Brio Ristorante

After a few days of detoxing with steamed vegetables and salads, we were ready to venture again into the world of restaurant dining. Chrissie has wanted to try Brio in Mt. Kisco for some time and we took last night's spring break ending double date to finally go.

The worst part of the evening was being seated next to a table with children. I normally would ask to be reseated, but I liked the location of our table and I felt confident the family would not last very long. They wound up staying a few minutes longer than I had judged and they were a little louder than I had predicted, but they were soon gone and everything else about dinner requires no complaining. Interestingly, another family with children was seated in the same table. The difference was these children were even better mannered than your friends representing A Man Has to Eat.

We decided to, in the fashion of Mediterranean dining, order a number of appetizers for the table. The dishes were somewhere in between the tapas Chrissie and I have experienced in Spain and Spanish restaurants and the American appetizer. In general, I was very pleased with the portion, presentation, and flavor of the appetizers. Chrissie and Brian both had a glass of the house chardonnay and they liked it very much. I had my traditional Tanqueray martini. The waiter immediately noticed a short pour and, with no prodding, rectified it by topping off my drink.

The table shared Turkish cigars (lamb and cheese pastry rolls), duck carpaccio, mussels, and a scallop ceviche. The cigars and the carpaccio both came with a nice size salad and the ceviche was served on a bed of very edible greens. I enjoyed the availability of vegetables that were acting as a component and not simply a garnish. The mussels were fresh, flavorful, and plentiful. The ceviche was made with beautiful bay scallops (or rounds cut from larger sea scallops- it was hard to tell because it was my first time having scallops prepared in this method) that radiated an almost incandescent glow. The duck carpaccio was universally enjoyed and the Turkish cigars, with their texture and flavor, bordered on the sublime. My only critique of the first round is that the cigar appetizer should have been just slightly larger to justify its cost.

They also have a meze table that offers what appear to be more traditional tapas. After going to Pour, I think Brio, expensive as it is, is a better choice for a wine and tapas happy hour. Pour just did not offer enough wine at a realistic price point for teachers beginning their weekend.

Now comes the time to start talking about price. There were plenty of wines under forty dollars that I would order from a well organized wine list. The appetizers and salads were within range of Westchester dining. The diners were where the prices started to reflect the new push to the forty dollar entree. The less expensive meat/fish plates averaged around thirty dollars. I fear this is a harbinger of a real increase in prices that has so far been afraid to cross certain thresholds. To put my fears in perspective, I remember going out on a date with Chrissie ten years ago and paying $120 for a cocktail, two bottles of wine, appetizers, dinner, coffee, an after dinner drink and a split dessert. Ten years have passed, gas is almost four dollars a gallon, and cucumbers cost almost as much as asparagus. I need to realize that times have changed. I sound like my grandmother who complains that a loaf of bread no longer costs a dime. Digression over- the main courses were great.

We ordered an inexpensive bottle of pinot noir to pair with everyone's main courses and it was a hit.

On the second day of a their revised menu (thank god winter is over according to the restaurant menu calendar), the kitchen put out a fine showing. Chrissie ordered the lamb, Brian had the scallops, Cara had the special of the day, a spicy couscous with assorted meat, and I had the branzino.

Brian's dish had more than a half dozen nicely seared scallops served over an opulent lobster risotto. Cara's couscous consisted of lamb, chicken, and merguez sausage. Chrissie's lamb was very nicely cooked and flavorful. My branzino was delicious, but could have been a larger portion. I'm used to ordering branzino as a whole fish and I wished I'd had more to enjoy. To make up for a short portion, the fish had a wonderful crispy skin.

We skipped coffee and dessert to hit Ben and Jerry's on the drive home so I can't comment on the concluding portion of their menu.

High points-

• The service is very good (especially considering how young the waitstaff appeared)
• There is a nice variety in style, region, and cost on the wine list
• The menu is both eclectic and focussed
• We were allowed to leisurely order and eat in a full restaurant
• The flavors are intense and/or interesting
  

Low points-

• Pricey. Be prepared to pay over thirty for any entree.
• Although this only applies to my dish, I thought the ratio of meat to grain was off. Everyone else at our table had a very generous serving of protein to go with an equally generous serving of grain. Chrissie actually took home enough to have a filling lunch.
  

Will we go back? We certainly will go back. Especially as a place to take other people, Brio has an impressive menu that does not seem too large for the kitchen to deal with. Only the price of main courses keeps Brio from becoming a rotational regular for just Chrissie and me. I suppose the time looms that we will be used to seeing these prices on dishes that are not specials, but until then, I will continue to find thirty dollars a price point that causes a slight cringe in the wallet.

That said, I would be very happy to try Brio for drinks and meze dining.

Update (6/7/2008) - I received an email from Daniel Rubino, the executive chef at Brio, explaining that his newest menu has added a few more economical dishes and lowered the prices of some of the existing dishes. His stated philosophy is to encourage more repeat dining by keeping his price points competitive. We at A Man Has to Eat applaud decisions that benefit diners. Feel free to comment below if you've eaten off the updated menu at Brio.

Brio Spring 2008 Menu

Brio is located at:
353 North Bedford Road
Mount Kisco, New York 10549

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Final Vegas thoughts- Emeril's and 'wichcraft

We had tickets to see Ka, a Cirque du Soleil production, on our last night. This severely limited our dining options that night. The debate between an early or late dinner was won with 5:30 reservations for Emeril's New Orleans Fish House. Listed by the MGM as a casual dining option, the restaurant impressed us. We let the waitress know we had tickets (the theater was just across the casino floor) and she expedited our meal while still letting us enjoy our dinner.

Neither of us remembers the specifics of the meal (attribute that to too much wine in the sun at the pool, the fact that we ate appetizers and entrees at a record breaking pace, and that two weeks have passed since our visit), but I do remember well cooked fish and interesting flavors. I'd do it again for mid priced Vegas dining that happens to be conveniently located in the hotel in which we are staying.

The surprise meal of the vacation happened by chance. After hiking the strip from end to end and taking the monorail back to the MGM I was starving and could not wait until dinner. I wanted something healthy, yet tasty. Something filling, but not fatty. Passing by the typical fast food, we stopped at 'wichcraft, a sandwich shop operating in the Craft family of restaurants run by Tom Colicchio. I was going to get a warm roasted turkey sandwich when my attention was caught by the roasted pork, cabbage, jalapeno, and mustard sandwich. Served on a surpisingly good ciabatta roll, this sandwich blew me away. The spice of the mustard and the jalapeno, the flavor of the pork, and the crunchy mouth feel of the cabbage combined for several of my most pleasing food minutes of the vacation.

The only other food pleasure I wish to report on is my renewed appreciation for drinking inexpensive wine out of plastic bottles in the sun. In Greece we would buy 2 liter bottles of wine and ration them out into half liter water bottles to take with us on our daily journeys. There is something so wonderfully refreshing about simply enjoying wine as a beverage. I love a fine wine as much as the next guy, but I love being reminded that the pleasure of wine is not only in its flavor and complexity, but in its ability to slightly gild the the little moments of life and to create a community experience for those participating.

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Nobhill- Las Vegas

After renting a car just to drive to Rosemary's, we decided to take advantage of the dining options offered by the MGM Grand. In a perfect world we would have eaten at Joel Robouchon, but we had neither the attire nor the capital required to sit for his $250 six course or $385 16 course tasting menus. Not to be defeated, we walked further down the casino floor and explored Nobhill, one of two Michael Mina restaurants in the Grand.

They had no trouble taking our reservation for the next day or for honoring our table request for a private booth. The booths ran parallel to the bar and we were seated in a perfect one between the bar and dining room.

We already knew we were ordering the tasting menu, so our only real decision was about Chrissie's choice of drink. After some deliberation, Chrissie decided to order her first ever wine pairing. To spice things up, she ordered the standard sommelier's and I, for the sake of comparison, ordered the premium pairing. In general terms, I liked only one of wines noticeably more than Chrissie's and she preferred her own by a wide margin. I got the sense that two of my glasses were a bit oxidized, possibly left over from bottles opened during the weekend, but I couldn't tell enough to say something. There was no flaw detected at all in Chrissie's glasses.

The meal began with glasses of champagne and a caviar parfait. The parfait itself was huge, with a shallot-potato cake base, layers of creme fraiche and smoked salmon in the middle, and a frosting of caviar lining the top. The entire dish as a whole was great, but I would have preferred it to be deconstructed so I could better control the ratios of each mouthful. Chrissie did not finish hers because she wanted to save room for what most reviews said was a heavy meal.

The second dish was the signature lobster pot pie that began with a table service from beautiful copper pots. The lobster may have been a little tough, but Chrissie and I both though the dish was fine, but again, overwhelming in its size and composition. One could argue that a diner is definitely getting his money's worth, but we would both prefer to recoup our expenses in other ways than quantity.

I was beginning to get nervous because our next dish was essentially fried chicken served over mac and cheese, but this course turned out to be my favorite of the evening. Everything, from portion to texture, of this dish was perfectly executed. In fact, I could argue against my previous statements and suggest they provide more of the truffled macaroni and cheese. The chicken was exquisitely cooked and seasoned. The crust was delicate and thin. The truffle flavor of the macaroni, along with sauce, provided an earthy anchor for an ethereal plate. After the first two courses I was almost shocked by this dish.

The meal continued to progress beyond the competent, but uninspiring, first two courses with the Kobe beef main course. The meat was perfect and was served with seared foie gras that Chrissie deemed the best in texture and flavor since Gary Danko. She was so enamored by her foie gras that I was able to trade some of mine away with her so I could enjoy more of the beef. Presentation, flavor, and perfect cooking made the last two dishes the most successful of our Vegas trip.

By this point, Chrissie and I were both incredibly stuffed. We're not big dessert people. We would usually rather have another course over dessert, but the Banana Tarte Tatin at Nobhill was one of my favorite desserts ever. I could feel a layer fat growing beneath my chin as I ate, but I was powerless to not finish the plate.

High Points-

• The meat dishes and the dessert
• A perfectly paced meal from the service and kitchen
  
• The private booth was quiet and romantic

Low Points-

• Low value rating (I don't believe the experience met with the promise of the price)
• Very heavy first two courses
• I would like to see bottles opened, or at least clearly fresh, with a one hundred wine pairing. I'd also like to see the sommelier taste the wines to guarantee quality.

Would we go back? If we are ever in Las Vegas again I don't think we will return to Nobhill. The meal was very good, but for the price, there are other restaurants I'd like to experience. We had some great dishes, but for a week's salary I need to be awestruck to contemplate a return visit when there are so many other options. That said, I in no way regret the dinner and I would suggest to anyone in a similar situation that they try this restaurant.

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Rosemary's Restaurant- Las Vegas

Chrissie and I just returned from a spring break trip to Las Vegas. In true A Man Has to Eat fashion, our trip centered more around food than casinos. Arriving late Sunday night, we walked from the Signature end of the MGM Grand to the pedestrian entrance on the strip. The round trip expedition to find two dollar bottles of water might have been a mile.

The next day we rented a car for the explicit purpose of driving to Rosemary's, a restaurant about six miles from the strip. After pricing cabs, we determined it would be make more sense to get a car and do some exploring, including a trip out to the Hoover Dam.

Armed with the Garmin unit that Chrissie got me for my birthday, we staked out the restaurant on the way back to the hotel. Set in a suburban strip mall, Rosemary's is one of the true pleasures of Las Vegas. Zaggat gave them a 29 and the Frommer's guide book touts it as the place to go if you truly appreciate food. That was all the prompting we needed to make our reservations two months in advance.

Arriving for a seven o'clock reservation, we found the restaurant beginning to fill up. The interior was much larger than the shopping center facade suggested and the tables were nicely spread apart, filling three rooms: one in the bar, another adjacent to the open kitchen, and a third, where we ate, that created a hypotenuse between the other two.

While Chrissie was washing up, the waitress presented the menus and told me she'd return as soon as Chrissie did to explain the eating options. Able to read for myself, I outlined the a la carte, three course, and chef's tasting menus to Chrissie before our waitress had a chance to return. We didn't rent a car and plan our day around a meal to miss anything, so we quickly decided that the tasting menu was in order.

The only two missteps of the evening revolved around drinks. Since I was getting the wine pairing with my meal, Chrissie decided to order a half bottle instead of getting wines by the glass. They were out of the one she wanted. Not a big deal.

My mistake was more troubling, but, after realizing what was going on, the waitress fixed everything. I wasn't going to have a martini that night, but the menu described the martinis as a four ounce pour of the premium liquor of your choice in a cocktail glass swirled with vermouth. I was powerless to resist the menu's advertising of classic portion and near Churchillian proportion. Unfortunately, there was an error somewhere along the line and the waitress returned with Chrissie's glass of wine and the glass of champagne meant to accompany my first course. I politely asked her if she had brought the champagne before the cocktail on purpose. For a moment she looked confused, and then she remembered that I had ordered a cocktail. The next couple of minutes where the only stressful ones of the evening. I worried if this was a forecast of what the rest of the evening would be like. The stress continued after she retrieved my drink because I now had a martini and a glass of champagne in front of me and I wasn't sure if kitchen understood that I was having a drink. A five course tasting menu involves careful orchestration between the front and back of the house. My apprehension was relieved when the waitress returned a few minutes later assuring us that the kitchen understood the pace of our meal and taking away my champagne with the promise of a freshened glass to go with the first course. It was a tough five minutes, but I made it (only partially tongue in cheek).

The first course was a caviar dish that was everything a caviar dish should be. A delicate, beautiful, and light plate was presented with traditional components deconstructed in a fashion that made it artistic and easy to eat.

The next two courses highlighted the chef's New Orleans background. Course two was a barbecued shrimp dish served over a blue cheese slaw. It was incredibly interesting, but not very special. Course three was a crispy skinned fish served over a creole sauce boasting tiny rock shrimp. Again, it was tasty, but not special. There were other dishes on the menu I think would better highlight the chef's product. These choices, especially after the classic presentation of a caviar first course left me unable to discern a philosophy behind the tasting menu.

The meat course was anchored by two healthy sized lamb chops fired to a consistent medium rare. After the intense flavors of the previous two dishes, I found the lamb chops to be under seasoned. I don't think I would have felt that way had the menu followed a different progression.

High Points-

• Service
• Value- Especially for Las Vegas dining
• Option of regular menu, three course, or chef's tasting allows for menu, appetite, and wallet flexibility
• They called their after dinner drinks liquid dessert
• All food was properly cooked

Low Points-

• Way off the beaten path. The cab ride would have cost about twenty dollars in each direction.
• Chef's tasting menu followed a narrative I didn't, or couldn't, understand.

Would we go back? If we are ever in Vegas again we will certainly return, but I believe we will order the three course menu that allows you to choose your own dishes. There were aspects of the menu that I would have much preferred to explore over the chef's selections.

Rosemary's Restaurant is located at:
8125 West Sahara Avenue
Las Vegas, Nevada 89117

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Cafe of Love

Last night we ate at Cafe of Love in Mt. Kisco. Since they don't take reservations for parties smaller than five, Chrissie and I arrived very early in order to ensure a table. The hostess informed us that a table would be ready momentarily and asked if we would like to sit at the bar.

The dining room is small and, at 6:15, was already packed. The bar was friendly and we ordered cocktails. As we ordered our drinks Chrissie noticed another hostess giving our table away. She was apologetic, but our few minutes turned into more than a half an hour. In their defense, a table was offered to us in fifteen minutes, but Chrissie and I decided to wait for a two top that was not flanked on all sides by other tables. The Cafe of Love is loud to begin with and I can imagine the celebratory atmosphere is only increased when a table has no side of relief.

The room itself is very welcoming and blends comforting wood furnishings with modern colors and accents. At this point in the restaurant's life, the bar is probably too large, but I can imagine a time in a few months, or few years if they keep the pace up, when the bar itself could be part of the draw of the location. As it stands now, patrons wait two or three deep at the bar for a table during the peak seating time and I wonder how many more seats could be accommodated by a smaller bar. This also makes me wonder how long the no reservations for parties under five will last. I hope they pay careful attention to their customers and how they dine or the management runs the risk of burning too brightly for a short time and then dying out when a new hot spot opens, taking the fly by night customers who care more about being seen than about food and service.

Over cocktails we discovered the bartender was someone my twin sister had dated briefly at the end of high school. That conversation made the wait for the table less of a burden. Unfortunately, the other bartender managed to drop the cocktail shaker into my martini glass, splashing most of the contents about my lap and chest.

Our motto at A Man Has to Eat is good food trumps all and Chrissie and I were still excited to try the food that has gotten such rave reviews in both the Westchester food press and blogs.

I ordered the signature soup, a harvest puree, because I felt it important to start my dining experience at the root of the restaurant. Cafe of Love spawned from Ladle of Love, a Mt. Kisco lunch place that is renowned for its soups and restaurant quality take out. Knowing this, I felt I would be missing the soul of the dining room offshoot if I oredered otherwise. The soup was delicious, but very heavy. I've been writing this a lot lately, but the soup seemed out of season. I understand that it is a harvest soup, but harvest was months ago and my palate is begging for thinner textures and lighter flavors. While I don't think the harvest soup should be removed from the Ladles of Love menu, I believe that early April should see a new soup featured on the Cafe menu.

Chrissie had the foie gras appetizer. She was neither over or underwhelmed. If you like foie gras as much as my wife does, it is probably worth while. If you like it as much as I do (read- to take a few bites of your wife's, appreciate it, but never order it unless it ia a component of a dish or a course on a tasting menu) then you would be better off looking elsewhere on the menu for an appetizer. When finished with the dish Chrissie was pleased that competent foie gras could be ordered without going to a white table cloth.

Our main courses were both very good. I had the strip steak and the piece itself was magnificent. I was very impressed by the cook's ability to sear a perfect crust on my meat. I ordered medium rare and the mark was missed, but the meat itself withstood the extra cooking and was still succulent. If I ordered the steak there again I would be sure to let the waiter know it is better to err on the side of rare. The steak was served with a trio of dipping sauces, none of which I wound up using. The sauces were interesting, but none were good enough to put on a wonderfully seasoned cut of steak. Chrissie had a piece of fish that was cooked perfectly, but whose flavor may have been slightly overpowered by an essence of smoke.

High Points-

• I can't remember the last time we were so excited to try a Westchester restaurant. I hate to say it, but even we at A Man Has to Eat can be swept up in the buzz of a new place that has instant success.
  
• The steak was a great piece of meat and the perfect sear made me forget it was mostly cooked to medium.
• Chrissie was a big fan of the bread bar. In fact, she returned for a few chunks of cheese to accompany coffee after dinner.
  

Low Points-

• Expensive
• No reservations (Is this the Cheescake Factory?)
• Loud and claustrophobic
  
• I hate to look like I'm out for a freebie, but after giving my table away and then spilling a drink on me you'd think they would at least comp the cocktail. As you read that, keep in mind that I'd rather have a flawless meal than a free glass of gin, but that free glass of gin goes a long way.

Will we go back? Although I clearly stated we were caught up in the buzz of Cafe of Love, I don't think we are returning until that buzz subsides. At the prices paid, I want to be treated to a wonderful evening. I suppose there are people who place a premium on being at the right place with the right people. Chrissie and I are not those people. We place a premium on food, service, and value for the dollar.

I'd like to during the summer, when we have time off, try the restaurant again during the week to see if the experience is more enjoyable. I've read a review that spoke of a black truffle soup topped with a bit of foie gras being presented before the main courses were served. Nothing close to that top notch restaurant experience occurred while we were there.

The saddest part was not the lost table or the spilled drink, it is that the next time we go to Cafe of Love we will not be as excited as were for our first dinner there. It is a rare occasion when we get, after dining in Westchester for over ten years, a true sense of pleasure just from entering an establishment. My advice to the owner of Cafe of Love would be to cultivate the clientèle that longs to eat there over the cohort who longs to be there. The diners will continue to return long after the trendsetters have moved to hipper pastures.

Cafe of Love is located at:
38 East Main Street
Mount Kisco, New York 10549

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Goldfish

In the past few weeks I've had the opportunity to dine at Goldfish in Ossining twice. The first time I went was during restaurant week. I found the meal to be a little off, but I didn't write about it because I thought the fixed price menu and the increase in customers might have put undue stress on their systems. For example, I had the seared tuna, and the fish, while perfectly cooked, was not the quality one could expect at a restaurant specializing in fish. To add to my latest theory, the kitchen gave a ridiculously large portion. I feel that chefs, in an effort to fight higher costs, have been increasing plate size to make up for purchasing lower quality ingredients. I'm not saying the food was bad, but it wasn't as good as it had been during the summer when we last went.

I went back a week and a half later with my in-laws. I started with the pan roasted octopus that turned out to be a mistake. The meat itself was barely edible. To add to the failings of the texture, the kitchen had left way too much of the tentacles uncut and they ended in pointlessly long squiggles of chewy string. I was actually shocked. If it had just been the sauce or the idea of the dish I wasn't pleased with I would take on a much mellower tone in my critique, but there were no components of this plate executed properly.

For dinner I had the roasted Chilean sea bass. The fish itself was perfectly cooked this time, but the crust was very soggy. The portion size and the good fire on the fish helped to make up for any flaws (again, that portion size was very large and makes me wonder).

My in-laws had soup/chowder and those were very tasty. Chrissie had the tuna tartare. The tuna chunks and the portions were huge (not in a good way) and the the overall dish was heavy. She had a special for dinner that was fine.

High Points-

• Great service
• Interesting location and physical layout
• Almost an all fish menu
• A gigantic martini that I almost couldn't finish
• Fish was all well cooked (with the exception of the octopus)
  

Low Points-

• Quality of food is not as high as it was last year
• Two nights in two weeks with meals that all had real problems
• The octopus appetizer was the worst dish I've had in a quality restaurant in a long time

Will we go back? We have had great meals at Goldfish. We sent my Aunt and Uncle there this winter and they had a few very good meals. With that in mind I am willing to go back to Goldfish and give them another chance, but I can't imagine that happening before the summer.

Update- We went back recently with my aunt and uncle. The food was in fact differently portioned (the sea bass was a normal sized piece and did not have the oily crumb crust). My aunt described a similar experience with the octopus and no one tempted fate by ordering it a third time. The only issue of the evening was a plate of truffled French fries that arrived just as we were ordering dessert. The management was very apologetic and offered complimentary desserts to balance out the issue. The real shame of the matter was that the fries were very good and I would have enjoyed devouring them during the meal.


Goldish is located at:
6 Rockledge Avenue
Ossining, NY 10562

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