NYC Restaurant Week 2012: Protein-Rich Mediterranean Feat at Ilili

For NYC Restaurant Week 2012, I made a vow to explore cuisines I have never tried before, including Russian food from Brasserie Pushkin. For my second stop, I decided to try Ilili, "a contemporary Lebanese restaurant offering inspired Mediterranean cuisine," in Flatiron.

When my friend and I arrived at 6, the restaurant was already packed with foodies taking advantage of the Restaurant Week. Shortly after being seated, the waiter brought us amuse-bouche of seasoned pita chips and yogurt & olive oil based dip with olives.

The pita chips were crispy and dusted with savory seasoning that I really enjoyed. The yogurt dip was a bit too thick, and the olive oil made it even richer.

Lebanese cuisine is pretty heavy on carb. The waiter brought three pieces of warm, freshly-baked pita bread. I wonder what made them puff like this...The inside of the bread was soft and chewy.

The restaurant week at Ilili offered two appetizers from the list. For my first appetizer, I chose Kibbe Naye, or steak tartare with onion, burghul, and mint on a shallow pool of olive oil.

The presentation of the dish was satisfactory. I personally love the scent of mint, so I thought the leaves on top was a nice touch to the steak tartare. When people think of steak tartare, most people think it is just raw meat. However, this dish had bites of grounded ginger, garlic, cloves, scallions, and other vegetables mixed into the meat itself. I couldn't really taste the burghul, but the pickled onions on top were quite refreshing.

My second appetizer was Chicken Livers with pomogranate molasses, lemon, and sumac. The dish had a huge portion! And to think that this was only the appetizer...The chicken livers were served in a hot iron skillet.

Livers have a distinct bitter aftertaste. The meat is also much denser and the texture is slightly grainy. The sauce used for the dish was similar to soy sauce except with the same stickiness of teriyaki sauce. It made for a great dipping sauce for the pita bread.

My friend chose Mouhamara, walnut and red pepper dip, for one of herr appetizers. These are balls of walnuts and sundried peppers with pomogranate molasses.

This is a Falafel dish with tahini sauce. Falafels that I have seen in the past are usually round balls of fried garbanzo beans, but these were cube shaped and made with fava beans. They were garnished with shreds of bell peppers and chives.

The waiter was kind enough to pace our meals so that our stomachs are somewhat digested by the time the next course came to the table. After we finished our grand appetizers, the waiter brought our entrees. He poured fermented aleppo nage over char-grilled Black Bass. FYI, a nage is a flavored liquid used for poaching delicate foods. The broth is usually flavored with white wine, vegetables, and herbs, and then reduced and thickened with cream or butter.

My friend said the dish was very light. Because I am lactose-intolerant and the sauce had butter/cream, my stomach probably would not have been happy had I consumed this dish.

Instead, I got the Lamb Chops with salsa verde and roasted tomatoes. Although the Restaurant Week prix fixe menus are $35, this entree required a $7 supplement. The plate was presented with two racks of lamb with fresh greens on top.

I must have been protein-deprived. Now that I look back, I have ordered all dishes super heavy in protein! From steak to chicken to lamb...well, I certainly am glowing in front of my lamb chops.

Unfortunately, right when I placed the knife over my lamb chops, I realized that the meat had been cooked medium! I am a rare/raw meat eater (see steak tartare above), so without even taking a bite, I asked the waiter if I could get it cooked rare instead.



The second plate of lamb chops cooked much faster. Sadly, the lamb chops were also smaller and much fattier. I had to navigate through so much fat that I am pretty sure the actual consumption of lamb meat was less than 4 oz. The lamb chops were also served over a bed of olive oil, which I thought was completely unnecessary. It is already loaded with fat, so there is no need to add more! Overall, the meat was just too heavy for my liking.

Ilili only offered one dessert: Chocolate Cake with vanilla ice cream and chocolate drizzle. It was by far the ugliest dessert I have ever seen at an upscale restaurant. On a round plate was a scoop of plain vanilla ice cream and a round chocolate cake. The server brought out a cauldron of chocolate sauce and poured it over the dessert. It just seemed too messy.

Since I can't have dairy, I got a trio of raspberry sorbet. It was a refreshing way to wrap up my otherwise extremely heavy dinner. The flavors of raspberry were very strong. Overall, my experience at Ilili peaked too high to begin with that it only had a downward path to go.

NYC Restaurant Week 2012: Elegant Russian Dining at Brasserie Pushkin

As a foodie, I have tried many different cuisines, ranging from French to Korean to Ethiopian. I have never had proper Russian food, but that was about to change when I made a reservation at Brasserie Pushkin. According to its website, Brasserie Pushkin offers "a contemporary interpretation of Russian haute cuisine as seen through the cosmopolitan lens of New York." Without a doubt, I was excited to try this place!

Upon entering the restaurant, which is located in Midtown West near Central Park, I was immediately impressed with its luxe decor. The walls were decorated with European frescos that reminded me of the Versailles. We were seated on a comfortable velvety chairs. The waitress even offered a mini-stool next to the seat for my purse because in Russia, putting your bags on the floor meant it would bring bad luck, such as losing your money. Attention to little details like this presaged a great beginning to my culinary experience at this upscale Russian restaurant with French influence in Midtown West.

Brasserie Pushkin was offering Summer Restaurant Week menu. For appetizer, I chose the "Vinegret" Salad. The presentation of beets, pickled cucumbers, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage packed together in a can-shape, with greens on top and quail eggs & salmon roes on the side was absolutely stunning. I was almost afraid to eat it!

The quail eggs & salmon roe combination was a miss for me. The roe had too strong fishy taste that it completely shielded other flavors. It was pretty though!

The dish made me wonder what the chef used to bind the vegetables together because I didn't taste any mayo. Perhaps starchy vinegar, if such thing even exists?

The greens on top of the root vegetables were really fresh as well. I don't think the vinaigrette was necessary since the root vegetables already had some seasonings.

It sort of broke my heart to devour the salad because I wanted to stare at its beautiful presentation forever! Not only did the salad look beautiful, it also tasted delicious.

The Pelmeni, traditional Russian dumplings with beef, pork, and lamb inside, resembled six golf-ball like pelmenis had sprinkles of parsley on top and served with some sort of sour cream sauce on the side. The dumplings were quite juicy and the exterior wasn't too doughy or thick.

For the entree, I chose Pike with Spinach. On my plate was a medium size piece of steamed/roasted pike over sundried tomato sauce and spinach.

The pike was cooked perfectly! I hate when my fish is overcooked that it tastes too crispy, but this pike had nice crispy outside with soft, tender inside. The dish also tasted really healthy.

Unfortunately, I did not like the sauce underneath. It probably had 10,000mg of sodium! Way too salty...The sauce was extremely overpowering. I almost think the chef accidentally poured a bucket of salt.

Petite Original "Pojarsky," or veal and chicken cutlet with housemade crouton crust, is the dish that my friend ordered. It was served with three round-cut pieces of potatoes and sauce on the side.

Pojarsky is the restaurant's signature dish. I am not a huge fan of fried food, so I didn't try. It's basically gourmet chicken nugget. Haha.

Finally for dessert, I had Medovik, Russian traditional dulce de leche and honey cake. Because it was my friend's birthday, the waiter brought a little candle too :)

There were gold leaflets on the plate as well. I now have gold in my stomach.

Medovik had multiple, crepe-like layers of honey cake and caramel cream. Unfortunately, the cake was too dense and sweet for my liking, especially since I much prefer lighter, soft cakes.

The waiter sort of went overboard with the birthday celebration because he also brought two cups of dry ice. I wasn't sure why, but I guess that's Russian tradition?

The trio of Macarons was probably one of the best macarons I have ever tasted! When I first got the plate, I was disappointed because they weren't the colorful macarons I was used to seeing, but boring beige, dark brown, and light brown colors.

But that first bite changed all and any of my qualms. The meringue outside was crispy and chewy, while the cream inside was full of flavors. I would recommend Brasserie Pushkin...perhaps not its entree, but definitely the appetizer salad and dessert selection!