Quartino

I'm on the road this week, posting from sunny Carmel, CA. One of my best friends is getting married on Saturday and with the bachelorette party tonight and my birthday tomorrow (the big 2-7 on the 27th!), I figured I'd turn a birthday and wedding week into vacation week. If anyone on the left coast is in or around Stinson Beach this evening, look out! Some wild and crazy girls will be painting the town red. Hope everyone's having a fabulous week and I will catch up with you when I return to New York, if I do...

It was a Friday night and I had plans to go out with Winette and her husband Mr. HefeWeisen to one of their friend's birthday parties. More than somebody else's birthday party, I felt like it was my coming out party. I've never had one, but they were on a mission to introduce me to all these guys.

It was everyone else's weekend, and almost the end of my week, so I raced out of work to meet them at a restaurant downtown. I had never heard of Quartino but it sounded fabulous. It wasn't crowded, they had seats at the bar, it opened up right onto Bleecker Street, and with lots of wine, what could be better?

There was no sign to tell me I was at the right place, but with the open front I spotted my favorite couple eating, drinking, and having a grand ol' time at the bar. I grabbed a stool next to them, and when Winette saw me notice the pizza on the counter, she immediately slid it over in front of me. The cheese was oozing off the warm slice and I had to save it with my fork. The best thing about the pizza is its whole wheat crust. It was thin, crispy and didn't taste like cardboard. Quartino has a great selection of whole wheat pastas and pizzas.

I sat drinkless for a while, and it irritated me. The bartender knew I sat down because she handed me a plate, but then didn't come near me to follow up and take my drink order. I'm not one to sit down and immediately hail the bartender and yell my drink order in his or her face. I usually sit it out, and hope I get noticed after I lean in over the bar and make repeated eye contact. But this chick was not having it no matter what I did. When she awoke out of her doldrums to serve me, I ordered a generous quartino, or a mini carafe of wine, probably good for two and a half glasses. Most of Quartino's wines are from Italy, France, California and Washington, and some are even organic. The waitress wasn't really offering her recommendations, which added another negative point to her scorecard, but Winette gave me all the recommendation I needed. She steered me in the right direction with the wine and more importantly, with the food.

After I ate half of the pizza she ordered (having no intention of splitting it with me in the first place), I wasn't starving but wanted to try one more small plate. Winette pointed at the baked spinach with shaved parmesan reggiano and said it was excellent. I'm not going to lie, thoughts of spinach and cream goo started racing through my head, but I trusted her and tried it anyway. And I am so happy I did. The spinach looked and tasted like it was just picked off the farm. It was cooked to the perfect temperature, and the thinly shaved parmesan started melting in between its leaves. You could still make out that it was indeed spinach, which is a good sign when you cook these overly sensitive greens.

Despite my wait for the bartender's attention, I would definitely return to Quartino with friends or a date. Its dimly lit space with dark wood panelling and mirrors makes it a romantic spot, and I hear the garden in the back is cozy too.

*cash only*
11 Bleecker St, between Lafayette and Bowery
(212) 529-5133

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Bouchon Bakery

Swimster and I broke up a few months ago. It was a really hard time for both of us, but as the saying goes, time does heal everything and I think we're both doing really well on our own. He spent the summer in London working and as a sort of "last supper," or in this case lunch, he took me to Bouchon Bakery to bid me, and us, farewell. I suggested we do lunch because I knew I'd be less tempted to order alcohol, and consequently less likely to get emotional and teary-eyed over food.

Bouchon Bakery is Thomas Keller's latest New York endeavor and it seems to be doing very well. The French word "bouchon" describes a particular style of cafe that exists in the province of Lyon. It also means "stopper," but I don't think that's what Keller was really going for with his restaurant's name.

I arrived at Columbus Circle a few minutes early and thought I'd window shop (since that's all I can afford to do at CC), but I noticed a guy in khakis who seemed out of place, standing with a big ol' Speedo swim bag draped over his shoulder. Swimster is always punctual. I, on the other hand, am not so much. I think it's genetic. The big blue bag had all my duds in it from his apartment. It was my sign this was really it. We hugged and hopped on the escalator, not really knowing what floor we were headed to. As it turns out, we walked right past Bouchon Bakery and kept going up. I noticed a closed off section on one level that had tables and people eating, but thought it couldn't be Bouchon Bakery. It almost looked like a makeshift restaurant, like there had been a fire at Per Se or Masa and they set up a temporary dining area. So up we went. When we started getting weird looks from security guards on the top level, and when we realized we were the only people on that level, we turned around and headed back down. Swimster asked a lady where we could find Bouchon Bakery and she said, "You're lookin' at it."

We took our seats on the edge of the balcony that looked out over the lower levels of the shops and onto the massive Time Warner Center windows that let you see all the way down Central Park South. There's nothing wrong with seats with a view. Despite our spot hovering over the midtown mecca, I wasn't crazy about the set up. I know it's not as important as the quality of the food, but I care a lot about atmosphere and it's hard to create that in the middle of what really is a mall, albeit a fancy, urban one.

In less than two minutes I went against my original plan of avoiding alcohol and ordered a glass of Sancerre. I saw the couple sitting next to us sipping theirs and I gave in. I have no willpower. After looking at the rather small menu, Swimster and I decided to start with the chef's selection of three cheeses served with honeycomb, candied walnuts and cranberry currant and walnut bread. The coolest thing on this plate was the honeycomb. You had to use your knife to dig out the honey oozing from the combs - a definite first for both of us. And our waitress was nice enough to offer us more bread when the bread ran out before the cheese.

For our main plates Swimster ordered rillettes aux deux saumons, or fresh and smoked salmon rillettes with toasted croutons. This was another adventure. Rillettes, which I didn't know, is the term for meat prepared in a particular way. It's slowly cooked in seasoned fat and then pounded into a paste. The mixture is then packed in small ramekins and covered with a thin layer of fat. Swimster had a choice if he wanted the butter on top or not and we both said, "Bring on the butter." I would definitely go here again and order this as an appetizer to share with someone. Forget my sandwich. All I wanted to do was reach across the table and eat all of Swimster's salmon. I loved how it was sliced and diced and served ice cold. I ordered the roast turkey on Palladin with honey mustard, mayonnaise, whipped brie cheese and Bibb lettuce. Did you get all that? It was quite a mouthful. The turkey tasted like it was sliced right off the bird, a la Thanksgiving leftovers. The bread was the highlight of the sandwich. The slices were extra thick and buttery. I must say I would have liked more of the whipped brie on the sandwich.

Swimster and I were stuffed from our lunch feast, though somehow when we walked over to the take out and bakery counter, we found some extra space to split a big chocolate chip cookie and a chocolate bouffon. The cookie was nothing spectacular but the bouffon is a definite must. It looks like a small circular brownie, but tastes a thousand times better. It was soft and almost raw in the middle and they douse it with powdered sugar. Winette told me she ordered lunch from Bouchon one day at work, and when I returned to my desk from a quick break, I found a warm bouchon resting on a napkin next to my keyboard. It may as well have had a sign on it that said "devour me." It was a special treat and a special reminder of my last meal with Swimster.

10 Columbus Circle, near 59th St., 3rd Fl
212-823-9366

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Pure Food and Wine

My friend PepperChick called to tell me she was in town from Florida. I was shocked and extremely excited and knew I had to plan a fun night for us. She warned me she had a lot of work events, and she wouldn't have a full evening to devote to "girls' night out" festivities, but at least we could squeeze in some quality conversation time to catch up on the past five years of our lives.

PepperChick mentioned she was staying in the Murray Hill area so I looked up a few places around there and opted for Pure Food and Wine, mainly for their outdoor seating area that sounded like an al fresco aficionado's dream.

Pure Food and Wine is down a small set of steps from the street. There's a hostess stand to your immediate right and the dining area is one large, open room. It's packed with tables but not so much that it feels cramped. There was nothing remarkable or spectacular about the setting. I liked that. They keep things pure and simple. The small square-shaped bar had just enough seats for me and PepperChick on one side and a few other girls on the other side. I didn't mind having my personal bar, but knew it was like this only because it was a slow night. If it was a crowded night, I imagine I'd have to do some extra batting of the eyelashes to get my drink.

photo courtesy of purefoodandwine.com

Despite the very good looking bartender who made us two fabulous mojitos, the bar wasn't what we were there for. After round one of gab, we asked the hostess if our table was ready and with a nod of her head she swept us away to our outdoor table.

The outdoor is a cross between a spa and a garden dining area. The sleek stones and tables and wooden borders made me feel like we were at a mountain ski resort. I felt there should have been some jacuzzis or hot tubs outside. PFW's patio is the best and biggest outdoor garden I've eaten at in Manhattan, so if outdoor dining is what you're seeking, look no further. Like the indoor area, the dominant color at PFW is red. I loved the red walls, loved the red chairs, loved the red cushions, loved it.

photo courtesy of purefoodandwine.com

But there's one thing you should know about PFW before you go, and it's rather embarrassing I didn't know this going in. I'm supposed to be the restaurant guru. I'm supposed to know what's hot and what's not, what's the latest and greatest in the New York City dining world. And if I don't, I'm certainly supposed to do the research necessary to find out anything and everything about a restaurant before I plan a group dinner there. Something very crucial slipped my food-ar. And that's what kind of food PFW serves. When we glanced at the menu it looked vegetarian, make that vegan. When we asked the waitress, sure enough, PFW serves only "raw" foods. What is that, you ask? They keep all ingredients under 118 degrees. This preserves the food's natural enzymes which catalyze digestion, and they leave out wheat, dairy, soy and refined sugars. It was going to be an interesting dinner.

It took us a few minutes to adjust to the menu choices, and without any raw food experience under our belts, we had to ask the waitress for her recommendations. For starters we tried a baby fennel and red shiso tart with almond crust and almond truffle cream, and marinated shiitake and avocado sushi rolls with pink pickled ginger, sesame, and dulse. The tart was soft, crumbly and delicate but on the bland side. The fennel and truffle cream was almost too much sweetness for me to handle. The "sushi" was very fresh and healthy - feeling, but not so high on the taste-o-meter. If you only eat raw foods, sure, this is a good variation on the sushi roll; but if you're used to the real thing, stick to it.

For my entree I chose the beet and coconut noodle pad Thai with basil, scallion, and salted cashews for my entree. Pepperchick was doing more drinking than eating so she just nibbled on whatever came to the table. Carebear and her hubbie joined us and ordered the wild rice and mushroom risotto with marinated dinosaur kale, portabella-truffle foam, and chives and a zucchini and golden tomato lasagna, with basil-pistachio pesto, sun-dried tomato sauce and pignoli ricotta. The pad Thai was very satisfying, though I admit I missed my usual chunks of chicken. The "noodles" were angel hair- thin and slightly crunchy and the sauce had a spicy kick to it. Carebear's "risotto" surprisingly had the texture of risotto but was slightly lacking in flavor. It seems if you're not used to the raw food way, the flavors are slightly lacking. I didn't get a taste of her hubbie's lasagna but judging by his comment, "I need to go get a burrito," he did not have a sufficiency.

Pure Food and Wine was a very unique and unexpected dining experience, to say the least. I will not hurry back just because the diet is not for me. But for anyone who has friends that are vegetarian, you'll win the "friend of the month" award when you offer to take them here. If you're a carnivore like me, just make sure you snack on a big juicy burrito before you go and you'll be fine sipping on the mojitos and snacking in the raw.

54 Irving Pl, between 17th & 18th St
212-477-1010

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