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Places to be Curious About


Wilfrid

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6 hours ago, Simon said:

Try to request the main artery.  And he's been serving the tenderloin rare recently, which may or may not be your thing.

I Had not only my own artery, but my wife’s as well.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Reporting back from the SSAW popup!

Smoked bonito with spring greens. The greens were fantastic, but most of the bonito was a little over-smoked, if you ask me. The last piece was perfect. The broth was amazing.

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House-made sesame tofu with uni. Very well balanced (you never know with sesame stuff - so much danger of overkill), and again, a lovely dashi broth.

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Thin udon with firefly squid. I probably should've stopped before this, because the first two dishes were pretty filling. But I love firefly squid - I don't know how to put this nicely, but you can really taste the guts.

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Comp disclosure: So. Much. Sake. (I paid for these initial three samples, though.)

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Here be the menu.

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  • 2 months later...

I've always wanted to be supportive to Hemant & managed to do so thru even his supposed "takeover" of 5 or 6 places on Curry Hill years ago.  However, he seems to be attracted to (or need?) ventures that I just have no interest in patronizing.  Saar's website is probably the main reason I have never been, looking like a place where the food is a side issue and the chef ("the Yo Yo Ma of tandoor cooking"?) a corporate owned performance artist.  This latest one just smacks of corny gimmick and is even worse.  I've looked at the menu, and now the website, and I cant figure out the connection between the dishes and the concept, the first probably being good and the latter embarrassing to take part in.

Someone please tell me the food is worth the context.  I still really like the guy.

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On 7/13/2024 at 12:30 PM, Steve R. said:

Saar's website is probably the main reason I have never been, looking like a place where the food is a side issue and the chef ("the Yo Yo Ma of tandoor cooking"?) a corporate owned performance artist. 

I've told you this on other forums, go to Saar and eat the kebabs. Ignore everything else.

Veeray's menu refers (see "The Don's Lamb Chops") to Hemant as their culinary godfather, so I'm not sure how deep his involvement is. Oddly, when their opening page gushes of "the rebellious spirit and clandestine charm of the prohibition era, evoking the glamorous time of secret rendezvous and underground revelry. Pull up a chair, grab a napkin, and join us on this exciting ride through the flavors of India. It's sexy, it's sophisticated, it's adventure served on a platter!" there's a purely Indian antecedent they could have gone with. I grew up in prohibition India and when in college, while editing the college library rag, our Goan college librarian would take us to drink feni at certain select households. We'd knock on doors known to him, be let into their drawing rooms, and be served "special tea" complete with teapot and teacups. The tea was feni. Alongside there were many Goan snacks -- spicy cashews, some dried meaty things, etc. Now *that* would be a foundation for a restaurant.

Edited by relbbaddoof
I'm a clumsy idiot
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So, I started drinking feni (in mixed drinks) at Indian Table a couple of years ago (chef from Goa) & thought that it was somehow made from cashews (the nut itself).  Well, they constantly referred to it as a "cashew apple" liquor and, when I looked it up, I found that the cashew nut is a product of an "apple" & that's what makes feni.   Who knew?!  At any rate, it's good -- and they serve these drinks with a couple of cashews.  

Don't ask me what I thought when I found out that there's coconut feni as well.

 

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34 minutes ago, Steve R. said:

I found that the cashew nut is a product of an "apple" & that's what makes feni.   Who knew?! 

I?

But a warning: 

"Cashew tree, very pretty, and the cashew nut is sweet
But the fruit of the poor cashew is impossible to eat"

Truly. It's good only as feni.

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1 hour ago, Steve R. said:

I found that the cashew nut is a product of an "apple" & that's what makes feni.   Who knew?!

I, too. Probably not enough to make up for my vesper ignorance, but there it is.

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On 7/15/2024 at 6:09 PM, Steve R. said:

Well, they constantly referred to it as a "cashew apple" liquor and, when I looked it up, I found that the cashew nut is a product of an "apple" & that's what makes feni.   Who knew?!

I’ve had cashew apple juice in Peruvian restaurants (called marañon) and it’s… not my favorite? But I’ve always been curious about feni. Never found it for sale anywhere. May have to check out this place. 

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5 hours ago, splinky said:

nothing named for Dr TJ Eckleburg, i'm bummed. i'll go for the crispy okra.
didn't that location used to be an izakaya place back in the day?

Yes, and a pretty good one too...Aburiya Kinnosuke.

I sorta remember them doing the thing with bonito shavings, making them look as if they were alive.

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  • 3 weeks later...

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