Monday, Jan. 21 starts Winter Restaurant Week, where over 200 restaurants in NYC will offer a $24.07 prix fixe for lunch; while $35.00 will get you dinner, at a fraction of what it would normally cost to dine in places such as the historic '21' Club, or the swanky Tribeca Grill, owned by Robert DeNiro. For ten days, gastronomes will have the opportunity to partake in the cuisines of over 200 NYC restaurants, all of whom welcome patrons to sample many of their signature dishes and 'house specials' at the discounted price.
Bon Apetit !
256 West 116 th St.
New York, NY 10026
212.666.9400
www.africakine.com
Located in the heart of Harlem's "Little Senegal," along 116 th St., Africa Kiné is a restaurant that is true to its heritage and reminiscent of its culture. A meal here is an authentic cultural experience that is as delicious as it is informative. The savory African spread is delectable, and the dining experience is unique.
In the expansive second-floor dining room, Senegalese locals commune with one another in their native French, as Harlemites and tourists, alike, enjoy the music and ambience of Dakar. Kiné's simple menu offers traditional West African fair, true to authentic recipes of the motherland, that are flavorful, spicy, and filling. Plates can hardly contain the hearty portions, and most carry out what they couldn't finish.
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Though offerings from Mali and Guinea (sister Francophone nations) are offered, the menu's main offerings hail from Senegal; the piece de resistance of which is the Thiebu Djeun, Senegal's national dish: a stewed fish served with cabbage, carrots, and cassava over a spicy, exotic red rice. Equally delicious is the Souppou Kandjia, a fragrant mélange of lamb and fish in golden palm oil sauce, flavored with chopped okra, and served over white rice. Even the drink menu is an homage to home. Homemade bissap juce (sorrel) is served, along with bouye, a milky drink, similar to a smoothie, that is made from the fruit of the baobab tree. Care should be taken with the homemade ginger drink, which is quite potent and offers a spicy kick. |
The authentic offerings, says General Manager, Allou Djigal, allows patrons to experience the distinctive culture of his country. "When you talk about the country, you talk about the food [and] taste," he explains. "Our food is [flavourful] and spicy. You taste every ingredient."
Kiné, the matron of the eatery, for whom it is named, once handmade all of the menu dishes and sold them locally before opening the restaurant and guiding it, with her husband's help, into one of the first African restaurants in "Little Senegal," and one of the largest African restaurants in the country.
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AT WALDORF ASTORIA
49 th St. and Lexington Ave.
New York, NY 10022
212.872.4900
www.bullandbearsteakhouse.com
Though the dress code is a relaxed "casually elegant," the atmosphere at The Waldorf's Bull and Bear is one of subtle luxury. Low-lighting gently bathes the mahogany wood booths and wall panels, and rich maroon carpet gives the dining area the feel of a comely cigar bar or gentleman's study; a throwback to the restaurant's former existence as the Men's Bar. The understated elegance of the restaurant is complemented by the focal wine coffer, which plays host to an array of fine wines, labeled by their respective estates.
Bull and Bear prides itself on being the first restaurant on the Eastern Seaboard (and the sole restaurant in New York) to serve the Prime grade of Certified Angus Beef ®, a coveted classification given to less than one percent of all beef available in the U.S. The restaurant has also won celebrated appraise for the succulence of its steaks, which it dry-ages for 30 days to achieve an exceptional texture and flavor.
Served with bell peppers, Cipollini onions, and button mushrooms, the Seared Angus Beef Tenderloin Tip was tender and moist, obviating the need for the steak knife; an accompaniment of sweet soy steamed rice completed the entree. Many other patrons opted for the Bull and Bear Signature Angus burger, which also affords the privilege of tasting the prime meat. Hand-cut French-fries are served in a small silver cachepot, an upscale manner of that employed by Belgian frietkots.
The Parsnip Apple Soup with Chicken Sausage opened the meal, and the faint tangy taste of (Granny Smith?) apple left much to be desired. However, a pleasant end of New York cheesecake was restorative. The smooth, creamy texture was decadent and rich, a lithe companion to a strong coffee.
The muted elegance of Bull and Bear is enhanced by a meticulous staff which performs its duties almost on cue, alerted by the delicate nuances that mark the end of a course. The restaurant's re-incarnation from the Men's Club likely accounts for its mostly-male patronage; a sole female server seemed almost awkward and anachronistic. Bull and Bear's certification for its beef is well-deserved, and any sybarite should pay a visit for the Signature burger and steaks, if for nothing else. Its bar is as famous for its cocktail hour as it is for its opulence; and plays home to many drinks which were invented on its mahogany surface, including the Rob Roy and the Robbie Burns . The restaurants name comes, aptly, from the eponymous bronze duo of finance overlooking the bar, who, seemingly, beckons a distinct clientele.
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30 W. 22nd St.
New York, NY 10010
http://www.aspen-nyc.com
Now that winter is in full swing, with its ever-present threat of a Nor'easter, freezing temperatures have forced patrons from dining al fresco to dining adentro. Luckily, Aspen is up to the feat of the de-frosting its patrons in its cabin-style restaurant and lounge, which could easily double as the lobby of a swanky resort in the same town that lends its name to this establishment.
Outfitted in frosted glass columns and exposed weathered wood walls, the eatery is like a secluded winter retreat; clean lines and white lights draw attention to the tree-lined patio, which resembles a forest. Cozy inside, patrons are invited to sit at the open-flame fireplace, which comfortable seats twelve to sixteen in an informal dining commune.
New to the Aspen menu, the restaurant's lunch fair is a simple, scaled-down version of the tapas -heavy dinner menu, making the perfect "light lunch." Nugget-sized, crispy crabcakes were served with a tri-color bell-pepper salad and were a tasty appetizer to Aspen's signature bison burger, which boasts of being a leaner, healthier meat than beef. Similarly bite-sized, the bison slider (as it's called) is comfortably consumed in as few at three bites, but is tasty and filling. The petite savory portions at Aspen leave room for its delicious pumpkin flan. The rich, creamy dessert is drenched in a sumptuous pumpkin glaze and is the perfect end to the meal.
In small servings, but in no small measure, Aspen is a comfortable forest retreat that offers peaceful winter solace; its food is deliciously appointed in appropriate sizes that don't force one into hibernation. Commune with others at the open fireplace (that doubles as a babbling brook in the summer months) and take the chill off with specialty cocktails, which are half-off when it snows.
~Dontré L. Conerly
dconnerly@worldbridemagazine.com |
