Dovetail: Monday Night Veggies

Katherine and I had a lovely Monday night dinner at Dovetail on West 77th and Columbus. There is a Monday night tasting menu of vegetarian and semi-vegetarian plates where you can choose three. First, the chef gave us an offering of fresh snap peas and falafel. I love fresh, crispy vegetables, so no complaints here. Meanwhile, Kat and I shared a bottle of Stout beer, which was presented in a bottle the size of a wine glass, and kept "chilled" for us. I found this hysterical. The beer was awesome, so cheers to beer.

My first course of brussel sprouts, manchego cheese, and pears was fresh and tasty, though I felt the cheese was overpowered by the sprouts and the pears were sort of lost in the mix.

Next, I had pea dumplings in broth, which were, again, very fresh, and the little packaging held together well, but there seemed to be a flavor lacking in the peas. Slightly bland. The broth was a bit on the salty side for my tastes, but still good, don't get me wrong.

Finally, I had the gnudi, which were turnip-gnocchi and duck prosciutto with butternut squash. By far, my favorite of the night, sweet and tender. I just wish the portion size had been larger!

We ended with dessert, and my maple creme brulee with a salt and pepper shortbread crust was delectable.

Overall, decent restaurant. Reminded us of a '70s airport joint, with very modern decorations and a lot of silver on the walls. Company was awesome, so great night!

(Image from: http://www.zagat.com/buzz/dovetails-new-monday-vegetarian-menu which has a nice little description of the vegetarian Monday)

Devi: The Only Indian with a Michelin Star in all of America

So for Ursula's bachelorette party #1, Urs and I headed into Manhattan to try Devi, the only Indian restaurant with a Michelin star in the entire country. Located on East 18th, the outside looks more hole in the wall than famous top chef restaurant. However, once inside, there are bright lanterns, Indian fences, two levels, and extremely helpful and attentive servers. The people next to us were just finishing, and were more than happy to explain their favorites on the menu. We ended up ordering the okra chips with yogurt and the spinach patties as an appetizer, the shrimp coconut haree curry and the apricot lamb seekh with plain naan for entrees. Everything was good and spicy, the only thing we thought was a bit off was the apricot lamb, mostly because the lamb was not cubed, and instead shaped like a sausage, but more mushy and similar to ground lamb which I felt took away from the flavor of the meat. The Malbec we ordered was exceptional, Las Posta. I definitely would like to find a bottle of that for my wine cellar.

We were too full for dessert, and headed to the Victorian bar Lillies around the corner on 17th for another glass of wine. Decent decor, not enough standing room, and too rushed for my taste. After one glass, we were ready to continue on.

After, we walked off our supper and headed back to Grand Central. Once we realized our train would not depart for another thirty-five minutes, we decided to hit up the Campbell Apartments where we each had a decent but insanely overpriced cosmo. Gorgeous space, great feel, good idea with the staffs' uniforms, but seriously, 33 bucks for 2 cosmos? Not even in Manhattan is that okay.

A lovely evening overall, and just what we needed.

Brother Jimmy's. A New York Institution

Southern Barbeque. Memories of Bessingers in Charleston, South Carolina. Sweet and tangy, succulent, fall-off-the-bone pork. Soft buns, crisp coleslaw, and a jug of sweet tea. Family dinners, wooden tables, no-nonsense. Happy times: warm weather, sunshine, that happy-full feeling.

Brother Jimmy's? Crowded, tasteless, fatty, overpriced. Football decorations for Southern teams, football on TV, various locations across the city including one outside of MSG=perks. But if you want BBQ... real, slow-cooked Southern style BBQ, then this is not the place for you. Simple.