Hello Lily On The Lam Readers and BRAVO TV's Top Chef Fans:
First of all, thank you very much for reading. I hit 12,000 page views yesterday. It seems like I went from 5000 page views to 12,000 page views in a blink of an eye. Also, my 100th blog post will be published on Valentine's Day. I truly appreciate the comments and emails you have sent me. Thanks for your support and most of all - thank you for reading!
This is my 2nd installment in my "Top Chef 2012 Trilogy" (and 98th blog post!) The first installment was a
review of a cooking demo by fantastic and uber-tattooed Chef Richie Farina.
You may recall that in 2011, I attended a cooking demo with winner of
Top Chef Masters Chef Floyd Cardoz. (If not, read about it
here.) It was one of my favorite events, but also one of my favorite blog posts because the first line says: "For the record, I must emphatically state that Top Chef Masters 2011 winner Floyd Cardoz does not give me menstrual cramps." Yes, I really wrote that!! (Is it any wonder I do not write food reviews for a living?) I bet Top Chef Contestant Chef Richie Farina is now relieved that
when I wrote about his cooking demo, I only said he was dreamy eyed and that I longed to stick him in my purse and carry him around!
By the way, vote for Chef Richie Farina as BRAVO TV Top Chef Season 9 Fan Favorite,
by clicking here. Chef Richie (@RichieFarina on
Twitter) tweeted me three times (
see the tweets on my blog post). While his tweets were in response to my blog post about his cooking demo, I believe that if you read between the lines you will see he's really saying
"Lily, you are amazing - let's go throw back some tequila shots the next time you're in Chicago."
Chef Richie, please, I am wildly smitten over a certain Bad Ass Bandit here in Tampa - do not try to lure me in with your dreamy eyes! Chef Richie would then be heart-broken (of course) and would create some sort of "Death to Lily" dish at
Moto Restaurant, filled with lots of beet puree "blood splatter."
Ah well, at least I am inspirational! (Oh and for the record, highly delusional as well!) But Chef Richie did give me permission to touch his tattoos! And it's on Twitter, which I am pretty sure means it is a binding contract. Trust me, I'm a lawyer. It is also a huge mistake on Chef Richie's part. You do not want to give me a license to grope!
But let's step away from this mythical fantasy land and get back to the star of my 2nd installment of Top Chef inspired blog posts,
Top Chef Masters winner and all around Spice King, Chef Floyd Cardoz. Chef Floyd was the first Top Chef contestant to ever tweet me and then several months later he opens an amazing restaurant in New York. Coincidence? I'm thinking the Lily Bump was at play here. Ha ha! Note to you Chef Richie Farina - your tweets to me are bound to bring you good things!
You're welcome!
However, I have to admit a deep dark secret. The halcyon days since my last blog post on Chef Floyd Cardoz are over. I am now in a secret feud with Chef Floyd.
Secret, as in he doesn't know about it. You really don't need both parties' participation to have a secret feud.
Trust me.
In
his Tampa Bay cooking demo, Chef Floyd made the most delicious vanilla bean kulfi with citrus fruit and rosewater. (See a picture of it
here.) In December and January, I traveled for the first time to India. I was excited to see that kulfi from the
famed Mumbai Parsi Dairy was on my hotel cafe restaurant menu. After trying Chef Floyd's amazing version of Indian kulfi, I was excited to try "the real thing" in Delhi. Whereas Chef Floyd's kulfi was rich, creamy, delicious and had this brilliant "yummmmmm" mouth feel; the kulfi I was served at
Machan Restaurant at the Taj Mahal Hotel was a flat, hard disc of frostbitten sadness. I'm not even going to comment on the plate styling.
 |
| Sad, sad kulfi in Delhi, India |
I have heard great things about the Mumbai Parsi Dairy, so I am going to assume that this particular bit of kulfi may have once been great but now is old and frostbitten. Perhaps I am the only one ordering the kulfi at Machan restaurant? Regardless of the reason, I was highly disappointed with "authentic Indian kulfi." Chef Floyd Cardoz, you and your amazing vanilla bean kulfi have ruined me for all other kulfis -
LET THE SECRET FEUD COMMENCE!
LM and I headed up to New York City in January for a Broadway, shopping and eating weekend, as well as a belated birthday weekend for LM. I had heard that my new arch nemesis Chef Floyd Cardoz had recently opened his new restaurant,
North End Grill with Danny Meyer. Since Chef Floyd had told us about all his planning for this restaurant in
his cooking demo last year, I was eager to see how the new restaurant had turned out. And I knew it was kismet when the restaurant (@NorthEndGrill on
Twitter) tweeted that it had received its liquor license 2 days before I would be arriving for lunch. Evidently the gods of fate and the New York liquor licensing authority know that Lily enjoys a good cocktail with her lunch.
So even though I had declared a secret feud with
Chef Floyd Cardoz, I was excited when I was able to procure a reservation during the first two weeks of his restaurant opening. Unfortunately dinner was all booked up, but I will gladly enjoy a lunch!
We arrived on what must have been the restaurant staff's training day. There was a large number of staff at every station.
North End Grill is located near Battery Park in New York City. After a few minutes of LM and I playing "we know you are here, where are you?" We spotted the sign on the window.
We let out a collective "FINALLY!" and went inside. Since we live in Florida, we were heavily wrapped up in multiple layers to survive the New York winter. Thank goodness,
North End Grill has a coat check! I deposited my gigantic parka and sat down at the table a good 20 pounds lighter for it! Now I can eat!
A word about the decor: monochromatic.
You enter the restaurant and there is a lovely bar and then to the left of the host stand is the kitchen. It has a long bar where you can eat while watching the chefs. You then walk past several stations - dessert, raw bar, bread/salad and into the main dining room. I think every restaurant should have an open dessert station where you can watch the pastry chefs lovingly adorn each caloric treat. It's mesmerizing and guaranteed that I would be ordering dessert.
Everything in the restaurant seems to be black and white and there are large photographs on the walls. One wall is completely glass. Even though it was quite clearly training day and there were at least 30 chefs and kitchen staff members in the open kitchen, the kitchen itself was silent.
And there walking amongst his staff and collaborating on various dishes was the chef himself - my arch nemesis Chef Floyd Cardoz.
He had this serene, happy look on his face that I can only describe as "Deepak Chopra-esque." Chef Floyd looked like a man who had all the answers and was quite satisfied with this knowledge. The first two weeks of a restaurant's opening are crazy chaotic and yet here was Chef Floyd, practically gliding past his team mates with this look of happy contentment. Chef Floyd, whatever you are drinking or smoking; please share some with me! I can only imagine what a sense of reassuring calm seeing Chef Floyd's peaceful face gave to his staff. As a Chef, you really are a leader - the ship's captain, not just a cook. One look at Chef Floyd's face and it was clear that he was in control, happy, content and that I was going to have a great meal.
As we were led to our table, I looked at Chef Floyd and contemplated how much of a scene I would create in this silent, serene kitchen by jumping over the bar and screaming: "YOU RUINED ME FOR ALL OTHER KULFIS, CHEF FLOYD!!!" Or even "Um hey, I met you in Tampa when you did that cooking demo and um, I wrote about you on my blog and um, I said you didn't give me menstrual cramps and um, you tweeted me and said I totally get you and um, so I'm in New York and um, really glad you got your liquor license and um, hi." Smooth is my middle name. But nooo, I chose not to say either of those things and instead gave Chef Floyd this quirky smile as I walked by. A smile that says "Um, do you know who you are? Because I know who you are!"
Again, smooth is my middle name.
We were seated at a two top table in the middle of a row of maybe 5-7 two tops. LM sat at the banquette and I grabbed the chair. As it seemed to be training day, there were numerous waitstaff standing at two stations on either side of us. I felt like we had an audience. I felt compelled to start playing a game of chess with LM or going WWE style and taking her down. Would the waitstaff cheer?
We congratulated our server on making sure the liquor license was in place before we arrived. I ordered the tamarind margarita. I am a huge fan of tamarind, ever since "The Guru of my Colon"
Jamaican Cephas Gilbert of Cephas' Hot Shop in Ybor City, Florida; turned me on to it. Cephas claims that tamarind juice detoxifies the liver. So I am not sure what it does when mixed with tequila. All I know is that my North End Grill tamarind margarita was crazy delicious. Tart, earthy and liquor-y good.
LM ordered the Fenberry Cider - Farnum Hill Cider, Clear Creek Cranberry Liqueur and a twist. What arrived looked like this:
LM liked the drink and later in the meal, ordered another of the same. This time the Fenberry Cider looked like this:
It was much darker than the earlier Fenberry Cider and it did indeed come with a twist, unlike the previous one. We guessed that the first drink only contained the Farnum Hill cider. When opening a new restaurant, there are a million variables at play. Evidently the bartenders needed to brush up on the recipes. Toward the end of our meal, another server came over and said he noticed the second drink looked very different from the first.
Now we're not sure if he truly was that observant or if he happened to hear us musing over which one we thought was the actual right way to make the Fenberry Cider. However, the server checked with the bar team and we discovered that the first one was the mistake (which was our guess anyway) and that the second one was indeed the right one. He apologized and said he would comp us for the first drink.
When the bill arrived maybe 20 minutes later, we were not comped for the drink. Now had we actually complained about the drink, I would have pointed out that we had not been comped as promised. But since LM enjoyed both drinks, I decided to cut my arch nemesis' team some slack. However, if you're going to tell guests that you're comping them a drink because of an error; then comp them the drink!
I insisted that we have an appetizer with our cocktails, as I was eager to try as much of Chef Floyd's food as possible since I do not live in New York City. We started with the onion rings and grilled onion dip.
If you want to know why I keep referring to Chef Floyd Cardoz, author of
"One Spice, Two Spice" as the Spice King, just order the onion rings at
North End Grill. I don't know what was in the seasoned flour in those onion rings, but it was like layers and layers of flavor. You'd start with one taste and then bam, another and another! I swear those onion rings were throwing up their arms and saying "How ya like me now?" to my taste buds! This was all before you even tried the grilled onion dip - which also had layers of flavors and amazingly none of it clashed with the onion ring spices. The grilled onion dip was smooth, creamy loveliness and very complementary to the onion rings. It didn't overwhelm. It didn't compete. In the words of Top Chef, "it just worked." I don't know how, but it did. The onion rings had just the right balance of onion to batter and the spices were smoky with a touch of heat.
Chef Floyd Cardoz, I bow to you - you are indeed the Spice King!
It was quite clear that even though we were in the first two weeks of North End Grill opening, that a huge priority had been placed on quality customer service. (
And for that, I thank you most heartily, North End Grill!) When we were seated, our server asked if we had any time constraints around our lunch. Very important for those who are catching lunch during the work day. As we were on vacation, we shouted out "No! We have all day to drink, eat and enjoy!"
Our server also asked if we had any food allergies. Again, this was something I enjoyed that he asked because it showed care, concern and overall good customer service. These questions at the beginning of the meal really set the tone for the entire meal. Once the drinks and onion rings were delivered, our server quickly returned to inquire on how everything was and whether we needed anything. I felt very pampered. The restaurant quickly filled up as we were munching on the amazing smoky onion rings.
As the orders started piling in, the silent, zen-inspiring kitchen started to get a little more animated and the low murmur of kitchen staff voices created a hum that was surprisingly a nice play of background noise to our lunch. It was like listening to a fine automobile purr.
For my next course, I ordered the pumpkin crab soup. The only soup on the menu. Here's a tip Chef Floyd - even though this has been a warmer winter for New York, I live in Florida. I am freezing! Load up your menu with more soups!
Here's a little secret just between you and me. I am a table side preparation whore. I love anything prepared and presented table side. Guacamole, caesar salads, soup poured while you watch ... it adds a little bit of entertainment and pizazz and I love it. So when the server brought out a bowl with no soup in it, I knew the curtain was about to rise on this show.
 |
| The most tender crab I have ever tasted with pumpkin seeds. |
Chef Floyd may only have one soup on his menu, but oh my stars and heavens - this pumpkin crab soup knocks it out of the ball park. It is hearty with a nice texture. Good seasoning but again not overly heavy handed (not surprising from the Spice King). Chef Floyd knows how to take your taste buds to the peak of spice layering, without overkill. I don't know how he does it, but he does. And he is astonishing.
The crab in the soup was the most tender crab I have ever tasted. I don't know if restauranteur Danny Meyer and Chef Floyd Cardoz take turns massaging the crab or singing it lullabies. Whatever they are doing, keep doing it - the crab was unbelievably moist and tender. It melted in my mouth and was a wonderful accompaniment to the lush pumpkin soup.
For her next course, LM ordered the orange ricotta with beets and grilled bread. I was intrigued because I love any sort of beets and ricotta dish. The bread at North End Grill is fabulous. It will make the most restrained carb avoider whip out his butter knife.
The grilled bread had a touch of something very savory and flavorful - we guess rosemary, perhaps. It was hearty, country bread and very tasty. We would have appreciated a little less burnt char on the ends, but overall it added to the ricotta, golden beets and regular beets. The ricotta was incredibly creamy. I find that some ricotta tends to have a slight grittiness to it, but this ricotta was smooth as silk. Unfortunately when you list a dish as "orange ricotta," we thought it would have orange zest or orange flavor. It did not. I wondered if orange referred to the type of ricotta, but then doubted it was something as highbrow as that. Did the sous chef forget to zest some orange while plating? We'll never know! The beets were unadorned,which is what you want when combining with ricotta. I could have eaten a loaf of that grilled bread just by itself. Much thanks to LM for letting me try her dish!
Before our entrees came out, it was time for a second round of cocktails. Since I wanted to try as many things as I could, I ordered the Jack Rose - apple brandy, spiced grenadine and lime. It was garnished with a clove studded apple wedge which gave off the most wonderful holiday aroma. A fragrance perfectly suited for a cold winter day! When the server brought my drink, she said "Here is your Rose Apple." Which completely confused me since the drink is called a "Jack Rose." I had that "wait, did you bring me the right drink?" confusion for a second and then realized it was indeed what I had ordered. More new restaurant issues. I will say that for a new restaurant opening, there really were only a few minor mistakes at North End Grill. I have seen much, much worse at other new restaurants.
I always think that I like apple brandy and then I order it and realize I don't really care for it. (See my
blog post on Ciro's Speakeasy where NL- "The First Lady of Virginia"- and I couldn't finish off an incredibly potent apple brandy drink.) The "Jack Rose" (or its apparent nickname "Rose Apple") was cool and crisp, however a little too potent for me. Next time, I'll stick with the tamarind margarita.
As the restaurant was now packed, the time it took for the servers to clear our plates slowed greatly. But we happily sipped our cocktails and watched the New Yorkers who were dressed as monochromatically as the restaurant decor. There was a nice age range of patrons. The restaurant atmosphere was sophisticated and classy, but cozy and comfortable too. Sometimes fine dining can translate to "stiff" dining. Not at North End Grill. It was like a classy bistro where you feel classier for being there.
We were both served bread and then LM had bread with her second course and third course as well. Our fine white table linens were soon covered with the rustic country bread crumbs. I was surprised that none of the wait staff had de-crumbers to sweep the tables. At the very end of our meal, a member of the wait staff had stopped by to de-crumb the table. I wish it had been done earlier. I know this sounds extremely picky, but when so much of your meal is going extremely well; the off notes ring very loudly.
What wasn't ringing loudly though was the diners. I am not sure what kind of acoustical absorption tiling the North End Grill has, but for a large open dining space packed with patrons; I was amazed that it was not overly loud. It was nice to people watch without hearing every word being said at every table.
Now to the entree, I ordered the shrimp and bacon burger. Vinson Cunningham (@VCunningham on Twitter)
recently reviewed North End Grill's shrimp and bacon burger for The
Huffington Post. Had I not procrastinated in writing this blog post so many weeks after dining at North End Grill in mid-January 2012, I could have scooped The Huffington Post! Argh! Procrastination!
I am adding a
link to Vinson Cunningham's article in The Huffington Post, but am choosing not to read it until I finish writing my own post on the North End Grill. If Vinson states in his article that Chef Floyd Cardoz doesn't give him menstrual cramps either, I will know that there is some major espionage going down here!
My shrimp and bacon burger - a patty of ground shrimp and bacon - was slightly overcooked around the edges but the middle was perfect and juicy. The thinly sliced vegetable accompaniment to the burger lent the right amount of crunch and tartness. It really added an acidic pop to the burger which elevated the overall flavor.
When I saw the spiced fries, I assumed they'd have the same spice mix as the onion rings. However I was wrong! It had a different seasoning component but with the same amazing array of flavor layers. The aioli that accompanied the spiced fries was so fresh and vibrant. Again, hats off to the Spice King!
In my
blog post on the restaurant Sea Change in Minneapolis, Minnesota, I wrote about how the trend of the moment seems to be adding salt to everything. Sea salt butter, sea salt caramels, sea salt chocolate. So I was not surprised that the bun on my shrimp and bacon burger was salt-topped.
LM ordered the bacon pear cheese melt. This was a dish I had also wanted to try, so I was glad LM ordered it. My picture below does not do it justice.
I wasn't a fan of the bacon pear cheese melt. The cheese was very strong and overpowered the pear and I couldn't taste any bacon. The bread was the same hearty, rustic bread that we had had earlier in the meal. I would have sliced the pear thicker to stand up to the cheese, added more bacon and toned down the cheese a notch. Then this dish would have been perfect.
Because LM and I knew we would be splitting dessert, we each only ate half of our entree. One of my pet peeves is when the wait staff assumes you are not going to order dessert if you haven't finished your entree. Puh-lease! I love dessert! Don't assume I'm not going to order something. You're in the business of selling food, so sell me on it! Because of this pet peeve, I was extremely happy when our server asked us if we were interested in dessert. Thank you, North End Grill, for recognizing that just because I didn't eat all of my entree that I am not too stuffed for dessert!
The dessert menu was chock full of mouth-watering sounding desserts. Surprisingly on this cold day, I gravitated to a more summery dessert. LM and I split a slice of the lemon meringue pie.
I love tart, tangy and sweet flavors. This pie delivered it all. The filling had a nice bite of citrusy tartness and the mile-high meringue was some of the lightest, fluffiest meringue I have ever had. It was like nibbling on a sugary cloud. Our server told us that the dessert sous chef was hired after making this pie. I believe it. This pie is a winner.
This next part I am including just for LM - the bathrooms at North End Grill consist of a row of individual rooms with automatic faucets where you cannot control the temperature of the water. LM went to the bathroom on the end closest to the kitchen and said the automatic faucet dispensed arctic cold water. So when I went to the restroom, I chose a bathroom in the middle of the row and had perfectly fine temperature water from the automatic faucet. So perhaps on a really, really cold day (such as the day we dined), stay away from the bathroom at the end if you don't like washing your hands with ice cold water.
I am still in a secret feud with Chef Floyd Cardoz since he ruined me for all Indian kulfis, but our amazing lunch at the North End Grill was a wonderful experience. Good service, excellent food, tasty cocktails ... I now know why Chef Floyd Cardoz looked so happy, content and smiley when I saw him in his kitchen. He obviously must have eaten his own cooking, because I left North End Grill with the same look of happy contentedness that I had earlier seen on Chef Floyd Cardoz's face.
For a cold day in New York City, the meal at the North End Grill brought my heart and my stomach a flood of warm, cozy happiness. I will definitely be back to dine there again.
