One of the nice things about eating at Le Pain Quotidien is that you know what you’re eating. Nothing you order here is drowning in some mysterious oily sauce or seasoned so heavily that you can’t taste the components.
Technically This is Dinner
But this was a special meal that I felt was worth recording. So tonight we are at The Modern.
So, the last time we were here the meal itself was between good and just OK. Tonight we are dining with friends and the meal was wonderful and definitely worth it. A very special dining experience indeed.
Vive La Crepe!
I’ve been eyeing this crepe place for a while. We pass it every time we’re on our way to Ramen Takumi. I do love crepes but there’s something about it that seems not like a real meal. Like it may not be satisfying enough. Though, every time I have a crepe of course it’s very satisfying and I am full. So I don’t know what that’s all about.
I was very underwhelmed by this crepe, which contains ham and gruyere. Just a couple of thin slices of ham and not a whole lot of cheese either. The crepe while made fresh was very pancake-y. Not a good quality in a crepe.
Bonus points to Vive La Crepe, however, for coming up with an app that allows you to scan your receipt and get “points” toward a free crepe. Though I did the math and it’s not as much of a bargain, especially if you are eating crepes that aren’t so great.
Crepes Truck
Today’s lunch is a crepe from the Crepes Truck parked on 50th and 6th. I’ve never seen this truck before, but who can resist a vehicle that is sporting a sassy red beret and a curly moustache? Not me!
I ordered the “Norwegian,” which is a buckwheat flour crepe filled with goat cheese, smoked salmon, tomatoes and cornichons. The crepe was of course made fresh and because I didn’t want it to get cold I decided to just eat it right in front of the Time Warner building.
Totally delicious. It was the kind of lunch that made me wish I could start over again with every bite. This lunch made me want to eat crepes all the time.
Bouchon Bakery = Calorie Bomb
This morning I walked part of the way to work, from 25th street to 34th on 6th avenue, where I hopped on the F for two stops. That stretch of 6th avenue is weird. Partly retail floral, partly wholesale cheap accessories district, and with the same sketchy ambiance you’ll find on Broadway in that part of town.
Anyway, today’s lunch comes from Bouchon Bakery, situated directly across from the Today Show anchor desk. I got there around 12:30 and it was surprisingly quiet. This might have something to do with the fact that the holidays are over (thank God).
There isn’t a whole lot on the lunch menu at Bouchon, but it’s clear that the things that are on the menu are spilling over with butter and salt. And would you expect anything less from a place that has ties to Per Se?
So rich you'll need a couch afterwards.
So, I ordered the steak sandwich. Nothing else. It was $12. A smallish sandwich serviced on a smallish baguette, and it was filled with incredibly tender steak that resembled brisket slow cooked for an entire day, roasted button mushrooms, and melted fontina cheese. Did I mention that the bread was soaked in butter and then toasted?
So this smallish sandwich was a total calorie bomb. So much for the New Year’s diet. I wolfed this sandwich down and fell into a food coma that lasted pretty much until 8:30 PM.
Verdict: Delicious. Not sure consuming a tiny 3,000 calorie sandwich in the middle of the day is a good idea, though.
Day One: Brasserie Ruhlmann
View of the restaurant from the bar area
Today’s the first official workday of the year for me, and to commemorate the new year and this new job, I had lunch today at Brasserie Ruhlmann, which was way fancier and more expensive than I anticipated. I also didn’t know this was a Laurent Tourondel thing. See, I know so little about midtown.
Anyways, it’s a beautiful space. Fancy but not fussy, elegant but not overly so.
I walked in through the back entrance and found a seat at the bar. Comfortable bar seats, but very awkwardly low for some reason, so my place setting was practically at chin level. That made for very odd eating. I certainly couldn’t read my paper and eat at the same time. I never realized how important this is, the level at which you’re sitting and where your food is (vertically) in relation to your mouth.
Anyways, I ordered the Kobe skirt steak salad and a club soda. The Kobe skirt steak itself was pretty chewy but the salad part I thought was very nice and fresh. The very light spicy ginger guava dressing was great. I would come back here for a more substantial meal for sure.
