food is me

I’ve always loved Sachiko’s in the East Village for their sake sampler and snacks so figured it was only natural to try their LES outpost of Sachiko’s on Clinton.  While I had no complaints about the service and the sake selection was quite memorable, I could have done without the food.

My friend Kim ordered the pleasantly sweet and tantalizingly cloudy Nigori sake for us to share.  I tried the marinated oysters, served poached  with a single piece of crispy shallot atop, but it left me yearning for a fountain soda to wash away the rancid sea taste left in my mouth.  The sushi rolls were also just as unforgettable as well, but in the mushy, i’m not sure if this has real fish in it, kind of way.

Overall, I would return again but only for drinks and to try the Kushiage.  No more rolls or non-fried seafood from here thank you.

Sachiko’s on Clinton

25 Clinton Street, between Houston and Stanton

Unable to stop thinking about Diner’s corn from the Le Fooding event, my friend Irene and I decided to have dinner at sister restaurant, Marlow & Sons.  While we waited for a table, we sipped on the Spartacus and Homewrecker cocktails , both were tasty but not extremely impressive.  The first resembled a typical wine spritzer while the latter was just an overpowering bourbon.

After being seated, we started our meal with a sampling of East Coast oysters which were a bit fishy and reminded us why West Coast oysters are always better.  We then shared the Chicken Liver Pate, which was well flavored, mousse-like and served with toasted slices of baguette lightly brushed with olive oil and a side of cornichons.

Our entrees were by far the most memorable and would lure us back for another meal. The braised pork shoulder was served over polenta and featured a light salad with scallions sprinkled on top.  The pork was so soft that it broke apart by slightly tugging on it with my fork, and the polenta seemed to have been made in a chicken or pork broth, easily channeling the comforts of congee.  The pan seared grouper was the perfect seasonal dish, served over a corn and bacon salad.  We finished the evening with a few bites of a Caramel Chocolate Torte sprinkled with Sea Salt which we wished was served warm but alas, the meal overall was still simply divine.

totry:

After ending the Le Fooding event on Friday with tasty Vanilla Bourbon ice cream from General Greene, I had to look into this restaurant further to learn more about Julie Farias.  Hailing from Beer Table, Chef Farias has recently taken over the kitchen at GG and specializes in tapas style servings of hearty foods for the soul.  I’d like to try some of the following dishes recommended by Serious Eats:

Chorizo Salad - $12

Salt & Pepper Ribs - $13

8 oz. Grilled Steak - $13

Salty Caramel Sundae - $7

Seasonal Fruit Cobbler - $9

Two words embody Rocco Ristorante: great service.  During my NYU days, I’ve always been curious about Rocco Ristorante but for some reason never found myself there for dinner.  When I saw that Restaurant.com had it listed as part of their gift certificate program last week, I figured this would be the perfect time to give it a try.

The interior was quite old-fashioned but it was built in 1922 after all so that did not faze us.

We were served bruschetta to entertain us as we made our meal choices. For dinner, I had the pork tenderloin stuffed with spinach, ricotta and some other savory flavors I cannot describe.  My beau tried the sauteed veal with a light layer of eggplant, tomato caponata sauce and my dad had the veal piccata which was very tender. Overall, we were quite pleased with our meal and the flavors were outstanding.  While Frankie’s is still by far my favorite Italian restaurant, the impeccable service would bring me back more often than not. After all, there just isn’t service like that anymore in New York.