Lunar New Year 2012

Happy Year of the Dragon from our family to yours :)

Don't forget to eat lots of symbolic food! Wontons & dumplings for wealth, oranges for luck, pork for forward-motion, fish for abundance, and clams for prosperity! Ok, dinner time! Talk later.

Taro Sushi

There are lots of great sushi joints in NYC but I must say... Taro is a game-changer.

We strolled in with a couple friends this weekend and the place was packed – a very good sign. The specials were posted outside the door – Uni Special, a taste test between California sea urchin and Maine sea urchin, $9.50. It's like they knew I was coming! I could not contain my excitement.

We were seated 30 mins later and the food & service was impeccable from start to finish. Our waitress was efficient and never missed a beat – even with a full house to deal with.

All the seafood here is hyper-fresh and you can really taste the difference. It was especially apparent when I ordered the Uni Special. I've never tried two different sea urchins in one sitting but I noticed that the Californian uni was more dense and creamier in texture while the Maine uni was more plump, juicy and sweet. I don't discriminate, they were both amazing.

We shared a bottle of sake and enjoyed some toro tartare as well. The toro was buttery soft and melted on the tongue. Chewing was unnecessary.

The toro tartare was so fresh that I ordered a toro scallion hand roll as well as a deep-fried oyster hand roll.  It wasn't the most beautiful presentation but man, they sure made my tastebuds happy. My mind exploded right after the oyster roll, it was pure perfection; plump, fresh oysters breaded in crispy panko, lightly fried then rolled in shredded cabbage, kewpie mayo and katsu sauce.

I usually have to prepare to spend top dollar at Morimoto's or Blue Ribbon Sushi to get this quality of fish and service. The prices here are extremely reasonable, the fish selection was impressive, it's completely unpretentious and the service rocked. I'll be back for the omakase for sure.

Lardo

The first thing I did in the New Year was devour a lardo pizza at Mario Batali's Otto. Mmmhmm, you heard me right. Lard-o.

A perfect flatbread crust topped with translucent strips of fatback lard and chopped rosemary was set before us and we just INHALED it. It was light, savory, buttery and porky. The dish may be simple but it's utterly satisfying.

Ah, 2012, the things we're going to eat... can't wait!

NYE 2012

Totally belated, I know... but Happy 2012!!

BBQ Oysters

Happy accidents are just wonderful.

The guy at the fish market broke his scale right as we picked out our oysters. So instead of giving us oysters at $0.49/lb, he gave us all ten gigantic oysters for $0.49 total. Changing it would be been too much of a hassle so he just let us have it. We made out like bandits!

We threw those babies on the BBQ and grilled them ever so slightly. I made a quick Champagne Vinaigrette to top it off. So perfect. This stuff kicks cocktail-sauce-butt!

Champagne Vinaigrette
•      1/3 red onion - finely chopped
•      1/3 cup citrus champagne vinegar
•      2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
•      1 Tbsp chopped parsley
•      Freshly ground pepper

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Chill before serving with your raw or grilled oysters.

More about Champagne Vinegar:
My mom was given a fabulous bottle of O Citrus Champagne Wine Vinegar as a gift. It's made with Sonoma California champagne and a splash of lemon. It has the loveliest sparkling flavor – very bright and fresh, that goes great with seafood – especially oysters.