Lure Fishbar

This past saturday, we enjoyed one of our best dinner dates in NYC.
It started with us not being able to get a seat at Aquagrill because they were reserved until 9pm. So we chose another seafood alternative in the Soho area - Lure Fishbar.

Lure Fishbar - 142 Mercer St, New York, NY 10012

Located on the basement level below the Prada store at Mercer and Prince, the lack of an ostentatious sign makes it easy to miss this gem.

The dimly lit interior is decorated to conjure images of dining on your rich friend's giant yacht. The restaurant is intimate enough for a date and large enough to accommodate a group event.
Of course, every date night meal will begin with some tasty cocktails..

Blueberry Finn

Pineapple Sage Daiquiri

The Blueberry Finn was perfectly sweet and fruit. The real standout is actually the Pineapple Sage. It is a bit of an acquired taste, but after a few sips I can really appreciate the sophistication of complementing the sweetness of pineapple with earthy sage. Also love that just one of these cocktails contain enough alcohol to give you that light relaxing buzz throughout dinner.

Tuna Tartare

When we go to seafood or sushi restaurants, my fiance always orders the tuna tartare. I never quite understood his fascination with eating a giant chunk of raw tuna, but this dish at Lure has won me over. The vinaigrette, cherry tomatoes, olives, and salty caviar were in my opinion, the perfect seasoning. Much more complex and lighter on the palate than wasabi and soy sauce.

For the entree, we decided to order from the raw bar and share a hot entree order.

Empress crab claw and chilled whole lobster w/ cocktail sauce and spicy mayo

Lobster Roll w/ cole slaw and salt & vinegar chips.

On a side note, I was very impressed with the service at Lure. The waiter was attentive but not hovering. We ordered the lobster roll with the intention to share, but did not specify this to our waiter. He immediately picked up on this and offered to split the roll for us. I expected a roll cut in half on a plate, but it came on two separate plates, each with its own side of pickle and cole slaw. Impressed!

Now on to the taste. The seafood from the raw bar? fresh and delish! The empress crab claws were tasty but a bit small, at 6 claws for $18, I don't think it was really worth the money. For just $9 more, you can get a whole lobster tail split in half. The lobster meat was easy to remove from the shell and came out in large chunks that tasted sooo amazing, we're absolutely addicted and planning on eating more this weekend!

The lobster roll entree was also flawless as well. The chunks of lobster were not too chewy and not overwhelmed with mayo and seasoning. Personally, I really loved the brioche roll the lobster was on. It was soft, with a thin crispy toasted crust, and oh so buttery! I could've eaten 10 of these and subsequently gained 20 lbs. This entree was executed so well, even the chips were breathtaking. They were salt and vinegar chips (my fav), but the vinegar taste was not too strong. I believe these must've been home made chips, because they were warm when they came out. I love that they were so perfectly balanced - crunchy, but not too thin, flavorful, but not overwhelming. This cannot be easy to do.

I also loved my meal here because the amount of food was just right. I tend to over eat at restaurants, but the food at Lure was light but just filling enough for dinner.

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie w/ pomegranate sorbet (substitution for peanut brittle ice cream)

Our desert was also proof on how great the service is at Lure. We wanted to substitute the peanut brittle ice cream for something a bit lighter, Pomegranate sorbet. While alone, I casually expressed my concern that the sorbet does not quite mesh well with the peanut butter pie. Well, our waiter and the kitchen staff was way ahead of me, because the sorbet came out in its own little dish. Again, Lure managed to change my mind about dishes I typically do not enjoy. I only really like my chocolate and peanut butter inside a Reese's package. This pie came out in a pretty standard presentation of desert on square white plate with some decorations scattered in the empty space. The pie itself did not look especially enticing to me either. However, the taste more than made up for its appearance. It was a bit savory and sweet, not overwhelmingly sweet as most chocolate deserts can be. I especially enjoyed it with a bit of the light creme with each bite.

This was one of those meals when you go home and reminisce about how perfect it was, both in terms of quality of food and service. It was a bit pricey at around $145 for two people excluding tip, but in our minds it was certainly worth it. How often do you have a date night that is perfect in every way? We could not imagine how Aquagrill could beat our experience at Lure Fishbar, but we will give it a chance to try. This is one of those restaurants I would gladly brave the Soho crowds for to eat at. Hopefully, one day we'd be able to make it to one of their "Happy Hours."

I'm back! with tons of FOOD!

In this day and age, living without internet is extremely inconvenient! But I was determined to not fall into the trap of Comcast, so I chose to live in the stone age for awhile. Thus, I was not able to blog about my gluttonous activities for quite a while. But now I'm back to civilization. However, it's been so long since I took these pictures, I have very vague memories of the meals. So I'm just going to post it all in one giant brunch edition post.

44 & X - 622 10th Ave, New York, NY 10036


My opinion:

This place is definitely my go to brunch spot. Ambiance is very bright and pretty, with a fresh rose on every table. (The bathroom is magnificently decorated with candles and roses!) The cute waiters wear tight t-shirts that say "Heaven in Hell" (lol, get it?), food is solid, AND instead of bread, you get muffins and jam.

Good Enough To Eat - 483 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10024



Review: The highlight of this meal was the strawberry butter! I could eat that stuff all day every day. Other than that, this place is pretty ordinary in my opinion. The restaurant is pretty small and for some reason it's very popular. So prepare to wait in line to be seated.

Thanksgiving Dinner - Home, NYC, cooked by roomie

Ever seen how brussel sprouts grow naturally?
$1.99 per STALK at the grocery store in Chelsea Market. It's a Thanksgiving miracle! Picture shown half "de-sprouted." Roasted in the oven with oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Addictingly delish!
Lobster Thermidor. Lobster purchased from Fresh Direct. So fresh that after being in the fridge for 3 nights and 2 days it was still alive! Poor lobster, thank you for providing us sustenance.

Cornish Hen stuffed with apple stuffing? Raw hen and mashed potatoes in background both from Fresh Direct. Apple stuffing - randomly made up.
A view of our humble but fulfilling thanksgiving feast.

Cafe Henri - 1010 50th Ave, Long Island City, NY 11109



Review:
Lol, as you can see, I was too busy eating that I forgot to take a pic of the escargot until there was only 1 left! I love that there is a good brunch spot right in LIC. So those days when I'm too lazy to commute into the city, I can enjoy a relaxing meal just a few steps away from home. The food here is pretty typical of what you'd think of when you say brunch. I thought the savory crepes were quite special and not something you can find in ever NYC brunch spot. We went during a cold winter morning, so the hot chocolate was especially inviting. They present it in such a large cup! The one I got has Grand Marnier mixed in. It actually became a bit too bitter for me to handle, I would have preferred something lighter and sweeter. But I have the commend their service. I asked for my left over hot chocolate to go and they gave me a piping hot cup of it. So they must have either heated it up again, or gave me a brand new cup! It was very thoughtful.

Uncle Ben's Chili Bowl- 1213 U St NW, Washington, DC 20009Review:
Uncle Ben's Chili Bowl is a DC food institution. It's beloved by everyone from Bill Cosby to Barack Obama, who are the only people allowed to receive free food from this chili joint. The restaurant is right next to the metro exit and very easy to find as it has a patchwork multi colored bear randomly sitting outside. Due to its popularity, its almost always crowded and being inside can be a bit claustrophobic. We ordered a half smoke and some chili fries. To be honest, the chili was tasty but I did not think it was extraordinary. The half smoke hot dog with chili is definitely a better choice than the chili fries which just weighed you down.

M. Wells - 21-17 49th Ave, Queens, NY 11101

Review:
This place was quite a shocking contrast for me. It's located in a pretty isolated area in the industrial section of Long Island City. It's basically an old fashion diner cart plopped on the side walk of an everlasting construction area. There is very little seating due to the size limits of the restaurant and nearly no space to wait your turn. The plus is that in such a small area, there is nowhere to hid the kitchen, so you can basically watch your food being made. The menu itself is quite different than expected. It includes upscale restaurant faves such as bone marrow and foie gras. I ordered the Biscuit and Jam and was surprised at what I received. Visually, it looked like a mess. But the apple sauce like raspberry "jam" was quite delish and refreshing. We were served our order of steamed eggs with bonito flakes in a cute little cauldron. I especially enjoyed this dish since it reminded me of the steamed eggs my mom made for me when I was still living at home. I have to say, I've only seen this dish in Chinese and Korean restaurants, so it was pretty unexpected for me to find it at M. Wells. That bone marrow you see? Hides a couple of escargots underneath all that marrow! From our entrees, the one that stood out the most was the lobster roll. It was decently sized and you can taste each bite of the fresh lobster meat. The one I enjoyed least was my breakfast sausage. I really just picked it for the "pickled jalapenos" that was on it, bad idea. It was too heavy for breakfast. Overall, I felt this place was a bit overrated. True it has a creative menu, but the taste was just not there for me to make that trek out to this part of town again.