the black duck, cafe fuego & artepasta

it'd been recommended to me time after time, and on friday, on a date (gasp!), i had dinner at the black duck! it was a perfect setting on a really cold autumn night. we stumbled in without a reservation, at peak time, and were able to snuggle up to the cozy fireplace and hold hands while we waited the few minutes for our table.
service was quick, the wine list was thorough and the dishes were simple and presented without fanfare. my date ordered the blackfish special, which was a perfectly seared white, flaky filet with crispy skin over a bed of fluffy, traditional mashed potato (no skin, no garlic, no truffles, no fuss) and haricot vert. the vegetable was a really young bean, tender & delicate and we shared bites in between kisses (gasp!!). my first course was a beautiful pumpkin soup, with crème fraîche and it warmed me after walking blocks in the cold, deciding on a restaurant. it was creamy without being overpowering and sweet without crossing over into cloying. as a main course, i ordered the chicken, something i wouldnt normally do, but i was baited by the promise of porcini mushroom risotto, and as someone who hates cold weather, risotto is one of the things i look forward to once the mercury drops. a half chicken arrived, perfumed with thyme tucked beneath the crispy skin, and the flesh was juicy and succulent. the portion was too much for little ole me to finish, but my date enjoyed the boneless thigh (th chicken's, not mine) and the rest that i wasnt able to eat. for dessert, we were presented with a tart-like pumpkin pie. the pastry surrounding the filling was too thick, too dense and wasnt flaky in the way pastry should be. once we cut thru the bits too cumbersome to eat, the pie was delicious. nutmeg-y, creamy, not too much like custard & garnished with toasted pecans and delicately spiced whipped cream. although i didnt realise the black duck was a sister to one of my favorite south beach restaurants, it still gets high marks for making a first date a really special one.

after weeks of watching halle, making plans to go over to what i'm calling 'gabriel's place' (cafe fuego), i'm happy to report that armangac and truffles has finally had the opportunity to check it out! three girlfriends & i popped in for lunch, ready for the cuban specialties of ropa vieja, pernil & of course, beans & rice. the atmosphere was exacty as we'd been told, with lots of dark wood, candles (even in broad daylight) and were surprised to find that the menu is no longer cuban, but now 'world tapas'. to the restaurant's credit, the website does clearly state - world tapas - but we were prepared from reading reviews, for cuban! we settled in on a bottle of bone-dry malbec from the Broquel vineyards in argentina, which worked well with all the different dishes we ordered, but probably would have been too harsh a finish to drink on it's own.

a round of beef tenderloin pinchos were ordered by two of us. we expected a skewer or two of the succulent meat, but no less than four per order arrived with a different sort of chimichurri that i was really pleased with and made up for the fact that these were almost under seasoned, or lacking salt. the jury is out on which is the case... the goat cheese & beet 'chiva' was fresh & crisp, the tuna tartar was well received with a beautiful chipotle and ginger cream complementing the avocado, and my friend who ordered the skirt steak never said a word until she was done, so it must have been fantastic! the yuca fries were greasy and delicious, but not to be outdone by the greaseless tostones (two orders QUICKLY disappeared between us four) and the mojo de ajo which accompanied them was fresh, bright & perfectly garlicky. i ordered my tapas staple of gambas in garlic & olive oil. the tureen of shrimp were almost undersalted, but the generous amount of garlic and red pepper flake that perfumed the olive oil they were swimming in made up for it. the small dish was served with pita bread triangles (whole wheat ones rather than white could have been the only improvement) and all was deliciously devoured!

on sunday, i met a distressed friend (hi lisa janel!) for an early supper at an italian we'd yet to try. artepasta's website boasts huge portions (not necessarily our style) and a family atmosphere. we arrived at the end of brunch, but were still treated to the unlimited mimosas/champagne and were able to order from the dinner menu. to start, we selected the 'toasted' ricotta ravioli, which were actually fried, but were SO good that we couldnt complain, instead we both made sure we tried to get the lion's share! we both ordered the shrimp scampi, which was accompanied by a small serving of broccoli (still crispy!) and capellini. the scampi dish was unremarkable, especially considering the spoils of our staple down the street at gusto, but it did the trick, and the ravioli & the friendly service really made the difference. we'll definitely head back to artepasta for casual ravioli bites...