Blue Smoke
Located in the heart of Manhattan’s gastronomic epicenter, Blue Smoke is a casual BBQ eatery offering tasty southern and mid-western cuisine while maintaining a unique New York City feel. Celebrated restaurateur Danny Meyer (of Union Square Café and Gramercy Tavern fame) combines some standard fare along with a selection of regional dishes from various barbeque communities throughout the country, resulting in a restaurant that anyone can enjoy.
The restaurant is spacious yet cozy, with high ceilings and a sun-drenched rear dining area. The long, worn wooden bar is warm and inviting. Grab a seat and enjoy a snack and a cocktail before dinner: A Bleu Smoke Martini (vodka mixed with a single malt, served with bleu cheese-stuffed olives) is a delicious spin on a traditional New York drink – or, if you prefer to stay with the theme, you can sample one (or several) of the seemingly endless number of bourbons on-hand, including the home batch Blue Smoke Bourbon. Be sure to try the peanuts – your own personal bottle direct from North Carolina, bottled expressly for Blue Smoke, and salty enough to wake up the taste buds in preparation for the meal to come.
When I first walked into the courtyard behind the ancient clapboard house, I peered over my sunglasses to make sure my mind’s eye and my real ones were seeing the same thing.
Blue Heaven is a Key West Original. Mentioned in countless novels and a few Jimmy Buffett songs, the site has served as a bordello, theatre and boxing venue. It is said that Ernest Hemingway used to referee matches in the very spot where patrons where currently dining on Bar-b-que shrimp and yellowtail snapper in a citrus beurre blanc sauce.
In any city famous for a particular cuisine, a galactic battle will inevitably rage over who does it the best. In Philadelphia, this battle is over the cheesesteak. Scores of restaurants scattered throughout the city offer this ubiquitous Philly delicacy, each location unique in how they make it. Some are good, some are bad, and some are downright nasty. But there is an upper echelon within steakdom, a place occupied by only a few establishments, and it is here where the war is truly waged.
Redd is decorated in the minimalist style with vaulted ceilings. The acoustics do lend to a very noisy space and we found it a bit difficult to hear each other. If you are planning a romantic dinner at Redd, reserve outside on the patio. If your table is inside, my suggestion is to sit next to each other, instead of across. Also note the restaurant was very busy. Our reservation was for 8:30PM and every table was full the entire time we were there. We were surprised they continued seating people up until 10PM.
I’ve been to the Ginger Man a few times, and I’ve had nothing but pleasant experiences every time. They have about 80 beers on tap - including two hand-pumped cask ales. They also serve basic food - nothing fancy, just some sandwiches, some bratwurst and simple appys. The food’s not that great but it’s good enough filler to let you keep your head while sampling many of their 80 beers. It’s got a real cozy atmostphere - dark & woody, huge bar, and there’s a nice little lounge area complete with sofas and armchairs. All in all, it’s a real good place to go and spend some time with a few friends while trying good beer from all over the world.
We were ambling down Walnut St. at 9:30 on a Saturday night, looking for a decent looking restaurant which would be able to seat us without a reservation. Enter Il Portico, a Tuscan-influenced northern Italian eatery. Il Portico has a decent enough menu - including a section devoted entirely to carpacci! However, I opted for a ’special’ - rack of lamb in barolo reduction sauce. The entree was incredibly expensive, but oh, the taste! The flavor of that poor lamb who generously died for the whim of my palette should be praised in song by the bards for many years to come. The service was top notch. The ambience, aside from a questionable chandelier here and there, was nice and cosy. I highly recommend Il Portico for anyone who wants incredible Tuscan food and isn’t afraid to pay for it.
In NY, Tribeca is an area known for some culinary delights, and Danube fits comfortably & ably in the mix. Danube has always been among the tops among NY restaurants, and it is neither pretentious nor stuffy - it is rather comfortable. It is mainly Austrian, but does have other European/Continental influences. Another service they offer is a tasting menu - something a lot of high-end NY restaurants are now providing. This is a fantastic option for those who either don’t know much about the food, or those with a commitment problem. Danube also provides a corresponding wine flight, where each course is accompanied by specifically selected wine. A few final thoughts about Danube: they give you enough food to make you full when you’re done, and, like most in it’s class, it’s a restaurant where you only go when money isn’t a major concern.
Being fans of Mario, and having frequented other Mario restaurants, we decided to check out Casa Mono on a Saturday night. We did not make reservations, and we knew that it was a small place, but we figured ‘what the heck.’ As we approached the “hostess” station, we were greeted with a great amount of contempt by the Ice Queen of Irving Plaza at the front door. Despite the fact that there were several tables and bar seats open, we could not possibly be seated for an hour. Well, Saturday night, small restaurant, no big deal. The Ice Queen took our mobile number and assured us she would ring us when they have two seats available. Sure enough, close to an hour later, we got the call and were given two seats at the ‘wine bar.’ We each had two plates of food and a few glasses of wine, and even made friends with one of the cooks who later bought us a glass of sherry. A few weeks later we tried to pop in again, this time on a Sunday evening. We were again greeted by the Ice Queen, were told that we couldn’t possibly be seated for two and a half hours, and were were sure we really wanted to eat there? We told her yes, gave our mobile number, but then decided that we really didn’t want to wait over two hours and headed elsewhere. Roughtly 45 minutes later we received the call saying our seats were ready, but we had already left the area and were forced to turn them down. The moral of the story is: Great wine list. Decent food - a good chance to try small portions of uncommon foods (sweetbreads, tripe, etc). A holier-than-thou hostess who tries to dissuade you from your desire to actually eat there.
Bistro Jeanty was by far our favorite meal in Napa Valley. We also ate at Redd and The French Laundry; both experiences were outstanding, but flawed. In fact, our meal at Bistro Jeanty was the only flawless dining experience we had in Napa Valley. From the service, to the setting, to the food, everything was perfect.