* epicurean discovery

Cocotte / 110 Thompson St., New York, NY 10012
http://www.cocotte-ny.com  

A couple of weekends back, I came across this pleasant little restaurant on Thompson Street and was curious about it. It serves French food, French wine (mostly), and lovely desserts in a relaxing atmosphere, so one afternoon, I had to try it out.  I fell in love with everything and asked my friend Amy to dinner the following week.  I was hoping she’d fall in love with the place as I had, and I’m glad she did enjoy it as much as I did!  How could you not? 

Cocotte serves meat and fish dishes in tiny casserole pots also called cocottes as well as soups, salads, appetizers, main dishes and desserts. Raphael runs the service there and is one amazing guy!  He’s helpful, friendly, knowledgable about wine and recommends the perfect dishes for you to try.  The portions are just right for one person and will leave you extremely satisfied, not overstuffed.  The wine list sources great selections from France (Bordeaux, Languedoc-Roussillon, Loire Valley) and also from Spain and Italy.  

Featured above is my part of dinner enjoyed with my friend on a very, cold evening last week.  To start, my apéritif was a sparkling wine from the Loire Valley (should have noted the name), followed by a delicious butternut squash soup, and then a special tender pork cocotte with thinly sliced potatoes beneath.  I forgot to include the Bordeaux wine I enjoyed with the cocotte that was recommended to me by Raphael.  It was a refreshing choice that went well with my meal.  To end our meal, Amy and I had espressos for an evening booster.  Cocotte serve brunch on the weekends, and I’m looking forward to visiting then too. 

The atmosphere of the restaurant is intimate with calming yet energetic music and can be boisterous later in the evenings. The overall experience is EXCELLENT.  You’ll enjoy everything about Cocotte - from the food, wine, environment, and wonderful staff!  

L’Atelier De Joël Robuchon 

An unforgettable and a most remarkable dining experience at Chef Robuchon’s NYC L’Atelier!  I had dinner here in August 2011.  From the food, presentation, ambiance and service…everything was top-notch.  The partnership with the Four Seasons had to end, sadly at the end of June 2012, and this restaurant closed too soon for it to become one of my regular favorites, however it remains as one of the best dinners in my lifetime so far!  

Dinner as I can remember —

• An Amuse Bouche 
• Crab with Seafood Broth & Avocado (appetizer)
• Sea Urchin Gelee (appetizer)
• Quail & Foie Gras 
• Roasted Veal Cheeks
• Wagyu Beef Rib-Eye
• Peach Champagne Mousse (dessert)
• Chocolate Mousse with Gold Leaf (dessert)
• Joël Robuchon candy (complimentary)

Thank you, Chef. I’m awaiting your return to NYC.
 

L’Atelier De Joël Robuchon
The Four Seasons Hotel
57 E 57th St.
New York, NY 10022

[My review on Yelp: http://bit.ly/U7WvSj]

JADIS

I always tease my sister about hanging out in the Lower East Side whenever she’s in the city. It seems like she happens to be there the times she tells me stories of her outings with friends. Coincidentally when I called her that Saturday evening, she happened to be there. She asked me to meet up with her and friend, so I went. On that one rainy day in October, I came to encounter the gem that is Jadis.

After an hour and a half of traveling from Midtown East to the LES via subway and taxi due to the usual weekend transportation woes, I walked past the wine bar twice as my sister and friend watched me, confused, try to find the sign and entrance.

Once I arrived at Jadis, and immediately I taken by its charming and cozy ambiance. The bacon-wrapped scallops were enticing, and without hesitation we ordered it.  From my own experience, meat, fish, cheese, and fruit wrapped in bacon will dazzle your taste buds, and make you believe that bacon is king. I feel that bacon possess the ability to  transform ordinary tastes into the extraordinary.  I exaggerate a bit.

Slightly hungrier than the rest, I tried the Quiche au Poulet.  It could have had more of a kick to it in terms of the taste, and the texture could have been firmer. Overall, I thought it was pleasant dish. 

To satisfy the last bit of hunger and close the meal, we ordered a Banana Chocolate Pudding, Creme Brulee, and a Chocolat Fondant; those were all the desserts on the menu that evening. We might have slightly overdone it with the desserts, but who wants to leave a void like that in one’s dining experience? Of the three, I thought the banana chocolate pudding was the best. The vanilla ice cream and strawberries were complemented the chunky consistency of the banana pudding ideally. The other two you can find them as standard selections on typical restaurant and cafe dessert menus.  The creme brulee and chocolat fondant were delightful though there was nothing phenomenal about them.

Wine.  How could I forget about thee? I spotted a familiar name on the wine list - Tempranillo. I’ve drank this kind before and was curious about the one Jadis featured. Taking the recommendation of our server, we chose the 2009 “Valderiz” Valderhermoso Tempranillo. This wine is similar to that from Rioja since it comes from the neighboring region of Ribero del Duero. That’s what the waiter/somm(?) told us. (It’s true!)  It’s versatile; it did not overpower the flavors or interfere with taste the foods we ate. Tempranillo is a full-bodied wine that I find easy to drink. I’d enjoy drinking it on its own.

The atmosphere in the evening was boisterous and not the least bit rowdy. Area-wise, there was warm and dim lighting - a small, single candle illuminated each table and nook at the bar. I liked it. The only downside was the lack of available wait staff. Considering it was a Saturday evening, the place was packed, one bartender and three waiters, (one of the waiters also played host to entering guests) aren’t sufficient to keep things running smoothly and in a timely manner.  Perhaps it was only that night that the service was sluggish, but that didn’t affect my mood negatively.

I’m already anticipating another visit to Jadis.  Their wine list looked promising!

After that evening, I told my sister that her “favorite” NYC neighborhood left me with a good, lasting impression. She may have been somewhat amused.

Jadis
42 Rivington St. (bet. Eldridge & Forsyth)
New York, NY 10002
(212) 254-1675

http://www.jadisnyc.com

TARTINERY NOLITA

I’ve always wanted to try Tartinery after passing by it with a friend early this year in the late spring. The clean, and elegant appearance lured me as did the appealing menu, and it being French. However, I forgot the name of this place! I only found out about it again from another friend’s foursquare check-in, and it clicked - this was the place!

Tartinery NoLita is a modern take on the traditional bistro. It’s focus is on the tartine, a gourmet, open-faced sandwich on thin, delicately toasted bread. One of their breads, the Poilane country bread, hails from the famous St. Germain-des-Prés boulangerie in Paris. Oh, and this bread is flown daily from the bakery in Paris to New York.  Oh, très special, non?

I came for brunch on Saturday, late September - my apologies for the delayed post!

After flipping through photos from fellow Yelp reviewers, I decided on the Jamon Purée tartine. The Jamon Purée is cooked ham, Brie cheese and dijon mustard. I chose to have it on the Poilane country bread.

How was it?

My taste buds were dancing with delight!  It was absolutely divine.  The tartine was perfectly done, and the flavors were very well-balanced.

I didn’t know whether to use my hands to eat the tartine or dining utensils, so……I went for the dining utensils. The neater(?) way.  I was confused.  I probably should have asked them what to do.

Followed my meal with a cappuccino and dessert (why, it has to be complete!) I skimmed the menu for a unique dessert then asked the friendly bartender (I sat at the bar) for his recommendation.  He suggested the clafoutis, so I chose it. The clafoutis is a baked dessert, that is a little buttery and flan-like with berries inside - this one had the aroma and taste of almond, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and donned with a mint leaf on the side. First time tasting clafoutis, and I adored it! I definitely could have had another one.

Tartinery NoLita offers lunch and dinner (aside from the tasty tartines) and carries a vast collection of organic wines, mostly French from what I remember.  They also serve cocktails, beers, fresh juices, water, and soda.

My overall dining experience was lovely.  I enjoyed the attentive, friendly service, the beautiful interiors, and especially the food. I will definitely be returning and recommending this French NoLita gem to my family, friends, supper club and lovers of food.

This might just be the beginning of future, regular visits to Tartinery NoLita.

Tartinery NoLita
209 Mulberry Street (at Spring St.)
New York, NY 10012
(212) 300-5838

http://www.tartinery.com/

MAISON Ladurée

[The Upper East Side Welcomes the Sweet]

Ladurée - the luxury, French pastry shop has opened its doors on the Upper East Side.

Having opened on August 30, 2011, the craze for Ladurée macarons has been insane!  The line wrapped around the corner of E. 71st street and ends inside the shop. A typical wait is 45 minutes to over an hour or two. Never have I seen such a wait for sweets like this in New York, only in Japan.  I always thought I would never subject myself to waiting 45 minutes to over two hours on a line for a cake or pastries from a famous maker after seeing people in Japan do it patiently and calmly.

Upon reading the news about the opening of Ladurée, I was determined to visit the place.  I love sweets, macarons especially, so I had to go. Seeing that the line outside Ladurée at 3:45PM on the Friday afternoon before Labor Day weekend was half the block of 71st street, I almost gave up and went to yoga early instead.  I became one of the many waiting for two and a half hours to get in.  Yes, 2.5 hours. I am insane.

Besides the delicate, delicious, and delightful macarons, Ladurée also sells handmade chocolate, tea, and ice cream. They also carry eco-friendly totes, candles, and home fragrances for sale. At $2.70 a piece, a macaron here is the most expensive in the city yet very well worth the price.  You can purchase them by color and design of box in six, twelve, twenty-four, and probably other multiples of six.

The macarons are shipped by boat daily from France since they’re so fragile, and because there is no pastry chef here yet to make these beauties.

There are only two cashiers available inside - one for cash, the other credit. Credit takes a bit longer because they must make a carbon copy of your card to in order to charge you. I hope they update their CC system. The sales attendants were very nice and helpful, but still need to cope with the volume of customers flooding the store. Well, they are new and probably did not expect to be overwhelmed once opening. 

I bought a 24-piece pink box of macarons that day.  All 14 flavors with a few doubles.  After a wait that long, I felt I should sample all flavors and take more home with me to share with my family. My favorite flavor is the Cassis Violette. I love, love cassis.

I can’t believe how patient I was during that wait! Good thing,I had a book with me to read, but that only distracted me for so long, hahaha.

Next, I’ll have to see how tea at Ladurée measures up to that of Mariage Frères.  (Mariage Frères needs to open a tea salon in New York as soon as possible. I’ll be ther first to go).

Will I return?  I braved the wait the first time, so I’ll endure another wait.

Maison Ladurée
864 Madison Avenue (bet. E. 70th & 71st streets)
New York, NY 10021
(646) 558-3157

http://www.laduree.fr/en/scene

NICE MATIN

[An Upper West Side discovery]

I came across this lovely, casual French restaurant on the Upper West Side while exploring the neighborhood back in February 2011.  After a short bout of shopping, I was famished so I used my trusty Yelp mobile app on my phone to search for a restaurant to fend off my hunger. When my search found “French” in the results, the closest and most-rated Nice Matin appeared and immediately caught my attention.  A few quick review reads, and I was sold! So, off I went.

I happened to dine in during “Stinky Cheese” month.  It’s been several months already, so the names of the dishes I tried all had some type of cheese (stinky and non-stinky).  Forgive me for not jotting down the names for this delayed post!

The first two photos are of the Fava Bean soup I had with some sort of stinky cheese (name I cannot recall).  The beans in this clean tasting but slighty odorous soup were delicate and still crisp. It reminded me of a French Onion Soup since the cheese was baked over the soup and because of the bowl it was served in.

Following the soup are three photos of the Lobster Truffle Mac & Cheese. I can never deny any dish with truffle in it or lobster, and when together, it seems impossible to say no to a superb pairing of the two. The macaroni was cooked perfectly, and I was pleased with the generous chunks of lobster baked with it.  This dish was rich, creamy yet not overpowering in taste of the cheese, and the addition of truffle added the appropriate zesty flavor.

Lastly, I was adventurous when it came to dessert.  I wanted to complete my “Stinky Cheese” experience so I took the recommendation of my waiter to go for the honey-glazed, ricotta-filled crepes with almonds.  Not an immediate fan as the crepe was sour and the honey did not balance the taste of the slightly bitter and sour after taste of the ricotta.  It wasn’t terrible nor was it amazing at least according to my palette. It was different. Not the usual sweet dessert I’m used to selecting, but I’m glad I tried it!

Nice Matin is a lovely, cozy and bustling restaurant (depending on the time of day). I definitely would return for brunch and dinner as the menu offers many delicious treats and seasonal dishes. I highly recommend trying this quaint place if you’re ever in the Upper West Side or willing to trek uptown to check it out.

Whether it’s a bistro, cafe or restaurant, if it’s French, I’m always up for it!

** Excuse the poor lighting in my photos. I used my camera on my phone.

NICE MATIN
201 W 79th St.
(between Amsterdam Ave & Broadway)
New York, NY 10024
(212) 873-6423

http://www.nicematinnyc.com/