Communal Feasting: Beast

We were excited to try Beast because we'd heard so many good things about it.  It didn't hurt that Chef Naomi Pomeroy had been on Top Chef Masters and was a James Beard Award finalist.

Maybe our expectations were too high.  Maybe it was an off day.  While the food at Beast was very good, it just didn't blow us away like our dinner at Aviary did the night before.

Beast is small.  There are two dinner seatings each night, Wednesday through Saturday, and all dining is communal.  What does this mean exactly?  It means you have to eat with strangers, much to our dismay.  I'm not sure why the restaurant makes no mention of this on its website.

Well, I'll tell you about this communal dining here.  You'll be at a big table with a bunch of other people for your entire $75 six-course meal.  If this isn't your idea of fun, I recommend skipping Beast.

But, if you can stomach the idea of dining with unknown companions for a fairly long meal, welcome.  Lucky for us, we quickly became friends with the young couple to our right.  They were like mini versions of ourselves -- Asian, Californian, 10 years younger, and hungry for food and fun.  Thank goodness for our little doppelgangers because the people to our left sucked.

Heirloom cauliflower soup, leek and horseradish mousse, sake-cured trout roe and crisp rye toast.

Pleasant start, although it wasn't very flavorful except for the roe.

Charcuterie plate: foie gras bon-bon, Sauternes gelée, chicken liver mousse, leaf lard cracker, steak tartare, quail egg toast, rustic pork terrine, pork sausage en croûte, duck rillettes and tête de cochon.

This plate of goodies was pretty impressive.  I saved the foie gras for last, of course.

Intermezzo.

Palate-cleansing sorbet.  Not much more to report.

Fennel-brined poussin presse, caramelized gil-feathered turnips, peacock kale, herbed foie gras butter, porcinis, duck and rabbit jus.

Pretty good chicken made even better with foie gras butter.  But it was still just chicken.

Square Peg Farm's catalogna emerald dandelion, Northern-Spy apples, crispy prosciutto, brown butter vinaigrette.

I wish I could tell you that this salad was out of this world, but I can't.  It was tasty enough.  Definitely fresh.  But nothing special.

Selection of cheeses from Steve at Cheese Bar, fresh quince paste, fried Marcona almonds, bee pollen shortbread, wildflower honey.

I can't lie.  I like cheese, but I'm always disappointed when it's a course during a multi-course meal.  Perhaps this makes me gauche.

Bandon cranberry clafoutis, brown sugar-crème fraîche ice cream, candied ginger and walnut crumble.

A candle for Mr. Monkey's birthday!  Now this was quite a good dessert, and I'm a salty girl.  Crumble gets me every time.  Nummy.

If you're looking for intimate private dining, don't go to Beast.  If not, I guess $75 is a pretty swell deal for six courses, even when one course is just cheese.

A Bayless Brunch: Frontera Grill

My buddy ProfSwank is going to Chicago soon, so I'm going to do a few posts on our weekend May trip with the Cruisers.

We got to Frontera Grill about five minutes before it opened, and there was a long line to get in already, even in the rain.  There are no reservations here.  Just get there and cross your fingers.  Chicagoans love multiple James-Beard-award-winning and Top Chef Masters champion Rick Bayless.

Disappointed by the douchebaggery at Bayless' Red O in Los Angeles, I was wary.  Why was I waiting in the rain for this?

Luckily, Bayless' flagship restaurant redeemed him.  Our brunch was a hit, and the four of us had a lovely time.

Fresh-squeezed limeade with sparkling water and coconut horchata ($3.50 each).  Press pot "coffee with a cause" -- 100% organic beans from La Perla de Oaxaca ($4.75).

The beverages at Frontera Grill are excellent, be they fresh and tart, sweet and creamy, or hot and caffeinated.

Guacamole de tocino -- Gunthorp bacon, wood-grilled Bayless Garden garlic chives, Serrano chile, tortilla chips ($9.50).

Meaty and smoky!  Definitely not your ordinary guac!

Queso fundido de carnitas de pato -- Otter Creek organic cheddar, duck leg carnitas, grilled knob onions, pickled jalapeños and vegetables ($9.50).

This appetizer was my favorite part of our meal.  Cheese!  Duck!  Mr. Cruiser's surprise and wonder!

Huevos fronterizos -- two eggs sunny-side-up in ajillo sauce (chipotle, roasted garlic) with homemade chorizo and homemade buttermilk biscuits, tangy baby greens ($13).

Excellent selection by Mr. Cruiser.  Lots of strong flavors that worked well together.

Pozole rojo -- pork and hominy soup infused with rich red chile with one poached egg ($12.50).

Ms. Cruiser couldn't pass up this hot stew.  Perfect for the rainy day.

Sapitos -- a trio of Xalapa-style gorditas (corn masa cakes), each with its own toppings: (1) scrambled eggs, (2) grilled chicken, and (3) chorizo all in chipotle black bean sauce with homemade crema and queso fresco ($13).

Mr. Monkey ordered what I thought was the best entree.  It was like a buffet on a plate.

Hot cakes indigenas -- Three Sisters Garden Heirloom corn pancakes, whipped goat cheese, organic agave syrup, red chile-glazed Gunthorp hickory-smoked bacon, two eggs sunny-side-up ($13).

I got the loser of the day.  It was tasty but not nearly as interesting as the description made it seem.  This platter is ideal for your friends who are boring eaters.

Is Frontera Grill worth a tourist visit?  I'd say yes, especially if you are from a locale without good Mexican food.  However, if you are from California, Texas, or some other place with great Mexican eats, you may not be as easily won over.

Yes, Chef Dinner at Son of a Gun

We interrupt this Arizona weekend recap to bring you breaking news of an exciting dinner we just finished.  Chef Marcus Samuelsson of Red Rooster cooked at Son of a Gun tonight.  He is touring right now to promote his new book Yes, Chef: A Memoir.

Because this is breaking news, I present to you some beautiful...iPhone photos!

We're going old-skool with camera pics tonight!

Yes, Chef Cocktail -- vodka, mint, lemon, pineapple, berbere ($12)

Tonight's meal was served family-style and cost $85 per person.

Helga's pea soup, mint, ginger.

Fried Misty Point oysters, Addis remoulade.

Gravlax, mustard, pickled fennel.

Tokyo salad, mizuna, yuzu-shishito vinaigrette.

Fried Yard Bird, collard greens, rooster sauce, pickles.  AWESOME!

Sweet corn salad.

Sweet potato doughnuts, fennel ice cream.

Harlem chocolate truffles.

Chef Marcus Samuelsson's autographed book came with the meal.

Happy fans.  Chefarazzi, cha cha cha!

Huge thank you to my brother for getting us this reservation.  So sad that he couldn't come because he had surgery on his Achilles tendon today.  (Don't worry; the surgery went well!)  Thank you to the Oros for joining us!

Southern With International Flair: Red Rooster

Mr. Monkey and I were very excited to eat at Chef Marcus Samuelsson's Red Rooster in Harlem. I became a big fan after watching Chef Samuelsson win Top Chef Masters. Mr. Monkey became a big fan after we met Chef Samuelsson at last year's Barbados Food & Wine and Rum Festival. He was easily the most personable chef at that event.


Red Rooster is very much a reflection of Chef Samuelsson himself, a happy Harlemite with Ethiopian roots and a Swedish upbringing. The food is decidedly Southern but includes ingredients, spices, and tastes from around the world.

We had a delightful time. I've read a number of unfavorable reviews, and I'm baffled. Everything we ate was marvelous, and our bill was rather reasonable by New York standards.

My only issue with Red Rooster? Photos are not allowed! The hostess berated me after I snapped the shot of the bar above. I literally had to sneak all of these food photos very quickly when staff wasn't looking. This was no easy task.

Jerk bacon and egg, brown beans, pikliz (Haitian pickled vegetables) ($16).


Dirty rice and shrimp, aged basmati, curry leaves, almond ($13).


Blackened catfish and black-eyed peas, fried pickles, lemon dill slaw ($23).


Creole red grits, crab, shrimp, chorizo ($10).


Fried Yard Bird -- dark meat, white mace gravy, hot sauce, shake ($22).


Sweet potato doughnuts, cinnamon sugar ($8).

The flavors were really strong and interesting throughout the meal. My illicit photography doesn't do Red Rooster justice. This meal made us even bigger fans of our dear Marcus.

Elk, Kangaroo, Rabbit 'n' Rattlesnake: Lonesome Dove

Chef Tim Love describes his Lonesome Dove as "urban Western cuisine."

Pretty apt description. Be prepared to wait, even if you have a reservation. It's a very popular destination and with good reason.

Amuse bouche -- watermelon granita.

Elk sausage sliders, seared foie gras, blueberry jam ($14); kangaroo carpaccio nachos, avocado salsa, habanero-fig demi-glace ($12); rabbit-rattlesnake sausage, spicy Manchego rosti, crème fraîche ($15).

Roasted garlic-stuffed beef tenderloin, Western plaid hash, Syrah demi-glace ($35).


Rocky Mountain elk ribeye, spring vegetable ragu, crispy potatoes ($41).


Coffee.


Fresh Mexican doughnuts with cajeta, chocolate, and blackberry sauces ($10).

Goat cheesecake with Concord compote and almond tuille ($10).

It's not surprising that Chef Love defeated Iron Chef Morimoto in Battle: Chiles. The man knows his way around spice. There was no lack of flavor this evening!

Lonesome Dove will please any meat lover. Put it on your to-do list when in Fort Worth.