Kittchai - now that's how THAI is done

Don't you just love Restaurant Week? While we don't make as much use of it as we should, what better time to eat somewhere I've always wanted to go!

So we ventured out to Kittichai in Soho for modern Thai. The way to a man’s heart maybe through his stomach, but when the ambiance and the décor are this good, half the battle is already won. It's actually nice to drive into Soho on a weeknight - abundance of street parking everywhere!! (Yes, it means a lot to me because it means No parallel parking ordeal required on my part)

The food was yummy - definitely about 100x tastier than my attempted Thai cooking effort from the night before. 3 of the Foodiots decided to go with the Restaurant week Menu and the 4th Foodiot ordered the Chilean Sea Bass. In her exact words ‘it was a bit sweet but still AWESOME ‘. From the Restaurant week menu, we had the Thai Gazpacho, Coconut chicken in butter lettuce wraps and the Steamed mussels in curry broth. The lettuce wraps were great; don’t forget to ask for the chili dipping sauce on the side so you (not me) can spice it up. For main course, we ordered the Organic chicken in green curry and the crispy catfish. In Sat's words, he was "tastefully delighted" with the catfish. Yea, c-h-e-e-s-y. The green curry was, in the words of Rachel Ray – YUM’O. Reminded me of the curry our cook in Indonesia used to make (that means I just gave it a 2 thumbs up). The Stir-fried Asian vegetables with garlic and ginger-soy sauce were a welcome vegetarian addition to the table. They were so so good that we ordered 2 portions.

For dessert, we ordered the Flourless Valrhona chocolate cake (apparently Valrhona is a French chocolate) and the Banana spring roll with burnt honey ice cream. The burnt honey ice cream was great and so were the Banana Spring rolls. I’m a sucker for anything fried. Suhel devoured the chocolate cake like there was no tomorrow, in all honesty, it was just DECENT. Overall, we had a great time. D&D with the Foodiots is always fun especially because it is always accompanied by a healthy dose of gossip.

Definitely recommend Kittichai to anyone looking to be transported into the elegant and zen-like world of modern Thailand.

Bloggers recommendation: 3/5

Price: $$$

Ambiance: 4/5

Website: http://www.kittichairestaurant.com

Cuisine: Modern Thai

Kefi

After hearing a earful from friends and family I realized that I needed to step up and write on behalf of my wife and stop being lazy. Well in her defense I vouch that she was certainly busy at that time. This will get me some brownie points..hehe

Greek food was on our minds and we decided to hunt for a Greek restaurant. We stumbled upon Kefi (thanks Shira) located on the upper west side on Columbus Ave. This place was recommended by a few people so our expectations were super high..Even the website boldly states “Prepare to be transported to a bustling Greek tavern, where the flavors are big and the value is high ". The place is well designed and is reminiscent of a traditional rustic tavern in a tiny town in Greece (Yea, I haven’t been to Greece but my wife watches Mama Mia just about every time it’s on TV). Regarding the food, in all honesty, we were not thrilled; though the MEZE were definitely yum. We ate the Greek Salad (surprise surprise.. hehe), Selection of Spreads: Yogurt, “Caviar”, Eggplant, Chickpea (highly recommended spread) and the Mussels (very average). So far we were pretty impressed & then came along the big disappointment. We ordered Braised Lamb Shank & Roasted Lemon Chicken, Potato, Garlic, Dill both which were very bland and dreary. To an extent that neither Suhel nor I could finish the chicken, perhaps it was a wrong choice. We would suggest ordering Lamb Chops (think they didn’t have them that day) rather than the Shank, don’t think the shank lives up to chops. Dessert? Can’t even remember it – nothing memorable. We had the ice cream just to be on the safe side. Well all in all I would say we were happy with the appetizers but extremely saddened with the overall experience. So would I go back there? Unless for some GOD forsaken reason I am stuck on 505 Columbus Ave and have a craving for Greek food and all the other restaurants in that neighborhood are shut down, I doubt I would venture back to that place..I mean, the ambiance is nice and the wine list is good, so even if I did go back, I would just order the appetizers.



Bloggers recommendation: 1/5, Anagha’s recommendation: 2.5/5
Price: $$ Ambiance: 3/5

Website: http://www.kefirestaurant.com/

CUISINE: GREEK

Brasserie 8 1/2

It was extremely difficult to write this blog, as I didn’t come home with a memorable experience. Mind you it was not a terrible experience at all. The décor was like a stateroom on a ship. The staff was polite and the wine was good, but it just wasn’t good enough for me to remember the name.

The 3 course prix fixe is such great value for the money. Eleven Madison has a 3 course dinner prix fixe for $95 and Brasserie 81/2 is at $35.

The portion size is great and if you aren’t vegetarian you have a few good options. The non-vegetarians couldn’t stop talking about the seafood (annoying).The mussels were the best Satyen has eaten, and he probably eats mussels at any restaurant that serves them.

The must haves were:

Truffle Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes

The mussels from the prix-fix

Japanese Yellowtail avocado roulade, braised kombu, passion fruit

I must admit, the desserts weren’t bad at all. However, do not order the cookies in a jar, unless you feel like having every type of cookie ever made. This must have been the point in the dinner when too much wine was consumed as we all started singing “who stole the cookies from the cookie jar……” and began laughing hysterically.

So I would say if you are:

(a) Over 50 years old OR

(b) In the neighborhood OR

(c) Feel like having a decent meal and not hear anybody else in the entire restaurant OR

(d) All of the above

Then this place makes prefect sense. Other than that, it’s just average in every way.

Bloggers recommendation: 2/5
Price: $$$
Ambiance: 2/5
Website- http://www.patinagroup.com/restaurant.php?restaurants_id=67
CUISINE: FRENCH

Butai - actually more like "BOOO"-tai

Well let me begin by saying, the only thing fun about the evening was the company. Adventures can be a hit or a miss. This week’s restaurant was an absolute miss.

Where do I begin! The terrible Prosecco or the fact that all of us had different champagne glasses; and when we asked for a fourth glass we got a wine glass! (Mind you - this wasn’t a fast food restaurant we went to)

We ordered a variety of dishes, from a basic Mixed Green salad to the Bali Bali cabbage, the Mushroom Paradise and the Lamb chops. I am no gourmet chef, but trust me; I could’ve prepared a tastier meal. The organic chicken had to be the best on the menu, and that’s not saying for much. According to the non-vegetarians at the table, they had never eaten anything this rubbery. Our friend Sahil Kamdar (eligible bachelor may I add) had to gulp down the food with water. He sure will not be accompanying us on our future adventures.

Now let's move onto service - there was no order to the food served. We got our entrees before some of our appetizers. The Sushi arrived and guess what – there was no Soy Sauce. Our server managed to get us our food faster than McDonald’s does – gotta give them some credit for speed. Our table was bombarded with food and the waiter wouldn't even clear the empty dishes out. Ohhhh and I almost forgot - I got showered with champagne..oops I mean lousy Prosecco.. by the clumsy waiter.

I wish I could say something good about Butai, but they are out of luck.

It was finally time for dessert and we were all hoping things would turn around. So we ordered Crème brulee and Green tea ice cream and...they didn't have either of the desserts we were so looking forward to eating. The check finally arrived with incorrect billing; I didn't expect any different. The silver lining to the evening was Habibi lounge which though doesn’t meet the ‘restaurant blog’ criteria, is so worth mentioning - with the yummy fruit flavored hookah. The night ended with a slice of Pizza from a small deli and of course Kathi roll....I love NYC...no one sleep hungry.

Here is a link to the restaurant though you probably won't be needing it: http://www.butai.us/index.html

Bloggers recommendation: 0/5
Price: $$$$
Ambiance: 2.5/5
No Pictures worth posting too

CUISINE: JAPANESE

Prego Prego - Italia

Against the rules of this blog - but our culinary experience in the region of Toscone had to be shared.

Our short visit to Italy started off at Milano, following which we drove to Venezia and from there to the most beautiful place we’ve been to - San Gimignano, (pronounced as Sangi minano – put a little Italian accent and some hand gestures and you’ve nailed it) a small walled medieval hill town in the province of Siena, Tuscany. It's located in north-central Italy in the midst of splendid hamlets & the beautiful windy hills of Chianti. This place was absolutely divine. In addition, considering my new found love for red wine it seemed almost like fate.

We ate lunch at Bel Soggiorno; which is located on Via San Giovanni within the city. The restaurant had a spectacular view of the Chianti hills. Of course, we sipped on Chianti wine - Chianti Colli Senesi Pescil; a local Chianti wine; inexpensive none the less delightfully tasteful (little dry for my palette though). It complemented our food rather well. For our entrée we ordered the Ravioli Di Ricotta E Spinach(Spinach ravioli) & Risotto Zafferano E Asparagus ( Risotto with Asparagus & Saffron sauce), which was so well presented that we almost didn’t want to eat the food. We ended the meal with some delicious Panna Cotta Su Coulis (Creme pudding with Raspberry sauce). We highly recommend this place to eat and this town to kickback and just relax.

After falling in love with this town, we had to return to the walled city for dinner. We had a fantastic meal at Dulcis In Fundo, a restaurant run by a very friendly couple. After all the pasta, ravioli & pizza, we were craving some good old chicken. We ordered (chicken). It was baked to perfection. Of course, we drank some more local red Chianti wine. We ended our dinner with some coffee cake and a shot of coffee with chocolate spoon (apparently the spoon is made by the guy who won the Grand Prix for chocolate at Rome & Paris). The idea is to dip the spoon in the shot glass so it dissolves instantly. It almost felt like we were drinking a shot of heavenly chocolat. Thats all for now.

Ciao – Bon appetite.

www.hotelbelsoggiorno.it

Price: $$$
Ambiance: 5/5
Recommendation: HIGH

www.ducisinfundo.net
Price: $$$
Ambiance: 4/5
Recommendation: HIGH

CUISINE: ITALIAN

Crunchy Roasted "Almonds "

To our surprise the torch within us to rediscover our lost passion for dining is yet flaming bright and strong. Next stop was Almond, a quaint Parisian/American/Mediterranean bistro covered in warm golden walls, pressed in tin ceilings and overly hospitable service right in the midst of the flatiron - gramercy district.

With conversations flying from “Marriage is not in fashion in Europe" – Proven statistically by Mr. Ankur Shah to "Vacation trips to southern Italy, Austria, Swiss and Costo Rico" to the hideously dressed “mermaid women” (ask Ms. Kothari for the definition), the night started off by sipping on wine - my new found love (Red if I may).We sipped on some delicious '07 Gaudau Cohors Malbec while munching on some tasty homemade salted honey almonds (must have), followed by some delicious appetizers and entrees. The vegetarians ate off the cheese board, which came with some toasted bread, dried fruits, and candied walnuts. Everything on the board was tasty and gorgeously presented. The non-veggies went for the steamed black mussels minus the steam (bummer - would have preferred the Oysters) followed by some mouth watering House smoked bluefish drowned in Greek yogurt, dill & crispy latke (highly recommended).
As we waited for the main course, our conversation turned into a steaming argument over wives adopting their husband's last names. If only the steam from the conversation could be used for the mussels, they would have been far more tastier. The heated conversation was instantly forgotten when the highly recommended dish of the night was presented to us “RACK OF LAMB” – A must have for all meat lovers. While the vegetarians saw us masticating on the lamb, they hungrily awaited their so called Vegetarian dish; I was too involved with the "Rack" :) to notice or ask them about their dish. The night ended beautifully with us devouring the COLD yet tasty crème brulee and Chocolate Pot de Creme. Overall I would recommended this place for meat lovers. Sorry my Veggie friends. Bon Appetit till next time. Stay tuned.

Bloggers recommendation: 3/5
Price: $$$
Ambiance: 4/5
Website: http://www.almondnyc.com/

CUISINE: FRENCH-BISTRO

First stop: Tía Pol

We began our quest with Tia-Pol in Chelsea. A neighborhood favorite for some, yet it was my first time there and I loved it! Too bad our self-imposed rules prevent us from re-visiting a restaurant all year. The food was fabulous, and so was the wine, not to mention the company. It was no wonder we spent over three hours there and the hostess graciously hinted around midnight that it was probably time for us to leave! We sipped wine, discussed the perils of social networking and spent hours at this intimate and relaxed Spanish tapas spot sampling everything from the plato de queso variados (the featured Spanish cheese) to the wonderful tapas style desserts. We definitely recommend the Spanish cheese platter, the flounder (though it was a special for the day), the patatas bravas, the Serrano ham, the chorizo al jerez and to snack on, the native Spanish almonds. For dessert, the Orange Flan and the leche frita – fried custard with drunken cherries. The restaurant doesn’t accept reservations and there maybe some trouble seating large parties, so expect a wait, and in the mean while, douse yourself with lots of Spanish wine or Sangria. Happy chomping!

www.tiapol.com/

Price: $$$
Ambiance: 3/5
Recommendation: HIGH

CUISINE: TAPAS- SPANISH

Gastronomy for the pickled palette

12 months, 25 restaurants. Sounds easy enough. Yet, with our disparate schedules, (in)frequent bouts of laziness or weather mishaps and the call of play-date, diaper-changing and dog-walking duties for some of us, it’s not all that simple. We are going to give it a shot nonetheless. The clause is – a new restaurant and a new gastronomical experience each time. We will share our experiences along the way at 3 Foodiots and hope you’ll enjoy reading…