My first stop in New York was probably the most classy, but it didn't stop me from walking into the establishment in flip flops and a t-shirt. For my very first meal in New York, we chose to dine at Les Halles, owned by Mr. Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain. The dining room was adorned with dimly lit chandeliers, a dark mahogany bar and crystal wine glasses atop white linen tables. The sophisticated dining room was matched with a traditional French menu that featured all the classics. Of these classics, we chose French Onion Soup, Mussels simmered in White Wine and Garlic, and the amazingly decadent Fois Gras.
The star of the show was definitely the engorged goose liver aka Fois Gras which was sauteed and served with an apple brandy (Calavados) reduction and sauteed apples. I had fois gras for the first time at Nobu inside of the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel and boy was it amazing. My conscience told me to avoid such a rich dish for my first meal which happened to be lunch, but the devil on my shoulder nudged me on to order it, and so I did. Fois gras itself is amazing on its own and has the flavor profile of the fat of prime rib with the texture of smooth liver. The sauteeing process added a slight caramelized crunchiness to the skin and the apple brandy complimented it with sweetness and a slight bitterness. When eaten with the sauteed apples, the fois gras was slice of heaven on earth. As one takes a bite of fois gras, all they can do is simply close their eyes and smile, and we did just that! As we left Les Halles, my stomach and mind were both extremely satisfied. The first stop on my adventure was a success and I eagerly awaited what was to come.
The day's excursion continued with a visit to Bleecker Street located in Greenwich Village. With a slide of the MetroPass and a few blocks of walking, we found ourselves amidst culinary masterpieces of every sort. The jungle-like humid heat signaled us to solicit the nearest source of AC for an extended period of time. Following our noses, we found a small ice cream parlor called Cones and parked there until further notice. The everchanging menu had a variety of flavors, many with South American influence (derived from the origins of the two owners). After sampling a few of the flavors (including Brazilian Corn), I decided to go with a fat free Andean Blackberry sorbet. Although my palette wasn't sensitive enough to detect the difference between the American blackberry and the Andean blackberry, I sucked down the delicious sorbet instantly. It was a perfect trio of sweetness, tartness, and most importantly at the time, coldness.
Refreshed by the sorbet, we continued to scout out the 200-400 blocks of Bleecker Street. Along the way, I just so happened to fall in love with diversity of gourmet foods surrounding me! For the cheese fans, there was the sample-friendly Murray's Cheese Shop that wielded every possible variety of cheese, domestic and international. Next door, there was an Italian deli that made their own coppa, prosciutto and mozzarella in house. Dessert was just across the street at Rocco's, an Italian bakery that featured an very tasty handmade cannoli that was filled to order. Within just two blocks in this neighborhood, there was a fanciful array of gourmet goodness proving to me that the first day of my gastronomic adventure was definitely just the tip of the iceberg. Many more exciting stops were to come...
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