The Unrefined Hedonist

Fleur de Sel

Last night I had dinner with a friend at Fleur de Sel, a French restaurant in the Flatiron District of NYC. It's a charming, well-designed space with just a few tables. We went for an early dinner so the crowd was  sparse, which is how I generally prefer to dine.

In the evening chef Cyril Renaud offers up a three-course prix-fixe dinner with an abundance of innovative dishes to choose from. I went with the waitress's recommendation and started with the Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras with Rose Water, Exotic Fruit Purée and Red Wine Sauce. One bite into the Foie Gras had me praying that New York City never follows Chicago's example of banning Foie Gras. I don't know how Chicagoans can stand it. I always know when it's time for me to find a restaurant and order Foie Gras because I start dreaming about eating it. It's a staple of my diet.

For my entrée I ordered the Colorado Lamb Rack with Lamb Sausage Crêpes, Baby Vegetables, and Whole Grain Mustard Sauce. I could have eaten a whole plate of just the  Sausage Crêpes. Luckily the portions in the restaurant were very French, which some might call small. I'd say they were perfect. After finishing the appetizer and entrée I had plenty of room for dessert, Bittersweet Chocolate Cake with Spiced Bread and Rum Raisin Ice Cream. The cake had the circumference of silver dollar and was maybe just a couple of inches tall, the perfect size for enjoying the gooey dark chocolate, but not enough to be overwhelmed.

We finished the meal with coffee and a plate of cookies, which were once again the perfect size, so we left the restaurant entirely satisfied, but not painfully full or guilty of gluttony. On our way out the door we were each handed two beautifully wrapped individual coffee cakes to take home for breakfast. If I had held any doubts about this restaurant, it would have been this final touch that would have won me over. As it was, the entire evening was wonderful, and the coffee cakes just made it more so.

The Wonders of the Chocolate Croissant

Yesterday for elevenses I had a chocolate croissant and pot of coffee at Taralucci E Vino on 18th St in the Union Square neighborhood of New York City. It's a wine bar/restaurant with a great little coffee shop/bakery in the front. At night they serve a risotto with braised short ribs that makes you want to cry, which if it had been on the breakfast menu I no doubt would have ordered it yesterday morning.

Meat, Meat and More Meat

I had lunch today at the new Texas-themed honky tonk bbq restaurant, Hill Country, in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York. Vegetarians beware, this is a serious carnivores only dining experience.

When you walk in the door you're given a meal ticket (don't lose it as there's a minimum charge for lost tickets), which you take to the various food stations. I took my dining companion's lead and headed straight for the meat counter where we ordered dry-rubbed brisket, beef ribs, and jalapeño and cheddar Kreuz sausages, then over to the sides for corn pudding, macaroni & cheese, and corn bread. The meats were wrapped in butcher paper and sold by weight. We ended up with several pounds of finger-licking-good Texas style bbq. I think I saw another station around the corner that had salads and vegetables, but that wasn't the point of this meal, so we skipped it.

What Do You Recommend?

I had dinner this evening at Toloache, a contemporary Mexican bistro located in the NYC Theater District. I sat at the bar and asked the bartender if the mole poblano was any good. This is typically my favorite dish when done well and as the bartender appeared to be Mexican himself I felt he might be a good judge. I was tickled to see him look around the restaurant before discreetly shaking his head "no". At this point I knew I could trust him and left myself in his hands.