Perry St.

It is not everyday that you go to a restaurant expecting a pretty good meal, yet when you come our, you just had your expectations met and more. However, this was one of those rare instances. I hear a lot about the critically famed Jean-Gorges restaurants, and I thought it might be over hyped like some of the other popular restaurants. Fortunately, it lived up to the hype and I had one of the best tasting I have had in a while at Perry St.

For a long time, I've been waiting for a restaurant to surprise me and impress me. I thought I would have to wait for an eternity to spend $100+ on a meal in the city. However, this meal not only was impressive, it was decently cheap considering the amount of food I got. It's not everyday that when you're at a restaurant that you can see the appetizer was the star of the meal, but it was unbelievable. Having calamari with a lemony yogurt yuzu sauce and mussels perfectly steamed a white wine broth was simply divine. These weren't your normal, everyday appetizers. These were exceptional. The calamari was unbelievably crispy yet chewy and the sauce just complemented it so well. The mussels were perfectly steamed and that broth penetrated the flavor into those mussels, producing a wonderful yet balanced flavor to the taste buds.

Moving onto the main course was equally as tasty. Having both a grilled yellowfin tuna burger and grilled hangar steak, it was quite a contrast, but quite good. The yellowfin tuna was fresh and was cooked properly. However, I had a couple of problems with the texture of the entire sandwich, but all in all, very good. The hangar steak was an interesting dish as well. The hangar steak by itself was good, and with the sweet sauce and bitter greens, it proved for one great combination. But if you ate the components separately, it can get rather confusing as to what the dish is and the taste of it. The greens were really better that if it wasn't put together with the sauce, it left a mark on your taste buds. Again, all in all, I can't argue with the flavors presented in that dish and when combined, it was an awesome combination of sweet, savory, and bitter.

Finally, last but not least, the dessert. Both desserts looked amazing and both were made quite well. My roommate had a molten chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream, while I had a carrot passion fruit cake with a sorbet (because I needed to be healthy lol). Both desserts were amazing and offered two completely different tastes. The molten chocolate cake was amazing and was a lot better than those triple chocolate meltdowns at applebee's. The sweet cake with the dark chocolate filling, vanilla ice cream, and brittle proved for one wicked combination. As for the passionfruit cake, it provided a great contrast. It provided a lightness and a well needed fruitiness and soothingness to the party.

Just like having high expectations into a movie, I thought I might be disappointed at the end of it. But it's truly amazing how my expectations were met and more. The meal from beginning to end was truly amazing and where some restaurants may have one aspects that was great, Perry St. certainly clicked on all aspects. It wasn't the fact that it was a complicated menu or the fancy decor or even the great service. It was more that they took menu items that are so common and took them to a new level. Foods that I thought couldn't get any better did get better, and that's

what I really appreciated today.

Old favorites

There's something about going back to your old favorites. The memories that flow back when you first went to that restaurant, and the things that made it memorable. It's ironic that the majority of my favorites are the chain restaurants (Applebees, five guys, cheesecake factory). Maybe it's the fact that the food is decent, but it's more for the countless memories me and my friends have at these places. Yet when I think about my favorites in New York, I remember a restaurant that I was impressed by during last year's restaurant week. It was impressive in all facets. The service, price, environment, and ultimately, the food were astounding. I was quite happy that day and couldn't wait for the opportunity to go back again. Unfortunately, a busy schedule has prevented me from coming back to this restaurant, but yet when I was asked to pick a restaurant, I was tempted to pick a new place. (I love trying new restaurants for the simple fact that I love to see different chefs' views on different foods.) Despite all this, I couldn't help but feel that I had to go back to my old favorite, Tabla

I had the opportunity to go back to one of my favorite restaurants in the city today and enjoy the 3 course menu. While it was a little disappointing to not see their short rib dish I absolutely devoured the first time, I was still happy that they were still serving an interesting, different, and quality meal. Having a bread sampler of their nann (bread baked in a tandoori oven) was quite interesting in that it's amazing how you can have so many different flavors with the same white canvus (in this case bread). While the bread could've used a dipping sauce, I can appreciate the fact that I could actually taste the flavor of the nann they were trying to portray. Also, trying their Frissace Wild mushrooms with polenta was an interesting dish. The textures worked quite well with each other and yet, there would be this subtle hint of curry and lemon in the background. It was quite surprising how such a simple dish was, in fact, so good. However, the main dish was a story all in itself. The Confit of Duck was absolutely delicious. The crispiness, coupled with the succulent meat, all on a bed of risotto was to die for. I just wish there was more of it, so I could enjoy it even that much more. Finally, the dessert was something I had the first time called Kulfi and to say the least, it was as good as the first time. There's just something about that dessert that makes it so similar to ice cream yet it's not. It's creamy, yet not sweet. I wish I could explain it into words, but it's just something that one has to try for themselves. Overall, the dinner experience was quite nice, but unfortunately, just like a really high expectation into a movie, it just didn't live up to the expectation I was hoping for. It just wasn't as mind-blowing or as impressive the first time (maybe because my expectations were that much higher). Nevertheless, it was a great meal and in the end, that's all I can ask for.

I want to leave myself with one more question. What does an old favorite actually mean? An old favorite is a place that you are excited to come back to because you know what to expect and yet you don't know what to expect. You know there will be good food, but the type of food selection is still a mystery. That's what make old favorites the best, not only being surprised, but being amazed at how good it is every time you go back. But I guess what makes an old favorite an old favorite is the memories you have there with both your friends and family.

Brunch!!!!!!

I'll believe it when I see it. When I saw this unassuming restaurant on Spring Street with a 26 rating in zagat(which is rly rly good by zagat standards), I just didn't see what all the hype and praise was about. But as I was going to see that there was a reason this place was one of the top brunch restaurants in the city.

Aquagrill surprised me right from the start with a showing of their fresh oysters right in the front of the restaurant. I thought that was impressive, but I never thought that bread could make such a big impression on a meal? When I first put their homemade baguettes and onion foccacia in my mouth, I was thinking how this bread was so different than typical bread that you would get at a normal restaurant. The texture, crispiness, and freshness was astounding, and I have to say it definitely beats the normal cheesecake factory bread that many people I know really like. I think that set the tone for the rest of the meal because that was just the start of what was to come.

As we were sitting down on the table and looking through the menu, I couldn't help but just see how serious this restaurant was about their seafood, especially their oysters. I couldn't pass up the chance to try some of these oysters and shrimp as well. I always wonder is there a difference between fresh oysters or the ones that come in frozen bags or better yet the ones at the Chinese buffets? YES!!!!! I believe it is so evident where there's fresh seafood and the one that you get from a package. The taste as the oysters (perfect with cocktail sauce and a little lemon) and shrimp cocktail went into my mouth screamed freshness, rather a taste that I haven't had for such a long time, a taste that I needed to be reminded of. It's amazing to realize how good food can be when it's not messed with and just served to you straight up.

Finally, the entree, a crispy cod sandwich served with homemade french fries, was simply amazing. For as simple as everything was, it was a medely of flavors that exploded in my mouth. The sandwich was great. The cod was so fresh and perfectly fried, but the other ingredients (simple things like sun dried tomatoes, argula, and a mayonnaise sauce) that were in that sandwich just simply complemented the flavor of the fish, rather than overpower it. It was, in the end, an amazing that got better with each bite, and the fact that it was made on homemade bread doesn't hurt either. The fries that accompanied it were quite good as well. Add to that simple, fresh cut french fries double fried and sprinkled with some sea salt, and it continues to amaze how the simplest of things can be so good.

My only regret is that I didn't get more oysters and take advantage of the eclectic seafood options they had. If I had the chance, I would get what my friends got, the crab benedict and the crab omelettes. The crab benedict was amazing and even though it was only a small taste, I would go back strictly for that.

Oysters, shrimp, cod sandwiches, crab benedicts, and crab omelettes may seem like an odd array of brunch items, but at the end of the day, it left me and my friends in a very happy state. We didn't just get a good meal with good service, but we got food that was fresh, simple, and ultimately, satisfying. It satisfied a craving that hasn't been satisfied in quite a long time. What does that produce? A very happy diner!! :)

Home Cooking

Today, I had an awesome meal, but it wasn't at a resturant. But yet I can say it wasn't just a meal. It was an experience, a time of relaxation that helped me to get away from the stresses of life. I'm talking about home cooked meals, and me and my roommate had one today, that even though everything wasn't perfect, it tasted like I was at a five star restaurant. Ribs and Green Been Casserole. How can you go wrong?

I think there's something to be said when people actually take the time to cook a home cooked meal. Yet it seems that in the hustle and bustle of our lives, cooking is the last of our priorities. I'm guilty of this as much as any other person. I just think it's unfortunate that we don't do it as much as we can. I think when we cook ourselves, it's much more than just feeding our bodies. It's an opportunity to get away from all that life throws at us. It's an opportunity to experiment and try new things, whether for better or for worse. Ultimately, it brings comfort in a good day or even a bad day. There' just something to making food yourself that no matter how much you mess up or how much it deviates from the restaurant or how bland it is, it makes it taste that much better.

Home cooking requires some effort, but the rewards of those effort pay much more dividends than the original cost (which is a little money and time). My hope is that this will be a regular occurrence, not just a rarity. I also hope that other people will start cooking at home. You know those ribs and that green bean casserole may not be good in the eyes of a restaurant or a food critic, but in my eyes, they were perfect as perfect can be. The perfect 5 out of 5 rating.

Harlem experience

It's really unfortunate sometimes when our perceptions limit us in exploring some of the greatest unfound treasures in nyc. After our trip to the American museum of Natural History, we decided to finally venture into a place that many people I know deem unsafe. However, we made the trek Harlem to experience what it had to offer. What you find is a great diversity of people (friendly people at that), vibrant community, and of course, the restaurants. I had the awesome opportunity to go to Slyvia's and for what it was worth, it was quite the experience.

Sylvia's brought to me something I haven't had in a really long time, homemade comfort food. It's tragic how restaurants and people in general have resorted to processed and prepackaged foods, but Sylvia's showed how food from scratch, despite the increased effort, is still the best. In a world where people's lives are so hectic, it's nice to see people cook their food with love and it shows in their cooking. Having their smothered fried chicken with gumbo and collared greens was an experience all in itself. After the first bite, I was amazed at the difference in quality between Sylvia's homemade cooking and well, fast food giants. The chicken was not just chicken from a bucket, but rather chicken that you knew took days to make. The gravy smothering it was no ordinary gravy, but gravy that complemented everything from the cornbread to the collared greens with its suttle sweatness and immense flavor. The collared greens in itself was a whole story. The flavor in those collared greens was nothing like I've had before, and with every bite, I was amazed at how perfect it was. The spices, sweatness, the flavor of that stewed turkey leg, and the texture all worked in perfect harmony, resulting in a taste that not only made me devour my side dish, but left a mark that will forever stay in my mind.

If there's anything that Sylvia's reminded me of, it's that how a home cooked meal is still the best. What is it about comfort food that makes it so good? Is it the greasiness? Is it the flavor? Is it the memories? I believe comfort food brings us back to our past, the food that we loved as kids. Maybe it's that food that brings comfort and relaxation to us despite all the craziness that life can be. Or Maybe food can give us that break and let us enjoy time with friends and family. Whatever it is, food does something that we simply can't explain.

Will I give Sylvia's the five out of five star rating? Unfortunately, no, but I will give it 3.5 stars for the homemade comfort food that brought me such joy knowing there are restaurants that still make food from scratch. The food wasn't perfect, but it was made from scratch and more importantly, with love. But I have to say, the service was average at best, and the portions for the price could've have been bigger. Despite all this, the taste as I kept eating each and every bite kept me wanting for more, and in the end, was the trek to 125th St. and Lenox Ave. worth it? After the mean, I wonder what was I waiting for this whole time? What made me wait to experience a place like this? I don't think I have the answer to that question, but hopefully, this will be a start of a journey that leads me to experience new flavors, cuisines, places creativity, and in the end, a full and satisfied stomach.