Birthday Dinner :)

   Happy 2012..... SO since my last post a couple of things have occurred, the holidays came, we started a new year and most important- i got a year older (not sure how I feel about that yet but its all good). So what better way to celebrate than going out to dinner with friends, talking over delicious food and wine. My way to celebrate.

 My two JWU buddies asked me what type of food I would like to eat so she could pick out a restaurant. I wanted something that we don't eat often, something new and special to commemorate the occasion. I decided on seafood with Italian flair, so the choice was Esca, a restaurant in Hell's Kitchen by Chef Dave Pasternack. I agreed to the decision because this was one of many restaurants that I wanted to try. I have heard much about Chef Pasternack through magazines and I watched his biography on The Cooking Channel. The main reason I wanted to go to Esca was because they do something unlike most restaurants in the city. I refer to him as the fish guy because the chef and his team actually go fishing off the coast of Long Island and bring the catch to the restaurant. Which means the menu items are constantly changing to whats available and the fish is incredibly fresh. Pretty Awesome. 

Scallop Tasting

Fried Halibut Cheeks with Caper Aioli

Burratta with Caviar

For our first course we started off with a trio of dishes. The scallop tasting had three varieties of in crudo form (italian version of sushi). All were dressed simply with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and a different citrus juice. Its funny because I am really not into crudo/sushi because I don't like the texture of raw fish, however I really enjoyed the scallops. Surprisingly sweet and creamy which paired well with the lime, blood orange and meyer lemon juices they were accompanied with. The burrata was delicious, soft-to the bite mozzarella and creamy ricotta. The caviar were like bursts of sea salt pellets that flavored the cheese. My favorite first course was the crispy halibut cheeks. Light and crispy on the outside and firm, flakey fish underneath. Our waiter told us that everything is fried in olive oil which I felt made a fried dish feel light and airy, not greasy at all. The caper aioli was reminiscent of tartar sauce gone great. I absolutely loved this dish. 

Pan Seared Black Bass with Roasted Root Vegetable

Broiled Fluke with Preserved Lemon & Blood Orange

Ricotta Gnocchi with Tomato Basil Sauce

For our main courses we shared black bass, fluke and the gnocchi. The black bass was good. Nothing extravagant. Simply seasoned with salt, pepper and olive oil. The skin was not as crispy as I would have liked. The flesh was cooked perfectly, lightly flaking with the touch of my fork. The vegetables that accompanied the dish were roasted until there natural sweetness came out, which made them  caramelized into deliciousness. The fluke was so delicate and light. The preserved citrus livened up the fluke which was seasoned lightly with salt & pepper. I liked that all of the seafood was lightly seasoned so that the actual flavor and freshness could shine through. The ricotta gnocchi was good however, we all felt that it was a little grainy. When it comes to gnocchi we have a favorite from Barbounia and it didnt reach that point. Good none the less.

Hazelnut Chocolate Cannoli

Pop Rocks Toffee & Vanilla Gelato Affogato

Now you know dinner is not complete without dessert. For this course we were stuffed but had to order dessert for the greater good :) The first thing we notice about the cannoli was its unique presentation. Instead of the typical cannoli shell, there were rings that were filled with the cream. The hazelnut chocolate cheese/cream was a little grainy. The nut flavor was not overpowering and reminded us like a nutella cream. The affogato was comprised of a vanilla gelato with pop-rocks toffee chips mixed in. The waiter poured the espresso tableside. While eating it, I didn't understand why the pop-rocks were apart of the dish. It wasn't until I took a sip of water when my mouth started popping. The cream of the gelato hindered the functionality of the pop-rocks because before the water, I forgot that it was in the toffee. There was no wow factor in the desserts, however both good. With them and more prosecco we finished off our night and celebration of me getting a year older. Cheers!!