Thanksgiving

My family and friends mostly did not celebrateThanksgiving in Hong Kong and it was not until college that I discovered how amazing this holiday was. I really love the whole concept of how my American friends invited me and other international students to share this holiday with their family since they knew we were far away from home. I also love the idea of "friendsgiving" where a group of friends who are unable to spend Thanksgiving with their family gather to cook a great feast together and have an amazing time. The holidays is all about being with loved ones and I've always been so lucky to be surrounded by delicious food and great company. Below are a compilation of photos of the friendsgivings that I partook in this year. A little late since I already have photos from my Christmas dinners but here you go!

Gyukaku

Gyukaku is a popular Japanese yakiniku chain with numerous international outposts such as Hong Kong, Singapore, and here in New York. Gyukaku serves affordable yakiniku in a casual setting and is a good choice for a fun meal with friends. W and I decided to meet M for lunch one day and we left the establishment very full. The cuts were not very premium as expected and I felt that the marinade was much too salty and heavy for some dishes. However, for the price you pay we had a pretty decent meal. I also really loved the s'mores dessert at the end. My favorite yakiniku in New York is Takashi but the prices are also much higher as compared to Gyukaku. I have also been meaning to try Futago (a favorite while I was in Hong Kong) but have always had scheduling conflicts.

Gyukaku

805 3rd Avenue 

New York

NY 10022

Wa Bar

Wa Bar is a popular spot in K town for casual food and drinks. I've actually never been before this time but had a pretty good time. We were looking for a bite to eat after a DJ event and roamed into Wa Bar pretty late at night. The food was yummy but I still think Turntable has the best Korean fried chicken. The ribs with the cheese was also a bit weird as the cheese got hard and did not really add to the dish. Overall I think this is a solid choice for food and a fun night with alcohol but not a place I would particularly crave usually.

Wa Bar

28 W 32rd Street

New York

NY 10001

Greecologies

One of my favorite snacks/breakfasts (when not avocado toast)/and sometimes lunch is yogurt parfait. I use to buy it from delis but have recently started making it at home too and loved how I was able to make it so much more nutritious by adding extras such as maca powder and chia seeds and also making sure I use healthy granolas and yogurts. I actually haven't tried the chobani store in Soho yet but am definitely going to do so soon! While I love making my own yogurt bowls, Greecologies is definitely worth leaving home for and paying the premium price because the yogurt and the toppings are top notch! G introduced me to this super bright and cute space and I have been hooked ever since. I prefer the traditional unstrained Greek yogurt with its custardy consistency but I would recommend trying both types. I haven't tried the savory combinations yet but will do so on my next visit if I am not tempted by the rose preserves again (divine). Apart from the delicious yogurt bowls, they also serve baked goods, sandwiches, and teas/coffee. They also have a cute shelf full of goodies for you to buy such as carrot and rose preserves.

Greecologies 

379 Broome Street

New York

NY 10013

Del Posto

Del Posto is supposed to be the crown jewel of Mario Batali and Joe and Lidia Bastianich's group of restaurants (Babo, Lupa, etc). Unfortunately, I was completely unimpressed and left the restaurant with a bad taste in my mouth. The food was not bad, but there were so many little mistakes that kept building up through out the night that made this dining experience an utter disappointment.

First off, we had a reservation for 8:15. After checking in the hostess told us they would get our table ready right away. 5 minutes or so passed and nothing happened. Y and I decided to grab a drink at the bar and wait. 15 more minutes passed and still not a single check in on what is going on with our table. 10 more minutes... Y decided to wave someone down and finally someone appears and tells us that they are setting it up and it will be ready in minutes. No apologies whatsoever.

We are FINALLY seated. We have waited over 30 minutes for our table with zero explanation or apology. I was unusually chirpy and was not annoyed but Y was already pretty peeved and was trying to flag someone down. I usually go into hangry hulk mode so I probably was so hungry that I just skipped that phase all together and went straight to savasana. Someone comes to fill our glasses with water then disappears again.

Where the eff is our menu?

Freaking 10 minutes or more passed by again and no one comes with our menus or a welcome. We were basically put in a corner and neglected. Y was finally able to get the attention of SOMEONE and we got our menus. Once again no apology even though it was very obvious that Y was upset. I almost feel like the restaurant should play me Justin Bieber's song "Sorry" at this point. It is really almost too late.

It has been an hour since our original reservation time to us just obtaining a menu.

Anyways back to the food, we opted for the 5 course Prix-Fixe menu

Oh thank god we finally got the bread basket. Along with these cute little turds of butter and lard. The butter was nice and creamy, could use a little salt. 

Amuse bouche
The little croquettes were nice with a crispy exterior and creamy center. The lentil soup was ok, but I thought the crunchy cubes of veggies were strange and much too hard. The weirdest one was this little lump of daikon. It was so sour and pungent... I almost felt like they had an excess of daikon and had to find some way to get rid of it or something. 

Truffled Beef Carne Cruda - Crunchy Fried Chips of Salsify
A solid dish. The crudo was very well flavored and I loved the chunkiness of the meat. The crunchy salsify on the top was also a nice textural contrast. 

Zucchini and Calamari - Flat Herbs and Spicy Caper Butter 
The flavors were nice for this dish but the batter was much too stiff. I don't think I've ever had calamari with such a hard coating. 

Ok so first course done. When we ordered our food, Y ordered a glass of wine and told them she would have it when she was done with the first course. I was drinking a martini and when they took away my glass, they only asked if I also ordered wine and when I said no, took away my glass. Two issues: first of all, they should know if I did or did not order wine. Secondly, they should ask whether I wanted another one of the martini. This is not to sound bratty, I just expect the service of a restaurant of this caliber to be stellar and these are small details that matter.

Y decided to remind them of her wine when they came over again just in case. A server came over and asked whether she remembered which wine she ordered. Another small detail.

Y went to the restroom and our pastas came. Right after they set it down. A server came over with two lids and laid them upon our dishes. Then another one came and gave the first server a look then looked at me and asked if I wanted them covered. Once again, I feel like service at such an established location should be seamless. Everyone is polite there and has the menu items memorized to a T, but it's the little details and nuances that really make service pop.

Pork and Veal Agnolotti - Sugo Finto and Cauliflower Cacio e Pepe
The pasta was a little pass al dente.... meh pretty unacceptable for such an established Italian restaurant. The filling was pretty tasty but nothing mind blowing. The agnolotti at Scarpetta is much better. And while I get that this was a pasta shared between me and Y... this serving size is just TINY. 

Orecchiette - Lamb Neck Sausage, Broccoli Rabe, Ricotta Salata, and Crispy Porcini
I really enjoyed the texture of the pasta, it was very chewy and cooked perfectly. The sausage was also very flavorful. However, the broccoli rabe sauce had these little chunks of raw onion that were completely out of place. Everything would taste really great then sudden you get these crunches of raw onion that were so harsh to the palate. WHY. 

Warm Lobster - Squashes, Hazelnuts, Brussels Sprouts, Balsami and Brown Butter
Pretty nice presentation. The lobster was sliiightly over cooked but overall a pretty enjoyable dish. However, the lobster at Marea is much better (so buttery and sweet). This dish is fine, but not amazing enough to warrant such a higher price tag,

Burnt Beef Rib Eye - Charred Onion Salad and Eggplant alla Pizzaiola 
The steak was juicy and had a nice char. However, I believe this as an ala carte item would be around $70 and I would much rather get a regular ribeye at any of New York's famous steakhouses. The onion "salad" at the top also looked very confused. Why is there this strange little onion hat holding butchered cubes of beef? I did not appreciate this presentation at all. The eggplant side dish was also extremely salty.

Butterscotch Semifreddo - Melon Agrumata and Crumbled Sbrisolona 
Decent ice cream. Nothing to rave about. 

Grappa Panna Cotta - Market Grapes, Walnuts, and Fennel 
This might be the saddest panna cotta I've ever seen. The taste itself was ok, but I think it should definitely be thicker and it would be nice if it was a little less soggy and mushy. It kind of looked like some jelly fish flopped on the dish and died. 

Then we had some chocolates and it was served on a grater box... while I'm sure the grater was not sharp, I admit I have an irrational fear of graters but honestly why did anyone think this would be a good idea? Serving chocolates for guests on an tool that is usually used to make small and horrible little cuts on veggies, cheeses, and sometimes fingers... nope.

I got an espresso and then a server took it away when I wasn't even finished with it. Final nail in the coffin.

So clearly I did not have the greatest experience at Del Posto. I usually don't write scathing reviews, but I felt like there were so many things that cumulated as the night progressed that while I did not turn into the hulk, I certainly felt like I was morphing into that mean critic from Ratatouille before he became all nice and stuff. Once again, everyone was really polite, but the small details mentioned, the mediocrity of the food, along with a $250+ price tag, just did not cut it for me. There are so many amazing Italian places in the city with equally, if not better food for a fraction of the price!

For $250+ I could have gotten 5 SPORTS BRAS, or 12 bowls of udon, or 7 SoulCycle classes... ok I'll get over it.

Del Posto is such a well known restaurant and I was severely disappointed. Give this one a miss for sure.

Del Posto

85 Tenth Avenue 

New York

NY 10011

The Polo Bar

Polo Bar is one of the city's top "seen and be seen" spots in NYC, you can't even enter the bar area without a reservation! Scoring a prime time reservation is notoriously difficult so I was so lucky when my friend T asked me if I wanted to take her table at 8:30 pm on Saturday. The atmosphere is everything you would expect it to be... quite like a Ralph Lauren store but with waiters whisking around classic American plates such as shrimp cocktail and steaks. The food is ok, definitely not bad but not particularly memorable either. I did enjoy my dining experience here and definitely would recommend trying once just for the atmosphere.

The Moscow Mule is supposed to be one of their most famous drinks. It was very tasty and refreshing and we also found out that our waitress shared the same birthday as me and J so these drinks were on the house! She was so sweet and this definitely was a sweet start to our dinner. 

Shrimp Cocktail
The shrimp was generously sized and fresh. 

Pigs in a Blanket
Pretty delicious, can't really go wrong with this dish. 

Crab Cake
The crust was a little different than usual and was really crispy, but I personally prefer the more traditional preparation of crab cake where the entire outside is coated with breadcrumbs. 

Cute little ketchup holders! 

Veal Milanese 
This dish was really good! The veal was very tender and the coating was very flavorful and crispy. 

Bone in Ribeye 
The steak was also made well with a great char on the outside and juicy meat inside. While this was not the best steak I've had in New York, I think it was better than other steakhouses such as Wolfgang's. 

I loved the decor and vibe of the restaurant but after coming once I would not go out of my way to score a reservation again. However, I did enjoy my time here and would recommend for others to try it out if they have the chance!

Polo Bar

1 E 55th Street

New York

NY 10022