Riesling in a keg? Cheers to that!

Place: Terroir Tribeca

24 Harrison Street

(212) 625-9463

The occasion: Friday night drinks

Setting: It has the same cozy, exposed-brick feel as the namesake East Village wine bar, but with a lot more seats (three times more to be exact!) and an upscale vibe (to match the celeb-filled Tribeca neighborhood).

The drinks: Owner/head sommelier Paul Grieco describes Terroir as an “elitist bar for everyone,” and it truly fits that bill. They have over 250 varieties of wine at the Tribeca location, yet the sommeliers (not bartenders!) sport tattoos and piercings with their jeans and vintage tees rather than stuffy coats and ties. Apparently I’m a little late to the party, because I didn’t realize wines came in kegs, but I tried an amazing Riesling from the Finger Lakes there—which is more than enough reason to keep going back. Fun fact: Each keg of wine holds the equivalent of 25 bottles. I also had a Malbec from San Juan. I was a little baffled till the sommelier told me it was San Juan, Argentina, not San Juan, Puerto Rico (which I was thinking). For those of you who’d rather eat grapes than drink them, Ivan enjoyed the Speak Easy beer. There are plenty of bottled and draft options for you too—just no hard liquor.

The "Freaky Beef Balls" (real name, I swear!)

The lick your plate-worthy Veal and Ricotta Meatballs.

The food: The menu is a smorgasbord of small bites split into sections like: bar snacks, fried stuff, charcuterie, cheeses, paninis and salads. Ivan and I had already eaten, but Ivan had a meatball craving (as he often does!), so we tried the “Freaky Beef Balls” (insert joke here) and the Veal and Ricotta Meatballs. The former were too salty for us, the latter were moist, flavorful, and quickly inhaled! Make sure to use the bread served on the side to soak up every last drop of the marinara sauce. And when that’s gone, your finger will do. It really is that good!

Sneak Peek: Daniel Boulud

Chef Daniel Boulud and Épicerie Boulud Executive Chef Jonathan Kinsella.

The best meal of my life—hands down—has been at Daniel, the flagship New York City restaurant of celebrity chef Daniel Boulud. So when I was invited to a “hard hat” unveiling of his still-under-construction new eateries, I was thrilled. In fact, I skipped breakfast so I could enjoy every single morsel!

In May, Chef Boulud is adding to his culinary empire with not one—but two!—new Upper West Side locations, both just steps from his already popular Bar Boulud. The menu for Boulud Sud, a 120-seat Mediterranean grill, is influenced from the plethora of flavors from Greece, Turkey, Italy, Spain and North Africa. I had the pleasure of feasting on tapas-size tastes of some of his new dishes, and I feel it's my duty to ooh and ahh over them, because they are truly out of this world!

Octopus à la plancha: perfection on a plate!

The octopus á la plancha is by far my favorite. Perfection on a plate is the best way I can describe it. Precisely braised (with white wine, no less), it’s served with a marcona almond puree, arugula and orange salad with lemon-oregano vinaigrette and toasted marcona almonds. The lamb cleopatra is also flawlessly tender. Braised with a mix of Mediterranean staples—including cumin, cinnamon, allspice, coriander, fennel seed, nutmeg, ground ginger, star anise, clove, cayenne and cardamon—the dish is served with apricots, toasted almonds, baby carrots and spring onion. Other delicious entrees included veal tonnato with anchovy and capers (tasty, even for me, someone who doesn't love anchovy), orechiette pasta with braised goat and tangy chicken tagine.

Orechiette pasta with braised goat.

 Aaron Chambers, a dapper Brit trained in the French culinary tradition, is the Executive Chef. Jonathan Kinsella, former Executive Sous Chef at Bar Boulud, is Aaron’s counterpart at Épicerie Boulud, the new eat-in and take-out market of house-made charcuterie (by Gilles Verot), artisanal cheeses (by Saxelby Cheesemongers), and freshly-made soups, salads, sandwiches and pastries (by Executive Pastry Chef Ghaya F. Oliveira). All I could think was, How perfect for summer picnics! And at night, the raw oyster bar comes out. Eventually, it will amp up to late-night hours to match the schedule of nearby Lincoln Center. Now all we can do is sit back and wait for it to open! I’m already counting the days…

Locations: Boulud Sud, 20 West 64^th St (between Broadway and Central Park West); Épicerie, 1900 Broadway at 64^th St.

The Setting: Though still under construction, award-winning interior designer Thomas Schlesser says the look of Boulud Sud should transport you back to the Mediterranean in the 1950s with it’s light yellow color palate. And the barrel vaulted ceiling is both a nod to Bar Boulud next door and the architecture of the Lincoln Center.

What I learned from watching Top Chef Masters

Who knew hip-hop star Kelis (of “Milkshake” fame) is just as fierce in the kitchen as she is on stage? It turns out that she’s a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu! Some of her favorite dishes to make include: duck confit salad, coconut lobster soup, fried red snapper, ribeye, mango mousse en toile and chocolatey Grand Marnier bread pudding. Kelis even has a cookbook in the works. I can’t wait to check that out!

Haute comfort food with a side of whimsy

Place: David Burke Kitchen

Location: The James New York, 23 Grand Street (between Avenue of the Americas and Thompson Street), SoHo; 
(212) 201-9119.

The occasion: Eight-year dating anniversary

The setting: A casual French farmhouse feel with gingham napkins, warm wood plank ceilings and dim lighting.

The Ants on a Log. Delish!

The food: What better way to celebrate eight years together than to savor the scrumptiousness that is David Burke? Big fans of his Townhouse, Fishtail, and Bloomingdale’s restaurants, my husband and I couldn’t wait to try his Kitchen out-post in the luxe The James Hotel. Blending his signature haute cuisine with French country cooking and his flair for whimsy, Burke never fails to impress or delight. Carbophobes, beware! The rustic breads are not to be missed (try the walnut-olive and seven grain). For appetizers, I chose the melt-in-your-mouth duck meatball lasagna (which I am still dreaming of days later!), Ivan the hardy split-pea soup with poached egg, prosciutto and ham hock cracklings. And because we couldn’t resist, we threw in the Ants on a Log too! The bone marrow’s melty goodness was topped with a garlicky snail ragout, parsley puree with mushroom chips, fennel hay, fried parsley and lemon confit. 

The pork chop. Mmm!

The jalapeno fries!

The short rib cavatelli. Love!

For the main course, Ivan had the tender, pig-tastic pork chop topped with caramelized pork cheek, apple bacon marmalade and parsley onion rings and I had the moist-and-flavorful spare rib cavatelli, the perfect blend of savory meat and creamy pasta. At our waiter’s recommendation (not that we needed too much encouragement!), we also shared a side of fries. But not just any fries—ones made in smoked beef fat, with a dressing of pickled jalapeños! They weren’t quite as crisp as I would have liked, but the robust flavor made up for the lack of crunch.

The famous cheesecake lollipop tree. Worth the hype!

For the grand finale: Burke’s signature cheesecake lollipop tree (which we’d never had in all of our trips to his other restaurants!). The bite-size confections—of cherry, chocolate and toffee-covered cheesecake with passion fruit whip cream—are truly to die for!

The pièce de résistance: Every time we’ve been to one of his restaurants, Chef Burke has been there. This time, Ivan had the chance to have a lengthy conversation with him by the bar, and later in the evening he came over to our table to say hello to me, and to congratulate us on eight great years together!