Guest Foodista Courtney on NYC's Seasonal

Top two images, courtesy of Seasonal

My colleague Courtney, who's a journalist is back with another guest review. You might remember her way back when she wrote about her experience at the romantic DC restaurant, Marvin. This time, Courtney covers NYC's Seasonal, a very special kind of eatery--upscale, non-pretentious and delicious.

Seasonal - 132 West 58th Street, New York NY 10019
212.957.5550
N/R/W/Q Train to 57th Street
www.seasonalnyc.com

Atmosphere: Seasonal is an elegant European midtown restaurant in a warm alcove of leather cubby seating, natural wood floors and brilliant white walls--adorned with contemporary Austrian and German art.

Food:

Aperitif - The "Spicemaker," a Maker's Mark mix of cinnamon, tangerine and spices warmed me up on a very cold January evening.

Appetizers - The beet infused pasta, accompanying the buttery scallops was phenomenal--in fact, one of the best food items I've ever eaten. The Executive Chef, Wolfgang Ban, came over to tell us how he had peeled the beets, cooked them for hours, saved the juices and allowed the tender pasta to soak up the purple flavors all morning.

Entrees - The pumpkin seed crusted Black Sea Bass with butternut squash sauce and black truffles was fresh and full of texture.

Wine - The Austrian and German wine pairings were exceptional; the attentive wait staff paired the appetizers with a very dry white and then followed up with a fruity, light wine for the main courses.

Dessert - Our dessert, pumpkin seed semolina cream with fig confit, was very unique and tasted better with each bite.

Costs: Seasonal is an expensive Midtown restaurant, but they deliver elegant service and use only the freshest ingredients from locally sourced products. Appetizers cost between $10 - $18 and entrees are between $21 - $32. Seasonal produced the utmost quality in their cuisine. My only disappointment was with the boring white bread, but I shouldn't have eaten two pieces of it anyway.

3 Mmmms

V-Day at Mundo

Image provided by Mundo

Valentine's Day is on a Saturday this year and it's never early enough to start planning. I received word about a prix-fixe special at Mundo. This restaurant is one of my Astoria favorites and the food is always done right. The only draw-back is that it's small so if you're interested, make reservations now. There are three seatings offered: 6pm, 8:15pm and 10:15pm. The cost is $80 per couple not including tax and tip. Take a look at the below menu and if it catches your eye, call Mundo to make a reservation:

Complimentary Gluhwein:
Warm and spiced wine

Appetizer Platter:
Mini red sonja over green leaf lettuce, Russian salad, creamy eggplant salad in a phyllo dough shell, mini baked spinach and feta empanada, artichoke heart salad

Main Course:
Jumbo Portobello Ravioli - With ricotta and Parmesan in tomato vodka sauce

Shrimp Casserole - In tomato, green pepper and garlic sauce topped with Jack and cheddar cheese with a side of yellow Mexican rice

Beef Roast - With au jus topped with caramelized onions with a side of creamy eggplant puree and Moroccan couscous with dried fruits, nuts and greens

Dessert:
Heavenly Chocolate Souffle - Baked to perfection, topped with ice cream to share

Mundo opens at 1pm on Valentine's Day and they'll only be serving the prix-fixe that day. The regular menu will not be available.

Mundo - 31-18 Broadway, Store #E, Astoria NY 11106
718.777.2829
N/W Train to Broadway
www.mundoastoria.com

Mundo - Back from Vacation

Great news! Mundo is back from a three week summer hiatus. They've re-opened their doors in time to participate in Queens Restaurant Week so check 'em out. Their welcome back message had a cryptic note about a new change. Not sure what that means but if anyone knows, please shoot me a note.

Don't miss out on Mundo and its delicious signature dishes such as the Red Sonjas, pictured above. And remember, this restaurant is very small so reservations are recommended.

Mundo - 31-18 Broadway, Store #E, Astoria NY 11106
718.777.2829
N/W Train to Broadway
www.mundoastoria.com

Vue Cafe - New Eatery in Quiet Quarters

Vue Cafe - 12-14 31st Avenue, Astoria, NY 11106

718.726.4400

N/W Train to 30th Avenue

You might have seen my initial review of Vue this morning on Joey in Astoria. The review below delves deeper into the menu, prices and the service of this new eatery. Overall my visit was a nice and relaxing experience that I'd repeat. My only complaint is that it's a bit far from the subway.

Atmosphere:
Interestingly situated on the ground floor of an upscale condominium building, Vue is located in a quiet neighborhood in Astoria, bordering on Long Island City. In fact, it's the only cafe on that block and a trendy one to boot! You walk in and are immediately welcomed by a friendly hostess who seats you at a simple, sophisticated table with comfy chairs. The dining room decor is modern and reminds me of 30th Avenue cafes such as Table 30.

A unique part of the design is the chandelier wall--think long rectangular chandeliers that are embedded in the actual wall and boy do they sparkle! Cool concept and fun to look at. The music was also a favorite of mine because it was laid-back without being cheesy--Van Morrison, smooth jazz and the like. Basically the antithesis of boring elevator music.

Food:

Chef Randall Benjamin offers up an eclectic menu of hearty meat and seafood dishes. A lot of warm comfort foods are featured and we took advantage of these at dinner. Here's what we tried:

Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs: A comfort food classic, we were eager to try it, especially because it also featured cheesy jalapeno poppers. The ribs were tangy and we particularly liked the pickled red peppers and onions on top. But the jalapeno poppers were by far a favorite--they had a super crispy exterior and a silky-smooth interior. There were two for us to enjoy, which was plenty for such an indulgence but we secretly hoped there would be more.

Lamb Chops with Zucchini Sticks: I consider a properly cooked lamb to be the measuring stick of a good Astorian eatery and this one didn't disappoint. The meat was soft and juicy and was especially nice to dip into the homemade tzatziki sauce. Pita triangles provided a bed for the lamb, absorbing all the scrumptious juices of the meat--a nice touch. The zucchini sticks were wonderfully crispy on top but unfortunately came dipped in the tzatziki, which made them a little soggy on the bottom. Aside from that they were incredibly tasty and Dan agreed.

Grilled Steak with a Potato Croquette: This was Dan's dish and he enjoyed it thoroughly. While he had to send the steak back because it was undercooked, it came back cooked perfectly and the waistaff was graciously accommodating. The fixins included grilled onions, peppers and green beans--together they gave the steak a welcome char flavor. The potato croquette was tasty but needed a bit more salt in my opinion. Overall--a nice solid dish.

Service and Cost:

The waitstaff is professional and super attentive. Given Vue's new status, everyone is still very much on their toes, trying hard to make things perfect. They did a great job at it, as our dishes came in good time and our water glasses were refilled as needed.

The prices here are moderate, appetizers typically between $8-$10, entrees between $18-$22 and burgers and sandwiches around $10. The quality of the food is good though so you are getting back what you put in. Wines are also available by the glass ($7-$8) and by the bottle (around $25-$28).

2 Mmmms