We had a very nice dinner at Ferdi a couple of weeks ago. It was a Friday and we had a reservation. Unfortunately they only had one table for two available and it was ridiculously positioned where we would have been constantly bumped into from all sides. So we waited a long time, when seats at the bar finally opened up. I would not recommend coming here on a busy night if you are a party of two. That being said, the food and service were worth the wait.
For appetizers we had fritto misto and mozzarella caprese, and for main courses “veal and chicken sofia” and “veal martini”. Tiramisu was a nice dessert. With a bottle of Primitivo from Puglia, the total before tip was $172.
Mino Brasserie recently opened on West 12th St. and is apparently quite popular. I would describe the food as somewhat updated traditional French. We liked everything we ate very much.
The dishes we tried were:
Oysters
Onion soup
Cod fillet with ratatouille on a tomato coulis
Braised lamb shank (a daily special)
Lemon tart
The markup on wines is on the high side, but there were some good choices in the $50 to $70 range. We chose a 2015 Bandol for $68, which I consider a pretty good price for a Bandol.
Service was excellent. The maitre d’ was very attentive, and gave us glasses of champagne at the end of the meal, a nice touch that rarely happens these days.
Searching for some new restaurants to try, I happened on this little gem.
We have had many different Asian cuisines, but I had no knowledge of Burmese. Apparently there are a number of Burmese restaurants in Queens and Brooklyn but as far as I know, no others in Manhattan. We were very pleased with everything about it.
We began with beef skewers and Burmese fried chicken. For the main course we had the noodles with pork meatballs, and the lamb curry. The flavors were all intricate and delicious. A bottle of Muscadet went well with the food.
This is a very welcome addition to the Chelsea neighborhood.
Basic information about our two bedroom apartment at 63 rue du Poteau, Hall 5, second floor in an elevator building. There are 6 “halls” (doorways to sections of the large building) which are accessed via a lovely garden that one enters after coming through the main door on the street. Because the apartment is so far back from the street one hears no sounds – no sirens. The living room-dining room, which opens on to a balcony on which one can put a small table and chairs, overlooks a garden and a 2 story apartment and a pedestrian path from rue du Poteau that is used by children on their way to and from a nearby Catholic school. A pair of ring-necked pigeons ‘own’ this part of the garden and are fun to watch as they move from branch to branch in a tall tree. The two bedrooms also overlook a garden. The modern kitchen has a small balcony. There is a separate toilet room and the sink and shower are next to it. There is ample closet space in both bedrooms and in the hallway opposite the shower/toilet rooms. As one enters the apartment there is a space where we had a desk, computer, printer etc. There are 2 apartments per floor. Our neighbors are a lovely older couple. There is a resident Guardian, an older woman who has been living/working at the building for 33 years. Rue du Poteau is a market street – all types of small shops: cheese; wine; vegetable (about 8 of them currently), eye glass; 2 book stores – one for kids; many flower shops; Monoprix; Franprix is in our building; Thai takeaway; meat; rotisserie; Italian; and of course Landemaine, a wonderful bakery. Our Metro is Jules Joffrin.
The asking price is: 615 000€, Agency fees included.
Please help us spread the word about the sale of our apartment!
This recently opened Mexican restaurant is a welcome addition to Hudson dining. Located in a strip mall on Fairview Avenue, we were afraid it might be a chain restaurant, but it turns out is is not. In fact, it is owned and run by Mexicans, who are doing a great job. On the recommendation of friends, we tried it on a recent Sunday night. The atmosphere, food and service are great, much better than the few other Mexican restaurants in the area.
The menu is extensive, as is the drinks list. Prices are very reasonable and portions are large. We only ordered two dishes and were very well filled.
They start you off with complimentary chips with salsa and bean dips. The queso fundido, with chorizo, onions and jalapeno, was served with corn tortillas. The tongue tacos were excellent, and came three to an order, served with rice and other garnishes. We asked for hot sauce on the side and were given two different ones. I was impressed that they serve tongue, as we love it but rarely see it on menus.
We each had a cucumber Margarita. They were very good and generous in size. The total with tax and tip was under $70.
Scampi was not on our radar until I happened to walk by one day recently and check out the menu. The chef/owner is a disciple of Michael White, which explains why it’s quite different from what we normally associate with a typical Italian restaurant. Instead of appetizers, salads and mains, it’s divided into crudos (appetizer sized), vegetables (some are salads), pastas (main course or shared as appetizers) and grill (main courses). There are 6 choices in each category, so plenty to choose from.
Stanley started with beets and I had razor clams (very hard to find around here). Next he had chicken cacciatore, which was very different from the standard, and I had the signature pasta dish, mafaldini with chopped shrimp. For dessert we shared a budino (a thick fudgy chocolate pudding). Everything was delicious.
Robert Rems' Open House 