Penny NYC

Fresh off an overly hot visit to SoCal, we were on our way to NYC to enjoy cooler temperatures.  The main reason we were here was to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway.  Seeing how this was written as a play with a book that was just the script, it didn't seem like it would ever be made into a movie (also especially with the controversy surrounding JK Rowling).  Therefore, we made the trip out to NYC for the first time in 10 years.  We flew into Newark this time and trained it into Manhattan.  After dropping off our luggage, we made our way to Penny NYC.  This higher-end seafood spot in the East Village is run by the same team at Claud and features bar seating that also welcomes walk-ins.  We had made a reservation, so that ensured we had a seat upon arrival.

After perusing the menu, we decided to start with their Sesame Brioche with butter.  Okay, this brioche was fantastic being super fluffy and buttery with an aromatic crust.  It had milk bread vibes with its texture.  Combined with the creamy whipped butter with flaked salt, this was definitely one of the highlights.  

However, we were here for more than the bread, so we also had the Tuna Carpaccio with ciopolini onions, olives and olive oil.  Super simple, but that only helped highlight the buttery tuna that was fresh and sweet with an essence of the sea.  With a little EVOO for added silkiness and aroma as well as onions for a bit of a bright bite, these did not take away from the fresh tuna. 

Of course, no visit to Penny would be complete without one of their Ice Boxes.  We ended up with their $45.00 Ice Box consisting of Oysters, Countnecks, Shrimp, Mussels and Scallop Crudo.  Given the quality of the components, we thought the price point was reasonable.  The oysters were sweet with definite brininess.  Lots of natural flavor there.  Those countneck clams were super plump and sweet.  Loved the delicate texture as they were super easy to eat.   Mussels were equally plump and also tender.  Of course there was the usual brininess present.  Since they used Argentine shrimp, the flavor was much more pronounced.  They super sweet had aromatic lobster vibes with a softer texture.  Last item in the box was the buttery sweet scallop crudo. 

It didn't look like much, but the Seafood Broken Rice (with Maine Uni +$23.00) was super delicious.  Acting like a quasi-risotto, the rice was creamy and flavorful.  Lots of seafood notes from the fish, squid and shrimp as well as the textures.  This was also seasoned to the point where it could've been salty, but it wasn't.  The addition of Maine Uni afforded another layer of sweetness while adding a custardy texture to the rice.

Pretty unassuming and served in their shells, the Baked Razor Clams were pretty tasty.  The buttery pieces of razor clam were bathed in a béchamel, pickled piquillo peppers, and topped with a fried potato crumble.  Once again, a nice balance of textures from the clams to the creamy béchamel and crispy crumble on top.  Wedge of lemon provided the necessary acidity. 

One of the larger dishes we had was the Rainbow Trout with a beurre rouge.  The trout itself was prepared masterfully with crispy, well-seasoned skin while the fish itself was still a bit rare and buttery.  Instead of a beurre blanc, we found a beurre rouge that was silky, slightly tangy and featured dark fruit notes.  This was more robust than a white sauce and really complimented the chanterelles (and their earthiness).

For dessert, we had their Ice Cream Sandwich featuring the same sesame brioche.  Hence, the soft bread shaped itself to the malted ice cream.  Loved the crunch from the broken meringue pieces.  Although we weren't stuffed after the dishes we had, we were still quite satisfied.  The point of the place is for good drinks and some delicious bites on the side.  Would come back when in NYC.

The Good:

- Nice vibe

- Solid seafood plates

- Reasonable pricing with all things considered

The Bad:

- Only bar seating, if that is not your thing

Lady M Confections

The backup plan.  The 2nd option.  How about the "if it is convenient only" we will visit spot?  Yes, Lady M Confections was definitely on our radar during our visit to NYC.  However, it wasn't anything that we had a pressing need to try, even though many have said so.  However, there we were at Rockerfeller Centre heading up to the Top of the Rock.  Low and behold, there was a location of Lady M staring right at us.  Costanza looked at me and I gave a return gaze.  A quick simultaneous nod meant we were gonna get some cake!

Of course we had to go for the standard, hence we picked up the classic Mille Crepe. It which featured tender layers that were discernible from each other.  Therefore, the cake ate as a whole, but not at the same time (if that makes any sense).  In between, the cream was light and sweet with an aromatic floral quality.  We thought the Passionfruit Mille Crepe was even better since the flavors were more impactful.  Furthermore, the tangy sweetness added a nice zing to the mild-tasting cake.  I'm not a big sweets guy, but I could've eaten a couple of these easy since they were pretty light.

The most surprising one was the Checkered Cake as it looked more novelty than actual function.  However, it was fluffy, light and only purposefully sweet with a gorgeous silky chocolate ganache on the outside.  Once again, this was ate a lot lighter than most cakes we've had. On the other hand, we didn't like the Cheesecake as much as it was dense (not the problem, I love dense cheesecake and it is NYC!) and a bit dry.  Hence, it was crumbly and stuck to the roof of my mouth.  It was also too mildly flavored as it was more floral than cheesy. Okay, it turns out that Lady M should've been elevated to a destination rather than merely an afterthought.  I need to put this on my list whenever I'm in a city that has a location.

The Good:
- Light and airy
- Sweet, but not terribly so
- Finely crafted

The Bad:
- Well, of course it ain't cheap
- Didn't like the texture of the cheesecake  

Totto Ramen

I hate to repeat myself (Viv reminds me that I do), but many of our eating destinations during our NYC visit were based on circumstance rather than being "the" place to go.  This time, we selected the West 52nd location of Totto Ramen because Costanza and Elaine wanted to check out Times Square at night.  This way, we could get a quick dinner and then walk down Broadway.  Luckily for us, we beat the rush and was able to be seated as a group of 8 (impressive) in the little ramen joint.

Also luckily for us, the kids didn't take up much room and ramen happens to be their preferred choice of food.  For my son, I got him the Chicken Paitan with original straight noodles in their house made chicken soup.  This came with both pork belly char siu and pulled char siu.  We added an egg as well.  The soup was rich, silky and creamy with purposeful saltiness.  The noodles were firm and chewy (holding up to the end) while the fatty pork belly melted-in-our-mouths. The egg was nicely marinated as well as being runny in the center.   Suffice to say, my Mega Paitan was very similar since it featured the same broth.  However, I preferred my wavy noodles due to the elasticity and rebound.  There were the same types of meats except with the addition of pork chunks which were lean and tender.

For my daughter, she had the Miso Paitan that sported Koji miso and ground pork, char siu and half an egg.  When mixed in the broth, the miso was rich and deeply salty without being super salty.  There was an appealing fermented taste while the pork added body to an already creamy broth.  This was a flavor party in my mouth.  Viv ended up with the Spicy Nibo Paitan with spicy fish flavored sesame oil and char siu.  We liked how the broth had a kick, but wasn't overwhelming.  The light fishiness added another layer of flavour that was more in the background.

As a side, we got the Kimchi which was a bit wet and not overly spicy.  There was a slight tang to go with the saltiness.  This was pretty average.  With that being said, we still ate it all.  On the other hand, the Char Siu Buns were on point with buttery melty pork belly with a tasty mayo. Sure, the presentation wasn't exactly appetizing due to lack of colour, but it was indeed a winner.  In fact, the ramen in general was pretty good as well.  I wouldn't say it blew our minds, yet, it was a nice departure from the other things we were eating so far on the trip.  The only thing we didn't like was that the place was super small (like most ramen joints) and a bit warm.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Decent service
- Okay pricing

The Bad:
- Place is super small
- A bit warm in there (serves us right for having ramen in the Summer

Shake Shack (Madison Park)

Of all the things I planned to eat in NYC, one of the more pressing needs was the Shake Shack.  Yes, that's right, I was looking forward to burgers and shakes more than anything else.  But this is no ordinary burger joint as the Shack Shake belongs to the foodie empire built by Danny Meyer.  We decided to hit up the original location in Madison Park due in part to its awesome outdoor location and also it fit our schedule.  Not sure about the aggressive birds, squirrels and occasional mouse though...

For the kiddies, I got them one each of the Shack Burger with cheese and Shack Burger with bacon and cheese.  These were decent in size but hardly large - perfect for them.  The most noticeable thing about the burger was actually the soft, "conforming-to-the-ingredients" bun.  This is actually an important feature of a good burger since a hard bun means all of your ingredients fall out with every chew and overly soft means everything will fall apart.  Second, the burger patty was moist, a bit crumbly and appealingly meat-tasting.  Add in some meaty bacon and salty cheese, the whole thing was delicious!  The kids agreed as they dusted them off.

For myself, I had the Shake Stack which was a cheeseburger topped with a breaded portobello mushroom and the usual lettuce, tomato and condiments.  This was really good with the same qualities as the cheeseburger except with more textures including the cold crisp lettuce and the crunch of the buttery and Earthy mushroom as well as the creamy muenster cheese.  However, my favourite burger of the bunch was the Smoke Shack which again was a cheeseburger with applewood smoked bacon and chopped red cherry pepper.  The red pepper was the star of this burger adding a noticeable and tasty sweetness to the savory burger.  Every bite was a burst of flavor.

Viv had the Chick'n Shack featuring a whole fried chicken breast.  This was also very good where the chicken was tender and moist while the outside sported a light, yet crunchy batter.  The whole thing was flavorful on its own, but the addition of creamy buttermilk herb mayo added a mild flavor to the sandwich.  On the side, we had one each of the Fries and Cheese Fries.  Nothing particularly interesting other than the fact they were crinkle-cut and really crunchy (almost like crisps).  I found the cheese fries to be nothing more than melted American cheese on crunchy fries.  At the very least, the fries held up to the moisture.

My son went for the Cookies n' Cream Shake (not pictured) and it was definitely creamy and rich.  However, it was also very drinkable.  Of course the flavor choice meant it was sweet and somewhat chocolatey from the bits of cookie.  Even though it was sweet, it wasn't overbearing. On my visit to Boston, I was able to grab a Red Velvet Concrete which was also thick and firmly creamy.  It was pretty sweet, but tolerable while spiked with the extra sweetness of red velvet cake.  So was a chain burger joint worth sacrificing a meal in NYC?  Absolutely.  The burgers were on point and satisfying while the frozen custard treats were sinfully rich.

The Good:
- Meaty and moist burger patty
- On point bun that is just soft enough
- Rich frozen custards

The Bad:
- Fries are nothing special
- Can get pricey   

Best Bagels & Coffee

It is not lost upon me that there are many good bagel spots in NYC, in particular Manhattan, however, due to our tight schedule, it was not possible to get to them all.  Since we had a good amount of food lined up anyways, we couldn't dedicate time to travel for bagels.  Fortunately, one of the better places was located across the street from us being Best Bagels and Coffee.  Costanza pointed out that in the movie Elf, the "world's best coffee" wasn't really a good indication.  I did consider running into the place and congratulating them on the "best bagels & coffee" though.  Not.

So for breaky, I decided to brave the fast-moving lineup and got myself a Bacon, Egg & Cheese Everything Bagel as well as the Poppy Seed Bagel with Salmon Lox.  As much as putting in the order was seemed quick, it did take a bit of time for my bagels due to the preparation of the egg and bacon.  I found the everything bagel to dense, chewy and slightly sweet.  There was a considerable amount of fried scrambled egg, crispy bacon and American cheese.  This was quite substantial as a breakfast sammie, so I split it with my son.  The poppy seed bagel had the same qualities except a bit drier on the outside and slightly crispier from being toasted.  They weren't conservative with the thick cream cheese which contained a significant chunks of buttery salmon.

On another morning, I got a Sesame Bagel with just plain butter and I enjoyed this for the simplicity of it all.  The crunchy exterior gave way to a chewy interior that was again, rather sweet.  There was a good amount of melted butter to moisten the denseness.  Not the "best" bagel I've ever had, but considering the circumstances, these were good and did the job.  Now for the coffee, again, let's just say they are not the best.  

The Good:
- Large, appealingly chewy bagels
- Didn't skimp with the filling

The Bad:
- Rather sweet though
- Not the best coffee
       

Momofuku Milk Bar (Midtown)

So our dinner at La Bonne Soupe was not exactly a touristy thing to do (as there are much more well-known spots around town), much like our lunch at Mercato the before.  However, we got right back on the tourist bandwagon and took the one block walk over to Momofuku Milk Bar located on 36th in Midtown.  Um...  We actually walked right past it since the frontage was fairly non-descript.  Lucky for us, we seemed to have hit a lull where we didn't have to wait for our treats.

We ended up trying their popular Cereal Milk Soft-Serve with crunch.  I found the ice cream to be light and creamy but incredibly sweet.  Add in the sweet crunch, it was even more sugary.  I did like the textural contrast of the cereal though.  My daughter went for the twist with chocolate chip and again, the whole thing was really sweet.  I'm not sure what the appeal is, but I've had better locally in Vancouver with many of the soft-serve spots with creamy and less sweet concoctions.  I guess it is definitely subjective as the cereal milk is very popular and well-known.  So what do I know?

We got 3 of their cookies as well including the Blueberry & Cream, Confetti and Chocolate Chip with corn flakes and marshmallow.  These were super sweet as well!  Texturally, they were chewy and soft though.  I thought the blueberry was the most bearable as it had a pleasant and impactful flavor.  The confetti could not be eaten by itself without a glass of water or milk (I guess that is how it should be eaten anyways).  Surprisingly not as sweet, the Crack Pie was buttery and aromatic.  It was heavy though and finishing a slice would be a chore.  I personally didn't prefer it, but I could see how some people would love it.  I guess that would be the same sentiment for Momofuku Milk Bar since people love the place, but not for me.

The Good:
- Creamy soft-serve
- Um...  If you have a sweet tooth, this is your place

The Bad:
- Too sweet for me
- I prefer a thicker soft-serve
   

La Bonne Soupe

As mentioned in my previous posts, in a perfect world, Viv and I would be dining at Per Se if we weren't with the kiddies.  However, with children in tow, we were limited in where we could eat.  There were suggestions of lame chain restaurants and the standard Chinese food, but in the end, we had to find something more original.  Since we were heading to Momofuku Milk Bar for dessert after dinner, we ended up at the nearby kid-friendly La Bonne Soupe.

As there was a kid's menu, my daughter ordered the chicken strips to my dismay.  So much so, I didn't bother taking a picture of it.  Shockingly, it was my son who went off the board and had the Croque Monsieur.  He dusted the creamy and cheesy thing off.  It came with some really crunchy frites which he also finished.  He cleaned the plate!  For myself, I had the Steak Pomme Frites which also came with the same crunchy frites.  As for the steak, it was nicely seared and seasoned.  It was a perfect medium-rare being juicy and really tender.

Viv had the Duck Confit with crunchy potatoes and greens.  Featuring relatively rendered skin, the duck leg was not overly salty.  There were some tender and gelatinous portions combined with drier parts as well.  Loved the crunchy potatoes as they emulated the frites, but just in a different form.  Elaine went for the Egg White Omelette and it was soft and well-made with chives, onions and ham. Pretty simple, yet at the same time it was fluffy and light.  There was some mild flavours going on which was fine by her.

Costanza's 2 boys ended up with the Lasagne a la Francaise which was a crepe filled with bolognaise and bechamel sauce and baked with mozzarella.  As you can clearly see in the picture, it was a whole lot of mozzarella and sauce.  Hence, it ate rather wet with only thin crepes separating the meat and cheese.  It was meaty and mild-tasting with more cheese flavour than tomato tang.  Although the food at La Bonne Soupe was hardly the best French food we've ever had, it served a purpose and it that job well.  Our 2 families felt comfortable in the relaxed and classy ambiance while having the kid-friendly options available on the menu.

The Good:
- Decent eats
- Attentive service
- Kid-friendly 

The Bad:
- Decent, but have reasonable expectations