Sinigual

Priya and Vinny told us about this new mexican restaurant that they enjoyed, so Ash and I headed there on Friday night. Called Sinigual, it's located at 43rd St. between Lexington & 3rd Avenue. (The address says 42nd St., but we found the entrance to be at 43rd...I think. Maybe 41st. You'll find it.)

The first thing we noticed was the space--large booths, space between tables, and it's HUGE. The bar is right when you enter, so we requested a table in the back of the restaurant where it was quieter. They also have a glass wall in the back where you can see into the kitchen, if you like that bit. Ash and I were given a large booth for four people, so we enjoyed the wiggle room that we almost never get in Manhattan.

But, the important part--the food. Do not leave without ordering the Fried Ice Cream. Priya gave us a heads up about it, and she was totally right. They pour a shot of brandy on it tableside (which I could have done without), but the coating does not get soggy at all. It's very good. It terms of the meal, I ordered the Santa Fe Enchilada Stack (pictured--photo comes from their website), and Ash ordered a grilled chicken breast that I don't see on their online menu. We both liked them quite a bit. My entree came with a side of sweet corn cake--absolutely wonderful. Next time we go back, I will be ordering an additional side of it.

A nice touch is that instead of serving chips and salsa, they served warm tortillas. I was a fan. It seemed like their specialty was tableside guacamole (there were huge carts around the restaurant), but ever since we started making homemade guacamole, we don't typically order this at restaurants. We decided to pass on it so we could focus on the entrees and dessert. (We still brought home leftovers...)

The only glaring downside-- the service at this place seemed to be lacking. Nothing terrible, but don't go and expect wonderful service.

If you go and are looking for a quiet table, request one in the back, as the front of the restaurant was very loud. In terms of pricing, we ordered two entrees (I think they were both around the $15 mark) and split a dessert (around $10). All in, I believe our bill came to $45ish with tax--for the quality and amount of food, it seemed reasonable.

Enjoy! And thanks for the recommendation, Priya!

Valentine's Day

Yesterday was fantastic. I'm not really a huge Valentine's Day person--it's probably one of my two least favorite holidays. (New Year's Eve would be the other one.) I dislike both for similar reasons-- it's just a day where everything is more expensive, for no apparent reason. New Year's Eve? Just another day. Valentine's Day? The day to show someone how much you love them...shouldn't that be everyday?

In any case, I digress. The day itself was wonderful. We started off by going to Big Daddy's, our favorite diner, to meet a friend of ours visiting from Turkey. (Kiran--if you move back to the states, you could get bacon everyday! Think about it...) Then, Ash and I came home and had a "lazy day," which I totally love. We cuddled on the couch, watched three episodes of How I Met Your Mother, and a few shows on Air Force One and Marine One.

When it was time for dinner, Ash had made reservations at Ciao Bella--a restaurant that we've always been wanting to try, but never got the chance. For those familiar with the Upper East Side, it took the spot of Panorama Cafe--a fantastic little italian place. Now, it's an upscale italian restaurant named after the same company that makes the famous gelato you see in the grocery stores (which I usually find too sweet). Panorama used to be one of our favorite places, so we were bummed when it shut down, but had high hopes for this new place.

I ordered the butternut squash ravioli (good, but too sweet), and Ash got the roasted chicken (he liked it). Dessert was tiramisu (very creamy, but didn't have much of a coffee taste) and a chocolate souffle (not bad). Their cappuccino was fantastic. Overall, it was a nice, romantic meal, but I don't think we'll be going back. For what we paid, there are many other restaurants in the city with better food.

We had spoken to Priya and Vinny earlier in the day, and had made plans to meet up after dinner. (They went to Pranna, and said it was average.) After convincing them not to go home and to meet us at this hole-in-the-wall piano bar instead, the night became legendary. Yes, I said legendary. (TV show? Anyone? Anyone?) We got there an hour before the piano set even started--a good idea, as the tiny place was PACKED thirty minutes later. Then, after a somewhat boring set of love songs, they sang Journey. And that's when everything turned around. We belted along to "Total Eclipse of the Heart," "Rocket Man," "Cat's In the Cradle," and tons of others. When we weren't singing, we were laughing. The four of us learned that first impressions can be terribly wrong...but hysterical at the same time. (You'll have to ask one of us for the story.) It was a perfect night-- a romantic dinner with my husband, and then a fun and memory-filled night with the three people I love most.

On a side note, I found my new favorite drink! There was a two drink minimum at the tables, and Priya recommended Kahlua. I've never tried Kahlua. I don't know why no one told me about this earlier! It tastes like super sweet coffee--yum. Vinny then had the waitress bring over some milk, and it became the best drink ever. I now might spike everything with Kahlua. It's awesome.

One side note, apparently when you order, you should say "Kahlua on the rocks." Not "Kahlua on ice." Whatever--she knew what I meant. All the laughing was unnecessary. But whatever. (And Vin--I did not say Kahlua on the ice, just Kahlua on ice, funny man.) I'm going to continue ordering it my way, just to spite all three of you. So there. Bastards.

I normally don't place inside jokes in my blog, but indulge me just this once. I just want to place it somewhere it'll be permanently inscribed, so none of us will forget it...

BYE PRIYA!! ;-)

Hope you all had as wonderful a Valentine's Day as I did!

Wine and Food Matcher

I'm not a big fan of wine, but I know a lot of people are. I stumbled across this site that has a wine and food matcher. It's pretty cool! Essentially, you can either put in what food you'll be eating, and it'll pair wines for you. Or, you can choose what wine you have, and it'll tell you what foods go best with it. Pretty cool!

If the link doesn't work, the physical address is: http://nataliemaclean.com/matcher/

Enjoy!

MenuPages Added More Cities!

I almost always check Menu Pages before heading to a restaurant--just to see what I can expect on the menu, and if there is a particular dish that is consistently mentioned in the reviews. I just visited it again, and found that they have added additional cities, so it is no longer just a New York City resource! The cities included are:

New York City
San Francisco
Los Angeles
Philadelphia
Boston
Chicago
Washington, DC
South Florida

The maps now have a cheeky hand-drawn feel (which I like), and the site seems to be better organized. Best yet, they now have a "Find-A-Food" search which will search all the restaurant menus for the particular food you specify. (I searched "Nachos," and got 515 Manhattan restaurants.)

Super cool! If you don't yet use the site, I highly recommend it!

Graffiti (Food & Wine Bar)

"One of the top five dining experiences I've had."


Ash's words, not mine, but I'd whole-heartedly agree. We went to Graffiti last Friday, and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It is essentially a tapas and wine bar located on E 10th St. between 1st and 2nd Ave. (Look carefully--you'll probably walk right by it.) It is a tiny little place (seats about 18 total at four communal tables), and looks like it used to be someone's studio apartment. (Yes, it's that tiny--the picture shows 90% of the entire restaurant.) However, it's set up in a charming way, so the space feels intimate and has a "hidden treasure" appeal you don't get at many restaurants. Jehangir Mehta is the executive chef, so not surprisingly, the food has many indian-inspired flavors. Below is my personal list on why you should go:

Why You Should Go To Graffiti

1. The food rocks.
Be sure to order the Green Mango Paneer. Amazing. Better yet, order three. You won't want to share.

2. Every wine on the menu is just $25 a bottle.
Yes, you read that correctly.

3. Jehangir Mehta has been a pastry chef at: Jean Georges, Union Pacific, Virot, Compass, Aix and Sapa.
Hello? Do you need another reason?

4. Jehangir Mehta actually cooks all the food himself.
We saw him working away in the tiny kitchen the entire time we were there. That is, of course, except for when he was talking to the diners, since....

5. Jehangir Mehta actually comes to your table to present all of the dishes himself.
This was my favorite part. I'm in awe of great chefs--it could have been Brad Pitt coming to our table between every course--that's how excited I was. I told him his paneer was the best paneer I've ever eaten, and he was incredibly gracious and humbled. SUPER nice. A really cool experience.

6. This is his only restaurant.
Yes, I asked him. Anything to keep him at our table longer.

7. I bought his cookbook on-the-spot as soon as I tried his food.
I don't buy cookbooks on the spot. I am an Amazon junkie. But his style was so unique that I couldn't help it, and I'm quite certain there's not another cookbook like it. In case you want to purchase his cookbook and save a few dollars, feel free to click here, or on the image below. But I will say, there's something cool about buying a cookbook from the chef himself.



What We Ordered:

We ordered a lychee martini ($7, apparently it's recently been featured on the Martha Stewart show, so everyone in the restaurant had one) and three small plates. The restaurant has three price tiers, so we ordered one plate from each tier. (You can view the full menu here.) Our plates were:

- Green Mango Paneer ($7): Best. Paneer. Ever. A small dish of paneer served with a few small pieces of perfectly cooked bread. (Small sharing portion--next time I'm going to order one of these just for myself, though I actually liked it so much I could eat four of them. Don't go and not order this. It would be a HUGE mistake.)

- Zucchini Hummus Pizza ($12): Very interesting, in a good way. It didn't have too many indian flavors, but was very good. Picture a flaky pastry crust topped with hummus, sliced zucchini and wasabi peas. Don't know if I'd order it again, but definitely enjoyed it. The size of the pizza was about 5 inches or so--a perfect size for Ash and I to split.

- Tomato Tamarind Vegetable Buns ($15): Very good. They were three small buns, each one slightly smaller than the size of my palm. You could certainly taste the tamarind, and it was an interesting contrast to the tomato. Definitely more indian in flavor, but unlike anything I've eaten at any other restaurant.

When (not if) we go back, I'll be ordering a Green Mango Paneer all to myself. Additionally, I think Ash will try some of the non-veg items, and I'll ask them to tailor a few items to make them vegetarian (which they state they are happy to do on their website). Though we didn't order dessert, we were brought a complimentary taste of his homemade ice cream (amazing), and some candied carrots (better than you would think!). Ash had a shared connection with the chef, so I think this was a kind gesture more than the norm.

(Sidenote: Before you comment on my lack-of-ordering-dessert, we had plans to go to Max Brenner or Veniero's, both of which are a few blocks away. ChikaLicious is also pretty much right across the street. So don't judge too soon... Although next time, we'll probably order dessert.)

Finally, to wrap us this post, a few bits of advice if you decide to go:

If You Go To Graffiti...

1. Make reservations.
We saw several people get turned away, as there was no availability for the remainder of the night. (We were there at 7:15.)

2. Request seats against the wall.
If you are a party of two, you will be sharing your table with one or two other couples. The seats against the wall are the only ones where people will not consistently be brushing against your back throughout your meal, as it is a very tight space. It's not unbearable--but if the food wasn't as good as it was, we probably would have gotten annoyed.

3. Don't bring a bunch of shopping bags.
When I say tiny, I mean tiny.

4. Order the Green Mango Paneer.
Did I mention this already? Ah well. It's important.

Enjoy!