Marea is one of those restaurants, like Eleven Madison Park, you walk into knowing damn well it’s going to be incredible. The food, especially the aforementioned pasta, is exquisite. A few of the dishes, including the lobster burrata, the fusili with octopus (and bone marrow), and the steak are among the best things we’ve eaten all year. Service is top notch as well – the staff know the menu inside and out, and they take excellent care of you. But for all that talk about pasta, it’s good to know this: Marea is a Quality Fish restaurant first, Italian restaurant second. To properly indulge, you’ve gotta be willing to strap on the scuba gear and eat whatever swims your way.

There are two ways to approach a Marea experience, and both are the tasting menu…it just depends on what time of day you want to eat like a baller. For lunch, the two course $42 tasting menu is a steal. That’s a better deal than what you find at most boring ass midtown business lunch destinations. Dinner is almost affordable at $89 a person for a four course tasting menu and a meal of this caliber. Ordering a la carte is always an option as well, but with such a deep menu, you’re going to be better served trying as many things as possible.

Food Rundown:

Tonno
As a rule of thumb, if ordering a la carte, go heavy on the generous antipasti and pastas and easy on the overpriced crudo dishes. This crudo plate of raw big eye tuna with oyster crema and crispy artichokes is tasty and most definitely worthy of consideration, even if the portion is small.

Passer
A Long Island fluke crudo in lemon thyme and olive oil. A little boring somehow…I’d skip this next time.

Astice (crudo)
If you dig raw lobster this is for you – bite sized pieces of Nova Scotia lobster, sun dried tomatoes, olives, and plum. If you like your lobster cooked, go with the Astice off the antipasti menu, which is amazing.

Astice (antipasti)
This dish is incredible. I don’t even like cheese, but I loved this. Nova Scotia lobster, fresh burrata, eggplant and basil. A must order.

Polipo
This grilled octopus would be the best thing on the menu if it weren’t for so many other best things on the menu…like the pastas and the steak (see below). Served with smoked potatoes and pickled red onion, this creation is a perfectly crafted balance of beautiful flavors and presentation.

Moleche
Is there a better season than soft-shell crab season? Aside from football season, no. Check this guy out. He’s the man. A full semolina-dusted soft-shell crab with marinated cucumber, mandarin yogurt, and almonds. Yum.

Ferratini
As previously alluded to, the pastas at Marea, just like at White’s other excellent restaurants, Convivio and Alto are the star. This one is a penne like style pasta with manila clams, calamari and hot chilies. Spicy and delicious.

Fusilli
If you’re forced to decide on one pasta, this should be it. This shit is straight up dreamy. Fusili with red wine braised octopus and bone marrow. Ridiculous.

Spaghetti
Another mind numbing pasta concoction of fresh cut semolina pasta, crab, Santa Barbara sea urchin and basil. So good.

Spada
For the not-so-adventurous, feel free to roll with this grilled Hawaiian swordfish. It’s a little less exciting than the rest of the menu, but it’s a great piece of fish and will get the job done.

Capesantein
I’m not going to lie, the scallops were a bit disappointing. They were cooked perfectly and presented well, but there was something a little overbearing going on with the sauce. Not sure exactly what part of the pancetta, spring garlic, candied orange or brown butter sugo that threw me off, but something was funky.

Bistecca
Holy cow. This steak right here is incredible, and is the best single bite of meat I’ve eaten all year. A grilled Creekstone Farms sirloin that’s been dry aged for 50 days, and comes to your table with a delicious, marbelized bone marrow panzanella glaze. It’s worth all $49, almost a buck for every day of dry aging.

At Le Relais de Venise, there is only one thing on the menu. It’s a three course meal that costs $24 and consists of the following: salad, steak, and frites. Loyalists maintain that this is a fantastic deal for a really good steak – and waitresses in French maid outfits seem to always get a mention. In reality, this is mediocre steak smothered in “secret” sauce to compensate for the fact that it’s tough and chewy. Kind of like what McDonald’s does with the McRib. If you ask us, we’d rather spend $22.50 on the Steak au Poive and frites at Les Halles – better price, better steak, better fries.

Food Rundown:

Steak Dinner
This begins with a salad topped with walnuts and a mustard vinaigrette. Not bad at all, but let’s not throw points on the board for a pile of greens. Fries come out hot, and are crispy, salty and good. The steak is served sliced and covered in a secret brown sauce. It’s definitely not the worst meal you’ll ever eat, but like we said…you can do better for the money.

We do have to say though, that mussels are probably not something that should be all you can eat. There is something unsettling about consuming very large quantities of mollusks in one sitting. A two-pound pot of mussels is a lot of food, and to some people, “all you can eat” might as well be a dare. We’re told that the record holder at BXL put down eleven pounds of the suckers in one sitting…and didn’t die. In some cultures that will either get you appointed king or drowned in a river for being a demon. At BXL I think it gets you a second Stella.

Food Rundown:

Moules
There are a few sauce options to choose from, and our favorites are the Marinières (white wine, shallots), Provençale (tomato, garlic, basil) and the Marocaine (green olive, cilantro, tomato). If you’re going all you can eat, the first pot is a two pounder, and all pots after are one. We recommend you drink a bunch of Duvels and challenge some co-workers to an eating competition.

Hamburger BXL
A pretty straightforward burger on a soft bun. We always find it well cooked and generally decent.

Croque Monsieur
Some people take their croque monsieurs very seriously. We are not those people, so we can’t speak for the hardcore devotionists…but we like this sandwich at BXL. Perfectly crunchy bread and a lot of cheesy goodness make for really good comfort food.

Croque Madame
A Croque Monsieur with a fried egg on top. There is no way to eat that and not feel bad about yourself.

Photo Credit: ny.eater.com

Food Rundown:

Kanpachi Usuzukuri
Amberjack sashimi with yuzu pepper. This is in the yellowtail family, and is ridiculously good. The yuzu adds a bit of a kick, and has a little citrus to it, which makes for a tasty appetizer.

Kani Sunomono
Blue crab rolls wrapped in cucumber and drenched in a ponzu sauce. We recently had a waiter highly recommend these, but they’re not all that. Tasty for sure, but save the dollars for something else.

Oxtail Fried Rice
This might be the greatest fried rice on earth. It’s a good sized serving of oxtail fried rice with an omelet on top. Inside the omelet? Bone marrow. An absolute must order.

Yaki Hama
Baked clams in miso butter. These are amazing, but you’ll wish that there were more than four on the plate, and you’ll wish they weren’t four bucks each.

Smoked Pork Belly Kushi Yaki
Like the fried rice, this is a good sized serving (rare for this place), and is another must order. Basically a pot of pulled pork served with rice and hot sauce. Get it.

Fried Chicken “Blue Ribbon Style”
Very similar to the signature Blue Ribbon Brasserie version, but with wasabi added to the honey. The chicken is perfect, and the honey has a strong wasabi kick that makes it even better. This is outrageously good.

Photo Credit: Daniel Krieger

Food Rundown:

Oysters
A nice selection of selection of fresh oysters from New Brunswick, Washington and Massachusetts. Ever since we got back from New Orleans, all we want to do is drink beer and eat oysters. This city needs better oyster bars.

King Crab
We got a whole leg and claw (a quarter pound) for thirteen dollars. That’s actually a decent deal. Served cold, the presentation was cool and the accompanying calamari mayo was good too. We would definitely order this again.

Fluke
Nice sized chunks of fluke sashimi served in a pineapple and herb glaze. We really enjoyed the flavor combination of the citrus and fish, but really? This is what I’m eating at Momofuku? This appetizer is more expensive than everything on the Noodle Bar menu, and it just doesn’t fully satisfy. Where my pork buns at?

Asparagus Salad
It’s asparagus season, which means the vegetable is everywhere, and our pee smells. This salad was pretty good, and it better be for eighteen bucks. Diced asparagus are served with crab and egg yolk, and topped off with some salty little potato chips. Not bad at all, but a tough dish to eat with chopsticks. More on that below.

Mussels
Deep down, I was hoping that this was going to be THE reason to come to Má Pêche. Chang was going to invent the most delicious and unhealthy mussel I’ve ever had. He would maybe steam them, then bake them, then deep fry them and serve them with a crazy combination of pork belly, cornflakes, peppers and hot sauce. He didn’t. These mussels are good, but totally standard and run-of-the-mill, even with the presence of crab paste and beer batter. I had better mussels a couple of weeks ago at Prune.

Pork Ribs
Another dish I thought would be legendary and wasn’t. These pork ribs are decent, but again, not the kind of dish we expect by the swine master himself. I’ve had these three times now, and each time they’ve been consistently wet, gooey and slimy.

Rice Noodles with Spicy Pork
This is the most “Momofuku” dish on the menu. It’s similar to the spicy pork sausage and rice cakes entree at Ssam, but is somehow not as satisfying. Those rice cakes are truly special, and the rice noodles here just aren’t.

Short Ribs
I get that Chang likes his chopsticks, but most of these dishes would be better suited for a knife and fork. In this case, you’re served a nice sized bowl of savory short ribs in a thin stew of carrots and spaetzle. The meat was great – soft, tender and quite tasty – it’s just really hard to sop up all the goodness of this dish using chopsticks.

There aren’t all that many steakhouses that meet our Infatuation standards for high quality and low quantity of business class asshats. Quality Meats is one of those places, and is precisely why we needed this new tag. Even though it’s in Midtown, this multi-level meat market serves up one of our favorite steaks in town, and it’s not what you might expect from a steakhouse in the area. Though they aren’t nearly on the same level, Quality Meats has a downtown aesthetic in the vein of Gramercy’s BLT Prime, just a little louder and heavier on the testosterone. This definitely isn’t a quiet dinner over a steak. This is where you kick off your bachelor party. You’re going to Abe & Arthur’s after aren’t you? She’s a lucky girl.

Food Rundown:

Oysters
As good an oyster selection as you’ll find at any steak house. Last time through we had some great Fisher Islands.

Steak Tartare
We love this presentation. The chopped meat arrives at your table surrounded by additional toppings and fixins so that you can prepare it yourself. Go ahead an mix up a meat cocktail truely your own. So what if you’re ordering steak for dinner?

The QM Crabcake
I love eating crab cakes before a steak dinner. Large, easy to share and very well executed, this $21 monster was actually worth the price. Especially if someone else is paying.

Seared Diver Scallops
Definitely not the reason to come here, but at $18, this appetizer is a good value. There are like seven scallops on the plate. That’s a lot of scallops for the price, and it’s an excellent dish to share.

Filet Mignon/Bone-In Sirloin
The 12oz filet is really big, as you would expect for $43. Served on a plate by its lonesome, it looks a lot better when surrounded by a couple of sides. Especially the corn creme brulee. If deciding between the filet and bone-in sirloin, i’d personally go sirloin every time. There’s something about the rich flavor of a bone-in steak, especially this one at Quality Meats, that sets it apart.

Double Rib Steak 64oz (for two)
While the bone-in sirloin and filet are both solid, this monster is the main attraction. An enormous cut of meat that gets prepared table side, this beautifully charred masterpiece is as good as it gets. So big you’ll swear it’s not cow, but rather a nice cut of rhinoceros.

Corn Creme Brulee
If there existed an all-star team for side dishes, this would be in the starting lineup, voted in by the fans. A nice play on creamed corn that’s tasty and unique. This is a must order.

Gnocchi and Cheese
Another recommended side, this is a fun take on mac ‘n cheese that’s worth ordering if for no other reason than to talk about it. It’s tasty, though it could use a little more seasoning.

Yorkshire Creamed Spinach
Pretty standard for steakhouse creamed spinach, but also very good.

Pan Roasted Crispy Potatoes
Our favorite of the potato offerings.

]]> http://www.immaculateinfatuation.com/2010/04/quality-meats/feed/ 0 http://www.immaculateinfatuation.com/2010/04/a-voce-columbus/ http://www.immaculateinfatuation.com/2010/04/a-voce-columbus/#comments Mon, 05 Apr 2010 04:01:01 +0000 Andrew Steinthal http://www.immaculateinfatuation.com/?p=4088 We have a new rule here at Immaculate Infatuation. No taking escalators to dinner. Why? Think about where are you likely to be if you’re on an escalator – an airport, an office building, a filthy subway, Disney World…or maybe a mall. In none of those situations are you likely to be scooting your way to an awesome meal. Guess what the Time Warner Center is? A mall…with a really expensive food court.

Considering this new rule, we have adjusted our scientific rating formula (see The Meatball Shop) to reflect a minimum two point deduction for making us ride an escalator to a meal. Therefore, every restaurant located in the Time Warner Center will receive a maximum 8.0. What’s that you say? Per Se is located in Time Warner Center and it’s the best restaurant on earth? It’s also 200 yards from a J-Crew and on the other end of a three escalator ride. No 10 spot for you.

The original A Voce in Gramercy holds one of the highest ratings on this site. It’s a go-to on Date Night or for Dinner With The Parents, and a spot we always suggest with confidence. The Columbus Circle (mall) incarnation serves a very similar menu of the rich, egg heavy pastas and entrees that lean more towards New American than Italian. Unfortunately, this A Voce just isn’t quite on the same level as the original. That sick view of Central Park doesn’t make up for the fact that the service is less impressive and the food doesn’t come out of the kitchen with the same gusto. That said, we’re still talking about a high quality restaurant here, and overall, we like it. Make note that most of the food is better suited for a taste than entire serving, so go with a group and sample a good portion of the menu. Just make sure your people are prepared for three floors of escalator climbing and maybe a little post-meal browse of the Sephora down the hall.

Food Rundown:

Insalata di scarola
An escarole salad with warm pancetta vinaigrette, soft boiled farm egg and pecorino romano. This was a nice sized appetizer salad that would have been excellent, but it was swimming in too much dressing.

Cavatelli
Small shell-like pasta with brussels sprouts, bacon, Sicilian almonds and whipped sheeps milk ricotta. The ricotta makes this dish quite dense and heavy, so all you really need are a couple of bites. Also, if you’re not into smokey, avoid this – the smoked bacon taste is pretty intense.

Pappardelle
Pappardelle is my favorite kind of pasta because the long, broad noodles can be wound up on your fork to create the perfect sized bite. Also, there’s usually some ridiculous slow cooked meat accompanying it. In this case was braised rabbit with hen of the woods mushrooms, rosemary and parmigiano reggiano. Definitely order this. That rabbit is incredibly tasty.

Spaghetti alla Chitarra
Similar to the Malloreddus we recently experienced at Convivio, this spaghetti with crab, leeks and sea urchin was a big hit. The flavors worked really well together and it was definitely nice to eat something on the lighter side, as most of the pasta dishes here would make even CC Sabathia feel full.

Trota alla Griglia
While a couple of the other entrees are a bit boring, the trout is surprisingly good. Coupled with fingerling potatoes and bitter greens, it comes in an addicting anchovy vinaigrette that even the anchovy averse will like. This is a mainstay at A Voce and you’ll find it on the brunch, lunch and dinner menus.

Brasato
We found this braised beef cheek pretty to be surprisingly unexciting. Served with root vegetable soffritto and marrow, this somehow lacked flavor and could have benefited from a heavier hand with the seasoning.

Salmon
I had the salmon for lunch recently and was impressed. The flavors were spot on and the fish was fresh and prefectly cooked. It takes a lot to impress with us with salmon, but this did the trick.

Keens is as Old New York as you can get. Open since 1885, this place is loaded with history. It’s pretty much the Museum of Natural Meat Eating History. Before it was open to the public, Keens was a members only hangout; a Soho House of sorts for NYC’s most powerful including Teddy Roosevelt and Babe Ruth. 115 years and counting, Keens is still home to one of this city’s best steaks. So good in fact, it’s in our top five NYC steakhouses along with Luger’s, Striphouse, Dylan Prime and Quality Meats.

Food Rundown:

Oysters
If you haven’t noticed, we’re obsessed with oysters. Considering that Keens is a steakhouse, these are pretty damn good.

Maryland Lump Crabcakes
Most steakhouses take pride in their crabcakes, so it was no surprise to learn that Keens, cakes are top notch. You can’t go wrong with a couple of tasty crab cakes to start.

“Legendary” Mutton Chop
Navigating through a menu of meat can be a little overwhelming. With so many attractive options, what should you get? There are three standout cuts at Keens and it all starts with the Mutton Chop, one of the best pieces of meat your mouth will ever have the privilege of tasting. A mutton chop is lamb saddle. While it may not sound like much, it’s absolutely incredible. Juicy, tender and fatty, the Mutton Chop alone is worth the trip. Make sure to experiment with the mint jelly.

Aged Prime Porterhouse for Two
Although you really can’t go wrong with any of their beef, the porterhouse is our favorite cut. This heavenly piece of mammal arrives charred on the outside and perfectly medium rare on the inside. Porterhouse lovers love to debate whether this is better than Peter Lugers’. We’re going to call it a tie, as we’d happily take either down any day of the week.

Prime Rib of Beef, King’s Cut
If you don’t have anyone to split the porterhouse with, the prime rib king’s cut is the way to go. Dry aged, bone in beef that will leave you happy and five pounds heavier.

Burger
If you’re looking for a good burger before or after an event at Madison Square Garden, don’t waste your time at Stout. Take a walk north to Keens and grab a table in their pub room. The burger is what you’d expect at an old-school steakhouse. A no frills, sirloin based beef patty that’s incredibly juicy and very good.

Sides
Creamed Spinach and French Fries are our two Keens go-to’s. Most of their sides are solid, so you can’t really go wrong.

Hot Fudge Sundae
The perfect end to a perfect meal.

So why did we end up spending valuable time and hard earned money evaluating a place nobody is talking about? An expert. A friend of ours who was born in Saigon and raised in Cali had heard great things and been aching to stack it up against mom’s cooking. We jumped at the opportunity to bear witness to proper judgement, and came away with the following conclusion: Le Colonial is legit. Yes it’s expensive, and yes it feels a little stuffy. But the food is delicious, (mostly) authentic, and the service is great. So now that you’ve heard about it here, go eat at Le Colonial and help it get some cool back. We’re sure they would appreciate it.

Food Rundown:

Goi CuonAlso known as the summer roll. Herbs, vermecelli, and shrimp rolled up in a rice wrapper and served with peanut dipping sauce on the side. Reason #1 why it’s good to roll with an expert? An offbeat request for a side of chili garlic sauce to mix in with the peanut sauce took these to another level. They hold up well while you eat them and are about as fresh as food gets.