(amai tea and bake house on 17th and third)
thursday my ‘second best friend’ in the world is tim king, who has spoiled me with love, kindness and incredible food since the day we met, way back when, in economics 101. this year we spent valentine’s day together and kicked it off with breakfast at amai. it’s vibey little shop with just a few tables, the perfect spot to drink a cup of one of 45 teas – and then choose a pastry. but it’s the singularness of that word that presents the problem. because we’re talking about a cookie selection the likes of lemongrass and ginger, earl grey and currant, white tea and strawberry with pink peppercorns… and then there are the lychee brownies and the cherry brownies and oh, the mandarin orange muffins, just laden with fruit – literally spilling out of the light and buttery cake that can barely contain the weight of the plump segments. i loved this place. ‘amai’ felt real and original – and i quite like that in well, just about anything.
later on in the day, we left tim’s apartment and headed just down the street and around the corner to ‘momofuku ssam bar‘. anthony bourdain goes on about the place and his pal michael ruhlman waxes poetically about pork belly on a semi-regular basis. i had heard the legend of the steamed pork buns and i was not to be denied.
(this is a portrait of me not being denied…)
these babies have got to be one of the single finest things that i have ever put into my mouth. it’s pork belly, hoison, cucumber and scallion on these amazingly soft and white little buns. then you squirt the hot sauce from the bottle on the table, you take a bite and immediately raise your arm, flagging down the waiter for another order. i mean, there’s the sharing quotient to take into consideration… only two on the plate and they’re small to begin with – and they are freakin’ orgasmic.
tim ordered the grilled lemongrass pork sausage that you roll up in the bibb lettuce and dip in the fish sauce. it was very good but no competition for the mighty little white buns…
after our world class lunch we meandered up 14th street past whole foods and trader joe’s and the site of the incredible union square greenmarket that is held 4x a week, and at 6th avenue i got on the bus and headed back to midtown trying to ignore the fact that i didn’t actually live in nyc anymore. that evening i met my dear friend penny in the hotel lobby. we’ve known each other over 20 years but we hadn’t been face to face in way too long and it was good for my soul to sit across a table from her and reconnect. her son, steven shaw aka ‘the fat guy’ – is the founder of egullet.org and author of ‘turning the tables – an insiders guide to eating out‘. with his blessing, we were off to dinner at ‘anthos‘ a michelin starred restaurant specializing in ‘new greek’. he had reviewed it glowingly on his site this past august and we were anxious to give it a whirl.
(is it valentine’s day or is this a dale chihuly ceiling gone terribly wrong?)
it was another impossibly lit room so please be kind… they brought us an amuses-bouche selection of taramasalata, fried calamari and grilled halloumi in impossibly small quantities – and i only say this because all 3 were great. in retrospect i could have just had more of that and been thrilled and delighted. but instead, we began with the veal sweatbreads – done with ruby red grapefruit, pine nuts and black pepper. we liked it, didn’t love it. and then, being one of the fortunate few, we got to move on to our main courses. i had a crispy turbot dish that was presented in 3 triangles with a tangle of other stuff that now escapes me (and my photo was a train wreck). anyway, it was good, i didn’t love it. penny had the roasted lamb with a white bean thing. she liked it, and i tasted it and liked it too.
all good. nothing bad. (yawn). what’s for dessert? ENTER: LOUKOUMADES…
this may look like a plate of just some sweet stuff thrown together, but dear reader you are gazing upon some sheer genius. we’re talking doughnuts filled with an orange blossom custard, nestled on bergamot cream with burnt honey ice cream and warm honey syrup. yes we are. and hey… you there – you orange blossom custard filled doughnuts with bergamot cream and burnt honey ice cream? we will meet again. come this spring. i swear. i will be back. just for you. but just for dessert, ok? see you then! kiss kiss. our other dessert was pretty good too but obviously had a tough act to follow. it was bougatza, a goat cheese cake surrounded by goat milk caramel, pear and cherries. it was wonderful. but no loukoumades, i tell ya…
so that was my thursday. not bad, huh? ok everyone. we’re about halfway through my week in nyc so it’s time for the official half-time stretch. everyone stand up and place your arms above your head. now reach high and breathe deeply. because part 4 is coming to your computer screen soon…
17 responses so far ↓
1 Diana // Feb 22, 2008 at 8:36 pm
THIS is why I go out. Doughnuts, yeah, sure, yawn. Doughnuts with orange blossom custard? Holy heaven. Keep it coming!
2 democommie // Feb 22, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Claudia:
I think that dessert (the donuts) is one that Tony Bourdain talks about being served at “The French Laundry” in Napa. The idea I mean, not the exact same thing.
Sweetbreads are something I never really cared for, even when they were done by a chef who really knew how to do them. Most organ meats don’t thrill me. NOW, a good pate, that mixes a little liver with a lot of fat and spices, that I can nosh-no problem.
I’ve dropped enough weight living in the way I do lately that I could probably survive a week of eating this way, but I do so want to put sheetrock in the house, so I have to watch my pennies.
I’m loving the travelogue.
3 lucy // Feb 22, 2008 at 9:42 pm
so on 14th street, squeezed right between the trader joe’s food shop and the trader joe’s wine shop there’s an nyu dorm. that’s where i spent 6 weeks of the summer. and made (too) many visits to that wine shop. hehehe.
4 Lauren // Feb 22, 2008 at 11:23 pm
wow. everything looks yummy. the doughnut dessert is the clear winner though. next time, take me with you.
5 Peter // Feb 23, 2008 at 2:30 am
Being of Greek background, this was a good read, a window on “nouveau Greek cusine”.
Looking at the photos of the “takes on traditional dishes”…I’m fine with new twists but if you’re comments are “so-so” on flavour, then that could be a problem.
Perhaps try Milos, immaculate execution, quality product, fabulous service (at a hefty price).
6 aforkfulofspaghetti // Feb 23, 2008 at 5:53 am
All looks good to me – and I’m frantically taking notes, as I hope to get out to NYC later this year, so cheers for the heads-up!
7 cookiecrumb // Feb 23, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Ha, ha! Dale Chihuly. You deserve an LOL for that.
(But aren’t all Chilulys gone wrong? IMO?)
8 democommie // Feb 23, 2008 at 1:20 pm
I’ve never had steamed buns, but they look like the dumplings my mom used to make.
9 ponyboat // Feb 23, 2008 at 4:11 pm
I ate at Anthos the last time I was in NYC. I liked it, had some sort of whole fish cooked delicously. The stars of the show though were the gigantes and also some famous Greek potato and garlic dish I can’t remember what it is called. It was like gourmet Greek comfort food. But the only thing I can’t comprehend is HOW DID WE MISS THE DONUTS??
10 Lesley // Feb 24, 2008 at 11:07 am
Orange blossom custard…oh my God. I would like to eat a pound of that RIGHT NOW.
11 nuhma // Feb 24, 2008 at 9:51 pm
your find of amai was a good one. this is an excellent tea shop which i have frequented now several times. qualityof the products are amazing and interesting. try the pear/ginger tea. i had to buy a box to have at home. also, the people meandering in and out are not just the neighbors but famous actors, (that guy vincnet from law & order) , book writers, (saw carol guber there) a lot of chefs and basically people looking for quality.
good find lady!
12 richard // Feb 24, 2008 at 10:15 pm
hello,
i am a chef in nyc. i had dinner at momfuko ssam bar and it was great. the only problem was that my friend, a restauranteur in nyc also, accidently ordered the $120.00 steak. we were not even that hungry, really wanted the hanger steak but my friend made a mistake……and then stuck me with the check. the food there is exceptional and quite different and it perfectly affordable but they give you the opportunity for affordale luxury or extravagance ( with both food and wine).
love it.
13 george // Feb 24, 2008 at 10:18 pm
do you have the recipe for the famous “rigatoni” dish at La Vagna in New York? it’s addictive and i am craving it!
14 yveala // Mar 9, 2008 at 1:36 pm
okay..next visit i want greek. wow….and are you sure you didn’t gain like 20lbs already!?!
15 robin (caviar and codfish) // Mar 21, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Drooling. I want these. Now. Next time you come to NYC let’s go to ko, kay?
16 claudia // Mar 22, 2008 at 8:27 am
I’d so love to – but man o man
that right there is a super duper tough res
it’s going to be the hottest spot, if not already
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