Cafe Henri - Long Island City

Even though Long Island City has several restaurants, I seldom sit down to eat in one of the restaurants in my neighborhood. Since I had another friend visiting town, I decided to start off our day with breakfast at Cafe Henri, which also has a location in West Village. Cafe Henri is known for their crepes. The cafe has cute benches and plants by their door outside and when I walked in, I really liked the laidback, cozy, cafe vibe.

In addition to the nice decor, I also loved their music! While my friend and I were waiting for our food, I think I said "I love this song" at least 3 times to my friend. Some of the songs I remember were "She Will Be Loved" ~ Maroon 5, "Freefalling" ~ Tom Petty, and "Name" ~ Goo Goo Dolls. Cafe Henri could have won me over on their soundtrack alone. The restaurant has several "classic" French dishes and sandwiches, as well as a section of their menu devoted to "savory crepes" and one for "sweet crepes."

I ordered the "Saumon Fume, Creme Au Basilic," which is simply a wheat crepe with smoked salmon, grilled vegetables, and fresh basil cream, served alongside a light salad. The crepe was very good and light. Thinking back on it, the grilled vegetables might have overpowered the smoked salmon a little, but I still scarfed down the crepe. (As you read this blog, and my next posting on the Stanton Social, you might quickly learn that I basically only eat seafood when I eat out at restaurants ~ probably a byproduct of growing up in Annapolis, and it's just healthier!)

It was my friend's first time trying a crepe! She got the "Fruits Frais," which was simply a crepe with fresh cut fruit and a strawberry glaze. I didn't try a bite, but my friend seemed to enjoy it.

I may be slightly biased, but I love Long Island City! I would totally recommend anyone who is traveling or living in NYC to come out to LIC for lunch/dinner and to take a stroll in Gantry Plaza State Park. It is only minutes away from Times Square, Bryant Park, and Grand Central, and is literally right across the East River from 42nd Street so that you get amazing views of the Manhattan skyline.

Gantry Plaza State Park is a very well cared for park, similar to the Highline Park. It has hammocks, tons of seating, as well as a fancy children's playground.

Otter pops for big kids

Remember the multi colored ice pops from when we were young?

When I was little, I loved the ones at the asian grocery stores that were "fruit" flavored tubes of liquid you can bring home and freeze. They did not taste like anything more than sugar and water, but they served the purpose of cooling you down on a hot summer day.

So recently I started watching korean dramas again, and in this one particular drama (My Wife is a Superwoman ) the main characters kept eating some kind of frozen treat. Of course, fatty me kept trying to figure out what it was. I thought it was a popsicle but they looked like they were drinking it instead of licking it.  Plus, they never removed the wrapper, so I couldn't tell what the content looked like! Such teases.

The when I was doing my grocery shopping at the local Lotte, this brown, blue, and orange package caught my eye. It was the same packaging that I saw in the drama!

So it turns out, the mystery treat is called Papico, and it's actually a huge tube of chocolate ice.

It has a top you just rip right off.

The opening is pretty small so you need to wait until the content is a bit melted to squeeze it through the top. Unfortunately when its melted the top is crazy hard to snap off, so to eat this you have to rip off the top when its still frozen and then wait around for a while for it be to melted enough to suck through the hole. 

It's actually pretty good. It tastes like icy chocolate milkshakes, or fudge-sicles. Since the tube is pretty big, each squeeze gives you a generous mouthful of icy goodness, so you don't have to work hard to eat it.  It's actually nice to eat a popsicle type treat that I don't have to worry about dripping onto my clothing. 

Although fun and delicious, its main downfall is its price. I guess since it's imported from Korea, they have to charge a pretty penny to make a profit. For a pack of 6, the original price is an astonishing $8.99, and I bought it on sale for $4.99. That's more than a box of Fruit Bars! It's ironic that otter pops and the ice tubes of our youth were popular because it was so cheap, and this more adult version is so crazy expensive. 

However, if you've never had this, you must spoil your inner child and try it!

An afternoon in Northern Virginia

DF (dear fiance) was visiting for the week, so I took some time off Friday afternoon to take him around to do some touristy activities. I loved Mount Vernon when I went with my parents, so I wanted to show him around the place. I highly recommend Mount Vernon for a side trip to any DC vacation.  Unlike many DC attractions, entrance to the estate of Mount Vernon is not free because it is not funded by the government. The mansion and its grounds have been preserved by the Mount Vernon's Ladies Association since the civil war! Tickets start at $15 for basic admission to the grounds and tour of the mansion. You can select a boat cruise, or a tour of the nearby Grist mill (Washington's whiskey distillery) for about an additional $5 each. Both times I visited, I was tired after just touring the main estate, and did not get a chance to do the other two activities. There is also a "National Treasure" tour four times a day that you need to book in advance. It basically is a guided tour that takes you to the locations where the movie National Treasure was filmed. 

The facade of the mansion

The main house is full of history, from rooms where important meetings during the Revolutionary War were held to a prison key from Bastille, the stories the tour guide tell are like pages from a history textbook come to life.  It was eerily creepy to be standing in the same place where so much of the history we have studied took place, imagining General Washington standing on the same location that I was.

My favorite portion of the property is definitely the back porch:

View of the Potomac River

It has an amazing view of the Potomac! There's actually a path you can take that leads you to the banks of the Potomac river. Absolutely amazing view. Washington and his men (slaves) sold the fish caught from this river to support the plantation and its expenses. 

Cattle

The plantation is kept as a working farm to give visitors a real sense of what it was like during Washington's residency. So there are many farm animals roaming around. This is a view of the grazing cattle taken from the back porch of the mansion. The two white lines you see are the columns of the mansion. 

Pioneer Farm

They have even preserved a plot of farm land on the property. The focus of the picture above is a 16 sided barn, invented by Washington as a efficient way to de-seed wheat. In fact, one thing that really was apparent on this tour was how much Washington loved innovation, often experimenting with ideas to increase cost efficiency around the farm. I guess even rich plantation owners needs to try to reduce their bottom lines.

Turkeys at Pioneer Farm

We saw some turkeys running around the property. If you look closely between the wooden fence on the left, you can see a black and white sheep. The farm actually raises the sheep and sheers off their wool to use in demonstration of colonial fabric dyeing techniques. 

Aside from the farm, there is also a fruit and vegetables garden (which is a bit pathetic- perhaps due to the unprecedented summer heat), and George and Martha Washington's tomb, a replica of an actual slave house, and some great museum exhibits dedicated to Washington's life (be sure to watch all the movies, and take a look at his dentures). 

Anyways, I don't want to give too much away and spoil the experience of discovering the history of Mount Vernon for yourself. All I can say is that it is a highly recommended trip, and I find it more enjoyable than viewing artifacts behind the glass in a museum. Definitely worth the $15!

Since we were already in Virginia, we decided to have dinner in Old Town Alexandria and take advantage of the DC Restaurant Week happening in the metro area from Aug 16-22.  We chose Geranios on King St because it had the best Yelp! reviews of all the restaurants participating in the promotion. 

Geranios, Alexandria, VA

The exterior of the restaurant is so subtle it is easy to miss, but I do love the minimalist look, it looks clean and unassuming, like the appeal is in the quality of the food and the restaurant does not need to rely on a gimmicky look to draw in customers.

The interior is very cozy and light. The sunflower on the table really brightens the place and makes anyone instantly happier. However, I did notice it smelled OLD in the place. Maybe its due to the long colonial history of the town, but this musk of this restaurant made me feel like I was eating dinner in George and Martha Washington's attic. 

We opted for the restaurant week prix fixe here, which was actually four courses instead of the usual three course prix fixe. 

Our appetizers:

Potato Leek Soup with White Truffle Oil

Fried Calamari with Lemon Caper Sauce

I love soup, so naturally I had to order the soup item. The soup was pretty good, it tasted a bit like the base of clam chowder, but nothing to write home about. The calamari was not crispy as fried calamari usually is. It actually tasted a bit soggy. What's the point of breading if you are not going to fry it to make it crispy? Fried calamari seems like a difficult dish to mess up, but I could not eat this without the sauce. The lemon flavor of the dip was really strong, which I enjoyed. 

1st Entree:

Penne with seared tuna, olives, tomatoes, and capers

Wild Mushroom Risotto with Pancetta, Peas, Parmesan, and White Truffle Oil

The penne was drowning in sauce. DF thought it looked like store bought pasta sauce instead of freshly made. The use of marinated olives in this dish was a bad idea because it made it too salty. The seared tuna was edible but not flavorful or  memorable. DF and I both really enjoyed his risotto. It was warm and creamy, but chewy at the same time. The mushroom helped balance the richness of the white truffle oil, and the parmesan cheese went perfectly with the flavor of the risotto. They did pretty well with this dish. The one negative point is towards the end when I tasted an uncooked pea. 

2nd Entree:

Free Range Chicken Breast with Risotto, Pea Shoots, Mushrooms, and Sage

Atlantic Salmon with Mashed Potatoes, Pancetta, and Roasted Garlic and Shallots

I actually got the free range chicken as my second entree, but ended up switching with DF because I did not like the risotto. We thought the chicken was too tough, perhaps because it was free range, and the clumps of sage did not taste too great. Edible but not memorable. I enjoyed the salmon more because it was more agreeable to my palate. However, this does not mean this was a good dish. This is salmon cooked with a red wine sauce. The texture of the salmon felt like it was just cooked, not cooked well, but cooked just to get the job done, and perhaps overcooked. The meat was sticky to my teeth when I chewed on it and did not come off in pieces. Again, I really felt like the dish itself wasn't bad, but it is something I could get anywhere, even a food court. 

Dessert:

Pear and Almond Tart with Hazelnut Anglaise

Tiramisu with homemade Marscapone

First off, not too many things to say about the Tiramisu, it tastes as Tiramisu should. My one problem was the presentation. Doesn't it look like someone cut an edge piece off a large round piece of Tiramisu? And not much was done with the presentation besides drawing a sauce moat around it. A nice fruit piece, like raspberry, would make it look a lot prettier. 

The pear in the tart tasted like boiled pear, which could be how it was meant to taste. Its not necessarily bad, but it was light in flavor. The almond tart however was VERY dry. It was hard for me to eat this and I really considered asking for a glass of milk to dunk it in. 

As you can see, I did not enjoy my dining experience here. Although the price was good for a 4 course meal, when the check came, I felt it was overpriced for the quality of food we got. If this is their level of culinary skill, I am not sure why their Yelp review is so good. I will say that it was quite a popular restaurant and there was a line of patrons waiting to be seated. So I guess there are people who like this type of food. Here's my breakdown for Geranios

Pluses:

Good service (the waiters here will pull out your chairs for you when you return to the table)

Good location (there's a lot of stores to explore before and after dinner)

Mushroom Risotto

Quick food service

Discount for orders outside of prime time (before 7pm and after 9pm)

Cheap wine list

Minuses:

Food quality

very small selection of non-alcoholic beverages (the usual soda selection, and cranberry juice)

For good Italian food, I would try Il Pizzico in Rockville. The exterior looks shady but the food is delicious! Maybe one day I will do a review of them as a comparison. 

Night in Old Town

After dinner we walked along King St to get to the waterfront. Old Town has many many cute unique shops to look around. A passerby said that Old Town is like the SoHo of Virginia, which I think is a fitting description. I found a shop named Treat that claimed to offer designer clothing at sample sale prices. Unfortunately it was closed so I could not check their merchandise out, but they are in the process of setting up an online store www.shoptreat.com 

I did visit a great home design store called Decorium

Decorium, Alexandria, VA

I was attracted to the store by its fantastic decor. It was like a chandelier factory crashed into a botanical garden.

Entrance of Decorium

Interior of Decorium

The interior of Decorium reminds me of the first floor of ABC Carpet and Home in NYC (which I LOVE) because its like a bazaar type of layout. There are a lot of fun and pretty goodies to look at in the store, but the prices are ASTRONOMICAL! So if you're not rich, I'd recommend just doing some window shopping. 

Another good store to browse through is P.C. Art, which showcases and sells products created by local artisans. Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures, but some of these items are truly innovative and everything looks very well made. Its a good place to browse or pick up a unique gift. 

Old Town Alexandria also offers some very interesting street performers. The one's we saw on our visit were mostly performing music. This man above was performing on "glass harps." He was incredible! I was worried someone would tip over the table and all his glasses would break. 

We finished the night off at the Marina.

Marina at night

Having been to many waterfronts over the years, I don't think the Marina at Alexandria can compare to Fisherman's Wharf, Navy Pier, or even the South Seaport in NYC. There were only a few restaurants and nothing much to do.

Overall, I think Old Town Alexandria is good to visit if you will be in the area. Not really a place to drive out of the way for. The ambiance of the neighborhood is very romantic, but you can probably find better food in the city, and the shopping is pretty pricey.

Fish - NYC

After an exhausting week (I went to sleep at 9 yesterday!), my friends and I met up at Fish in the West Village for the all-you-can-eat Maryland blue crabs for $21! The special runs from 12-4pm, but my friend and I met at 1pm and our friends joined later, as soon as they could get off work.

When we got there at 1pm, the first couple dozen of crabs that we ordered were not so good - the meat had melted away in a lot of them and the meat was mushy in others. (Since I grew up in Maryland, I have ate some pretty amazing crabs before - the best will always be the super fresh ones I ate after my friends and I went out crabbing on their boat and caught them ourselves!) Finally, around the third dozen, the crabs got really good - the meat was firm and holding together - and when you broke a claw open, the meat stayed in tact. When the crabs first get to the table, take a few seconds and let them cool down though - they come out steaming hot and they can easily burn your fingers/tongue!

Although I thought the meat in the later ones was better, there was less Old Bay flavor (although this could easily be remedied by simply adding some of the Old Bay on the table). My friends and I stayed for 4.5 hours! We ordered our last dozen at 3:50pm, and took another hour to finish that dozen, the ones we had left, and all the extra claws on the table (which we were saving toward the end as part of strategy - claws take the longest to take apart and eat!). I have definitely had enough crab for a couple weeks!

Dessert was Grom gelato nearby - pistachio and green tea :) Pistachio was my favorite!

A perfect summer Friday. My friends all commented on how fun this was - it's such a social activity! I think 75% of the time, you're not even eating but trying to crack open the crabs ~ so we were just messing around and asking each other stupid silly questions. One friend said this could be our version of a book club or knitting club, and that we should do this once a month (although depends when crab season ends...). This would also be such a fun place for a date ~ I love activity dates, and you could also see whether the girl is too prissy or not if you take her here lol.

I love living in NYC because the neighborhoods are so different from each other and you can really do so much "traveling" even within a 10 block radius. Fish was in West Village, near NYU. The area has so many great restaurants and I love the tree-lined streets between West Village and the Meatpacking District - it feels so cozy and quaint, a definite escape from the skyscrapers in midtown. Fish in particular felt like a beach-side seafood shack and worlds away from the hustle & bustle of the city. It's a nice place to escape for a couple hours.

*Oh! Another thing I forgot to mention - $4 beers! There's nothing like crabs and beer on a nice summer day.

Park Avenue Summer - NYC

Park Avenue Summer has been on my list of restaurants in NYC to try so my friend and I went for Restaurant Week last month (although this summer, restaurant week has been extended until Labor Day weekend at a few restaurants).

First off, the waitress brought us an amuse-bouche of watermelon skewers with a yogurt topping. It was very refreshing and I loved the topping it was paired with. My friend and I also chose to get sangria - a $7 special with the Restaurant Week menu.

For my appetizer, I got salmon tartare - it was a lot of salmon so I was happy - although the two pieces of burnt toast (not pictured) that it came with was probably unnecessary.

For my entree, I got the organic Scottish salmon - yes, it was a lot of salmon for one meal, but I love salmon! And the salmon at Park Avenue Summer was perfectly cooked - with the top crispy and the meat extremely tender. I also loved the cucumber and daikon slaw it was paired with, very refreshing.

For dessert I got the Goat Cheese Mousse in Phyllo with Honeyed Raspberries. I love goat cheese so I loved this dessert - it was also very light, which is perfect because sometimes I walk away from Restaurant Week dinners too stuffed.

Annisa - NYC

Living in NYC means always having friends visiting from out of town. One of my college friends really likes Top Chef, and liked Anito Lo on Top Chef Masters - so last time she was in town, she really wanted to try Annisa. Unfortunately, the timing was off and Annisa was closed for renovations at the time. However, my friend was here this weekend again and the first thing I thought of was that we could now go to Annisa, which reopened to a lot of praise from critics.

First off, walking into the dining room at Annisa, I have to comment on how extremely awkward the dining room is. We were a party of three and seated at one of two tables in the middle of the tiny dining room - it really felt like we were in the spotlight and everyone was just staring at us. The people at the tables of two on the side were actually seated right next to each other (no seats were placed on the opposite side of the table), so they were staring out at the middle of the dining room. The seating made it seem like this would be a pretty awkward spot to bring a date, despite the nice subdued decor. I think this is a spot where people come for the food alone.

Starting off, the kitchen sent out an amuse bouche - we didn't quite catch what the server described it as - it was some sort of crab tart.

It was good, but not particularly notable.

Barbecued Squid with Thai Basil and Fresh Peanuts.

I am a big fan of squid and calamari, and I had heard good things about this appetizer so we ordered this appetizer to share. It was good paired with the Thai sauce and sriracha on the side - although I didn't feel like it was the best squid I've had. I guess since Sam Sifton called it a "marvelous dish" in the NYTimes, I was just expecting something more.

Seared Foie Gras with Soup Dumplings and Jicama.

I heard that this was one of their specialties - so despite the fact that none of us were particular fans of foie gras, we ordered this and all 3 of us loved it. It was definitely the most special and unique dish we had. It had a surprisingly sweet note and the "soup" in the dumpling was completely not what I expected it to taste like. My friend noted that it was a little on the salty side though - which I would have to agree with.

Miso Marinated Sable With Crispy Silken Tofu in a Bonito

Broth.

For my entree, I got the sable fish which was amazing. First off, it was a huge chunk of fish. The fish by itself, dipped in the broth was delicate and very tender. However, after having lots of the bonito broth, I got a little tired of how salty it was - although that made it a good pairing with the crispy tofu.

If you are going to dine at Annisa, you should take note that the food takes a long time though. I think my friends and I were at dinner for about 1.5 hours - which compared to some other dinners I've had, isn't bad at all - but something about the quiet setting at Annisa, made it feel like our wait was forever. The timing was definitely off because there was at least a good 30 minute gap between our appetizers and entree.

Millefeuille of Strawberries with Ricotta, Pink Peppercorns and

Aged Balsamic.

After having Lady M's green tea mille feuille at my friend's engagement dinner (see below), I was excited to try another variation of mille feuille. I also had never heard of pink peppercorns so I wanted to check it out. I was a little disappointed when it came out to the table. It was not the type of cake I expected, although I guess there are different variations of mille feuille. I really wanted crepes, not crunchy puff pastry I got instead. But it was a light dessert, which I am always a fan of.

Pecan and Salted Butterscotch Beignets with Bourbon Milk Ice

I liked my friends' dessert better (although one of my friends liked mine better!). I love desserts where there is something hot paired with something cold - and I guess you can't really go wrong with a fried dessert.

Along with the check came some palate cleansers - from the top, mini pineapple popsicles (very refreshing!), candied ginger (intense ginger flavor - my first time having candied ginger), and mint chocolate truffles (the clear winner of the group).

It might have been the rain or the long day I had, but I think the expectations I had for Annisa were just too high. Or maybe it was the extremely awkward seating arrangement...

En Japanese Brasserie - NYC

A few weeks ago my fiance and I hosted a small engagement dinner with our close friends at EN Japanese Brasserie. It was a quite a journey to select a restaurant for this event, but in the end EN won out because of its great quality food and classy ambiance. Honestly, I was a bit nervous and apprehensive before the dinner, but EN has completely won my heart with the dinner they served.

One of the great things about EN that many other japanese restaurants in NYC did not offer was its private rooms. Who wants to struggle to be heard against the other loud patrons? For $75-$100, they have uniquely decorated rooms for a more intimate dinner experience. We selected the Tatami room. It's traditional style tatami seating, but with a lowered space underneath the table so no one has to sit on their feet.

Entrance to EN Tatami room I

The staff at EN were so accomodating to our needs. I requested customized menu's and they happily obliged. They even personalized each individual menu with our guest's names! It made seating much quicker and easier.

Table setting with personalized menus

For a corkage fee you can bring in your own alcohol

Sake

It's no small fee, but if you can find a big enough bottle it will be a better deal than ordering a bottle off their menu. Their cocktails are actually quite delish. At our last visit I enjoyed the pineapple with sake, it was made with the freshly juiced pineapples!

Now finally, the food:

The set menus are served semi sharing style. Everyone gets their own portion but served on communal dishes.

Obanzai - Kyoto Style Appetizer

Unfortu, I was too busy stuffing my face to note the what these appetizers were. I know the red ones are  tomatoes in dashi and the bottom bowl is some kind of bean curd.

Sashimi served with fresh wasabi

The wasabi served at EN are freshly made, so if you mix it into your soy sauce there will be chunks of horseradish in your dish. A foodie friend remarked that you can tell whether a japanese restaurant is any good by whether they use fresh wasabi or from the tube.

Sea Bass Kara-Age

 This sea bass was marinated in sake and fried. Yum! <3 fried. For fried fish, it was light and delish.

Miso Black Cod with Daikon

Miso black cod is a fairly common dish at Japanese restaurants. EN's version is tender and flaky. My first time tasting this dish at EN, it had a crispy skin which everyone raved about. This time however the skin was soft, which was a bit of a let down, but still better than Matsuri's version.

Roasted Duck

Roasted duck served with radish and ponzu. I'm not a big fan of duck, but I tried this anyways. It tasted like chinese roast beef, which tastes good but really isn't anything special.

                                

Freshly made tofu

This dish is what EN is famous for. They make their own tofu at 6:00, 7:30, 9:00, and 10:30 nightly. You can choose to have it served warm or chilled served with wari-joyu, which tastes like a more flavorful soy sauce. I think the traditional way is to serve it warm. It's so silky, but has more depth than the packaged silken tofu you can buy at the supermarket.

Kakuni

Kakuni is described on the menu as "braised Berkshire pork belly in sansho miso, with a boiled egg, spinach, & daikon radish." I believe at this point in the dinner I was so full I couldn't even bring myself to eat the pork belly. I did try some of the daikon, egg, and spinach. This and the previous duck dish really tasted more like traditional chinese food.

Unagi Maze Gohan

This dish is eel with rice with some numbing spices that kinda hurt my tongue. It wasn't so appealing that night due to the abundance of food already in my stomach, but was sooo good for breakfast the next day with some tabasco sauce. 

Green Tea Ice Cream

The set menu dessert was the house ice cream, which was green tea. Tastes great but nothing special. I hear they have special seasonal ice cream flavors, like fig, that are really great. Hope to try that one day. 

So to completely overdo the food consumption we also ordered a cake from Lady M. EN has a special offer with them, where you can order a Lady M cake for dinner for an additional delivery and serving fee. The one we chose was a green tea mille feuille- hundred layer crepe cake held together with creme. 

They arranged the candles in the shape of a heart

Mille Feuille- Look at all the layers!

So delicious it gets another picture

This is a great dessert because its very light compared to a traditional cake, and everyone loves crepes!

After three hours, we finally finished our meal. 

We posed for a pic at EN's gorgeous main dining room with our food babies. ^_^

There's so much to love about this restaurant, even their entrance! see the huge wall of sake in the background

"come backkk"