eatMOSAIC: palate-pleasing pixels

eatMOSAIC (418 North Country Road, St. James, NY)

One of the most unexpected, yet gratifying and rewarding aspects of writing so many blog posts about the delicious food at my fingertips in New York City has been the connection I have made with some of the site's devoted followers, new friends who are excited to read about my culinary adventures, and even better yet, eager to share their own dining secrets with me.

When Jennifer and Eric, a ridiculously hilarious and beautiful couple I met through Travis Barr (Sunday Morning Mimosa) asked if I would be interested and willing to take a train into Long Island to dine with them at one of their favorite spots, I quickly jumped at the offer.  I obviously love food.  I love getting to know new people.  But when given the opportunity to share a favorite meal with someone and hear the unique anecdotes behind it, I get to know them in an intimately personal way that I find fascinating and refreshing.

The New York secret Jennifer and Eric shared with me tonight was well worth the train ride on the Long Island Rail Road, and a journey I will (hopefully) make again and again.

Following Jennifer's advice, Travis and I took the LIRR into Babylon for an afternoon in Argyle Park.  After a day of swan watching and tree climbing over the lake, Jennifer and Eric drove us a few miles into the town of St. James to enjoy an extraordinary chef's tasting menu at eatMosaic.

Though they had made a reservation for the four of us, I am absolutely baffled that the gorgeous, autumnal striped dining room remained empty during our three hour culinary tour, with the exception of one other couple.  If eatMosaic were any closer, you would find me here on a semi-regular basis.  I feel confident that no where in Manhattan or close proximity could you enjoy a five-course tasting of such excellent dishes for a mere $54 per person (they do offer a la carte selections, as well).

The genius of eatMosaic lies in the youthful enthusiasm of chef Jonathan Contes.  While you may recognize him from his appearance on the season finale of Chopped!, this young kitchen wizard was far more successful during our meal.  With apron and a Mets cap, he greeted us shortly after we were seated to interview each of us about our likes and dislikes, any food allergies, and to give an overview of what we would be enjoying.

As the menu is based entirely on what's available that day from local proprietors and markets, eatMosaic offers no printed food menu.  The dishes change daily depending on the chef's inspiration.

After determining the five courses he would be preparing impromptu given the feedback of our quartet of eager diners, Chef Jonathan disappeared into the kitchen to begin, while our waiter served each of us a different piece of warm bread.  Eric and I both enjoyed a loaf of the particularly delicious pretzel bread,  accompanied by a side of beer mustard.

I sipped on the Eliot Spritzer, a cocktail of white wine, cranberry, almond, orange, and soda.

Jennifer and Travis won the award for best cocktail selection with the sparkling strawberry-lavendar sangria.

Eric enjoyed a classic Grey Goose martini, with a bold skewer that challenged the superstition that cocktail olives should be served in odd numbers.

The first course was a minted cucumber gazpacho with scallop crudo, edamame, and pickled honeydew melon.  I rarely enjoy a cold soup, but this gazpacho was a phenomenal spring dish that made me extremely excited to taste the next course.

Next, we enjoyed a unilaterally roasted tilefish (searing the fish only on the skin so that the remainder is moist and near-sashimi) with a fennel potato salad, andouille sausage, on a bed of papaya grapefruit salsa with a brushing of ramp mustard.

I will fall asleep dreaming about my favorite dish of the evening, balsamic blueberry glazed turkey meatballs with golden beet parmesan couscous, toasted almond rolled goat cheese, with sage sprigs.

Our penultimate course was a grilled beef ribeye on a podium of feta bruschetta, a bed of delicately wilted spinach, with roasted garlic white bean hummus, and red grapes, capers, and dill.

Bringing the meal full circle, we rounded out the evening with a final chilled soup of kiwi berry with a spoon of whipped ricotta cheese and honey nut ganache.

What's not to love about a good old fashioned homemade chipwich?

At the conclusion of what resulted in an absolutely exquisite and unique meal, Chef Jonathan delivered us a round of moscatel, and joined us as we reveled in the laughter of such wonderful company.  

Though you may not be able to dine with the lovely cast of comedians we enjoyed this evening, it's well worth a train ride, zipcar, or rental to experience such whimsical dishes.  Regardless, trust me... if someone you know offers to show you their favorite New York "secret" jump at the chance.  Thank you for sharing such a perfect meal, Jennifer and Eric, from the bottom of my stomach.

Gyro Uno gets a facelift

Gyro Uno Pizzeria Restaurant Café (28-01 Steinway, Astoria)

Call for delivery (718) 274-4870

Though there was something alluring about the Greek writing on Gyro Uno's tattered turquoise awning which first drew me in, I have to admit that the recent exterior facelift (as well as an all-new gated outdoor cafe) was much-needed, even if the interior, while clean and friendly, still offers a vintage throwback to the traditional diners of yesteryear.

While a diner may not necessarily be your personal cup of tea (the new signage does not include diner as a descriptor; just pizzeria restaurant café, but let's call a spade a spade), I will confess that Gyro Uno continues to serve up one of the tastiest gyros in the area.  The delightfully fresh pita is stuffed with cuts of lamb from the doner kebab (giant rotating roast) in the front window, and piled with lettuce, tomato, onion, a generous dollop of homemade tsatsiki (Greek yogurt mixed with pureed cucumber and garlic), and a dusting of paprika.

The menu also offers an extensive selection of stromboli, calzone, and hot heroes (the meatball parmigiana is delicious), other diner fare such as cheeseburgers and pastas, along with more traditional Greek plates (musaka, spanakopita, pastitsio, and souvlaki platters, to name a few).

As they have apparently realized by showcasing pizzeria on their new marquis, one of the best deals in this Greek-American hodgepodge of plates is their particularly delicious pizza.  If you want a traditional New York slice, this is one of the best in the area.  A buttery, garlicky crust that is consistently thin and crisp from the center to the edges, the perfect amount of tangy tomato sauce, and cheese that stretches just the way you want it to.

For the quality, the price is unbeatable.  Just $5 for a personal 10" pie, ranging up to only $11 for their largest cheese pie.  Where else can you get a quality New York slice for only $1.85 (you might find a cheaper slice, but not this good).

Though delivery is always prompt and efficient, it might be worth the walk to try out the new outdoor seating area.  Table service is available both within and out.

Pomaire: A Theater District treasure

Pomaire (371 W. 46th St., Midtown)

Faced with the challenge of arranging a restaurant birthday party for a cherished friend, the factors to consider are seemingly countless.  When said friend is Pete, one of my longest and best in New York City, the stakes are upped significantly.  Pete is one of those guys who has sampled some of the most delicious and exquisite foods the city has to offer.  He's also the guy who's house parties last for twelve hours, and he slaves away at the stovetop for several days in advance in preparation.  In addition to a cornucopia of gourmet dishes and freshly cut floral centerpieces, his beautiful Polish friend, Kinga, might bring along her delicious homemade pierogies, or the cabaret chanteuse, Tori, might add her famous corn salad to the feast.  His are the parties with a colorful pilgrim table spread about which people rave for weeks and weeks, long after the last cheese board has been washed and put away until the next occasion for celebration.

Needless to say, for Pete's most recent birthday, I wanted to find a unique restaurant gem that would be unfamiliar to most of the guests, centrally located for accessibility, yet boasting a cuisine and ambiance worthy of the quality his friends have come to enjoy and expect.

Quietly perched near the three Yum Yum Bangkoks on the corner of 46th and 9th (yes, you read that correctly) sits New York City's oldest Chilean restaurant, Pomaire.  While I generally steer my recommendations away from Times Square and the Theater District in general, Pomaire is not only a Restaurant Row exception, but inarguably one of my favorite kitchens in the entire city.

Having recently undergone a beautiful renovation, the casually elegant dimly lit dining room is decorated with a stunning collection of oil paintings by various Chilean artists.  Mingling among the extremely friendly and warm staff, almost every night of the week you will find owner, Denic Catalan, himself accompanied by his cheerful and lovely companion, Nancy, as well as a number of their family members performing various roles throughout the establishment.  Almost instantly, you are overcome with the comforting sense that you have stepped into a family home.  Although Chilean cuisine may not be the most familiar, Denic and his family will literally sit down with any guest to explain the components and flavors of each dish, and even recommend specific selections based on the freshest ingredients available that day.

From the leather and brass menus to the refreshing pisco sours (a national drink of Chile, made from grape brandy, fresh lime juice, simple syrup, and egg whites) each facet of the restaurant is made with pride, love, and a commitment to excellence.

One of my secrets to dining at Pomaire is to arrive between the hours of 8 and 10 o'clock.  Because of its location in the Theater District, pre and post theater can tend to be extremely busy (although Pomaire does take reservations on OpenTable.)  If you want to try the 3-course prix fixe for $24.95, I would definitely recommend booking a table in advance.

For Pete's party, we arrived at 8:00 and were seated immediately, with pisco sours (they're refreshingly delicious, and extremely potent) waiting on the table in honor of the birthday boy, which we supplemented with pitchers of delicious sparkling wine sangria.  Though I recommend starting with one of their unique Chilean cocktails or sangrias, be sure to take full advantage of their impressive wine list, featuring some of the most celebrated vineyards of South America at extremely reasonable prices.

As soon as we made a toast, we were served baskets of an assortment of traditional Chilean breads, accompanied with a dish of pebre -- a particularly addictive condiment composed of coriander, chopped onion, olive oil, garlic, and pureed aji peppers.  Though we generously spooned it onto the golden pastry squares, pebre is also delicious on the selection of various meats and seafood.

The boyishly charming and tender Denic walked around our table, offering helpful suggestions based upon the likes and preferences of each guest.  He enthusiastically shared that he had just received a delivery of scallops that someone absolutely had to try, as well as a few other recommendations based on his purchases at the Greenmarket in Union Square (Pomaire sources its protein and produce from local markets and butchers, with only free range and organic ingredients).  We took all of his recommendations, and ended up raving about what resulted in a perfectly festive and delicious birthday dinner.

Ceviche of corvina with fresh lemon, cilantro, onions, and peppers.  Their shrimp, scallop, and mussel ceviche is also one of my favorites.

Palta Reina (a whole avocado stuffed with shredded organic chicken salad, with watercress, extra virgin olive oil, and sea salt)

Pomaire bakes my favorite empanada in the entire city.  This jumbo stuffed pastry is loaded to bursting with a blend of seafood, served with winter baby greens.

Sauteed jumbo shrimp with graneado rice, market vegetables, and micro greens.

Pan roasted diver scallops on a bed of cauliflower puree, topped with a leek and granny smith salad.

My personal favorite for a long time has been, and remains the chupe de mariscos.  Pomaire is actually named after a small town just west of Santiago famous for its earthenware pottery.  Served in one of these traditional clay pots, the chupe de mariscos is an extremely hearty shellfish gratin of shrimp, scallops, crabmeat, and cheese, all baked to golden bubbling perfection.

At the end of our meal, Denic personally presented a piece of merengue cake with lucuma cream.  Lucuma is a subtropical fruit native to South America, which tastes a like a combination of sweet potato and maple syrup.

My favorite Pomaire sweet ending, however, is their extraordinary thousand layer cake, filled with walnuts and manjar (Chilean caramelized milk sauce)

I owe a very sincere thank you to the entire team at Pomaire for what turned out to be a simply perfect evening.  I could not more highly recommend a unique New York City experience with a more gracious and hospitable family.  If you get a chance to treat yourself to this New York treasure, be sure to ask for Denic, Nancy, or Pia, and tell them Bradley sent you.

Crave: The name says it all...

Crave Bites are like Greek-style mini-funnel cakes, golden dough puffs cooked to order with a ramekin of warm honey cinnamon sauce.

Crave (28-55 36th St., Astoria)

Not to be confused with Crave Shack, the Halal burger joint just around the corner on Steinway's stretch of Little Egypt, Crave is more of a step up from Greek street food, yet more casual than a typical restaurant.  Though there is a walk-up counter, as well as a small dining room and outdoor cafe, one of the best (and most dangerously convenient) features of Crave is the fact they deliver until 1 o'clock in the morning each day of the week, and serve dine-in and carryout until 4AM Thursday through Saturday.

Living up to its name, I first tried Crave yesterday for lunch with my roommate, David.  Though I resisted the urged to grab a twilight bite after work last night, you better believe I found myself headed straight back today for lunch.  Though this post by no means features the healthier offerings on their menu (I mean, how often do you "crave" lettuce?), there is definitely something for everyone.  From baked potatoes to turkey burgers, to five different salads, as well as more traditional Greek dishes (stuffed grape leaves, lamb gyros, spanakopita, and souvlaki platters with lemon potatoes), nearly the entire menu is under ten dollars.

While the majority of the customers today and yesterday seemed to be ordering take-out, we sat outdoors, where extremely friendly table service is offered.  Although I was tempted to dabble in some of the traditional Greek offerings, to be blatantly honest, that's not necessarily what I usually crave.  Therefore, we ventured out and tried some of the more eclectic options on the 5-page menu.

The frankenchips crave bowl was a steel platter of chips with cocktail franks, cheddar sauce, fried onions, and jalapenos.  Are you kidding?  It was like one of those dishes you may have experimented with during childhood, and then fall back on the rest of your life when you just need a little hug from your food.  Nothing gourmet about it... no exotic cheeses... but definitely something you just might crave.  Stuff a forkful into one of the pita triangles, and it's almost like a Greek pig-in-a-blanket...

The chips are sort of like itty-bitty hand cut french fry nibbles... you'll definitely want to grab a few at a time with a fork.  Each basket comes with your choice of over 15 dipping sauces (from gravy and spicy mayo, to roasted garlic aioli or kung fu ketchup).

Maybe it's the fact that I sometimes miss Long John Silver's with the crispy fried bits in the bottom of the basket, but my favorite plate at Crave was the beer battered fish 'n chips, which you can get with cod, flounder, or shrimp.  The shrimp were jumbo and succulent, and ultimately sinfully delicious.

How can you go wrong when your fish 'n chips are served with homemade tartar sauce and packets of malt vinegar?

For a sweet tooth craving, I have to recommend the Crave Bites (pictured at the beginning).  I was a little disappointed to find they were out of one of my favorite Greek sweets, ekmek... so I guess I'll have to stop by another time to try it.  But for a crave-worthy twist on a New York classic, you can't go wrong with their fried cheesecake, almost like a sweet cream cheese chimichanga in a pool of strawberry sauce.

Update: went back today (again!) to try the ekmek, a Greek take on a popular Turkish dessert with shredded phyllo dough, honey, walnuts, and vanilla whipped cream.  Though ekmek traditionally has a layer of custard between the dough and cream, Crave's version sans the custard was pretty tasty.

Though I was a little bummed about the missing ekmek layer, their delicious frappé more than made up for it...

Fatty's Cafe

Fatty's Cafe (25-01 Ditmars Blvd., Astoria)

Inconspicuously tucked into the corner of a block of Greek homes adorned with pristinely manicured front lawns and chrome gateways sits Fatty's Cafe, a restaurant with a storefront that indicates not even a hint of the oasis waiting beyond the front doors.  Inside, you are likely to find an eclectic myriad of Astorians most likely chatting casually over a mojito with Suzanne or Fernando, the couple who own and run this off-the-beaten-path gem.  

Contrary to the misleading name, the website describes Fatty's as a healthy grill... a place to chill...  Apparently the name is derived from a term of endearment between Suzanne and Fernando.  Though a Latin-driven menu, Fernando explained to us that if he sees a recipe he likes, it will probably appear on the menu, whether Latin, Asian, or any other culinary influence.  If he likes it, he makes it.  Because he's built a menu around recipes he loves, you most definitely taste that in the food, and feel it in the air.

When we walked in yesterday, it instantly reminded me of one of the numerous laid back island bars of the U.S. Virgin Islands, a casual yet attentive server, a laughing bartender, and a staff that seemed to know the entire clientele.  While we browsed over our menus, the bartender/owner approached our table with a box of chocolate dusted truffles.  "You have to try one of these... my sister brought them from Paris, and they're delicious!"

It was as if we had stumbled onto the familiar beach patio of a longtime friend, and every single care in the world had blown right out the door on the cool spring breeze that was dancing through the dining room to the silky croonings of Sade overhead (they played an entire Sade album, as a matter of fact, while we enjoyed our chill lunch.)

The menu isn't entirely the same as that on the website (I often arrive at a new restaurant with at least an idea of what will tempt my taste buds), so we asked our server for suggestions.  He steered us in an absolutely perfect direction, although I can't imagine anything at Fatty's would have disappointed.

This trio of empanadas (chicken, beef, & cheese) were some of the best around... crispy yet moist, with deliciously seasoned, juicy fillings.

The croquetas were golden crispy fingers of fried potato with cubed ham and cheeses, accompanied by a summer salad with carrot tahini dressing.

Not your conventional sandwich, the chorizo burger with poblano pepper mayo on a scrumptiously fresh kaiser accompanied by sweet potato fries literally made us giggle... absolutely delicious.

Someone at your table simply has to order the contraband chicken.  Tender breasts of chicken stuffed with pico de gallo and chedder, wrapped in crispy bacon, blanketed with cheese and a mole barbecue sauce.  Hands down, the most delicious, sweet, yet savory mole I have ever enjoyed.  With the fusion of barbecue sauce, it was chocolatey, tangy, and smokey, but not a hint bitter as so many of the moles I have tried.  The caramelized plantains were crisp to the bite, yet beautifully tender and sweet inside.

The chocolate tres leches was an absolute slice of sweetened milk heaven.  My lunch date laughed when I likened it to a gourmet twist on Count Chocula cereal, but it was... everything at Fatty's made us smile and feel like a kid on vacation, from the food to the jovial atmosphere.

Any time I can't afford a trip to the Caribbean but am craving a relaxed vacation meal, you can certainly bet I will be walking a few blocks out of the way to stop by Fatty's Cafe.  If it were any closer to my apartment, I would absolutely be a regular.