The nightmare that is apartment hunting in New York

If there is one thing I despise about New York, it's real estate. I hate looking for apartments. The majority of brokers are deceiving, fees are high, craigslist sucks and everything is overpriced. JP and I mainly did our own search for apartments in the luxury buildings in Chelsea (criteria: west of 3rd ave, east of 8th ave, north of Houston for the most part, and south of 32nd street). We saw newly constructed buildings with tiny apartments at astronomical prices (The Continental), buildings with amazing amenity and views but in an unsatisfactory area (Tower 31) and perfect buildings where apartments disappeared in a matter of seconds even if they were still being remodeled (Centro). A broker stood us up after I emailed him with a list of buildings we had already seen by ourselves.

We went elsewhere and got the most amazing broker I have ever worked with (not that I've worked with many) and would recommend to anyone in a second. With him we saw everything from 18th floor Union Square apartments with terraces to prime West Village (W4th and Perry anyone?) walk-ups with no laundry and slanted floors (he was testing the pre-war building waters with us on that one afterward which he realized that he shouldn't show us anything like that anymore!). There were buildings on the UWS with Dale Chihuly chandeliers in the lobby and crazy amenity fees ($5,000 per year for two people?) and buildings with multiple huge walk-in closets and 28ft+ living rooms. I spent over a week from noon to 4pm looking at apartments and as well as weekends (Saturdays AND Sundays) as needed (and it was needed). 95% of what he showed us were great apartments but they just weren't exactly what we were looking for (not bright enough because of a low floor or northern exposure or too pricey for what it is)...

And now I feel kinda douche-y (I rarely use that word) because he spent so much time and energy on us and we've decided to go with one of the apartments we found ourselves in Chelsea (granted, only silly people would go to those luxury buildings with a broker). I even called the leasing office and asked if they pay the broker fee (unfortunately no). So we said sorry it didn't work out and got him a gift card (I think he deserved it and it made me feel better). We dropped our signed lease off today at the building and will move in at the beginning of April. I will say this - if anyone is looking to move within NYC/to NYC and need a good broker, especially one who knows the Chelsea/Flatiron/Union/Greenwich Village/Nolita area well, click here. In the mean time, I have to figure out what new furniture we need and how we'll get rid of our old furniture...and here's the floor plan!

Jersey weekend

I've been hibernating this winter since coming back from Paris it seems. Desculpe. (See, I'm semi-making an effort to learn Spanish....). So now that I'm back in NYC lets do a Jersey post. 

Jersey is where we went for President's day weekend. My mama's house first, where of course we stopped by Taco Bell. Don't hate, the Taco Bell near mama's house is really good, and fresh and their fresco tacos do in a pinch since rarely is there anything to eat back home thats not pre-packaged/processed especially when eating a cold cut Polish/Russian sausage and a yogurt is the equivalent of dinner. 

Next was JP's mama's house where she does not reside at the moment (+1 for beach house in Mexico). 

I think Player kinda remembered me even though he hadn't seen me in over a year, but you know, something about dogs having really good memories....regardless, he was super happy to see us and even happier to be taken for a walk or two on the beach although he did get a sticky-thorn type thing in his paw that made him bleed but we got it out and he was fine. 

Here's Player on the super-windy beach.
 

Here's Player with squinty eyes. 
 

Here's Player getting his belly rubbed by yours truly.

 

After watching Toy Story 3 with JP (who hadn't seen it before and held a grudge against me for seeing it without him) and his brother EP, getting some eye drops from CVS because one of my eyes was bright red from allergies, and visiting Tia C but finding no chamoy salsa at the store, we drove down to Cape May where we had dinner reservations at The Ebbitt Room. By the way, I blame Mittens the cat for my allergies, even though Mittens was locked in a room the whole time and didn't come near me. And Mittens is not her real name but a bagillion times better. JP's top names for cats that we will never have are Mittens, Kibbles and Sprinkles. Dog names are harder to come up with.

Back to The Ebbitt Room. It's a fancy-schmancy place in an old Victorian house that is now The Virginia Hotel. I don't know what was up with the waitress, but it seemed like she thought the three of us were a bunch of punk kids. After ordering a round of cocktails (which the waitress semi-messed up), we got three appetizers and three entrees. I think that made her be a little nicer to us. That, and the bottle of wine we ordered following our cocktails. Then again, if I'm in a nice restaurant and planning to spend that kind of money, the waitress shouldn't be snooty to begin with. I don't know when you go to a restaurant and expect a level of service that just isn't achieved and then ruins your meal. That happened at Rat's back in October/November.

The food was good overall, but there seemed to just be too much stuff going on. I was underwhelmed by the appetizers. A spicy ahi tuna tartare came with orange segments, hearts of palm, cucumber, avocados and plantain chips. I can't say much about it because I didn't try it.  

The calamari with lime-ginger aioli and micro greens were light in batter (rice flour maybe?) but a little greasy and definitely too chewy. The seared scallops with cauliflower puree were nicely seared and meaty, but the puree was way too sweet.

My main of duck two ways with beet risotto was good but nothing to write home about. On one side I had a duck leg confit, and on the other side a rare duck breast (maybe it was a magret, it was pretty fatty...). I did like the duck but the risotto wasn't creamy and a little dry. And then I don't know what was up with the clump of greens in the middle of my dish.

JP ordered what I wanted to get originally - an apple and brie stuffed pork-chop with roasted root vegetables and tarragon-cranberry jus. I thought he wouldn't like it because of the brie but it was barely noticable. This was actually quite tasty except the pork was a little dry...perhaps because there was barely a bone there?

EP had grilled prime 10oz NY strip steak which came with butternut squash and goat cheese gratin, a chili and red wine poached coffee and coffee demi. Whoa, lots of stuff on a plate. The gratin was delicious but I'd call it more a lasagna than a gratin. Although I don't know if there was pasta in it or just potatoes. There was definitely something other than squash and goat cheese. And the poached pear was really good. Just not sure how all of that goes together.

For dessert, we shared the special of the day, a steamed sticky toffee pudding, as well as a panna cotta. The pudding was delicious, but never have I seen a panna-cotta not in a vessel...it was almost like a cheesecake! And it came with a biscotta and other stuff. Everything about this restaurant just screamed that they were trying too hard and putting way too much stuff on one plate. Good but I'm not sure the prices are justifiable...

The next day, after pancakes and tater tots and toast and sausage at a diner, we of course went to eat TACOS. Full disclosure: Comercial Mexicana (no relation to the public company of the same name down in Mexico) in Wildwood is owned by Tia C. Although the prepared food part in the back may or may not be called Ricos Tacos. I still can't figure it out.

You proceed to the back past the wall of chilis and spices, and past the refrigerated (and non-refrigerated) cases of Boing and Jarritos (by the way, a bottle of Jarritos has 220+ calories, so you're better off getting a Mexican Coke) to the counter with the refrigerated cheeses, and order. Your choice - burritos, tacos or quesadillas with a ton of different meats (asada, barbacoa, pollo, lengua if you're into that kind of thing). I, of course, went with the chorizo tacos and picked cilantro and onions as my topping (you can also get lettuce, tomato, sour cream and queso). Comercial Mexicana has ample seating in back (8 booth-type things? And a jukebox!) so we sat ourselved down and waited. But not for long. Four tacos with double-tortillas. 

The tortillas are really good but I actually left the second tortilla from each taco on my plate...too much for me. Along with your order, you get limes, a red salsa (heavy on the dried chiles) and a tomatillo salsa. I preferred the cleaner, lime-ier tomatillo salsa to for an acidic kick to the chorizo. 
 

JP ordered the enchilada tacos but topped them with the lettuce/tomato/sourcream/cheese - I think they would've been better with just cilantro and onions, the way EP got his. Much cleaner and you can taste the meat flavor better. 

Then we went to get a slice of pizza (what can I say, we're fatties) at Sam's Pizza on the Boardwalk. Apparently they burned down a couple years ago and rebuilt but miraculously their really cool old-school cash register survived the fire (insurance fraud?). This was the pizza that two (three?) summers ago burned my tongue. I'm still not a fan - mainly because the sauce on the pizza is too sweet and you can clearly taste the dried oregano in it. Too bad Britton's Bakery wasn't open. I could have totally finished my weekend glutton-fest with an apple fritter. At least I finished it with some Bent Spoon ice cream the next day.

Taim falafel

I spent an hour in 23 degree (that's Fahrenheit) weather waiting for a falafel from the Taim truck that parks outside my work on Wednesday afternoons. It was only 12:20pm when we went down to get falafel and the line was HUGE. We ordered within 15 minutes but then the rest of the time we spent waiting for out food. I guess they don't have enough falafel ball fryers on board.

Was that sandwich worth the 1 hour wait in the freezing cold forcing me to lose all senses in my feet for the next few hours? Maybe not. Although I would get it again if I didn't have to wait that long. I guess we can just try to come earlier. Sadly, I must admit, I think I liked the falafel from L'As du Fallafel in Paris better...the balls are smaller and crispier but most importantly, they put tons of cabbage in your falafel which I love.

Final snapshots

My last few days in Paris in the form of pictures. Primarily food, of course. Lets start with some wine, shall we?

Assiette de fromage and wine at Le Rubis, a fantastic old low-key wine bar in the 2nd near the Tuileries

Savory chicken curry tart from Tartes Kluger in the 3rd where I brunched with MS and WD...and saw one of my Directors. Pretty well made tarts, a little overpriced but in a nice setting where you can sit and chat as long as you want at communal tables.

Tarte tatin, eclair au chocolate and a tarte fine aux pommes from Ble Sucre. The tart was amazingly light and the tarte tatin...well, see for yourself:

I don't know how the pastry chef does this but it looks like an apple! But it's actually really thin slices of caramelized apples reassembled. Amazing. And amazingly delicious.

MS brought me a chamoy apple from Texas! I'm glad she was able to sneak it past customs.

A Kouignette, or a mini kouign amann from the newly-opened Larnicol across from the Saint Paul metro. Apparently the guy is a Meuiller Ouvrier de France, a title you win at a craftsman competition held every 4 years. Basically, it's a big deal if you win one. I assume he got his for chocolate but the chocolate there, although amazing looking, wasn't all that great. What was great was the salted butter caramel pastry you see here that I devoured (apparently David Lebovitz says you should eat it warm) and the caramels which come in a ton of flavors (my favorites were the plum, coffee and speculoos ones). Also, the ability to self-serve everything helps. I have more pics but they're on my French blackberry which doesn't really work anymore and I have no idea how to put pics on my comp. If I figure it out, I will. Otherwise, meh.

Cookies I made for coworkers with the ingredients I had left over in my pantry before my move. Oatmeal raisin, white chocolate macadamia and two types of kitchen sink cookies.

The most amazing chocolate chouquettes from one of the most ordinary pastry chains in France, Paul.

 
Ah, my favorites...Pierre Herme macarons. Depayse with matcha, azuki bean, lime and ginger, and Metisse with carrot, orange and cinnamon. I have still not had the famed Istaphan flavor.

Chocolate overload at Jean-Paul Hevin including a choco passion cake with a cocoa biscuit topped with passion fruit chocolate mousse and covered in dark chocolate with bits of crunchy things throughout, and a pomme de terre which is drunk raisins and candied oranges mixed with biscuits and chocolate, and enveloped in an almond-paste shell. They were actually out of a lot of pastries so we kinda had to settle...and we also had some of their hot-chocolate tastings.

I wasn't a huge fan...it's pure cocoa (no added sugar) with various additions (matcha, which tasted like grass, and raspberry coulis featured here) that apparently you're not supposed to mix in as they are already professionally done and it would ruin the taste. Huh? Yea whatevs.

Spring after everyone leaves and the beurre au lait cru and bread that they graciously gave us for free after I kept pestering the sommelier with questions about it and saying how much I loved it and how much I will miss the buvette

Finally, some pizza from Al Taglio - margarita, amatriciana, potato and truffle cream, and jambon. Pizza is sold roman-style where they cut slices of whatever size you want (ok, there's a minimum size) off a big rectangular pizza for you. Delicious, cheap and perfect for sharing.

Catered mexican from El Nopal for my going-away dinner...yay! They even made me agua de jamica and specially-requested refried beans!!!

My Paris living room with my furniture (so cute! and no those are not pineapple grenades on my couch...)

And after I moved my furniture out and put the owner's furniture back in. My stuff was waaay better.

And, lastly, my plane...

Au revoir for good now Paris! Back to the NYC!

La Regalade Saint-Honore revisited

Confirmed. La Regalade Saint-Honore takes top honors, tied with Ze Kitchen Galerie, for my favorite sit-down restaurant dinner in Paris. Again, deliciousness, perhaps mirrored by the fact that we sat at the same exact table I had sat my first time there. Some dishes on the menu were familiar, others were not. And as much as I wanted to get the poitrin de cochon avec lentilles vertes de Puy, I didn't. The squid-ink risotto made an appearance on the menu again as well. But tonight was a night where I was going to try new stuff (mainly). And that began with a "no Morgon" rule.

After having my fill of terrine de canard et voillaile (as well as cornichons ), along came my starter of cannelloni avec legumes confits a la ricotta, parmesan, jambon cru et basilic. HUGE PORTION. It was as much as I would probably eat for lunch. Four cannellonis filled with  flavorful mix of veggies and bound by ricotta, topped with jambon cru and argula, and some surrounding drops of basic pesto. There wasn't anything that should have been amazing about it - it was simple pasta. But it just tasted so good and comforting.
 

The scallop dish looked mighty fine as well, although JF and SM seemed to have trouble getting the actual scallops out.

And yes, here's a starter with the ubiquitous lentils and foie gras. But the lentil soup was really really good. 
 

I had recommended the poitrine de cochon to AB, which was, again, a home run. 

JF and I both went for the beef which was cooked like a bourgignon. Although a little salty, it was super satisfying and I probably left half the meat on my plate, which my dining companions had no qualm about picking at. I must say, the frenchie know how to cook carrots. How to cook carrots really well. I was a huge fan.

SM had the dorade with fennel, coriander and ginger (I noticed he usually goes for fish actually...). It was pretty.

And for dessert, I couldn't not go with the pots de creme a la vanille avec coulis de fruits de passion that I had last time. It's like creamy dreamy heaven in a little pot, or two. The souffle a Grand Marnier, although impressive and citrusy, was just too eggy for me. Are souffles always so eggy tasting?
 

After finishing our dinner with the complimentary madeleines, I can definitely say this is a "don't miss" in Paris. The dining room is large without being overly so allowing for seating far enough apart as to still be intimate yet comfortable.  The high ceilings also help. The food is consistently delicious, the wine list isn't outrageous (a great €23 bottle of Faugeres, for example), and the service is actually quite good. And 3 courses for €33 smack in the center of Paris? I say go, now.

Rice and Beans

I've recently had people raving to me about Rice and Beans, about how cheap and good their California-Mexican food was. Centrally located in the 2nd, there's four or five seats at the counter, and a second adjoining room with two communal tables. I guess the counter seating comes from its previous life as Rice and Fish, a sushi restaurant. I was actually impressed to see not only Cholula, but also Tapatio hot sauce bottle on the table, as well as thick, paste-like homemade salsa with lots of chilis. And the menu was really promising too. I went for four tacos - one braised short rib, one fish taco (special of the day), one carnitas with salsa verde and one chorizo (also special).

And they looked so yum - artfully arranged on a plate, on mini, freshly-made tortillas. The first sign of trouble should've been the fact that these mini-tortillas were overloaded with filling. The chorizo taco was honestly delicious. It wasn't oozing the usual orange grease, but the taste was spot-on. And I guess that's what set the bar and it went downhill from there. The short rib, although fall-apart tender, were too sweet (cinnamon?). The carnitas were kinda soggy instead of the crispy edges you'd want from them. And don't even get me started on the fish taco. Bland, bland bland - so much so that even a more-than-healthy dousing of hot sauce didn't help. I took a bite and put it down. Maybe the burritos are good, I don't know. But their beans seemed to be refried pinto beans, while I prefer black beans. 

Again, might be just me talking but in general, aside from the chorizo, the hot sauces and the mini tortillas, this place is just MEH.