NYC

My quick jaunt to NYC entailed a wedding, 4 meals, and a nap in Central Park all in under 24 hours. My first food stop was Norma's located in Le Parker Meridien Hotel. My brother has been wanting to take me to this brunch spot for over a year now. He claimed everything at Norma's was good and for the prices they charge, it better be  good! My $23 omelette had chicken, mushrooms, bell peppers and onions and came with roasted baby potatoes. The French toast was eggy and sweet and the blueberry pancakes were a home run with the blueberries baked into the pancakes plus topped with a powdered sugar and blueberry compote. The serving sizes were huge! I would have shared the dish had I known the portion sizes were going to be for football players! The food quality was definitely worth the wait but the service was a little spotty. I don't know if they were just understaffed but the waitress was slow and had to be reminded a couple times for requests. Not to mention water took about 30 minutes to get. Norma's was certainly delicious but the NYC price tag was inching up towards SF dinner prices. Is everything this expensive in NYC?

After a stroll through Central Park and subsequent nap on a park bench, I was still full from brunch but was willing to make some room on the dessert shelf for my favorite dumplings at Joe's Shanghai. Unfortunately, we arrived 30 minutes after they had already closed up for lunch. Grrr…. I just flew 3,000 miles for these soup dumplings! The sinking feeling in my stomach when I approached Joe's and the lights were out was so disappointing. I was already devising how I would be able to get some later. We walked just a few doors down the street and spotted a tiny ramen house. We ended up ordering just one ramen bowl and gyoza. The food came out fast and we enjoyed the light skinned gyoza that was pan fried. The ramen noodles were also very good and cooked perfectly. While the broth was decent and came with the usual accompaniments including chashu pork, bamboo shoots, and green onions, at $8 a bowl, it was the perfect afternoon snack. This ramen house wasn't knock your socks off good but it had variety, pleasant service and was clean. I wish I had a ramen house like this within walking distance of my house!

Next on our dining escapade and to celebrate the occasion, we went to Tocqueville for dinner located in Union Square. This French restaurant had a beautiful decor with a full bar and small dining area in the front and then the formal dining room in the back. We were warmly greeted by a row of staff welcoming us to the restaurant.  The food, wine, service, and ambiance were all exquisite!

We started off with the Wild Ramp, Fava Bean and Mushroom Risotto ($18/$32), Cured Veal Breast with Shaved Fennel, Baby Turnips, and Confit Tuna Caper Sauce ($17), and ladies and gentlemen, yes, a suckling pig terrine. This was a special appetizer offered that evening and boy was I having food envy! For my entree, I wanted to get something I don't normally get at home so savored on the Poached Lobster with Braised Chard, Wood Smoked Crispy Pork Belly with a Port Wine Lobster Reduction ($38). Wow! Juicy pieces of lobster with crispy pieces of pig. How could you go wrong with that combo? Others got the Schmaltz Roasted Country Chicken ($27), and Seared Diver Scallops and Foie Gras ($36). Entrees also included and Artic Char with Black Truffles ($29), Roasted Colorado Rack of Lamb ($39), and Thyme Roasted Dry Aged Sirloin of Beef with Port Wine Shallot Compote ($38). 

Now even though these prices seem a little steep, it's probably more the norm for NY. However, if you're looking to experience this exquisite place on a budget, check out their 3 course pre-theater menu for $44 ($59 with wine pairing). Available from 5:30-6:30pm.

Oooh…so full but that's right folks, at this point I still haven't gotten my dumplings! You're probably thinking what more could I have eaten after that amazing meal? Well, dinner ended just in time for me to get an order of my dumplings to go! Some of the "soup" dumplings got punctured in transit but they were still as good as I remember. If only I could have these back in SF…

That ends my whirlwind 12 hour eating fest in NYC. Next time, El Papasito's, here I come!

Norma's
118 W 57th St
New York, NY 10019
(212) 708-7460

Tocqueville
1 E 15th St
New York, NY 10003
(212) 647-1515