Restaurant in the Renaissance Building

On my way to the post office, I noticed a fancy restaurant in the Renaissance apartment building by the same name. I've never seen it before, probably because I don't walk there much but it's apparently been in existence for some time. I peeked inside and it looked very lush with lots of rich wood, high ceilings and comfy-looking chairs. I spied the menu that incorporated classic dishes such as crab cakes, a Waldorf salad and other continental goods.

Later exploring this place online, I noticed that it's also a venue for weddings and large events. The language on the website is very effusive (too much so for my taste) but they claim that they could customize a menu to any party size. Sounds interesting and might be worth taking a look.

Let me know if anyone has been there already and if so, what your experience was. In the meantime, I'll keep an eye on it.

Renaissance of Astoria - 27-34 21st Street, Astoria NY 11102
718.274.9210
N/W Train to Astoria Blvd or 30th Avenue
www.renaissanceofastoria.com

Delmonico's Steakhouse - A New York Classic

Delmonico's - 56 Beaver Street, New York NY 10004
212.509.3130
2/3 Train to Wall Street
www.delmonicosny.com

Dan and I had the delicious experience of visiting one of NY's finest steakhouses, Delmonico's. I've read about it in the past and have always wanted to visit--so when the opportunity presented itself, we were eager to take advantage. Unlike some classic steakhouses that have disappointed me in the past, this one overdelivered--and then some.

Atmosphere:
Located in Manhattan's financial district, Delmonico's attracts the Wall Street crowd--but it's surprisingly not pretentious. As soon as I walked in, I was welcomed by a friendly hostess who led me to the bar area to meet Dan. There we had a beer and chatted, not feeling the pressure to act "proper" but to just unwind and relax after a long day.

We were seated in the gorgeous dining room with deep rich wood moldings, grandiose paintings and chandeliers. Yes, this sounds formal but again, it felt entirely comfortable. Small parties of two such as ourselves were seated along the perimeter of the room while bigger parties sat in the middle. Overall, it created a nice atmosphere that was social but not too loud. I'd definitely recommend this place for a romantic dinner if that's what you're looking for.

I'd be doing a disservice if I wouldn't touch upon Delmonico's history. Besides it being the first restaurant in the U.S. to offer tablecloth service, it's also the place where some of the most well-known dishes were invented, including Eggs Benedict, Lobster Newburg, Baked Alaska and of course the Delmonico Steak.

Food:
We liked that in addition to the traditional steakhouse dishes, Delmonico's offered up new alternatives, some of which were a bit ethnic--and the diversity of the menu was appreciated.

Appetizers - Dan and I started with two dishes, a classic Caesar salad and the Blue Crab Cake. Both were fresh and used superb quality ingredients, especially the crab, which was embellished with a saffron aioli. The crab cake was substantial in size, seasoned properly, which didn't go unnoticed. I loved the crunchy, sauteed parsley on the side, which was cooked in the same style as Malagueta's sauteed spinach--divine.

The salad was simple but again, nice and fresh--the lettuce leaves had great crunch and the dressing had a touch of smokiness. I liked that they put an anchovy on top and some shavings of salty parmigiano cheese.

Steak - We ordered two cuts of meat--Dan went for the traditional Delmonico's steak (a boneless rib eye) while I got the more girly option, the filet mignon. Although I loved my steak and thought that it was juicy and flavorful, Dan's rib eye hit it out of the park with its intense taste. Marbling equals excellence and that's why Dan's steak was so finger-lickin' good. I didn't feel guilty eating it, as I only had a few bites of his 18 ouncer--it was huge and in my opinion, large enough to split. My filet was also generous in portion and I took about a quarter of it home--the thought of extending my meal to make leftover steak sandwiches excited me.

Sides - Our sides of choice included two starches, hash browns and the Hoop spaetzle. I loved the presentation of the hash browns--they were formed into a round shape and browned on the outside, making them super crunchy. They were a tad oily but that's expected with anything fried.

The spaetzle simply rocked my world. First and foremost, it reminded me of my beloved Slovak halusky but the flavoring was different--it not only incorporated farmer-style cheese but also garlic and parsley. It felt lighter than the Slovak halusky and the Hoop cheese seemed to melt into the spaetzle, giving it a subtle cheesy flavor. Dan, who's very picky with cheeses devoured and complimented this.

Dessert - To not order Baked Alaska in the place it was invented would be a crime, so of course we did. And to call it anything short of perfect would be a lie, as it was absolutely delectable. The meringue was my favorite part--it was shaped into a medium-sized dome with gorgeous little peaks that were slightly crunchy on the outside. The contents included almond cake, apricots and banana ice cream, which stood out to me. Dan loved the banana too and mentioned how pronounced and delicious its flavor was.

In addition to our dessert of choice, we also received small butter biscuits with dulce de leche cream. They were nice and I liked the filling but the dough tasted a bit raw and I wasn't into it.

Service and Cost:
The best part about our experience was the service. Attentive but unobtrusive, our waiter David knew just what to do and when to do it. Our glasses were refilled when needed, a napkin was replenished or crumbs were cleared off the table as soon as they appeared. I liked that David was friendly and not robotic, as I've experienced in certain upscale restaurants. Like me, his roots lie in Eastern Europe and we shared a few words about our beloved spaezle.

In terms of costs, Delmonico's is on the high side but as far as steakhouses go, it's pretty standard. Appetizers and salads range between $9-$26, steaks are between $43-$90 and sides will set you back between $8-$14. Specials and prix-fixes arise from time to time and they'll be participating in the upcoming Summer Restaurant Week, during which they'll boast a $24.07 lunch and a $35 dinner three-course prix-fixe.

3 Mmmms

S'Agapo - Love at First Bite

S'Agapo - 34-21 34th Avenue, Astoria NY 11106
718.626.0303
N/W Train to Broadway

Kimberly was in town last weekend and because she missed Greek food so much, we decided to check out S'Agapo. A traditional Greek joint, it's been in the neighborhood for 40 years, known for traditional, homestyle Greek cuisine. The reviews that we read were good, but the actual experience was stupendous and we'd go back in a heartbeat.

Atmosphere:
There's nothing fancy about S'Agapo and that's OK--it doesn't try hard to impress but succeeds to make you feel comfortable with its cozy, personal vibe. The inside dining room is simple with wooden chairs and tables and a glass display, showcasing the catch of the day.

What I found really nice on a warm night like last weekend was their outdoor patio. Again, nothing too elaborate, it consists of plastic chairs and simple tables, which curve around the restaurant. I liked the fairy lights on top of the striped awning that added a festive touch, as well as the tall bushes that gave the patio some privacy.

S'Agapo appeals to native Greeks and you'll hear the beautiful language spoken around you. However, if you're American, you won't feel like an outsider and will be treated with importance and respect.

Food:
Not sure about what to expect, we were astounded at how much we liked everything. From the beautiful, rustic presentation to the flavorful taste, we fell in love with S'Agapo's food.

Traditional Greek Salad - We wanted to start out with something light and fresh, thus ordering this salad, consisting of tomatoes, lettuce, radishes, endives and feta cheese. It was very simple, flavored with a lemon/olive oil vinaigrette--and the veggies were incredibly fresh. The tomatoes were juicy and the feta was milky white, with a nice tang. We loved piling this on top of our toasted pita or stuffing the endive leaves with the other contents of the salad.

Dip Assortment - While most Greek restaurants in the neighborhood offer an assortment of 3 to even 5 dips, S'Agapo stepped it up with 8 amazing dips on one plate. The selection was almost overwhelming but so much fun to try, as I think the dips catered to all tastes. The roe and grape leave spreads offered a salty bite whereas the roasted red pepper and the beet spreads were on the sweeter side. There was also a non-traditional parsley dip that reminded us of pesto, except that it was more earthy and lemony. One of my favorites was the tzatziki, refreshingly cool and slightly garlicky. An innovative aspect about this dish were the veggie separators, which included cucumber slices and a hybrid vegetable, which was a cross between an avocado and a cucumber. Yowza!

Zucchini Croquettes - Instead of taking the long shape of the zucchini, these were round and almost pancake-like. I liked them a lot but didn't understand why they were paired with a dollop of hummus. I preferred them with the cooling tzatziki instead and dipped them into this part of our dip sampler.

Cheese Dumplings with Honey - This was a show-stopper for me, more so than for Kimberly. It consisted of crispy pastry dough dumplings filled with sweet dessert cheese. A side of honey was the perfect pairing, as it gave the dumplings a floral essence and a touch of indulgence. I loved how light the cheese was and the crispiness of the crust was lovely.

Greek Meatballs - We both stopped and exclaimed after our first bite because we couldn't believe how light these were. Despite an airy quality, they had intense flavor, enhanced by fresh herbs like parsley and mint. Acompanied by a generous glug of tzatziki, I couldn't get enough, making this dish a must.

Service and Cost:
Our waiter was polite and took the time to explain and recommend the food and wine to us. The server, who we thought was also the owner was especially cordial, explaining the contents of everything, even all of the dips. There was a strange occurrence with our pita (we thought that it was partially nibbled) but the situation was handled with humor that kept us in stitches for the rest of the night.

S'Agapo is incredibly affordable, especially for the great quality that you get. Our meal, which consisted of 5 dishes that we shared as well as a carafe of house wine set us back $43 per person. It was a lot of food that made us comfortably full and that could've easily fed 1-2 more people.

3 Loud Mmmms

My Version of the Hangover Pizza

Theirs (image by Meg Cotner)

Mine

Some of you might have heard about Vesta's brunch specialty, the Hangover Pizza. It's a non-traditional thin-crust pizza with a fried egg on top. And while I haven't yet tried it, the idea was intriguing enough to make my own version.

There are a lot of differences between the two, the main one being that Vesta's is made by a talented professional chef and mine was made by curious, hungry me. Other differences include the dough texture (theirs is thin and crispy, mine was thick and doughy) toppings (theirs contains potato, pancetta, caramelized onions, a fried egg and spicy tomato sauce and mine used traditional tomato sauce, smoked Swiss cheese, a runny egg and fresh basil).

Here's the recipe for my version - and I'll give you some helpful hints I learned from the faux-pas I made along the way.

Foodista's Runny Egg Pizza (serves 2-4)

Ingredients:
1 lb of pizza dough - I usually buy it at Rose and Joe's for a mere $1.25
About 1/4 cup of tomato/marinara sauce (can be homemade or store bought)
1/2 cup of smoked Swiss cheese - or any cheese that you like. Could be mozzarella.
1 egg
Fresh basil torn into medium-sized pieces
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Roll out pizza dough to desired shape (I like a rustic round pie--it does not have to look perfect). Top with tomato sauce and cheese and place in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until the dough gets golden and the cheese melts. Open the oven and break an egg right on top of the pizza. Be very careful not to move the pizza too quickly when sliding the oven tray back into position--the egg might roll off. This happened to me and as a result, I had to break another egg, just gently pushing the oven tray back into place. Bake for another 5 minutes or according to your egg preference (I like them runny). Remove from oven and top with fresh basil, salt and pepper.

Enjoy the runny egg as it melds with the smoky cheese and the tangy sauce. Mmmmm...

Thanks for a great idea Vesta!

Ovelia's Sikatini - A Winning Concoction

Image by www.becomingachef.com

Last week's DCA 4th Annual Sidewalk Cafe Mix-Off held at The Institute of Culinary Education produced excellent results for one of our very own, Ovelia Psistaria. Although they didn't take home the big crown, they were the first runner up for this year's must-have drink with their homemade Sikatini.

Ovelia proved to be a strong contender amongst the stiff competition, which included Justin Timberlake's Southern Hospitality (the winner), Da Silvano, Chow Bar, Roots and Vines, Mustang Grill, Jack Bistro, Taboon, Astoria's Cafe Bar and Tony's di Napoli. The judges at the event included acclaimed food experts, Gael Greene, judge of Bravo's Top Chef Masters being one of them.

Ovelia's Sikatini, created by John and Litsa Giannakas is a fig cocktail that has become something of a legend amongst Astorians. You'll notice it resting in a big, glass jar at the bar--and its dark, pungent color will make you stop and wonder, "what is that?" I almost solved the puzzle by asking Chris, one of Ovelia's owners about the contents of this drink to which he replied, "it's a mix of metaxa, vodka infused with dried figs and the secret ingredient which you can see when you look in the glass jar." There's only one way to find out...try it for yourself and see what the hype's all about.

Ovelia Psistaria - 34-01 30th Ave, Astoria, NY 11103
718.721.7217
N/W Train to 30th Avenue
www.ovelia-ny.com

Banana Chocolate Chunk Cookies - My Version

A couple of weeks back, Guest Foodista Vicky blogged about Martha Stewart's interesting recipe for Banana, Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies. They looked so good and the addition of banana appealed so much to me that I decided to make them too.

Unfortunately, I didn't have walnuts so I substituted almonds, which gave the cookies a nice bite. The oats were omitted by accident and I found that I didn't miss them at all.

I loved treating my family, friends and co-workers to these cookies, and they all commented about the unexpected--and wonderful--banana flavor. And while this recipe isn't difficult to make, I'd suggest trying it more than once, since like most things, it gets easier with practice. I found my first batch too soft and the second improved in texture--the cookies having a firm exterior and a soft, chewy interior. Here's the recipe again if you'd like to try it. It passed Guest Foodista Vicky's test, and I was so pleased!