Restaurant experiment: Locale

Locale

33-02 34th Avenue at 33rd Street

Astoria, NY 11106

718-729-9080

http://www.localeastoria.com

Woo hoo!  My triumphant return to Astoria.  Too bad it was marked by dreadful rain.  But, if I correctly recall high school English classes, rain/water symbolize rebirth and cleanliness.  Okay, that doesn’t quite fit here.  Cleansing myself from the draggy work week?  Something like that.

Dayna suggested this place which she had been to before but not in quite some time.  Locale is randomly thrown into a more residential area of the neighborhood.  The restaurant is airy and modern, with black and while themes going on, white sheer curtains, silhouettes of people splashed here and there.  The hostess looked like an old roommate of mine.  She took our wet umbrellas for us and ushered us to a corner two top.

The seating is sort of tight, but the place wasn’t as full as it could be or normally would be.  Our waiter came over and recited a long list of specials.  Naturally I forgot most of them, and then I was impressed that the guy could memorize them all.  Hey Locale, that’s a sign your specials are too much.  Print them out or something.

The complimentary bread came with olives in olive oil.  I ordered a farfalle affumicate which was bow tie pasta in a brandy sauce, with peas and smoked salmon.  That dish was $13.95.  Here’s the visual.

Notice all that cheese on top?  Yeah!  I love extra cheese.  The pasta was fine.  Perhaps I should try making this particular dish at home.  Dayna ordered soup, and the bowl was as big as her head.  Her chicken marsala looked appealing as well.  She asked for her food to go along with a slice of lone bread which didn’t get eaten earlier.  The waitress returned and said she had given Dayna extra bread.  How sweet!

Because Mother Nature is a big meanie, it began pouring again as we left Locale.  No matter.  The meal just pumped me up for the rest of the evening (hello, sangria).

Restaurant experiment: Tre

Tre

173 Ludlow Street between Houston and Stanton Streets

New York, NY 10002

212-353-3353

http://www.trenewyork.com/home.html

I wanted Laura to experience the Lower East Side, and I found Tre with the assistance of one of my handy references, OpenTable. Tre is pretty small and not bright, with lighting fit for a rendezvous. There’s a small seating area in the front, the bar, and then the main dining room which was still on the smaller side. The setting is perfect for dates or small meals with close pals.

The sangria was a stunning ruby color and generously poured for a steal of seven bucks. Laura and I opted for the $19 prix fixe which is only available Sunday through Thursday. Tre also has a bunch of other deals, like a $17 brunch with unlimited brunchy drinks and Sangria Mondays.

1st course: RAVIOLI FRITTI

“Fried ravioli stuffed with ricotta, salame, black pepper”

Ding ding ding! We have a winner. This was hands down my favorite part of the prix fixe. They looked like fried wontons drizzled with chocolate sauce, but that was just some balsamic. Mmm, crunchy pasta, warm cheese. Heavenly. Laura wholeheartedly agreed with me. Mmm.

2nd course: MEZZI RIGATONI CON POLPETTE

“Short rigatoni pasta with traditional lamb mini meat balls & tomato sauce”

This dish was fine but nothing that I would send a snail mail letter out about.

3rd course: TRE CHEESECAKE

“Crème fraiche, ricotta, cream cheese, mango sauce”

Since I’m lukewarm on tiramisu, I picked the ricotta cheesecake. It was fine but not the pinnacle of the meal. Museum-worthy presentation however.

Our pretty haired waiter, as Laura referred to him, was not of this planet. Very Valley Girl I must say. Another waiter picked up some of his slack, but the service wasn’t super sterling, but no matter since we weren’t in much of a hurry.

I want to say that Tre flies under the radar because if I mention it to someone, he/she probably wouldn’t be familiar with it, but the restaurant was doing fair business on a Sunday night, so some people know about it. Maybe it’s partially a hidden gem. A hidden cubic zirconia? Bang for your buck, sleek atmosphere, satisfying food.

Tre Cool. [You will only get that reference if you used to be really into Green Day in junior high like me.]

Restaurant experiment: Giorgio’s of Gramercy

Giorgio’s of Gramercy

27 East 21st Street between Broadway and Park Avenue South

New York, NY 10010

212-477-0007

giorgiosofgramercy.com

Giorgio’s is smack on a rather untraveled stretch of East 21st Street. Inside, the restaurant is long and thin, like a railroad apartment or snooty Gramercy model, and it’s very red. Blood red. The sparkling chandeliers are a gorgeous touch.

It is currently Restaurant Week which is my excuse to go out and eat. So I met up with Leslie here for dinner. It wasn’t too packed when we arrived, and it filled up more later on, but it wasn’t too noisy or slammed. You know the Restaurant Week deal, $35 prix fixe. Rock on. Don’t be fooled by the name Giorgio’s; it’s not a purely 100% Italian restaurant.

APPETIZERS

Originally I wanted the braised baby octopus, but I paused when I saw it came with cilantro. Our waiter Michael, who looked like a middle aged character actor, graciously asked the kitchen about cilantro’s involvement, if it was just sprinkled on or what. It wasn’t just sprinkled on. I went with my second choice: “Garlic Prawns, Winter Vegetable Julienne, Artichoke-Black Truffle Vinaigrette.” The prawns were the size of a cell phone; they were mammoths. Yum. What a generous portion too, almost like a mini-dinner. I should also add that the free bread had a pleasing sesame seed crust, and the amuse bouche of crab salad on crostini also enlightened the tongue. Leslie went with the “Mizuna [sharp greens], Prosciutto di Parma, Breaded Goat Cheese, Pomegranate Candied Pecans, Citrus-Balsamic Glaze.” She let me try the croquette-looking goat cheese. Scrumptious!  My appetizer ended up being the superstar of the three course meal.

ENTREES

Fish is boring. I picked out the “Grilled Filet Mignon, Steamed Vegetables, Homemade Cornbread, Roasted Shallots, Port Wine Reduction” while Leslie got the “Orechetti [pasta], Garlic-White Wine Cockles [clams], Fresh Tomatoes, Pesto.” The filet mignon reminded me of meatloaf which wasn’t what it was supposed to do. I’m blaming the reduction in part. The vegetables were just steamed veggies. The homemade cornbread came out looking like a small banana sliced lengthwise. It was right on though, with just the correct amount of sugar.

DESSERT

Leslie ordered the “Apple Pie with Whipped Cream.” I selected the “Trio of Gelato or Sorbet,” going with sorbet since my favorites were in the triplet (passion fruit and guava, in addition to that ever-so-trendy pomegranate). My fondness for tropical fruit sorbets must be obvious, as Leslie said that my face lit up. Like a Christmas tree! You can’t go wrong with sorbet. But you can go wrong with apple pie. It looked sort of like a take on the turnover at McDonald’s but with puff pastry. OK, that was slightly cruel. But it was true.

We concluded that Giorgio’s is a safe place. It’ll please older people and younger people and by younger people, I mean non-children. The food doesn’t blow you away. It’s not as memorable as wd-50, a restaurant which Leslie and I talked about over our meal; I ate at wd-50 a year ago and it’s still being discussed. I can’t see myself mentioning Giorgio’s in January 2010. You’ll like the food but you won’t be ecstatic about it.

Tip: happy hour goes until 7pm, drinks 50% off! Of course I noticed this sandwich board advert after I left the restaurant.

Restaurant experiment: Gradisca

Gradisca

126 W 13th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues

New York, NY 10011

212-691-4886

gradiscanyc.com

I’m hopeless with my camera. I’ve spared you bleached, eyeball pain-inducing photos of my entree in favor of an artsy blurry red image.

Gradisca, the scene of the crime, er, Frank’s birthday. When you enter the restaurant, the first thing you see is the basket of free matchbooks. And the elderly woman rolling up a type of pasta at a little table. The place is set up so that there’s one front dining room filled with smaller tables, the middle section consisting of the kitchen and bar, and the back which is party central with several groups including ours.

The lighting is dim to the extreme. You have to use your cell phone or the tealights on the tables to read the menu. If you know you are coming here, pack a flashlight along with wads of cash (more on that later). Gradisca also went all out with the holiday decorations: with metallic balls suspended from the ceiling and what we all initially thought were silver cones (Christmas trees) taking up space on the tables.

Our waitress was vivacious and game to deal with our group. Our table ordered a couple of appetizers to share, with the Bocconcini di Bufala con Prosciutto di Parma e Tartufo Nero ($16, “mozzarella di bufala dop wrapped in aged prosciutto di parma with black truffle pesto”) being hands down our favorite. I ordered the main of Malfatti di Ricotta di Bufala e Spinaci con Fonduta di Gorgonzola ($22, described as “homemade spinach and buffalo ricotta dumplings with gorgonzola cheese fondue).” While the dish was fine and particularly blue cheesy, I couldn’t help but feel that they could have added a little salad or some bread on the side or something as the portion size was a bit stingy. Boo. Like the appetizers, we ordered a couple of desserts to share; I’m not huge on Italian desserts so I won’t attempt to go into them.

Gradisca: cool logo (a woman of generous girth), uncool prices. $14 cocktails? Um, no thanks. Though all in all, the birthday boy tremendously enjoyed himself and that’s what matters.

Restaurant experiment: i Trulli

i Trulli

122 East 27th Street between Park Avenue South & Lexington

New York, NY 10016

212-481-7372

itrulli.com

I must confess, I live for NYC’s winter and summer Restaurant Weeks.  What’s more exciting that rounding up members of your posse and sampling fancy fare at a fraction of the cost?  Not much!  $35 gets you a prix fixe dinner: starter, entree, and dessert; $24.07 for lunch.  Feeling like you’ve swung a fab deal is always a happymaker. 

Batting first was dinner at i Trulli.  Stacy and I were offered the option of sitting outside or sitting inside.  Since the heat wasn’t up to its usual oppressive self, we ended up outside.  The covered patio is actually very lovely.  If you don’t look up, you can forget that you’re in Manhattan.  We were seated by the small waterfall which was in front of the rare thing called greenery.  Ceiling fans kept air circulating.  i Trulli wasn’t that crowded (we were dining on the early side), but it seemed to be filling up more when we were ready to roll.

I went with the Apulian bread salad with heirloom tomatoes, onion, and cucumber even though there was complimentary bread which came with a mystery spread.  Something white and whipped.  Stacy and I were stumped.  The bread salad could be characterized as strong, with the strong vinegar kick and strong taste of onions.  I liked it.  My entree was veal ravioli which was fine.  Last but certainly not least was my dessert: chocolate and toasted almond semifreddo with almond brittle.  This was hands down the best part of the meal.  A semifreddo is an Italian take on the ice cream cake.  It just sounds fancier in Italian.  The top chocolate pudding-like layer was fabulous.  I mopped the three layer cake in the chocolate drizzle on the plate: delightfully chocolately!  Can cake be an anti-depressant?  The semifreddo made all my troubles slip away temporarily.  Stacy ordered different plates so we sampled each other’s edibles.  That’s strategy right there. 

Our waiter was polite but not a superwaiter.  He wrote down what we ordered on a notepad [I am incredibly impressed if you don't need to write down our picks].  Pacing of the dishes was a bit off; they were coming out somewhat faster than is optimal.  And we had to pour the chilled red wine ourselves 75% of the time.  A slight frown for those.  However he did check up on us about twice and did clean the crumbs off the table before dessert.   

i Trulli is probably a bit more high-end than it should be, but it’s a solid dining experience.  If you like grazing on dandelions, the regular menu uses them quite a lot, fyi.

Restaurant experiment: La Villa

La Villa

261 Fifth Avenue between Garfield Place and 1st Street

Brooklyn, NY 11215

718-499-9888

lavillaparkslope.com

Pizza.  A word and food that has been at the back of my brain for the last few weeks.  Since I’m too lazy to wait in line at Grimaldi’s (supposedly the best pizza in Brooklyn or NYC), I’ll just have to cope with pizza joints that aren’t as tourist-infested and line-prone.  At the recommendation of the roommate and some positive Yelp reviews, I set out to down some slices on a Sunday afternoon.  My easygoing friend luckily went with my desire for pizza, as long as it wasn’t Domino’s.  Heck no!  How does Domino’s stay in business?  Everyone I know thinks it’s disgusting.  We went close to 1 PM, and there was no wait.  La Villa feels sort of chain-y on the inside with slick shiny surfaces, but it is not a national chain.  The list of pizzas seemed to have the same pizza over and over, but with slight variations like

• tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, olive oil
• tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, olive oil, garlic

Being the nerd that I am, I believed that they should have put this list of pizzas into a table form to lessen confusion.  “Why is this pizza different from this pizza?”  Or maybe a flowchart.  I love flowcharts.  Anyway, we settled on the Grandma’s pizza “Foccacia di Nona” which had, you guessed it, tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, olive oil, and garlic.  Luckily we ordered a small instead of a large because a small comfortably fed the two of us.  The complimentary bread was yummy, some with onion and some without.  We also ordered an appetizer of baked clams which was probably not something I would get again as a half-dozen for $10 did not feel like a steal, and size-wise: littleneck not cherrystone.  Why were there no cheesesticks in the menu’s appetizer section?  Odd.  I guess La Villa needs to conserve their homemade mozzarella for the pizzas.   

Anyway, the grandma’s pizza was deliziosa!  One gripe that I have with some thin crusts are that the midsection crust flops over and causes all the toppings to slide onto your plate.  That was not the case here since the crust wasn’t anorexic.  This certain pizza didn’t have sauce which probably helped too.  The crust was crunchy but not crackery.  The toppings were all flavorful and delightful with a fair amount of fresh basil tossed about the pie.  Are your ears burning, Patsy’s?  One basil spring isn’t gonna cut it.  Oily but not OILY.  Very pleased.  You know it’s a special pizza when you’re thinking about it the next day.