Last trip to NYC

My lady and I just returned from our last trip to NYC. It has been quite a while since our last visit. The place is still a load of fun for us. We're "foodies", so the place's vast amount of dining choices are a paradise for us.

This time, we had plans to visit more places, but she was a little sick, so we had to cut down on some of the plans.

Our first stop was Junior's on times square. I heard of the place before, but never made it in. We tried their signature devil's food cheesecake, and it was very good. For those who don't know, it is basically a cheesecake inside a devil's food cake. It was a good thing we shared one piece, for it was huge! For actual food, I had one of their steakburgers, and it was done very well. It was a little to thick for my normal liking, but the preparations and seasoning were very good. Definitely worth another visit.

In the evening, we went to the Flute Champagne bar in Gramercy before attempting to head over to the Blue Ribbon sushi. I think we were there a little too early, so it felt like were were part of the "older" crowd. I have been in a grower Champagne kick lately, so I was hoping that they would have a decent selection by the glass, but alas, that was not to be. Their list focuses on all the usual suspects everyone knows and wants. There was one grower label that I tried, but it seemed average at best. The ambiance was nice, but a little too dark (it was hard to read the menus!).

We left there in the hopes of making it to the Blue ribbon sushi, but the lady wasn't feeling all that good, so we bailed.

The next day, we had a great time shopping around soho and the village, and we stumbled on an old standby, Balthazar's. I went there the first time we went to the city, and we had a fantastic meal. This time, we decided to go in (no reservations) for brunch. The place was booked until 3PM! Luckily, the wait for the bar was less than 15 minutes, and they serve the same stuff. The bartenders were great. Very attentive, and always available to answer questions.

Since Champagne goes so well with eggs, I decided to have some (after a great Bloody Mary) with breakfast. They had Pol Roger Champagne by the glass, and I decided to try it. This one is usually about 60 dollars a bottle, so any time I can try wines in this range by the glass, I'm there. It reminded me a little of the Pierre Peters I had a few months back (and I now like very much). I will try to get me a bottle of this for further evaluation :)

After a great brunch, we made the mandatory stop by their bakery for some chocolate bread, and some brioche.

Following a similar routine to the previous night, we met a friend at a local wine bar before heading out to dinner. I was trying to find out about this bar I saw in a podcast sometime around November/December, and coincidentally, it was a the Blue Ribbon wine bar (different from the sushi place). The space was sooo small, it almost felt uncomfortable. I think there are actually less than 15 seating positions in the entire place. You could probably fit 25 people crammed in before the fire marshal shuts you down! The menu was pretty extensive, and they had a flight of three grower champagnes (notice the trend?) .

Fleury Pere NV:
This was my favorite of the three. It had light notes of almond and apple. A little ginger. The finish was a little short, but I don't know if it was because it was an open bottle. I think the avg for this is in the 30-40 dollar range, so it it relatively accessible.

Laherte Freres:
This one seemed good also, but not as notable as the first one. It had more yeast on the nose, nut nothing crazy. Again, good but not great.


Larmandier-Bernier rose de saignee
This was the most intriguing visually (nice frosted bottle), but it found it uninteresting. Too subtle in my opinion for a rose.


I made reservations at BLT Prime for dinner that night. The place was fabulous! The Sommelier was very friendly, and the wait staff was very attentive. We shared a rib-eye with two sides. It was cooked to perfection and served in a cast iron plate that kept it warm, while not over-cooking it. The white asparagus wrapped in spanish ham was a great compliment to the steak. The Nuits St. Georges burgundy we picked was a great match to the meal. At one point we noticed other people staring at us. I think it was because we were enjoying our food a little too much, or people don't order 20 oz steaks (we share it) there...

The prices were very good (for a steak house). I would certainly recommend the place to anyone. Give it a shot if you go there.

We hope to go back soon to see a play (MacBeth with Patrick Stewart), and keep exploring the vast restaurant landscape of NYC.

Later,