Bay Ridge's Little Slice of Heaven... the Petit Oven that could.

For all my Bay Ridge Brooklynites out there... I don't know if I'm going to drop a bombshell on you, or repeat what's already been said 100 times in your world, but here it is: There is an creatively amazing, fresh market delicious, highly addictive little restaurant in our Southern corner of Brooklyn, and that is Petit Oven.

Here is their current Yelp:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/petit-oven-brooklyn
You can see my review from October of 2010 here

So here comes my love letter:

Everyone who knows me knows when I dine in Brooklyn (and I love my Bklyn dining!)  I'll head down toward Park Slope or Cobble Hill. It has been SUCH A PLEASURE to have this minutes away from home.
And I love hearing that people are coming from all over NY to Petit Oven to try all that good stuff they've heard about from their friends, family, etc.

I myself heard about it from a friend's friend...
 The first time I went, it was Thanksgiving weekend of 2010, and I wanted NOT turkey, NOT gravy, and NOT mashed potatoes. We decided to finally try it... and it was everything I could ever dream of in a meal. (Also, that was when I realized I have an obsession with bread & butter pudding). Ever since then, it's been a love affair with the french culinary genius of Ms. Katarzyna Ploszaj that has kept us coming back for more.

Their style is simple, elegant, and satisfying. 
Chef Kat and partner Nicole run a tight ship.They love what they do, and they do it well.
 The service is impeccable, attentive and very friendly.

Everyday there is a 3-course tasting menu, as well as a variety of Ala Carte items.
The menu itself changes seasonally.
Chef Kat stands by fresh market food and supports local farmers...You can see she loves incorporating it into her cooking.
The motto on their website is "Grow it. Cook it. Eat it."
Has there ever been anything said before as simply good and right about food?

Here is the menu as it is online today:

http://petit-oven.com/menu

Here are some of my favorite dishes from Petit Oven:

My ALL-TIME favorite is this crispy-skinned duck breast, which seems to keep getting better and better every time I order it ---

The duck stays on the Ala Cart menu, but Chef Kat will update the sides and sauces frequently.


And so we get to the desserts.
Some people can make a great pudding.  Some make a great cake...
Sometimes a sauce really sticks out in your mind as a perfect blend of sweet and sticky and compliments the dish.

This Bread & Butter Pudding is the End All and Be All of B&BP's....
If you only come here for one thing, I'd say it should be for a big ole ceramic bowl of yummy.
It's homemade, the salted caramel sauce is one that I'd like to drink out of a glass, and it makes me happy to be alive.

I just have two words:

Dressiness Factor: TWO PUMPS

Petit Oven is a smaller dining room, and seats around 35 people maximum.

 I've come here both dressed up and dressed  down;

If I had one word to describe the ambiance, it would be romantic.

 The music is soft, European, and compliments the art on the walls and the beautiful candles softly lighting your meal.

  Overall; there's no need to dress to impress; it's more like you're going to your really cool friend's house, where you're going to park your butt and drink wine (of a fabulous selection) and eat and laugh until your sides hurt. That's what I do.

Aquavit; a Chef's Tasting for a King and Queen

So I've been on a serious kick lately with the wonderful Chef's Tastings I've been seeing on Travelzoo, Groupon and LivingSocial. These are restaurants I've always dreamed of going to, to experience their Executive Chef's perfectly executed menus, the servers impeccable service and the lovely decorum (For which, of course, I myself always wanted to be dressed and decorated for!).

This last experience was a few weeks ago in Midtown, the gorgeous Aquavit, of Nordic fame.

http://www.aquavit.org/restaurant/newyork/index.asp

The ambiance of the place was very cool...literally.
It was quite airy, light colors, super plush leathers booths, and dark wood.
The only whimiscal piece were the lustrous chandeliers, which looked like lovely star-filled lanterns.

We had the 4-Course Tasting and it was scrumptious.
I believe they change it seasonally, and the current one on their website looks like this:

http://www.aquavit.org/restaurant/pdfs/Aquavit%20New%20York%20Dinner.pdf

As we looked through our menu, we tucked into our bottle of dry Reisling and indulged in some puff cheesy balls of goodness.

PS: The Puffs sat upon a bed of ... stones. not edible.
 I accidently got one in my mouth!
yes, well, I was hungry. ;-)

My food-loving man was quite involved in his menu review, and I managed a quick shot of him deep in decision-making :)

Items we pounced on from the Tasting Menu:

Sweet Shrimp Crudo
Aquavit Steak Tartare
Spanish Octopus
Charred Pork
Lardo-baked Halibut
Icelandic Cod

here are some of the plating presentations...

Everything was perfectly seasoned, crisp when needed (that octopus above was SO citrus-zesty delicious!).

Of course, nothing is ever as exciting as the dessert menu.

Pete tried the Chocolate and Texture, which included malt, tea-infused chocolate sherbert, and and a lemony caramel.

 I went for the fresh Meringue which was loaded with juicy berries and drizzled in a tart sauce and was like an explosion of flavor in my mouth in every bite.





Dressiness Factor: FOUR PUMPS

 This is a place I wouldn't feel comfortable in without pumps and a slick outfit.

The servers were all impeccably starched and tuxedo-clad, the other guests were sharp, and I felt very good and proper in my bright-giraffe printed silk dress and heels coming from work.

Final note: 

Devilishly full of deliciousness. 

 Happy. Sassy.

and a very happy girl.

<3e

Introductions, Juventino, and Sexy Heels

For my very first post I couldn't help but talk about my very favorite restaurant in Brooklyn... Juventino.

Juventino
370 5th Ave
(at 6th St)
Brooklyn, NY 11215

Juventino's Yelp
Juventino



*********
I do write a few things on Yelp
 Juventino was one of my biggest praises ...
you can follow my Yelping @ Elinsky's Yelp
**********

I first wrote about Juventino almost a year ago, in July of 2011, and I was glowing then.

In a nutshell:
The food is sublime. Every time.
The staff is absolutely radiant, always smiling, helpful, stylish, sweet.
The decorum is light, airy, and feels like a big lofty kitchen.
Everything feels rustic with a breezy elegance that works just right.

So we went last night,  my wonderful food-loving boyfriend and I, with whom I love nothing more than going on adventurous food dates.

Juventino was our find last year, and has become our 2nd favorite kitchen (after our own).

THE REVIEW:
We blissfully started our evening with a half-dozen oysters on their ever-growing oyster list (seasonally evolving.)

As an example for you Raw Bar lovers, here is their list as currently on their website:

OYSTERS

market price

WEST COAST

Totten Inlet - traditionally East coast– sweet oyster with a distinct mineral finish

Kusshi - ultra-clean, sweet, creamy flavor with a plump, pillow-like meat

Barron Point - soft, meaty and sweet oyster

Shigoku - medium sized oyster with cucumber and citrus notes

Kumamoto - smooth, small with an herbal essence

Effingham - plump, briny flavored with a smooth watermelon finish

Hama Hama - firm, cucumber essence, salt and citrus notes

Wellefleet - mild, sweet flavor, intense brine-crisp finish

EAST COAST

Caraquets - small with a mellow flavor (great oyster for 1st timer)

Wild Goose - juicy, plump meat, slight umami, mushroom flavor

East Beach Blond - noted salt flavor, mild sea notes and subtle sweetness

Mecox - very large oyster with mild flavor profile

Beau Soleil - small in size with a light briny flavor

Malpeque - very briny and tangy with an ocean finish

Barnstable - slightly sweet with subtle tones of white peach

Walrus - briny, firm meat with a custard flavor

Onset - deep briny liquor with an earthy peppery depth

...WOW.
As my dear friend Aubrey says about oysters... "I'm aroused."

Before I dive into discussion of last night's entrees, I will tell you this one very important factor:
when they bring out bread to start, they offer it with a roasted garlic and hand-churned salted nutmeg butter with fried sage.

 In the photo below, you can see the presentation.
Underneath the bread, I have a display of our oysters lovely shells... I inhaled them before I could even snap a photo :)

They have an eclectic cheese list as well, featuring both cows and sheep's milk, as well an out-of this-world charcuterie which features one of my favorite things; wild boar. The sides included house-pickled vegetables, and the cheese we chose came with a white truffle oil and homemade apple sauce.

It was SO complimentary in my mouth, and... well, to be frank, in my soul.

Pete ordered the roast chicken as his entree... he used to hate chicken as a entree because it's usually boring, but lately he's been on a roast chicken kick that I'm afraid will probably only intensify in the coming months and years... and I ordered the tender pork loin which was scrumptious and SO truly tender.

We rounded it all with our a dessert; a bit of an interesting diversion from the usual sweet stuff; a black sesame cake with a rose white chocolate cream and salted Nutella side. It was intriguing; a good try but not something I'd crave again anytime soon.

Here concludes my final note about this and future reviews I'll be posting...

One of my most common quirks are dressing correctly for the right occasion;
I love matching the mood of the place, with the style and ambiance of the place with an appropriate outfit that makes me feel... happy and complete.

Hopefully I'll be able to post photos of myself in my attire in coming posts... :D :D :D
For now, I'll be showing a ratio I'll use matching food  ---> ambiance ----> fanciness
You might be familiar with the $ symbol for price;

I will be doing something a little different.

From 1-5, I will be supplying a red sexy pump to signify the dressiness, many thanks to my designer genius friend Niyati Karwat, who styled this gorgeous shoe below....... let's call it the "Pump Range"

= Casual/Comfortable

=Chic/Stylish

and so on... :)

Hope you all enjoyed my First Food Post!

 I'm so excited to have shared and there will be much, much more to come.

Go try Juventino, it will change your life.

<3e




 

Welcome!

So here I am. Finally beginning a cohesive love story about the food I eat, the beauty of plating, and the way to arrive, stylin', to the most delicious and diverse restaurants in NYC.


I am so, so excited.


Over the next few weeks, I might still be tweaking the site a bit, to make it more moldable to a format I can use., so bear with me :)


 I am so happy to share my opinions, suggestions and photos with you all.
When I really get on a roll, I'll definitely backtrack and put up a few of my favorite places and foods that forever make my tummy go "yum" for your eating and viewing pleasures.




Please feel free to comment, ask me where I've been, tell me where to go eat, to drink... I love your feedback!


For my very first post, I will end on a quote:

“If more of us valued food and cheer above hoarded gold, it would be a much merrier world.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien