Restaurant Week: The Bad

Ok, so 3 years after I decide to check back on my blog and do some writing. Paris is all behind me now and I am living in New York. And unlike my stay in Paris where good produce is almost always a stone throw's away from just about anywhere which kept me busy in my own kitchen, New York has all the restaurants that will make you hungry for more.

Every year, New York celebrates Restaurant Week, a 3 week bi-annual event where most high end restaurants (Michellin Rated Included) offer a special menu at a discounted rate. Think of it as a sneak peek of what the restaurant has to offer.  The promo for Restaurant Week Winter/Spring 2012 was $24.07 for a 2 course lunch or a $35 for a 3 course dinner. And I went crazy thinking this was the only chance I'll get at trying out all the fancy restaurants in New York without having to sell my soul for extra cash.

 Here is the list of the places I've been to for restaurant week.
Morimoto
Ai Fiori (1 Michelin)
A Voce (1 Michelin)
Fishtail by David Burke
Boulud Sud by Daniel Boulud
Megu
Ca Va by Todd English
Dovetail (1 Michelin)
Gotham Bar and Grill (1 Michelin)
La Perigord
Millesime at the Carlton

Sashimi display at Morimoto covered in plastic

 I kicked off restaurant week by going to Morimoto by Chelsea Market. The setting was modern and clean, and even the entrance to the restaurant looked amazing. I even got a seat by the sushi bar and got to see some of the cooks in action. I was so excited to finally try Morimoto but sadly, the food didn't match up with the design. I got the "Wagyu bento meal" they had on offer for restaurant week and all I can remember is getting a very thin slice of overcooked Wagyu. Very disappointing. The best part of the meal was the miniscule and overpriced serving of Uni ($9) and they didn't have to do anything to it! Determined to try something that tasted something like what Morimoto would come up in Battle Kitchen Stadium, I browsed through the menu and decided to order one of their expensive sushi rolls, the soft shell crab tempura. But again, it was a disappointment. The sushi had absolutely no taste of soft shell crab, or any crab at all. Also, the barely there sashimi on display was all wrapped in cling film. I'm very sure this has something to do with the New York health inspection code but still, why display fresh fish if your only going to wrap it up?

Megu was also a disappointment. Very much like Morimoto, the design of the restaurant was reallly nice to look at but the food was mediocre. Below is a photo of their 5 kinds of Sashimi. I was expecting to get more than just 1 slice per fish based on the price (almost $30 if i recall correctly). I also got their beef which came in a really nice presentation on a hot stone where it continued to cook. But again, the beef was was thinly sliced and it looked a lot better that it tasted.

 

Sashimi

These 2 restaurants are probably among the worst I've been to. Passing off good decor to lure in gullible foodies like myself. Never again will I judge a book by it's cover. On the other hand, I tried Yuba, a small well lit Japanese restaurant in downtown with a very simple design but served the best sushi I've had to this date. I think only a trip to the Tsukiji market will top this restaurant but that's due for another post.