Bar Americain

As you may know, I go through phases with my favorite Food Network chefs. My latest interest has been Bobby Flay. He first came to my attention in his show "Boy Meets Grill" where he cooks anything and everything, from steak to pizza, on the grill. I thoroughly appreciate his deeply-rooted connection to Brooklyn, his hometown, and his unexpected culinary interest in the southwest. I also noticed that of all the chefs on Iron Chef: America, his creations were the ones I would most like to try.

He has three New York restaurants and I knew I had to try one in my last trip up there. Mesa (Grill), his first restaurant is a product of his love for southwestern cuisine. His second restaurant, Bolo, is a tribute to his love of the simplicity and richness of Spanish cuisine. His newest NYC endeavor is Bar Americain, a restaurant where he attempts to spice up traditional American dishes with the bold flavors of the southwest. I settled on Bar Americain probably because it sounded most intriguing to me. After all, what exactly is "American cuisine"? Fried chicken?

I was pleasantly surprised to find that "American cuisine" was exactly what I was looking for out of my Bobby Flay experience. Not only was the food rich and delicious, but the decor was uniquely modern and our waiter quickly became our guide to the hidden complexities of the fairly simple menu.

Example Interaction:
Sara: I am interested in the Sweet Potato Clam soup...does that have any meat product other than the clams?
Waiter: Absolutely.
Sara: (silence + puzzled expression)
Waiter: There is bacon all through the soup.
Sara: Oh.
Waiter: Get the French Onion.
Sara: Really? Are you sure?
Waiter: Oh yes (expression-less face). It's the best French Onion in Manhattan.
Sara: Well then! French Onion it is!

Before the French Onion however, I decided to get the sampler plate from the Raw Bar (which actually didn't have anything raw...except oysters). The plate came with three seafood mixtures: Shrimp-Tomatillo, Crab-Coconut, and Lobster-Avocado. As I bet you can guess, they were out of this world. Not only were the base flavor combinations rich and flavorful, but there was some masterful blend of spices and fresh herbs involved in each that I could not guess (because I was too busy having a mouth-orgasm). I realized, small tastings of seafood is a great way to start out a meal because simply prepared, fresh seafood is never heavy or overbearing.

Because I ordered two appetizers instead of one entree, they came out together. I had the French Onion soup first because it was hot. I must say, after the sensational sample plate from the raw bar, the French Onion was a bit of a let down. Granted, there was definitely a slow-cooked taste in the soup and the top was made from a really fantastic Gruyere, but it was overall just too heavy and thick for me to really enjoy. The more I reflect on this the more I think I should have realized this upon ordering, as French Onion is certainly heavier than a potato soup, but it was impulsive and alas, that is the price I pay for not carefully planning everything!

After my French Onion, I delved into my crab cake. But oh no, this was no ordinary crab cake! It was a Crawfish and Dungeness Crab cake. I had never had this combination and was (rightfully) very intrigued. Crawfish, I learned, was sort of similar to shrimp. In addition to its pinkish color, it was more firm and defined in shape than crab. The combination was phenomenal. The problem, I think, with many crab cakes is that the texture of the crab is so consistent that the cake as a whole can seem like one big pile of crabby mush. Adding the Crawfish created a nice point of contrast so each flavor was experienced uniquely but also contributed to the overall taste and feel of the crab cake. To the side of the crab cake was a basil vinaigrette which was a little too sweet for me, but I didn't mind because the crab cake was so fantastic that it needed no sauce.

It's hard to imagine after that glory, there was more. I was hoping to try the Lemon Moscato Crepes for dessert but instead listened to my waiter's recommendation and tried the Chocolate Waffles. I gotta tell ya folks, this was the icing on the cake. The pieces of waffle were very small, maybe half that of a typical toaster-waffle, but they had a rich, velvety chocolate filling, similar to a soufflé. The waffles were places over a really soft, half-melted vanilla ice cream. Amidst the small puddle formed by the melted ice cream were plump black cherries and chopped up pistachio. I usually hate pistachio as an addition to anything and prefer it on its own, but the nuttiness and crunch it added to this dish was really impressive. The cherry also reminded me of my favorite ice cream, Cherry Garcia. The combination of the warm chewy waffles with the soft vanilla ice cream with the sweet cherries and distinct pistachios was out of this world.

In general, I was really impressed with the food. The menu had a lot of classics like various steaks, hamburgers, and smoked chicken, all served with crispy french fries. But it also had a lot of interesting, innovative dishes like lamb chops in a cranberry sauce and salmon with cracked wheat and wine. Like I mentioned earlier, the decor was great too. The super-high ceilings and harmoniously colored walls and lamps made the crowded dining room more comfortable and relaxing. The bathroom was also très chic. If you are willing to spend a little money, Bar Americain is an excellent choice for a great New York lunch (or dinner), with love, from Bobby Flay.

Agave

Nestled in the West Village, Agave is a harmonious melange of distinctly southwestern flavor and uniquely New York modernity.

I heard of it from Rachael Ray's newest show "Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels". The show is similar to "$40 a Day", where she travels to a new city every episode, but in this show she does not consider money as a factor and simply recommends her favorite restaurants. She mentioned their lunches being particularly affordable so it was at the top on my list of things to try during this last trip to New York.

Not knowing what to expect, I had made reservations on OpenTable, but upon arriving with Melissa, I was surprised to see it was sparsely populated. We chose to sit in the front of the restaurant, with a nice view of both passerbyers on the street and the bar with the delicious-looking bartender.

I had already looked at the menu online, but I still thought it over. Melissa and I both ordered our own grilled corn on the cob. I think they were boiled before grilled because their texture was softer than other grilled corn I had tried. Also, there was a hint of spiciness in the corn and a pink tint to the cob, making me think it was probably boiled in water spiced with a red pepper, like cayenne. The corn was lightly buttered with a cilantro-lime butter when it arrived, which, coupled with the spiciness, brought the southwestern feel back to the corn. As a grand finale, the corn was sprinkled with a Spanish cheese, Cojita, which was salty and firm, very similar to Parmesan. I can safely say no corn I had ever had included such an interesting and successful blend of favors.

Also as an appetizer, we shared the corn-crusted calamari. I was imaging that the corn crust would bring a new element to the typical fried calamari, but was disappointed to find it was just your typical calamari, the crust was not breaded, but more like panko, the Japanese batter used to make tempura. I didn't mind too much because I love calamari anyway, but also because of the sauces provided. With the calamari came two sauces: a "chipotle crema" and an "avocado crema". These cremas had a thick, weighty consistency, so I would assume their base is a mayonaise. As heavy as it sounds, both sauces were strong enough in favor that too much was not necessary to dress up the already-delicious calamari.

For my main dish, I had grilled Mahi-Mahi tacos. The plate came to me with warm tortillas which already had strips of fish in them. On top of the fish was a salsa which was made up of grilled pinapple, mango, cilantro, and lime juice. The fish was cooked well-done but was incredibly juicy and tender, despite it's blackened look. On the sides of the plate were other extras, including a really delicious guacamole, sour cream, fresh tomatoes, and crunchy lettuce. I appreciated that these extras were on the side so that I could control exactly how heavy or filling I wanted my tacos to be. All in all, the tacos were really fresh and light, yet richly flavorful and filling.

I skipped dessert, but plenty of their options sounded interesting.

I thoroughly enjoyed Agave. The decor was a really fantastic blend of southwestern feel, with grainy brown paper over all the tables and an adobe staircase leading down to the bathroom and also a very classy modernity, with very simply chic plates and tables. The food was just a reminder of how much southwestern cuisine has to offer.