Southern Bourbon Whiskey Bar

The distinct scent of charred oak bourbon barrel enriches the smell of whiskey as you walk past the 300 whiskey bottles in Char No.4. The smoky sourthern barbeque permeates throughout the small dining room and out to the intimate outdoor garden seating area. The perfectly grilled pork sausage over sweet red onion, scallion, and saute spinach was so juicy that a bib might be a good idea to avoid splatter on your nite-out dress.

Carroll Gardens: 196 Smith St, brooklyn (btw Baltic & Warren St)

Italian-Japanese Fusion

Italian Japanese is a rare mix fusion in nyc. Basta Pasta was a great success. The aroma in the restaurant immediately causes my mouth to water. Monday night is usually a quiet nite for dining out, but not for Basta Pasta. The unusual small open kitchen and dining room was packed before 7pm. Started the night the Special Squid with black ink sauce antipasti. The squid was lightly battered and fried, accompanied by the black ink sauce with a touch of heat. The squid was not overly breaded, nor too oily.
Immediately came the Tortino di Granchio: crab meat tartare, avocado, green apple, Yukon gold potato and basil aioli with grapefruit and watermelon radish. The perfect bite with the mixed ingredients and watermelon radish is unforgettable.

Spaghetti con Prosciutto e Parmigiano served in a half wheel parmesan cheese at the table is a very popular dish through out the dining room. The thinly sliced prosciutto was placed over the cheesy al dente spaghetti pasta gave a touch of saltiness to the dish.

Linguine al Ricci di Mare: fresh sea urchin basil and pink sauce. You rarely find sea urchin cooked, since this is no sushi bar, the sea urchin is cooked but the taste of sweetness remains.

Last but not least, the dessert round. Chestnut mousse with espresso sorbet; Almond crepe with ice cream filling, and the dessert special pear panna cotta. They were all amazingly good and the down side is it's never enough.

Union Square: 37 W17th St., NY (btw 5th & 6th Ave)

Cremated Kobe

Going back to my old neighborhood Lower East Side, the vibe has changed dramatically. Artsy and intellectual group is long gone. Now it's more like frat party. Nonetheless, there are many new resto in the LES that are worth the adventure. The warmly decorated wood interior has attracted me to try the Spitzer's Corner. The selection of beer on the tab was extensive. Kobe burger sounded like a good idea and Vegetable pappardelle is a good compliment dish with the meaty burger. After a long 45 minute wait, my Kobe burger was totally cremated to a dry, salty jerky patty. And the garden fresh veggi pappardelle was tasteless. The overall experience was disappointing. But i hope my food-porno will not misrepresent the taste. 

Lower East Side: 101 Rivington St., New York (Rivington St x Ludlow St)

Ki Sushi

Ki Sushi is one of hottest sushi spots in Brooklyn. Not only is the fish fresh, but the seaweed is as well making it  tasty. The rolls are considered large by the standards. Order of 2 rolls and an appetizer is enough to fill 2 persons. Their specialty sushi menu is original, not the typical roll you see in japanese restaurants. 

Ki roll: tuna salmon yellowtail inside, topped with spicy crunch king crab avocado caviar with a decorative edible gold leaf.

TNT roll: spicy tuna inside, topped with a fresh mouth melting fresh fatty Toro.

 

The quality and portion of food served are such great value that this is my usual resto of choice when I'm craving sushi. 

Boerum Hill: 122 Smith St, Brooklyn (btw Dean & Pacific St)

Fragole

In the early 19th century, Carroll Gardens was settled by the Irish-American, then followed by the Norwegian-American in the mid-19th century, and final came the Italian-American. You will find old Italian pastry shops with giant canolli, neighborhoody meat and fish market, and 'of course' authentic Italian restaurants. Fragole is one the best Italian restaurant in this old Italian neighborhood. The Pappardelle con ragu di Carne, honey-braised short rib ragu, is one of my favorite dish that i can never resist. The home-made pasta and sauce are freshly made daily. The braised short rib was so tendered that it would melt in your mouth. They also has a great selection of "flat-priced" wine. So you can choose your wine base on taste, not price. 

So.....Tips to all tourist: You will not find good Italian food in Little Italy, it's a gimmick. Hop on the F train and head out to Carroll Gardens for the REAL Italian food.

Carrol Gardens: 394 Court Street, Brooklyn (btw President & Carroll St)

Banana Bread

What can i do with 6 bananas ripening at the same time? 1 for breakfast, 1 for lunch, 1 for dinner. The last 3.... Banana bread is the way to go. 

Patisserie of the Day

As I was in line for my usual small coffee w/ half-and-half, no sugar this morning, this triple decker 'thing' has alerted my 'want to eat you' temptation. Marquet Patisserie had transformed the ordinary continental breakfast into a pyramid-like french brioche bacon and cheese omelette. Wow!!!

Heavy enough to put you back to sleep. 

Buttery like any other french pastry.

Thick enough to split your lips open.

Enjoy!

Cobble Hill: 221 Court St, Brooklyn (btw Warren & Wyckoff St)

KYO....TOOFFFUUUUU

Kyotofu is a unique restaurant serving both sweet and savory specialty tofu dishes. The simplicity of soya bean can be transformed into a fancy tofu dessert in the hands of the japanese. Their signature creamy sweet tofu blends perfectly with the black sesame tuile and kuromitsu black sugar syrup topped with dried apricot. 

Continued with several small bits of summer sweet corn cheesecake; warm miso chocolate cake; tofu ice cream; and green tea panna cotta. 

Amaaazing.... my craving for tofu has finally reached it's satisfaction.

 

Clinton: 705 9th Ave, NY (btw48th & 49th St.)

Red Egg - Peruvian Chinese Cuisine

Red Egg, is a Peruvian-Chinese restaurant with a modern edge located in between Chinatown and Soho. This type of cuisine is a rare find in nyc so i had to adventure out and see how the East meets the West. We ordered most of the authentic Peruvian dishes:

Choros a la Chalaca, mussels topped with the mix of tomatoes, union, corn, and hot pepper. Hew... it's spicy. But it's a great appetizer to sizzle up your palate.

Lomo Saltado, spicy soy sauce steak and fries. This is not the usual crunchy fries you see accompanying a steak frite. These are soggy fries soaked in the soy sauce with the tender beef. Even though it didn't sound too appetizing but in deed, it was pretty tasty.

Red Egg's signature dish, Curry Bread Bowl with crab, chicken, and pork. Believe it or not, the spotlight of this dish is the bread bowl because it soaked up all the curry sauce. It's totally worth cracking the crab to get to the bottom of the curry bowl.

Lastly, the coconut pudding served in a young coconut. This is the best coconut pudding i have had. I couldn't get enough of the fresh coconut water and its natural sweetness. I had to scrape the tender coconut meat from inside until i see the inner shells brown face.

Chinatown: 202 Centre St., NY (Hester St & Grand St)

Starvation Camp

Hey all frequent foodie lovers,

Sorry for not posting any new resto lately, i'm currently on a starvation camp. But i will be out for my food hunt again this weekend.

See you all soon and you're all welcome to comment.