Kingswood

We were chowing down at P.J. Carney's in midtown, negating everything we had worked off in sweat and pain at NYAC across the street. One of my friends TheDude inquired about my blog and how it was going.

"If you ever need a date, Mona, to try new restaurants, I'm your man. I'm up for anything anytime," he said.

I had no idea TheDude was such a foodie until he started rattling off all of his favorite steakhouses in the city, and what constituted the perfect burger. We agreed on the juicy factor and the bun factor. Maybe I should keep him around.

While I have a crew that I eat out with quasi-regularly, I don't have one person, per se, who I'd call to meet me within a moment's notice to try a new spot. I know I can count on Winette when it comes to wine bars and apps, FoxyLady when it comes to pizza or pasta, and Fashionista when it comes to steak and burgers. And as far as guys go, several know about my blog, but many aren't as enthusiastic about eating out as I am, until I met TheDude.

Shortly after our P.J.'s discussion, TheDude and I decided to rally a small crew of four for dinner. He invited his friend LoveLight and I invited Fashionista. It was a sort of experiment, to see if we all got along and to see if we were food compatible. If we were, then we would make dinner a recurring affair.

I first discovered Kingswood because of UrbanDaddy, and when I read "inside beer garden," I was hooked. This would be our first dining adventure.

Of course I show up and Fashionista, TheDude and LoveLight are sitting happily at the bar, sipping on their cocktails, waiting for my arrival. I have been better this year about punctuality, I promise. I was only a few minutes late. Fashionista had her dirty martini in hand (another reason why we're friends) and the boys had their beers. TheDude introduced me to his friend LoveLight and I ordered a martini before the hostess escorted us to our table in the back.


It was as if we had all taken a big jump into a sepia-toned picture a la Mary Poppins stepping into the sidewalk art and disappearing into an imaginary world. The fake windows in the back gave off a golden brown light and the result was a warm and cozy charm. We settled in immediately. The table was an extra large picnic table, minus the benches, and I worried dinner would turn out to be a communal affair. Once we sat down, however, I barely noticed who was sitting next to us. The tables were so gigantic it felt like the couple was miles away and I barely heard them utter a peep all night.

The windows were beautiful, almost like we were in a museum. There appeared to be dried plants behind the windows that gave it a sort of "Secret Garden" feel.

TheDude started us off with a bottle of red. If you ever want to try a bottle of wine that you're sure to remember, order You Are So Nice. All of us were big fans. And it's guaranteed you won't forget its name at the wine shop like you forget that movie you've been dying to rent when you walk into Blockbuster.


"So how do you guys know each other?" I asked LoveLight.

"We lived in Singapore together when we were..."

I know the ex-pat ties. They create borderless and timeless bonds. LoveLight didn't have to say much else beyond this. I knew I liked him already. Even though my family lived in Paris over 15 years ago, there are a handful of people I still talk to and see on a regular basis. I think one classmate from the American School of Paris finds me on Facebook per day.

There's something about living in a foreign country in your tweens that brings you closer to your classmates than any public or private school can in the States. And I believe, compared to kids who never leave the country, that you start out with a deeper understanding of the world, a greater tolerance for differences and then of course, there's that travel bug that just never goes away until you return overseas for work or for pleasure, for a couple weeks at a time or on permanent hiatus. I'd prefer to go permanently.

LoveLight informed us that he had just moved from San Diego and we all chimed in that he was in for quite the culture shock. Hopefully a few nights out and some excellent food will break him in quickly. Then again, the kid lived in Singapore. He's got to be pretty adaptable.

Looking over the menu there were a lot of things we wanted to try. So we went for the gusto and ordered three appetizers. The mussels...


a wild mushroom risotto with garlic and ricotta, or a risotto smorgasbord. This dish is to risotto as Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia is to ice cream. There was so much going on in this risotto I loved it. Mushrooms of all shapes and sizes made this a risotto I thoroughly enjoyed, and I don't typically like risotto. It was really rich and perfect to share by the spoonful with company.


The risotto and mussels were accompanied by a delicious crab linguini with garlic, chili, parsley and cherry tomatoes. The pasta was cooked perfectly and the crab was very fresh. This was probably my favorite thing of the entire meal, which was a nice surprise. I'm always afraid to order pasta in non-Italian restaurants.


Lovelight and I both tried the steak sandwich as the main meal. I really don't know what they were thinking here. The bread was plain and barely toasted. The steak was bland as all get out. It may as well have been served on a bed of Saltines. And the julienned vegetables did nothing for the steak. It was like dry vegetables+dry steak+dry bread = serious dry mouth. Somebody get me some wine or water, please. The best thing on this plate were the chips.


TheDude chose wisely. He ordered the roast pork loin with mushroom polenta, roasted apple and bean sprouts. He was like a little kid who got all As on his report card. He wouldn't zip it about getting the best thing on the menu.

"Mine's the best."

Yes, we know.

"I picked the best thing on the menu."

Ok. Do you want a free shot or something?

"Dinner was OK, except mine. Mine was awesome."

What was that about food compatibility? TheDude had a little food gloating problem. But yes, he was absolutely right. The pork was juicy and tender and the polenta made the dish a perfect blend of savory and sweet. I wish we could have exchanged our meals for his, but it was too late.

Fashionista ordered the rib-eye steak, with herb butter and macaroni and three cheeses. The mac and cheese wasn't so bad, though a little heavy on the gooey cheese. It was almost like soup. The steak's picture is worth a thousand words. Look at all that fat. For $27, I certainly expected a prettier, more eater-friendly steak than this. Sorry Fashionista. I guess we'll just have to stick to Freemans when it comes to steak.


For dessert we tried the chocolate fondant with Earl Grey ice cream. I don't have to look up this dessert to know it is supposed to be a lava cake, exploding with chocolate that's barely been cooked. But just so I could confirm I wasn't completely losing my mind, I looked it up. Yes, this is a dessert that is only meant to be cooked for a few minutes and the inside is supposed to be liquid. The staff at Kingswood clearly missed this memo. It tasted like a sugarless, over-cooked brownie. And I'm not sure what they were aiming for with the Earl Grey ice cream, but it tasted like vanilla.

Kingswood started off like gangbusters. We were psyched about our drinks, the wine and the appetizers. But dinner is a marathon, not a sprint. After the last bite of risotto, it was all downhill from there. What a disappointment. I was excited to try Kingswood ever since I read about it on UrbanDaddy months ago. It's billed as a combo of Australian and American cuisine. I wonder what local Aussies think about this. If Kingswood is representative of the kind of food served in Sydney, maybe I should re-think my plan of moving there someday.

121 W. 10th St., at Greenwich Ave.
212-645-0044