Recent Posts

Italian, Italy, Tuscan

Ristorante IL Molo on Lake Trasimeno, Tuscany, Italy : Creative Seafood and beautiful presentations in a casual atmosphere

Comments are Disabled

We got in the car and drove out to Lake Trasimeno our old favorite was still there but the owner has passed so we decided to try something different. We were greeted by a couple of beautiful amuse-bouche, a lovely sponge and small taco. Our starter was the Octopus in potato cream black pesto , I highly recommend it !! Pasta was the “Spaghetti Mancini” perfectly cooked and delicious. the main was a Brook Trout with Leak Blanquette another winner !! We loved our lunch and will definitely return. This is a family bushiness, they all love what they do and it shows.

Il Molo
Share
Continue Reading
Italian, Italy, restaurant, Roma, Rome

EMME Restaurant , Rome , Italy Classic Roman with a modern flair.

Comments are Disabled

Located in the Small Luxury Hotel Margutta 19 near the Spanish Steps this small gem has a very serene patio. We enjoyed some fresh seafood and traditional pastas,. The EMME special with Vesuvio Piennolo cherry tomato, fennel tarallo and crusco pepper from Lucania. and CALAMARATA CACIO E PEPE: Rings of short pasta with mint leaves and roasted octopus. The food was excellent and service professional. This was a very relaxing meal away from the bustling streets of Rome.

Cacio e Pepe
EMME special
Share
Continue Reading
Italian, Italy, Roma, Rome, Rome eats

Dal Bolognese: Rome Italy

Comments are Disabled

One of our favorites in Rome. Dal Bolognese is the place for special occasions in Rome. It’s frequented by celebrities The food is all high quality and wine list surprisingly has many great choices in the 25-40 Euro range. The meal in general is less expensive than a meal of equal quality in NYC. Food 9 Service 9 and value 9. UPDATE: May 2022 , Glad to report that things only get better at Dal Bolognese !! Hope you get there while they still have the Red Prawns Pasta !!

Share
Continue Reading
Italian, Italy, Tuscan

Relais la Leopoldina and Ristorante Walter Redaelli

Comments are Disabled

We arrived at Relais la Leopoldina as guests and depart as family !! We had the pleasure of staying at the relais for 13 nights and it wasn’t enough. Our room had an amazing view ! It had all the amenities required to keep my wife happy for the entire stay. Angela the Chef’s wife was a gracious and welcoming host. The morning breakfasts were a very pleasant surpise but then again Walter wouldn’t let anything pass out the kitchen door that wasn’t great. I love a good omelette and unfortunately very few places do it correctly, when I was served my first Omelette at breakfast I was in heaven !! The entire staff were very helpful and friendly especially Carmen.

During our stay we had several romantic dinners by ourselves and hosted two small parties for our local friends. We preferred to dine outdoors and the weather did cooperate. Our guest were extremely happy on the patio with the great food and friendly service. rather than review every dish individually with you , I’ll give you a brief description of the cuisine. Walter uses seasonal product sourced in the local area many producers within a 10 minute radius. The menu is constantly changing according to product availability. He then prepares them perfectly being a master chef in the area for decades !! Most of the restaurant customers are locals and therefore it doesn’t close for the season like many in the area. Dress is smart casual. My only recommendation is don’t pass on the Steak it’s a life changing experience !!

www.relaislaleopoldina.it

View form our room
Lori at Breakfast
Perfect Omelettes
Starter:Sardines and Shrimp
Homemade Pici bacon and asparagus
Homemade Tagliatelle with local cheese and Cinta Sense bacon
Chianina Beef Carpaccio
Local Blu Egg
Perfect temperature on the Blu Egg
Amazing wine list
Sea Bass
Lamb
The Best Steak I’ve ever eaten !! Chianina Beef !
Rabbit stuffed with sausage
Cheese Cart
Amazing Cheese Cake
Beautiful view
Photo with the Chef
Share
Continue Reading
Florida, Palm Beach

Dada: Delray Beach FL

Comments are Disabled

We haven’t been to DADA for many years and wondering why we waited so long.  Started with Brunt Pork Ends !! Yummy and nice size portion definitely enough to share. The Wedge was impressive nice dressing.  Brie is sweet and gooy delicious ! Crab cake was nice.  Pork Schnitzel was nice tender and not grease !!  Yum !! Hanger Steak special was a bit too overwhelming with the veal Au jus.  Served the without the Au Jus it would have been outstanding !  Great Service and professional management !

Share
Continue Reading
Kennebunkport ME, restaurant

White Barn Inn, Kennebunkport ME

Comments are Disabled

Excellent dinner at the White Barn Inn !! Every course was incredible !! Amuse was a squash soup followed by Lobster tagliatelle, Lobster Bisque (perfect) and Kenebunk Lobster. Desert Soufflé and Lemon Olive Oil Semifredo. Food 9.0, Service 8.0 and value 8.0

 

Share
Continue Reading
Food, Italian, New York NY, NYC eats

Charlie Bird NYC

Comments are Disabled

An excellent lunch special with Lori Mendorff Klugman. A very pleasant surprise! Faro and Gem salads were excellent. Carbonara was very nice : pasta cooked perfectly as was crispy pancetta, conservatively cheesed and nice egg yolk. This is one of the better Carbonara’s we had in the US. Cocktails and wine list not extensive but adequate. The gnocchi were disappointing and returned. We certainly would recommend and return. Food 8.5 , Service 8 and value 8.5. Btw: 2 course lunch is 32 dollars.

 

 

Share
Continue Reading
France, French Food, Wine

Clown Bar, Paris

Comments are Disabled


Our first visit to the Clown Bar. The location is a bit out of the way near the Cirrus area. The ambiance featuring the Clowns is very intersting as is the food. The food is for those who are adventurous and eat everthing. This is not for your average Grandma. I persaonlly would recommend it only if your a foodie and have several days to explore otherwise there are more essential stops.

Share
Continue Reading
French Food, Paris, Wine

L’avant Comptoir De La Mer

Comments are Disabled

Disclaimer : we really didn’t eat all this food or drink all this wine ! Maybe ???…..LOL

This is really a double post for our two favorite wine bars in Paris. L’avant Comptior and it’s younger sister, L’avant Comptior De La Mer. Tell Eric ( manager/barman at De La Mer) we sent you and follow his recommendations !! Chef Yves Camdeborde has created an amazing variety of small plates to serve at his wine bars next door to his iconic Le Comptoir. You can spend hours exploring the culinary delights displayed on the menu located on the ceilings. They offer many wines by the glass which is the way you want to go, so you can try a few different ones with your food. This is a destination not to be missed on every visit to Paris !!

Share
Continue Reading
France, French Food, Paris

Cafe Constant , Paris

Comments are Disabled

Another fun visit to our favorite casual cafe !!! Only thing I can say is “just go” !!
Perhaps one of the best values for a nice meal in Paris ! UPDATE: Cafe Constant is closed !! very sadden !! It will always be in our hearts !!

Share
Continue Reading
France, French Food, Paris, restaurant

Le Violon d’Ingres, Paris

Comments are Disabled

We celebrated Lori’s Birthday in 2018 in Paris ! We decided to visit our old friend Christian Constant at his flagship on Rue Saint-Dominique, Le Violon d’ingress.  This is his Michelin Starred fine dinning establishment. Christian greeted us prior to the meal as he is the omnipresent host at all of his restaurants. The food was excellent however the star of the evening was the Mille-Feuille , we crave it to this day !! its amazing !!!   We highly recommend all of Christian Constants restaurants especially my favorites Cafe Constant and Les Cocottes. Sorry for the delayed posting but too many restaurants too little time ….

http://www.maisonconstant.com/fr/les-restaurants/

Share
Continue Reading
Florida

Billy’s Stone Crab : Joe’s with a view

Comments are Disabled

We love stone crabs and have previously loved Joe’s in Miami. Billy’s is close to the Boca Raton area and has a water view. Crabs and sides are all excellent including the pasta marinara. Nice wine list and excellent service. Definitely recommend it if your a stone crab fan or seafood in general. We will definitely return. Food 9.0 Service 9.0 and Value 8.5

 

Share
Continue Reading
Italian, NYC eats

Ristoro del Cinghiale NYC

Comments are Disabled

We had a lovely dinner with friend las night everything was great except the mains. :: at Ristoro del Cinghiale

The starters and bread were really amazing and had high hopes for the steak and ribs, Unforutnatly we received two orders of each. Round one was overcooked and round two was raw. The ribs were actually not eatable so tough you could even cut them. The strip side of the steak was tasteless. We did even try on round two because we were afraid. Manager was very nice about the problem because it was obvious. Hopefully they’ll do something about the grill person.

Amazing Bread
Crostone Ricotta and Black Truffle
Melanzana
Overcooked steak
Overcook pork
Raw Pork
Share
Continue Reading
Food, New York NY, NYC eats

Tocqueville NYC

Comments are Disabled

We had a great dinner with friends at Tocqueville. The Truffled Grits with an egg was outstanding !! Mushroom risotto was rich and creamy. I hear the fish was perfectly executed. The Short ribs were as tender as butter and tasted great. Deserts also outstanding. Wine list was large and focused towards the higher price points however there were some nice choices at reasonable prices. Corkage at 55 dollars a bottle is also an option with most NYC restaurants charging a 4X markup on wine bringing your own favorites is a good option. Service was friendly but could have used a bit more polishing. Food 9/10 Service 8.5/10 and value 8.5/10.

Share
Continue Reading
Asian, Food, Japanese Food, New York NY, NYC eats

Tanoshi NYC

Comments are Disabled

Tanoshi Sushi is our favorite casual sushi place in NYC. They have 3 defined seatings ay 6, 730 and 9. It’s only 95 for the Omakase menu which the only menu. They do offer a few special items at additional cost after the standard menu. They have a BYOB policy which is a very nice and cost saving feature. FOOD 9/10 Service 9/10 and Value 10/10.

Share
Continue Reading
Food, New York NY

Boulud Sud NYC

Comments are Disabled

 

Restaruanat Week in NYC continues with our dinner at Boulud Sud. Daniel doesn’t dissappiont at his Mediterranean outlet.   The food and service are “Star” worthy of course I’m referring to Michelin Stars.  We actually enjoyed every course served.  The food preparation was flawless with service to match. We started with Lemon Saffron Pasta which was a repeat from our lunch a couple of days ago if we repeat a dish nothing more has to be said. The octopus was melt in your mouth tender.  Mains both fish and lamb were cooked as ordered and seasoned nicely.  The Grapefruit Givre was simply outstanding !!    A marvelous experience !!

Food 9/10 Service 9/10 and value 8.5/10…..its hard to get above a 8.5 for value in NYC….LOL

Share
Continue Reading
Food, New York NY, NYC eats

Perry Street NYC

Comments are Disabled

We continued Restaraunt Week at Perry Street.
The meal was amazing from service to beverages.
We started with the Steak Tartare and Fried calamari. The Steak was served in a beautiful presentation with a fried Quail egg. The Calamari was perhaps the most tender we have ever eaten.
The entrees were the Butter Poached Lobster and the Lobster Thermidor. the Poached Lobster is the most popular dish in the house for good reason, its served in a very tasty lemongrass and kaffir broth. The Themidor was perhaps the weakest dish although good, I wouldn’t repeat it.
Desert was over the top an amazing Molten Chocolate Cake and Peach Pavlova.
Wine list was small but some nice wines at average NYC markups.
House Made Amaretto was excellent after lunch, dinner or whenever !
Overall an excellent meal FOOD 9/10 Service 9/10 and value 9/10.
Share
Continue Reading
Burgers, California, Fast Food

In and Out Burger

Comments are Disabled

I decided to try some California heath food. This is my first time at an In and Out burger so I did some research and ordered off menu items. I had the Double-Double Animal burger and Animal fries. The burger was excellent nice combination of toppings, condiments and meat. Crunchy and delicious. Fries were fresh and hot , I wouldn’t recommend the Animal fries it’s a bit much.

Share
Continue Reading
Food, New York NY, NYC eats

Union Square Cafe , NYC

Comments are Disabled

Our first visit to the “New” Union Square Cafe…I wish it were still the old USC !! It has a very corporate vibe to it unlike the warmer local cafe of days past. They have insituted a non-tipping policy which has some advantges to the employees but certainly the extra wages are pasted along to the consumer in the pricing. We sat at the bar on a very slow afternoon and service was just OK, friendly but not very professional.

We had an excellent: Fritto Misto at 24 dollars:
Calamari, Oysters, Asparagus, Peppers.

We also tried 3 Pastas:(prices are for full orders, half and mid course sizes available):

Pappardelle 37 dollars
Cacciatore Ragu, Castelvetrano Olives, Pecorino Romano

Ricotta Gnocchi 33 dollars
Tomato Basil Passatina, Pecorino

Tagliatelle 35 dollars
Snow Peas, Pea Leaves, Lemon Ricotta

All the pastas dishes were good but not nothing worthy of returning for. These are not Marea or Babbo level pastas.

Dessert: Stores Pavlova was sick in the best way !!!

Beverage Program is huge: they have a great selection of local beers and creative cocktail program as well. The house wine list is poor to say the least I couldn’t find a wine that I would drink at the 25 dollar a glass and below level. The wines and cocktails are designed to max out the profits per square foot. Certainly nice for a special occasion but the pricing would wear on you if you frequented the place.

The scores are Service 7/10, Food 7.5/10 and value 7/10.

Share
Continue Reading
New York NY, NYC eats

Le Bernardin NYC

Comments are Disabled

Le Bernardin has been around the NYC dining scene for decades. It’s a seafood based restaurant with a meat and vegetable dish thrown in for those guest that come with the seafood lovers. If your not a seafood fan there are much better options at other resteraunts.  Proper attire is required in the dining room (jackets for gentlemen).  We had the Chef’s tasting menu at $225 dollars per head with the wine pairings for an additional $145 each.  This does not include coffee which is $5 per cup, rather petty after ordering a $740 dollar meal.

Each and every course was plated beautifully and was of the highest quality available for the season. The salmon was farmed this time of year, personally I would rather have skip it and had something else wild had I noticed beforehand. The preparation was excellent however it was not flawless; the Dove Sole was overcooked. The wine pairings where very nice with familiar quality labels.

Le Bernardin is a special place that I would recomend to any seafood lover. The dining room is elegant and pace of service very relaxed so it’s perfect for couples.

Share
Continue Reading
123…7