i'll borough for food: bronx

my sister left for argentina yesterday, and she convinced me to pick her up in the bronx by tempting with me arthur avenue pizza. she described it as "pizza from italy" not new york-style, and she said it was awesome. i'm easily swayed by food.

i love arthur avenue. it smells like freshly baked bread. there are lots of people walking around. people say the italians are leaving, but i see tons of italians every time i go.

trattoria zero otto nove is definitely not typical old-school italian. but it's a refreshing, current spot that has a following. the entire restaurant was full when we arrived at 5pm! it's a great space with vaulted ceilings and a mezzanine level overlooking the ground floor.

there's a pizza oven in the dining room, and my S.O. pointed out huge vats of nutella sitting around the oven (i'm not a nutella fan). the pizza chefs were super friendly; happy chefs, happy pizza? the waiters are a bit surly, but not rude, and they're all young men, relatively attractive. i don't mind surly as long as they're competent. since yesterday happened to be one of those "bottomless pit" kind of days, we decided to go for two appetizers, two pizzas, two pastas and two desserts.

the appetizers: polpettine with polenta was delicious (little polenta cakes with mini meatballs and goat cheese - yum), whereas the eggplant parmagiana was disappointing (i think they didn't purge the eggplant enough of the bitter juices).

the pizzas: both were very tasty, but very different. the caprese was fresh and light with arugula, cherry tomatoes and parmesan cheese. the diavolo was spicy and heartier, with fresh mozzarella and spicy soppressata. the crust was tasty, but i think it could've been crisper. i dipped it in the olive oil with salt, and it was like great bread.

the pastas: the pasta al forno felt like it was a bunch of everything leftover thrown into a pot. i love ricotta in pasta, but it made the sauce grainy. and i hate egg, so the sliced hard-boiled egg in the dish was an UNWELCOME addition. the pasta was perfect. the pasta fagioli (not soup) had prosciutto and cannellini beans with a mix of different kinds of pasta. it was wonderfully hearty. again the pasta was perfectly cooked, even though it included a mish-mash of bucatini and what looked like short manicotti noodles.

the desserts: i can't remember the name of my dessert, but mine was amazing. it was ladyfingers with light whipped cream, strawberries and strawberry sauce. mmm. my S.O. and sister shared the nutella pizza for two. i didn't try it since nutella really doesn't do it for me.

the verdict: it was a good, hearty meal, but next time i'll order the pizza well-done. the pasta in general was yummy. the salads looked great, but yesterday wasn't a salad day. also, it was more expensive than i thought (for the bronx in particular) - about $60pp including my S.O.'s wine, tax and tip.


trattoria zero otto nove
2357 arthur avenue near 186th street
bronx, ny 10458
718/220.1027

a benefit and woe of the recession

thursday night was the american museum of natural history's annual museum dance, and 2009's theme was GREEN. it was a beautiful, well-attended event with well-groomed couples and throngs of singles (men & women) dressed in typical NYC-style: individually fashionable yet sometimes strange. i'm marking my calendar for 2010's AMNH event.

i love benefits. i love the dresses (i wore green!), i love the energy, and i particularly love the silent auctions! but this year, benefits haven't been the same. and i'm sure it's because of the recession. but i dislike that word immensely... recession. so i'll be referring to the current times as a down-market.

in this down-market, no one bids on silent auction items! thursday's event had, in addition to amazing other prizes, an entire judith ripka jewelry bar, full of gorgeous baubles, and close to nothing had received bids. if you're unaware, starting bids at silent auctions are usually well under actual retail value. in this down-market, wouldn't people be vying for deals?! but the looming fear makes no one want to buy - even at 1/2 price (except me, i "won" a stunning, 18k-gold, diamond-crusted bracelet... i'm serious when i say i LOVE silent auctions).

in juxtaposition, last night, we went to dinner at marfa, this new-ish inexpensive texas/mexican-themed restaurant. originally, i had a reservation at l'atelier de joel robuchon (talk about juxtaposition), but i was rebuked by my dining companions for not being "recession-friendly" (can you see why i dislike this word?).

marfa was not busy for a friday night. decor-wise, it's very bare: white adobe walls, wooden tables, votive candles in paper bags - no frills. we were seated promptly, and i immediately requested their signature "marfarita" to begin; for a cocktail spiked with serrano chile, i was very underwhelmed - it was overly sweet and had zero tequila punch. please go to bobo and try the "stealth margarita" - it blows this cocktail away.

i'm a piglet, and i can factually say that my dining companions last night are actual pigs. for 5 of us, we ordered the largest marfa APPETIZER platter: the big texan platter for 3 (dry-rub baby back ribs, chipotle chicken wings, red chile, veggie chile, corn dogs, guacamole, BBQ shrimp, and pulled pork tostadas). the menu also says it includes a shot of house-infused flavored tequila, but we never received this (strike 1). in addition, from the marfa BITES, we ordered the fish tacos and the nogales steak tacos, which covered the entire marfa BITES category besides the salads (and who really needs salad?). for our main course, we chose 2 orders of chicken-fried steak, fried catfish and fried chicken plus a double-order of mac & cheese and a basket of biscuits & cornbread.

here's how it went. we received the basket of cornbread (they were out of biscuits). the cornbread was terrible: dry, flavorless, crumbly and COLD. the accompanying honey chipotle butter couldn't resuscitate this bread. (i would HIGHLY advise they remove the cornbread from the menu, or improve the recipe).

but then the confusing part: we received EVERYTHING ELSE ALL AT ONCE (strike 2). our waitress must be the most daft, retarded server on the planet. we received platters upon platters of food on a relatively small table. you'd think someone would help consolidate the food or at least be vigilant about removing plates as i consolidated the food (which was so copious, it had to spill onto ANOTHER table). no... nothing.

i stacked empty plates under full plates; i left large empty platters at the edge of the table; i threw soiled and practically shredded paper napkins and rib/chicken bones onto plates that needed to be removed... not an iota of attention from the waitstaff.

i also ordered another bad "marfarita" - i was hoping for an improved version. i waited. and waited. and waited. i saw it already made sitting at the bar for 10 minutes or so; the ice was melting. i also saw the waitress chatting merrily with someone at the bar, with no intention of bringing my drink over. i marched over to the bar and grabbed it. it was already self-bussing; now it had become SELF-SERVE (strike 3).

finally, after we'd finished, requested the check, etc., i made it quite obvious our meal was complete (again, used napkins thrown atop dishes, completely licked-clean plates, etc.). our friend was telling a story of his recent spain adventures. the busboy finally appears, but instead of just taking the debris from our table, he interrupts for EVERY PLATE and asks, "are you finished with this, are you finished with this?" i couldn't take it anymore; i turned to him and said, "we are finished with EVERYTHING, and we've already asked for the check. in case this isn't clear enough, please take all of the plates."

sadly, the food was quite good (best chicken-fried steak i've had in NYC - but not nearly as good as the one i had in dallas, tx (see photo); good mac & cheese; really delicious fried catfish; yummy corn dogs); i'd consider take-out when my blood stops boiling at the thought of marfa. but i'll never return again. i was appalled that during this DOWN-MARKET, when restaurants are clamoring for paying customers, this restaurant could be so inattentive to its service. i abhor bad service.

and we only ate here because of the recession. i hate that word.


marfa
101 east 2nd street near 1st ave
new york, ny 10009
212/673.8908
reservations available on opentable

spewing nothing

i feel like i'm stuck in the middle of a tornado; everything's just spinning around me at ridiculous speed. and everytime i reach out to get involved with one of the many spinning things, i get dizzy, so i retreat. and all i keep thinking of is vacation. and cocktails.

i've been in love with cocktails for a while. it all started with the negroni at east side company (larry & alyssa's birthday party) - i was mesmerized by the giant single ice cube. or maybe it was the manhattan at cite (RIP the unlimited wine dinners). actually, i think it was circa 1999... the sidecar at cibar (courtesy of ed taibi). a few years ago, the cocktail-craze hit NYC. and then i met naren at bobo. now i'm hooked.

i gave up brown booze and shots for lent. people poked fun at me, but i don't think they understand how much i love my makers mark. and shots of jameson. so now i love gin. something to add to my lent sacrifices next year.

it's not aiding my new year's resolution to drink less. i have plans to drink 6 of 7 nights this week. next week 6 for sure as well. this, in turn, affects my resolution to sleep more. when i woke this morning (if you can call it that), i felt good. at 2:54AM. i went to sleep after midnight. between the strange dreams and the work stress, i couldn't get back to it. so i worked. and gymmed.

i had after-work cocktails at irving mill yesterday. the ginger pear frost was sweet. i was hoping the ginger would give it a kick. it wasn't bad; it just wasn't what i wanted. then i had a tart kumquat citrus special. it was just what i wanted. i'm liking sour/tart drinks that turn your nose. but irving mill - pretty restaurant, good-looking menu, decent cocktails. note: i should go back for food. even though i probably liked it more because of the company.

despite the insanity of work and life, i think i'm happy. and if not, at least i'm seeing naren at bobo tomorrow.

irving mill
116 east 16th street btwn irving/park
new york, ny 10003
212/254.1600

commerce

merriam webster defines com•merce as 1 : social intercourse : interchange of ideas, opinions, or sentiments; 2 : the exchange or buying and selling of commodities on a large scale involving transportation from place to place.

and commerce restaurant, a newish spot in the west village definitely fulfills its first definition. there's a lot of chatter, and i absolutely loved walking in to the frenetic energy that filled the room; however, they're somewhat lackluster on the 2nd definition... they don't seem to get that buying/selling involves being SEATED.

our reservation was 815pm, but we weren't seated until 910pm. they bought us a round of drinks, but only because we nagged. we ordered quickly, and other than bread (which wasn't memorable at all, except the pretzel), our first dish came out at 940pm.

fortunately, i had the pleasure of seeing my favorite friend/bartender at bobo before dinner, who let me test drive some of bobo's soon-to-be-released spring cocktail menu items, so my patience level for commerce's misgivings was quite high. however, i can't say the same for my dining companions, who grumbled and grumbled some more all through the meal (our hostess didn't exactly make you feel warm and fuzzy - her looks and coldness actually reminded me of "Cutthroat Bitch" aka Amber from House).

despite the cocktails, i might've been affected had the food not been so EXCELLENT. the hamachi ceviche was spicy and tart - quite delicious; the duck and foie gras rillettes were good, although not as creamy as i usually like; and the winter vegetable fricassee (which our server highly recommended) was tasty, although i wouldn't get it again.

i loved both pasta dishes, the ragu of other things (some name like that) with homemade orecchiette and the spaghetti carbonara. i think lupa's carbonara is better, but fatty pasta is yummy (note: i don't generally eat pasta, so i'm easy to please in this category).

we ordered the roast chicken for 2, and we were warned that it took 35 minutes. instead, they brought out a strange 1/2 order of the chicken - the meat was very moist and tasty and the skin crispy, and it was served with a homemade spaetzle-like pasta... but it was no foie gras bread dressing! she put the order for the roast chicken in after she realized her mistake, but it was too late... it just prolonged our already LOOOONG meal.

i was thoroughly impressed with the braised beef, bone marrow and sliced fillet - beef dishes are usually boring when you're not at a steakhouse, but this one was jam-packed full with flavors. by the time the roast chicken was ready, we were already stuffed, so we requested that it be split in half so we could take it home. i still haven't tried it (i can't eat so indulgently every night!), but it's in the frig, waiting to be eaten.

on a final note, let's talk cocktails and wine... although the cocktail list isn't impressive, the one drink i did order, the nor'easter, was so tasty, that i couldn't help to order another. we also had a couple bottles of wine, a priorat and a st. emilion (both in the $80-100 range), and the latter was DELICIOUS. perfect with our meal, perfect on its own. and all in all, dinner was quite a bargain (but not nearly a recession special) at about $120pp.

commerce
50 commerce street
new york, ny 10014
212/524-2301

i love the fairmont mayakoba!

every aspect of getting to mexico was a pain in my ass.
1) both of my girlfriends cancelled. one was work-related, the other questionably medical.
2) everyone went on and on (and on) about how unsafe mexico is right now (which made everyone worry that i was going alone)
3) the hotel was reserved through a wholesaler (hence the excellent deal), and it was impossible to change the name on the reservation.
4) i had a chatty MAN next to me on my flight. i should've upgraded to 1st. hindsight is 20/20.
5) getting to playa del carmen is expensive ($90-105), and the cheap shuttle ($30) for which i opted (it's a recession!) took 1.5 hours - i was the last stop.

but... once i arrived, i realized... the fairmont mayakoba is PARADISE. i guess the hotel can't take all of the credit; the weather is pretty fantastic. but the service is unbeatable. upon arrival, i was upgraded to their amazing signature deluxe casita. i was served a delicious fruity iced tea while checking in. i received a work call during check-in, and they just continued on, motioning me where to go, and didn't disturb me during my entire call (which lasted well after i reached my room). my room is incredible. the fitness center is nice - not a health club, certainly not the Sports Club/LA at the ritz-carlton in DC - but it's nice. and they provide fruit, water and a delicious mayan juice. the pool and views are amazing. and have i mentioned the ultra-courteous, helpful and friendly staff? this place oozes relaxation.

i actually don't want to go home. i'd be happy to rent a budget room in town (as long as there's air-conditioning, a pool and a jacuzzi tub - ha, very budget) because my one complaint is that the fairmont mayakoba is a COMPOUND. it's gated and fenced in. and to get to the road is a HIKE. and i'd rather spend my day in the sun (since i only have 2 full days of sun). and the food here, although not terribly expensive (15 pesos to the dollar - i have no idea if that's a good exchange rate, but for a nice hotel, the food's not expensive), is just hotel food... not even good hotel food. i know there's unbelievable CHEAP street food out there, somewhere relatively close. i want fish tacos; i bet they're fantastic here.

so next time, i'll rent a car.

fairmont mayakoba
Carretera Federal Cancún
Playa del Carmen Km. 298
Playa del Carmen
Solidaridad, Quintana Roo, Riviera Maya, Mexico 77710
TEL +52 (984) 206-3000