NYC - The Hungry Nomad

Café Habana- Nolita (NYC)

January 19, 2015 No Comments

On a Saturday morning in New York I found myself wondering the shop filled streets of the Soho district only to cross over in to Nolita. Walking through an outdoor arts market I saw ahead of me a crowd gathering on the corner. As I walked closer I realized it was the famous Cafe Habana restaurant which I had heard so much about. Of course I had to try it. So I put down my name, called a friend and 30 minutes later was joined by 3 friends. The hostess was not in the least way inviting or nice. But I guess that is to be expected when a restaurant is doing so well they don’t really need to charm you with their service. We were told that they would not be able to accommodate a table of 4 and that we should try their take out service next door.

We headed next door to a more casual, less hectic room where we could order from the same menu but over the counter. There was a few tables inside and some seating outside.

We ordered the famous Mexican grilled corn and the Cuban sandwich. A few minutes later our order was up. The corn was sprinkled with piles and piles of what looked like grated Parmesan, chili powder and lime juice. The result was fantastic. So good I could have had two (or maybe more).

The Cuban sandwich is rated as the best in New York. I can’t really attest to that and I think it would be hard to rate something as the best unless you have literally tasted all sandwiches and all restaurants in New York. But, I can say this, it was the BEST I have yet had. The pork meat was full of flavour and juicy. The juice had seeped into the bread mixed with the cheese and pickles. It was amazing (see menu).

After eating here, I understand the hype around it. I would wait in line all over again for a bite of that corn and cuban sandwich.

Café Habana (Take-Out Store) on Urbanspoon

Food

A New Type of Rotisserie at Narcissa- East Village (NYC)

July 16, 2014 No Comments

Narcissa is the newest addition to the New York dining scene opening up months ago in André Balaz’s newly renovated Standard hotel on Cooper Square. The restaurant is split into two sections: one space boasts rows of farm-style wooden tables facing the open kitchen bordered by a wraparound chef counter, the other is the louder larger restaurant and courtyard. Fun fact: the restaurant is named after a dairy cow at Andre Balazs’ Hudson Valley farm which supplies organically-grown vegetables, herbs and eggs to the restaurant year round.

The menu features various unique twists on your classic vegetables featured as shared plates and a range of meats and seafood cooked rotisserie style for the carnivores.

Talented chef, John Fraser has a way in creating new flavors with classical dishes such as the Baby Chicken Rotisserie which is a melting pot of flavors. It consists of juicy chopped pieces of rotisserie chicken mixed in a bowl with broccoli rage, spiced sausage and brood ($30). Appetizers will leave the vegetarians extremely happy having a large choice ranging from Rotisserie Crisped Beets served with a bulgur salad, apples and creamed horseradish ($15) to the English Pea Tortellini in a mushroom bullion topped with opal basil ($16).

The Mission Figs served in a bed of homemade ricotta cheese and topped with mangalitsa ham and sunflower seeds ($16) was full of competing flavors and was devoured by our party within seconds.

Each of us ordered a different main dish and I can honestly say that all of them were equally delicious, flavorful and unique. However, the Baby Chicken Rotisserie and Maine Scallops were the most popular.
The dessert options were just as good as dinner with a range of plates to choose from all priced at $9. Our table opted for the Bittersweet Chocolate Tart served with a curry-roasted banana and espresso ice cream and a bowl of fruit sorbets.

The only downside of our dining experience at Narcissa was the service. While the hostess was pleasant and seated us promptly, our female server was impatient, rude and a bit abrasive. Not sure if she was just having a bad night or if this reflects other service staff at the restaurant but it put a slight damper on our experience.

Breakfast, Brunch, Food, New York, Spanish, Tapas, USA

Brunch at Estela- Nolita (NYC)

July 3, 2014 No Comments

I don’t know how I learned about this restaurant but somehow I did and it made my list of new place to try in New York. Estela is located on an lonely strip of East Houston bordering Nolita. It is a beverage-driven restaurant from former Blue Hill at Stone Barns beverage director Thomas Carter and James Beard Award-nominated chef Ignacio Mattos. The walk- up bar-restaurant’s decor seems typical of what I’ve seen multiply not only around New York but around the country: exposed brick, wood floors and marble bar and wood tables. It’s sleek and sophisticated.

The brunch menu was limited with only a handful of plates to choose from. I would encourage sharing plates as you won’t fill up on one. It is definitely not meant for those of us with healthy appetites.

First up was the Endive with walnuts, anchovy, and ubriaco rosso ($14). A small plate of fresh and crispy endives laying on top of a bed of walnuts, anchovies and ubriaco rosso cheese (italian for drunken sunset). The mix of flavors and textures was perfect and left me wanting more.

Next came the Burrata with salsa verde and charred bread ($15), a serving of rich and creamy bur rata cheese on top of charred bed in a bed of tangy salsa verde. Verdict: amazing, unique and delicious.

The Cod with peas, spigarello, and aïoli ($24) was a healthy, flavorful and unique.

However, my favorite was the Celery with grapefruit, pecorino, and hazelnuts ($12) dish. It was such a different mix of ingredients and flavors yet so simple. The flavors and textures complimented each other in the best way possible. So good indeed that later on in the week I attempted to re-create the dish at home (didn’t turn out quite the same).

The avocado, pancetta, and egg on Danish pastry ($14) was good but didn’t warrant the $14 price tag.

Overall, our experience at Estela was pretty fabulous. I would definitely return to try their small plate style dinner and drinks. For brunch however, I prefer something a bit more filling and hearty.

Breakfast, Brunch, Food, New York, USA, Waffles

Brunch at Jack’s Wife Freda-Soho (NYC)

July 1, 2014 No Comments

The name is catchy, the place is always packed and everyone raves about it. Of course I had to check it out. Jack’s Wife Freda is a new-ish addition to the Soho neighborhood where husband and wife bring together their experience and backgrounds to create a new and unique menu and flavors. Dean is from South Africa and Maya is from Israel which makes complete sense with one glance at the menu.

Arriving early on a Saturday there were only a few tables left and we were seated outside. The menu/placemat was simple with limited options. Two dishes were ordered: the Mediterranean breakfast and the Rosewater waffles.

The poached eggs came with a side of sliced avocados, labne, pita and salad which resembled and tasted identical to the traditional persian salad (salad shirazi) consisting of chopped cucumbers, tomatoes and onions. It was healthy, fresh and satisfying.

I had really high expectations for the rosewater waffles being from a country where rosewater originated and is used liberally on many sweet dishes. This waffle barely tasted like rosewater and was really not that special. There was nothing that made it stand out from any other restaurant waffle except the use of yogurt as opposed to whipping cream.

Based on the two dishes we tried, we both agreed that there was too much hype around this place. Yes the name is catchy, the location is cool and the clientele is young and stylish, but there was nothing about the food itself that stood out. So if its ambiance you are after then sure this is the place for it, but if you just want really good food there are plenty of options in the neighborhood with less of a line up.