Chelsea, NY - Le Grainne Cafe

Cappuccino

Cafe Au Lait

Chicken Crepe

French Toast

Omlette

Le Grainne Cafe 

183 9th Ave 

New York, NY 10011

(646) 486-3000

Cafe Henri - the best surprise a girl can get

On a Saturday afternoon, pretty much around brunch time, J took me to Cafe Henri as a surprise. All I knew about the place was, it had a blue door. It was a long walk from where we were but the weather was so beautiful that it didn't seem far at all. Ok, maybe a little far since I was feeling hungry.

Cafe Henri was a cute little French place. Limited seatings but it felt so quaint and familiar. J told me they're known for their big latte cups and really good food.

J ordered their Mocha ($4), we decided not to supersize anything since the large was literally a size of a soup bowl. The Mocha was pretty good, had a nice cocoa finish on top.

I had their Latte ($3.50), so creamy and delicious. I wished it stayed hotter throughout the time I was having it, it got lukewarm pretty quick.

We knew we had to get this when we saw it on the menu...

The Escargot ($11) was so aromatic and plump. They were definitely heavy on the spices here which we both love. The toast accompanying the dish was amazing also, soaked up all the delicious herbs and garlic butter...we were practically in heaven.

Then our entree rolled out and we were at our most happiest place.

J had gotten their Crepe Henri ($9.50) which gives you a choice of 3 different add-ins for your crepe. He chose goat cheese, mushrooms and spicy sausage - these combination was perfect. Never thought I'd say this but the goat cheese was bomb in the crepe, I absolutely loved it.

My dish wasn't bad either, actually I really really enjoyed mine. The Eggs Benedict ($10.50) which I got with bacon was insanely good. How can everything be so perfect?! I loved how the English muffin didn't get soggy from my eggs and the hollandaise sauce. The poached egg was literally the most perfect ones I've ever had, still had that egg white surrounding the egg yolk. I was left speechless.

And even that wasn't enough, we got another crepe for dessert.

We were definitely greedy at this point because we both know well that we were full but still wanted to try their sweets. Decided on the Crepe de Marron ($7), chestnut paste inside the crepe. It was a little strange but in a good way. It wasn't too sweet and it balances out with the fruits and the creme fraiche.

This meal was so satisfying. I was extremely happy. I can't wait to come back for dinner or just the latte.

Cafe Henri
27 Bedford St
New York, NY 10014
(212) 243-2846

Restaurant Week: Brasserie Ruhlmann

J's friend decided to make reservation for Brasserie Ruhlmann, I didn't know about it until after the reservations were made. To say the least, I wasn't that thrilled about this meal. But nonetheless, I tried to enjoy it since it's right in the center of Rockefeller Center.

We came a bit earlier than our reservation but got seated anyways. The service here was pretty dam great.

Complimentary Bacon Poppers, not bad but not so great either.

Bread came also, which wasn't that bad. The butter was a bit bland but very creamy, wish I had some salt on the table for the butter.

Since the menu had 3 appetizers, 3 entrees and 3 desserts to chose from. We thought of getting all of them and just share it among each other but our waiter said one of the entree wasn't worth getting and somehow persuaded J's friend to order the same thing as J...

Starting with appetizers, there was the Mushroom Veloute, Winter Squash Risotto and the Asparagus & Bucheron Salad. The salad was the lightest whereas the soup and the risotto was very heavy in taste and felt overly seasoned.

Entree came right after our plates of appetizer were taken away. I had the Free Range Chicken Fricassee (left) while the others had the Braised Short Rib (right). The short rib was too sweet for my liking but I did enjoy my chicken. Still a bit salty but not too bad.

The moment we were waiting for, the menu on the website stated they would have the Passion Fruit Crepe Souffle but instead it was replaced by something else! Extremely disappointed. From the left going clockwise, Banana Tart & Maple Sauce, Bittersweet Chocolat Pudding and Winter Fruit Panacota. None of the dessert stood out which made it just a mediocre meal.

We did get some fresh macarons on the house. They were actually a lot better than the desserts we had, odd.

Two main reasons why this meal wasn't up to par --
1) It's a tourist trap, literally right across from the skating rink of Rockefeller Center.
2) Restaurant week menus are usually quite dull and never presented the best (but there are exceptions!)

Being it was $38 per head, the price went up from $35 from last Restaurant Week. Another reason not to participate in RW because of the price increase and quality of food. If I'm going to a restaurant, I want to be able to enjoy the food regardless of the price. I'm willing to pay for good quality. If I didn't care, then I would be going to McDonalds...

Brasserie Ruhlmann
45 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10111
(212) 974-2020

Flea Market Cafe

J and I went to Flea Market Cafe when we were on the wine binge. We still love wine now but we sort of mellow out of the phase. I found the Flea Market Cafe somewhere on the web, besides the interesting name, they have cheap escargot.

Their menu was straight forward and sounded really appetizing. We ordered a lot of appetizers to go with our wine. Loved that we sat near the front of the restaurant where we felt a nice breeze since they had their windows down.

Decided on a bottle of rose wine. Clean and fresh.

We love escargot and these Oven-baked Snails in garlic and butter were pretty decent. Definitely cheap, only $7.50 but it definitely was missing something. Maybe it's the salt? Maybe some extra butter? Some more garlic? But for its price, it's a steal.

I saw this on the menu and wasn't too sure if we should've gotten it but J made the final decision and placed the order. The Goat Cheese Tartine was delicious. Nicely toasted with goat cheese, sundried tomatoes, olives and honey drizzle. This amazing combo went perfectly well with the wine.

So, I really didn't want this Cheese Plate but J was so persistent about it so I just gave up and let him order it. I really don't like cheese, especially uncooked cheese but I am slowly giving them a shot. Currently, I really like mozzarella...progress! These were way too creamy and cheesy, I just couldn't do it! J ended up eating all of it, which he should've expected.

I wanted the Saucisson and Cornichons because it had the gerkins. I absolutely love gerkins and pickles now, something I never thought I would like until J introduced me to them. The cured french sausage were great munchy food. If I had just this and wine, I would be in such a happy place.

Beautifully presented entree, I was so happy when I saw it because I ordered something so dam pretty and good-looking. This usually happens with J's dish but this time, I ordered the better dish (you have no idea how happy this makes me). The Sauteed Codfish Filet over chive risotto and lobster sauce was perfect. Cod is my favorite when it comes to fish and the risotto was so dam good. This is also my first time having risotto and it blew me away. All the flavors worked so well, I would have this entree again in a heartbeat.

J's ordered the Moules Provencale which had tomato and parsley. The mussels were really tiny which was a big disappointment.

Fries came with the mussels which weren't bad. I would rather have better mussels and lose the fries, but that's just me.

Overall, I really like Flea Market Cafe and I can't wait to return. The ambiance is relaxing and really laid back. You can prob sit there for hours with a glass of wine and no one will bother you.

Flea Market Cafe
131 Ave A
New York, NY 10009
(212) 358-9280

Jadis

After The Ten Bells, J and I headed over to Jadis - the second place of the night we went to. It was fairly close to The Ten Bells, within walking distance that enable you to digest your previous meal or should I say snack.

Jadis wasn't too hard to track down. This restaurant requires you to take a small flight of stairs down to reach it. The restuarant was spacious with tables and seats by the bar and also more seats in the backroom. J and I sat by the bar where all the meals were literally prepared.

We ordered a carafe of red wine and 3 dishes to snack on since we were that hungry.

Duck Rilettes.
Sort of bummed out that J didn't get a chance to try it at The Ten Bells so we ordered it here and wondered what it was. Duck meat and fat that was so gamey it was good. Pair it with some bread and it's practically the best French appetizer out there. As you slowly work your way into the third piece, the fat that incased the duck meat together starts to melt yielding a glistening duck meat.

Country Pate.
One of my personal favorite, I like pate in general. Not to mushy but just the right amount of texture to be able to lift it up with my fork. I like the touch of gherkins and salad on the side.

Escargot.
We cannot neglect to order escargot when the restaurant offers it. Plus, it was only $8 which was a pretty good deal. The escargot were all juicy and plump which made J and I extremely happy. Happy to a point where we ordered another one. Had we not eaten before Jadis, we would've had about 3 for each of us. We just love escargot, and the excess butter with bread is just amazing.

The food was good at Jadis, definitely memorable. Although the service was on the iffy side. Seems like the waitress which I'm sure is also the manager/co-owner, is rushing us out when we were done eating. But she wasn't to the point of rudeness so it was tolerable. I would like to come back to try the sandwiches and more escargot... yes!

Jadis
42 Rivington St
New York, NY 10002
(212) 254-1675

The Ten Bells

J and I have been feeling for wine lately and we're been looking for places that offer something like a wine bar. Since most wine bar offers tapas style food, we plan on visiting 2 places for a night because we're just greedy.

The Ten Bells has no recognizable sign outside of the restaurant. Either you know it or just happen to spot the little address number on the side.

J and I were one of the first to step in the wine bar and it felt really earthy and free spirit.

The menu rested on the side of the wall that enclosed the bar in the center. Which leaves 2 entrances which you can enter from. The breeze that flows from both side was perfect for a hot day. It was also hard to read the menu from your seat, which I think is a given that you would need to get up and walk around to read it.

I only had a glass of white while J went through 3 glasses of red/rose. The sommelier or wine steward would ask what kind of taste you want in the wine and he would try to match it to the best he can.

Naked Cowboy Oysters.
One of the specials of the night. They have happy hour from 5-7pm and their oysters are just $1.25.

St. Simon Oysters.
Our favorite of the night. They don't have any fishy smell at all and the size and shape was just perfect. Small yet plump which gave it a fun pop in the mouth.

Meat and Cheese Platter.
We finished off with a platter and told ourselves not to order anymore food. But, the aroma of the flaky pastries and mac and cheese were so intoxicating. We shall return next time.

Lovely place to relax after a stressful week. Definitely a place I would recommend if you're trying out wine for the first time or want to jump on the bandwagon.

The Ten Bells
247 Broome St
New York, NY 10002
(212) 228-4450

Les Sans Culottes

One of my all time favorite restaurants would be Les Sans Culottes. They have a prix fixe menu which can literally fill you up like a balloon. They have price from $25, $32 and $35 that includes a three-course meal. J and I absolutely love this place, it's cheap and satisfies our tummy. We usually order from the $25 menu but we felt a little adventurous so we ordered whatever we wanted that night.

Fruit and Vegetable Basket

Fresh fruits and vegetables. The melons are always so sweet here.

They also give you a rack of sausage and you can eat and enjoy as much as you like. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty, you can also use the table as a cutting table since they already covered it with a white sheet.

And that's not the end of the appetizers yet. They also give you bread, pate, butter and dressing to accompany the sausages, veggies and fruits. All these things are included with the prix fixe which is probably enough to fill a person that doesn't eat much.

Escargot

J and I love this dish, it's one of our favorites. Snails in garlic, butter and parsley. The reason why we love it so much and see ourselves coming back and ordering this dish is because it's actually still in its shell. Plus, it's so darn cheap... cheaper than other places that serves escargots.

Filet Mignon Champignons

Shell Steak w/ Peppercorn Sauce

The entrees are ginormous. They are seriously really generous with the portions and the food there is pretty decent.

Flan

Nothing better than to end the meal with a dessert. There's two choices you can have with the prix fixe, either flan or chocolate mousse. I'm not a big fan of chocolate so I always order the flan, though I did try the mousse before and it wasn't all that great. I recommend the flan for sure.

Definitely a great French restaurant if you want the bang for your buck kind of deal. But don't expect too much, you do get what you pay for.

Les Sans Culottes
1085 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10022
(212) 838-6660

Minetta Tavern

A night of celebration. I know J have been wanting to come here for the longest time and it was a perfect place to celebrate. We were hoping they have tables open since we didn't make reservations.

We got seated right away, how perfect is that?! Minetta is small, the walk-way is really narrow but when you step further into the restaurant, it quite big but it doesn't mean walking around is easy. You need to know how to weave through the chairs, tables, and people. Our waitress was so perky and fun to talk to, plus she makes everything on the menu sound good.

I knew J wanted the Dry Aged Côte de Boeuf and I wasn't against it at all.

Murray Sour

Escargot on Puff Pastry

The escargot was one of their specials of the night and once the waitress said escargot, J and I knew we would get that dish no matter what. We both love escargot and we can literally eat plate after plate of escargots. This dish was extremely creamy and also a bit on the salty side but the pastry was perfect. And the escargot were so plump, if they went a little light on the salt this dish would've been amazing.

Huîtres et Crépinettes

The oysters were on the small side but the sauce that was on top of it made it taste extraordinary, totally enhanced the flavor of the oysters. The pork sausage which looked like meatballs were a little bundle of surprise, unlike any sausage/meatball I've ever had, it was packed with flavor and was tender.

Dry Aged Côte de Boeuf

The star of the night was so mouthwatering. The smell was intoxicating when it was brought out to us, only to let us know that they were going to take it back in to slice it for us. Once it reappeared we started salivating again. The slices of the dry aged beef was so soft and melted in your mouth like butter would on a hot pan. We had it cooked medium-rare and that was just perfect. This dish also came with Roasted Bone Marrow which was insanely fatty and gelatinous, I wish they gave us some toast with it though. To finish it off, there was also a small side salad towards the end. Great palette cleanser.

Grand Marnier Souffle

To wrap everything up, we ordered the souffle. The waitress came by our table and asked if we wanted to have souffle for dessert since it would take 20 minutes to make. I didn't hesitate one bit and placed the order. When the souffle came out, it was huge! Definitely enough to feed two people.

Minetta is usually known for their Black Label Burger but they sure do have other dishes on the menu that is just as good. Considering coming back for sure.

Minetta Tavern
113 Macdougal St
New York, NY 10012
(212) 475-3850