What's a true sign of economic downturn?

Q: What's a true sign of economic downturn?

A: When your fantasy league starts to fall apart, due to multiple GMs quits citing financial reasons.

A: When your Guys Night Out dinner is at a Chinatown Noodle shop and after-hour entertainment is at a Chinatown coffee shop.

A: Your parents use to ask you "When are you having a baby?", now they asks on every phone call "Is your job safe?"

A: You keep thinking about where you rank in your company and who would go before your name is even considered.

A: You cannot remember the last time you eat out at a nice place. Even if you did, you don't remember the last time you opened a bottled of wine at a nice place.

A: You keep telling yourself its OK 401K is tanking, you dont need that money.

Wrap up: Aussie Open 09

This picture says it all about how the Men's bracket went this year at the Aussie Open. Today, it wrapped up two weeks of intense action on the Men's side and a rather tepid Women's bracket.

Serena won both Singles and Doubles (with Venus) fairly easily. Given the game was missing Henin (retirement) and Sharapova (injury), Jankovic and Ivanovic went out pretty early clearing the way for a relatively smooth path for Serena to get to the final. Final's match up was with upstart Safina (Safin's little sister), who had a great 08 but just couldn't pull together any decent stretch of points in her finals match with Serena. She summed it up best her self: " I look like a ball kid on the court today against Serena" for her 6-0, 6-3 drubbing at the hands of the 10 time Grand Slam Champ. It just amazes me how the Williams sisters can just turn it on when they wish and win grand slams. They don't play many tournaments and concentrate on Slams, which explains their longevity and the number of Slam trophies. Maybe other WTA parents should take notes.

Men's side was as exciting as ever. After the big 4, Nadal, Federer, Djokovic and Murry, quite a few younger players lasted into late rounds. Del Portro, Cilic, Simon, Monfils and Tsonga to name a few. As always, a dark horse sailed deep into the bracket. This year was a Southpaw Spaniard, Verdasco. Before this tournament, he is probably better known as Ivanovic's one time boy friend. He went all the way to the Semis, giving Nadal a huge scare before succumbing in 5 close sets, clipping Andy Murray and JW Tsonga along the way. All probably owe it to recent switch to Reyes, Agassi's conditioning coach. Federer had came back from 2 sets down against Berdych who just couldn't miss a shot in the first 2.5 sets. After that it was smooth sailing over Del Portro and Roddick.

Final game was against his nemesis Nadal, who has dominated Federer on clay, challenged and won grass from Fed. If it weren't for the US open last year, Federer has nothing to show for in the past year. This Aussie Open was on Hard Court, a surface Nadal never won a Slam on before. Federer's win would've tied him with Sampras for most Slams. It would also mean RF can defend his turf on Hard Court at least. He put up a valiant fight, had chances in 1st and 3rd set, but faltering on a slew of break points and letting Nadal go up 2-1. A visibly tired Nadal couldn't close the deal in 4th, which took us to the deciding 5th. RF looked lethargic in the 5th and error prone. Nadal seem to have caught 2nd or 3rd wind and finish off the King for the past 4 years. Trophy ceremony was hard to watch as RF started to sob so badly, he couldn't speak after getting the runners up trophy from Rod Laver. After checking him emotions, he gave a brief speech congratulating Rafa and thanked the fans before bowing out of this year's open. I feel horrible for him, as he is literally seeing his chance of slipping away as Nadal gets stronger on different surfaces. I think he was mentally and physically exhausted. Rafa felt so bad for him, he took his trophy and went over and give RF a hug and tried to comfort him. Both men are such classy sports men, I feel lucky to be a part of this era.

After all is said and done, I think RF can still tie or pass Sampras's record. But who is to say Rafa wont break RF's record soon after? The way he is going, Rafa can win on any surface.

The Kitchen Club and Chibi's bar

Connie make me add this to the blog since she fell in love with the namesake of the Sake bar(a French Bull Dog) that is attached to a cozy place near prince St called The Kitchen club. Owner is a Dutch lady that hires a team of Japanese waitresses. Front section is a restaurant and the back is a Sake Bar which also serves the same menu, much cramped in space though.

The ambiance is very LES like, cozy tables with tea lights. The surrounding walls are full of pictures and paintings of Chibi, the owner's French Bull Dog. The dog actually strolls around the restaurant and bar area. You are not supposed to feed him, unless you are using the tiny apples on each table. Bulldogs are notoriously lazy and slow movers, this one is no exception. I figure if a restaurant need something catchy to be its namesake, the food and drinks may be rather uninspiring.

Not quite. Wine choices are limited by the glass, but not in quality. Cocktails are Japanese themed (Sakitinis), but interesting. A Sparkling wine with Lychee was named Cherry Blossom. Quite potent, if you ask Connie.

Food choices were eclectic. The appetizer sampler has 6 different types of dumplings, seared Ahi, endive salad with walnuts and Gorgonzola. Main courses were surprisingly good. Although it is hard to mess up a miso cod, I still have to say theirs is one of the better ones. Perfectly seasoned and the cod is cooked just right to melt in your mouth. Connie swears by her filet mignon wrapped with a ring of bacon. Best part of her dish was the sweet potatoe au gratin side. Creamy, sweet and just out of this world. Needless to say, that was the first item disappearing from her dish and I helped quite a bit.

Interesting place. Not sure if i would return any time soon, but if Connie wants to see Chibi again, we may stop for a drink?

6.5/10

Season's Greetings

I was actually quite touched when a few friends emailed me recently asking what happened to the blog and how i have been. I am ecstatic you are out there reading this and checking up on me periodically.

I have actually been super busy at work. Companies have been "doing more with less", mine is no exception. I guess it is a good thing to be busy these days. I am disgusted with the market condition and where the economy is going. It really hit home when some close friends and relatives got hit by this crisis. Some in financial field and some not. If you ask my pessimist cousin HJ, this will last 5-10 years. But I sincerely hope this is over in a year or two.

On the other hand, US $ is getting stronger, so maybe I will get to continue my Grand Slam tour next year in London or Paris. It is tough to plan these trips when UK Pound is almost 2-1 and Euros are 1.6 to 1.

I hope every one have a great holiday season ( I will get to see some of you) and may this economy pick up soon.

1492 in LES

Connie took me to this nice little tapas place on the lower east side for my Birthday. Yes, i am old. LES has come a long way as far as 'gentrification' is concerned, some parts of Clinton st is still a little ghetto. With so many nice restaurants around, (WD-50, Falai to name a few) it bothers me that it still feels unsafe.

Nice cozy place for some Rioja or Sangria and just keep ordering the small plates. Tapas portion is fair and the entree portions are fairly small. We got 5 tapas and a Black Paella (cooked in squid ink). Highly recommend the Chorizo and cheese lollipop, Dates wrapped in Bacon on a bed of almond and endives, Croquette with Jamon and Sliced Skirt steak with garlic olive oil over creamiest mash potatoe. Paella de Arroz Negro was just the right portion after all that and it was very tasty.

All in all, a rather repeatable place. Like most tapas places, best to keep the group to 3-4, so you get to sample more items and have just the right amount to share.

6/10 in my book.

Top Chef New York!!!

Top Chef season 5 is in NYC. They must've filmed in the summer and I didnt stake out at the Houston Street Whole Foods enough. Premiere on Nov 12 seems ok. Some characters seems interesting enough to follow. Two European additions are cocky enough spice up the chemistry among the Cheftestants.

Wednesdays 10pm on Bravo! If you are not watching it, do check it out. It is probably the best Food related reality show on TV right now,

Knife and Fork on 4th

We had walked by this place numerous times when hanging out in the east village thinking it looks rather chic but intimate and worth a try sometime. Then a week or two ago, I received an email from Zagat about Knife and Fork chef Damien Brassel, former Bobby Flay sous chef, is hosting a food and wine tasting event at his place; I decided to read about his restaurant and got a table for Friday night prime time with relative ease.

One thing that stands out about this place is their six course tasting menu that has been priced @ $45 since inception. At this day and age, this sounds too good to be true. After getting our usual white/red wine split, we went for the tasting menu. Then it came an almost 3 hour dining experience that dragged a bit too long for my liking. If we were vacationing in Italy or Spain, I totally wouldn't mind it, but in NYC on a Friday night it is a bit much? Food were pretty solid, but uninspiring. A lot of different puree, creme fraiche, foam appears on white C&B plates (which Connie really likes). Service was attentive and the fact that this 35 seat place is served by Damien himself plus 1 assistant, they run this place pretty well. Not really many memorable dishes from the tasting menu, except house cured salmon with lime creme fraiche and seaweed salad and tea smoke chicken risotto.

Coming in thinking the $45 menu is a real steal, it turns out about right for the price. This place has a good ambiance and a good wine list. I would return to try the regular menu to give it another shot. 6/10 in my book.

108 East 4th Street, NYC
212-228-4885

Luger-ese steak place in Manhattan, no cash needed either

So my cousin and I both had our wedding reception hosted at Jimmy Sung's on 44th. When it shut its doors a couple of years ago, it was pretty sad for both of us. But then it was replaced by Ben and Jack's Steakhouse, featuring Peter Luger style steaks with out the trek to Williamsburg AND they take credit cards too.

My friend HC is moving to India for work and he had a sudden craving for beef since it would be hard pressed to find a steak house in India, let alone a good one. We decided to check out this Luger spin off. (one of a few in the city) The decor was almost the same when it was that upscale Chinese place, down to the private rooms, huge mirrors and even the painting up front. It sure brings back memories of my wedding reception. Menu is pretty much the same as Luger, but without the attitude. Porterhouse was as good, greasy and tasty and my bone in rib eye was top notch. The German potato and creamy spinach sides are as good as any steak places. I always wonder how anyone can have dessert at this place when you had just devour a month worth allowance of red meat in one setting. But people around us were having desserts and they are not shy about piling on the whipped cream.

This meal definitely reminded me how great a good steak tastes, as I have not been eating much red meat since my biggest loser competition. 8 out of 10 in my book for a steakhouse. This is definitely a macho place and carnivore's pleasure den.

Thou Shall Not Move

or at least minimize the time you move.
Having recently sold our apt and got a house, Connie and I had the 'joy' of going through packing, moving and unpacking (which we are still in process of). Please refer to title of the blog to see how I feel about the whole process. The only semi-pleasant part of the move was the professional movers we hired. (OZ Moving) Having decent furniture to move for the first time in my life, I didn't want to mess it up with a U Haul truck and test my friendship by asking for moving help. They were fast, efficient and very courteous. But the process of sorting through and pack for even a 2BR worth of stuff is overwhelming. Neither of us took time off, so we had to use evening hours and weekends to pack. It is amazing how much junk one can accumulate over a short four year period at my apt.

Still going through finding different pieces from different boxes these days, I will probably be box free by Christmas time.

Restaurant Week et al

Restaurant week is here again. Friends and coworkers are all getting excited and booking places. I, on the other hand, am done with RW. It doesn't appeal to me as much anymore. It is a good concept to begin with back in 1992 or 1993 whenever they started it. Most time you get a reso at a nice place, the RW menu is crappy and you end up getting things off the regular menu anyways. So the illusion of getting a top notch $35/pp dinner just doesn't exist.

I am sure the restaurant workers, both the kitchen and front staff doesn't really like it, cuz they get tons more volume then they are used to and much smaller checks. Kitchen staff has to put out a lot more meals than any average week. So no one should expect 100% effort from the restaurant staff during RW week. The argument that this will remind the city what a great culinary treasure NYC is doesn't really stand either. Everyone knows NYC is the best foodie town, bar none.

So may I suggest everyone save the headache of securing a table during RW and let the tourists and newbie foodies rush to the RW and avoid the crowd.
*** ***

Some random thoughts. I saw a news report on high gas prices and how it can do us good. It has some valid points which is interesting.

1. Makes you drive less and causes less pollution.
2. Less accidents cuz of less cars on the street.
3. Makes you walk more and be healthier.
4. Leaves you with less money, so you eat out less and eat healthier.

Interesting perspective, ain't it?

Wimbledon wrap up

Wimbledon ended yesterday (7/6), and it almost didn't.

It was a great two weeks of tennis, almost rain delay free, punctuated by one of the greatest matches I had ever seen. Yes, the Rafa vs Federer match that sets all kinds of duration record and had Federer won, would've set all sorts of other record too. In the end, the younger Rafa prevailed in 5 super tight sets. The match had gone through 2 rain delays, lasted almost 7 hours into 9:15 pm. If either one insisted on leaving the court, we might have to determine the champ on Monday. Actual match time was 4:48 which is a Wimbledon Finals record.

Rafa was up two sets quickly on 2 loose games by Fed. The King looks flustered and I genuinely start to worry about him. Then came the rain delay when Fed was leading 5-4. he came back and won the next two sets in tie-breakers flashing his usual brilliance, except he couldn't convert on many of the break chances that Rafa gave him during those two sets. The futility on break chances continues for Fed into 5th set, they both held serve until the end where Rafa muscled his way to a 9-7 win the the 5th. I felt horrible for R Fed as this is his house, it is his crown to lose at Wimbledon, just as Roland Garros is Rafa's house and he defended his fort beautifully just last month (beating R Fed 1-3-Love). Rafa not only come into Fed's house and beat him, he might even take over his #1 ranking sometime this summer, since Fed has a lot of points to defend and Rafa can only improve on his tepid Hard court season last year.

Does this mark the end of Fed's reign? I don't think so, but i do think his unbelievable dominance that was exhibited last 4-5 years is coming to an end. He wont win 2-3 slams a year, but still has 3-4 slams left in him. He WILL be one of the greatest player ever played, whether he passed Sampras' slam record or not. He will be the most gracious champion ever and i am glad i lived in an era when he played. Rafa was a precious star for our era too. Hard to find a young man so intense, yet so humble and classy in handling himself. Well done, Federer and Nadal family!


Honorable mention for Zheng Jie, who became the story of the tournament when she broke through he bracket as a wild card and went all the way to final four before succumbing to Serena in 2 tough sets. She also announced that she is donating most of her prize money to earthquake relief fun in Cheng Du, her hometown. Chinese Tennis association was so touched, they adjusted the ratio they are taking from Zheng to maximize her winnings. Way to go Zheng Jie!

Top Chef 4 - Tepid season finally over

I started watching Top Chef on Bravo since last season and got hooked on ever since. The drama among the cheftestants, the appearance of guest judges (usually celeb chefs) are very entertaining. When technically strong Hung won the whole thing last year, I was pretty excited about an AZN brotha representin'.

So I watched this season religiously and cannot say I got the same satisfaction as last year. There were little dramas, cursing fest, blowups here and there, but all seems quite staged. No major characters stands out and has a personality that hooks you to come back and see what outrageous thing he/she will say this week! Dale has the talent to take the path of Hung to repeat as a 2nd AZN Top Chef, but he fizzled out during restaurant war in the hands of the perpetually pissed off Lisa. It was Richard Blais's season to lose, and he did just that. Choking on the final episode and lost out to Top Chef Stephanie, who also won fan favorite chef. I am sure she will do well in her Chicago restaurant as with Harold's Perilla.

Overall, I find season 4 lackluster but still entertaining enough for me to tune in. Rumor has it season 5 will be based in NYC. This will be awesome! Hopefully during the next year or so, I will bump into some taping of the show! Just need to watch out a motorcade of Toyota 4X4's parked in front.

Tenya - Japanese place in Shanghai

So I was in Shanghai for 11 days visiting my parents. Most of the meals were Shanghainese food which I missed very much. The heavy sauce, sweet flavor and the various cold dishes were very satisfactory.

One of the more memorable meals, however, was at a cool Japanese restaurant called Tenya. My friend PL brought Connie and I there. It was a place that specialize in Tuna and Snow crabs. I heard it was run by Japanese tuna importers. When I called for direction, the manager, who is Japanese, speaks decent albeit accented Chinese. Later I found out he speaks English too. The set menu is of fantastic value. For RMB250, you start with different types of toro sashimi and steamed king crab legs After this, you enjoy a hotpot with more tuna, some smaller crab legs, and loads of fresh vegetables. Towards the end of the hotpot portion of the meal, you can get udon or congee dump into the soup. After ALL that, you get a mini size, but filling bowl of negitoro-don. (chopped toro with scallion over sushi rice). Lastly, you get a scoop of coffee ice cream with coffee chips. We also got the RMB200 plate of mixed toro sushi to share. It takes you from Maguro, to medium Toro, then to fatty Toro. It was an amazing meal and I highly recommend it to all my friends who frequent Shanghai.

8 out of 10 in my book. I am sure they have a similar one in NYC and I am determined to find it.

Mary's Fish Camp

We walked by Mary's fish camp in the west village quite a few times, always saw people lining up outside this tiny West village seafood place. Chef/Owner Mary Redding was a split fom the famed Pearl Oyster Bar. This inconspicuous place on the corner of 4th and Charles doesnt take reservations. I am starting to like these walk-in only places, at least everyone gets a chance to get in.

It only took about 15 minutes wait for us to get in and sit at the counter. The tables are so cramped, I thought the counter seats were a better choice. Wine and beer selection were limited but decent for a tiny place. Connie got a glass of Spanish Rose and I went for a Brooklyn Pilsner. The seafood-centric menu makes you feel like you are in a small cottage in New England, of course the open kitchen right behind the counter helped with sweet smell of steamed/fried/grilled seafood. I started with a light and delish New Zealand Cockle with Garlic wine sauce and white beans. I would never imagine putting white bean with any shell fish, but it worked well. Connie got the fried oyster and clams. It was light and tasty but nothing spectacular.

Lobster roll was what this place was known for, but after watching Chef Mary makes it right in front of my eyes, i decided not to get it. It is basically a bun, with a scoop of pre-mixed lobster salad (from a large jar) she took out from the fridge. Piled with a large side of shoe string fries. M.P was $35 the night we were there. Thanks, but no thanks. I stuck with bouillabaise and Connie got the whole grilled Dorade. Being a shell fish lover, I enjoyed the bouillabaise very much and Connie thought the fish was done well, but nothing to write home about. We didnt stay for dessert since Magnolia was close by.

All in all, it resembles a good seafood shack in New England, but with a NYC price tag. I would do it again when I crave for N.E style seafood. 6.5 out of 10 in my book.

PIGGING OUT at Momofuku Ssam Bar

David Chang is probably the hottest new star on the NYC culinary scene. His Momofuku noodle bar, Ssam bar and latest addition Ko are all doing extremely well. NY Times' Frank Bruni swears by him. Any foodies I talk to have nothing but thumbs up for it. Ko, with only 12 seats, is so hard to get in. The only way to book your table is on line starting at 10AM each day and you can only book it for that day. Obviously they are gone in seconds. It was said that a food critic was so desperate, he had a few interns hired just to stay on line @ 10am to click on the reservation button.

Ssam Bar doesn't take reservations, unless you reserve a $200 Bo Ssam meal served family style. It is a whole roasted pork shoulder, served with lettuce, dozen oysters, rice and 4 different types of sauce, ginger scallion, kimchee puree, kimchee and Spicy soybean paste, meant to serve 6-8 people. Bo Ssam is only served at 5pm and 10pm each day.

With only 6 in our group, we were concerned that we cannot finish the Bo Ssam meal, so we only ordered the seasonal pickles to start. It was wonderfully light and tasty. Then after a few beers, the Bo Ssam meal started to arrive. First came the lettuce and the sauces, A dozen oyster came on an ice tray. Then, there it is. The Bo Ssam.

A nice hunk of brownish roasted pork came on a 10" plate. One guy in our group commented, " Oh we can do this". We were concerned about 6 of us finishing the meal, hence the comment. But the waiter told us that 4 average build guys finished the meal just the other night. The roasted aroma of pork goodness fill the air. Each of us gets a mini tong to pull the pork off.

What you were suppose to do is to take a piece of lettuce, put in your choice of sauce, a piece of oyster, and pull some pork and put in the lettuce, fold it up and eat it like a wrap. The first pull off the Bo Ssam, I know I am in for a treat. The mini tong pierced the pork shoulder with no effort, the meat is so tender, they come off the bone so easily. I tried some without any sauce, and it was dreamy. I declared at that moment, this is the best pork dish I had ever had. It is moist, tender, flavorful. It is liquid pork. The 'mmm' and 'aah' goes around the table and everyone is happy with my choice of this place. The shoulder is slow roasted for 6-8 hours and all the fat and skin seem to just melt away and whats left on the lean meat is a layer of gelatinous texture. When wrapped in lettuce with some rice, oyster and some sauce, it is just pure downright pork goodness that is hard to resist. Lettuce baskets were refilled, the Bo Ssam is still barely 1/3 done. We started to realize it is going to a a challenge for us to finish this whole meal.

After quite a few lettuce wrapped pork 'sandwiched' we were all stuffed and couldn't go further. It is becoming a bit 'one-dimensional' meal, although a wonderfully rich and delicious one. Best approach is probably come with 8-10 people, so you can finish the Bo Ssam comfortably and try out some other dishes on the menu.

I highly recommend this place and would give it a 8.5/10 in my book!

Alex Urena's Pamplona

One of Ferran Adria's apprentice, Alex Urena, converted his up-scale Spanish place Urena and degustation menu to a Tapas place in 07' and it was regarded as one of the 10 best new restaurants of 07 by NY Times. With tapas places in the city popping up like mushrooms, we figure this would a a good place to check out.

The location in Murray Hill on 28th is a little strange, the quiet block isn't exactly hopping with restaurants and bars. It seems to be just on the outskirt of the hot zone in Gramercy. I got there early, so I got a passion fruit mojito and sat at the bar. Interesting twist on Mojito. There were many people just hanging at the bar area and getting a few tapas. I was just about to try the house specialty Calimocho (Half Rioja half Coke), when Connie got in. We were seated right away with the reso I made 2 days prior.

The one page menu is of pleasant simplicity. We got the Manchego cheese Bunuelos(above), Bacon wrapped Dates(above), Bacalao Croquettes and Chickpea frite. Cheese Bunuelos and Dates were really tasty. Bacalao was just ok and Chickpea frite is dressed up with diced tomatoes and Spanish peppers and drizzled with emulsion of peppers. With our pitcher of Sangria half way gone, we move on to the second round of our orders. A Bocadillo de Jamon, a simple tasty affair of Serrano ham and buttery Iberico cheese on a pressed grilled sandwich cut into bite sizes. Next came the disappoint of the night, the main dish Conchinillo (Confit of suckling pig, above right). I read about it and had high expectations coming in, but it turned out just ok. Skin was crispy, pork was tender but it didn't stand out at all. $35 for a main at a tapas place, it better impress. I would stick with the small dishes in the future.

We went for the chocolate Bunuelos for dessert on the waiter's recommendation and it was very satisfying. Fried balls of chocolate dough, sprinkled with sugar and filled with hot, thick chocolate sauce, what's not to love?

Overall, this is a fairly good tapas place. 6 out of 10 in my book. But with so many tapas place in the city, it would be a while till I circle back to Pamplona again. Definitely stick with the small plates and have some fun drinks while you are at it.

NetJet Showdown at the Garden

Ok Ok, call me a hypocrite. I blogged about how athletes from different eras should not be brought together in a match or even be compared, but when I was offered a ticket to catch the Sampras/Federer match at MSG, I jumped on it. AND it did not disappoint.

First of all, this is the first time I watched tennis at the Garden. My seat was in the 300 levels and it wasn't bad at all. It is comparable to Loge seating at Ashe during the open. So for the usual upper tier box Ashe seat holder like me, this is pretty sweet.

The match was much more entertaining than I expected. The crowd was mostly pro Pete. (of course, we love to root for the underdogs) But when Pete went up 5-2 in the 3rd and deciding set, the crowd turned towards rooting for Roger. Both guys are obviously having fun. But i would imagine if it was Agassi vs Roddick, the players would have a lot more fun with the crowd and crack a lot more jokes. For two guys who had been labeled "boring" by the tennis media, they did their part to get the crowd into it. One point during the match at a critical point, Pete handed the racket to Tiger Wood, who is sitting right behind the baseline. After Tiger touched the racket, Pete won the next point and proceed to do a 'Tiger-esque" fist pumping. Roger stood on the other side of the court laughing. Tiger was obviously guest of Roger's and sat with his wife, along with Roger's parents and his gf Mirka.

Ivan Lendl actually was the guy that put this show together, Johnny and Pat Mac, Billy Jean King, Roy Emerson were all on hand for the festivity. I also spotted Alfred Portale right behind the baseline. Who is manning the Gotham kitchen tonight? :)

I enjoyed the evening and marveled at the level of tennis Pete is still capable of. But at times, I thought maybe Roger is just toying with him, because there was one game, Roger held at love with four Aces. The debate will go on forever, who is the best in their prime. This Sampras Federer saga has gone 3-1 in Federer's favor. They were talking about another one in London. I maintain my position that legends should be left alone and not be compared. But if a match of this magnitude comes to my backyard again, I will be there again :)

Texas two stepping in Chelsea - Hill Country

Food critics like Frank Bruni and Ruth Reichl doesn't write a review for a restaurant until after 4-5 trips, in or out of disguise. So I waited until I tried Hill Country twice before writing this.

It is one of many BBQ joints that has been popping up in the city lately. It boast Texas style BBQ in a canteen like setting. Both times we were seated fairly quickly and reminded of the meal ticket system, a la Katz Deli. Basically each one gets a meal ticket and you order drinks with your waitress and then wait in line at the meat counter, the sides counter and dessert counter to pick out what you want. Essentially it is a buffet for your eyes, but you pay for everything you get, as oppose to paying one fixed price. It gets dangerous for a guy like me who orders a half pound of moist brisket(Must have!!!), 2 pork rib, 2 beef rib and a jalapeno cheese sausage. I bet most people order more than they can actually eat. Sides were interesting, but go for the medium or small size, the big side is deceiving huge and costs around $10.

The meat gets put on to a piece butcher paper and the guy skillfully wraps it into a boat shape and hand it to me. When I got it from him, I knew I had over ordered and I saw the back of my meal ticket 2/3 full with bar codes from the scale.

Did I mention the moist beef brisket and the beef ribs are out of this world? I would just come in here and get those next time. Sausages are good, but not great. Pork ribs are not the best I have had, but hey, it is Texas beef country!

Overall, it is a fun place, good food, quite repeatable. 6/10 in my book.

Stop wasting my tax money on Clemens!

Roger Clemens saga is becoming more and more ridiculous by the minute. Now there are reports that there are pictures that indicate him at a particular party hosted by Jose Canseco, which Clemens denied under oath at a recent congressional hearing. So House of Representatives have asked Dept of Justice to step in to investigate if this warrants a perjury charge.

I had always wondered why Clemens keeps denying using steroid, when public polls had shown that it wont affect his chance of getting into Hall of Fame. By going in front of Congress under oath, he has everything to lose, but very little to gain. His once close friend Andy Pettitte admitted to using HGH twice and also indicated that Clemens had told him he used it. Pettitte has no reason to make it up; nor does the trainer McNamee, whom I think it is scumbag in his own way. Who keeps syringe from years ago when he injected Clemens and others and keep it for DNA verification, if you don’t foresee this type of hearing? How calculating/paranoid do you have to be to pull something like this?

I never liked Clemens, as a Red Sucks, Jays or Yanks. He always seem distant, not genuine and arrogant. So this circus was quite annoying to me. But the main point of this post is: Don’t our congressmen and women have better things to do than holding hearings about steroids use in a game? Don’t we have more pressing issues? Weakening dollar, credit crisis, impending recession, war in Iraq? Puhlease…House of Rep should come up with some act/law that can address something a little more important and Dept of Justice should be keeping us safe from the next terror attack.

Stop wasting anymore of my tax money!!!

Alfred Portale's Gotham

Alfred Portale's Gotham has been a NYC staple since the 80s. Already a legend in the culiary world, he won the James Beard award for Outstanding Chef in 06' and the calibre of chef that has worked under him over years @ Gotham are equally impressive, Tom Valenti(Cesca, Ouest), Scott Bryan(Veritas) and Tom Colicchio(Gramercy Tavern, Craft Empire) to name a few. I decided to book it for our V day dinner, only a day early. Valentine's Day is a bittersweet, love-hate kind of holiday for restaurants. They are almost sure to be packed and people buy lots of champagne/wine and don't mind paying the "special" prix fixe menu. But it takes some wrangling to convert the entire restaurant into a room full of deuces ('table for two') and keep to the reservations time-table as lovebirds tend to linger. So to avoid the crowd and sometimes unreasonable Valentine's day prix fixe menu, we celebrated on the 13th and I will cook on the 14th.

Gotham has the look of a power dining scene, high ceilings, open space and dozens of attentive staff. Service is impeccable from the moment you walked in. There is always someone pulling your chair, folding your napkin, pouring your wine and refilling your bread plate. There is no tasting menu for dinner, so we went for a seafood-centric dinner. Sommelier recommended a fruity German Riesling which was a tad too sweet for me, but it is about pleasing my Valentine today aint it? :)

I started with the Yellowfin Tuna tartar (my weekly mercury intake :P) and Connie the Black Bass ceviche. Portale, lives up to his "vertical food" name as most of his dishes are stacked high and beautifully presented. Two very good, even great starters. I followed with a secondo of Alaskan crab risotto, Connie a Curried pumpkin bisque. My risotto is top notch. Mixed in with huge lumps of crab meat are prosiutto di Parma, butternut squash and some citris slices. This lead to Connie's comment, " Why do you always order the better dishes?" followed by obligatory switching of our plates, although reluctantly on my end. By the time entree comes, we were well on our way to being full, maybe it was also because of the bread guy keep circling and make sure our bread plate is not empty. Connie's Miso Glazed Cod trumped my Porcini crusted Halibut. My halibut was really good, with porcini, caramelized cauliflower in a white verjus emulsion. Very creamy and tasty. But the Miso glazed Cod was a notch above, even better than the Nobu and Morimoto version.

Dessert was not the first thing on my mind after our third course, but I was told to not miss the Gotham Chocolate Cake. It was indeed quite amazing. Flourless, served with some Banana Sorbet. Later with the check, came a flyer kindly suggests that the whole Gotham Chocolate cake can be ordered for $82 each. Whoa?!

Overall, the food was great, everything was done exquisitely, but nothing out of ordinary. Service is top notch. Decor is very NY power dining like, little outdated, but has its romantic touches. 8.5/10 in my book! Oh, and bring your platinum card. The bill is as grand as the food and decor.