savory-bites » West Village

Minetta Tavern & the $26 Black Label Burger

Jessie — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 01:05:50 +0000

Black Label Burger: Selection of prime dry-aged beef cuts with caramelized onions and pommes frites ($26)

This morning, I ran to reverse the damage and abuse from my relationship with butter. Last night, that involved a giant ribeye steak smothered in butter, sizzling on a 500 degree plate (brownie points to anyone who can guess where I was). Last week, it involved one of the top ranked burgers in New York City at the revered Minetta Tavern. I’m going to focus on the latter.

On paper, the Black Label Burger is everything an omnivore could ever dream of. Serious Eats did a fantastic article, dissecting the thought and process behind the Black Label. Here are some key points:

The beef is a combination of prime dry aged ribeye, skirt steak, and brisket from Creekstone Farms, KENTUCKY (whoa, right?). Although the burger goes for a whopping $26, it’s pretty cheap when you compare it to the ribeye entree (the same cut that goes into the burger) which goes for $90 at the restaurant. And why prime? Because the natural marbling requires less external fat
The bun is a peppered brioche from the famous Balthazar Bakery just avenues across. The brioche is baked a day in advance so that it can harden slightly overnight. It’s not your typical sweet, buttery brioche. If a Kaiser roll could ever be in a brioche form, this would be it.
The toppings include lettuce, tomato, and sautéed onions. That’s right, no cheese. You can order it with cheese (free of charge too!) but it’s not recommended. I agree, the burger is seasoned and salted enough on its own. But the onions are amazing. Sauteed to the brink of caramelizing, they provide this delicate sweetness.
Butter: Didn’t think I was going to forget this one now eh? Basically, they slather clarified butter all over the surface of the beef while on the grill. And no, clarified butter is not just melted butter. It’s melted butter sans milk solids, whatever that means.

Conclusion:

You’ll be surprised to hear that I was not impressed. A big factor is the price. For $26, I could have gotten 5 Shake Shack burgers, 1.5 Spotted Big Burgers, or made 10 of my own. I honestly thought that the burgers Esther and I made last week were better.

I think what really killed the burger was the butter overload. My first bite felt like I was taking a bite out of a stick of butter, which is really gross. The burger was juicy and cooked perfectly. I think sans clarified butter, I would have enjoyed it a lot more. But honestly, I just didn’t feel it. Don’t get me wrong. It’s an incredibly rich burger and you can feel it every time the juice just oozes out with each bite. The meat is tender, almost like eating a medium-rare steak. But the flavor is too mild in my opinion. Maybe it’s because I was supposed to appreciate the “natural beef” flavor like you do at a steakhouse, but nope. I thought the Spotted Pig offered a better burger despite it being over salted. So yes, one thing this burger could have used more of is salt! The brioche bun was also a bit disappointing as the juices still rendered the bottom bun soggy. Despite it being brioche and all, I couldn’t find anything special about it (usually, I think burgers with brioche buns are just absolutely out of this world!)

Overall, an above average burger for a way above average price. I think this fellow food blogger but it best when he said (comparing the Black Label to the original Minetta Burger)

Ounce for ounce, penny for penny, the Minetta Burger destroys its super-uber-gourmet counterpart. Furthermore, and I don’t think I’m being unreasonable here, If I’m going to spend $26 on a hamburger, it had better change my life in some way shape or form, otherwise I just feel stupid and cheated.

On the bright side, the fries are delicious…

(Nothing like an Old Speckled Hen to wash down a burger)

Chocolate Dacquoise: Rich chocolate ganache layered with hazelnut meringue ($9)

We did end up ordering dessert, a Chocolate Dacquoise. Let me tell you, this was phenomenal. It was like dissecting a truffle. The top part is this bitter chocolate that crumbles at the touch of the fork yet retains this crunch at the bite. Then there’s a layer of meringue and then a rich, dense ganache, and another layer of meringue. It may not look 100% perfect, but it tasted 100% perfect.

Go for the cake. For sure. Oh, and to meet the Maître d‘, Robert. He’s pretty cool.

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113 MacDougal St.
New York, NY 10012
nr. Bleecker St. See Map | Subway Directions
212-475-3850

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The Spotted Pig & their famous $17 burger

Jessie — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 03:26:01 +0000

Sometime in March 2010, the NJ Turnpike was backed up for miles because an over-sized truck crashed into an overpass. Can you imagine being the truck driver that had to call up his boss to break him the news? “Eh, uh. Boss? I underestimated how tall the truck is and uh, sorta, broke the overpass.”

Yeah.

Now can you imagine the guy, behind in the kitchen, who’s making the batch of burgers and accidentally knocking over the jar of salt? “Hey uh, boss, I accidentally used a bit of too much salt in that meat.”

Yeah- so much salt that I ran into Mickey D’s for Sprite and chugged bottles of water after I got home. What a painful bus ride home.

The Spotted Pig rides on a coveted resume that could turn any hopeless restaurant into an esteemed establishment. First you have Mario Batali, who is the partner of April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman (the owners). No introduction necessary there on Batali’s part. Then you have April herself, whose background includes a stint at the famous Chez Panisse run by Alice Waters. For those of you that aren’t familiar with Chez Panisse, it’s the crown jewel of the slow food movement, where dining meets organic and fresh, locally grown ingredients. Rumor even has it that April worked with and came highly recommended by the awesome Jamie Oliver. Clearly, The Spotted Pig comes from a good pedigree.

Since the restaurant doesn’t accept reservations (and we got lost), we waited for about 20 minutes for two top on a beautiful Saturday night around 6:30pm. We waited at the bar downstairs on plush covered stools, sipping beer on ‘draught.’ If you’re a Blue Moon type of person, I’d definitely try the Harpoon “UFO.” There’s limited seating downstairs, but upstairs, there’s another bar with some more seats.

Devils on Horseback: Bacon wrapped prunes with pear ($7)

We were seated in a round corner that somehow magically seats six tables of two. That’s because there are no chairs, just a long, curving booth-like couch with individual circular tables. So if you could imagine two people dining at a table while both sitting on the same couch, well, let’s just say that you better be comfortable with whomever you’re dining with. Needless to say, everyone in that room was a couple, except for Sabrina and me.

While we were waiting at the bar, we repeatedly saw this dish that had bacon wrapped… somethings. We couldn’t find it on the menu, but the server informed us that they were “Devils on Horseback.” Of course we had to get some.

They were seriously and undoubtedly the best apps I’ve had in a long while. I don’t think I need to tell you how wonderfully well bacon works with just about everything. But when you combine that salty yet succulent stomach fat with the sweet prunes- man. It’s just magic.

Chargrilled Burger with Roquefort cheese & shoestrings ($17)

Is it surprising that I got the burger? Besides the fact that I had absolutely no interest in anything else on the menu (like pig ears?!) The Spotted Pig’s burger has repeatedly been dubbed as the absolute best in NYC. I’ve read that the burger is a combination of different kinds of meat- chuck, short rib, and even pork?! Either way, the first bite is simply what you’d imagine what paradise would taste like if it were made of burgers. Juicy, tender, and just oh so flavorful. That first bite answered our question as to why the burger is served naked- sans tomato and lettuce.

Pros:

The meat itself (or at least within the first bite) is without a doubt the most flavorful burger I’ve ever tasted. At medium rare, it’s still tender pink and oozing with juice.
Love, LOVE the brioche bun and the chargrilled marks. Massively impressed that the bottom bun was able to hold up from the juice that was running from the burger
The Roquefort cheese. Some people say that it’s too overpowering, but I say that it added a nice contrast. Except somewhere between the fifth bite and the last, I could no longer tell the difference between the Roquefort and the salt.

Cons:

Dear god, the amount of salt! After the first bite, I commented that it was a bit salty. Then the third bite, even saltier. In fact, it was so salty that I couldn’t even taste the seasoning from the fries, and I even tried some of the fried rosemary! For the last few bites, I had to cut the burger in half because of the salt. It was heart wrenching.
The shoelace fries. They’re a bit too thin, to the point where each bite is bursting with oil and not potato. I suppose it’s meant to be like that but…

The salt couldn’t have been from the cheese because Sabrina ordered hers sans cheese. She did take half the burger home and admitted that when eaten at room temperature, the salt is more bearable.

Had it not been for the salt, this burger would have, hands down, topped even Shake Shack (which I’ve immortalized as the best burger). It’s such a shame because Sabrina and I refuse to believe that the burger is supposed to be that salty. It must have been a mistake and whoever was making it obviously either did not realize the amount of salt that was used or was too scared to tell his boss. That is some expensive meat there you’re dealing with here.

Either way, it can’t be as bad as the trucker who ran into the overpass.

And let me know if you’ve had a similar experience with the saltiness.

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314 W. 11th St.
New York, NY 10014
at Greenwich St. See Map | Subway Directions
212-620-0393 Send to Phone

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Sevilla (No, not the city, the restaurant in West Village)

Jessie — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 02:28:38 +0000

Chorizo ($9)

After I got home (which is now sadly approximately 50 miles away from the West Village), I had to double check my Michelin Guide Book to make sure that I remembered the right restaurant. Sevilla doesn’t have a Michelin star, but it has one of those “inspector’s favorite picks” icons, meaning it’s supposed to be good. Uh, it wasn’t.

Usually, I like to wait a couple of days before writing about an unsatisfactory experience just so I don’t say anything that I’d regret. Now that I’ve given Sevilla a good 5 days, I think I’m ready to spew.

Paella a la Valenciana: chicken, sausage and seafood with rice ($22)

Sevilla is supposedly known for their paella, which came highly recommended in not only the Michelin guidebook, but also on several reviews on Yelp. I’ve been to a few places in the city for Paella, and this is definitely not among the top. I’ll talk more about the paella later.

To start off, they gave us one complete loaf of bread for two. Rarely do we get that much bread, but we saved it for the chorizo. I think the manager chuckled when he saw us eating it like a sandwich.

Sangria: White, Half Pitcher ($13.50)

Of course, no visit to a Spanish restaurant is complete without sangria. I think sangria is one of the sole reasons why Sabrina and I have begun seeking out Spanish restaurants. The sangria here is no where near as good as that from Las Ramblas, but it was much cheaper. You can choose between white and red, although it feels as if they throw in the fruit right before serving it to you as opposed to having it prepared ahead of time.

But half a pitcher is… ALOT. I got in 3 glasses.

Then out of no where, a salad came along! Another one of those half-baked salads with dressing smeared all over as if someone forgot the dressing bottle was tipped over- but greens are appreciated wherever given.

Now, the paella-

The best paella I’ve had is obviously in Spain (where my host-mother would have a pot simmering away each weekend) and instead of bring back memories, this paella was too wet. The flavor was there, but the amount of moisture totally detracted from the flavor.

To Sevilla’s credit, there was a ton of shellfish and it’s table side service so the runner served us each a hefty portion filled with chunks (or actually, A HUGE chunk of chicken), at least 3 clams a plate, mussels and shrimp.

It was also huge and we had so much left over. The funny thing is, I brought it to work the next day and it actually tasted better, probably because when I reheated it, the rice dried up a bit.

What also exacerbated the “thumbs down” was how they charge you $3.95 if you split a dish. How the heck could they possibly expect ONE PERSON TO FINISH THAT WHOLE POT OF PAELLA?! Ridiculousness.

No matter what the Michelin or Zagat Guide book may say, I’d stay away. Maybe it was just an off night for them because the restaurant was pretty crowded throughout, but that one experience was enough to plaster a “Not Recommended” on the review.

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62 Charles St.
New York, NY 10014
At 4th St. See Map | Subway Directions
212-929-3189 Send to Phone

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Jacques Torres Chocolate Haven

Jessie — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 19:12:21 +0000

One of the biggest disappointments is when you come back home with a camera loaded with pictures that you think are super-stellar except… they’re not. I should have checked the ISO before I took the pictures, but since I didn’t, they were set at 1600 for the day and hence- the “noise” in the background for these pictures.

Enough about the photos and more about the chocolate. I first came to Jacques Torres in freshman year of high school where after walking out the door, our hot chocolate began to congeal into a solid form, literally within minutes. Patrick, who has recently been watching what I assume to be a ridiculous amount of Food Network shows, wanted to check this place out because “Giada came here!”

I love their hot chocolate chocolate because it just tastes like liquid chocolate that’s not too thick to stuff your throat. Ever have European hot chocolate? It’s like having a shot of just melted solid chocolate. It sounds good, but if you have an espresso sized one of them, it’s almost sickening because of how sweet and chocolaty it is.

Jacques Torres’ hot chocolate comes in two different options:

Classic: famous dark chocolate drink
Wicked: classic w/ a hint of ancho & chipotle peppers

And then from there, there are even more options!-

White Chai: white chocolate with a chai tea twist
Orange: classic w/ a swirl of candied orange
White Mint: white hot chocolate w/ a hint of mint
Peanut Butter: mixed with peanut butter
Caramel: classic hot chocolate w/ a swirl of caramel

The above three cost $3.50 for a small cup but if you just get the “Classic” or “Wicked,” it’s only $3.25. That being said, that extra $0.25 is DEFINITELY worth it.

Their whipped cream is freshly whipped each day!

I ended up getting a Wicked Orange Hot Chocolate (recipe here, courtesy of Jacques Torres himself!) and Patrick the Wicked Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate. I felt that his was a bit too peanut-buttery and therefore a bit too thick to consume in mass amounts (aka, a small cupful). My Orange, on the other hand, was the perfect balance of sweet and spicy (from the “Wicked” peppers). I loved the tiny clumps of candied oranges at the end so it’s better to use one of their thin straws to mix everything up instead of leaving the best parts to the end.

Of course, as a chocolate shop, they also tons of chocolates as well as prepackaged chocolate goodies. The stuff here isn’t cheap, but if you’re going to spend the same amount of money buying Max Brenner, Lindt, or Godiva Chocolates, you might as well come here because it’s so much better.

I felt like I was back in Belgium at all those chocolate shops!

That’s where they crank out their hot chocolate and espresso drinks!

We also ended up splitting a Bombolini. We asked for the chocolate filling and funny thing was, it took them forever to find one because I guess they don’t really label or have a structured way of placing the chocolates on one rack and the plain on another. But it was indeed chocolate when she cut through it.

Although I liked it, I’d have to say that at $1.50 it’s way overpriced. Patrick and I both agreed that it almost tasted like a Dunkin Donuts donut. That’s probably really offensive to anyone who works at Jacques Torres, but it’s the truth! The filling reminded me almost like a cream puff filling from Beard Papa’s.

And yes, they sell sliced cake- or pies too.

Those are some giant cookies there…

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350 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014
at King St. See Map | Subway Directions
212-414-2462 Send to Phone
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Royale Cafe & Pastry

Jessie — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 04:34:37 +0000

Meet Yun. Doesn’t she look snug and warm with her fingered mittens and large warm latte? Those gloves do look nifty…

After those filling noodles at Sammy’s, Yun and I couldn’t resist a peek into Royale. She mentioned something about “cupcakes,” and “next door” when we were eating and so I asked, “dessert?” to which she replied, “of course!” That’s what I love about Yun. She’s never one to resist dessert.

That’s essentially everything- in that glass case. It’s not a whole lot and so Yun and I were wondering how this place possibly make money, especially considering how they actually charge less than most bakeries. There are a few stools but other than that, this is one small shop.

While everything did look somewhat enticing, I had to go for that cupcake. At $2 a pop, they’re pretty decent especially since I’ve been shelling near $3 at some other places recently. I did enjoy their handmade signs though.

The red velvet cupcake was different from most others that I’ve had. The cake part wasn’t anything special, but I really loved how the frosting actually wasn’t a cream cheese base! If anything, it tasted like a whipped frosting, making it light and airy, which is a welcoming combination with the somewhat dense cake.

Red Hook: red hot red velvet cake with a hint of valrhona cocoa topped with cinnamon buttercream

The one thing that I did NOT like, however, was that red dot. It was hard and a full on burst of cinnamon exploded into my mouth when I chewed it. Yuck!

So overall, the cupcake was good, but not great.

Yun came out with a large latte at only $2.50. What a steal! I’d probably come back for coffee and maybe for a cupcake. After all, cupcakes are the exception to not visiting a restaurant more than once.

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461 Sixth Ave.
New York, NY 10011
At 11th St.Â See Map | Subway Directions
212-255-5236 Send to Phone

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