James Beard awarded – Page 3

Alder

The James Beard Foundation’s 2013 Best NYC Chef winner, Wylie Dufesne opened his second restaurant Alder the same year. Now, it’s his only restaurant after WD-50 closing it’s door last November.
Alder, a very subtle place on 2nd Ave. Bar in the front, dinning room is deep inside. Dark wood furniture, white brick wall, dim lit place, very clean lines. It is modern and very comfortable. Dinning room is tasting menu “only”, but of course you can still order off bar menu along with it. And we did exactly that.

FOIE GRAS DUMPLING– Mullet mousse, pickle raisin
Not our regular “dumpling”, should really call it a puff. Cute, delicious little bites. Rich and tasty, and balanced really well by the pickle raisin. Served in an escargot dish, where are my other four??

Layers of “cheesed” together, created a croissant-like cheese cube. Reminds me of the potato cake on the Mixed Grill from Torrisi Italian Speciality. Lightly toasted, topped with a little sauce. Amazing!

“PIGS IN A BLANKET” 13 – Chinese sausage, Japanese mustard, sweet chili sauce
Nice bite size of pigs in a blanket. Very very good Chinese sausage. This was a very nice touch by our waitress and very understanding staff. We did debated if we should order this as an individual dish, but was concern with the amount of food we are getting knowing we will get definitely the tasting menu and the pig ears. After we expressed our concern, our waitress surprised us with a mini plate of pigs in a blanket. Yes, it’s just two bites. But the thoughts really count. This way we get a taste, but not stuffed our stomach.

CRISPY PIG EARS 12- avocado, pineapple, pickled mustard seeds
Awesome crispy pig ears. So crunchy and so tasty. Not oily at all. Adding pineapple and mustard seeds is genius. It brightens the dish. And great combination of sweet and salty.

CARAMELIZED CAULIFLOWER TOFU– smoked eel, burnt orange, pistachio
Very interesting texture of tofu. It is almost “grits” like but much less heavy. A very healthy dish, but for me, it could use a little more seasoning.

BLACK GARLIC POTATOES– bravas consomme, chorizo, scallion
A Spain dish with a twist. Texture of black potatoes is just right, still firm and not mushy. Consomme was poured at the table, gives the dish a clear, light touch so it is not as heavy.

OKONOMIYAKI SILVER DOLLARS– grilled octopus, Kewpie mayo
Could use a few more octopus here. Chef Dufresne is taking a page from the very popular Japanese street-food cook book. This is basically a stack of mini tiny octopus pancakes pour with hollandaise sauce. Presentation looks great as the sauce is again, poured in front of us, but nothing innovative about this. This could be easily made at home.

FLANK STEAK– summer squash, beef tendon, hazelnuts
Tender, juicy, tender. Perfectly cooked!

OVALTINE ICE CREAM CAKE– strawberry, coconut, almond
Coated with cinnamon power, this was a disappointment to me. Not that it wasn’t a good piece of cake, just that there wasn’t any taste of ovaltine. Ovaltine is my favorite drink when I was a kid (i’m still a kid as times), but there was no trace of that rich, chocolatey favor here and totally overwhelmed by cinnamon.

BANANA CUBE & WHISKEY COOKIE
The banana cube was awesome. It a solid jelly packs with huge banana aroma and favor.

The 5 courses tasting menu is only $65, which is quite decent. Alder to me is contemporary cuisines with an Asian twist. I felt that the bar food wowed me more than the tasting menu. This is definitely a place where we can enjoy the delicious cocktail and great pub food. (June, 2015)

O Ya NYC- first look, plate by plate

The famed, much appraised Boston restaurant just opened a new out post in NYC last month (June 5th). Adjacent to the Park South Hotel, if you weren’t paying attention, you would walk right pass it. Although it is a Park South Hotel restaurant, it operates completely separately. The door to O Ya is right next to the Park South Hotel entrance. Hidden behind some brunches and a little wood wall divider. It is like a hidden oasis, a very zen place. Through the door, is a large, long dinning room. Huge long wood sushi counter, and cozy booths on the side. It is warm, quiet, and elegant.
We have heard a lot about O Ya. It was named one of the most exceptional omakase menu by Eater in 2012. It’s Chef- owner Tim Cushman is an acclaimed chef whom has many awards under his belt, including being named Best Chef in Northeast region by James Beard Foundation in 2012. we have high expectation but yet don’t know what to expect.
The menu here is basically just a wine list. The price tags of sake are quite reasonable. For the moment there are no a la carte, just 2 sets of omakase. 18 courses for $185; 24 courses for $245. It is pricy, no doubt about it. But we know it would be a splurge and we were told that the 24 courses would include all of the 18 courses, plus several more seasonal dishes. More sushi!!! Of course we chose the later. And here it is , plate by plate.

KUMAMOTO OYSTER – ponzu watermelon pearls, cucumber mignonette
served in a steam cage. It is meant to slurp all in one. Ponzu and watermelon were equally sweet and sour. Paired very nicely with the oyster.

HAMACHI – banana pepper
hamachi was lightly torched. Topped with garnish. Hamachi was already put together with sushi rice when it was torched. There were a little burn on the rice. Hamachi was not sweet as I expected. Rice was a little mushy as well.

OCEAN TROUT– tomato confit, smoked salt, onion aioli
smoked salt smell very good. Tomato and aioli compliment the trout very well. A little creamy. Very interesting.

LEGS AND EGGS
– tiny Maine lobster, ossetra caviar, tomalley aioli

WARM EEL
– thai basil, kabayaki, fresh Kyoto sansho

HOUSEMADE FINGERLING POTATO CHIP
– black winter truffle

KAMASU
– oven roasted tomato, yuzu

WILD SPOT PRAWN
– ramp butter, yuzu tobiko, preserved meyer lemon

LEEK BLOSSOM OMELETTE
– turkey egg, dashi sauce, wagyu schmaltz
notice that this is omelette not tomago.

FRIED KUMAMOTO OYSTER
– yuzu kosho aioli, squid link bubbles

BLUEFIN TORO
– fresh wasabi, green onion

FOIE SPOON
– miso, preserved California meyer lemon
this is very interesting. Rich, light, salty, lemony, and sweet… not all at the same time, but it unveiled layer by layer in my mouth.

SHIMA AJI & HOKKAIDO SEA URCHIN
– aji amarillo vinaigrette, nigella

KINMEDAI
– white soy, myoga, lemon oil

KANPACHI
– vietnamese mignonette, fried shallots, thai basil

YUZU CURED ARCTIC CHAR
– cumin aioli, cilantro
Steam cage again. This time it was uncover after the cage was brought to us. Open the lid, and smoke starts coming out. Whatever they use to smoke the char, the aroma it gives out is “breathtaking”. And there are two pieces per each person.

TORO TARTAR
– winter black truffle

SUZUKI SEA BASS
– spicy cucumber, avocado, cilantro blossoms

SIP
– tomato shiso kombu water
almost tea like… i like this a lot

SHISO TEMPURA WITH GRILLED LOBSTER

GRILLED CHANTERELLE & SHITAKE MUSHROOM
– rosemary garlic oil, sesame froth

SEARED WAGYU AS PETIT STRIP LOIN

FOIE GRAS

SUMMER BERRIES & SOBA

ASSORTED PASTRIES

I guess I was having my third piece when I realized this is not my regular traditional sushi joint. It is… innovative. This is more Gari than Yasuda or 15 East. O Ya is using western technique to prepare the ingredient and put on top sushi rice as sushi. There were quiet a few aioli, form and sauce. While each piece are surprisingly good, I cannot compare to my other sushi experience.
Most of the fish pieces are not as tasty as other places with similar price tag. The rice is a little mushy, and the balance of vinegar in the rice needs improvement. The nori lacks that crunch, they were simply there to help holding up the piece. And the sequence, was a little all over the place. We have eel as the 5th piece, and Kinmeda after uni!?! And there were some, I might say a little over the top. The Toro tartar with the black truffle, as cute as it is. For tasting purpose, I can totally do without the truffle. The potato chip with truffle, I think I enjoy looking at it more.
While the staffs are extremely friendly and attentive, it lacks that chef- customer connection I would get from 15 East, yasuda, Ichimura. Therefore table service are just the same as sushi counter experience. This is more like set menu/ tasting menu than omakase.
Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoyed the meal, just not what I expected. Yes, fishes might not be as good, but with their preparation, the combination and flavor profile they created using dressing, aioli and garnish makes up the difference. Sushi here is extravagant. Each piece is stunningly beautiful. Each one is served in a different plate. ever plate is a little piece of art. Obviously they put in a lot of thoughts into plating. While this doesn’t satisfy my sushi craving/ addiction, it is a very surprisingly good meal. And it exceeded my expectation. I can understand why O Ya is so well loved. It is new, creative, and innovative.
It’s different, but different can be good. We would definitely come back, but next time I would not put my sushi thinking cap on.
(July, 2015)

Farewell, Chef Masato

It’s July already, which means Chef Masato has already left New York for Bangkok. Here is our last meal from Chef Masato at 15 East.
Chef, we miss you already!!

15 East- Chef Masato Shimizu is leaving

Now that the Eater and New York Magazine has reported it, I can open my big mouth, and may be cry a little. It is true. Our beloved Chef Masato Shimizu is leaving the acclaimed 15 East. Where to? Well, about 8670 miles away to Bangkok! And there is no non-stop flight?!?! That’s right, it is far. And we are gonna miss him so much.

We heard the news about a month ago when we dine there (see pics). He broke the news when we were having our last dish of the night(soba with uni and ikura). And I was telling him that was my bowl of happiness. Immediately, I felt a little warmth coming up to my eyes. Oh… my heart is broken… My sushi world is gonna change…!

These days 15 East is super packed. All the regulars are flooding to the place to enjoy one last meal by Chef Masato. And of course, us too. When we return this week, chef Masato who just turned 40, was super busy. He was not only preparing the dishes for the normal sushi bar, he is also making items for the main dinning room.
Although the place is buzzing, Chef Masato still pay same attention and may be even more to take care of his sushi loyalties. He still managed to surprise and amaze us even after all these years of visits. He never fail to impress.

Santa Barbara uni with pressed tofu skin, topped with a bit of fresh wasabi and a couple drip of soy sauce. Pressed tofu skin’s texture feel like crab meat, uni super sweet!!! Great combination.

Awabi soaked in kunbu 昆布broth Awabi was open right before served along with the room temperature kunbu clear broth. Crispy and sweet. It has a sense of cleansing like a temple bell rang in the morning.

Live ebi with Japanese pike eel and plum sauce/ radish and pearl seaweed Shrimp head was deep fried and served later. Ebi was peeled when they were still alive. Yes, it’s cruel and a little tough to see. But the sacrifice of the shrimp was well worth it. It was sweet!!! Just don’t think of it as torture. Pike eel is in season in spring/ summer. It has a lot of bones very tough to prep but no problem for the fantastic Chef Masato.

Lightly Torched fire fly squid My favorite and yes, I have many favorites.

Marinated Octopus There is no better place for octopus in this world. The dedication and the hard work really pays off. And as I said the first time I had this “BETTER THAN STEAK!!!”

Sake marinated couch Consistently good!! fresh and brisk.

Sakura salmon Come to think of it, this might be the first time Chef Masato serve us salmon. I typically don’t order salmon at sushi place. Don’t get me wrong, salmon can be great. But to me, salmon is boring. But of course Chef Masato managed to find a way to whip it a new one. Marinated with Sakura, this is only available in spring. It has a flowery fragrance to it. I can smell it with my tongue, if that makes sense.

Torched smoke Spanish mackerel Although available year around, The spanish mackerel is consider a spring fish, as it is the best in tis season and it is more full bodied. The edition of the Mackerel is outstanding. Love the charred taste, and torching it added texture as well. This is totally new combination, great and innovative.

Cooked shrimp Cooked and chilled right before serving. unlike other sushi practicing place where it would be pre-cooked and put in fridge. The only other place I would consider order cooked shrimp in NYC is Nakazawa. Unlike Nakazawa where they would dump the shrimp in ice water to preserve the texture and flavor. Here at 15 East, the shrimp is peel right out of the water. I kinda felt bad for Chef, thinking about their burning fingers. Shrimp is still warm when serve, and it was amazing.

UNI There were 4 different kinds of uni today. Uni Maine (top left) California (top right) and Hokkaido x 2. The one from California is sweeter. The one from Maine is creamier. and hokkaido has the best of both. and today we had 2 kinds from Hokkaido (different grade and different company). The first Hokkaido was a higher grade which cost more was creamier, and i think the other Hokkaido with darker color is sweeter, but both are top notch, and really not much difference.

Torched Chu toro with pepper The tuna was aged for six days. Pepper was ground onto toro before serve and then let sat for about 5 mins and torch. Who would hv thought. Just amazing!!!

We had so many different pieces, I can’t put it all here. for more picture please see the album. We didn’t have soba tonight but really we can’t complain, we had something new, an amazing meal, a wonderful time and there were 5 different uni!!!

As we watch Chef Masato works, we really admire the focus he pays and the passion he has. You can see it on his facial expression that he truly love what he does. And when a customer enjoy the sushi, the satisfaction he has; the proudness he feel, you can see in his smile.

“A good meal could heal a tried soul.” It is as if he has magical power, starting from the first piece, Chef Masato already help us forget what a bad day we were having and teleport us to a happier place. The joy and happiness we got from a dinner by Chef Masato honestly cannot be express in words. You really have to sit in front of him to embrace this joy and to appreciate it. But as I mention earlier, since his departing news has broke, it is almost impossible to grab a seat. If you have a reservation, god bless you! If not, well, Bangkok is “only” 20+ hours away. And from what I gathered, Chef Masato is already looking at locations. He also told us, there are more varieties of fish he can get in Thailand than here in the US (thanks to FDA).

Chef Masato, Thank you! New York has been blessed to have you. Until next time!