Weekend in Review – NYC Part II

As I stated in the first part, my wife and I took a short trip to NYC over a weekend. While there, we were able to try a few restaurants. We had both heard great things about The Spotted Pig in Greenwich Village and decided to give it a try.

The Spotted Pig

Not only is Mario Batali a partner in the restaurant (though he’s not the chef), but it was also named one of the 25 best hamburgers in America by Food & Wine Magazine. Due to this, we were led to believe that there would be a long wait for a table but I guess we were lucky (or the popularity of the restaurant is overstated), as we arrived around noon on Saturday and only waited about five minutes to be seated. The restaurant is quaint, with a small downstairs and a bit roomier upstairs (where our table was), but it doesn’t really feel as small as it looks. One downside to the limited space is that you have to sit in stools. If you’re like me, and you have a bad back, you might want to keep this in mind.  After looking over the menu, we both decided on the burger (which, to be honest, was decided the second we started walking towards the restaurant). The burger is cooked to temperature (a great thing coming from NC where all burgers must be cooked to death, according state law) over a grill, topped with Roquefort cheese and served on a toasted brioche bun with “shoestring” fries on the side. I love blue cheeses, but my wife cannot eat them because they’re a terrible migraine trigger for her. We asked the waitress if we could substitute cheddar for the Roquefort (after all, there was a grilled cheese on the menu that featured cheddar) but the waitress said no, we could not. Disappointed, we ordered one burger sans Roquefort.

First, the good: the burger was cooked to a perfect medium-rare, and the bun was nicely toasted but remained nice and soft. The meat was also packed tightly (though some might find this as a negative) and the seasonings didn’t interfere with the flavor of the meat. Also, the Roquefort cheese is a great complement to the meat. Secondly, the bad: the “shoestrings” are more like Potato Stix than fries. They just don’t have a soft, fluffy interior like a good french fry should. Don’t get me wrong, they’re not bad per se, but they shouldn’t be considered french fries. Finally, the ugly: Why won’t the kitchen do any substitutions, especially if it’s just the cheese? If you have the product on hand, why not make the customer happy? Also, what’s with the no mayo policy? I was given ketchup and dijon mustard, but God forbid I want to add mayonnaise to my burger or “fries”. It comes off as pretentious since it seems that they don’t allow customers to customize their food because “the chef knows best!”

All-in-all, it’s not a bad restaurant or experience. However, I don’t think I could put this burger in my top 5 (it’s definitely no Ray’s Hell Burger), nor do I think I’ll ever bother coming back. I just don’t think the burger is worth the hassle.

Rosa Mexicano

My wife and I had our first date at Rosa Mexicano in Washington, DC, and try to make it back on our anniversary whenever we can.  We just happened to be in NYC two weeks after our anniversary this year, so we made a reservation and delayed our annual dinner out until then.  While it’s true that RM hold a dear place in our hearts, we return because we like the food and the atmosphere.  On this occasion, we had one of the best waiters we’ve ever had, so that made our experience even that much better.

We started with an order of the guacamole, which is made fresh at your table, and served with two salsas: a tomatillo-based salsa and a smoky (chipotle?) red salsa.  It was perfect, and a great way to start our dinner.  After we licked the molcajete clean, we ordered our entrées; I chose to go with the Tablones (braised short ribs) while my wife ordered the Carne Asada tacos.  The short ribs are braised, then grilled, and served over a tomato and chipotle sauce and topped with slowly-cooked pepper strips and, as always, rice and beans are served on the side.  The rib meat is fork-tender and rich, with a deep beefy flavor that’s just what the Dr. ordered.  The beans were also very good, but I found the rice to be a bit undercooked for my taste.  No matter, with 18 ounces of beef and a guacamole appetizer, there was barely enough room for rice, anyway!

The Carne Asada tacos are grilled skirt steak, cooked to temperature, and served in a cast iron mini-skillet with melted cheese and a side of corn and the same salsas that were served with the guacamole.  The cheese was surprisingly mild, and doesn’t dominate the dish.  Instead, you actually get to taste all the ingredients together and the flavors balance well.  If I had to pick one thing that stood out, though, it would be the corn.  I could eat a bucket of it all by myself.

Needless to say, we were stuffed after our dinner.  I was ready to just ask for the check but I guess the waiter overheard our conversation about coming to RM every year for our anniversary because he brought us two glasses of champagne and a Tres Leches dessert.  The Tres Leches is served with fresh blackberries and strawberries, and topped with meringue.  I’m not much of a dessert person, but even I couldn’t stop eating it.  The cake was moist and flavorful, and the fresh berries added the perfect amount of bitterness and sweetness to the dish.  It was a great cap to an amazing dinner (and weekend)!