TOQUE July 2015

By Carol & Joe Davis
Dining Detectives

Empire Steak House-Exceptional Dining in NYC

Wine	Empire Steak House	Appetizers

We always love to dine in New York City. One can find every type of cuisine with prices that range from amazingly reasonable to outrageous. Steakhouses are always a good bet... in NYC there is so much competition that restaurants either flourish or fold. One of the biggest challenges for any restaurant is the large party. We of course waited until the last minute and decided to go to a Steakhouse so we looked on www.Opentable.com to see who could accommodate a party of twelve.

The Empire Steak House which seats 200 was able to offer us a reservation at 8:00 PM. The reviews were good so we took cabs to Midtown and were ready to dine. The Restaurateurs are the Sinanag Brothers who had worked at Peter Luger SteakHouse in Brooklyn for twenty years before being able to realize their dream of opening their own steakhouse. The décor is classic and we loved seeing walls of wines and large magnums around the room. The staff was quite gracious, as half of our party arrived 30 minutes late, since traffic was a challenge for one of the cabbies. Cocktails are always a good barometer of what to expect and they passed with flying colors! We enjoyed the bustling atmosphere as we sipped our Belvedere Vodka “Martinis”.

Bone In Rib Eye	Apple Strudel a la Mode	Got Wine?

We ordered Appetizers for the table which gave us a chance to taste most of the starters. You must have the Fresh Oysters on The Half Shell, Maryland Crab Cakes and the Tuna Tartare. Another great choice was the delicious Empire Hot Platter which included Shrimp Scampi, Stuffed Mushrooms, Clams and Crabmeat. We also enjoyed the Portabella Mushrooms stuffed with Crabmeat and Herbs. Everything was very fresh and seasoned perfectly. We were all getting quite full and didn’t want to spoil our appetites for the main courses, so we skipped the Caesar Salad which looked great at a neighboring table.

The wine list was impressive as expected with wines from France, California’s Napa and Sonoma Valleys, New York State and around the world. We appreciated that offerings ranged from large Magnums to by the Glass options and that there were excellent choices which were approachable for those that did not want to spend a day’s pay. The Sommelier helped us choose wines that paired perfectly with our dinners and all were decanted before serving, allowing the wines to aerate for better appreciation. We loved the 2008 Raymond Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 2009 Kenwood Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2009 La Crema Carnerous Pinot Noir.

The Steaks are the main attraction. The Dry Aged U.S.D.A. Prime Steaks are aged in house for 21-28 days which brings out the flavor. Japanese Imported A5 Grade Kobe Steaks are also available. We particularly loved our Bone-In Rib Eye Steak which was served rare as ordered. You will find it difficult to find a better steak anywhere! The Filet Mignon was also an excellent cut which just melted in your mouth. Poultry and fresh Seafood are also served, so no need to fear that someone in your party will not be happy with the menu choices. In fact, the Shrimp Scampi over rice was delicious. We also enjoyed many of their sides. The Creamed Spinach was our favorite but the Sautéed Asparagus, Sautéed Mushrooms and Truffled Mac & Cheese are sure to please.

We did save room for dessert and enjoyed Apple Strudel a la Mode and Carrot Cake. We had a great time at The Empire Steak House. The service, cuisine and wines were all exceptional. This was a memorable meal and at some point we hope to come back to experience their $10,000 Dinner for Two!!

Empire Steak House
237 W. 54th Street
New York, New York 10019
212-586-9700
www.EmpireSteakHouseNYC.com

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Dining in Florida

 

Palms	Havana 57

Florida is a large state and usually you hear about Miami, Key West, Orlando and Tampa. A recent trip to Florida didn’t give us the chance to dine in those cities but we still had to eat. We were about 30 minutes north of Miami and were able to find tasty, fun and friendly dining in Pembroke Pines.

We dined at Havana 57 www.Havana1957.com where we enjoyed Cuban Cuisine. Kiwi Mojitos made with  Bacardi Rum, muddled fresh lime, sugar , soda and fresh mint got us started out just right as they were quite refreshing. The Mariquitas which were crispy green Plantains with mojito garlic sauce was a worthy appetizer. The entrée that we enjoyed was the Churrasco a la Cubana which was a tasty certified Natural Angus, juicy tender charbroiled flank steak topped with grilled onions served with white rice and black beans. Desserts were delicious as well. Try the Cuban Flan or Tres Leches. Pictures of Cuba in 1957, Cuban music and a 57 Chevy out front added to the atmosphere.

Havana 57 Steak	Havana 57  Desserts

Brio Tuscan Grille Italian Cuisine www.BrioItalian.com is another good choice especially since you can dine outdoors on their patio. We were there on an evening when they had a Salsa band which made it even more fun as many people got up and danced. Once again the drink of choice was a Classic Mojito. They are so refreshing on warm nights. The appetizers that we really enjoyed were the Spicy Shrimp & Eggplant which were pan seared shrimp and Romano crusted eggplant in a black pepper cream sauce and the thinly sliced Beef Carpaccio with field greens, capers and mustard aioli. Our favorite entrée was the Gorgonzola Crusted New Zealand Lamb Chops with grilled asparagus, mashed potatoes and a mushroom Marsala sauce. The dessert tray presented us with excellent choices. The vibe at Brio was active and a lot of fun.

Brio	Brio Carpaccio
Brio  Lamb Chops	Brio Desserts

We had a Sushi jones and decided to give RA Sushi www.RAsushi.com a try. They serve fresh Modern Japanese Cuisine in a fun, hip atmosphere. The drink of choice was the Sake Bomb which is a beer and Sake. Pour some beer, put your chop sticks across the top of your beer, place a shot of Sake on the chopsticks then tap the table until your Sake shot falls into the beer. Then of course you drink it down and start over!! This was very entertaining and quite potent.

RA Sushi	RA Sushi  Geisha Art	RA Sushi  Sake Bomb

RA Sushi  Egg Rolls	RA Sushi Sushi

We enjoyed the Lobster Spring Rolls appetizer which was made with lobster, mango, mild peppers, cream cheese then wrapped in wonton paper and lightly fried and served with mango sauce. The Shishito Peppers are also very good.They offer quite a few unique rolls. We enjoyed the  Viva Las Vegas Roll made with crab and cream cheese rolled in rice and seaweed then lightly tempura battered and topped with spicy tuna, crab mix and sliced lotus root then finished with a sweet eel sauce and spinach tempura bits. We also enjoyed fresh and flavorful Sushi and Sashimi which were sliced raw fish served with wasabi and soy sauce.

We enjoyed our dinners in Pembroke Pines and look forward to dining in Florida again soon.

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Dining in Park City, Utah

Olympics	Egyptian Theatre	Loosey the Moose

We love to take short weekend get-a-ways and had never been to Park City, Utah and decided it was time to go. The winter snow had receded and the spring weather was just perfect. Park City is a resort destination nestled in the mountains just outside of Salt Lake and the scenery is truly spectacular reminding us of the Alps! No wonder they hosted the Olympics and are the home of The Sundance Film Festival. Main Street in Park City is very picturesque featuring great restaurants, bars, retail shops, theatres and Loosey the Moose as the town mascot. We asked for dining recommendations and also looked at www.Opentable.com  and found a few restaurants that we wanted to try while we were there.

Our first dinner was at the Butcher’s Chop House & Bar on Main Street www.ButchersChophouse.com.We were drawn to it because of their slogan “Elegance without Arrogance” and soon found out that it has been a favorite of locals and visitors since 2003. Located at the base of the town Ski Lift it has a casual atmosphere, late night menu until midnight and a great bar scene with casual dining. We started out in the active bar where we ordered signature cocktails. We enjoyed the Raspberry Cosmopolitan made with Stoli Razberi, orange liqueur, fresh lime and cranberry juice and their Town Lift Martini made with Grey Goose Citron Vodka, orange liqueur, peach schnapps and cranberry juice. We moved to the dining room and even though the Ahi Tuna Poke looked great we opted to just have Entrees. To our amazement our server informed us that since it was Off Season our second entrée was free! We loved both of our entrees which were a great value anyway, as each came with two sides. The Prime Rib was served rare as ordered. It was a 16 ounce masterpiece served with creamed spinach and a baked potato. The Certified Angus Beef Bone-In 16 ounce Cowboy Rib Eye was delicious as well and we particularly loved the Wild Mushrooms side. The 2009 Merryvale Starmont Napa Valley Cabernet   www.merryvale.com  was full bodied and paired perfectly with our steaks. We will certainly be back on our next visit.

Butcher’s Chop House & Bar	Cowboy Rib Eye	Prime Rib

We chatted with some other diners and were told that we needed to go to the Stein Eriksen Resort www.steinlodge.com so we decided to have dessert there. It is a European Style Luxury 5 Diamond Resort named after the famous Norwegian Alpine Skier and Olympic Gold Medal Winner Stein Eriksen.  We sat in the bar area overlooking the beautiful snow-capped mountains and ordered Beignets & Coffee. The elegant presentation included Beignets, a Sweet Crème Brulee, and Chicory Coffee Gelato which were beautifully plated and fabulous! We hear that their Sunday Brunch is spectacular and will have to try it on a future visit.

Olympic Skier	Beignets & Coffee	Décor

 

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Zoom Roadhouse Grill in Park City, Utah

Zoom	Corn Elotes	Baby Back Pork Ribs

Our second night’s dinner was at the Zoom Roadhouse Grill www.zoomparkcity.com which is located in the Union Pacific Depot that was originally built in 1886 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Zoom was opened in 1995 by Robert Redford and the décor features posters of Sundance Film Festivals, as well as photos of actors. We were seated in a comfortable booth overlooking the exhibition kitchen where we could watch the new ChefJordan Harvey who we later spoke to and found out that he was thrilled to be at Zoom in Park City.  We ordered cocktails and enjoyed their Basil Pom Sundance Margarita. We always look for unique starters and Zoom delivered. We loved the Corn Elotes which is Roasted Corn on the cob seasoned with Miso Aioli, Queso Fresco, Cilantro and chili. This was delicious but quite filling. The entrée that we loved was the falling off the bone Baby Back Pork Ribs .This has been on the menu since they opened 20 years ago and comes with Cornbread and Honey Poppy Seed Coleslaw and is a hearty serving. The 2013 Villa de Anges Longuedoc French Cabernet paired perfectly with our meal. Zoom was a great place to dine in Sun Valley and we really enjoyed the Sundance Memorabilia.

Sundance Poster Art	Chef Jordan Harvey	Robert Redford

If you go Downtown Salt Lake City to Temple Square you’ll find that Sixth & Pine Restaurant just across the street in Nordstrom. It is a very popular spot for a quick lunch. They feature cuisine made with fresh, organic, local and sustainable ingredients. We particularly enjoyed their Crisp Potato Latkes served with apple compote and chive sour cream.

Sixth & Pine-  Latkes	Temple Square	Temple Square Flowers

Eat Drink San Francisco- A Culinary Affair is scheduled for August 20-23, 2015. It is a Must Attend Foodie Event ……..

For More information and tickets http://eatdrink-sf.com/

 

Until we eat again…..

 

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