Terra

After getting pulled over by the Santa Fe police, and getting issued a written warning, my grandmother, along with the entire family was looking forward to arriving at the restaurant. We drove around for three more miles, until we finally saw the Auberge De Soleil that housed the restaurant in which we hoped to find gastronomical heaven. While it might not have exceeded our expectations, Terra, was modern-looking, fresh, and very expensive. However, for a very good deal, I was able to get the thirty-three dollar prix fixe, which included an appetizer, an entree, and best of all a dessert. For my appetizer, I ordered the squid risotto, and while it was extremely rich, it was also very tasty and well-presented. My parents got salads, that were also very good, as they described them to me. For the entree, my grandmother and I ordered the same exact thing. The grilled swordfish arrived with spinach along with the sous-chef. He told us about his future in the cooking business, and how he hoped to do an internship at Daniel, located on 65th street in NYC. He was very nice and it provided a very interesting look into the cooking scene in Santa Fe. New Mexico. Our entrees were very moist, but the spinach took around twelve minutes to chew just one piece. However, the entrees provided what was asked of them. Then came the desserts. My apple donuts came with a delicious burnt caramel sauce. However, they were not even apple donuts, the were more like fried apples. Everything was very good at this meal, including the service. I also enjoyed the space, for it was very beautiful. Also the manager was one of the best managers that I have ever met for many different reasons. He was welcoming, he was nice, and he just made the meal much better. I give Terra a 7.9/10.

Blaue Gans

After the long taxi ride, and the even longer lecture at the museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park, I was salivating for any kind of meal, even T.G.I Friday's. So when we entered the funky, hip Austrian restaurant called Blaue Gans I was discretely excited. On my first attempt to order a drink, I chose a Shirley temple. The answer was negatory. After all, where did I think I was, some American restaurant? I ended up ordering a boysenberry smoothie, even though it was the waiter who suggested it and I had no idea what a boysenberry was. However, when it came, along with my oysters that I would share with my uncle, I was very surprised. The smoothie was a sweet contrast to the more sour oysters. However, they had an exceptional freshness to them that I had tasted in few other places. Once they took it away, and I finished the smoothie, my entree arrived. It was a jager schnitzel, which translated into English is fried veal. It was surrounded by spaetzel in a wonderful cream sauce. It was delicious, but unbelievably rich and heavy. After I polished off the plate, I ordered dessert. It was an apple pie, with an Austrian twist on it. However, after my six carb meal, I was not allowed to finish it, so we took it home. I really enjoyed Blaue Gans, and it was a really interesting place to eat at. However, the decor gave me a bit of a headache, and I could not understand what the waiter said. Overall, I give Blaue Gans a 7.8/10.

Sushi Yasuda

The rain splattered all over the taxi. As I looked up at the massive black office building with apprehensive excitement, I began to picture the meal that was going to commence in less than an hour. Sushi Yasuda. Nobody that I had ever told it about knew what it was. Except for one man. Jeffrey Stein was an extremely nice man, and he was best friends with the president of the Florida Marlins. I had heard many things about Sushi Yasuda, which was, located right in Midtown near Grand Central Station. After entering his office on the 37th floor of the building that I had just been staring at. After meeting all of his office co-workers, we began the wet march to the restaurant. After walking three miserable, Shawshank Redemption rain-scene reminding blocks, we entered the fresh and healthy restaurant named Sushi Yasuda. Sushi Yasuda was a refreshing look at a traditional sushi restaurant. It had a very simple décor, it was completely wood-paneled, and it just made for a very comfortable and relaxing meal. For our starters, Jeff ordered a seaweed salad, while I ordered a miso soup that came with mushrooms in it. The soup was very warm, and the seaweed salad took your taste buds on a roller coaster. Then we ordered the Omasake, or literally translated, the chef’s choice. We also ordered around twelve pieces of sushi, and some sashimi. We devoured the Omasake, which included tuna, salmon, yellowtail, anchovy, scallop, and Giant Conch sashimi. We also ordered salmon, tuna, conch, scallop, yellowtail, fluke, and roe sushi. It was very simple, but it was also delicious. The sushi, just like the décor was very simple, but very delicious. For desert we ordered mochi ice cream, and it tasted just like a pastry. After Jeff drove me home, we bid adieu, and he drove off into the rain. It was a very nice meal, and I enjoyed it very much. I give Sushi Yasuda a 8.6/10.

Publishable

Recently a twelve year old got a full page article about him in in the New York Times. His name is David Fishman, and he is now my friend on Facebook. He doesn't even have a blog. However, I have recently learned that I was about to be featured in Food and Wine magazine. However, after the NYT article, it just would not make sense to publish another thing about another twelve year old food critic. That stuff does not bother me however, because I know that all of my supporters are there for me for whatever, or whenever. I just wanted to take the time to thank everyone who has supported me in making this blog, from all of my friends and family who have taken me out to amazing restaurants, and to my friend Josh for being a great help. I also wanted to thank my assistant Max. Without him, I would have no best friend, and no one to take me to Daniel. And last but certainly not least I want to thank my mom and my dad, even though my mom is a little bit too obsessive, and over-possesive. In other news, three restaurant reviews are coming up, Lattanzi, Blaue Gaus, and finally after many efforts Sushi Yasuda. Thanks, and the posts will be written soon.

My New Burger Contest

I am planning to do a burger contest, in which I go to five restaurants that serve great burgers and choose the best one in five categories; best milkshake, best fries, best decor, best service, and most importantly, best burger.
The restaurants are as follows:
1. BRGR
2. BLT Burger
3. Spotted Pig
4. Shake Shack
5. GoodBurger

My Favorite Restaurants that I have Reviewed

1. Daniel
2. Union Square Cafe
3. Cafe Grey
4. Chanterelle
5. Nobu Next Door
6. Sparks Steakhouse
7. Aquagrill

These restaurants are my favorite restaurants that I have reviewed. They are listed from favorite, to 7th favorite.
Enjoy!

Peekamoose

When you hear the word Peekamoose, it makes you think of a cuddly little furry animal. Or, at least, that's what I think. Well, you are certainly not expecting it to be the restaurant owned by people who have worked at high-end restaurants such as Le Bernadin and Gramercy Tavern. Also, since it's located upstate, around fifteen minutes from Woodstock, it does not seem like it can compare with those restaurants. However, in some ways it can, in others, not so much. As we sat down, our waiter immediately arrived. Even though it was a busy night, he hovered around us most of the time, a little bit too enthusiastically. As my two wonderful hosts, Abbe and Holly ordered, I was faced with a dilemma. Should I get the burger, or the calamari? I decided to go with my favorite food in the world, a cheeseburger. I got bored after around 45 minutes of waiting, so I went to the bar. Then I got "ejected" from the bar, so I went to the living room area, with the swinging chair. The restaurant had taken a broken chair, and attached it to some chains, and hung it from the ceiling. It was genius. When my burger arrived, I was famished. All we had had to eat since we had arrived was a little bit of salad, and some soup. So far, the burger would have to be amazing, if this restaurant wanted a good review. But it wasn't, it was dry, and only the fries were good. I was highly disappointed with Peekamoose, and only two things about it made me happy: the decor, which was rustic and beautiful, and the marshmallow pit. Before we left, we bought some hot chocolate, and I took my time making some golden marshmallows. It was very fun, and it made the night more enjoyable. After all, I am only a child. Thanks to the overly done service, mediocre food, and slow delivery of food, I give Peekamoose a 5.1/10.

Stanton Social

When my friend Josh told me that we were going to go to Stanton Social, I was a little bit apprehensive.  I thought that he was going to take me to some sort of ritzy social club.  At first, his mom Joanne, my mom Alison, our fathers, Stephane and Fred were taking Josh and I to Sushi Yasuda.  But since they were closed on Sunday, we had to revise.  So Josh came up with Stanton Social.  After an extremely long culture day, which included the Met, MoMa, and a really bizarre organ concert at a church,  any good meal was readily welcomed.  Stanton Social was located in the lower east side, right on Stanton street, as the name suggests.  Stanton Social's philosophy is to share dishes, and to make it a very warm restaurant. I was just excited for the sliders.  We ordered around twelve dishes, which, if I wrote about every single one in detail, would probably take me around three or four hours.  So, I'm just going to write about my favorite five or seven.  As we entered the chic, but reformed restaurant, I noticed that the service was rushed, and they made very little eye contact.  After ordering, one of the most interesting dishes of the meal arrived.  It was the french onion soup dumplings.  It was a dumpling filled with an intense brown liquid, and with some cheese. It also included crouton stuck on top for texture.  They were delicious, but weird and strange at the same time.  I only had one.  Next came the tuna tartar sushi roll.  It was spicy, but sweet as well.  I ate two, and wanted a third, but my dad took it.  My mom ordered the edamame, but it was basically mine.  When I was done with it, I had a stack of skin around three or four inches tall.  It had a sauce on it that was positively mind-boggling.  Then the tuna carpaccio arrived.  It was located on a bed of Avocado, which is probably my least favorite food in the world, and it had a few jalapeno peppers on top.  After gingerly removing the tuna from the avocado, and putting the jalapeno pepper right on top of it, it was finally ready to eat.  It was juicy, and soft, and it almost melted in my mouth.  It was an extremely exquisite tuna, and Oy Vey, it tasted like one too.  Next came the most important part of the meal; the kobe beef sliders.  Josh scared me by saying they were disgusting.  Then he broke into a smile, and said:  " I got you.  Now eat the goddamn slider, you're making me jealous."  As my teeth pierced the hard outer skin of the burger, and into the medium rare meat inside, I felt bliss and happiness for the entire earth.  It was so good.  After finishing it, I said: "Ok, nothing can beat this.  Bring on the rest."  Boy, I was wrong.  The "old school" meatballs arrived with the mac and cheese, and as I began to eat my first meatball, and if I had any, my Italian roots began to show.  The mac and cheese was good, but one of the weak spots of the meal.  Mac and cheese is a hit and miss dish, and the kitchen just could not quite execute it.  Then came the donuts.  They had three dipping sauces:  Raspberry, Chocolate and Caramel.  The donuts were crispy and hollow, and covered in sugar.  My least favorite dipping sauce was the chocolate sauce, because it tasted like coffee.  My favorite one was the caramel.  It was flavorful, and it worked perfectly with the donuts, while the raspberry sauce tasted artificial.  After a great, and hearty meal, with mediocre service, and a beautiful decor, I give Stanton Social a 8.1/10.

Union Square Cafe

Union Square Cafe is on many different levels. I mean that literally, but also symbolically. While the restaurant itself is on three different levels, the food is on many different levels by how good it is. The texture of the food is really incredible, and even though some of the dishes are incredibly average-sounding, they still are delicious. As we entered the restaurant, it was not what I expected. I was imagining that it would be a little bit antiquey, but the entire space was sleek and modern. Before I went, I had only known one thing: I knew that Danny Meyer had made his restaurant the most flexible restaurant in New York. If you asked them to do something, it was very likely that they would do it for you. I also had heard from many people, including the person who took me there, a Miss. Joan Bronk. I was also hoping that I might have been able to meet the owner, Danny Meyer, who I had heard many great things about. As the hostess lead us down to the bottom level, I got a sneak peek at the bar, which seemed very relaxed, and there were a few businessmen sitting around and drinking some wine. As we were seated, and began to look at the menus, something made me extremely unhappy. There was no burger on the dinner menu. After I had ordered my appetizer of fried calamari, and Joan had ordered the beef carpaccio, I asked the waiter, who happened to be extremely nice, about the burger. He said that he would make and inquiry with the kitchen. After five extremely long and anxious minutes, the verdict came back. They could do it for me. Oh, happy times. After that, something extremely mysterious happened. After I came back from the bathroom, everyone started treating me like a food critic. They also thought it was my birthday, even though my birthday was around three months ago. Joan and I also ordered a middle dish, the ricotta gnocchi, so that we could sample their pastas. The calamari that was brought was unbelievable. To say that it was the best fried calamari that ever had was an understatement. All this while, we were talking to the people who were siting next to us, who were extremely nice, and who I greatly enjoyed talking to. The decor of the restaurant was pretty simple, it had a modern feel to it, even though it could feel rustic. I thought that it was a very interesting, and well-used space. The gnocchi, which just dissolved in your mouth really led us to our main courses. It was rich and inviting, but at the same time, it was intense and flavorful. My burger looked absolutely delicious. It was cooked perfectly, and the cheese looked so appetizing I almost fell of the booth in which I was sitting. Joan's scallops were also very good, and she enjoyed them very much. When dessert came, someone else came with it. Dina Millan was the dining room manager, and she was very pretty. She asked for my blog address, and gave me her card. She also brought me the new Zagat, and a book, with, get this: Danny Meyer's autograph in it. It turns out that I had been looking at him and his children the entire time that we had been eating, but I had just not realized that it had been him. After my flour-less chocolate cake, which was to die for, we met Danny Meyer himself, and we got his undivided attention for a good three or four minutes which was a lot of time. As we left, I thanked Joan profusely and we caught a cab home, the night still reverberating inside my brain. Since the service and the food was so great and excellent, I give Union Square Cafe a 9.2/10.

The Sidewalk Cafe

When my parents told me that my cousin Sidney and her mom Helen were coming to town, the first thing that went through my mind was: "Cool, now can I get back to my Facebook. I'm about to beat my high score in Crazy taxi." Then she told me that they wanted to go out to dinner in town with my mother and I. I immediately suggested Daniel, hoping to be able to go there again. My mother said that the cost was too high. She also wanted to go somewhere hip. So we decided to go down to the east side. However Sidney brought two friends. They were big, not in the fat kind of way, like tall big. And they were sort of intimidating. Then they looked at my blog on Sydney's phone and everything got warmer. We decided to stop at a little place called the Sidewalk Cafe and eat dinner. It looked like a nice little touristy place. The service was TERRIBLE but the company was wonderful. They were laughing at everything I said. after around one and a half hurs, the food arrived. My burger was flavorful but not excellent. The sidewalk cafe is good if you want to take your time eating dinner in the east side of new york. The food was better than decent but not anything to rave about. But the service was pretty bad. Wait, that's an understatement. Whatever. I give the sidewalk Cafe a 5.2/10.

Daniel

When my friends told me that they were taking me to Daniel, I nearly passed out. After all, this restaurant was the culinary masterpiece of New York City, and almost everything was impeccable. As we walked in, we were suddenly in awe of the cavernous restaurant. As my friend Max, his father Steve and I sat down, we were expecting nothing less than perfect. We were immediately served by the nicest waiters that I have ever met. We also met the GM, who was very nice, and very informative. We were served the amuse bouche, which my friend Max was blown away by. I also thought that it was delicious. It was a trio of romanesquo cauliflower, used in three different manners; it included a smoked hamachi that tasted like ham. There was also a piece of shrimp with a fragile tip of the cauliflower, and a cauliflower puree that had hints of eastern spices, and tasted like an Indian delicacy. Once they took it away we were able to fully appreciate the beauty of the space. There were large Greek pillars, along with an inside dining space, and an outer circle one. We were also amazed by the beautiful flower arrangements that lined the outer rim of the restaurant. When our second amuse bouche was served, we had decided upon two things. The first being that we had decided what we were ordering. We were going all in, and we were ordering the six course tasting menu. The second being that we were sure that it was going to be the best meal of our lives. And boy, were we right. Then second amuse bouche consisted of a phaesent consomee with a cabbage wrapped fois gras. I usually do not like fois gras, but this just blew it away. As we sat in silent wonder, the head waiter came to us with a preposition. He said that since Steve was getting a wine pairing with his tasting menu, and was already a little tipsy, why let the kids out of the fun? He asked if we wanted to have virgin cocktails with each course. Obviously, we said yes. Our favorite drinks included a cranapple explosion drink, a rose martini and a rasperry cosmo. Our first course came in, which for me was a delicious cod with vegetables, and for Max and Steve, a fois gras platter. We all thought that our first courses had intense flavors, and nice texture. Our second course was the crab that was fresh from Maine. It had some crunchy lettuce, but the smooth crab evened out the equation. However, the thing that we were the most excited about was the possibility of meeting Chef Daniel. We had heard that he was a really nice guy, and I knew that he was an unbelievable chef, so I was not exactly sure what I would do if I met him. All of our servers were very informed, even the busboys, and they all answered many of our questions, mostly about Chef daniel, to which all answers were positive. When our next two courses arrived, they blew our minds away. The third course was shrimp on a porcini cream sauce. One of my favorite foods was mushrooms, so you would think that I would be blown away by it. I was. It was the best dish of my life. The shrimp was crispy and delicious, and the cream sauce was rich, but not too rich. The fourth course was chef Daniel's specialty. It was his sea bass. I thought that it was not too fishy, but that it had the perfect amount of sauce, and that it really showed how amazing a chef can cook when he puts his mind to it. Then the steak came. Usually I am not such a big steak fan, but this one was simply amazing. It was tender, juicy in all of the good places, and it was overall a great addition to the meal. This meal was great, because I am trying to lose weight, and there were barely any carbs in the meal except for the dessert. Right before the dessert arrived, we saw the chef. He appeared very quietly, and went around to each table shaking hands with all of his customers. We were eating the cheese platter which I found smelled very badly, hen the GM came and said that the chef would like to congratulate me on my blog. my chocolate dauphoise arrived, and aI was looking at my dessert when I noticed a presence. I looked up and Chef Daniel was walking to our table. It was one of the most amazing moments of my life, since he had ben my idol for around a year, and I had always dreamed of meeting him. We shook his hand, and got his autograph. He was kind enough to stay and talk to us for around ten minutes. After he left as silently as he had come our waiter directed us to the kitchen. We were amazed by how many people there were cooking, and by how loud it was, when the restaurant had almost been silent. we saw the executive chef shouting out orders, and we saw the pastry chef, and it was almost a bit too much for me. We left the restaurant full, exhausted, but we all saw the world in a whole new way. I would give the restaurant an elven out of ten, but that would be breaching my rules. But it was that good. I give Daniel a 10.1 out of 10. Yeah, that good.

Great Jones Cafe

One downside of having a blog is that everyone tries to convince you to write a new blog. I have gotten requests about a music blog, a movie blog, a cheap restaurant blog, jeez the nerve of some of these people. However, I decided to try out the cheap restaurant blog thing. So here is a little test of that idea. I was tired and hungry. So when we stepped into the eight table Great Jones Cafe, I was just expecting a quick meal. I ordered the Chile with cheese, and some cornbread, and just tried to eat it quickly. However, when the meal came, I was amazed by how simply wholesome and delicious it was. The place itself, was very cozy, and our server was very nice and helpful. My dad ordered the blackened catfish with a side of Kale that was delicious. The price tag was about thirty dollars per person, which was not bad at all. I really thought this restaurant was an interesting and good, if not healthy place to eat. I give the Great Jones Cafe a 7.3/10.

Cucina

My feet were slowly beginning to go numb. And we were only halfway there. As Aristotle had quoted countless times; "A meal is enjoyed more when the feet are as frozen as an ice cube on a frigid winter day". No, I just made that up but it's pretty good right? Anyway, my grandfather and I were in Woodstock, and he wanted to go out to dinner with me. So we mutually decided to go to Cucina which is a twenty minute walk from my house. However, there was only one problem with that. I wore my flip-flops. So my feet were completely exposed the entire time. And it was around 45 degrees outside. Anyway, once we arrived at the restaurant, light was beginning to become minimal. I was starting to dread the walk back. We sat down and ordered. Our waitress was a little bit hyper, and she sort of made the meal awkward. After being slightly alarmed by how drunk our neighboring table was, our appetizers arrived. I ordered the mushrooms and the warm ricotta, while my grandfather ordered a cheese-less pizza with mushrooms. My ricotta was very good,if not a little bit too rich, but the mushrooms were having a field day in the ocean of olive oil. After the appetizers were sent back, I began to feel a little bit of warmth in my toes. Then the entrees arrived. My grandpa ordered salmon over butternut squash. The salmon was good, if not dry. However my pasta was soaked in oil. The sausage it was served with was delicious though. We payed the check and began to walk home. All hope that I had for my poor toes was suddenly lost. We arrived home after almost tripping over hundreds of evil pebbles and stumbled into the house, cold, full and exhausted. I give Cucina a 7.1/10.

Chanterelle

When my parents gave me the birthday present of any restaurant in the city, one word popped into my head.  Daniel.  I know that many of you think that I am crazy, and that I am posting about the wrong restaurant, but I'm not.  Stick with me here.  So when I was thinking about Daniel, I thought about four things: food, service, who to take and the cost.  With the stock market failing and all, I thought about going to a restaurant of the same caliber, but that would not cost as much.  I was about to give up when my mind began rambling as it does about every other minute, and this time I began to think about mushrooms, all kinds of them, Shitake, Chanterelle, Crimini, wait, and then I remembered the simple restaurant in downtown Tribeca.  The name evoked fragility, and thus as we began our eight and a half block cab ride, I began to think.  Would I be stunned at the holy goodness, of this simple yet extraordinary french outpost, or would I be disgusted by the rich taste of a french cuisine that I had never experience of my life.  As we entered the restaurant, I was overwhelmed by the simplicity of the decor.  It was almost completely plain, except for the most exquisite bouquet of flowers on the wall.  As we sat observing it, our waiter came and asked if we wanted anything to drink, my best friend Parker and I ordered a virgin cosmopolitan that was very good.  Then the appetizers came.  I ordered a quintette of oysters.  I chose to substitute the fois gras oyster with a second pickled ginger oyster that tasted like sushi.  For my other three, I got an olive oil and fennel infused oyster, a fried oyster, and a trout roe and wasabi oyster.  It was by far the best appetizer I have ever had, other than the risotto at Cafe Grey.  For my entree, I ordered the scallops, which were far too rich for me, but they were still delicious.  And the service was just flawless, our waiter was extremely nice, and helpful, but also enthusiastic and excited to help.  For dessert, my father, Parker and myself all agreed on the same thing.  The chocolate-raspberry mousse.  It was simply heavenly.  I believed that after the first bite, I had an epiphany.  Simple wonderful.  I would love to go back again, even though the meal took almost three hours.  Simply stated though, it was one of the most amazing three hours of my life.  I give Chanterelle a 9.3 out of 10.

Max Fried

Just an announcement to make:
My good friend Max Fried has requested to be my partner in crime, but, do not worry my loyal friends and fans, he will do no writing whatsoever. His job is to help me out and take me to restaurants(jk).
Blogging will resume shortly. All invititations to any restaurants are accepted excluding McDonalds, Applebees, and the like.
Sit tight and wait for the next post.
Thank you all very much.

Lupa

My friend Max has a great taste for food.  So when we decided to go to Tomoe, one of the best sushi places in town, I could understand why he wanted to eat there.  However, when we arrived, the was a twenty minute wait.  So Max and I ran to the nearby Italian restaurant, Lupa.  It was going to be my second time eating at Lupa, so I knew what to expect.  After we were seated, they brought us the menu, which had a full glossary of all the Italian words that I did not understand.  When the waitress arrived, we chatted her up a bit, her name was Courtney, she had worked there for a year, and she had never met Mario Batali.  She brought us our appetizers in a fairly quick time, which were Prosciutto and octupus.  They were both delicious, and the Prosciutto tasted like it had just arrived on the plane from Italia.  After that our entrees arrived, which for me was ear-shaped pasta with pork sausage, escarole, and a butter sauce.  My mother ordered fresh fish that came from the market that she said was delicious.  Max got Gnocchi, with some sort of red sauce that was a little spicy.  Lupa is a great restaurant, and The service is wonderful, the decor is beautiful, and the food is lipsmackingly delicious.  I give Lupa a 8.6/10.

The New List Of Restaurants That I Want To Go To

1. Daniel

2. Union Square Cafe

3. Gramercy Tavern

4. Masa

5. Per Se

6. Le Bernadin

7. Sushi Yasuda

8. db Bistro Moderne

9. Pearl Oyster Bar

10. Jean Georges

11. Gotham Bar And Grill

12. Saul

13. Gordan Ramsay

14. Blue Water Grill

15. The Modern

16. Nobu

17. Le Cirque

18. Milos Estario

19. Del Posto

20. Viand

21.Savoy 

22. La Grenouille

23. Telepan

24. Picholine

25. Chanterelle

Curraschia Plataforma

Most of the time when my grandparents come to town, I go out to dinner with them.  Sometimes it's at very upscale restaurants, other times more casual.  When my grandparents from Belgium arrived they took us to Plataforma, which is a Brazilian restaurant, where waiters bring out long sticks with every kind of meat on it that you can imagine.  We took my friend Max there with us which was a blast because he can speak in Portuguese, so he was able to chat with them which made us all crack up.  There was a salad bar, which had sushi, salad, mushrooms, shrimp and much more.  I took advantage of the Salad bar because, unlike my brother, I am not a huge Carnivore.  When the meat finally arrived, I munched on Sirloin, flank and strip steak, along with chicken, ribs and sausage.  I was not as adventurous as Owen or Max in terms of eating meat, but I definitely enjoyed the salad bar more than them.  After my delicious strawberry shortcake dessert, I went outside with my brother and Max.  Then came the climax of the meal.  Max nudged an enormous light fixture, which weighed possibly 1 ton, and it fell, almost crushing my brother on it's path to the ground.  We quickly grabbed our bags and ran, before the restaurant could sue us.  Plataforma was a great restaurant, and I really enjoyed the meal other than the incident at the end.  Maybe their sushi could have been a little bit fresher. I give Churaschia Plataforma a 8.7/10.

Aquagrill

Looking back onto my list of restaurants that I want to go to, I saw one that really stood out to me. Aquagrill.  Doesn't it just roll off your tongue?  Anyway, I was thinking of that among other things as my family (Big Family) waited patiently to be seated at this densely packed neighborhood restaurant.  The first thing that I noticed as I stepped off the subway was just how blue the outside of the restaurant was.  That was until I remembered that the restaurant was meant to be Aqua, and I continued on my trek towards the best oysters in town. Normally, I'm not a fan of oysters, but when we finally sat down at our beautiful table, and I opened my Aqua menu that I realized how good the oysters looked.  We ordered around forty oysters for the table, and I got my first soft shell crab.  I t was deep fried and very crispy, but overall very delicious.  For my entree, I ordered grilled scallops with mashed potatoes, which was a tad bit overcooked and very plain.  The waiter who we ordered with was very nice and very enthusiastic, but the guy who served us water spilled some on my grandma.  The highlight of the meal would have to be the oysters which were very fresh and very sweet.  This restaurant did not live up to my expectations even though the meal itself was very good. I rate Aquagill a 8.3/10.

Sparks Steakhouse

As I entered Sparks Steakhouse from the chilly New York sidewalk , I instantly noticed how loud the steakhouse was. Not that it surprised me. My host that evening, my friend, Adam Mimeles had already warned me of the dangerous chemical reaction that happens inside the steakhouse. This is the equation: Rowdy Businessmen+Beer+One of the Best Steaks in Town=A Noise That Resembles a walk off Home Run at Yankee Stadium. As I said, I was not surprised. As the professional waiters escorted us to our table, I realized we were located right next to a table of a dozen drunk businessmen just off from work. Now this just keeps getting better and better. Our steaks arrived on a piece of old china, which really made me think of the decor. This steakhouse was one of the last classic steakhouses in all of New York City, complete with wood paneling and chandeliers. However, I was surprised when the steak arrived just flat on its plate. It seemed as if the kitchen made no effort whatsoever to make the dish even look vaguely nice. That stunned me for a few seconds, because I was expecting one of New York's favorite steakhouses to put a little more effort into the dish. However, all was forgiven as the steak was exquisitely cooked. It was juicy but crispy at the same time. It was the best steak to ever enter my mouth. Then came the sides. Mushroom caps that were sauteed in oil, or may I say drowned. However, they were delicious and almost all of them were eaten. As I looked over from time to time to my host, I could see that he was enjoying his enormous steak almost as much as I. Our favorite side however, were the hash browns. We both had to fight to see who got the delicious crunchy part. Then came the dessert. Adam ordered the classic New York cheesecake, while I ordered the mango sorbet. However, the generous portions proved too much for us and we sadly gave up our desserts to our waiter. The check came and I estimated that the price tag was around $70 per person, which was a deal compared to the amazing meal we had just witnessed. As I exited the restaurant, I realized I had won one thing and lost one thing. I had won one of the best meals I have had in at least three years and I have lost partial hearing in both of my eardrums. I give Sparks Steakhouse a 9.4/10.

BRGR

Located right in the center of Chelsea, BRGR will give you some of the best burgers in town.  When you walk in to the joint, you would probably be expecting some sort of McDonald's type of ambiance.  Instead, you are wowed by the raw space, but at the same time, impressed by the pop art that covers the rest of the restaurant.  You order with the helpful but not exceptional staff, then sit down at the table of your choice.  You barely have to wait 10 minutes before the food is brought to your table by the staff.  I think I speak for all when I say that everyone just smells the burger for at least 20 seconds before opening your jaw agape to devour the delicious burger.  I highly recommend ordering the double patty burger because it gives you even more of their delicious meat to eat.  The bill is not expensive at all and what makes you feel even better about the meal is that all the beef and bacon is grass fed and that all of their lettuce and tomatoes and mushrooms were all grown on an organic farm.  I give this excellent burger joint a 9/10.

Sweet Sue's

The smell of the juicy pancakes wafted into my nose as I stood under the aging sign for Sweet Sue's.  As I entered the restaurant, I noticed immediately how loud it was.  I was not surprised however, as I had already visited this prominent restaurant many times with my grandfather, who absolutely loves the restaurant and its pancakes.   It took the waitress a little bit of time to seat us, so we just seated ourselves.  The service was not exceptional at all but the food was absolutely delicious.  I ordered a banana-chocolate chip pancake and some fries.  The  fries were delicious, but the pancake was the best pancake I have ever eaten.  It was enormous, and usually large pancakes are doughy and lumpy, but this pancake was juicy and delicious.  The decor was definitely nothing special, but there were reviews scattered everywhere explaining in depth how good Sweet Sue's was.  In fact, it won an award for the best pancakes in the entire Catskill mountain region.  The decor was relaxing, the food was amazing, but the service was mediocre.  I give Sweet Sue's a 8.8/10.

Red Onion

Nestled in the shadow of the Catskill mountains,  the Red Onion was anything but sleepy.  Even though we were the first occupants of this lively restaurant, the kitchen was ready to cook and our waiter was alert and attentive.  As we began to order our meal, more and more people began to file into the rest of the restaurant.  I ordered a cornet of fries and some scallops served with mushrooms and gnocchi.  The main problem with my entree was the fact that the food made me sick, thanks to the fact that the scallops were drowned in truffle oil.  In fact, I had to go outside multiple times to try and get all the oil out of my system.  The main  reason that I ordered the fries was to see if the fries were at all influenced by Belgian cuisine.  While they were not, they still were very good.  The decor was mostly pictures of nature and scantily dressed women, not exactly the most enjoyable thing to be looking at during a meal.  Other than that, the atmosphere was enjoyable and the decor was pleasant.  The service was knowledgeable but unenthusiastic.  The food however was very rich and mediocre.  I give the Red Onion a 7/10. 

Last Chance Cheese

Recently, my friends took me to a restaurant called Last Chance Cheese.  The restaurant was located in the sleepy town of Hunter.  The restaurant itself was partly antiques, partly candy shop and partly restaurant. The food was Continental American and Italian food, but it did not impress.  I ordered a Ceasar salad that was very dry and they forgot my anchovies.  Talking about forgetting, our waitress forgot to bring us water and overall just did not do a very good job.  The decor was very interesting, taking into context that there were many antiques strategically placed around the restaurant.  For my entree, I ordered a chicken parmesan.  It was all right, but I was not impressed.  In fact, I was slightly disappointed in the fact that they failed to execute such an easy dish.  However, this restaurant had imported over 300 beers and over 100 different kinds of cheeses.  We ordered some s'mores for our dessert, and we had the privilege to cook it at our own table.  However the real highlight of this meal was the shop.  I got to buy a package of pixie sticks which I am going to put in a cup and drink it from a straw.  Thank you Taliana.  I rate this restaurant a 5.8/10.

Special Edition: Friterie

While I was in Belgium, I had the opportunity to visit a friterie.  A friterie is a stand that sells french fries on the street among other things.  The thing that really makes these stands so special is that there are around twenty different sauces to choose from at this stand.   I ordered mayonnaise, which even though it was delicious, you could taste the cholesterol.  However this stand made delicious, crunchy, golden, crispy, juicy fries that I can still taste while I type.

La Paix

The most recent restaurant that I enjoyed the privilege to go to was La Paix.  La Paix is not in the United States.  In fact, it is right next to an old slaughterhouse in Brussels, Belgium.  My grand -parents took me, and even though we had a minor problem with traffic, we arrived at the restaurant unscathed.  The restaurant had many specialties, such as beef cheek and tomates et crevettes, which means tomato and shrimp.  I did not order an appetizer, only a steak cooked rare.  my grand-father shared his tomates et crevettes with me, which was very tasty, even though there was a bit too much mayonnaise.  The restaurant was not crowded, and the noise level was very enjoyable.  When my steak arrived, I noticed that half of the platter was filled with fat.  I ate the beef which was very fatty as I had presumed, but it was also very chewy.  Chewing all that beef gave me a workout.  The service was very slow and unenthusiastic.  The food's consistency was very good, but after a while the steak just became a little boring.  The food was nothing amazing, the decor was very simple and the service was mediocre.  Overall, I rate this restaurant a 6.5/10.

 

Resto

The most recent restaurant that I went to was Resto.  Resto serves Belgian food, which include the traditional Steak Frites and Moules Frites, and the not so traditional pig's feet and pork toast.  However, do not be fooled by these... curious foods, might I say and get ready to enjoy one of the top 5 Belgian restaurants in town.  The service is very welcoming and entertaining and they did whatever they could to spice up the meal, no matter how flavorful it already was.  For my appetizer, I decided to order the deviled eggs on the pork toast.  The pork toast was deep fried and very delicate and possibly the best pork toast I have ever had, and also the first.  Another amazing appetizer that another customer was very pleased with was the prawns with anchovie sauce.  It was pallet-awakening and very fresh.  For my entree, I ordered the Burger that was simply out of the world.  It was crunchy, but at the same time juicy and rare.  It was one of the best burgers I have ever had.  The problem with the meal was that it was too loud.  You had to scream to get yourself heard.  However this meal was very good and I enjoyed it a lot.  

I rate this meal a 8.3/10 

The Next 40 Restaurants I Want To Go To

These restaurants are ranked in order of desire.

1. Union Square Cafe

2. Daniel

3. Gramercy Tavern

4. Masa

5. Per Se

6. Jean Georges

7. Sushi Yasuda

8. Le Bernadin

9. Aquagrill

10. Gotham Bar and Grill

11. Del Posto

12. Saul

13. One If By Land, Two If By Sea

14. Gordon Ramsay

15. Cafe Boulud

16. Pearl Oyster Bar

17. Milos Estario

18. Nobu

19. Babbo

20. Spotted Pig

21. Balthazar

22. Blue Water Grill

23. Wolfgang's

24. Four Seasons

25. Sparks

26. La Grenouille

27. Ouest

28. Viand

29. The Modern

30. Telepan

31. Picholine

32. db Bistro Moderne

33. Sugiyama

34. Savoy

35. Il Mulino

36. Tabla

37. Tomoe

38. Yuma

39. Kanoyama

40. Chanterelle

Cafe Gray

The most recent restaurant that I went to was Cafe Gray.  Cafe Gray is located in the Time Warner center.  Although Cafe Gray might be dwarfed by its counterparts, Per Se and Masa, I still enjoyed a top notch meal.  When you walk down the long dark hall way that leads up to the restaurant itself, you are completely unprepared for the glitzy and shimmering restaurant.  One thing that was thought-provoking was; why did they decide to place the kitchen between the restaurant and the wonderful view.  The decor was very nice, even though there were so many mirrors.  The decor was a bit distracting.  The appetizer that I ordered was the mushroom risotto.  It was possibly the best appetizer I have ever enjoyed and also the richest.   I explained this in depth to the extremely charming and nice couple sitting next to us. My grandmother ordered a steak tartare that was palate awakening and well uncooked.   It was also very graceful in its presentation.  For my entree I ordered a skate schnitzel.  This was cooked to perfection and it was very good.  The only problem with my entree was that they piled unnecessary items on top of the skate, such as capers and spinach,  The texture of the fish was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.  My grandmother's dish was short ribs and it was surrounded by a spicy mustard sauce.  I tasted it by did not enjoy it at all.  It was too delicate and not enough meat.  For dessert I enjoyed a half-dozen tiny donut holes filled with jelly and dipped them into chocolate and vanilla sauce.  My grandmother had a baked Alaska that came on fire.  It also made her spirits stay on fire the rest of the evening.  The service was excellent and some of the staff even wanted to find out my blog's address.  The maitre'd was also very nice.  The cost was around 80 dollars per person.  I bid adieu to the couple next to us and started down the hall, still enjoying the meal in my head.  I give Cafe Gray a 9.5/10

Il Buco

The second that you enter the cozy Italian restaurant of Il Buco, you are greeted with a rustic, woodsy, Tuscan sort of feel.  When you sit down to your table, even though it may be cramped, you are excited for more.   The restaurant is a little crowded and the noise level is very high.  The staff is energetic, but not very enthusiastic.  However, they are very helpful.  The menu has a very wide selection of choices ranging from sashimi to flying pigs.  I am not allowed to drink wine, but the wine list was very satisfying and one customer stated that their 2004 Monteblanco wine was"full of flavor, and very smooth.  The lighting is very dim considering that it is only lit by candlelight.  When the appetizers came, I noted that they had great presentation and were all very good.  I would definitely recommend the mozzarella  which had great texture and good consistency.  The appetizers were all fresh but very filling.  When the entrees came, everyone was very full from the rich and filling appetizers that they had already eaten.  My entree was ribbon pasta with mushrooms.  The mushrooms were possibly the    most flavorful mushrooms I'd ever had.  They felt like they came straight out of a forest in Tuscany.  The same occurred for the wheaty Italian pasta in the same dish.  However the meal was also too decadent for my stomach and i could not finish my entree.  The price was around 6o dollars per person.  I thought that this meal was good, but not anything above great.  I rate Il Buco a 7.5/10

Nobu Next Door

The most recent restaurant that I went to was Nobu Next Door.  The service there was very welcoming and the food was great.  One platter that I would definitely recommend  would be the Black cod.  The preparation of this dish was formidable and the taste was intense.  Also if you decide to opt for a larger meal, you can buy the Omasake which is the chef's choice of a platter.  You could also opt for the sushi which is what the restaurant is famous for, after all.  However, don't order too much or you'll have too get a loan to pay the bill.  The ambiance of the restaurant was romantic.  If any of you are wondering, Nobu Next Door is the sister of Nobu , and therefore it is not easy to get a table.  Overall, I greatly enjoyed Nobu Next Door and I rate it a 9.5/10.