Blue Smoke is an Infatuation favorite, and has been since we lived in the neighborhood a few years back and visited nearly every week. Not only does the food at Blue Smoke still stand up to the newer BBQ joints in town (Hill Country, Wildwood), but it also has a great bar, which touts their very own house beer and an amazing selection of whisky, scotch, and bourbon. Whatever your company, come with hungry people and don’t plan a big night after … this isn’t light eating. Not only is the BBQ great, but don’t miss the appetizers or the ridiculously good deserts.
When news broke last week that Lamazou’s owners Aziz and Nancy (Lamazou) had leased space to open a restaurant, we thought two things: hell yes, and we are stupid. How on earth had we gone so long without posting this review?
Years ago when I lived in the neighborhood, I wandered into this nondescript cheese shop and ordered a sandwich off the list. I quickly realized that what I held in my hand was a perfectly assembled fistful of cured meat, cheese and bread that would be the start of a long and fulfilling relationship with Lamazou. From that day forward, this place was a three day a week meal stop, and over the years I managed to eat my way through damn near everything in the deli case.
What you’ll find at Lamazou is not only an incredible selection of cheeses (there is a cheese cave in the basement), but also various high quality cured meats. Both selections are incredible in their own right, but the real magic comes when the two are combined to make bomb ass sandwiches. Aziz is always happy to recommend something from the menu, and he’ll also point you in the direction of what goodness in the cheese case is particularly off the hook…whether you ask or not. That’s exactly the kind of personality and passion that makes this place amazing. Also present are various imported snacks and candies from around the world that I can neither pronounce or identify, but they’re all interesting and tasty. Especially Taytos. Thanks England for giving me a way to order your potato chips without having to say the word “crisps”.
It has come to our attention that surprsingly few people that we know, know about Les Halles. Even card carrying Infatuation Platinum Diners rarely speak of the place, which is curious, because it’s our kind of restaurant. It’s simple, it’s inviting, and what they do, they do well.
Now, ask anyone with basic cable and spice rack about Bobby Flay and they should be able to spit out something about Mesa Grill…maybe even Bar Americain. But ask those same people about Anthony Bourdain, and unless they read Kitchen Confidential, I doubt you’ll hear much about Les Halles. Bourdain spent many years as the restaurant’s executive chef, and it’s still his “home base” according to the restaurant. So, if you count yourself among those who haven’t been, allow us to elaborate.
If what you know of Bourdain is entirely based on No Reservations, you might expect that a restaurant under his watch would be all about ethnic food, random animal parts, and booze (which, now that I think about it, would be amazing). But Les Halles is a straightforward French bistro, and it’s all about the steaks and the fries. The important thing to know if you’re going is this: don’t fuck around. Don’t go if you’re planning to skip the red meat and order a salad and a piece of salmon. Don’t go if you’re expecting four star French service and finger sandwiches. Go if you’re hungry for a steak and feel like working on a mid-day wine buzz. That’s how you do it.
The owners of Penelope must have good connections at City Hall. That or they found a loophole the zoning code requiring all Murray Hill restaurants to have at least six flat screen televisions on each wall. They have also somehow figured out how to run a successful establishment in the neighborhood that doesn’t primarily serve Tasty D-Lite.
Penelope is a comfortable little establishment on a quiet stretch of Lexington Ave, devoid of LCD TVs and sporting a comfortable country house feel to it. They do simple food like a killer mac and cheese, a chicken meatball sandwich, and a decent burger – along with several other gems. Brunch is excellent, but can be a bit crazy. Dinner is a little more reserved and is a great option if you feel like some decent eats and a reasonably priced bottle of wine without a scene. If you live in the ‘hood, the sandwiches deliver well, and it’s usually quick. Also, don’t sleep on the home made baked goods.
Let’s kick off this review with a few questions. Are you a dude? Is it February? Have you been fasting for any reason recently? If you answer yes to any of those questions, go ahead and add one full point to our Infatuation Meter rating. Resto is a Belgian “gastro pub”, and the menu is (apparently) very Belgian. The food is very heavy as are most of the beers, and it’s definitely a place more suited to getting drunk and gorging yourself during a blizzard than it is to a date. The burger is pretty damn good, as is the beer selection and many of the unique menu items including the pig’s head sandwich … yeah, you heard me. Unfortunately, Resto can be hit or miss, and lately it’s been a ghost town, leading us to believe they would be well advised to throw in some lighter options to balance the heavy fare.
