Tabla
11 Madison Avenue (at 26th Street)

I had to discuss a few business issues with a friend of mine, so I went down near his office for lunch -- and we had the opportunity to choose from several good places within a few blocks of each other. We chose Tabla -- and it was a pretty good choice.

The two-part restaurant boasts a simpler, "bread"-centric eatery downstairs and a more formal dining room upstairs; we chose to dine upstairs. The restaurant has a good and solid feel, with plenty of space -- condusive to meetings. What a brilliant idea, especially next to several financial institutions next to Madison Park.

We each chose a different prix fixe set and had a wonderful meal. I enjoyed the Goan crabcake on top of an avocado salad. The combination worked very well, and the crabcake was solid and tasty. Definitely a good start.

The main course was ravioli filled with minced rabbit. Not bad, perhaps the nuts were a little too noticeable, but it was a nice little dish. The mince was perhaps a bit overdone and too bland, but not bad. Through both courses I enjoyed a nice Indian chenin blanc from Nashik -- fruity and crisp. Never had Indian wine before (not even in India), so this was a nice surprise.

A small dessert and coffee and we got through a set of discussions that sorted a lot of stuff out, so it was a very fruitful lunch. If it wasn't so darn hot outside, that long walk back to the home office was awful and sweaty...ugh... Still, at least I had a good meal to think about on that trek. Good show.

Food: B
Atmosphere: B+
For Lone Diners: B (*)

Królewskie Jadło
694 Manhattan Avenue (between Nassau & Norman; Greenpoint, Brooklyn)

It was gonna be a messy and wet night, so what possessed me to go all the way from Midtown to Greenpoint was beyond me. But for some reason, I was dying to have some Polish food and beer. Dlaczego?

It was a lengthy journey thanks to the unwieldy change from the 7 train to the G train in Queens. My three-borough trek ended and I found Królewskie Jadło quickly -- with the suits of armour outside, as advertised. When I walked in, I was both relaxed and dissatisfied...

For better or worse, it was like a homecoming -- back in Central/East Europe. The website would have you believe this was some elegant, mediaeval, classy place -- and from the pictures and description (in English and po polsku) that was the idea. But not really...this was really just a simple, neighbourhood eatery catering to the Polish community in Greenpoint. So it was really for better or worse.

Switching into the Polish that I've been progressively forgetting over the 10+ years since I studied the language, it was quite a nice but quick meal. They had run out of the duck, and as the place was busy I chose a faster meal -- and went with the ever-present and consistent gołąbki (cabbage rolls). It was a nice, hearty meal, with 2 large Okocim beers.

The service was fast and the clientele all Polish -- which is always a good sign for ethnic restaurants. The restaurant is a friendly and relaxing place to enjoy a meal and to have a few drinks. I wish it was in Manhattan. Anyway, I left after the filling meal and had another piwo en route to the Subway. Another 3-borough trip to get home... Potrzebuję jeszcze piwa...

Food: B-
Atmosphere: B-
For Lone Diners: B+

Artisanal Bistro
2 Park Avenue (on 32nd Street)

Despite having a hangover on a Sunday morning, I accepted my friend's invitation to brunch at Artisanal. Knowing the good menu it boasted and the chef's reputation (such as at the wonderful Picholine), I accepted -- as a way to clear my head too. Plus, I needed a long walk...though I didn't expect it to be so warm outside again (where is my winter?!).

The restaurant was absolutely packed, which was expected for brunch. I actually detest Sunday brunch. You have the strangest people sitting next to you talking to most ridiculous BS...it's just so bloody inane! Ugh...that brought the atmosphere down significantly...of course until a young, model-like wonder sat at the table next to us (she was like a better looking version of Lindsay Lohan). Wait, this is a restaurant review, sorry...

The crowd and the design made it horribly difficult to have a conversation without yelling, so we didn't talk as much. I enjoyed a glass of pinot gris alongside a baked skate wing. Pretty simple with a citrus zest, but the lack of vegetables made it annoying. But it was fine for its task. A few cups of coffee and we headed out.

I think Artisanal is a nice place but has that Times Square factory feel about it at some point. Reminds me of Bar Americain -- but with much better food. Maybe it's a place to watch people and be seen, but that's not me. I'm here for the food. So maybe I should come back on a Tuesday evening to really experience this place.

Food: B-
Atmosphere: C+
For Lone Diners: B

Divine Bar (East)
244 East 51st Street (between 2nd & 3rd)

A good friend of mine had travelled in from Toronto for a few days and on her previous trip, she had introduced me to Divine Bar. It turned out to be a wonderful place for wine and tapas, so this time I was more than happy to join her for a good evening out there once more.

The bar is ultra-trendy, with a spectacular wine selection amongst others. The tapas list is longer than most menus -- which is quite remarkable. With not much space, we chose to start early at 5pm to ensure a seat!

The upstairs dining area is quite small, but cozy. We were sat adjacent to the stairs due to a private party taking up most of the upstairs. But nevertheless it was good. The only problem was that the pale blue light next to the faux window looked like it was still bright out -- so ended up drinking there for hours upon hours!

Divine Bar specialises in "flights" of wine selections, and I had a very nice Northern Italian quintet -- which included a wonderful lagrein (if you remember my drunken Esca night, you'll know how I love that genre...). We had enjoyed several wonderful tapas with the wine. The most incredible item is the baked brie...completely decadent but absolutely wonderful. Mmm... Along with goat-cheese bruschetti, it turned out to be a great meal. There are so many other choices, ranging from ostrich to alligator!

We enjoyed several flavoured sangrias later in the evening and had a great time catching up. Thursdays are always busy in these bars, but it was still very easy to converse -- a marked difference from other places in the area. So I would totally recommend this place for good wine, excellent tapas, and a fun but controlled atmosphere...but may be a bit lonely by oneself...

Food: B+
Atmosphere: B
For Lone Diners: C (*)

Villa Berulia
107 East 34th Street (between Lexington & Park)

Earlier in the day last week, I had looked through a pretty bad selection at the local grocery outlet, so I decided to eat out. I had wanted to try the popular Villa Berulia for awhile now, for its simple-but-good food reputation, as well as its Croatian roots. I chose a Tuesday for the experience, and it was well worth the wait.

The restaurant is a simple trattoria, family-run and relaxing. It's the type of restaurant you feel comfortable in, one where the decor and atmosphere is homey and charming, unpretentious in every way.

I chose to enjoy the restaurant's special veal chop and to skip a starter. This turned out to be a splendid choice. Alongside a beautiful bottle of Croatian red from the dreamy island of Hvar (never tried this before, it is just fantastic), it turned out to be a wonderful (and excessive) evening.

The double broiled chop was absolutely fantastic, a juicy piece of meat cooked to perfection. The char and flavour on the outside revealed a wonderful quality chop that tasted incredible from one part to the other. I somehow managed to finish the whole thing -- and the wine. Wow...

I stayed and chatted with the proprietors, who are the nicest people in the world. They were so proud of the Croatian specialties they carried, and I enjoyed several other home-made spirits such as šljivovica amongst others before I wandered off happy. Oh, what a fun evening!

I highly recommend Villa Berulia for its relaxing atmosphere, wonderful food, and the charming people that run the restaurant. You will find it as homey as me I'm sure, but it is fabulously busy, so do make reservations!

Food: A-
Atmosphere: A-
For Lone Diners: A-

Tocqueville
1 East 15th Street (between Union Square West & 5th)

I had accepted a friend's offer of a Saturday lunch at the well-reviewed Tocqueville, and wandered down to the famous eatery on a way-too-warm day. What happened to winter, this heat is killing me!!!

Tocqueville was half-empty, but I supposed the heatwave is what's keeping people outdoors. Nevertheless it was a wonderful experience. We had both decided to do the prix-fixe -- albeit different ones. My friend did the day's special, and I chose the standard version.

My starter was a nice cuttlefish dish. I absolutely adore cuttlefish, and any chance I can I would take that as the option. The dish was done well, in a semi-ceviche style with grapefruit and citrucy background. Nice, though I wish there was a bit more of the wonderful cuttlefish. My friend had a very nice sea urchin and scallop mixture, which was quite delicious in tandem.

My main course was the roasted skate on bone -- and this was done fabulously. The meat was extremely juicy and tender and easy to eat. Sometimes skate is done very badly, and that makes for a difficult meal. However, this skate was nearly perfect. My only gripe is the lack of vegetables -- the skate rested on a few small pieces of onions. There was not the ability to order sides, so that was a minus. But still, it was excellent.

Dessert was something I can't quite remember -- but it looked like a melangerie of fruit creams of some sort... I'm not good at desserts, and I didn't really care much for it, so I took more attention for the coffee.

Tocqueville is a classy and safe place, good for every possible situation -- for the lone diner to the group. I saw family groups, even a "meet-the-fiancee's-family" group, and so forth, so this is a good place for all occasions -- especially if the food is done so well.

After the meal we took a long walk down to SoHo and TriBeCa near the Hudson, then back up and after getting home near Grand Central, I was pooped. Dinner was a simple egg and dill salad sandwich...too tired to do much more...

Food: B+
Atmosphere: B+
For Lone Diners: B+ (*)

Bann
350 West 50th Street (between 8th & 9th)

I have always wondered why Korean food hasn't been a success like other Asian cuisines, and why they didn't cash in on the "lo-carb" craze with the awesome barbeques.
Nevertheless, I always find a meal in a good Korean restaurant a treat. I enjoyed eating in Seoul when I was there, even if there was an "odd" item on this menu poster...

Off my sidetrack, I had lunch the other day with a good friend at Bann -- the off-shoot restaurant of the Woo Lae Oak chain. The restaurant had a very calm but trendy atmosphere, and the smoke-free grills and other ventilation tools made the decor quite interesting. I immediately liked the restaurant. BTW this picture, again, is from Seoul, not from Bann.

As my friend chose the lunch prix-fixe, I chose a barbeque and asked them to do it in the kitchen. Why? 1) It's rude to barbeque when your dining companions are not, and 2) I had meetings later and rather not smell (as wonderful that smell is) like grilled meat. It was a Friday, after all...

We split a starter of ga ri bi gui -- a very innovative baked scallops and mushroom dish, presented in the shells over a chemical fire. Good presentation, and it tasted wonderful too. This was a nice special. I wish I had taken a picture of it...

My main course was hyaw mit -- barbequed tongue. I love tongue, especially done well. The best tongue dishes I've had had been at London's wonderful St John and Tallinn's amazing South American grill Argentiina. But here, done in a Korean barbeque style, was quite nice. With the accompanying side-dishes, I really downed the kimchee alongside the meat. Excellent, perhaps a little too filling!

A good coffee later and I was more than happy. This was an excellent lunch. I wish there was a Korean place closer to where I live!

Food: A-
Atmosphere: A-
For Lone Diners: A- (*)

A Personal Note...

Dear readers, I hope I have been of some help (and entertainment) to your culinary choices here in New York and elsewhere. It has been a pleasure to taste the great (and not-so-great) restaurants and to write about it in this loose, bloggy format (rather than thick reviews using tasting or "review" menus).

However, there will be a dearth of posting in the coming weeks for various reasons. One of them is an unfortunate and acute bout of hypertension that's affecting my health rather negatively (and somewhat alarmingly). Second, I will be on the road a bit too much in the coming weeks, ranging from Washington DC to Riga to elsewhere (which certainly won't help that blood pressure).

Anyway, this blog will continue, so keep checking back. Hopefully my health will recover soon and allow me to fully pursue this blog again!

Geisha
33 East 61st Street (between Park and Madison)

On what proved to be a wet and messy Thursday evening, me and a dear friend decided on a later-than-usual dinner in this uptown trendy locale. I had been a little hesitant, as I'm not into Asian-fusion, and Thursday evenings in trendy UES places tend to be of drunken investment bankers either trying to out machismo each other or to get a bit of flesh before heading out of town for the weekend. But nevertheless, we went for it.

At first impression it was awful, as the management just had no control over the guest arrival situation. It was total chaos, and any good restaurant manager would be aghast to see this much chaos. Plus with the limited front-room area and the overflowing bar with aggressive drunks, it began the evening very poorly. Bad design, as usual. It reminded me of 212 (which was also a late Thursday evening, come to think of it...).

We took the internal lift to the 2nd floor and was seated in a room with some of the most ridiculous people I've seen in New York yet: a table full of drunken and loud young investment bankers, two Russian trophies taking the most inane stuff (боже...), and an assortment of other loud louts and people whose self-importance is about as pronounced as their ignorance and idiocy...ugh... But we tried to enjoy ourself in the rather odd environment. The environment was pretty bland but the seating was comfortable, so that was a mild plus.

The menu didn't excite me and looking at the chaos, I chose not to have the special imported wagyu (like the one I enjoyed at Megu). I ended up with a very boring and bland lobster dumpling starter (foam, damn it!!!). I was worried about this meal...

However, the grilled lamb turned out to be spectacular, one of the best lambs I've had in awhile. I personally do a great rack of lamb so am über-critical on this, but they did a fantastic job. Good quality meat done right, it's a joy.

We split a bread pudding for dessert that was okay, nothing too special. By now most of the annoying people around had moved on (probably to other drinking dens) and we relaxed and took our time finishing our drinks. This is much more civilised...

Overall it's not a bad place, but the external conditions make this place a trial I think. I would so much rather go to Megu (if they'll ever have me back after my idiocy last time!) as they have a better menu and better concept. This place is just a trendy UES place -- good for what it is, but that's it.

Food: B+
Atmosphere: C
For Lone Diners: C (*)