Pause II: Lady M, UES

[Note: Pause II actually took place before Pause I.]

One nice thing about a work day that starts at 3PM...

Lunch.

Me making the best of a doctor's appointment that was scheduled for too early, and shorter than expected.

Since I was in the neighborhood, and had a good two hours before I needed to be at work, I decided to check out Lady M Cake Boutique for a nice ($$$) cup of coffee, and uh, professional research.

Meet the Mille Crepe, Lady M's signature cake, for good reason.





Not the worst way to start a day.

Twenty layers of lacy crepe, cushioned by light-as-air vanilla custard. There are no words. Too many words.

My only criticism is that the bruleed top--while providing that lovely toasted sugar flavor--didn't give way to my all-too-eager fork as easily as it could have, as you can see from the last photo.
But...seriously. No, seriously.
I am not complaining. That is like a gun-to-my-head forced critique. Because I am, after all, a professional.

Lol.

Pause I

Not food-related. Just got home from work, after a pit-stop at Sharlene's, my neighborhood bar, since before it was Sharlene's.

Watching through the window as car after car got stuck, while other luckier ones shimmied around, like fish in a bowl. Slow-motion bumper cars.

Walking home in the snow, before the plows can do their thing, a foot above solid ground--literally like walking on clouds. Plushy and silent. Amazing.


In case you are not looking closely, the above picture is the middle of the street, where cars are supposed to drive.



Sleeping.


Yes, I'm still a California girl who is still amazed at the miracle of changing seasons. Mostly snow. Even after six years of trudging through Snow's almost immediate reincarnation, Grey Slush; and repeatedly dodging being splashed by cabs by its crude distant cousin, Brown Sludge.

Never allow yourself to be too jaded to be arrested by the wonder of nature. It's the purest of pleasures, and one that you will never be too poor to afford.

B Flat - Tribeca

Here is a post I wrote as a sample to try out as a contributor for one of my favorite blogs--let's call it 'Somber Comestibles'--reviewing bar food. I didn't get the gig, but I figured I might as well post it here, since I really like this place. I'm not crazy about the post, but we can't win 'em all.

(Credit: thank you to M for purchasing and allowing me to use the Speedlite 430EX II, without which these fabulous photographs would not have been possible. Except for the drink photos, which were clearly taken without flash, for artistic effect. Or because I got lazy.)

Walk too fast, and you might miss it. Like a hushed “pssst!” to the observant passer-by, the tiny ‘B♭’ painted on the door is the only signage indicating that there is something down the stairs beyond—except during happy hour (Monday-Friday, 5-8PM), when they have a sandwich board out on the sidewalk.

In a city rife with not-so-secret ‘secret’ hot spots and speakeasy-type hideaways, this Japanese-style jazz bar’s low-key demeanor conveys a stylish restraint rather than pretense. This carries over onto the menu as well, to great effect.

Opened a few years ago by alums of Angel’s Share in the East Village, B Flat calls itself an ‘Authentic Bar,’ and it certainly lives up to this (rather vague and mysterious) title. The drink menu is comprehensive, listing a wide array of spirits, and signature and classic cocktails, categorized by type of spirit. Their signature cocktails and food selections tend to have elements of Japanese influence and ingredients that make them not only distinctive, but more importantly, delicious.

The current menu differs from the one on their website, but luckily one of the constant staples is the Fried Chicken ‘Tatsuta’ ($8 regular, $5 at happy hour).

Fried Chicken 'Tatsuta'Ample moist pieces of marinated boneless thigh meat, battered in katakuriko (potato starch), and fried to crisp, golden perfection, they’re served with an always-welcome cup of spicy mayo. After a long day, a basket of these babies washed down with a cold draft beer ($4 at happy hour) is a cure-all. A delicious, deep-fried cure.

Only slightly less euphoria-inducing was the Teriyaki Burger.

Teriyaki BurgerWhile the words ‘teriyaki’ and ‘burger’ generally do not belong together in my mind, thankfully the teriyaki was much subdued, adding just the slightest hint of sweetness, along with the pillowy bun. The burger itself was a little dry, but had a good char flavor. And the accompanying pile of those quintessential fast food-style fries were hot and crispy, and made amends for any minor offenses of the burger.

There were also a few less conventional ‘bar food’ items on the menu. The Mushroom Spaghetti was an especially pleasant surprise.

Mushroom Spaghetti
Tossed in a light butter-soy sauce with mixed mushrooms, and topped with shredded nori and shiso, it’s a comforting mélange of umami flavors that transcends most typical bar food standards.

'Carpaccio of the Day' - Fluke
The ‘Carpaccio of the day,’ however, which on this day was fluke dressed in a soy-ginger vinaigrette, with sesame seeds and scallions on a bed of mixed greens, was less inspiring. Despite the fish being fresh and delicate, the very dominant sesame oil flavor, albeit tasty if you love sesame like I do, felt a little unbalanced—which was contrary to just about everything else we tried, including the cocktails.

'Groovy'
Old Fashioned
The beautifully simple ‘Groovy’ ($12) consisting of shiso infused vodka, yuzu juice, and a shiso leaf garnish, was a perfect balance of refreshing, aromatic, and tart. My friend said his Old Fashioned ($11) was also excellent. The cocktails here are not the cheapest around, but you can be sure they will be crafted with the utmost care by the ‘bar chefs,’ which is how the gentlemen who tend the bar refer to themselves. They obviously take great pride in what they do here—and fortunately the kitchen chefs do a fine job holding their own beside them.

Blergh!
Try, try again.

Lotus of Siam - NYC

It's been almost a year. Ha! I bet you'd given up on this thing. 'You' and me both. That makes two people in all.

Also, two reasons this is a special post: 1.) it's a revival post, and 2.) it concerns the highly-anticipated arrival of the famed Lotus of Siam of Las Vegas, in New York.

A short note about the general ambience: weird. I wish it had occurred to me to photograph the interior, but I was preoccupied first with the sort-of-fanciness of it all (no doubt trying to revamp its image to match its new trendy, upscale big-city neighbors), and second with the overly eager, almost pushy service. More on this later. Food first.

Brass tacks - we began with the same dish I had started with at the Las Vegas location, which came highly recommended by several posters on Chowhound.

Nam Kao Tod, Crispy Rice Salad

Comparing it to my memory of the Las Vegas version, I enjoyed this one a lot more. Plating and presentation clearly have been updated to match the fancy new digs. But more importantly, the flavors seemed to be more refined and balanced, as well, not so much overpowered by salt and acid. Smoky Thai sausage, salty crunchy rice, bright splashes of chili and lime - I finally get what the fuss was about. This is to beer as cookies are to milk.

Or:

nam kao tod : beer :: cookies : milk

Issan Larb (chicken)

The larb was also delicious, and actually spicy (as requested), which was a happy surprise. Despite lacking the rather characteristic crispy, granular rice flour component, the flavors were fresh, bold, and satisfying. However, the portion of cabbage provided ostensibly to be used as scooping vessels proved unwieldy, impractical, and unnecessary. Straight plate-to-mouth shoveling was the unanimously preferred method.

Som Thum

I can't seem to eat a Thai meal without it. Maybe it's my Korean blood that makes me crave a crunchy, tart, and usually spicy accompaniment to any meal whenever possible (kimchi, pickled ginger, jalapenos, sauerkraut, coleslaw, etc.). Som Thum in particular, however, also just happens to be one of my favorite dishes to eat, of any cuisine, in any season. Like the larb, it was stingingly spicy, in that deeply gratifying, itch-scratching sort of way. Spicy, tart, funky, and savory, all singing in perfect harmony to the percussion of happy crunching of papaya and peanuts. Nothing better.
And so pretty...but small. Why so small?

Crispy Duck, w/Spicy Thai Basil Sauce

Showstopper of a dish. Intensely delectable, if also a dead ringer for my favorite dish at Sripraphai (Crispy Pork Belly With Chili and Basil). Like smaller, pricier, ducky doppelgangers, these beautiful little morsels had a crisp exterior that exploded like chili-basil meaty fat bombs in my mouth. They were, dare I say, exquisite. But at $26 for, what is that 5? 6? measly nuggets of momentary molten meat nirvana*--it's half the portion at more than twice the price of similar dishes at other Thai restaurants around the city.

* Talk about alliteration! Meat poetry. And that is going to make for some interesting google search visitors.

This was my main, if only complaint about the food here. Everything was undoubtedly tasty, fresh, and well-executed. There just wasn't enough of it. Of anything. Thus, making prices seem wildly disproportionate for what it was. This is the primary reason why M and I agreed we would never return to Lotus of Siam, New York--despite the quality of the food and convenient location compared to some other great Thai restaurants in the city. For those looking to eat delicious Thai food without leaving the comfort and security of Manhattan, and are willing to drop the extra cash in exchange (albeit probably about the price of a cab ride to Queens and back), it's a fine option. Otherwise, there are far greater values to be found in the not-too-outer boroughs.

The second reason is the service. I'm not going to harp on about it, since this blog is about food, and that is my main concern. Also, it was about the second week after opening, and I know it sometimes takes a while for restaurants to find their stride. But suffice to say there is attentive, and there is obtrusive, and good service depends on knowing the difference.

On a related note, with regard to this post on Chowhound (an ongoing series of pointless scaremongering to detect and mark the downfall of Sripraphai, arguably the city's best and most beloved Thai restaurant--started in July 2009, and ongoing up to this month): I just returned this past weekend after a few months long hiatus, shared my favorite dishes along with some new ones with a few friends, and everything was fantastic. We did encounter some annoying, but brief, cautionary protest when ordering the Southern Style Curry, but after assuring our waitress that we were completely aware of our actions, everything was fine. There are reasons and occasions to visit other places for Thai food, of course, but it's good to know I can still rely on Sripraphai for a fix.

(The first picture is of the rather forgettable but innocuously pleasant dessert of tapioca and lotus seeds from Lotus of Siam.)