New York is the one of the most exciting cities in the world, especially when it comes to food.
I had several fabulous meals during a Manhattan weekend - but I must share two places that should be at the top of your list when visiting the city.
Definitely check out The Spotted Pig, a funky "gastropub" in the West Village. Chef April Bloomfield, a Brit, owns the joint with Ken Friedman, former manager of The Smiths. (Loved that band.) They don't take reservations so it can be fairly difficult to get a table from 8 to 10 p.m., but we went for Saturday lunch and only had to wait 10 mins. My group of 6 started with horseradish spiked Bloody Marys, a pot of pickles - spicy pickled veggies - and a plate of Malpec oysters. I got the smoked trout special with roasted beets and creme fraiche. We all went ga-ga over a creamy chicken liver mousse, the Cubano sandwich with arugula salad and the homemade lamb sausages. Yum-yum.
Later, that night we check out David Chang's Momofuku Ssam Bar in the East Village. New York Times "Minimalist" food columnist Mark Bittman told me to go there instead of Chang's Momofuku Noodle Bar - look for my interview with Mark this Wednesday - especially since I was with a group. Momofuku Ssam Bar is on Second Avenue, the Momofuku Noodle Bar is on First Avenue between 10 and 11th streets.
Momofuku's Ssam Bar doesn't take reservations either, but right away I knew I was going to love this tiny slip of restaurant. It's high energy, the servers are young and hip - you'll hear all kinds of music, including AC/DC - and I loved this comment on the menu: "We do not serve vegetarian-friendly items." (Momofuku means lucky peach and ssam is an Asian burrito.) There's a life-size John McEnroe poster on a wall, which, according to The New York Times, a friend of Chang’s stole from a bus stop in the mid-1980s.
The menu has ham and offal as well as a raw bar, fish and other offerings It's a great "small plates" sharing place - we loved the steamed buns with pork belly, hoisin, cucumber and scallions, the marinated hanger steak ssam with ginger, kimchi and bibb lettuce, the pan-fried Sichuan spiced crawfish, the grilled veal sweetbreads with pickled roasted chilies and lime and the roasted brussel sprouts salad. They have a really interesting wine list: We went with cava, a Spanish sparkling wine. The pretty in pink Castell Roig Rose Cava Brut N.V. (Penedes) was $34 a bottle and is beautiful combination with spicy food.
From now on, when things are good in life, they are "momofuku."
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