Saturday, March 19, 2011

Oxley's Carvery

Oxley's Carvery, a British meat stand, recently opened on Mott St. After walking by the gorgeous roasted meats a couple of times, I finally stopped in and tried the ribs - juicy, tender meat slathered in barbecue sauce and served with rosemary potatoes and spicy coleslaw. The roasted meats are seriously beautiful - check them out below.

Slabs of ribs

Lamb and pork roasts

Ham

Herb roasted turkey

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

House and Hands Supper Club

I was so excited to attend the inaugural dinner of House and Hands Supper Club this past weekend, Lucky You, Lucky Me. Inspired by upcoming St Patrick's Day, dinner was a loose interpretation of Irish-American flavors in lovely, intimate setting.

We started with the perfectly cooked mussels that were fresh, meaty, and steamed with the just the right amount of butter and garlic and crunchy toast.

The main course was an amazing, thickly cut, house-seasoned corned beef that was juicy and fragrant, served with cabbage, potatoes and carrots - I wanted to eat the whole tray.

Dessert began with a beautifully flaming Irish twist on a root beer float - O'hara's Stout over vanilla Haagen Dazs topped with a strawberry.

The night ended with these delicious chocolates from Sweets by MaryAnne, a disk of smooth dark chocolate filled with a Bailey's coffee creme.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

What Happens When

What Happens When is a very cool pop-up restaurant with a menu that changes each of the 9 months it's open. This month, the focus is on the forest, with a little Where the Wild Things Are playfulness.

The amuse bouche was a great start - especially the hearty pumpernickel soup. The quail terrine was a nice contrast, followed by an ashed date.

The combination of herbs, cheese and the perfectly delicate amount of truffle on the bread was amazing.

The smoked hen egg worked perfectly with chicken liver, butternut squash, serrano ham, cauliflower and croutons.

Tempura nuggets of frogs' legs with potato chips and potatoes, leeks and mint were a great appetizer.

The pig entree was served in the largest bowl I've ever eaten out of. Of the three cuts cooked three ways over lentils, I loved the melt-in-your-mouth head meat battered and friend in a fish-stick shaped log. The belly was also delicious, over a bed lentils.

The short rib was incredible - tender and flavorful over creamy cheddar cheese polenta.

The foie gras was rich and served with the unusual combo of duck confit, coco beans and poached pears.

Desserts were served from a lovely dessert cart, and consisted of a delicious lemon finger cakes, a very herbaceous chocolate mousse cake, and a deeply spicy cinnamon pudding with meringue disks.