I decided to combine the rest of our culinary adventures in New York into one final posting. Not that I couldn’t drag it out to at least two, mind you!
The other big highlight while we were there was eating at a David Bouley restaurant called Brushstroke. Bouley has been very successful with a number of restaurants throughout NYC, but this one is different, and very special as a result. The entire restaurant is done Kaiseki style, which is the Japanese version of an haute cuisine tasting menu. Each course is meticulously planned and presented, and everything we ate was delicious!
To achieve the amazing flavors (the New York Times review of the restaurant aptly calls the meal a “haiku of flavors”), Bouley collaborates with a cooking school in Japan, the Tsuji Culinary Institue in Osaka, and the instructors from that school actually prepare the food at the restaurant. It’s well worth the visit, and the price – an experience you likely won’t get elsewhere. We had the sommelier, Seju Yang, pair wines for us with each course. He did an oustanding job of pairing various wines, sakes, a dry sherry and beer that matched each course perfectly. Here are a few photos of the restaurant and food, sourced directly from the NY Times review, written in July of last year.
We also had an absolutely awesome burger (maybe the best ever?) at a place called B&B, which stands for Burger and Barrel. This gastropub is filled with locals and tourists alike, and is in SoHo, a great spot for a drink and/or a meal during or after shopping in the area. We popped in for a drink while we were furniture shopping on nearby Greene and Wooster Sts and loved it so much, we put our name on the list to come back for dinner later. Off we went after a refreshing drink (try the B&B Spritz!) to B&B Italia right around the corner (I know, the naming coincidence is telling…) and we bought a dining room table and chairs on sale. Yay! Then we went back to the other B&B for dinner. Between the two of us, we had the Bash style burger (with caramelized onions, bacon jam, pickles and a special sauce) and the Mexico City (with house-pickled jalapenos, oaxacan cheese and guacamole). Unbelievably, mouth wateringly good. You must go.
And the final culinary highlight I’ll mention is Sushi of Gari 46 in midtown. Holy sh*t, this is the best sushi we’ve every had. Including the best sushi places in San Francisco (Sebo and Kiss Seafood) and the best I had in Tokyo. Absolutely mind-blowingly fresh, and creatively seasoned, this place will blow your mind. Gari is the sushi chef, who became one at the tender age of 19. He now has four restaurants – his first in the Upper East Side, one in Tokyo, another in the Upper West Side and Sushi of Gari 46 in the theater district. We did the omakase menu (which essentially means I’ll trust it to you in Japanese – in other words, let the chef show off his best and give you what he wishes). Each piece was a single piece of sushi but done with the most incredible touches of flavor, spice, sauce, or condiments. There was no soy sauce available…to use it would’ve been to ruin the delicate and thoughtful ways they prepared the fish. One dish that was particulary memorable was a piece of sea bass that was brushed with a ponzu, then topped with a smoky spice of some kind. Oh man, my mouth is watering just thinking about it.
So there you have it – across three postings. My delectable eating adventures in New York. From Eataly (the food hall of any foodie’s dreams), to the best sushi I’ve eaten anywhere, to a crazy kaiseki menu at Bruststroke, to an unbelievably great burger. I can hardly wait to go back. To all of them.
Bon appetit!
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