It Sounds Like A Pregnancy Craving

I just read this article in the NY Times.  I'm not really sure what I think about this idea.  But I'm willing to try it.
Peanut Butter and Pickle Sandwich

Something Nouveau On 3rd Avenue

     When a beautiful, pregnant woman says we're going out to dinner for her birthday. The only appropriate response is “Yes ma'am. Where do I need to be and when do I need to be there?” The when was 8:30pm and the where was the new joint on 3^rd Avenue, Nouveau.

The first thing I noticed about Nouveau is that it's unlike any other place in Bay Ridge. This restaurant could've been plucked out of upper midtown Manhattan and dropped onto 3^rd Avenue. The decor is very white and modern. Sleek might be the right word. White, shiny and clean. It really is a beautiful room. When we sat down Gina and I were wondering just how awful it would be if people spilled stuff on the tables or chairs. Then we spent the next 5 minutes feeling everything around us. Everything seems very wipeable (I'm not sure that's really a word, but you get my drift.)...very smart. John said it reminded of him of something out of Dexter. I'm not sure if I can pinpoint what exactly it is, but he's right.

The people working there are all very nice and as helpful as they can be. The hostess and waiters were all very young and seemed a little nervous. I must be getting old because I kept thinking that the young ladies working should have an inch or two added to their dresses. But it seems to me that the difference of two inches is sometimes the difference between elegant and a $3000-a-night Governor Spitzer prostitute. These girls straddled that line. I wasn't sure if I was being a bit stodgy in my thinking, so I got a lesson on proper female dress from Gina. She says you either show your ass or your boobs...not both. They were certainly showing both. I feel better about my thinking knowing it was validated by her. Our waiter was very personable though and sort of made his nervousness work for him. In a lot of places it takes forever for your waiter to notice you need a drink and forever and a day for them to bring you a new one once they do notice. That was certainly not the case here. Our guy was very attentive and kept John and I well refreshed with excellent lychee martinis. Being that we were dining with a pregnant lady, the $150 drink tab was all us. Another nice touch was that around 10pm the house music started up and got pretty loud. We clearly weren't thrilled with it. It kind of shatters your ability to converse with the people you're sharing a meal with. Not long after it got started though the DJ came over and asked us if it was too loud. He quickly lowered the volume. That was very considerate. John says they noticed me jotting something in the little notebook I keep when checking out a new restaurant and that's why he came over. I don't know if it's true...but I appreciate the effort regardless.

All that being said, the real reason you go to a restaurant is the food, so let's get to it. For the most part everything was at least good. Some things were excellent and a couple of things I had minor problems with. If the menu lists a soup of the day, you should have one...they did not tonight. For appetizers we had the plantain sampler which was very tasty. But one of the fried plantains had shrimp in it and that should be on the menu. A lot of people are allergic to seafood, so that's dangerous. We also had the excellent shrimp ceviche, which had some really nice heat to it. And the octopus salad, which was better than OK but less than great. The flavors were a little muddled and not as clean as those in the ceviche. We really liked that the ceviche and the octopus came in martini glasses...it's just a cute, little touch.

For entrees John got Nouveau Noodles with Pineapple Chicken (Big surprise that John gets a chicken dish). This was very tasty but the chicken was a bit on the dry side. At least the piece of it that I tasted was. The balance between chicken and noodles was somewhat lopsided towards noodles too. But, in traditional Asian food, that's generally how it goes unlike our Americanized versions where we go protein heavy. I had the Barcelona NY Strip with roasted fingerling potatoes and chorizo gazpacho. The gazpacho was more like a chorizo succotash, not that that's a bad thing. Almost anything with chorizo is a good thing. The potatoes were kind of bland though. The needed to be seasoned. The strip steak was just a touch overcooked but was obviously a good piece of meat. I ordered it medium and it was likely just about medium well. It was still a decent steak, just not a great one. Gina got the Bone-In Rib Eye and that was excellent. It was perfectly cooked. Buttery and wonderful. The mushroom rum cream sauce that came with it was splendid. She was upset that there was no more room in her to finish it. When she offered it to me to finish I was upset that I had no more room in me to do so. We did get a couple of sides too. We got Broccoli in Coconut Butter, I had reservations about this. It just doesn't sound right to my ear. It turned out to be pretty good though. We had sautéed corn which was good. And Parmesan Truffle Fries which were very good but they were more fancy potato chips then they were fries.

We even managed to do dessert. We had an Oreo cake that was good but entirely too rich for me. I couldn't eat much more than the bite I had of that. A snickers pie that was kind of pedestrian. And tartufo...I love tartufo, it's old reliable. There wasn't anything special about it, but it was good.

All in all it was a very good experience. I'll more than likely be going back to try some other things I saw on the menu like the duck spring rolls and the lobster tacos. You can expect to spend somewhere between $85 - $120 apiece if you're drinking and it's more or less a shoes and a button down shirt kind of joint so don't show up in cargo shorts and sneakers. I say give the place a shot, you won't be disappointed.

Nouveau

8214 3^rd Avenue

Brooklyn, NY, 11209

347-497-5121

www.nouveaubk.com/

Tortellini and Spinach Soup

Tortellini and Spinach Soup

2 tbsp olive oil

4 cups spinach

1 yellow onion, diced

1 zucchini, cut into 1/4” pieces

1 kielbasa, cut into 1/4” pieces

5 garlic cloves, minced

10 cups low sodium chicken broth

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp red pepper flake
1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp sriracha (optional)

1 lb of tortellini (I used a combination of tri-colored and meat-filled. If I can find them I want to use pumpkin tortellini to give this soup more of an Autumn feel.)

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot (I used a cast iron dutch oven) heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and zucchini, cook 2 minutes. Add Italian seasoning and red pepper flake, stir. Add garlic and kielbasa and cook everything until fragrant and softened, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the chicken broth (pour it in slowly, splashing sucks to clean up.) Bring to a boil and add the tortellini (do this slowly because splashing boiling chicken broth on yourself IS NOT FUN). Cook until tortellini is al dente, about 4 minutes or so. Stir in the sriracha if you're using it. Add the spinach and cook another 4 minutes or so until it's all wilted.  Add the nutmeg and stir.

Ladle into a bowl and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Serve with crusty Italian bread.

I'm thinking of tempering in an egg to give the broth a fuller feel.

Piggy Piggy Goodness!

My friend Fyfe posted this and it just made me long for piggy goodness.  I flat-out NEED to go to Fatty Cue and try the deep fried bacon.  I did not say "want"...I said "NEED".  Just look at it and swoon like I am right now.

Check out the rest of the bacon wonders that are to be had all over NY.  And if you try them before I do...tell me about 'em.  Zagat Blog, The Ultimate Bacon Guide: 19 Pig-Tastic Dishes, Drinks and Desserts