Bathroom of the Month – March 2011 – Slice the Perfect Food!

This month’s Bathroom of the Month Award goes to Slice, The Perfect Food! While not the fanciest or most polished in terms of loo decor, I walked out of that bathroom feeling like I had visited 1 part carnival, 1 part artist studio, with a dash of wacky/artsy boudoir (see the red crystal chandelier). And with the renegade Muppet art, the only thing missing was this. The large mirrors, tidy appearance, and parquet ceiling sure helped too. But honestly, this bathroom is all about the experience. Go check it out, and while you’re at it, order a Miki.

And if you need other suggestions, let’s review our week’s adventures:

On Monday, it was Marmo’s Birthday, and we gave you a Marmo Special: Farfalle with Sausage recipe.

Tuesday was all about pizza, and we checked out John’s Jersey establishment.

On Wednesday, the Landmark Loews Theatre and Sapthagiri Indian Restaurant hit a home run double feature and make my millennium.

Finally, we hone our crane kicks for the Gramercy Tavern review on Thursday.

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You’re The Best. Around. (A Review of the Gramercy Tavern)

On my life’s highlight reel, I have a good amount of cherished memories.  One thing I find myself doing is (pathetically) replaying these events in my head and setting them to 80’s music in cheesy movie montage fashion.  For example,  the time me and some close friends rallied to save our college fraternity house from what seemed like an inevitable campus closure via a pain in the ass administration is typically imagined through Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It” appearance in Iron Eagle.

This past Sunday, the fam got together to celebrate Marmo’s birthday at the Gramercy Tavern at 42 East 20th Street.   And while it would be extreme to induct mere dining experiences within one’s life highlight reel, my dinner at Gramercy Tavern (hereinafter referred to as the”GT”) came pretty close.  So if I was to set my exceptional experience at the GT to an 80’s music/movie montage, what better and more appropriate segment to use than Joe Esposito’s triumphant masterpiece, “You’re the Best Around” as seen in the closing moments of one of the greatest 80’s movies of all time, The Karate Kid.  Please bear with me as draw on the comparisons.

I enter the Gramercy Tavern – Daniel Enters the Gymnasium for the All Valley Tournament

I’d have to imagine my feelings upon entrance to the GT were similar to that of fellow NJ paisan, Daniel LaRusso, as he walked into the All Valley Tournament:  Wonderment, excitement, a tinge of intimidation perhaps – only because of the rep it brings with it.  I needed to bring my blogging A-game.

The place is simply fantastic looking.  It has two general areas: the more “casual” tavern and then the restaurant, where we sat.  But there is a similar theme throughout.  Wood floors, tapestry curtains, blossoming bright colored plants, and aged iron chandeliers that look like they had been forged by knights in the pits of some dungeon.  It’s like  a Medieval Tudor-style farmhouse, with a sprinkle of magic and cheer.  They start everyone off with a delicious crispy potato puff, with olive tapenade (as seen below).

We meet Our Server – Miyagi accompanies Daniel-san to start the tournament

Our server, whose name escapes me, hands us our leather bound menus and drink lists.  After letting the fam chillax and take in the scene for the perfect amount of time, he swoops in and provides us with the headiest of tips concerning mixed drinks and wine recommendations, while seamlessly regaling us with brief, yet relevant tales of some dining history at the GT.  And my man is a pro.  Like our own personal Miyagi.  It’s apparent he has been working here for quite some time, and gives off the simultaneous impression of prompt, professional service without pressure or attitude. Point, LaRusso.

The Appetizers – Daniel-San cruises through the early rounds

Cue the music!  I order Lamb Parpadelle while Elana selects the Cauliflower Custard.  Both are tremendous.  My parpadelle has a delightfully salty flavor, owing to some beautifully cooked shredded lamb.  It is gracefully plopped in a faintly think burgundy broth, with hints of lemon swirling around in its depths.  Every third forkful or so is accompanied by a karate chop of spice to the taste buds.  It’s honestly perfect.  Elana’s custard is similarly off the charts. Like a cauliflower panna cotta of sorts, it also has hazelnuts to supply an appropriate contrasting crunch.  Truly, an achievement in science.

The Entrees – Daniel-San dismantles the Cobra Kai sidekicks en route to the Final

No offense to Daniel-San, but one of my favorite underrated moments in the tournament montage is when Dutch (played by Chad, the son of Steve McQueen) cracks Daniel’s jaw with a the back end of a slick double roundhouse.  Without question the prettiest and most athletic karate move of the entire movie.  The GT’s entrees are similarly flawlessly presented.

And like Daniel-San, I’m able to move past the beauty of my meal’s arrival and get down to business.  I ordered the Duck Breast with confit, cabbage and mushrooms.  The duck is cooked like a medium rare filet, with that sweet tasting quality that only duck meat has.  The accompanying confit is made up of darker meat and is, appropriately, a tad more salty.  The dish is held together by a lurking presence of soy sauce and peppercorns.

Elana orders the Smoked Arctic Char with sunchokes, leeks, and hazelnuts.  Much like every dish so far, it arrives as meticulously presented as one of Miyagi’s Bonzai Trees.  The leeks, which form the guts of the sauce, emit this sweet tasting mist over the char which is lightly smoked and boasting a hazelnut crust.  There is also a noticeable mustard like presence established throughout the leek sauce.  Elana is beyond pleased – like she died and went to heaven.  Quick, get this girl a body bag, Johnny.

Dessert – Daniel LaRusso’s gonna fight? Daniel LaRusso’s gonna fight!

I always get a kick out of watching Miyagi rub his hands together to heal Daniel’s leg prior to the showdown with Johnny Lawrence, which is followed up by the shameless ring announcer breaking the exciting news to the crowd.  And indeed, after ingesting dinner, appetizers, and three hunky pieces of bread with the most amazingly salted butter spread all over it, I was a little tired myself.  But a thousand crane kicks to my noggin couldn’t stop me from participating in dessert, for which our server assured us would be a highlight of the meal.

And it was. Elana’s peanut butter semifreddo was simply awesome.  A cold treat with macaroons on the side, my fork kept getting helplessly pulled over to sis’s plate.  An absolute winner.  I went with a GT staple, the chocolate bread pudding.  A warm, moist sponge cake which melted in my mouth. Like a true establishment of class, the GT also placed some fine small treats on the house to polish off our meal.

The Bathrooms – Elana had a very positive report on the washrooms: “The bathrooms had a rustic look with fresh flower arrangements, baskets of hand towels and vintage art.”

Top to bottom, the GT is fantastic in everything they do.  Not a single thing gets overlooked.  It’s our favorite restaurant of the year, and the highest rated restaurant since doing the blog.  Indeed GT, You’re the Best, Around.

Overall Experience: The Godfather

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Stumptown Coffee at the Ace Hotel

It was a bright, sunny day: partially warm, birds were chirping, clouds had parted and the smell of coffee was in the air. On this almost-Spring day, my morning caffeine travels brought me to Stumptown Coffee Roasters at the Ace Hotel.

The Scene:
The Ace Hotel (at least the lobby and coffee shop) combines a well-designed and eclectic interior (see Exhibit A) with a dash of playful humor (see Exhibit B) and amusement park style attractions (a photo booth!! – evidence of which can be found in the above image).

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

As I queued up with the rest of the Flatiron District for my morning brew, I couldn’t help but notice some other stand-out accents like the beautiful Spring time flora:

And the turn of the century, Victorian Era inspired packaging:

The Coffee:
I ordered my usual latte and was presented with a perfectly frothed, whole milk infused beverage decorated with a teeny-tiny heart. There really is something about steamed whole milk that is exponentially better than steamed skim: FAT. Milk fat just tastes good, especially with coffee. It’s rich and velvety without being too sweet – a perfect balance to deep, bitter coffee. Which is exactly what happened here, and why I had to commemorate the image below with a little Victorian Era decoration of my own.

So impressed I was by my latte drinking experience, that I returned TWICE in one week to the scene of Stumptown at the Ace. This time I mixed it up and ordered a macchiato. Macchiato is an espresso with just a touch of steamed milk. In fact, the word “macchiato” means “stained” or “marked”. So this is an espresso drink with just a little stain of steamed milk.

As you can see, my mark arrived in the shape of a heart, which very much brightened up my morning. More than just pretty decoration, the steamed milk was just enough to balance the deep, dark espresso. No sugar required (cuz I’m sweet enough….oh, I’m just kidding, people). The thin film of foam draped over the surface of the robust espresso is also a nice textural and taste contrast.

Emboldened by my macchiato, it was then that I decided to try out the photo booth. They put it there for people to use, right? Maybe not just one person with coffee in hand, but who cares? Certainly not I. So I snapped a few pictures as evidence of my macchiato enjoyment (see the first photo).

In addition to coffee, I ordered this fancy little brioche roll. Those white crystals gracing the surface are actually sugar crystals (one might confuse them with salt). Brioche is one of my favorite breads because of the ever-so-slightly-sweet, mushy center and its glossy, amber, super-thin crust. This one did not disappoint, the sugar crystals adding a bit of extra CRUNCH.

The Experience:
All in all, I would have to say that Stumptown Coffee Roasters at the Ace Hotel is:

But since I should really attach a movie experience, I give it: The Godfather – The Perfect Game.

Stumptown Coffee Roasters at the Ace Hotel
18 W 29th St.
New York, NY 10001
6am – 8pm daily

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