NOLA Restaurant (New Orleans)

On our last night in New Orleans we dined at NOLA Restaurant by Emeril Lagasse. We fortunately got a table without a booking as the 3-storey dining room filled up very quickly.

The menu contains all the familiar regional dishes that we have observed in our time in New Orleans. The crab cakes as well as the shrimp and grits had a hint of spiciness from the sauce. And my ‘blackened’ fish fillet was nicely charred and combined beautifully with the bitterness of the baby sprouts.

Details:
NOLA Restaurant
534 St. Louis Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
http://www.emerilsrestaurants.com/nola-restaurant

Johnny’s Po-Boys (New Orleans)

On our first morning in New Orleans, we went around the corner from our hotel at French Quarter to visit Johnny’s to sample the Po-Boy sandwich – a local specialty.

Breakfast was extremely good value (from an Australian point of view) where for just over 5 dollars there was a stack of 3 hot cakes which are as big as a dinner plate. I had an alligator sausage Po-Boy which had a very generous amount of meat inside a foot long baguette-like roll.

We didn’t eat again until dinner time.

Details:
Johnny’s Po-Boys
511 Saint Louis Street
French Quarter
New Orleans, LA
http://johnnyspoboys.com

Acme Oyster House (New Orleans)

Our first priority upon arrival in New Orleans was to sample the reputed seafood. The decision to visit the Acme Oyster House in the French Quarter was the right one, as demonstrated by the 20 minute wait.

We ordered a dozen each of the raw oysters and chargrilled oysters. The chargrilled was definitely my favourite with a nice garlic-butter like sauce resembling a nice French escargot dish with added creaminess from the oysters. We also ordered the classic gumbo soup and deep fried soft shell crab – the batter was a bit too salty for us.

Details:
Acme Oyster House
724 Iberville Street
New Orleans
http://www.acmeoyster.com/

Gary Danko (San Francisco)

I took her to Gary Danko on her birthday, as part of our visit to San Francisco. The dining room has a really warm atmosphere which complements the friendly staff.

I loved all my 4 courses. Dungeness crab salad was nice and light with the sweetness of the crab really coming through. Roast Maine lobster was excellent. The best dish was the amazingly tender pork tenderloin. They wouldn’t tell me where to find pork that can be served medium rare – but it was magical.

And what a way to finish with not one, not two, but three macaroon ice-cream sandwiches.

Details:
Restaurant Gary Danko
800 North Point Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
http://www.garydanko.com

Scoma's (San Francisco)

We stayed at the Fisherman’s Wharf during our visit in San Francisco and on our first night we were taken to Scoma’s for our first dose of fresh seafood. The restaurant sits right by the Wharf with a glimpse of the bay.

Portion size was huge. The starter platter was enough for a family rather than 2, with crabcakes full of the sweetness from the crab meat. Do go for the classic dishes – my sauté scallop main had TWELVE full sized scallops, and the pasta Garibaldi had a generous mix of seafood with as well balanced tomato sauce.

Details:
Scoma's Restaurant
Pier 47 on Al Scoma Way
San Francisco CA 94133
http://www.scomas.com/

Jean Georges (New York)

We arranged our dinner at 3 Michelin star Jean-Georges as a way to wrap up our visit (in my case, reward for a few days of business meetings).

We went for the prix fixe menu of 4 courses. I really enjoyed my foie gras brulee with smooth foie working so well with the candied pistachios. My partner’s trout and oyster tartare was such a smart combination. Our meat courses of duck breast and lamb were beautifully presented and the meat perfectly cooked. Service was impeccable from start to finish and we thank them for a great experience.

Details:
Jean-Georges
1 Central Park West
New York
http://www.jean-georgesrestaurant.com/jean-georges/

Neta (New York)

After a full day of sightseeing we headed to Neta for dinner, we decided to order the ‘omakase’ (chef’s choice) to sample the best that the restaurant can offer.

The meal was a progression of fantastic flavours starting from the fresh Dungeness crab salad, to tataki, uni and scallops, tempura, salmon tartare on rice… then to a series of sushi. Our highlight of the meal was definitely the melt-in-your-mouth toro sushi and the overflowing uni suishi.

What a way to end a fantastic day!

Details:
Neta
61 West 8th Street
New York, NY 10011
http://www.netanyc.com

Momofuku Má Pêche (New York)

We arrived at Momofuku’s Má Pêche restaurant on a very wet New York morning for breakfast. Situated inside a Midtown hotel, it is very close to the shops on 5th Avenue.

The breakfast menu is consistent with the Asian theme and has a twist from the Momofuku’s classic. I had the egg bun with pork belly which was delicious especially with the crunchy fried potato bits. The rice cakes with fried egg and sausage was really rich and filling, great for a cold New York morning.

Details:
Momofuku Má Pêche
Located in Chambers Hotel
15 west 56th Street
Between 5th + 6th Avenue
New York, NY 10019

NoMad Restaurant (New York)

We dined at Daniel Humm’s (of Eleven Madison Park) new restaurant inside the NoMad Hotel in midtown New York, opting for a more casual setting than his 3 Michelin star establishment.

The highlight of the meal was the roast chicken with foie gras and black truffle to share. When presented in whole, it smelled fantastic. The skin was perfectly crisped up by the foie and the breast meat extremely tender. Other dishes were also excellent. My cauliflower starter was very sophisticated with different textures of cauliflower combining with almonds, cheddar and grapes. It was quite an eye opening meal.

Details:
NoMad Restaurant
Inside The Nomad Hotel
1170 Broadway & 28th Street
New York, NY 10001
http://www.thenomadhotel.com/#/dining

Grimaldi’s (Brooklyn New York)

We visited Grimaldi’s as part of a day tour in Brooklyn for lunch over a couple of slices of pizzas. Once entered into the restaurant you see the brick oven and the pizzas being rolled out in front of it.

The simple margherita pizza was excellent with a fantastic crust. The mozzarella cheese and fresh tomato worked so well together. No wonder the place is voted as New York’s #1 pizza!

Details:
Grimaldi’s
Under the Brooklyn Bridge
1 Front Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
http://grimaldisnyc.com

Carnegie Deli (New York)

Upon arrival in New York, first thing first – a deli sandwich. We strategically booked our hotel close to the famous Carnegie Deli. The menu has all the classic sandwich combinations that the deli is famous for. We decided to share ($3 extra) a corned beef sandwich, rather than going for the Woody Allen (corned beef + pastrami).

The sandwich was so big I struggled to hold it together. The 2 inch stack of corned beef was moist and tender, perfect with mustard, and most importantly not very salty. Pity we didn’t have room for a slice of strawberry cheesecake after.

Details:
The Carnegie Deli
854 7th Avenue at 55th Street
New York
http://www.carnegiedeli.com

Wafels and Dinges (New York)

On the first morning of our New York visit, we went to the nearest Wafels and Dinges stand for breakfast. We did not check the opening times for the day so we ended up standing in the cold for 30 minutes waiting for the stand to open.

The soft liege wafel was a delight to eat, especially with the spekuloos spread (think nutella plus peanut butter – but nicer). Pity the wafel cooled down too quickly in the weather. In our next visit, we hope to find the food truck to try the crispy Brussels wafel.

Details:
Wafels and Dinges
New York
For locations check out http://www.wafelsanddinges.com