Toro NYC

Long time no see. I’ve popped back by here with my first restaurant review since August of last year and it’s kind of funny that it’s a Boston restaurant that recently expanded to NYC. Many of you will recognize the dish above as the beloved Maiz Asado from Toro. I had the pleasure of checking out the new NYC Toro their opening week and, to no one’s surprise, it is just as fantastic as the original. I can vouch for the phenomenal vegetable dishes (cauliflower and kohlrabi, and heirloom carrots with buttermilk, dill and harissa, among others) and my lovely companions were happy to partake of the roasted bone marrow, jamón serrano, smoked duck dumettes and much much more. It was definitely a treat as well to see both Jamie Bissonette and Ken Oringer there that day and I had the chance to chat with them both. I actually wrote this review for Stern’s newspaper, The Stern Opportunity (or The Oppy), but being that this is the first time in 15 months that I wrote about a restaurant, I had to share it here as well.

Click here for the full review.

Toro NYC
85 10th Avenue
New York, NY

P.S. If you’ve been by here before, you’ll notice I made a few not so subtle changes to the blog (title, for instance?) Hope you enjoy.

Thai Hut

If you live in Somerville or any of the surrounding areas, it’s likely you’ve traversed the stretch of Beacon Street that runs between Porter Square and Inman Square, either by foot, bus, or car. The stretch is actually part Somerville and part Cambridge and is dotted with several food establishments.  On the Northern end, close to Porter Square, there is Petsi Pies, Cafe Rustica, RF O’Sullivan’s, Mixtura, Zoe’s Chinese (which didn’t satisfy the one time I tried it) and Pho ‘n Rice. Halfway down is what some refer to as Dali Square, at the intersection of Beacon and Washington Streets. There you’ll find Dali, Bergamot, and The Biscuit, as well as The Wine and Cheese Cask.

Thai iced tea

Just beyond that intersection is a small restaurant called Thai Hut that caught my eye every time I passed it. Something about its humble exterior and name, combined with the fact that I’m always game to try a new Thai restaurant.  We started off with our usual appetizer/beverage, a Thai iced tea. It was as good as any other we’ve had. I haven’t noticed much variation in Thai iced teas, with the exception of the over the top rich one we had at S & I Thai.

Desserts at Sibling Rivalry

As spectacular as the nectarine sorbet at Coppa was, we definitely needed a solid dessert course to round out the night. Anita and Alex are big fans of the bar at Sibling Rivalry, so we headed one block north of Coppa for drinks and dessert. The horseshoe-shaped bar is accommodating for groups of people and occupies its own distinct space apart from the main restaurant. Full-sized windows curve around mirroring the shape of the bar and provide views out onto Tremont Street.

Banana Coconut Tart chocolate ripple ice cream, espresso chocolate sauce and butter toffee. This was my favorite of the bunch. The soft tart shell held a warm, rich banana filling, topped with a creme anglais and toasted coconut. The tart and creme anglais stood well enough on its own, but the straciatella ice cream was a lovely pairing with both the warm banana and the coconut flavor. 

Coppa

Photo by Alex

In the weeks leading up to my move, I had a list of places that I wanted to visit before I left. I ended up barely making a dent in the list, but I did cross off one restaurant that was very high on the list. Three good friends and I headed to Coppa one evening and had an outstanding meal. Coppa, headed up by chefs Jamie Bissonette and Ken Oringer, is known for its nose-to-tail offerings, and more than one person raised an eyebrow when I told them that Coppa was at the top of my list. What you don’t hear as much about are Coppa’s vegetarian dishes. I hadn’t heard much about them myself, but I’d seen photos online of various dishes and had read many an enticing description on the menu.

The restaurant is on the smaller side but has a unique triangle shape that makes the space feel quite open. The restaurant is located on a quiet corner in the South End and during the day, natural light comes in through the front windows and illuminates the bar and exposed brick interior.