outside and so soft on the inside. Perhaps I need a grill.

In any case, well worth the $6, especially as I split one with Steve!
 

This is an astoundingly easy appetizer/entree to make.

To wit:

1 heirloom tomato
1 ball of mozzarella
1 bunch of basil
olive oil
sea salt
pepper

Slice up the tomato and mozzarella. Drizzle olive oil on top. Sprinkle with sea salt & pepper. Add basil as desired.

And you're done. So delicious and easy.
 

I know, I know, my titles are the cheesiest. But I'm back! Aren't we going to talk about that instead?

Onto the review! Tia Pol is a Chelsea tapas joint that has become immensely popular. On the night that my friend Ayo and I went, we weren't expecting a wait. After all, it was a Tuesday night. Boy, were we wrong. We had to wait around a half hour. Luckily, there was a bar area where you can eat while waiting.

We started off with the garbanzos fritos, or fried chickpeas. Amazing. They were light, with the texture of potatoes, and sprinkled with paprika. Ayo and I gobbled them down.

Then we were seated, and I couldn't resist. I ordered a glass of sangria, which also turned out to be wonderful - it was fruity but with a twist. I tasted lime, which was a great choice.

We ordered the txipirones en su tinta (squid in ink with rice), pinchos morunos (lamb skewers), pan tomacat (3 salsas with toasted bread), green peppers blistered with sea salt, and torta de santiago (almond cake). I've never had squid in its own ink, even though I've heard much praise, and now I can see why! Though I have no basis for comparison, the ink was definitely like nothing I've ever tasted.

My favorite has to be the green peppers - the skin was crispy, insides soft and with a dash of heat. I chowed my way through about twenty of 'em. I actually would have argued for a little more salt, but they were still pretty perfect, all in all.

The pan tomacat was good, but didn't blow me away. Out of the three salsas, I have to say I liked the one made with red peppers most. The other two, an olive tapenade and a fava bean puree, were good but not exciting.

My least favorite were the lamb skewers. They were flavored well, but much too salty, and the meat wasn't tender enough.

I'd still definitely recommend a visit. I want to go back to try all the other items on the menu, especially since it is so moderately priced.

Tia Pol, 205 Tenth Ave., (212) 675-8805 

It sounds like the ingredients of a bad joke, yeah? Caviar. Banana. But when you combine the two along with China Grill Management (the owners of Asia de Cuba), you get a potent mix of delectable food, wonderful service, and relaxed atmosphere.

I arrived early with Jason and was pleasantly surprised at the decor. It's a complete turnaround from Rocco's on 22nd (the previous occupant of that space) with soft lighting, neutral tones, and warm wood floors.

Soon enough, the rest of our party traipsed in and we were seated by the friendly hostess. Now, in my short but dense experience of Restaurant Week, I've come to expect that the RW menu be a bland (cheaper) version of the norm. Caviar & Banana, however, offered the exact same appetizers and entrees as on the regular menu. We ordered empanadas and carioca breads (brazilian pizzas, apparently) to start, chicken churrascos and ribs and shrimp for the main entrees, and sorbets and crepe passions to finish.

(to be continued..) 

I know, I know. Horrible title. You come up with a better one.

My roommate invited me out for dinner with her and her parents at Asia de Cuba and I agreed eagerly, as I'd been reading about the restaurant and was excited by the favorable reviews.

Asia de Cuba is a family-style Latin-Asian fusion restaurant with a high ceiling that encompasses two floors (bar upper, restaurant lower), dramatic white drapes, and a single backlight color which suffuses the dining area with its glow. The night we were there, it was red. Red has been shown to make people hungry, and man, was I, after I smelled the delicious aromas wafting from the surrounding tables.

We ordered so many dishes, it was overwhelming. The server suggested three appetizers and two entrees for the four of us to split. This turned out to be practically too much; the portions are extremely generous.

To start, we chose Crab Croquetas, Asian Pesto Grilled Shrimp, and Lemongrass Skewered Chicken. As I'm pesco-veg, I refrained from tasting the chicken, but my roommate informed me that it was "nice" (her word for great). The shrimp were large and the flesh was tender; the seasoning wonderful. As for the croquetas, just a bunch of tastiness in my mouth.

For the main entrees, we went all out and ordered the Lobster Mai-Tai and Hunan Whole Wok Crispy Fish. Both were fabulous. The lobster was the freshest I'd ever tasted, submerged in a red curry that went well with the side order of Plantain Fried Rice we also decided to get, along with Lobster Boniato Mash and Panko Crusted Crispy Plantains. The fish was stuffed to the brim with goodness--I'm a big fan of crispy-edged fish, and this was an homage to that. The boniato (a small potato) was creamy and slightly sweet and the plantains were the best I've ever had.

Finally, time for dessert, though our stomachs were full to bursting. My roommate's parents and I both ordered the flan while my roommate chose the sorbets. The flan was good, but slightly too too. I prefer my flan traditional, in the brown syrup. The sorbets, however, were heavenly.

Delicious food, good service, striking decor. Recommended.

Asia de Cuba, 237 Madison Avenue, (212) 726-7755 

Today my roommate and I decided to eat at Teany, a vegan/vegetarian tea house more commonly known for its owner Moby than anything else. I'd heard about it last year but had always been too lazy to venture below Houston to try it out.

Well, as I now lived below Houston, I was ready to take it on. We arrived at Teany after a few detours and noted its cheery mod decor. When we entered the store, we stood for a few moments in confusion before anyone deigned to notice us and tell us we could seat ourselves. We squeezed ourselves into a table for two (the dining area is cramped) and waited for the lone waitress to bring us menus.

At length, she set two small metal binders on the table and rushed off. We perused the offerings and both decided on the "turkey club" sandwich. In addition, my roommate ordered an iced oolong jasmine tea and I chose a lavender lemonade. It took another five-ten minutes before our waitress circled back around to take our orders and then another ten minutes for our drinks to arrive. And when they did arrive, my roommate's was wrong. The waitress had set down a pot of hot tea, instead of iced.

When that was finally sorted out, we chatted for a bit, looked around, laughed at the display copy of Moby's book, and checked out our fellow patrons. Most of them were very Lower East Side--European style and foreign languages all aflutter.

Then.. the sandwiches! They were the highlight of the meal. Each bite tasted just like how I remembered real meat turkey clubs tasting--and my roommate agreed. The sandwiches were a good size and it took us a while to finish them off, but finish them off we did, taking each final bite slower and slower until there was no more.

I was in the mood for some tofu cheesecake, however, so I asked the waitress what types of cheesecake they had. She replied that they had chocolate and plain. I decided on plain, she nodded, and we waited.

After an inordinately long period of time, she brought over a chocolate cheesecake. I didn't have the patience or heart to tell her of her mistake so I ate it. The total bill with drinks, sandwiches, and dessert totaled around 30 dollars.

Final verdict? Delicious sandwiches, so-so drinks and dessert, absolutely horrible service.

Teany, 90 Rivington Street, (212) 260-4351 

The NY Times recently reviewed Essex House and dropped their rating from four to three stars. As owner of one of only six restaurants in the city which had earned the coveted four stars, Alain Ducasse was not happy with the new rating and consequently fired chef Christian Delouvrier. For now, Tony Esnault of the Boston Ritz-Carlton dining room, will take over.

Read the full story here. [NYTimes] 

I'm not going to make this fancy, because I'm full and happy and want to lie in bed right about now. Here's the rudimentaries:

The decor is rustic, and brought to mind one of my hometown's restaurants with its creamy walls and dark exposed wood beams. Very warm tones and cozy feel.

We chose the seven course tasting menu.

First was an amuse bouche, white bean puree with salsa verde on an oval slice of bread. (Some of this food just might not be titled correctly as I have a horrible memory with these things) Good, hearty, but we were excited for the menu to begin.

The foie gras arrived next, with a salad of arugula leaves, candied pistachios, and a pickled jelly on the side. Also with brioche triangles. I've never had foie gras before, and found it a tad rich for my taste, but shoveled it down anyway, cause it complemented the brioche and salad well, all in one bite.

Then was the langoustine in some sort of orangey puree thing. Slurped this one up right quick. Aghh all the courses are blending togetherrrrr...

The sturgeon was next. Felt the top could have been a bit more crispy and the inside a bit more cooked, but that's personal preference I suppose. The mushrooms that it came with were absolutely divine. DIVINE. Buttery tasting and melty and chewy and yummy perfection.

Then bacon! I actually didn't like the bacon that much. Not crispy enough. Haha, seeing a theme? Yeah.

Oh dear Lord, then came the lamb. The AMAZING lamb, which I would gladly sell my soul for. Flavored with fennel and rosemary and that lamb taste that you just can't get in any other meat... with a pea puree which I actually liked. I usually hate peas. That tells you something. My roommate and I were gnawing on the bones without shame because we knew we had to suck every bit off the bone or else we'd regret it. Only one person stared.

The amuse dessert was delicious as well; coconut tapioca with mango sorbet on a sugary cookie and cilantro/caramel swirls. You'd think cilantro wouldn't work, but boy does it with the coconut tapioca. Went down quickly, even though I was getting a bit stuffed at this point.

Dessert was a mascarpone and rhubarb napoleon with gingerbread layers and lycee sorbet. An odd combination, but it worked. Not as well as the amuse dessert, though. My roommate had a chocolate souffle which I also rather enjoyed.

Finally, the petit fours: lycee jellies, chocolate squares, and lime meringue. We could barely fit the jellies and meringue in our bellies, so we asked for the chocolate squares to go, along with some extra jellies. They very kindly bestowed both upon us, along with a coffee cake "for breakfast."

That's another thing: the service was wonderful. I'd read about the excellent, friendly service, and I can see now what they were talking about. Everyone actually smiled (except for our busboy) and were most obliging.

Total bill was rather scary, but worth it. We ate our dinner for three hours. Three hours! Craziness. Good, though.

Gramercy Tavern, 42 East 20th Street, (212) 477-0777