Rating: 5.5/6
If I had to sum up my meal at Atera in one word, my choice would be ‘unnatural’. Each plate is likely to contain at least one component whose appearance and/or texture will make you question your server’s explanation. Novelty factor aside, Chef Matthew Lightner’s commitment to producing beautiful, harmonious and delicious courses of food is always on display!
Atera – A Taste of the Unnatural and Delicious in New York, PART III
Atera – A Taste of the Unnatural and Delicious in New York, PART II
Rating: 5.5/6
If I had to sum up my meal at Atera in one word, my choice would be ‘unnatural’. Each plate is likely to contain at least one component whose appearance and/or texture will make you question your server’s explanation. Novelty factor aside, Chef Matthew Lightner’s commitment to producing beautiful, harmonious and delicious courses of food is always on display!
Atera – A Taste of the Unnatural and Delicious in New York, PART I
Rating: 5.5/6
If I had to sum up my meal at Atera in one word, my choice would be ‘unnatural’. Each plate is likely to contain at least one component whose appearance and/or texture will make you question your server’s explanation. Novelty factor aside, Chef Matthew Lightner’s commitment to producing beautiful, harmonious and delicious courses of food is always on display!
Patacon Pisao – Delicious and Cheap Venezuelan Street Food in NYC!
Rating: 4.5/6
Patacon Pisao does a great job introducing NYC to the wonders of Venezuelan cuisine street food-style! Thanks to this experience I think patacons (sandwiches with green plantain buns) now have a permanent spot on top of my list of cheap and delicious street food cravings, right up there with Halal Guys!
Roger Eats like a Pig is Going Home!
After one year of life in this beautiful city, things have come to an end. Roger the Pig is leaving New York City and taking his appetite back to his hometown, Vancouver, Canada!
Levain Bakery – Famed Decadent Cookies in a Quaint Manhattan Bakery
Rating: 3/6
Levain Bakery is a quaint neighbourhood bakery that does great in that respect, especially with the banana bread. Their famed cookies were much too rich for my liking though and I wouldn’t make a trip for these or call Levain Bakery a must-visit bakery in New York.
Russ and Daughters – The Perfect Breakfast Sandwich: Bagel, Smoked Fish and Cream Cheese
Rating: 5/6
Russ and Daughters is a must-visit to enjoy the joys of the last remaining Jewish appetizing store in New York. A bagel sandwich here might just be the priciest breakfast you ever have, but the smoked fish and homemade cream cheeses are simply divine!
Traif – Unbridled Love for Pork in Brooklyn!
Rating: 4.5/6
Traif may seem like a shrine to the meat gods, but the execution here is much more restrained and balanced than you’d expect! The dishes present the wonders of your favourite animal parts and seafood with a tasty balance and elegance that evokes Chef Jason Marcus’ background in Michelin-star restaurants.
Cocoron vs. Soba-ya – Battle of NYC’s Best Soba Noodles!
Ratings: 5/6 (Cocoron), 3.5/6 (Soba-ya)
Ramen is by far the sexiest of the Japanese noodles, but it’s soba that has been the historical noodle staple. Cocoron focuses on getting a select few versions of soba right and does a masterful job with this Japanese art form! Soba-ya also does a fine job with authenticity, but I didn’t find their soba as tasty as Cocoron’s version.
Bistro Guggenheim Bilbao – Refined Haute Cuisine at Reasonable Prices
Rating 3.5/6
The Guggenheim bistro offers wonderfully prepared food that plays it safe and sticks to flavour combinations that work. Given how radical some of the exhibits in the Guggenheim are, the bistro offers almost the complete opposite: safe classics that will satisfy all but the pickiest diners but left me wishing for some more ambition from the kitchen.
