Recent Meals (Restaurant Mini-Reviews)
Paloma (60 Greenpoint Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11222, 718-349-2400)
d.o.c. Wine Bar & Trattoria (83 North 7th Street, Brooklyn, NY, 718-963-1925)
Iron Forge Inn (38 Iron Forge Road, Bellvale, NY 10912, 845-986-3411)
Ada (208 East 58th Street, New York, NY 212-371-6060)
Some old favorites were revisited during the holidays, courtesy of our Mother and her Christmas visit to Cafe Drake. Two Brooklyn standbys proved to have lost none of their luster, aging gracefully and with style. A wiser, smaller menu is the biggest change to Greenpoint's outpost of remote dining, Paloma, while the modernist concrete-meets-raw wood interiors have held up well. An even greater emphasis is placed on the cocktail menu and the house-infused vodka selection - the Mint Sidecar was a winner, and on our wish list is the Old Fashioned crafted with homemade bitters and vanilla-infused bourbon. A starter of dried cod fritters ($5.95) is extremely mild but enlivened by homemade onion relish and pickled vegetables. Even better were two fish entrees: a superbly cooked Black Sea Bass with Braised Root Vegetables ($13.95) and a Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia atop Couscous Salad ($14.95). The latter, despite starting with a fish generally characterized by its blandness, earned flavor points through its encasement in grated cheese and breadcrumbs, all fried to a crispy golden brown yet light and non-greasey. Dining companions championed their choice of the Braised Lamb Shank with Beet Polenta ($15). Paloma maintains a small but solid wine selection with several reds and whites available by the glass.
d.o.c. wine bar and trattoria can do no wrong it seems, and continues to boast one of the most consistent kitchens in the tri-state area. Dripping as always with Sardigian atmosphere, a recent candlelit late-night meal (post-Nutcracker at Lincoln Center actually) consisted of a perfect midnight snack of cheese and dried meats and salad and two excellent wine specials: an esoteric bone-dry red and an amarone with a velvet finish. And let's not forget the tiramisu!
It's no secret we love all things Indian, so difficult it is to restrain our enthusiasm for the Midtown East's Ada restaurant. The decidely upscale Northern Indian eatery soothes diners instantly with a warm cream and gold toned intimate room, pressed linens and elegant flatware. Equally welcome upon being seated is the presentation of a smart and carefully edited wine list. Two appetizers were both excellent, if perhaps too low in heat for Cafe Drake's fiery tastes: a Chicken Seekh Kabob is placed atop mesculun greens dressed in a tamarind vinegarette, while the Chicken Tikky consists of tender sliced poultry, fired in the tandoor oven, and enlivened by a tangy yogurt and cilantro sauce. Entrees reflected the French influence on cooking style at Ada; both a lamb loin in spinach sauce and Kashmiri-spiced beef were rich with cream and surprisingly served alongside fried cabbage and shredded wild mushrooms. No surprise however in the uniformly stellar quality of the complimentary dhal, rice and naan bread.
The charming upstate New York hamlet of Warwick is home to at least three respectable wineries. After all that tasting you'll want to lower your BAC with a solid meal, and the nearby Iron Forge Inn in Bellvale is a festive choice for a dinner splurge. Tucked away at the end of a scenic meandering side road, the historic building (dating back to the 18th century) is home to a lavishly appointed restaurant. Four dining rooms - most with fireplaces - are charmingly decorated in period detail, with tables unusually luxurious in size. We supped hearth-side in the Lincoln Room, and upon being seated, were offered an amuse bouche of potato cake with chestnut puree and herbed creme fraiche by our friendly and competent waiter. An extensive menu makes choosing difficult, but highly recommended as a starter is the cheese plate ($12) of local artisinal cheeses, all unpasturized and sided with wine-poached pears and a varied bread selection. Braised Short Ribs ($24.95) were meltingly tender after slow cooking in a Merlot-Balsamic reduction, yet still didn't steal the thunder from a bed of mushroom polenta, studded throughout with crisp fried parsnips. A must-have entree is the Seared Sea Scallops($26.95), delicately cooked until just warm throughout and sharing the plate with lobster bread pudding. If you can make room for dessert - and we did - by all means go for the warm banana pancake ($8), drowned beneath Valhalla chocolate sauce and local organic ice cream. Good house wines are available by the half and full carafe, and the small bar turns out superb versions of classic cocktails.
d.o.c. Wine Bar & Trattoria (83 North 7th Street, Brooklyn, NY, 718-963-1925)
Iron Forge Inn (38 Iron Forge Road, Bellvale, NY 10912, 845-986-3411)
Ada (208 East 58th Street, New York, NY 212-371-6060)
Some old favorites were revisited during the holidays, courtesy of our Mother and her Christmas visit to Cafe Drake. Two Brooklyn standbys proved to have lost none of their luster, aging gracefully and with style. A wiser, smaller menu is the biggest change to Greenpoint's outpost of remote dining, Paloma, while the modernist concrete-meets-raw wood interiors have held up well. An even greater emphasis is placed on the cocktail menu and the house-infused vodka selection - the Mint Sidecar was a winner, and on our wish list is the Old Fashioned crafted with homemade bitters and vanilla-infused bourbon. A starter of dried cod fritters ($5.95) is extremely mild but enlivened by homemade onion relish and pickled vegetables. Even better were two fish entrees: a superbly cooked Black Sea Bass with Braised Root Vegetables ($13.95) and a Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia atop Couscous Salad ($14.95). The latter, despite starting with a fish generally characterized by its blandness, earned flavor points through its encasement in grated cheese and breadcrumbs, all fried to a crispy golden brown yet light and non-greasey. Dining companions championed their choice of the Braised Lamb Shank with Beet Polenta ($15). Paloma maintains a small but solid wine selection with several reds and whites available by the glass.
d.o.c. wine bar and trattoria can do no wrong it seems, and continues to boast one of the most consistent kitchens in the tri-state area. Dripping as always with Sardigian atmosphere, a recent candlelit late-night meal (post-Nutcracker at Lincoln Center actually) consisted of a perfect midnight snack of cheese and dried meats and salad and two excellent wine specials: an esoteric bone-dry red and an amarone with a velvet finish. And let's not forget the tiramisu!
It's no secret we love all things Indian, so difficult it is to restrain our enthusiasm for the Midtown East's Ada restaurant. The decidely upscale Northern Indian eatery soothes diners instantly with a warm cream and gold toned intimate room, pressed linens and elegant flatware. Equally welcome upon being seated is the presentation of a smart and carefully edited wine list. Two appetizers were both excellent, if perhaps too low in heat for Cafe Drake's fiery tastes: a Chicken Seekh Kabob is placed atop mesculun greens dressed in a tamarind vinegarette, while the Chicken Tikky consists of tender sliced poultry, fired in the tandoor oven, and enlivened by a tangy yogurt and cilantro sauce. Entrees reflected the French influence on cooking style at Ada; both a lamb loin in spinach sauce and Kashmiri-spiced beef were rich with cream and surprisingly served alongside fried cabbage and shredded wild mushrooms. No surprise however in the uniformly stellar quality of the complimentary dhal, rice and naan bread.
The charming upstate New York hamlet of Warwick is home to at least three respectable wineries. After all that tasting you'll want to lower your BAC with a solid meal, and the nearby Iron Forge Inn in Bellvale is a festive choice for a dinner splurge. Tucked away at the end of a scenic meandering side road, the historic building (dating back to the 18th century) is home to a lavishly appointed restaurant. Four dining rooms - most with fireplaces - are charmingly decorated in period detail, with tables unusually luxurious in size. We supped hearth-side in the Lincoln Room, and upon being seated, were offered an amuse bouche of potato cake with chestnut puree and herbed creme fraiche by our friendly and competent waiter. An extensive menu makes choosing difficult, but highly recommended as a starter is the cheese plate ($12) of local artisinal cheeses, all unpasturized and sided with wine-poached pears and a varied bread selection. Braised Short Ribs ($24.95) were meltingly tender after slow cooking in a Merlot-Balsamic reduction, yet still didn't steal the thunder from a bed of mushroom polenta, studded throughout with crisp fried parsnips. A must-have entree is the Seared Sea Scallops($26.95), delicately cooked until just warm throughout and sharing the plate with lobster bread pudding. If you can make room for dessert - and we did - by all means go for the warm banana pancake ($8), drowned beneath Valhalla chocolate sauce and local organic ice cream. Good house wines are available by the half and full carafe, and the small bar turns out superb versions of classic cocktails.
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