Mini Review: Nuevo Leon (Chicago)

Liked it a lot. Strong entrees (filete al nuevo leon and pollo mole ... I think that's what the wife had, anyway). Had chips, a decent appetizer (queso panelas) two entrees, an horchata and a soda for $32 before tip. And we both have lunch for tomorrow. Good value.

Crowded at 6pm on a Saturday, so be ready for that. Also, there are two rooms. Back room is brighter, maybe quieter.


view from our booth, front room, Nuevo Leon, Pilsen - Chicago


Queso panelas


Filete al Nuevo Leon

Mini-Review: Tabla (NYC)

Note: I'm writing this three months after my stay. My posting activities fell off drastically in November and December. So, take this more as directional recollections than a highly focused critique.

The wife and I watch our fair share of Iron Chef America. And a few weeks before we were going to be in NY visiting family, we saw the battle pitting Bobby Flay against Floyd Cardoz of Tabla. That particular episode wasn't especially appealing to us since we aren't big snail eaters. But the description of Tabla sounded interesting so we wanted to give it a shot.



We aren't normally 'fine diners' (one exception being our anniversary dinner @ Arun's), and this wound up being a touch fancier, more formal and sophisticated than we expected. If we had known exactly what we were getting into we might not have followed through with our reservation. But I'm glad we did because it was quite good.

If I could do anything differently, the one thing that was a bit disappointing was our table placement. It might seem odd to complain about having too much space between tables at a restaurant (especially if you know me), but we were on kind of an isolated island, tucked into a nook at the top of the stairs.



If it were a corner with walls you might be able to construe it as private and romantic. But in their wide open layout it was more like being in no man's land. Unfortunately this vibe didn't hit me right away so we didn't request a move. And I got over it. A small-ish issue really. On to the food ...

... and we're off to a slow start because I can't really remember what this was. I grabbed a copy of their seasonal menu from the web site after we at there, but it didn't include this little starter soup. I'm sure it was nice ...



The naan was quite nice. Fresh out of the oven, cheesy, comforting.



This next one was a surprise. I ordered the vegetarian tasting menu, which was going to take me out of my comfort zone a bit. I'm an on / off vegetarian, and when I'm on I am the world's worst vegetarian because I like about 4 vegetables and two types of fish. So 'salad of baby beets' was something I just hoped to get through. Didn't expect to enjoy it. But with the Roquefort cheese and ginger, I have to say it was pretty tasty.



I did hit a little speed bump with the Stuffed Jack-B-Little Pumpkin, featuring "early fall root vegetables". Let's say some root vegetables were tougher on my palate than others. But nice presentation.



Another semi-surprise was the Chantrelle & Potato "Risotto". To say I don't enjoy mushrooms is an understatement (like I said, I'm not a great vegetarian). But I was able to work around the biggest pieces and did enjoy the overall taste of the dish, including the coconut broth.



Our desserts were the stand outs.

First, the Tahitian Vanilla Bean Cheesecake (with 'graham crumble, concord grape sauce and lemon eucalyptus sorbet). I thought this was great. Judy wasn't thrilled, but I loved it.



But she did like her white chocolate mousse. (Sorry, can't find the full detailed description on any menu.)



Finally, always a crowd favorite, the mignardises.



All in all, it was a nice night out. I am sure people with more sophisticated palates and fewer self-imposed dietary restrictions would enjoy it much more than I did. (And you can check out a pdf of their menu here to judge whether it's right for you.) Given my own limitations and our relatively isolated table, it wasn't great value in my mind. But the service was very good, the presentation was terrific and the overall vibe was very nice. Just not in my personal sweet spot when it comes to dining options.

Mini-Review: Empanada Mama's (NYC)

Note: I'm writing this three months after my stay. My posting activities fell off drastically in November and December. So, take this more as directional recollections than a highly focused critique.



I first learned about Empanada Mama via an article in the NYTimes. Sounded interesting, so I flagged it for future reference. That came in handy last October when my wife and I were in NY visiting family.



I liked the place right off the bat. Great colors, nice little design, good use of a small space.



And the menu does the trick for me. Nice balance of keeping it simple - offering empanadas, arepas mainly - but still offering great variety.





We tried a few different things on this initial trip (I've since made two return runs during subsequent business trips). The Cubana arepa was pretty good. But for me, I could eat the Hawaiian empanadas all day (ham, sauteed pineapple pieces, mozzarella cheese). Good god, they are freaking tasty.





We also had a nice little view out to the sights of this stretch of 9th Ave. (between 51st and 52nd, which, by the way, seems to offer a phenomenal variety of food options from around the world all within a 2 block radius).



Bottom line: I wish lived next to Empanada Mama's. Or, maybe that there were an Empanada Mama's right next to where I live. Either way - I wish I could include their Hawaiian empanadas in my diet more regularly.