Day 916 : Brunch at Acme

Brunch is a tough meal at many NYC restaurants - why I'm not exactly sure as it is such a beloved meal  by so many diners. Sure there are your brunch staples and the such but there is plenty of room for creativity and it seems to be lost often in this classic weekend meal.

Acme, the once beloved Cajun / Southern joint with great Hurricanes and live Zydeco music, revamped less than a year ago into a downtown chic new Nordic joint with Mads Refslund at the helm. Creative and inventive with a fantastic sense of whimsy at dinner time, I was very much looking forward to trying their brunch.

Unfortunately their brunch menu did not wow in the same way dinner does. Brunch was composed of mainly simple, straight forward dishes done well but lacking in creativity -- why I wonder?

Needless to say I had their benedict -- house cured salmon with the classic two poached eggs topped with dill, roasted tomatoes and sauteed swiss chard on a thick slice of country bread lathered in mustard, hollandaise on the side for me with some grated Parmesan instead. The salmon was fantastic -- fresh and fishy yet aromatic and flavorful. A classic brunch dish done well with hints of a Northern European influence.

It seems though their creativity was more in the sweet realm of the menu 

We tried their beer and bread porridge topped with salted caramel ice cream -- definitely more dessert decadence than breakfasty brunch food but this rustically sweet and comforting dish was a unique take on the classic porridge / oatmeal style breakfasts.

Overall -- a favorite of the downtown set for its scene-y chic nights full of creative cocktails and delicious dishes.

Acme
9 Great Jones Street
NYC

Day 778 : Is plaid in? Did I miss the memo?

This evening after a last minute change in plans, I met a friend for a glass of wine, some nibbles and girl talk at Medi, a newish Mediterranean wine bar in Hell's Kitchen. Walking into the sleek and sexy yet comfortable and rustic room with exposed brick and springtime branches, I was excited. In the summer months their back garden could be an excellent place to keep in mind and the winter months, drinks in their cozy subterranean cellar would be nice, but tonight we stayed inside and in their main space. We grabbed some seats at the bar and couldn't help but noticing first off that each of the waiters was wearing a different color and style of a plaid shirt. Ok just because the waiters were all wearing plaid would not change my opinion of the restaurant, just an interesting observation. The team in plaid although very helpful and concerned about you as the diner/consumer having a lovely evening were maybe a little too involved in our well being so much so that the bartender even crafted his own concoctions for my friend. Each was a riff on a classic Cucumber martini -- one completely different than the first. Nice to see a bartender experiment but maybe not on his customers? The first drink was lovely though so he knew what he was doing...

What to go with the drinks? How about a Mediterranean cheese plate?

Cheese plate arrives -- the waiter/bartender makes eye contact as though he is going to explain the cheeses  and then just plops it down between us. The cheeses were not laid out in order of increasing strength or age or well anything. First there was a young Manchego style cheese then an aged Parmesan then Drunken Goat and lastly a Brie -- not enough difference between the cheese for you to feel like you had a full on tasting experience with a broad range of flavor profiles. I also think that it might have been nice for them to have a list of six cheeses that folks could choose from the options and really focus on some of the excellent cheeses from the Mediterranean region, of which there are tons. For a space that clearly thought out the decor and the other menu items, it seems like they just added the cheese plate on to round out the menu. I would need to try a proper meal at a point to rate their cooked dishes rather than just the cheese. But I feel like a good restaurant/wine bar of this nature should wow in terms of cheese as well -- don't we all go out to eat to discover new tastes and flavors? A lovely time with a close friend and delish springy rose to drink, I would go to try their food. It is a welcome addition to the neighborhood and was packed to the gills but you could still hear your dining companions.

Medi
811 9th avenue

Day 767 : Whitehall Bar + Kitchen

Brought to you by the fantastic  team behind Mary Queen of Scots and the Highlands, Whitehall Bar + Kitchen opened in the West Village in late 2011 in the old Sweetiepie space. Coined as a Modern British joint known for its gin selection, I knew this was a place that was going to be after my heart. Slight disclaimer, in case you don't know -- if I'm not drinking wine, I'm probably drinking gin, so I knew I was going to be a fan of Whitehall Bar + Kitchen.

Entering the restaurant, the space walked an excellent line between rustic farmsteady chic and sleek modern cool. The cocktail menu boasted an array of your classic gin cocktails like Negronis, Aviations and Sloe Gin Fizz's but they also had eight house made and invented cocktails, each simply named with a number. As the manager told me their other two places have a cocktail list with all of these long drawn out names that people get confused about so instead of creating more complicated drinks here he said, why not list everything with a number? That sense of simplicity yet thought out elegance in a casual manner was carried throughout the meal and decor.

So what did I order to drink?

The number #4 -- a perfect blend of bright refreshing flavors with a nice citrusy tang and smooth finish composed of Greenall's Gin, Yellow Chartreuse, Lemon, Fresh muddled ginger, and house blended orange bitters. The cocktail was perfect with each and every dish we ordered.

What did we start with?

A selection of six of their daily oysters along with their special house cured salmon served with pickled radishes and a savory celery panna cotta. The oysters were stellar - fresh and full of briny body just the way one wants. The house cured salmon was an inventive take on the classic basic format of smoked fish, citrus, cream combination that one finds often in Northern European restaurants. Here it was elevated with the texture of the celery panna cotta which brought a whole new dynamic to the dish. A great way to start off the meal.

Then we split their Spiced Butternut Squash Salad with toasted almonds, lemon feta and watercress along with their Grilled Mackerel with a pickled red onion and potato salad, butter lettuce, and a lemon mustard dressing. We also split a side upon recommendation of their mushy pea fritters topped with mint yogurt -- an ode to the English fry-ups and English peas but with their own flair. Each dish was savory and dynamic -- doing a little flavor dance on your palate -- classic Northern European / British dishes revamped and reconstructed in a sleek manner.

The meal with brilliant and definitely worth a trip back -- whether its just for cocktails or for dinner and drinks or brunch.

Whitehall Bar + Kitchen
19 Greenwich Ave.