Broiled Rabbit & Vintage Port

Since starting this blog two weeks ago I have come up with a few ground rules.

1) Restaurants that we frequent can't be written up the same way as new ones. Our familiarity with these establishments changes the experience and this must show in the writing for fairness and accuracy.

2) Only new meals are rated- Friends have asked why I don't write about the great meal at wherever and I tell them because the blog doesn't go back in time.

3) I won't blog a restaurant friends take us to. I don't want dinner to revolve around my experience. I want to enjoy my friends.

4) I won't rate someone else's cooking (friends, family, etc.)

That said, I am about to sidestep rule number four by simply describing and not assessing.

I've had a few influences in my love of food, drink, and cooking, but one person stands out as the man who was probably the most influential.

My Uncle John, who has been hosting and preparing family gatherings for the past two decades, is an incredibly accomplished home cook whose menus and meals put many a costly night out to shame.

Chrissie and I look forward to nights out with my aunt and uncle. They are great company, not only because we all share a fondness for food, but because they are genuinely good people.

But enough feel good writing, if you are reading this you either already know about Aunt Nancy and Uncle John or you have stumbled upon my blog and want to read about food and drink.

Last night we were invited over for a Spanish evening.

We arrived at Uncle John's house just before six thirty and were met with cocktails and a tapas presentation of jamon Serrano and an assortment of Spanish cheeses. My aunt and uncle have been vacationing in Spain for some time now and have developed quite the affinity for the Spanish culinary culture. The cheeses, ham, and olives were all imported from Spain and immediately took Chrissie and me back to our visit there two years ago.

The heavy eating began when Uncle John put four terracotta cazuelas on the stove top. Each contained olive oil, slices of garlic, tiny whole hot peppers, and a bay leaf. When the cazuelas bubbled they were turned into the traditional gambas al ajillo, or garlic shrimp, with the addition of half dozen beautiful large shrimp each.

At this point of the evening, bottles of cold vinho verde were freely flowing. Vinho verde, a young, light, effervescent wine is a favorite of mine and complements the depth of Spanish flavors very well.

The main course of the evening was broiled rabbit. When we arrived we were met by a high walled baking sheet containing the butchered and marinating pieces of two rabbits waiting to go under the broiler for an initial cooking. They got their first taste of heat as we ate cheese and then the rabbit rested while we ate the gambas.

The rabbits went back into the oven to finish cooking while Uncle John prepared the side dishes of sauteed mushrooms, white asparagus with an orange garlic sauce (al aiolio de naranja), and patatas bravas (fierce potatoes, a pan fried potatoe served with a flavorful hot sauce).

Dinner was finished with a St. James almond tart and poached pears. Before dessert was served Uncle John started talking about a bottle of Port he'd been thinking about opening. I was sent to the basement to retrieve what turned out to be a vintage bottle older than I am.

I returned to the table with a 1970 Fonseca Vintage Port and I knew my uncle must love me. The bottle was in good condition and I was instructed to carefully open it. Removing the metallic casing around the neck revealed a wax coated cork. There had been some evaporation and the wine could be smelled through the softened barrier.

I was terrified as I introduced the cork pull to the bottle. It took almost no pressure to insert the screw and I was very confident when I went to pull. My confidence was rewarded with a cork that left its bottom centimeter in the bottle. I attempted to retrieve the final piece with both the corkpull and a thin knife, but I was unsuccessful and the cork splintered into the wine. A fine strainer caught the particulate as I poured and we were ready to enjoy.

Chrissie and I both enjoy Port. Usually she will have a few sips of mine and that will be enough to sate her taste. Last night, she helped herself to a few pours. We talked and drank for some time until there were only a few inches left in the bottle. It probably would have been interesting to save the remainder for the next day and see how the flavor opened, but it didn't stand a chance against us. We finished the bottle, realized it was almost midnight, and concluded the night.

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Xaviar's at Piermont

We hate going out to dinner on Valentine's Day because all of the people who don't usually go to restaurants invade and degrade my experience. I may be a curmudgeon, but I feel, on Valentine's Day, how an old regular must feel at his favorite pub on St. Patrick's Day with all of the drunk one timers crowded around his seat.

With that in mind, instead of going out on Valentine's Day, we had friends over. I roasted a chicken, sauteed a chiffonade of Brussel sprouts in bacon, prepared some wild rice, and ended the evening with a chocolate fondue. It could have been my favorite Valentine's Day in recent memory. We avoided the nitwits and enjoyed a nice meal with the people we love.

Which leads us to last night. Chrissie and I still wanted to celebrate our own personal Valentine's Day. We ate, not too long ago, at X2O, Peter Kelly's Yonkers restaurant, and had a great time. The food, the staff, and location were all spot on and the prices weren't nearly as high as I presumed they would have to be. To top off the evening, as we were leaving we walked through the bar to get a look at the view and I recognized Mr. Kelly, who was dining with a small group of people. I didn't want to be rude, so I merely gave him a nod of recognition. He immediately sprang from his chair, greeted me, and asked about dinner. I felt like he was a man who genuinely cared about his food and my enjoyment of it.

Our positive experience at X2O led us to seek reservations at Xaviar's for our belated Valentine's Day celebration. We wanted to go on Saturday night, but the seating times, six and nine, were either too early or too late for us, so we made a seven o'clock reservation for Sunday.

Upon arrival, we were seated and offered cocktails immediately. Before ordering I asked the waiter about wine pairings with dinner. He fliply told me that it could be done, but offered no information as he walked away. When he returned I ordered a cocktail and we asked about the chef's tasting menu. My questions were again met with gruff responses and minimal information. I was beginning to get upset. It's not like I was asking about substitutions, detailed ingredient lists, or specific cooking techniques employed. In fact, I was upselling myself and the waitstaff didn't seem to care one bit about my very simple needs.

That said, I can forgive a mediocre front of the house when good food begins coming my way from the back of the house. An amuse consisting of broiled salmon and avocado was presented. I found it very good. The fat of the avocado played wonderfully against the salmon.

After the initial presentation of food I persisted in finding out more about the chef's tasting menu. The waiter reluctantly agreed to tell me that it was ten courses and solely up to the discretion of the chef. He added that adjustments could be made for food allergies. We let him know that no modification would be necessary and I asked him to pair mine with wine.

Our meal began and I knew we were in for trouble when the first dish came out. For some reason I cannot fathom, the chef sent out a creamy spaghetti with crab meat. There was nothing delicate or introductory about this dish. Chrissie mentioned that it would not have been out of place at the Italian place down the street from our condo. To make matters worse, my wine pairing came halfway through the plate, which was large and took some time to eat. Adding insult to the timing of the wine, the waiter left my empty cocktail on the table and didn't bother to ask my wife if she needed another glass of wine as we began the meal. I got so annoyed that I eventually summoned the waiter, as he finished at a nearby table, and asked him to bring my wife another drink and to remove the cocktail glass that now stood next to an empty wine glass (our table had begun to look like we were using stemware as chess pieces).

The table was cleared, Chrissie's drink was refreshed, and I was ready, once again, to embrace optimism. Our next course came out, although the waiter presented it ambiguously as something special from the chef that was not a course. Confused, we ate what was a delicious scallop morsel served in a ceramic soup spoon. It turns out that the scallop was a course, but we only figured that out after counting at the end of the evening.

Our next plate was a yellow tail sashimi served with pear and a delicate foam. Had I not shown restraint, I could have easily finished the dish before my wine came. I was served a small glass of cold Sake. The dish should have been good, but we could not figure out if the chocolate flavor was a combination we were not sophisticated enough to appreciate or if someone had made a mistake in the kitchen.

Our first three dishes came out in rapid succession. We sat and waited a while for the next course. This would be a recurrent theme through the evening. The pace was incredibly random and seemed to have nothing to do with what was coming next or what the previous dish had been.

Our wait was rewarded by a piece of fish, I believe it was snapper, that was cruncy on top and buttery and moist on the bottom. Our reward was short lived when the starch the fish was served on tasted incredibly similar to the cream sauce from the spaghetti course that randomly began our meal.

By this point I was starting to give up on the evening. Our next presentation was a foie gras foam. It was tasty, but if I am eating foie gras, I want to experience the texture and this was taken away from me. This was followed by a chicken dish that was literally some slices of chicken. It was well cooked and the sauce was fantastic, but we are talking about the kitchen of a man who won on Iron Chef and has the only 29 in the Westchester Zagat. I can't imagine why the chef decided to send out sliced chicken to represent himself on his tasting menu. Much of our meal felt as if the chef sent out whatever he had left over after preparing someone else's dish.

By the time the lamb dish came I was excited to have something tastefully presented that made sense in the order of plates. The conclusion of the meal began with a very nice apple sorbet and was followed by a sampling of four desserts.

Through dinner we were served by no fewer than three waiters, only one of whom was in any way polite, informative, or appropriate. The others ranged from distant to rude, simply putting down plates without the fanfare associated with an unknown tasting menu. Only the one competent waiter spent any time at our table side explaining the dishes and wines in any detail and with any enthusiasm. I can imagine asking my staff to be incredibly formal, but if that is the case they should not break character to insult my wife by commenting on how much food she ate.

High points- Everything was cooked well and the sauces were very flavorful (though it seemed we saw a few of them, with minor adjustments, more than once). The wines were paired very well and were on par for the price of the pairing (although I can't imagine why they were continually served well after the food).

Low points- The tasting menu made very little sense and was not of a quality I would expect from a restaurant this highly decorated. The front of the house was crass and I was actually insulted at some points by the presentations from the bar and kitchen. To put how negative my feelings are into perspective, we've eaten tasting menus at Gary Danko in San Francisco, Etoile at Chandon in Napa, Le Bernardin and Jean-Georges in Manhattan, and Blue Hill at Stone Barns and Equus in Westchester. Not every dish we've ever eaten has been perfect. Not every waiter has been helpful and kind. I'll even say that some meals have been more disappointing than sublime, but this is the first time we ever left a great restaurant and didn't at least understand the philosophy and respect the attempt.

Will we go back?

Judging the restaurant through the lens of one evening makes me question all of the accolades Xaviar's has received. Was last night a random convergence of events that singularly could be overlooked, but collectively left me very angry, or is Xaviar's simply overrated by Zagat readers who have a higher tolerance for mediocrity than they should and a press who is afraid of looking out of touch? I'll have to say that, until I hear differently from a source I trust, Xaviar's is officially on the list. Although Xaviar's is currently banned, I would not hesitate to return to X2O.

Xaviar's is located at:
506 Piermont Avenue
Piermont, NY 10968

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Zuppa Restaurant and Lounge

Last night we went to Zuppa Restaurant in Yonkers with Chrissie's family to continue our celebration of her thirtieth birthday. Chrissie and I had eaten there once before about a year ago and we had a very nice dinner. Last time we went we did appetizers, a pasta course, and entrees. We passed on the pasta course last night because the night before had been a gluttonous endeavor that included a fondue, two extra large pizzas, and the better part of a case of wine.

When we arrived for our 6:30 reservation, the restaurant was empty. This was great for us because we had a chance to settle in, talk to one another, and look at the menu before it got packed and noisy.

Mike, Chrissie's brother, and I ordered cocktails and Chrissie got the first bottle of wine. The wine list was fairly large and had a few bottles under thirty dollars. We tried two of them by the end of the night. Chrissie decided to try the Chianti while we had cocktails and appetizers. The wine was thin and disappointing.

While we looked at the menu a plate of bruschetta was presented. This was followed by a bread basket accompanied by an miniature carafe filled with olive oil. We took our time with the menu and the waitstaff was patient and observant.

To begin the meal, my mother-in-law ordered a Tuscan style soup with cabbage, smoked ham, and beans. The soup was served table side from a silver tureen into a bowl containing a large toasted crouton. The soup had a deep vegetable flavor, but was a little under seasoned. I would have expected the ham to pass on more of its salt and savory profile, but the beans and the vegetables were the only real discernible flavors.

My father-in-law had the crisp calamari which was very good. The calamari were nicely fried to an eye pleasing gold and the meat itself was very tender. The calamari were served on a bed of arugula, beans, and currants.

Mike had a kumquat salad with goat cheese. I didn't really get to taste his, but he said he liked it and it had interesting flavors.

The duck leg served with a fried egg and truffle vinaigrette that Chrissie had was my favorite appetizer. The meat was served off the bone and the flavors and textures all worked very well. It was also a generous portion of duck meat. Everyone at the table had at least one bite of Chrissie's and there was still enough for her to enjoy.

I had the barbequed octopus. The meat itself was great and had developed a thin layer of char over very succulent meat. The potato salad that the octopus was served on was fine, but didn't quite fit the dish, both in terms of flavor and temperature. Unlike Chrissie's generous portion of duck, I felt like I had very little octopus, but the pieces I had were delicious and well cooked.

We finished the first bottle of wine and decided to try the other twenty-six dollar bottle on the menu, an Argentinian cabernet. My compliments go to the waiter who must have known that our main courses were about to come out because he had our bottle table side in record time. This bottle was a much better match for our palates and food.

For dinner I had the smoked pork tenderloin. This is a dish I normally wouldn't be attracted to, but after eating at Southbound this week I wanted to compare fine Italian smoked pork to traditional barbeque. The flavor of the pork was delicious. Some of the people at the table thought the meat was dry. I wouldn't go that far, but it could have used a thinner sauce to bring a juiciness back to the meat. The polenta my pork was served over was similar to the potato salad my octopus was presented on. It was fine, but mismatched in my opinion. On the other hand, the roasted brussel sprouts that accompanied my dish were a perfect contrast in both flavor and texture to my meat. I wish more restaurants would serve brussel sprouts.

Mike had the most successful dinner at the table. His grilled lamb chops were fired perfectly and were uniquely and appropriately seasoned. I wish I had been sitting next to him because he had a hard time finishing his meal and I would have loved to have had an easier reach to his plate.

The most interesting plate of the night was Chrissie's. She had veal cheeks which were plated like a deconstructed pastrami sandwich. The meat was delicate, the spices were fun, and the vegetable mimicked a sauerkraut. The plate was both adventurous and comforting.

Her parents both ordered pasta dishes. I tasted both enough to tell they were competently created and executed, but not enough to give further comment.

Since we were going back to my house for cake and presents, we split one dessert for the table. Chrissie ordered the molten lava cake, which was ok. I liked the vanilla gelato it was served with better than the cake.

The espresso was also good, but nothing like the perfect espresso I had last week at La Crémaillère which has become my new coffee benchmark.


Will we go back?

The short answer is yes, but it probably won't be for a while for a regular dinner. We are; however, interested in trying their seven course tasting menu. I think the output of this kitchen is better suited to a tasting menu. I would like the opportunity to eat the food in smaller portions in a progression envisioned by the chef. We plan on making this return trip, for a different experience, relatively soon.

Update (9/6/2008)-We were recently at Zuppa Restaurant for a bachelorette dinner. Since there were a dozen of us at the table I can't speak to all of the plates, but I can write about how impressed I was with the coordination between the kitchen and the front of the house. Considering we were a twelve top on a Saturday night, they managed our table with the same facility as if we'd been a party of four. The pacing was perfect. We never felt rushed or delayed. More importantly, the food was all properly cooked. Fish, lamb, pasta, it didn't matter. It says something about a restaurant when they don't rest on a guaranteed tip from what they could easily view as one time diners.


Zuppa is located at:
59-61 Main Street
Yonkers, NY 10701

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Southbound- lunch buffet

It appears the barbeque craze is dying down in Westchester. Jimmy Lee's, in the old Sweetwater building, is now The North End and the place on Central has been gone for some time. It seems the only places toughing it out are Q, in Port Chester, and Southbound. Anyway, I took a personal day today and some friends, who eat at Southbound with some frequency, asked me to join them.

I'd been to Southbound a few times before, twice for dinner and once for the first leg of a bachelor party, but haven't had Westchester barbeque in about two years.

A buffet lunch costs about $10 and consists of:

• salad and cole slaw
• baked beans, mashed potatoes, and mac & cheese
• barbequed chicken, chicken wings, and fried chicken
• pulled pork
• ribs

Haven eaten there at dinner, I must begin by saying that the quality of the sides is far superior when plated in the kitchen and that the meats could have benefited from a slightly higher holding temperature. That said, I don't think those criticisms are in order. For ten bucks you can eat your fill of traditional slow cooked meat during the day in a casual atmosphere with no rush or sense of urgency.

The bar was lively for one in the afternoon and was patroned by a handful of regulars who appeared to me to be pensioners enjoying some time out of the house. The customers at table where mostly middle aged men, although there was one couple- I can't say if they were there as a couple or as carnivorous coworkers. While we ate about half dozen tables came and went.

Highs- I went thinking I was going to simply eat ribs because I haven't had a barbequed rib in the longest time, but what I enjoyed most was the barbequed chicken. I almost felt as if I were avoiding the true barbeque by enjoying it so much, but it had a tremendous smoky flavor and was brilliantly cooked. Not being a BBQ expert, I'm not sure how difficult it is to cook chicken properly in a smoker, but they did these birds well. My dad likes to quote Julia Child who said you can tell a lot about a chef by how he cooks a chicken.

Lows- The sides were pedestrian. The meat could have been warmer. There was no dessert (Unless you treated the individually packaged apple sauce in the buffet as dessert as my friend Brian did).

Bottom line- I'm not taking my wife there for a date, but for the price, atmosphere, and change of pace, I'd definitely go back for lunch with the guys or for an informal dinner with friends.

Added bonus- Where else can you get a Pabst Blue Ribbon in central Westchester for two dollars and still enjoy a good meal?


Southbound is located at:
301 Columbus Avenue
Valhalla, NY 10595

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La Crémaillère Restaurant

Last Saturday Chrissie and I finally tried La Crémaillère.

Typically, if we are going out for French we go to Encore in Larchmont. Less frequently we may also dine at Le Provencal in Mamaroneck, especially if my father wants to gorge on mussels for lunch. We were going to Le Jardin Du Roi for a while, but they pissed me off once with the incredibly unexpected pricing on an appetizer (We will go back. I just need some time). The final reference point I'll be using is the Red Hat Bistro in Irvington (FYI, I liked the old location more). It was Chrissie's thirtieth birthday and she wanted to try something new.

When taking the reservation, the hostess on the phone gave a choice of two seatings for Saturday. We chose the 6:30 and arrived a few minutes early, unsure of what to expect. If nothing else had lived up to expectations, the service alone, from the valet to the uniquely labeled doggie bags waiting by the coat room, was almost worth the price of admission when compared to standard Westchester dining.

We were the first patrons and customers arrived sporadically through the evening, leading me to wish we could have made a reservation for 7:30, the time when we typically choose to eat on a weekend.

We started diner with a round a drinks. I had a gin and Chrissie had a glass of wine. The bread was a sliced country loaf. It was very good and a slight surprise as I was expecting a baguette. It, and the atmosphere, created an ambiance that was both cosmopolitan and provincial. A small quiche with smoked salmon was delivered to the table. I had to ask for the wine list and I am not sure if that is standard practice. It may be because the wine list was the size of a textbook. I found it incredibly overwhelming, especially because I have very little familiarity with pricier French wines.

I asked the waiter for help and he happily obliged, choosing a wine that fit our requests, but more than doubled the cost of our usual strategy. My father, understanding the declining value of a bottle one once it is consumed, taught me to order a less expensive wine in a nice restaurant. His assumption is that the restaurateur and/or chef won't put a dud on their wine list. For the most part, this strategy has served us very well.

The waiter recommended a bottle, whose identifying information I have since forgotten, priced at $75. I normally won't spend too much time discussing cost here, but this becomes relevant for the rest of dinner. I get the approval to spend that much from Chrissie and she says that we shouldn't worry about money tonight because it is her birthday. The waiter quickly backs her up and now he is armed with important information to help make our evening more enjoyable.

On to food. For appetizers Chrissie ordered the foie gras terrine with duck confit, bibb lettuce, and goat cheese. I had the special which was a lobster spring roll. Both appetizers were of a quality and taste to be expected. Neither was sublime, but in no way were they disappointing. As a bonus, the lobster spring rolls were generously portioned.

Shortly after our appetizers were cleared we were brought tea cups containing a solitary ravioli stuffed with duck confit and surrounded by a shallow pool of a very zesty orange sauce. I'm not sure if this was complimentary to help celebrate my wife's birthday or if everyone received it that night. It was tasty, unexpected, and came long enough before our meals that it served to aid in hunger, rather than suppress it.

We both decided to get meat that night. I was going to get the lamb, but let Chrissie order it (which turned out to benefit me). The lamb was perfectly cooked and had the fresh and distinct flavor lamb should have, but Chrissie and I both thought the flavor profile of the dish was flat. There was nothing to elevate the the natural flavor of the lamb and it stood by itself, wonderful, but alone.

I ordered the filet of beef to allow Chrissie to have the lamb. It was excellent. The steak was perfectly cooked. I am very apprehensive about ordering beef (although I do it all the time), especially at high prices because my enjoyment of it can be destroyed by a kitchen that allows a plate to go out off temperature. My steak that night was medium rare at the edges and became slightly rarer with each slice toward the thickest section. The penultimate bite was a delightful balance between rare and medium rare. The flavors on my plate blew me away. I've ordered many a steak in a bistro setting and can honestly say this was one of the top presentations I've had.

It is a too bad Chrissie's lamb didn't delight as much my steak because both dishes were perfectly fired.

The waiter had, thankfully, convinced us to order a tray of pomme frites. At least half of the tables that night ordered the fries that were presented on silver pedestal between patrons. The fries were worth the added calories and not at all out of place.

While we were eating the waiter attentively took care of our wine. I was pleased that he waited until the glasses were virtually empty until he poured another portion of wine. Not only did it extend our drinking of the bottle, but he allowed each glass to blossom on its own.

Dessert was a chocolate soufflé with a wonderful contrast between its delicate egg and rich chocolate. A solitary candle signaled our waiter had not forgotten we were there to celebrate a special occasion and the table side presentation of chocolate sauce into the heart of a blossoming soufflé can do nothing but add to the experience. Chrissie finished with a decaf cappuccino and I had a double espresso accompanied by the house port. The espresso was very good. A two-tiered silver tray of petit fours completed our meal.

The check came and I noticed we were charged $90 for the $75 bottle of wine. Since it was Chrissie's thirtieth birthday and because she hates and becomes very uncomfortable when I address issues while we are out, I decided to let it slide (especially when put in the perspective of the total cost of this particular dinner. A fifteen dollar overcharge is harder to overlook on a $130 meal). Since I did not bring it up, I cannot fault the restaurant for the overcharge because I gave them no opportunity to fix the error.

It is clear that dinner was great, but will we go back?

At that price point I believe there are numerous other restaurants I would go to first. If money were no object I could see La Crémaillère joining our steady rotation. I certainly felt the entire experience was worth the price of admission, but it is a show I cannot afford on a regular basis.

La Crémaillère is located at:
46 Bedford-Banksville Road
Bedford, NY 10566

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