Eli’s Table – a birthday treat

As I have mentioned before in these pages, I like to spend my birthday week in New York and to particularly find a restaurant that has good food, a good wine list with prices that won't break the bank.

Eli's is a big cavernous place with well-spaced tables - so different from the cramped surroundings of Graffiti where we ate the previous night. But it's what's on the plate which should count for most. It's quite famous for its wine list which is made up entirely of European wines - none of this New World rubbish!

Being a birthday, it called for a bit of fizz to start with and I was astonished to find Ridgeview Grosvenor 2010 at a mere $45! About a quarter of the price of some of the Grande Marque Champagnes on the list. And it was good. So good in fact, that we ordered another bottle! What value!

Contemplating the menu whilst sipping this fizz was a delight and we soon made our choices from the relatively short menu. (No over stretching the kitchen here!)

My Tuna Tartare with Avocado and Potato Gaufrette was delightfully refreshing whilst Sonia's Housemade Charcuterie, Pickles and Whole Grain Mustard was surprising enormous for a starter, it was good and she made a good job of getting through it.

Tuna Tartare Avocado and Potato Gaufrette

 

Roasted Figs with Baby Arugula, Rooftop Greens with a Banyuls Vinaigrette were the other starters chosen by our group and all met with approval.

Main course choices were limited, Mary and I had the Berkshire Pork Chop (not flown in from Reading, I suppose) Escarolle and Roasted Frog Hollow Peach, cooked á point and sliced with the bone of the chop left on the plate to gnaw if you want which I suppose is better than biting your fingernails. Arlette's Housemade Fettuccini, Rock Shrimp, Garlic Scape, Lemon and Chives was really succulent, whilst Rachelle's Wild Sockeye Salmon, Quinoa and Spring Bean Salad was satisfying pleasing. The only disappointment was Sonia's Maine Lobster Roll which suffered from a distinct lack of lobster. Something of a contrast to her starter!

 

Pork Chop, Escarolle & roasted Frog Hollow Peach

Fettuccine, Rock Shrimp, Garlic Scape, Lemon and Chives

But we were really here for the wine - and we weren't disappointed with that. Following my usual practice of looking up the wine list on the restaurant's website and noting a selection of wine to suit my pocket and also looking for value, here I came across a remarkable wine from the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily, Passopisciaro. Rated 4 stars plus in Wine behind the label, you will see in "How to Choose Wine In a Restaurant" on the Home page of this website, that to get value you shouldn't pay more than £75 for a 4 star wine - and even at today's miserable exchange rate - this is about $100. So to find this on the list for just $80 and considering that it's 4 stars plus, it was indeed excellent value for money. And the wine was absolutely delicious, confirming its rating. Food wasn't quite the same value for money, but wasn't outrageously priced either. Reckon on around $120 a head including a New York style tip.

And so for the dessert - Frog Hollow Farm's White Peach Tart with Vanilla Ice Cream - happy birthday to me!

 

Eli's Table, Restaurant and Wine Bar

1413 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10028

Tel: 212 - 717 - 9798

www.elizabar.com

 

Ratings

Food                         40

Wine                         18

Service                       7

Ambience                 5

Value for money  12

Total                         82

 

 

See full article here: Eli’s Table – a birthday treat

Graffiti

One of the more intriguing things about the New York restaurant scene is the ability to find little gems that are going to please and won't break the bank. It's easy to to pay huge sums for eating at the cult and the Michelin starred restaurants, but finding good food at a reasonable price is a difficult exercise.

A tip off steered us in the direction of Graffiti -a tiny Asian/American restaurant in the unprepossessing East Village district of Manhattan. In fact, the façade of the restaurant is also so unprepossessing that it was almost impossible to locate it. But we did and we were let in to a tiny room with a single communal table. OK, some people may find this too intrusive, but it is the food that is supposed to be the attraction here.

A starter of Pickled Ginger Scallops with Candied Red Chilli was cooked to perfection and was not over spicy whilst the Green Mango Paneer was smooth and unctuous. Both priced at $12.

Pickled Ginger Scallops with Candied Red Chilli

Main courses at $17 were also excellent value for money. Duck Portobello Gratinée with a Mustard Onion Confit looked a bit messy on the plate (see photo below) but the combination of the duck and the mushrooms was  a very satisfying fusion. Braised Beef Rib with Red lentils and a Brioche was less successful but a nevertheless satisfying dish.

Duck Portobello Gratinée with a Mustard Onion Confit

Wine and beer opportunities are very limited but the Malbec we had with the meal was perfectly adequate at $35.

All in all this is an unusual and interesting experience - certainly a bit out of the ordinary for New York. Chef/Owner Jehangir Mehta has implemented fusion cuisine to a very high plateau, so different from some attempts by other chefs which has only resulted in confusion cuisine. And at an average price of around $65 a head including New York style service charge it's real value for money.

Graffiti - 224 E 10th St, New York, NY 10003

Phone: (212) 464-7743

Open 5.30-10.30 daily

Rating

Food                                     41

Wine                                      8

Ambience                             3

Service                                  8

Value for Money              14

Total                                     74

 

Post source here: Graffiti

ANOTHER AWARD FOR WINE BEHIND THE LABEL

Cher Monsieur Moore, cher Monsieur Blech,

Je vous remercie tout particulièrement de l’intérêt porté à notre concours international de livres sur la Vigne et le Vin, et la confiance que vous avez accordée au Jury spécialisé de l’Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin.

J’ai l’immense plaisir de vous annoncer que le Jury 2016 a décerné la Mention spéciale de l’OIV dans la catégorie « Découverte et présentation des Vins » à l’ouvrage : « Wine behind the label - 9th edition ».

Je tiens à vous féliciter vivement pour cette récompense.

Le livre contribue à la connaissance de la culture du Vin, à la promotion du secteur de la Vigne et du Vin qui ne cesse de se développer et suscite un intérêt bien au-delà des pays traditionnellement viticoles.

I would like to thank you most sincerely for your interest in our International competition on Vines and Wines and your trust in the specialised selected Jury of the "Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin."

I have the enormous pleasure to inform you that the 2016 Jury has given the Work the Mention Speciale de. L'OiV ( special prize from the OIV) in the category "Dècouverte et présentation des Vins (Discoveries and Wine Presentation) to the Wine Behind The Label" 9th Edition.

I would like to congratulate you most warmly for this award. This book provides great knowledge and understanding of the culture of wine and the promotion of the Vine And Wine sector which is developing constantly and provokes interest well beyond the wine growing countries .

Read more here: ANOTHER AWARD FOR WINE BEHIND THE LABEL

A few days in l’il ol’ Noo York

I like New York. I like to go there around my birthday time. I like to take in the vibrant atmosphere of Manahattan.

So yesterday we kicked off with a day-long visit to the Metropolitan Museum to take in a bit of art and to catch up with some of the latest exhibits.

Most fascinating was the exhibition of the art produced during the reign of the Iranian rulers of the twelfth to fourtenth centuries which laid the foundations of the shiite branch of the Moslem religion. Also fascinating was the exhibition based on the Hellenic archeological discoveries at Pergamon in Turkey of things dating from 500BC to 100BC.

Fascinating as they are and well worth a visit, this is primarily a food and wine site, so of course we had to try one of the restaurants at the museum.

We were lucky to have a friend who is a member and so had access to the Members Dining Room. Here on offer was their version of a Sunday Brunch. Not the all-you-can-eat grab anything on offer type, but a sedate prix fixe three course meal.

For $50 you start off with an apéritif of Mimosa, Bloody Mary or soft drinks. Sonia's Mimosa was nice but my Bloody Mary was a bit salty. The first thing we discovered was that the most intersting starter, the Crab Salad, was finished - disapointing, but there were still seven choices so we plumped for the Roasted Carrots, Duck Prosciutto and Grain Salad and a Rye and Caraway Salmon Gravadlux with "everything Labneh and Rye Crumble". (Well, this is New York, of course!) Both dishes were well presented but thye were a bit mean on the Duck Prosciutto.

Roasted Carrots, Duck Prosciutto and Grain Salad.

Main courses were better. Sonia's Halibut with Heirloom Tomato, Seaberies, Seabeans, Spring Onion and Sorghum was correctly cooked and a good harmony of flavours, whilst my Wagyu Steak Coulotte (perfectly cooked rare as requested) with a Bacon Potato salsd, Poached Egg and Frisée was a delight - both a step up in quality over the first course.

Wagyu Steak Coulotte, Bacon Potato Salad, Poached Egg, Frisée

Desserts were good, too, although Sonia's Chocolate Tart had more intense flavours than my Key Lime Pie Meringue although it did look prettier.

All in all a good experience although perhaps a little pricey what with a glass of fairly nondescript Blaufrankisch at $15 and the usual expected large tip for what was (at least at the begining) fairly ungracious service. $140 for two all in.

But as far as social restaurants are concerned this is certainly in the upper quartile and if you can find a Member to shoehorn you in to this restaurant, it won't be a bad thing at all.

Read full article here: A few days in l’il ol’ Noo York