Pig Bleecker

Pig Bleecker was the sister Manhattan restaurant to Brooklyn's own Pig Beach, with both restaurants focusing on pork, regional east coast specialties, and smoke. The former closed earlier this year, following and untenable rent situation and the tragic death of Pig Beach executive chef Jeff Michner, which I can only imagine also affected Pig Bleecker's business. 

This was actually my second time at the restaurant, the first having been a quick trip to the bar for a few drinks and desserts. 

Winter Julep

Rye, Pine, Winter Syrup, Mint

Cornbread Madeleines

Snacks - Left to Right:

Pecan Candied Bacon

Deviled Eggs w/ Trout Roe

Pigs in Parker House Rolls w/ Pig Beach Mustard Sauce

Lasagne

Smoked Duck Ragu, Bechamel, "Grandma's Sunday Gravy", Parmesan

Executive chef and owner Matt Abdoo made a career studying and cooking Italian cuisine before making the jump to barbecue, having trained in Italy and done stints at Mario Batali's NYC restaurants Lupa and Del Posto. Straight from Del Posto's menu, Abdoo recreated a version of their famed 100-layer lasagna. Both his and the original are baked on an open sheet tray, carved into individual portions, and then seared on one side. I actually enjoyed this version better than Del Posto's, as it was bigger on flavor and smaller on apparent fuss. 

Brisket Ravioli

Black Truffle Butter, Barolo Reduction

Smoked & Grilled Pork Chop

Peach Habanero Jam, Brussels Sprouts, Crispy Onions

Buckeye Milkshake

This unbelievably decadent dessert (with an additional shot of whisky) was my first introduction to Ohio's trademark peanut butter candy, of which I became in instant fan. 

Mason Jar S'Mores

Another hit dessert, I loved the richness and contrasting textures here. Plus it's always fun to eat things out of mason jars. 

Clean Slate Eatery

Leah and I took a trip to Cape Cod with my parents in 2017 - seeking a more unique dining experience than the typical inn or lobster shack, I stumbled upon Clean Slate Eatery, an absolute gem. The tiny staff (three people prepping, cooking, plating, and bussing) served a multi-course tasting meal in an equally tiny space (16 seats including a long L-shaped bar). As of this writing the restaurant boasts a well-earned perfect 5-star rating on Yelp. 

Clean Slate Eatery
702 MA-28, West Dennis, MA
cleanslateeatery.com

The restaurant is virtually invisible, tucked inside an unmarked little roadside cottage. We entered and were lucky enough to sit at the bar, where we had a front-row view of the staff as they prepared each dish for all the guests at once. 

Notice on the Beer menu the highlighting of Miller High Life as being the "Champagne of beers" - classic!

Devil's Purse Skywave Saison

My parents and I ordered the wine pairing, though this was still before Leah drank much wine - she opted instead for this great Belgian Saison from Devil's Purse Brewing.

Local Oyster

Lemon-Horseradish Ice

Incredible. So many times, prepared oyster toppings obscure the flavor. This was the most harmonious prepared oyster dish I'd ever had. Even Leah, who hadn't yet opened her heart to these wonderful bivalves, liked it!

Sweet Roll

Whipped Sorghum Butter

This plump, delicious little piece of bread was like an upscale King's Hawaiian Roll. 

Day Boat Scallop

Pan Seared, Purple Cherokee Tomato & Applewood Smoked Bacon Ragout, Curried Cavatelli, Whipped Molasses

An explosion of flavor, and a pleasantly rich surprise right out of the gate. Great lighting coming in from the beautiful sunset outside around this time. 

Baby Beets

Honey-Roasted, Basil, Balsamic Gel, Burrata Purée

I think it completely defeats the purpose of burrata to purée it, but otherwise this salad was light and refreshing. 

Plaice

Caraway Seed-Dusted, Chilled Buttermilk & Cucumber Soup, Fennel, Dill, Summer Flowers, Rye Breadcrumbs

I found this to be a wonderful contrast of temperature and texture. My mother thought the plaice was mushy, but I thought the delicate texture allowed it to meld into the soup as a cohesive dish, rather than the soup being a "sauce" for the fish, which was not the intent. 

Spherized Vodka

Lime, Cranberry

This intermezzo took the form of a fun little single-bite "cocktail". The staff entertained us with the extremely technical explanation of how one spherizes vodka, though damned if I can remember any of it now. I know it involved a mold and a bath in sodium alginate...

Tri-Tip Sirloin

24-hour Sous Vide, Pimento Cheese Grits, Sweet Corn Velouté, Ritz Cracker Crumbs, Pickled Bell Pepper

My god, this was amazing. I feel like steak entrées are usually not that interesting, but this was just incredible. So rich, well-composed, and satisfying. 

Mad River Blue Cheese

Celery Leaf Pesto, "Buffalo" Cracker

It was buffalo wings, blue cheese, and celery in the form of an upscale cheese course. Super-fun and creative - the cracker was made with Frank's Red Hot!

Sheet Cake

Buttercream, Sugared Blueberries, Toasted Cocoa-Strawberry Ice Cream

This seemingly simple dessert was in fact very flavorful. The combination of chocolate and strawberry in the ice cream was spectacular. 

Pour-Over Coffee

Irish Cream

We ordered a hipster coffee - in lieu of sugar or milk, we paired it with a shot of their homemade Irish cream, which really hit the spot. 

NoMad Restaurant - Lobster Fest

Lobster Fest themed meal at the NoMad Restaurant! No further explanation needed, just enjoy the pictures ;)

NoMad Restaurant
1170 Broadway, New York, NY
thenomadhotel.com

Cocktails

Evil Twin "NoMader Weiss"

Lobster Snacks

Miso-Glazed Tail

Tempura

Ceviche

This fun series of small courses offered a nice set of first bites. The first two could optionally be wrapped in the lettuce leaves and beautiful watermelon radish slices. 

Maize Runner

Amontillado Sherry, Genever, Corn, Coconut, Blueberries, Lime

Lobster Chowder

Corn, Potatoes, & Cheddar Biscuits

I've seen this sort of deconstructed soup/stew/chowder so many times, and while the flavors are great, I do miss the liquidity of the original dish rather than the thicker sauce-like version done here. The biscuits were a fun tribute to Red Lobster. 

Grilled Lobster

Lobster Salad, Runner Beans, Tomato & Artichoke

Rhubarb Cobbler

Ricotta Ice Cream

Cosme

Three years after it opened, Leah and I enjoyed a mixed-bag dinner at the much-hyped Cosme. Some of what we had was absolutely excellent, while other dishes felt mediocre at best. We agreed that it was overly fussy and unfortunately not worth the extraordinary price tag, though still worth going once to see what all the fuss was about.

I don't have notes or a menu so I'll do my best to remember what everything was.

Cosme
35 E 21st St, New York, NY
www.cosmenyc.com

I was immediately turned off by the restaurant interior. It felt like a temporary popup, not an established fine dining establishment. The industrial, studio set appearance was really off-putting, and I didn't care for the open yet cramped floor plan (i.e. no privacy from fellow diners at all). Thinking back, it felt like something you would see on Top Chef's Restaurant Wars episodes.

Cocktails

I recall these cocktails being only so-so. As a side note, I'm generally annoyed by garnishes that serve no purpose other than for visuals (see my rants about gold leaf). This hibiscus flower was beautiful but did nothing for the drink.

Fried Tortillas

Of course Cosme makes their own tortillas in a variety of styles. This fried variety started us off nicely, served with a nut salsa that was more of a spread.

Uni Tostada

One of the more famous dishes as of when we visited, this tostada was underwhelming. The flavors were pretty nice, but the thing was a nightmare to eat, as the delicate tortilla buckled under the weight of the toppings, and fell apart instantly upon taking a bite. It ended up as uni "taco salad" very quickly. 

Cobia al Pastor

I enjoyed this dish quite a bit, but this was en example of where I felt things were very fussy and overly refined. The richness of the fish paired nicely with the pineapple and cilantro, substituting for the pork you would normally find in tacos al pastor. I was a little confused here, as the menu didn't mention that this dish was intended to be eaten with tortillas (other dishes on the menu specified when they came with tortillas). So course after course was tortillas. I love tortillas, but we would likely have ordered differently had we known. Imagine going to a fancy Italian restaurant, ordering a bunch of pasta and then some things you thought were not going to be pasta but actually were. 

I remember liking this cocktail a lot - I enjoy pineapple cocktails, and the piece of dried pineapple here was a great garnish. 

Softshell Crab Tempura

I recall this as being light and tasty, but much else. It was another tortilla dish. 

Duck Carnitas

The restaurant's #1 savory dish, and an instant hit. This was the home run we were waiting for all evening. The duck was incredibly fatty and succulent, and the whole composition perfectly summed up what I love about Mexican food - the combination of rich, savory meats with bright, acidic garnishes. 

Later, after watching a video on how they make this incredible plate, I recreated it at home and served it at a dinner party. It actually came out very nicely and, while very labor intensive, wasn't too difficult. 

Our server, who I found a little sleazy, insisted that this dessert should be ordered. I think it was rhubarb. I found it completely unmemorable and found myself annoyed that we listened to the used car pitch of the server...

Husk Meringue

Here is THE famous dish, the most Instagrammed dish of the year, inspiration for countless others like it. Did it live up to the hype? I thought so. It was a truly unique and novel experience and was my favorite bite of the night, even more than the carnitas. 

Mignardises

I think these were guava paste? Not much else I can say.