Chennai Garden by Tiffin Wallah Visited 11/12/2017 3 Forks

Chennai Garden by Tiffin Wallah  127 E 28th St., New York, NY 10016

I feel a bit torn about this review because at first I enjoyed my meal but then a few days later both Aarti and I had what seemed like stomach issues and this is the only place I can link it to.  So while I can't pin point this place as the exact culprit, I have a bit of a suspicious eye on it. 

That being said, I always enjoy a nice outing to Curry Hill to experience the more mom and pop Indian food.  This place is very similar to Saravana Bhavan which is right down the street.  They both are more South Indian focused so don't expect any curries or chicken tikka masala type dishes.  Usually when I come to places like this with Aarti I just let her order and go to town, which is what I let her do here.  Unfortunately I can't remember all the things we ordered but in places like this we always get idlis and dosas, which we did here as well a bunch of other dishes that I can't bring myself to pronounce.  I know we definitely over-ordered, to the point where we felt like we really regretted our choices but in the end this is the type of food that you want to sample and try all different kinds of flavors and textures.   I fully acknowledge this review is a bit lame as I'm not giving you much specifics, but trust me, if you come here, just 1-2 dishes from each section and you'll be fine.

The clientele as well as the staff is all Indian which makes me feel like it's a bit more authentic and low key - it's pretty much the opposite feeling of going to a place like Paowalla or Junoon - both of which I enjoyed but you go to these places for very different reasons.  The food tastes like it's made from scratch and is what I would get if I visited someone's grandmother's cozy house vs. if I visited someone's grandmother's fancy palace.

I hope this wasn't the place that made us sick because I truly like to support local mom and pop restaurants - just not at the expense of my stomach!  Total bill:  $31/pp with tax and tip

Le Coq Rico Visited 11/11/2017 4 Forks

Le Coq Rico  30 E 20th St., New York, NY 10003

Ever since Jen, Kevin and I came back from France, we decided we should start a "duck club" once we came back to NYC.  Duck is such an underrated bird and so delicious that we felt like we should hit up all the spots in the city as much as we can.  We were going for more of a Peking style duck when we first decided to start the club but I had seen Le Coq Rico on Instagram and immediately made a reservation. 

The motto for this restaurant is "A bistro of beautiful birds" and indeed they have a full menu of beautiful birds.  It's mostly chicken (they have several whole bird format)  but they had a lovely duck for 3 on the menu which is what we came here for.   Upon entering, I noticed that it's definitely much more on the stuffy French side than I expected.  The clientele is older, whiter and generally more formal.  But none the less, we were here for the birds and not people watching. 

Almost everything is fowl related here, although there are a few sides that have no meat in them.  We started the meal with leeks vinaigrette ($16) and the duck rillettes ($16) and obviously for our main we got the Rohan Farm Duck for 3 ($84) and a side of macaroni au  gratin ($12).  Yes, it is a bit crazy to pay that much for a bird but it's NYC, but I just write everything off as being ridiculous. 

We got the leeks because we thought we were being "healthy" but it was really just covered in hollandaise sauce, so there's that.  It was quite delicious even if it didn't really do it's job in being our healthy green dish of the night.  The duck rillette was a bit of a disappointment as it was on the dry side.  We ended up mixing it with the delicious butter that came with the bread to give it some more moisture to it.  As for the star of the show, the duck was visually beautiful.  It's served breast on the bone but they slice it up for you.  It was quite a site for sore eyes.  They also give you the au jus on the side in case you want to really try to trigger a heart attack but it was moist enough for me that I didn't need it (but I did sneak a taste it was yummy).  The meat was cooked perfectly and the skin wasn't exactly crispy like a Peking duck but there was a nice balance of skin, fat and meat to each cut.  Some of the pieces closer to the bone were harder to eat and eventually I went caveman style and gnawed on the bone but hey, if I'm paying almost $90 for this bird, I'm eating the whole damn thing.   At this point, I didn't really need much of the macaroni and only had a few small bites.

They have a lovely but very expensive wine list - so a heads up on that.  The servers there are all very French and gorgeous - so also a heads up on that.  The overall experience felt very old school to me - it felt like I should have been on the UES instead of Flatiron.  The duck was indeed great and I had a great time which is why I'm giving it 4 forks but the price point did make me pause and consider giving it a slightly lower rating.  But I'm kind of in the holiday mood, so I'll be nice!  Total bill:  $138/pp with tax, tip and drinks

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Il Fornaio Visited 11/5/2017 3.5 Forks

Il Fornaio  24 West Union Street, Pasadena, CA 91103

While I was on the West Coast, I decided to "swing by" LA to visit my good friend Vivi as it had been a long time since I had been to visit her family.  She moved to Pasadena a few years ago, which I had never really spent a lot of time in.  It's a lovely suburb and seems like a good place to raise a family.  She doesn't live too far from the Old Town section, which is their main strip/area with lots of chain shops and restaurants. 

Since I was only there for less than 24 hours and she had 4 kids, we had to make this a quick dinner.  She had mentioned that this was one of her husband's favorite places so we figured why not? And who doesn't love Italian food?  From what I understand, it's a fairly large chain in the West Coast and it's kind of got this Cheesecake Factory feel to it - and I don't mean that in a terrible way.  It's just that it's a large cavernous restaurant, with a large extensive menu and large plates to go along with it.  There is a time and place for places like these.  Food wise, we started with the beef carpaccio and I went for a penne a la vodka because that is one of my all time favorite comfort foods. 

The beef carpaccio was thinly sliced and served with capers, arugula, parm and lemon.  It was nicely done and I had no complaints about it.  The same could be said for my penne a la vodka - no complaints.  It was served with bits of bacon in it to really make it even more cozy and comfortable.  It was a huge dish but of course I finished the whole thing - although it was a struggle.  The thing about this dish is that it was clearly not some authentic Italian experience (I'm pretty sure the pasta wasn't home made) but you know what?  That was ok.  I've definitely had better traditional experiences but in terms of a chain restaurant in the 'burbs of California, I don't have a lot of negative things to say about it.  

This was a tough one to review because 3.5 forks seems like it may be harsh but it's really more like a 3.75 fork place.  The waitress was very friendly and it was a nice quiet place to catch up with old friends.  I can see why my friends like coming here but I wouldn't necessarily say it's a destination restaurant.  But if you are in the area and need a place to eat, I would think about this place.  The patio area looked especially nice if you can go when there's sun out.  Total bill:  I don't know, my friends very gracious paid

Photo Credit:  Yelp

72 Hours in Sonoma/Napa - Visited 11/4/2017 4 - 4.5 Forks

Sunflower Caffe  421 1st St W, Sonoma, CA 95476                                                                 4.5 Forks

This is a momentous blog entry...it's my 1,000th entry!  When I first started this adventure, I thought it would last a few months and then I'd get bored of it.  But now, almost 8 years later to the day I started this blog I'm logging my 1,000th write up.  Thank you to everyone who has read and encouraged me to continue. 

I hemmed and hawed over if I wanted to do something special for my 1,000th review but it was kind of nice when it happened when I was on vacation with close friends.  After a lovely day at the Osmosis Day spa on Friday and being a bit jet lagged, my friends and I spent the next day hiking around Sonoma which was great.  We ended our hike with lunch at one of Neera's favorite cafes right in the middle of the Square.  I can see why it's a favorite - it's a California cafe at it's finest.  Everything on the menu sounded healthy and delicious and in true California style seemed to have avocado or some kind of green slant to it.  The breakfast menu looked heavenly with hearty sounding egg dishes, but we were getting take out so I figured a salad might be a better way to go.  I got the kale and sausage salad ($15) since it sounded healthy and full of protein.  

The one major downside of this place is that it's always packed.  The line to order was so long and it took a while for the food to actually come out.  There isn't a great place to stand and wait for your food but everyone waiting around was super nice and also looked like they just got out of a hike.

As for the food, the salad was fantastic.  I know it seems weird to rave about a salad but I really enjoyed this one.  It came with organic kale (of course), cannellini beans,  sausage made out of duck and pork, and a perfectly hard boiled egg.  But what made it especially tasty was the lemon vinaigrette.  All mixed together it was a hearty but healthy tasting salad.  It made me want to re-create at it a home but let's be honest, I probably won't.  I also loved that it was high in protein as well - my nutritionist would have been proud.  I can see why this place always has a long line and I would definitely wait in line again for it.  I would love to come back here with a book (or really an iPad), order a ton of food and people watch.  If you're taking a hike by the Square, this is a definite must stop. 

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Mustards Grill  7399 St Helena Hwy, Napa, CA 94558                                                               4 Forks

After spending some time in Sonoma, we thought we'd fancy it up and spend some time in Napa as well.  Even though they are both wine country and not that far from each other, Napa is definitely more bougie.  In fact, we got turned away from a few wineries (including my favorite Cake bread) because we didn't make a reservation in advance.  Boo!

Mustards Grill is right near many of the wineries but it's a fairly laid back place.  They have a cute little farm/garden next to the restaurant where they source lot of their vegetables and it's a nice place to visit if you have time to kill while you're waiting for your table.  The menu is pretty typical Americana - pork chop, steak, chicken, pasta and burgers.  We started with the onion rings for the table ($9.75) because they were famous for it and the corn tamales ($13) to start and I got the grilled ahi tuna burger ($17.95) for my main.  They had this awesome sounding dish called Truckstop Deluxe which they described on the menu as "always meat, often potatoes, rarely vegetables."  I would have loved to get it but I was trying to be good.  Unfortunately it's been over a month since I ate here, so my memory is a bit fuzzy on what else everyone ordered.

I was all excited for the onion rings because I don't have them often but when I do, they're generally so addictive.  Sadly, this one was not the kind I was expecting.  It was shoe string style which I hate.  I feel like shoe string is such a cop out because you are rarely able to a true taste of what it is because it's so skinny.  I wanted thick, crunchy onion rings where you can see the onion.  This felt like I was eating fried nothing.  It could have been of something totally other than an onion and I would have never known the difference.

Luckily my tuna burger was better.  It came with basil aioli and pickled ginger - it could have been a little bit more rare but overall, it was a solid tuna burger.  But what really made this meal great was the dessert.  Since we were here to celebrate Neera's birthday, we had to go big with the dessert.  We ended up getting 3 ($11 each) - butterscotch pot de creme, lemon-lime tart, and some kind of chocolate tart as well.  The butterscotch pot de creme was out-fucking-standing.  I didn't want to be a piggy but I really could have eaten the entire dish myself.  It was silky smooth and creamy like a pot de creme should be.  My 2nd favorite was the lemon tart, which was basically a large lemon meringue pie.  It was sour and delicious as well.

While many places in Napa can be crazy expensive and intimidating, dinner here felt intimate but casual.  It was a nice way to end our trip and spend some quality time with friends.  Obviously it goes without saying that they have a fantastic wine list - so there is no reason why you can't have a great meal here with at least wine and dessert!  It had been a while since I had visited this part of CA and I was so happy that we didn't cancel our trip.  While I often poo-poo domestic travel, this trip reminded me that there is so much to appreciate in the US.  Total bill:  $441 for 5 people with tax, tip and drinks

Photo Credit:  Yelp

72 Hours in Sonoma/Napa - Part 1 Visited 11/2-11/5/2017 3.5 - 4.5 Forks

El Molino Central  11 Central Ave., Sonoma, CA 95476                                                          4.5 Forks

A few of my friends and I were scheduled to go to Sonoma right after the terrible fires up there, so we weren't really sure what to expect when we got there. But I was so glad that we made it up there to help the local businesses.  It was kind of nice to be there when there weren't a lot of people and the local businesses were thrilled to have us there.

El Molino Central was a total unexpected find and it was fabulous.  Even though Mexican food is super popular in California, when you think Sonoma, you generally think more expensive farm to table or some other kind of bougie food.  El Molino Central is the total opposite.  It's a very casual Mexican place that is super affordable.  What I loved about the place was that the menu was authentic and the place was clearly run by local Mexicans.  Plus for some reason, walking through the kitchen to get to the back patio made me happy because that's how low key it was.

Everything on the menu sounded amazing and had more of a slant towards enchiladas and tamales - there was no burrito or sour cream in sight. I ended up with the fish tacos ($9.50) because if they're on the menu, I'm getting them.  We grabbed a warm cozy table outside under the heat lamp and the food came out fast and furious.  The fish tacos were two huge tacos filled with beer battered white fish, avocado lime mayo, a smokey spicy salsa and shredded cabbage and radish.  The fish was perfectly battered and fried - it wasn't too greasy but it had a great crunch to it.  I loved that it was two very hearty tacos and not the tiny delicate tacos you sometimes get a high end places in NYC.  I ended up splitting my dish with Neera who got one of the enchiladas, which was amazing.  Everyone raved at how fantastic the food was and how it really hit the spot.  It was quick, easy and very filling.  It was the perfect intro to our long weekend in Sonoma and a nice diversion from the rest of the more traditional rustic California food (which isn't bad at all but it is everywhere!).  Plus it'll definitely be the cheapest meal you'll get out here.  We joked that we should have gone back a few times here for lunch or dinner and if we had stayed longer, I could have totally seen us doing that.  Total bill:  $80 for 5 people with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Girl and the Fig 110 W Spain St., Sonoma, CA 95476                                                              3.5 Forks

Girl and the Fig is your quintessential Sonoma restaurant - it's total California locally sourced chic food.  There's nothing super fancy about the place but it's fairly well known since it's right off the main square in town.  Despite the fires, the place was pretty packed when we got there.

One of the downsides of having dinner in Sonoma is that you generally have been wine tasting during the day, so if you're not careful you can arrive to dinner kind of tipsy and or not super hungry because you've been noshing on bread and cheese the whole day.  That's pretty much what happened to us.  We had hit up a few wineries before hand and even though we weren't drunk at all, some of us weren't really on our A-game.  The menu is long and extensive and has a bit of a French feel to it with steak frites, croque Monsieurs, and lots of cheese plates.  They had a great sounding Plats du Jour deal where you can get a 3 course meal for $42 but it was just too much food for me to stomach.  The frustrating thing is that one of the 3 dishes was a Brussels sprout salad that sounded right up my alley but they couldn't/wouldn't offer up just the salad as a stand alone dish, which I thought was kind of annoying.  I hemmed and hawed for a long time on what to get because I was sadly not that hungry but didn't want to waste this opportunity.  I ended up going with the fig and arugula salad ($15) - I know it sounds kind of lame to come all the way here for dinner to just get a salad but we had eaten our weight in bread and cheese earlier so sadly I really screwed myself.  I got this salad because it had figs and hey, we're at Girl and the Fig right?

The salad also came with pecans, pancetta, goat cheese, and dressed with a port vinaigrette.  Honestly, it was a good salad but it didn't blow my mind away.  In fact, it was a bit overdressed and I didn't really get a ton of fig in it.  I also ordered a side of fries because I am such a damn sucker for them and they were delicious - it kind of rounded out the unhealthy part of the meal.

The main reason for the less than 4 fork review was the service was crazy slow.  Even though our waiter was a very kind man, it took forever to place our order.  We had eaten an entire plate of heirloom radishes and bread basket before he came back around to take our order.  Also, I had them bring out a dessert for Neera's birthday and we all agreed on the pumpkin pudding cake and it just tasted like plain pumpkin bread - there wasn't anything super special to it.  Maybe we just didn't order the right thing or maybe it was because we were in a slightly hazy state, but I found our meal at El Molino Central the night before to be way more satisfying.  But Girl and the Fig is an institution in Sonoma so I would go back and try it out again.  Total bill:  $255 for 5 people with tax, tip and drinks

Photo Credit:  Yelp

24 Hours in San Francisco Visited 11/1/2017 3.5 - 4 Forks

Tartine Bakery and Cafe  600 Guerrero St., San Francisco, CA 94110                                     3.5 Forks

Ah, yes.  Tartine  - the famed SF bakery.  Yet somehow every time I come to SF it manages to escape me.  But this time I was staying with my friend Louise and it was about a 25 min walk from her place and with the time difference I was easily able to get there by 8:30am before the masses came in.  I had heard about this place as having the best bread and baked goods in the city, so I was super excited to check it out.  In my head, I had this vision of a cute trendy cafe where it was bright and airy and I could sit outside with my croissant and coffee. 

It turned out to be kind of the opposite and decor-wise not really what I thought.  I was kind of a bleh facade (I actually walked right past it the first time) and bleh inside.  It was much more basic than I thought and kind of cramped seating.  But that's ok.  There was a very short line when I got there and was a bit caught off guard on what I should get.  I still had a very New York state of mind and was looking for bagels.  I quickly pivoted and got an almond croissant and a quiche of the day.  I hindsight, I wish I got the morning bun (pictured) or the bread pudding but it was also only 8:30am, so both of them seemed kind of aggressive but lesson learned for next time. 

I got a seat in the middle of the cafe and started with the almond croissant.  It was super flakey and the almond paste inside was sweet and lovely.  It was indeed a good croissant but I don't know if I would say it's one of the best ones I've had.  It was almost a bit too flakey on the outside for me because when I got up,  I pretty much had an entire batch of croissant flakes sitting in my lap.  The quiche was good but I always forget that I don't like them as much as I think I do.  They're usually too cold and hard crusted for my liking and this one was one different.  I'm glad I got to see what all the fuss was and I believe the other baked goods there are probably better (see my next posting about eating at their restaurant and eating the bread there) but I don't know if I would necessarily go out of my way to come back here the next time I'm in the Bay Area.  Total bill:  $16.34 with tax and tip

Photo Credit: Yelp

Vive La Tarte  1160 Howard St., San Francisco, CA 94103                                                         4 Forks

Now this is the California type bakery I was envisioning.  It was this giant, bright loft space with full working open kitchen that you could see into.  It was very industrial chic.  It felt like everyone who was eating there worked at some tech start up or some other too cool for school place.  The menu is kind of like a bakery with a big focus on croissants, desserts and focaccias.   It is a highly Instragram worthy place if you care about that kind of stuff. 

I met up randomly with an old junior school friend who I hadn't seen in over 20 years but it was so nice to catch up!  The only reason I knew about this place was that I walked past it the other day while I was wandering around the city.  If you're looking for other food items, they have a limited menu of very hipster California things like salads and smashed avocado toast.  I honestly can't remember what kind of focacaia I got but I remember enjoying it.  It was a great place to catch up with an old friend as it's super casual but there is room to sit and enjoy a conversation without the pressure of being pushed out of your table.  I got Louise a beautiful mango tarte later that she said was tasty.  I'm giving 4 forks to this place over Tartine for this more beautiful decor and overall more enjoyable experience.   My one gripe, like with any bougie place is that it's more expensive than it really needs to be.  Total bill:  $18.44 with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Tartine Manufactory  95 Alabama St., San Francisco, CA 94110                                                4 Forks

I know, you're probably saying how can I give this place and Vive La Tarte the same rating?  Well, this place could have easily been at least a 4.5 Fork place if it wasn't for a few things that really annoyed the hell out of me.  It's actually lucky that the rating didn't start with a 3....

First, while they are on OpenTable, sometimes you just want need to talk to a host about your reservation.  Since the number in my party kept changing, I wanted to speak to someone who could help me figure out if I needed to draw a line in the sand with my friends about RSVP'ing or if we could be a bit more flexible.  Apparently they have no working phone number as every time I dialed it, it was just go silent.   WTF?  So I resorted to emailing them and they were very nice over email but it would take a day or two for them to respond, which wasn't very effective.  On the OT confirmation they make a big deal about how your entire party must be there before they will seat you.  I made all my friends confirm and swear they would be on time.  But then when my friend May got there first the hostess asked if she wanted to sit at our table while she waited for us.  Huh?  My 3rd beef with them will come later but on to the good stuff about this place. 

Yes, it's by the same people at Tartine Bakery, so I'm completing my full Tartine experience.  Instead of a small bakery, this is a fairly large, open concept restaurant with a line of a California focused dishes.  Of course, we had to get the bread and butter ($5) as their bread is the star of the show. While I know their bread is "special", it was a bit annoying to have to pay $5 for it.  Next we got the beet hummus ($9) and the burrata ($10) to start.   We may have ordered some other appetizers but unfortunately I can't seem to remember if we did.  For entree, I got the chicken ($33) based on the way the waitress described it - I can't remember her exact words but there was something in the way that she talked about it that made it seem super yummy and compelling to order. 

When the bread and butter came out, I knew that this was the bread that I was missing from the morning.  It was warm, soft and deliciously crusty on the outside.  Now I understood the hysteria behind it.  But then the hummus and burrata come out with nothing to dip it in (the burrata was almost more like a ricotta than a solid burrata).  We asked the waitress how were we supposed to eat it with nothing to dip it in and she was like "oh, then maybe you would like to order more bread and also the flatbread?"  Mind you that is an extra $10.  WTF?  Who serves spreads but then doesn't give you a warning that there is nothing to eat it with?  Or it would have been nice if she had told us when we ordered our original bread to save it for the spreads.  Not that any of us minded eating more warm delicious bread but it just seemed like a bit of a scam for them to give you dips/spreads but then expect you to know to order additional bread for it.  The beet hummus tasted just like regular hummus but with a bright red color to it instead.  The burrata was luscious with Meyer lemon and pistachios sprinkled on it.  And of course they were all even tastier on the famous Tartine bread.

As for my entree - it was a pretty damn good half chicken.  It reminded me why a roasted chicken can be such an amazing dish.  It was on the bone, juicy and served with crunchy rice and a green chimichurri type of sauce.  I tried not to eat too much of the skin but it was nice and crispy.  I was super stuffed but happy about this dish.

With all the blunders and kind of a lukewarm waitstaff, I could have easily pushed this down to a 3.5 Fork rating but the bread and chicken were pretty damn good.  Apparently this is more of a brunch/lunch type place but Yelp reviews of it seemed scattered with people also frustrated by the service.  While I've been to SF many times before, each visit re-affirms my overall lukewarm feeling about the city - it's a cool city for sure but it somehow just doesn't quite stand up to NYC.  I guess I'm just an East Coast gal at heart.  Sorry SF friends! :)   Total bill:  $98/pp with tax, tip and lots of wine

Photo Credit:  Yelp

AJ's Burgers Visited 10/28/2017 4 Forks

AJ's Burgers  542 North Ave., New Rochelle, NY 10801

I now it seems weird to give a random burger place in Westchester 4 forks but you know what, the food was good, fresh and delicious, so I figured what the hell not?  Aarti, Will and I were visiting Kinney and Nat who had moved to New Rochelle from the city last year.  It's a cute up-and-coming town that's not too far from the city but is definitely very suburban.

Since our annual tradition of going upstate for New Years Eve to basically cook, eat and be lazy together was no more, going to New Rochelle seemed like the next best thing.  Kinney and Nat took us to AJ's which they said was on of their favorite places and I can see why.  It's nothing fancy at all but if you are ever in the mood for a burger this is a must.  It's kind of like an upscale diner with a total hodgepodge of American and Italian American food.  But really the burgers are where it's at.  They've got all sorts of burgers and toppings.  I was trying to be "healthy" so I went for the chicken burger ($13) which was ground chicken, sauteed spinach, garlic, and provolone cheese on a garlic roll.  Even though we were trying to save room for our feast of a dinner later, we also got a side of garlic truffle fries ($5).  Everyone else also got some form of a burger too.

I didn't really know what to expect but it was definitely not what came out.  All the burgers came out on these extra large skillets and a burger the size of my head.  It was insane.  Usually I'm not down for food like that but upon tasting the burger you could tell how fresh it was.  It was a fantastic homemade tasting chicken burger with a leap heaping for fresh spinach and almost too much garlic.  The garlic roll was soft and delicious but combined with the garlic already in the burger, I couldn't bring myself to eat the whole thing.  It a nice change of pace to eat a burger that didn't taste frozen or was crazy expensive either.  Aarti and Nat both said the veggie burger was fantastic and Aarti said it may have been one of the best veggie burgers she's ever had.

We all left feeling crazy full and happy.  I can see why Kinney and Nat come here often as it seems like a great neighborhood place to relax and eat affordable food.  It had a nice family feel to it and it seemed like there were still a few generations from the grandmother to the grandkids who work there.  Total bill:  $28/pp with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp