Best Meal of 2010, So Far

Good friend Julie is in town from Sweden. As with many of my friends, food plays a primary role in determining our activities. First to 230 5th for cocktails. Quite easily one of the most gorgeous spots in NY for drinks al fresco. But it's 20 degrees with a brisk wind. Most of the southeastern corrider has just been pummeled with some 2 - 3 feet of snow, and Julie just left Sweden for God's sake. So indoors to 230 5th to chat with Steven Greenberg, owner of 230 5th and collaborator with renowned Ian Schrager. A few dirty martinis later accompanied by shrimp chips and we're off to dinner.

She's craving some hip Chino Latino fare so Sushi Samba we hit. But first we hit the smoke shop on Christopher for a dozen packs of Nat Shermans. Julie's mad about them, as are her Swedish pals. Yes, guilty as charged for introducing her to the devilish delights. Sushi Samba's hopping so we sit at the sushi bar, jackets and bags crammed under our feet. Note to management: put handbag hooks in front of ALL the stools, not just the corners.

We start with crispy Yellowtail Taquitos drizzled with spicy Peruvian foam. Scrumptious! Tiny Manila clams floating in hot miso soup helps warm our hands and bellies. Then 4 impeccable slices of yellowtail sashimi soaking in a jalapeno lemongrass bath hold us over till the main course. The deepfried red snapper is impressively semi-deboned, butterflied and set adrift in a sea of sweetly mild red curry coconut milk. Sticky sweet rice topped with crunchy slivers of black confetti, of which I can not identify.

Pale yellow Passionfruit lechi martinis accompany the food but don't slake our ever present thirst for dessert. So Jules orders Mochi - childishly colored icecream filled cakes that she adores. I've been eating all day and it's way past 10, still I'm feeling extragavant so opt for the Valrhona chocolate fondue. And yes, it's as obscene as it sounds. Shot glasses of blackberries, strawberries (pale and tasteless, unfortunatley), diced pineapple, coconut marshmallows, passionfruit cake, rice crispy balls and green tea sorbet await a plunge in the dark fondue. The blackberries and green tea were by far the winners. The rice crispy balls were so hard, my molars could barely crunch through them. I fear dental chippage and the subsequent lawsuit might ensue with that offering. Note: this dessert is a steal at $6.00. Can't go wrong here.


In all, the best meal of 2010. Luckily it's only February.

A good weekend

My parents are visiting, which means chaos in the kitchen. Mini coolers jam-packed with curries. Whole honeydews, cantelopes, watermelons rolling across the kitchen floor and threatening to knock down the dog like a bowling pin. Quart-sized containers full of Sambaar, Idli batter, homemade yogurt made with Half and Half.

Breakfast Saturday was palm-sized idlis with Sambaar and Mom's famous chutney. South Indian chutney is addictive. My friend Damarys spreads it on toast. I prefer to dip samosas in it. Mom mixes plain white rice and chutney and drizzles a bit of ghee over everything. Peeled and diced mangoes, melons and cherries finished off breakfast.

Had dinner with my GF Julie Lindh. As she's located on 9th Ave in the West 50s, a plethora of terrific ethnic restaurants abound. Dined at Agua Dulce, recently opened as of last week. Featured as a "Pan Asian" restaurant, it's a kitschy throwback to 1950s Miami where you'd expect cigar chugging men wearing cool guayaberas and playing dominoes. Whie the decor might be amusing the food is nothing to laugh at, matter of fact it's fantastic. We started with Citrus Salmon Ceviche - huge chunks of raw salmon bathing in a grapefruit citrus vinaigrette. Shaved slices of habeneros, red onions and segments of citrus give tang and zest to the unctuous salmon. Utterly the best ceviche I've had years. Second only to the cevice at Azucar in Silver Spring, Maryland. Other appetizers were Guacamole with tough and a wee bit stale chips, obviously homemade. The Gauc was fine but could have used more bite and lime. Shrimp empanadas in an orange, sweet yuca dough were tasty but overpowered the seafood inside. The Brazilian seafood stew reminded me of a toned down Tom Yum soup. Mussels, teeny clams, chunks of salmon poached in coconut milk and cashew puree. Although I really couldn't place the cashew - by texture or flavor. Dessert was killer - chocolate ganache cake over which was poured, not drizzled mind you, an entire gravy boat of chocolate habenaro sauce. Crazy good.

Highly recommend Agua Dulce - translation: fresh water. The restaurant houses it's own filtration system and apparently some of the profits go towards funding water systems in Latin America. The filtration system is also evident in the refreshing cocktails. Frozen mojitos, watermelon margaritas - all made with fresh juices and water filtered on the premises. Better yet, at my request for a vodka based mojito our server was glad to comply. Go for the simple but well executed menu by chef Ulrich Sterling. (Who by the way is Irish!) Also noteworthy are the attentive wait staff and busboys who seem to all foster an attitude of: your wish is my command. But especially go for the sinfully delicious dessert - chocolate and habenaro - two aphrodisiacs in one.

Agua Dulce
802 Ninth Avenue & (53rd Street)
New York, NY
Phone (212) 262-1299