Thursday, May 31, 2007

Bar Carrera: New York


yum yum yum! this is a teensy little tapas bar, without tables, but two long bars along the wall, exquisitely stocked ALL spanish wine list, with perfect sherries starting at only $4! it's my new favorite tapas spot!! little perfect, authentic spanish bites from well balanced, salty brined manzanilla olives to gambas al aljillo start at only $3.50, prices that should be the norm for tapas.


the beautiful, clean space was perfumed with garlic & flamenco when i walked in & the little bagettes are seemingly fresh baked, although i'm not sure how they'd do it in the tiny little space. in any case, they were soft and tasty, the olive oil was golden & fragrant and each dish was perfect. a leg of pork was displayed on the back bar, complete with the foot attached, and each slice of jamon was cut to order, ensuring freshness and satisfaction with every plate. the bufullo mozzerella was fresh & creamy and the selection of wines was impressive with bottles from basque and many regions that are relatively unknown to serious wine drinkers. bar carrera offers something on that list for everyone, from glasses to bottles that priced as high as $120. desserts are simple, featuring fresh flavors. my friend ordered the strawberry sangria, rich with cognac & nutmeg, as well as the marscapone & strawberry baguette while i opted for a delicious de la frontera sherry (laced with moroccan spices & orange blossom) and paired it with a smooth goat cheese & membrillo


although i've yet to go 2 spain, i've known spanish food for years. this place is highly spiced, highly authentic & highly full of flavor. considering the price and quality of the food here, this is going to be a very popular summer spot for a nosh. the portions arent skimpy, the food here is just as good as boqueria and for a fraction of the cost. save boqueria for the expense accounts, head to bar carrera for true spanish satisfaction.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

chestnut brooklyn

i had dinner last night at this restaurant with great expectations. it was beautifully lit on a great summer's night with my best pal, who'd recently returned from india. we opted for the candlelit garden, hoping it would be quiet enough to catch up on her adventures & mine & enjoy a yummy brooklyn meal.

the restaurant offered a prix fixe for $25 which was quite reasonable considering most of the entrees ranged between $19 & $22. i chose the grilled calamari stuffed with quinoa (my friend & i are still trying 2 decide whether the pronounciation is keen WAH or kiNOwah) and she ordered the gnocci. the fresh shaved hearts of palm were an interesting touch to the calamari, but the dish itself was unremarkable. the gnocchi was perfect, light and pan toasted with a hint of bacon, and trumpet mushrooms leaving the illusion of truffles.

for our main course, we ordered the celeriac root with black lentils and the stuffed pork chop. the vegetable dish arrived with a creamy sauce which was overwhelmingly rich, and my friend finished it with delight. the pork chop told the story as to why this restaurant, as beautiful and quaint as it was, was able to offer meals at such a discount. they dont use ANY seasonings. no salt, no pepper, no garlic, no nothing. this beautiful chop, steakhouse sized came to the table with a creamy mountain of coarse polenta and a bit of a red wine sauce. the meat tasted as if it'd been soaked in dishwater, and had no other taste or smell. disappointed, i tasted it in only about three bites, and left the rest on the plate. fittingly enough, our waitress never once took the initiative to ask whether anything was amiss since my entree went uneaten.

dessert was a bit more creative. i ordered the churros (good choice. how can u go wrong with fried bread, right?) and hot chocolate (entirely too much artificial vanilla flavoring to make up for the lack of seasoning on meats, i suppose?) and my friend ordered the lemon verbena (great!), orange (very good) and vanilla ice creams.

in short, i wasnt thrilled with the food or the service. our waitress wasnt particularly helpful and strangely, i'd try the food here (in appetizer bits ONLY) again, because this place was so beautiful & i really DO want to like it. the hostess-owner was gracious, it was elegant & well priced, but i'm hoping that the lack of salt & pepper were more a fluke, than the normal routine.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

siri mole e cia: rio de janeiro



the absolute finest in baiano (northeastern brasil) cuisine is served here in an elegant, carioca style. none of the afro-brasilian touches are left behind. there is a proper amount of heat in the pimenta malagueta and the moqueca is creamy & rich & perfect. i would have a photo of it, but it vanished SO quickly after arriving at our table that none of us were able to think about our cameras. the real star of the show was the appetizer, or i should say ONE of the appetizers. it came to the table piping hot, smelling of intoxicating dende (african palm oil) and rich in culture from far far away in africa.




behold: acaraje



this fantastic & perfect street food is called acara (or akara) in ethiopia, is much like hushpuppies in the south (only in the south it's made from cornmeal, not blackeyed peas like in brasil) and is a sister to falafel in the nothern african countries (made with chickpeas there). acaraje is culinary HISTORY.


on the upper left is vatapa, which is spread between the split acaraje, and shrimp are tucked in & topped with the salad shown in the middle. if you're brave & made of part asbestos, you can drizzle a bit of malagueta onto the soft cut side of the acaraje before you spread the vatapa (this will mask some of the heat). here's a photo of an unusual green malagueta...

siri mole e cia is a marvelous place to get a little taste of bahia without having 2 leave rio. it's authentic, it's elegant & it's amazingly, blissfully, tearjerkingly delicious.

brunch at copacabana palace










there isnt much that can be said about this place.




unlimited champagne, caviarperfect crisp veggies, gravlax better than any i've had in scandinavia.



oysters from the local waters,



brie baked with damascus in a flaky crust.




and magical, enchanting coffee... coffee u can only get in brasil.




there's a reason the copacabana palace charges as much as they do. that reason is quality. and the service is almost as if they're anticipating your every need. it's worth every one of the $160R...