A Top Chef Dining Experience: Dinner @ Talde and Craftbar

I am a HUGE Top Chef fan! It’s also a show that Adam and I enjoy watching together…and since he’s not a Gossip Girl fan, having another show we can watch together is a definite plus! So, when Dale Talde of Top Chef and Top Chef All-Stars fame opened Talde, a new Asian-fusion restaurant in Park Slope, to rave reviews, I knew I had to check it out. Caitlin, a fellow top chef fan and Brooklyn blogger and I met there one weeknight, and after hearing stories of hour-long waits, I was very happy to be seated right away. Everything on the menu sounded incredible and we had a very hard time deciding. This may have also been due to the fact that Dale was standing in the kitchen window, so close we could almost touch him! But don’t worry…we held it together and with help from our waitress, ordered a most delicious assortment of their family style dishes.

Hawaiian bread buns: crispy long island fluke and market vegetables topped with garlic vinegar mayo and pickled shallots

Octopus a la plancha with a delicious spicy mayo based sauce

Whole market fish: banana leaf roasted topped with tumeric-tomato chutney

The fish was served with some sort of rice paper/crepe like wrapper to make your own wraps filled with succulent fish.  Such a fun main course!

Sugar snap peas stir-fried with green sambal sauce

Halo Halo (or a cereal bowl on gone crazy!) Shaved ice topped with coconut, coconut milk, mango, banana, captain crunch, tapioca balls

I think the fact that Caitlin and I are STILL thinking about that fish should tell you just how good, how moist, and how flavorful it was. The Hawaiian bread buns with perfectly squishy bread sandwiching some delicious fillings were just fantastic. And all the sauces Dale does…from the spicy sauce on the octopus to the green and vibrant sauce on the simple snap peas…they are all perfectly balanced and compliment the dishes so well. And just look at that beautiful, very weird but oddly tasty dessert. All the different textures and flavors made us keep dipping our spoons in for more, despite being stuffed to the brim!

From a Top Chef competitor to a Top Chef head judge, Tom Collicio’s Craftbar was the spot of my and Adam’s latest date night. Having wanted to try one of his restaurants for a long time, I was very much looking forward to sampling what Craftbar had to offer. Let me tell you…this restaurant is a like a perfectly oiled, well run machine. I guess I should expect no less from Mr. Collicio. Our water glasses were never empty, the servers were knowledgable, the food arrived perfectly cooked and perfectly timed, and cutlery was replaced before we realized it was gone.

Pecorino arancini with spicy tomato sauce

Lamb tortelloni with Greek yogurt and fennel and eggplant ragout

Sheeps milk ricotta ravioli with spring vegetables, meyer lemon, and aged pecorino

Broccoli rabe with garlic, red pepper flakes, and lemon confit

Banana tart topped with meringue and pecan praline ice cream

All of our food was perfectly cooked and seasoned and well, just very good. Nothing was outstanding or mind-blowing but just very good solid food with great service in a great atmosphere. The lamb in my tortelloni was so tender and every single plate was well-balanced. I guess those Top Cheffers really do know how to cook!

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Girls Weekend in Miami & Three Great Dinners: Michy’s, Joes Stone Crab, & Michael’s Genuine

I know that the weather in NYC hasn’t been the winter cold we are used to, but never the less, a weekend getaway to Miami with my mom was just what I needed to relax, recharge, and of course…eat! We got lucky with the weather and had a beautiful day in the sun…we lounged by the pool, caught up on celebrity gossip with only the best trashy magazines, and I went for my last long run before the NYC half which is fast approaching!

The pool at our hotel

Having only three dinners in Miami makes deciding where to eat very very tough! While NYC has many amazing restaurants, Miami is no slouch. So I did my research, consulted many friends and family, and came up with three restaurant choices that did not disappoint!

Dinner #1: Michy’s

I’ve watched Michelle Bernstein on Top Chef, Iron Chef, and have seen her dishes featured on The Best Thing I Ever Ate. So Michy’s was an obvious choice for me to get a taste of her “whimsical bistro dishes” and “luxurious comfort food.” The restaurant is just gorgeous and the service was top-notch. I also loved how you could order half portions of their appetizers…which just means you get to try and eat more! So I took advantage of this and ordered two apps and a main.

White gazpacho with marcona almonds, grapes, and cucumbers

Peruvian ceviche with ginger, lime, corn, and sweet potato

Seared halibut with celery root puree, periwinkles, and spinach

I don’t have one bad thing to say. The gazpacho, which was poured table side, was rich, smooth, and so different from the usual tomato based cold soup. The ceviche was by far and away some of the best I’ve ever had and that halibut…both my mom and I ordered it and both scraped our plates clean. That celery root puree…let’s just say I dream about it!

Dinner #2: Joe’s Stone Crab

A florida institution, Joe’s Stone Crab is obviously known for their…stone crab. My mom and I met our aunt and cousin for a lovely dinner at this old school, table side service restaurant and dined on large portions of seafood and vegetables. Sweet and succulent crab, a delicious chopped salad, and very unique tomato side dish were had. Nothing over the top amazing, but good solid food and great service.

Chopped salad with diced vegetables, egg, feta, olives, peanuts, and the most amazing salad dressing I've ever had! It was like salsa

Grilled artichoke

Roasted tomato with creamed spinach and cheese

The infamous stone crab

Dinner #3: Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink

Now this was the dinner to end all dinners…and it did as it was our last evening in Miami. I had been looking forward to Michael’s Genuine since I booked the reservation about a month prior to our vacation. Michael’s Genuine focuses on seasonal and local food, with many interesting menu items (fried pig ears anyone?) We were initially disappointed because they were sold out of the roasted whole fish we had our eye on. But the waiter sold me on the 1/2 roasted chicken and once our food came out, all of our initial dismay vanished.

Greek farro salad with French feta

Wood oven roasted local eggplant with chickpeas, raisins, pinenuts, and Greek yogurt

Kimchi and burrata with heirloom tomatoes, basil, olive oil, and sea salt

Pan roasted half chicken with parsley and capers

Wood roasted cauliflower with parsley sauce

I think a lot of people veer away from ordering chicken at a restaurant for fear of a boring and dried out bird. This chicken was the complete opposite…crispy skin, moist flesh, served with salty capers and arugula…it should have its own feature on “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.” If I were to be picky, I would say the chicken took a long time…a very long time. But our server had overheard us talking curiously about the fried pig ears and the famous desserts that he brought over a complimentary order of each. They could take as along as they want with my chicken next time!

Fried pig ears

Enjoying a bite of a fried swine ear

The fried pig ears tasted, well…fried. They were seasoned perfectly in an almost bbq/chili seasoning and were actually quite tasty and crunchy. Then you got a little bit too much of the cartilage ear in your bite…yeah, that’s a turn off. Am I happy I tried them…definitely! Was I also happy they were free…Yes! The dessert on the other hand, I would happily pay for any day!

Warm doughnuts with tangerine creamsicle pot de creme and blackberry jam with orange zest and tarragon

How good was this? Let’s just say the table next to us saw the dessert, immediately ordered it, and we all ate in stunned silence at how delicious some fried dough, fruit cream, and jam could be. If you are in Miami…this is a restaurant you MUST visit! A wonderful weekend away with my mom!

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