Restaurant Roundup: Fig & Olive

A few weeks ago, I wrote this article detailing New York Restaurant Week and well, just haven't gotten around to detailing my Restaurant Week dinner. I had made reservations at two restaurants on our list: Fig & Olive and Artisinal. We only made it to one of the two...but we'll get to that story later. So Fig & Olive. Located in the Meatpacking District, Fig & Olive is a trendy abode with high ceilings, dark corners, and lots and lots of tables. So many tables, in fact, that it kind of felt like we were dining with the couple next to us. Though the atmosphere was very 'meatpacking district' (read: on a dark cobblestone street in a chic, bumpin', industrial-type space), it did leave a little to be desired in terms of acoustics (read: I had a hard time hearing Shaun yet I found out all about the overly loud man sitting next to us). But the food? Well the food was something else entirely, and there, I don't really have many complaints. And let me ask you upfront to please excuse the lack of photos. Remember that dark cornered space I mentioned? Yeah, not really condusive to taking good photos. So I'm sharing the best of the bunch, which really don't even do the goods justice.

Here's the menu:
We started with two appetizers from the Restaurant Week menu, Mushroom & Truffle Soup and the Duo of Salmon, as well as one not featured there, the crostini. Apparently Fig & Olive is famous for their crostini (and you know my feelings on that) yet it wasn't included on the RW menu. Enter my one and only gripe about Restaurant Week. Isn't the point to showcase your best menu? Needless to say, it was disappointing to have to pay an extra $9 for another appetizer, especially when we already had so much food on the way but we felt it necessary to get the full Fig & Olive experience and that includes trying the signature dish. And the result? it was totally worth it. With a laundry list of crostini toppings, we went with truffles & mushrooms, bell peppers & goat cheese, manchego cheese & fig chutney. And they were each truly delish - something I wouldn't pass up if you make your way over. And let's just say I don't even remember my mushroom soup as the crostini was really the shining star. I don't eat salmon, but Shaun raved about his appetizer, the duo of salmon (a mousse and tartar combo).

Onto the dinner portion of the night. Shaun had the roasted veal tenderloin with fig chutney while I filled up on the filet of beef with herb butter & fingerling potatoes. Both dishes were perfectly cooked, tender and seriously scrumptious. And let's just say that a giant pat of herb butter makes everything wonderful, especially a major piece of beef. Oh, and though I typically don't eat veal unless I'm in Europe, I did sample Shaun's dish and not only was the veal a serious stand out, but it helped ignite my love for fig chutney, as detailed in my January Favorites and Gorgonzola Fig Crostini. By this point in the meal, we were overly stuffed, but had to carry on with dessert (for research purposes, of course).

Enter the chocolate pot du creme (a rich custard with whipped cream, the latter being one of my all-time favorite foods - if you can call it a food) and the almond shortbread with vanilla mascarpone cheese, pistachios and marinated cherries. The clear winner? The shortbread. The pot du creme, though I've heard great things about it elsewhere, just didn't measure up while I'm still dreaming about that shortbread dessert. Not only was it easy on the eyes, it was decadent and sweet 'n savory to boot.

So that's the roundup. Though, for me, the appetizers aside from the crostini were less than memorable, the rest of the meal was totally worth trekking out in the freezing cold and stuffing ourselves until we had to take a cab home. Yep, that's the sign of a really good meal (scientifically speaking). Is it a pricey meal? You bet. But for RW? It's just the kind of place to visit. Oh I should mention Artisinal and our canceled reservation. Not only were we still stuffed a week after Fig & Olive, but after going back over the Artisinal menu, we realized that cheese was nowhere to be found. And Artisinal is all about the cheese. So we canceled, and added it to our list to visit at some point solely for the fondue. Sorry Artisinal, but you lost us by not offering your signature item.

So what do you think? Did you partake in any Restaurant Week activities? And by doing so, found a new favorite restaurant?

Restaurant Roundup: Aozora at Montclair Restaurant Week

It's Restaurant Week all over the place - from New York to Jersey City to Montclair, NJ, the latter of which I partook in this past Saturday evening with Shaun and four of our friends for a long-awaited group dinner. The place? Aozora, a restaurant of the Japanese-European variety. And there's no better way to enjoy a meal with friends at a sleek restaurant that offers a real prix fixe tasting menu. Up front, I will say that I really, really appreciated the Restaurant Week menu at Aozora. Unlike its Manhattan counterpart, Aozora used this opportunity to showcase the best that they've got on the menu by condensing it into a three course feast that really gave me a sense of what this restaurant is all about. This is quite unlike my experience at Fig & Olive (check back for that review soon) last week, in which we fell into the trap of ordering additional items beyond the Restaurant Week menu since it didn't feature the crostini-heard-round-the-world that everyone has raved about. That's where they get ya. Anyhow, let's get down to the deets, shall we?

First up, we ordered some sushi for the table. Since the one appetizer offered didn't include a piece of sushi (don't worry, the main course did), and we were at a sushi restaurant, we felt it only necessary to partake in the signature cuisine and what a mistake it would have been to overlook it. Eel and avocado roll, spicy tuna roll and rainbow roll graced the table, and my palette has never been so thrilled with the results (this assessment does not take into account dining at Nobu). Fresh, delicate and delicious:

Next up was "the appetizer" - yup, quotes are necessary since there was only one option, but a tasting plate at that. Uni with jalapeno, seared tuna with avocado, marinated filet mignon comprised this mini-tasting plate. And isn't it fun to have an appetizer all to yourself? This one was delicious and pretty to boot:

For the main course, there were three options: angus skirt steak, wild sea bass, and a chef's sushi tasting menu. I had angus skirt steak with kalbi sauce, mashed potatoes and asparagus. Though I had no idea what kalbi marinade was, I'm so happy I jumped right in with both feet, so to speak, as the sweet yet savory marinade (my favorite flavor combo) had all the right moves for my perfectly cooked, medium steak.

Who orders steak at a Japanese restaurant, you ask? This girl. What can I say? I'm just a meat and potatoes kind of gal. That's not to say, however, that I wasn't green with envy when this gorgeous plate of sushi came rolling over to the table...

I mean, really, isn't she pretty? And as I've mentioned previously, you can always find me stealing bits of deliciousness off the plates of my co-dinner goers, and this evening was no different. Luckily, my co-dinner goers were oh so generous, and I reaped the palette-pleasing benefits. From the sushi plate, with a closer look:

 

to the wild sea bass... 

...these dishes were all of equal fabulousness, in taste and presentation. Is there anything better than your food arriving, and you almost don't want to disturb it since it's so pretty? That was the feeling with all of the Aozora items. The only disappointment of the night? Dessert. Six plates of caramel cream, aka flan, that had little to no taste whatsoever let alone any sweetness that I so crave post-dinner. I only wish that the little rock sugar lattice-looking creation could have taken over the plate because that was the only part that I found to be enjoyable. I mean, really, where's the mochi?

The bottom line? The menu was overall fantastic, if you put dessert out of your mind, and inspired me to dine at Japanese restaurants more often. If you can get it, make a reservation at Aozora right now. Unfortunately, you'll have to go on my photos above as your RW menu guide since it was nowhere to be found online. Sadly, their website is a doozy. I'm sure it cost a fortune, and yes, it is sleek and chic and all of those things. But when I just wanted to find the menu, it took 10 minutes of searching through the super-Flashed site to find it, and they didn't even have the Restaurant Week menu up (a seriously un-ok practice in my book, and one that many Manhattan digs tend to follow). Even beyond Restaurant Week, Aozora is one that I will surely revisit - and that's the whole point of Restaurant Week, isn't it?

So what do you think? Have you ever dined at Aozora? Have you been trying any new restaurants with Restaurant Week menus?

It's Baa-ack! NYC Restaurant Week is Here!

Photo taken from nycgo.comThough it's the dead of winter and there's not a whole lot going on in the traditional sense, I'll admit that I do enjoy taking advantage of indoor activities. The Tim Burton exhibit at MoMA, lots of movie going, and dining at restaurants that I've had on my list for months are at the top of my winter plans. Luckily, the restaurant industry agrees, as Restaurant Week starts this Monday, January 25 and runs through February 5. What is Restaurant Week, you say? It's a little ol' thing they've cooked up to get people like you and me into fancy restaurants that we otherwise wouldn't pony up the dough for, if you know what I mean. With a special menu in mind, diners get a $35 prix fixe meal, including a choice of appetizer, entree and dessert. Booze not included.

In previous Restaurant Week's, I've feasted on aged steak at famed Smith & Wollensky and dined on exquisite sushi at Japonais. Let's face it, unless it's a special occasion, I typically stick to places more in line with my wallet...Places of the Land - Otto - Five Napkin Burger variety. I must mention here that some of the restaurants featured are just not worth it. If you're biting, do your due dilligence (say that three times fast...). Take a moment to compare the Restaurant Week menu with the real menu. I've found that at some establishments, the prix fixe just isn't worth it because a three course meal wouldn't necessarily add up to $35. This happened one year at Marseille...I ended up not even liking my dinner all that much AND it was more expensive than if I just ordered what I really wanted off of the main menu. However, some places are totally worth it, like Delmonico's, Mesa Grill, Smith & Wollensky, and many more. Just check before you go.

This year on my list is Fig & Olive, Artisinal, and Butter. I've got two out of three in the works, but those reservations book up quickly! Oh, and keep in mind that this little promotion typically runs Monday through Thursday for two weeks, unless otherwise noted.

So what do you think? Will you be dining out during Restaurant Week this year? Which ones are at the top of your list? I'm just wishing Bar Boulud had a dinner option and that A Voco wasn't booked up already!