Deericious!

This is the first of three iron chef restaurants that I visited on my trip to NY… Babbo, Mario Batali’s new place in the West Village, is a yet another NYC restaurant that requires reservations 30 days in advance. The restaurant is dimly lit, with both an upstairs and downstairs dining room. Both rooms are smaller than I expected, but every table was full along with the bar. I was surprised to see that they had faded carpet which was already wearing down in some places - not sure if this was for effect or negligence.

Babbo’s menu has some creative items, but nothing that you can’t find in some of the better italian restaurants in LA such as Angelini Osteria, Celestino, etc. For starters, we went with the Babbo salumi and olives plate (2*) and a pan fried softshell crab special (3*). Entrees that we selected were the highly recommended beef cheef ravioli (3*), lamb chops (3.5*), and papparadelle w/wild boar ragu (3*). The paparadelle was very dry and I had to ask for an extra side of sauce. While the food was nothing spectacular compared to the italian fare you can get elsewhere in the city, the service was first class. (We had wine and tapas at ‘Inoteca the night before and it was fantastic.)

If you’re a Batali fan, then Babbo is worth a visit but be sure to reserve in advance. Babbo also offers two different tasting menus: traditional tasting of 7 courses ($65) and pasta tasting of 7 courses ($59).

Who would’ve thought that one of the best treats in NYC would be found at a hip little shop in SoHo specializing in rice pudding? Rice to Riches is a must try, even if you don’t have a love for rice pudding. The shop serves upwards of 15 different rice pudding flavors custom made daily, with choices ranging from cheesecake to stubborn banana to don’ cappuccino. Additionally, for $0.75 more, you can select different toppings like chilled espresso, fresh berries, graham cracker, toasted coconut, etc. Click here to view today’s flavors. (I just found out from the website that you can order these heavenly treats for nationwide shipping! So… this means even those of you who don’t live in NY can get a taste of Rice to Riches.) This is going to be big… as soon as the company starts franchising.

Jen and I tried the sex drugs and rocky road (4*), hazelnut chocolate (4*), and mascarpone w/ cherries (5*). Mmm, yummy!

Back in March, I made a lunch reservation for my impending NY trip at the end of April at Jean Georges in Manhattan. You have to call 30 days in advance to the day to get a table! Jean Georges is pricey - plan on spending upwards of $200 for a 3 course meal plus wine. However, for lunch, patrons can choose to sit in the dining room and order 2 courses from a wide variety of fabulous dishes for just $28. It truly was a great dining experience, with more than one server waiting on our table at any given moment. The dining room was filled with ladies who lunch, young power execs, and families with old world wealth. I love the way people in Manhattan live! Fabulous.

Here’s what we tasted: amuse bouche consisting of an asparagus cream blended with a sour raspberry puree (3*), crab on toast with mango gelee (3*), smoked fava beans (4*); hamachi sashimi w/grapefruit sorbet (3.5*), sashimi appetizer, nut crusted sea bass in a mushroom buttery broth (5* omg, this was GOOD - I drank every last drop of the broth), cauliflower scallops (4*), and homemade marshmallows and meringues as a gift from the chef. I almost forgot to mention the designer sodas! For $6 a glass, we had a passionfruit chile soda and a cherry yuzu soda. Both were exquisite - just the right amount of sweetness and a wonderful fruity flavor that both lingers and refreshes (5*).

You have to be a real foodie to plan 30 days in advance for a meal on vacation in New York, but the planning and anticipation was well worth the experience and the memorable meal.

Rice Paper is perhaps the most stylish Vietnamese-French restaurant I’ve stepped foot into. The restaurant is truly exceptional in simplistic modern design with large windows uncovering a beautiful view of HK’s harbor. The presentation of the dishes rivals that of the most sophisticated eateries. The food, however, was disappointing both in taste and value (small portions, pricey for Vietnamese).

With four people in our party, we were able to sample many different dishes. We started with the papaya salad (3*), followed by fried fish cake (2*) and softshell crab roll (3*) appetizers. I was so excited when I saw that this place had Cha Ca on the menu (see Vietnam entry). When the dish came, the fish (fried), instead of cooking in an iron pan over hot coals drenched in peanut oil and leeks/dill/onions/tumeric, was presented on a plate, to be cooked in a bland broth which simmered in a copper pot (2*). This was not terribly bad, but in no way was it good. The best dish was a minced beef over sticky coconut rice (3.5*) which gets extra points for creativity.

Overall, Rice Paper is not a good choice for a tasty meal, but the ambience is worth a visit for an afternoon drink.

Back to the food blogging… Sorry guys, it’s been a while but I’ve been busy.

There lies a gem of a restaurant in Causeway Bay, HK called Tonkichi (thanks for the recommendation Lylette!) which specializes in tonkatsu - fried golden brown to a perfect savory crisp in every bite. The menu offers a wide variety of tonkatsu - pork tenderloin, pork loin w/ miso, chicken, shrimp, oyster, etc. - along with numbers sushi/sashimi offerings. If you opt for the tonkatsu, which btw was not greasy at all, you get a bowl and pestle filled with sesame seeds that you grind into fresh sesame powder to create your own seasoning/tonkatsu sauce.

After much indecision, Rei and I opted for the miso pork tonkatsu meal and the pork tenderloin and shrimp combo meal. I thought that both types of pork tonkatsu were similar - juicy and tender perfection (4* - I usually don’t like pork too much). The shrimp was even better (4.5*)! Every piece was ginormous with the right amount of bounce to every bite. The shrimp comes with a rich mayonaise dressing that was incredibly hard to put down. All meals come with rice, bottomless cabbage salad, and fresh fruit dessert. For a few extra bucks, you can add the optional soup which consists of a buttery broth made with carrots and japanese mountain yam.

Tonkichi is on the 4th floor of the World Trade building in Causeway Bay, just next to the Excelsior Hotel. Definitely swing by for a bite the next time you are in the area.