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.

In fairness to the Momofuku Ko system, it’s actually a very democratic, albeit competitive process for securing a reservation. No special treatment, no secret phone number, just log onto the website and pray that one of the 70 available dinner seatings for the week will be open. Repeat. Should you manage to secure a reservation, this is what you need to know. It’s going to be an expensive meal. It’s $125 per person just to eat dinner, and drinking will cost you quite a bit more. That hefty price tag affords you very little in the way of traditional luxuries. No white tablecloths (no tables, actually), no doting waiters, and no busboys with breadcrumb scrapers. Just a front row seat to some of the most creative cooking you can find anywhere…and some really good tunes. If you’re expecting fine dining for that kind of money and want to show off your new boat shoes at dinner, allow us to suggest Eleven Madison Park. We love that place too. But if you’re looking to put a notch in your culinary experience belt, Momofuku Ko has to be on your list. Good luck getting in.

Photo Credit: Noah Kalina

Food Rundown:

Our standard food rundown seemed inappropriate for a Momofuku Ko meal. Part of the experience is sitting down and having your mind blown by the unexpected. Plus it doesn’t seem fair to rave about something that may or may not be on the menu when you visit. However, there are a few things that will definitely happen that we can touch on.

You will have somewhere in the neighborhood of ten to twelve courses.

One of those courses will have frozen, grated foie gras on it.

You will like that.

Some things will be simple and delicate, others bold and complex.

There is an arc to the meal – the best things will come in the middle.

A least three things that you eat will confuse you and at the same time make you very happy.

At least one dessert will be served (we had two).

Luckily, there are a few downsides that beat those nasty thoughts into submission. The most convincing being the fact that I would miss New York’s restaurants too much. Not having a Blue Ribbon or a Frank at my disposal seems unimaginable, and quickly assures me that my tiny apartment and winter are small prices to pay. Then a friend took me to Animal.

Animal is the first restaurant in Los Angeles that I have been to that approaches food with the reckless will to be delicious that so many in New York do. This is not healthy LA restaurant food, and it sure as hell isn’t sceney sushi. Animal is about nose to tail, seasonal cooking with a full commitment to make everything taste unimaginably good. Restraint isn’t in this place’s vocabulary. Pig ears are sliced thin and doused with lime juice and chili, and just in case that isn’t enough, it gets topped with an egg. Gigantic slabs of steak are covered in butter and escargot. Look at that thing. Only in New York would you find something so good and irresponsible on a menu. So I thought.

Animal is exactly the kind of restaurant that we live for, and it’s in LA. Now every time I am there, I have to come up with other things to convince myself that life wouldn’t be awesome out west. Good thing Ed Hardy exists.

Food Rundown:

Baby Kale, Pecorino, Lemon, Smashed Croutons
I wouldn’t recommend wasting valuable stomach space on a green if it wasn’t worth it. This heaping pile of kale is incredibly flavorful and worthy of a spot on the table.

Pig Ear, Chili, Lime, Fried Egg
Psst. Hey pig. Can you hear me eating you? Your ear is way better sliced up and hidden under a fried egg than it is on your head. Thanks.

Barbeque Pork Belly Sandwiches, Slaw
Two fist sized sandwiches with pork belly, some sauce, and some slaw. Really good. See exhibit A.

Melted Petite Basque, Chorizo, Grilled Bread
This is our friend Jordan, displaying the petite basque. He is a movie producer (of course he is) and you should go see his movie The Kids Are All Right .

Hamachi Tostada, Herbs, Fish Sauce Vinaigrette, Peanut
A nice light change from all of the meaty goodness on this menu. This is a beautiful piece of hamachi on a tostada, piled high with herbs, peanuts and some other crunchy goodness that I can only assume are pork parts.

Quail Fry, Grits, Chard, Slab Bacon, Maple Jus
A few pieces of quail fried up like fried chicken and served on a plate with bacon and “maple jus”, which is unbelievable. One of the better things I have eaten in a long time.

Poutine, Oxtail Gravy,Cheddar
Poutine is delicious to begin with, but the addition of oxtail takes this to a whole other level. Last time I went, this was sold out, so arrive early and order two.

Rib Eye for Two, Escargot Butter
A huge steak that should come with a release form. It’s incredible and could easily kill you. It’s probably smart to share this with more than two people and order a whole bunch of other things.

Photo Credit: Bonnie Tsang

We have had some amazing dining experiences in New Orleans. We were most recently in town for Jazz Fest, and actually couldn’t get ourselves into Cochon due to both the size of our group and the insane popularity of the place. Instead we ate at Chef/Owner Donald Link’s private dining space above Cochon (which was excellent), and at the sandwich and charcuterie storefront Cochon Butcher (also incredible). During our visit we hit some of the legendary New Orleans spots, and even had a civilized lunch at John Besh’s restaurant, August. But after a few days of amazing eating, we still couldn’t help but feel like we were missing something. We wanted in on Cochon. So, like any responsible and rational person would, we changed our flights so that we could stay an extra day, see some music, and have one more dinner. Then we would take the first flight out Monday morning so we could make it back to work in time. Smart.

Here is the best way to describe how good this meal was. We walked into dinner on life support. We might as well have been dropped off at the restaurant in a wheelbarrow after the last four days we spent in the Big Easy. But this food gave us the will to survive. In one meal, I probably had three different dishes that were so good that I am going commission paintings of them. The wood fired oysters alone gave me a renewed will to live. I could write for hours about how this restaurant is special and incredible, and how I think we should kidnap this guy and force him to open one here in New York City. But instead, just read the food rundown and check out the pics. That should be enough to convince you.

Food Rundown:

Wood Fired Oyster Roast
One look at this picture pretty much says it all. These are mind blowing, life altering gulf oysters that have been covered in butter and chili oil and roasted in the wood burning oven. They come to the table blazing hot and ready to make you religious.

Fried Boudin with Pickled Peppers
These also make an appearance in the above pic (back left). Boudin balls are a common find on cajun menus, and these are spectacular. Pork sausage is shaped into a sphere and deep fried, and comes on a plate served with the famous Cochon mustard.

Spicy Grilled Pork Ribs with Watermelon Pickle
We liked these big, meaty ribs a lot, but other things on the table were outshining this dish a bit. The cubes of pickled watermelon on the plate were outstanding though.

Fried Alligator with Chili Garlic Aioli
Like the Creole version of Nobu’s creamy rock shrimp tempura. Alligator can be tough and chewy sometimes, but not here. These are crunchy little nuggets, tossed in a sweet and savory aioli. Pretty amazing.

Rabbit and Dumplings
A well known star of the Cochon menu – this is a cast iron skillet with four large dumplings and tender rabbit cooked in the wood burning oven. A comforting and delicious entree, but not necessarily something you should eat right before you head back out into the fray for your last night in New Orleans.

Ham Hock with Sweet Potatoes, Pickled Greens & Black Eyed Pea Ham Broth
A giant ham hock sitting a top a big pile of mashed sweet potatoes and wearing a hat of pickled greens. A tasty and classic Southern meal.

Oyster and Bacon Sandwich
Having already been to Cochon Butcher for an incredible feast of various sandwiches, we knew that this was going to be a must-order when we saw it. We also happen to be huge fans of fried oysters between two pieces of bread. This is essentially a BLT on white toast with fried oysters, and it made us want to cry and hug strangers in the restaurant. Put this on our list of best sandwiches ever.

Fried Soft Shell Crab with Chili Garlic Aioli
This was a special on our visit, and after all this gushing about great food, it was probably the best thing on the table. Take a look at this pic and then try to tell me you don’t want it, then tell me where to meet you so we can fight.

The good people of Infatuation Nation who constantly @immaculateinfat and email us with their suggestions led us to Tehuitzingo. Thank you guys, well done. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but once through the storefront bodega, an oasis of hot sauce is uncovered. There are nearly twenty different taco options ranging from goat to beef tongue to pork to potatoes with jalapenos. There’s a little something for everyone. Order at the window, grab a 16oz Mexican Coke from the fridge, nosh on a stool and enjoy the ghetto grocery garden of fake flowers, inflatable Corona bottles and palm trees hanging from the rafters. This is our kind of spot.

Food Rundown:

Guacamole
Spicy, chunky and really, really good. I can’t confirm, but it tasted (and looked) like each serving of guac was made fresh to order.

Tacos

Al Pastor
A huge helping of spicy roast pork over a bed of pineapple. A unique spin on a pork taco, and now officially one of my favorite tacos in NYC. Make sure you get one of these.

Lengua
Enough chunks of fatty beef tongue to break through the double layered tortilla that housed this taco, if you like your beef with a little extra blubber and a little extra flavor, you’ll be really into this one.

Chorizo con Papas
It’s hard to not order a chorizo taco, but we’d suggest staying away from it here. We’re not 100% sure this was actually chorizo, it could have easily been cat. Not good.

Barbacoa
A heavy handed serving of goat meat, which, to me, tastes like a combination of duck, dark chicken and pork. I don’t really care what animal the meat comes from, as long as it tastes good. These goat tacos are damn tasty. Get in there.

Papas con Rajas
This potato, onion and jalapeno taco is quite tasty. The pepper surprisingly didn’t add as much kick as you would think, and we had to pile on a bunch of extra sauce here to make this get this taco out of the dry desert. Regardless, we enjoyed it.

Vegetarian Taco
A pile of rice and beans with some lettuce and tomato for garnish. It was very good, but a lot of food to fit into s small tortilla. A fork and knife are definitely required for this one.

Food Rundown:

Monte Cristo
A triple-decker brunch sandwich of ham, turkey and swiss cheese that’s battered, deep fried and served with fried eggs and jelly. It’s worth the hefty price tag, the long wait and the food hangover you’re going to take after inhaling it. We back this.

Classic Eggs Benedict
Perfect poached eggs – you really can’t go wrong here. You know that ideal weekend breakfast you dream about to help you wash away the sorrows of the week? This is it. Served with english muffins, hollandaise sauce, Canadian bacon and potatoes rosti…this is one slammin’ breakfast plate.

Roasted Marrow Bones
Three hot bones served with toasted bread, parsley, onion salad and sea salt. Scoop the marrow out of the bone with the back of a spoon, spread it across the bread, add a bit of salt and prepare for a rich, tasty adventure. As is the case with most bone marrow, excellent presentation.

Grilled Oysters
Damn tasty. I hadn’t had grilled oysters in a while, and these plump, juicy explosions hit the spot.

Steamed Mussels
Some of the biggest, baddest and most flavorful mussels we’ve ever come in contact with. Rich, orange and off our very own coast of Long Island, we highly recommend diving into these. Served in an excellent lobster broth and some ridiculous bread for dunking purposes.

Seared Duck Breast
I’m a little spoiled when it comes to duck these days. If it’s not really well prepared, it’s probably not worth ordering. Sadly, this duck was a little boring and slightly underwhelming. That being said, I still cleared my plate.

Whole Grilled Branzino
This was just ok. Even with the minimal and simple presentation, the fish in it’s naked glory didn’t impress.

After reading Bruni’s three star rave in the Times a while back (menu hasn’t changed), we walked into Corton with sky high expectations. Frank led us to our best fancy meal of the year at Eleven Madison Park, so we enlisted his services once again here. Expectations were even higher after checking out the decor – clearly a place with stark white walls, white dishes, no windows and no music will focus solely on the food, right? Well, the food definitely took center stage, and halfway through the meal I wanted my money back. Holy shit is this place overrated. This is the kind of food that restaurant critics go crazy for, but what about the rest of us? I am sure that the pork and foie gras emulsion on my plate is ground breaking and incredibly difficult to master, but we just want to eat things that taste good. Every thing that was put in front of us – appetizer to dessert – had some kind of foamy element. This wasn’t the original intended use, but we’re tagging this with a “Perfect For” Foam Parties tag. Next time you’re looking to drop special occasion money on a meal, do what we should have done. Go somewhere else.

Food Rundown:

Violet Hill Farm EggSee, we were all set to order the foie gras as one of our appetizers (per Bruni), but were pushed in other directions by our server. That momentary lapse on our part proved fatal. Egg and pork prepared four ways: ”Tete de Cochon,” Serrano Gelee, Artichoke | Vanilla Veloute’ (whatever all that means) OR foamy, frothy, soupy and custardy. I wasn’t really sure which to eat first. There were all kinds of different flavors going on and it was confusing and unsatisfying. Was it necessary to go heavy handed on bitter chocolate for the main farm egg dish? It overshadowed the rest of the flavors. The one saving grace was the small cube of tender pork belly that came as one of the farm egg sides. Too bad there weren’t twenty more.

Scallop with Black Winter TruffleWe did the three course, $85 prix fixe and splurged on the scallop dish, even though it was an additional $25. When in Rome, right? Even the freshly shaved truffles couldn’t save this. Like the previously mentioned farm egg, the scallop appetizer rolled out in four different forms, in two of which the scallop was completely unidentifiable, and all of which contained multiple incomprehensible preparations. The main dish of royale, truffle marmalade and parmesan had the look and feel of choppy orange Jello covered in what proved to be a waste of good truffles. While the plating and colors were impressive, I would have been way happier with three seared scallops instead of all this nonsense.

CodAnother miscue on our part, listening to the server who suggested the cod over the black angus beef. This filet of cod was fine, but not enough to redeem the meal. It was cooked in a ton of butter, which will make anything taste good. The cod fritter accompanying it was tasty…wish it wasn’t served in a cup of foam. The risotto of kabocha it came with was too salty and – shocker – served with a frothy puree of pork over it.