ayza wine bar, cafe fuego updates, holy basil

down the street from the ballroom studio is a smallish wine bar, very sleek & super modern. i'd passed it everyday for the last 6 weeks between auditions, meetings and training and scoffed at the elegant, but pretentiously priced menu. $11 for hummus? we were still in a part of new york that wasnt so clean & elegant, so why the big ticket price on a small appetizer? needless to say i walked past, turned up my nose everytime & didnt give ayza a chance... until i saw that i needed a big beautiful bowl filled with red wine one day that the rain came down incessantly and that there was a $8.95 prix fixe lunch! the offerings included a fantastic coffee cup of soup, either arugula creme or butternut squash and a selection of really fresh and tasty panini, toasted perfectly. the smoked chicken breast was lean, succulent and the cranberry mayo was a perfect complement to the irish cheddar slice on the small sandwich. the teensy salad that accompanied it was dressed with a delicate truffle infused oil and perhaps a sherry or champagne vinegar, with toasted almonds or walnuts (depending on the day) , moroccan olives and tiny pear tomato. the portion was small and perfect, just enough 4 a meal not to be stuffed. the wine selection by both the glass and the bottle was impressive, but the super nice staff & management havent quite learned all the p's and q's of customer service.
when 4 girls all order the prix fixe lunch, but each orders a different glass of wine, it's not for us to 'sort out' the overcharge the waiter made *we ARE guilty of having separate checks!* and not be taken care of when we bring still MORE people into your establishment. they get a C+ for the oversight & inability to make the correct adjustment. www.ayzanyc.com

cafe fuego has become our new after danceclass favorite on saturdays, but the restaurant has a few inconsistencies. pinchos arent ever the same. sometimes lacking salt, sometimes with a delicious flavor as if they were cooked over oak, sometimes just tender & perfect. same with the gambas al aljillo. our first order came out perfect, swimming in garlic infused oil with beautiful flecks of red pepper, but the second order came out bland, as if the chef had suddenly decided that sunflower oil was better. while the service & fantastic salsa, gypsy & cuban music make up for the inconsistencies in the kitchen, we still havent stopped being a slave to the place or it's fantastic truffle and porcini macaroni and cheese... B

holy basil in the east village has elevated the thai food in the area far above what it was 5 years ago when i was there. the flavors are fresh, the heat is well placed on the palate and there is a wide offering of tasty dishes for a place with plastic coated menus. the decor appears to have been moved from middle of the road asian to authentic, buddhist inspired and really, the only thing that inhibits a really intimate dining experience is the unfortunate placement of the bar and the decibels diners are speaking at. B+

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...

lucy of gramercy

this restaurant used to be called lucy latin kitchen, but the upgrades and changes are brand new, and the flavors are the most innovative, most delicious of a latin restaurant in a very long time in new york. the ideas are fresh without being 'fusion-y'. chef carmen gonzalez arrived from miami with a menu of innovative but simple puertorican specialties, and a friendliness that allows her to breeze in & out of the kitchen to give a hello & recipe tip to interested diners.

as this establishment is downstairs from the dance studio, we decided in having a post-class bite there this past weekend & found that the changes to the menu (lucy latin kitchen to lucy of gramercy) will be nothing, if not well received. we ordered a small smattering of tapas, the alcapurrias, filled with white meat chicken, yuca fries with fresh garlic mayonnaise, and the finest, most perfectly seasoned garlic spinach ever. the baby spinach leaves were so delicately prepared, it was more like a salad, with toasted garlic, sea salt, simple black pepper and lemon juice. chef carmen proves here that simplicity is they key to everything. although we initially ordered one side of this beautifully dressed green, we ordered one more immediately after grazing as ladylike as we could on the first & nearly fought for the second as it arrived.

the bar is equipped with a know-it-all bartender, a wonderfully friendly mixologist, some of the best homemade potato chips ever fried and chifles to munch while you ponder the drink menu. the bottles of wine are well priced, tasting of the juicy cocktails is permitted in teensy little glasses and everyone has a sense of humor and wants to get to know your name at this place. the staff is friendly, good looking, the music is upbeat and swinging, and the food, the real star is inspired and filling, even in tapas portions. this could be the place that makes us show up more & more 4 dance class, just so we have an excuse for albariño and alcapurrias!

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.