foodie nyc

Roasted Lamb, Ramp Orzo, Horseradish Parmigiano Broth

So before I get into this dish, a reminder that your last chance to submit your contribution to the May ILSL Monthly loathfest is approaching - send me your contributions by the end of this weekend (Sunday, April 30 will be fine). Don't be a loser. I know you loathe Sandra Lee, so I'd love to feature your loathing on this site on May 1.

But Sandra Lee is only a minor aspect of today's post, as I have some more spring inspired food to share with you. 

Last weekend, we enjoyed a beautiful spring Sunday afternoon here in NYC.  As I looked through the market, I felt like there would be nothing more perfect than a loin of lamb.  Marinated in garlic, rosemary and olive oil, I would sear and then roast the lamb slowly in the oven.  But what to serve with it?

I had to keep the spring thing going and luckily I found some ramps to go along with the lamb.  In a future post I will show you how I feature the ramp white bulbs without the green leaves, reserving them for a separate use.  Hey, two ramp dishes for the price of one can be a great thing!

I had some ramp tops on hand, so I blanched them in boiling, salted water for about 30 seconds.  I then dried them well and pureed them in a food processor with salt, pepper and olive oil.  I would later make some orzo and fold the ramp puree and some grated parmigiano reggiano into the pasta as a side for the lamb.

I definitely wanted a sauce to finish the dish but didn't want something thick or overly rich. I needed a sauce that was light yet flavorful to match the weather, I guess.  I decided to take chicken stock and simmer it with a rind of parmigiano reggiano and a large handful of fresh, grated horseradish.  I simmered the chicken stock slowly in order to allow the flavors of the cheese and the horseradish to infuse into the stock.  After about 40 minutes, I took the stock off the stove and strained it.  The result was a mellow, earthy, spicy, parmigiano flavored broth that continued to maintain a soupy, light feel.  Can you tell I love spring? I'm not sure if it's obvious....

The Unthinkable: People Who Like Sandra Lee

I made a random mention in a comments section on this site that I had expected to get some "I love Sandra Lee and hate you, FoodieNYC, you pompous jackass" comments or emails after publicly declaring my loathing of the food coloring Queen. 

But no, that hasn't happened yet.  I usually just get comments from people who equally loathe her unhealthy bullshit food or don't even pay attention to her, as I had previous done.  But I came to thinking....there are weirdo groups who get together to gush over every obscure aspect of life, right? Like people who sign up for dog dating sites and who read blogs about cooking with ramps.  Heh.

So I sought out the Sandra Lee die hards.  What makes these people tick? What do they love about someone that I find so beyond offensive? Introducing Fans of Sandra Lee: The Unofficial Fan Forum.  Yes, that is correct.  See for yourself. 

Now, I don't expect you to sign up in order to view this trainwreck for yourselves (though I encourage you to).  I will entertain you by summarizing some of my favorites posts in order to let you into the secret world of food dye, boxed cake and fish sticks from Walmart.  I've highlighted my favorite bits in red. 

Courtesy of "Revatwer", a "Junior Fan of Sandy", under a post titled "My Super Duper Yummy Dessert":

"You guys are gonna LOVE this!  I'm sure Dandy Sandy would too! I know that I am not quite as good as Sandy, but I do really think I am almost like her, and I'm sure you all would agree!  I made the BEST dessert for my family tonight! I wasn't even planning on doing a dessert (I know, I know.. shame on me) and to be honest with you -- and I hope this doesn't get me kicked off the board -- there are sometimes that I don't even really do a tablescarpe, I mean if I have stuff laying around or I have time to go to Dollar Castle I will, but sometimes I just get tired.  anyway, after dinner my kids really wanted something sweet, and so did my DH, but I didn't have any Twinkies or anything around, but I made this!

You take two Pop-Tarts per person, I used Strawberry because that is what I had. Spray some Pam on the "UNFROSTED" sides of the Pop-tarts! And then you take some mini-marshmallows and place them between the poptarts. Microwave this for about a minute. BE CAREFUL removing these (I used a paperplate to cook mine on) because they get hot! Then you take Marshmallow fluff and frost the outside of your Pop-tart sandwich . I also added sprinkles to this. OMG, it was soooo pretty and soooooooooo good! I wanted to add something healthy so I placed a Maraschino cherry on top and some canned pineapple on the side. It was beyond luscious!

Please tell me if you try this and how you liked it and remember it was my idea so PLEASE give me credit if you use my recipe!         

Yes, that's right folks.  Sandy Dandy.  Super Duper Yummy.  Maraschino cherry = healthy. Twinkies. This must have been written by a 12 year old whose Mommy is out grocery shopping for the afternoon, right? Unfortunately, "Revatwer" says she is 36 years old on her bio.   Right. 

Here's a classic thread regarding Sandra Lee's body.  Uh huh. 

"For the first time, I am able to be free with my thoughts and say how evious I am of her great shape. She has a teriffic body and I am jealous. Here's to you and your bod, Sandra. Keep up the good work."

"my Hubby said my body should like so good    , but thats ok I still Luv sandra"

"OK., you'll all hate me for this, but I think Sandy needs a better bra. I mean she has a spendid figure and all, but she is a little droopy in the north, if ya know what I mean. But she does swing 'em well."

"Maybe it's just the camera?  I bet the camera doesn't do her justice. No one could hang that low!"

" You know, you could be right about the camera thing.  I'm sure they don't hang that low too.    "

"I agree. The camera doesn't do her justice! Heavens, if she really looked like that, she could be in a freak show!"

".....to each his own of course, but I think her breasts are magnificent!"

God, I am on the floor right now.  I don't even know what to say about this. 

Following is a classic, posted under the title "A Sanda-esque tablescape saved me!" by someone named sandrules:

We all know that Sandra does *the best* and klassiest tablescapes, but the one that inspired me from her "Sexy Soiree" show really got me out of a jam...

My husband and I have been having some intimacy problems and he believes that I should be slaving away in the kitchen all day instead of watching Sandra Lee. (Whatever!) So, I really wanted to spice things up. Well, I went to Wal-Mart and spent some money on a red Kitchen Aid mixer, some red napkins, several strands of faux pearls and a few genuine glass beads. I even found a strand of hearts that light up and I strung them all around the kitchen. Really folks, my kitchen looked soooo professional and extremely classy.

Coot, my husband, was shocked! He had no idea that I had such a talent for decorating, he upped my weekly allowance for trips to Wal-Mart and he was thrilled that I made something semi-homemade. Now he thinks that I slaved away all day in the kitchen and my marriage, once threatened, is now on the mend.

However, I do have one question for all of you; When I made Sandra's "Tropical Salmon" I cheated a bit. You see, Coot doesn't really like fish, so I used fish sticks instead. Do ya'll think Sandra would approve?"

Holy shit, people.  This is a classic.  Poor old Coot.  He pays his wife an allowance in order to make extra trips to Walmart which helps with his intimacy problems. Man, a trip to Walmart would turn me asexual for god's sake. But red napkins, fake pearls and fish sticks.  Watch out honey, papa's home! Above all, I just love the fish sticks line.  He doesn't like fish, so she bought him "fish" from Walmart.  Hahahahahaha.  This site is priceless.

Ramp Wrapped Shrimp

I rarely make dishes in which my lovely spring favorite, ramps, play a supporting role.  Why? Well, the fact that I don't get to enjoy ramps as frequently as I'd like means that I want to taste them as a co-star of a dish. 

How else can I appreciate the subtle yet pungent onion- garlic-leek combination that resides in these little weed-like beauties?

A simple and easy first course that I made recently had that exact mission - feature ramp as the co-star of a dish.  I decided to simply make my recipe for Spanish style shrimp, but held the garlic and parsley.  I only used olive oil, smoked paprika, salt and pepper in the searing of the shrimp.  After they were cooked, I sauteed the ramps in olive oil for only about 1.5 minutes on high heat.  I then wrapped a ramp around the shrimp, so that each bite gave us a taste of the shrimp and the ramp.   Before serving, I squeezed some lemon juice on the ramp wrapped shrimp for a touch of acid.  (Note: this dish is best with the small bulbed ramps, like the one in the picture.  Lots of ramps have a thicker white bulb, so pick the smaller bulbs out of the bunch for this technique).

Soft Shell Crab with Asparagus, Jicama, Reggiano Salad

Aaah.  The first soft shell crab of the year.  Soft shells are the perfect expression of spring - rich yet light, flavorful yet delicate, and not to be seen again in this perfect state beyond a few months from now. 

Big thick batters on soft shells? No.  Tempura crusted? Wrong.  Bold flavors that compete with the crisp texture and soft meat? Banned in my home.

Simple is best with the soft shell.  All you need to do is make sure the crab is well dried (with paper towels) and well seasoned, the oil hot, and you avoid flipping more than once.  The crispy texture of the shell is a perfect counterpoint to the sweet meat.  Also, make sure to hit it with a little lemon juice - the acidic note is a great counterpoint to the richness of the crab. 

I enjoy serving soft shells with simple expressions of spring.  In this case, I blanch and thinly slice asparagus in a salad with the crispy freshness of jicama and shards of parmigiano reggiano.  If the traditional side of your brain starts short circuiting about serving cheese with fish, just tell yourself to live a little. 

My full recipe follows..........

Ramp Caprese Salad

I don't serve raw tomatoes outside of the late summer season.  Every tomato I eat outside of August and September is just usually a major letdown for me.  I never order them at restaurants or buy them at the market.  People think I am a snot about this, but I just prefer to OD on tomatoes when they are at their best.

For Easter dinner, my mother had tomatoes, mozzarella and basil to use in a salad to start the meal.  I wanted nothing to do with it, to be honest.  But everyone gave me a hard time and told me to stop being a snot and just make the dish.  I brought some ramps home with me, so I added them to the Caprese-eque salad. 

I separate the whites from the greens on the ramps, as they have different cooking times.   When I pan roast them without separating them, the green tops get all brown and grey and lose some of their fresh, from the garden taste in my opinion.  So I pan roast the white bulbs in olive oil, salt, pepper and maybe a few spinkles of red chili flakes, with just a squeeze of lemon juice after removing from the heat (they only need about 2-3 minutes worth of cooking time on medium high heat).  I then quickly sautee the green tops in the same pan for only a minute or two, just until wilted but still vibrant green in color.

I layered the green tops of the ramps in between the tomato, basil and mozzarella slices, then added a few of the white bulbs on top to finish.   Some great olive oil and a few drops of aged balsamic I brought back from Modena a while back made me forget about the just OK tomatoes.  I guess.

Roasted Chicken with Morels and Fiddlehead Ferns

I need morel intervention. 

I think I've eaten morels three times a week for the past two weeks.  I tend to OD on the spring treats because they are so unavailable the rest of the year.  I have plenty of ramp and more morels dishes to share with you.

Last night I was asked by a friend what I make on a busy weekday night, with little time to go ballistic in the kitchen like I do on the weekends (Sundays in particular).

This dish is a good example.  I choose three or four ingredients at the most while shopping - less is more when under a time crunch. The best ingredients can be the star of the show, which also translates into the reality of not having to do much to make them taste amazing. 

I always start by shopping in the vegetable sections of the market.  For me, veggies and produce lead to the other choices I make for the rest of the meal.  This market had morels and fiddlehead ferns.  I flipped out with happiness and grabbed as many as I could without breaking the bank.  I wasn't in the mood for red meat or fish, so I went with organic, skin-on, bone-in chicken breast.  Substantial enough for the morels but lean enough for my tastes that night.

As soon as I got home, I seasoned the chicken and seared it with the goal of creating a crusty, brown skin. By the time I would take it out of the oven, I would have the morels, fiddleheads and a side salad ready to go.  I'll take you through my procedure for morels in a future post, but my favorite method is to slowly poached them in milk, butter and herbs, which also creates a sauce.  After removing the stems from the fiddleheads, I tossed them in a pot of salted water for a minute or two.  I took them out, gave them a rinsing under cold water to stop them from cooking a bit and set them aside.  When the morels were finished (soft and luscious), I added the fiddleheads to their sauce, as well as an acidic element for balance of flavors (lemon juice).  The morel liquid becomes the sauce that I drape all over the chicken when serving. 

This was a 30 minute meal that even Rachel Ray could make.  (Though I guess she would replace the morels with a "super fun" turkey chili or something).

(A note about morels.  I learned from the French Laundry Cookbook a long time ago that just a few pieces of a luxurious ingredient never do.  Cut back on the expenses of the rest of the dish and do it up.  Thus the pile of morels here.)

2004 Terrazas Malbec Reserva

This is a biased post.

I am going to tell you I love the 2004 Terrazas Malbec Reserve because of the fact that it is has a deep, intense oaky fruitiness that lasts for maybe 10 seconds after the wine has left your mouth.  I'll tell you that it only costs about $13 in retail shops as another reason for my love of this wine. 

But the reality is that every time I drink it, I am reminded of an amazing trip to Argentina last year where we took a tour of the Terrazas vineyard and watched the guys pluck grapes from the vines during the harvest in February.   I also think about the fact that the wine cost only a few dollars down there, and we drank it while in an airport cafe waiting for a plane. Those were the days.   

I served this wine at our last foodie with pork.  We also enjoyed it over Easter with a rich lasagna.  Track this one down for an everyday, affordable wine that delivers a big bang for the buck.  Find it here.

ILSL Monthly Recipe: May 2006

So, here we go.  The next I Loathe Sandra Lee Monthly recipe. 

But we are going to have to skip right to May.

The recipes in Sandra's April calendar are horrendous.  Something about dye and boxed cake mix.  There's no one around me that wants to eat crap like this for Easter, especially when the first ramps and morels are ready for the making.

Sandy's April recipes are just not good enough to create a recipe from. Plus, Easter has passed.  So I'll just post the submissions for the next recipe on May 1st and use her May monthly recipes.   

Yes, this may happen again.  I just can't make any of her shitty desserts.  They are really horrendous, as are her cocktails. 

So you may have all seen the background on this by now.  I am undoing Sandra's horrific 70% semi-homemade +30% creativity = 100% of the credit trainwreck from her May calendar.  (I did not buy this calendar myself. I will say this in every post from now on so you never, ever, think I did.  This work of genius was sent by friends Mike and Nicole in response to this).

After the jump are the recipes for May.  I will be posting the latest ILSL Monthly Recipe on May 1.  Send me in a submission and I'll post your photo, links or whatever the hell else you want alongside my own recipe creation.

If you want to participate, just use some of the themes within either of Sandra's two original recipes below and make something of your own.  So remember - 100% creative and 0% semi-homemade.  Those are the only rules.  Send in your submissions to joe at foodienyc dot com by April 29 .

Potato Chip Sole, Pea and Bacon Broth

Sorry for the lack of posts over the past week - busy, busy.  The good news -  I have lots of good dishes to post in the upcoming days, along with the next ILSL recipe for April.

I'm in full Spring mode, as I hope you are.  Food-wise, I'm all about balancing light with flavorful.  Here's a dish I created based on another Iron Chef-like challenge.  You know - hand me the ingredients, I make whatever.  This whatever is sole, which I crusted with sesame seeds.  I seared it and finished it under low heat in the oven.  In the meantime, I pureed some peas with chicken broth, creating a sweet soupy broth.   I crisped some bacon because peas and bacon is just an excellent combo. 

That could have been the dish, and a fulfilling one at that.  But I was given potatoes (a purple and a yukon) as well as golden beets.  Sure, I could have made a puree with potatoes or simply roasted them, but I thought about creating a textural contrast.  I sliced the potatoes very thinly and fried them for a few seconds in a very small amount of vegetable oil.  I roasted the beets with some olive oil and salt in a closed foil pouch in advance, then sliced them as a base for the fish.

I was concerned this dish would be busy with flavors.  Sure, if I wasn't playing the Iron Chef game I think I could have skipped the beets.  Otherwise, I think this dish is certainly one for the arsenal. The perfect bite -a moist fork of fish with a piece of crispy chip, bathed in the pea sauce and a small bite of bacon - was the kind that left the others at the table silent.   That's usually when I know a dish is more than just good.  Average dishes usually just become part of the conversation....

Related: Crispy Pea Wontons

Crispy Pea Wontons, Hen of the Woods Mushrooms

Spring is here and you can count me as someone who couldn't be happier.   I have obsessed over spring treats for years and years, and I'm sure you'll see plenty of the same focus over the upcoming weeks.  I frequently enjoy being given a handful of ingredients and asked to make dishes on the spot without prior knowledge.  Yesterday I was given a bunch of winter ingredients, but I was also given a bag of frozen peas.  Yeah, not really fresh English peas but hey, at least I could pretend.  Plus, I think frozen peas are pretty good for everyday eating.

I decided to puree the peas with some olive oil, salt and pepper.  I then stuffed the pea puree into wonton skins, in the general method I outline here.  But since I had some Hen of the Woods mushrooms that I would broil to a crisp, I decided that a crispy wonton would be better than a steamed or boiled version.  I fried them in oil for about 2-3 minutes, just until brown.  The pairing of the sweet peas, broiled mushrooms and the crispy wonton skin was very nice.  I drizzled the dish with some truffle oil and a squeeze of lemon juice, just to add to the mushroom goodness. 

Chef Tasting Menu at Tru

I have always wanted to eat at Tru.  I have two of chef Rick Tramonto's cookbooks, Tru and Amuse-  Bouche.  Amuse is a book that I used to be obsessed with and continues to serve as inspiration.  We went to Tru the night before we went to Charlie Trotter's, so I will inevitably compare the two later on in this post.

We made a reservation at the chef's table, a secluded room right off the kitchen.  It was an excellent atmosphere - we had our own server and wine expert  - an excellent touch. 

Our tasting at Tru was a nine course, chef inspired menu.  They basically ask if you have any food issues - other than that, we'd know what we were eating as the courses were served.

What we really enjoyed about this experience was that the kitchen would prepare two dishes with the same main ingredient, which allowed us to enjoy two preparations within the same course but also the range and creativity of the kitchen.

My Birthday Tasting at Tru
March 14, 2006

Amuse

I was a little disappointed with the amuses, considering I have been in awe of Tramonto's Amuse book for years.  I really appreciate the whimsical, innovative approach he takes to these little bites to start a meal, and unfortunately we just didn't get it.   This hit me a little harder than most, as I had all of these expectations coming in....

Yuzu marinated fluke, young coconut, daikon

Fresh but not a lot of flavor coming across here.  No yuzu.  No coconut.  Very forgettable. Felt like I could have been served this dish at an average NYC restaurant.

Mushroom terrine

Awesome.  This was the mushroom terrine in the Amuse cookbook, which I find really inspiring.  Awful plating choice to me.  Really need to use a white dish to accentuate the layers and layers of mushrooms in the terrine, but very good taste.

Crab salad, lemon "cloud" (?) (pictured above)

The crab was very fresh, just a touch sweet.  The cloud, as described by the server, was a light wisp of texture which is a nice idea.   Unfortunately it didn't have any flavor.

First

Osetra Caviar, Cauliflower Creme, Lemon Confit

This was phenomenal.  The caviar (which I rarely enjoy for obvious reasons) was salty and tasted of the ocean, while the cauliflower creme was chilled, rich and earthy.  The lemon balanced the flavors.  Very nice dish.

Second

New Zealand Langoustine, Thai Chili, Lemon, Watercress

A roasted langoustine was placed on chunks of raw langoustine.  The langoustines were an inspiration - sweet, succulent, very fresh and star of the dish.  Very interesting to compare the roasted flavors with that of the raw - the raw was much sweeter to me.   The zing of the chili worked to play with the sweetness of the langoustine.  Excellent.

Roasted New Zealand Langoustine, Baby Carrot, Turnip, Fennel, Langoustine Jus

I only got a bite of this, as I was fully entrenched in the above langoustine dish but remember again the excellent quality of the langoustine and jus, which was as rich and flavorful as you'd expect a reduced lobster stock to taste. 

Third

Duck Bouillon, Duck Prosciutto

A clear, dark, brooding soup with vegetables and pieces of duck prosciutto at the bottom of the soup.  It had an amazing duck flavor but was so overly salty that we just couldn't enjoy it very much at all.   A total bummer and not something you'd expect from a restaurant of this quality.  Did more than one person taste this before serving? I'd say not.

Veloute of Duck, Duck Confit

The same overly salty duck stock was made richer and creamier, which helped the saltiness a bit, but again only barely.  The confit was rich and excellent and the soup would have been a winner if we could have overcome the salt.  But we couldn't.  Both of these soups were a disappointment to me.

Finally, I think these heavy, meaty soup courses were out of order within the tasting.  They should have come after the fish dishes below.  If we were doing a wine tasting along with this, I would have been pissed.

Four

Nova Scotia Halibut "a la panacha", Sea Urchin, Uni and Citrus Jus (pictured at top of post)

One of my favorite dishes of the night.  I didn't get any plancha flavors here.  In fact, the fish was so remarkably moist that I would have bet it was sois vide or steamed.  The sea urchin tasted of the salty sea, while the rich uni sauce was balanced with citrus and had the richness of the langoustine stock I mentioned above.  In fact, I would bet the langoustine stock was the base of this sauce. Great dish.

Grilled Nova Scotia Halibut, Razor Clams Casino, Bacon, Spinach, Clam Spinach Sauce

Another excellent dish.  The halibut was moist yet had the nice flavor from the grill.  The razor clam was breaded with and the color of pistachio.  Maybe it was spinach, not sure.  Didn't have the bacon in it, so not sure why it was called "casino".  The sauce was fresh and light, a nice balance with the clams.  Didn't get a hint of bacon in this dish.

Five

House-made Farfalle, Chicken Wing confit, Bayonne Ham, Foie Gras Glaze

This was my favorite dish of the entire tasting.  Next to the chicken wing confit was a little piece of soft chicken (the one that looks like a sausage), which we found out was cooked sous vide.  It was remarkable - soft like a pillow in the mouth but very much retaining its chicken flavor.  As for the foie gras, again, no flavors present but I didn't care.  This dish was excellent.

Farro Risotto, Braised Oxail and Foie Gras, Fried Shallots, Red Wine Beef Jus

Again, no visible pieces of foie or not really any flavors of it that  I could pick out.  All I could really appreciate was the farro and the beefiness in the dish.   Al dente in texture, the farro absorbed all of the flavors of the oxtail and beef jus, as this was the main taste in the dish.  Very basic and homey in flavor, yet very good.  A definite winner.

Six

Roasted Prime Ribeye, Braised Short Rib, Pearl Onion, Bacon Lardons

If I were even in a state of being able to eat this dish, I would have gobbled up ever thing on the plate.  Nice char, perfectly cooked, excellent meaty flavors.  Short rib was also excellent, if not excessive. Simple expression of high quality beef.  Very good in taste but lacking points in originality to me.  Was looking for a little more inspired technique or ingredient combinations here. 

Grilled Ribeye, Fondant Potatoes, Bearnaise Reduction

Great grilled flavor on the high quality ribeye.  The potatoes were a little overly saturated with fat - just way too dense with cream and butter.  The bearnaise in combination with the potatoes was pretty heavy handed to me - needed something to balance the beef and potatoes, not add to the richness.  Further, I think this dish is executed at the same level at 2 star restaurants in NYC.  A tasty but uninspired dish.

Seven

Cheese Course

Wow.  Possibly one of the nicest cheese courses I have ever had (Chanterelle and Artisinal in NYC still take the cake for me).  No limits on how many you can choose - a little slice of each was a great experience.

Eight

Duet of Desserts

I am not going to get into dessert details, because I don't pay as much attention to this as others do. I know, I suck.  Whatever.  The famous homemade root beer float Gale Gande created is phenomenal, without question. 

Nine

Mignardises and Lollipops

Just to send you off in style, the mignardises come with their own cart.  There must be about 12 little choices for you - homemade dark chocolate truffles and many many more.  I had a lavender lollipop wich I thought was a great idea.   I could get a floral flavor but wouldn't be able to pick out lavender if my life depended on it.

Thoughts and Conclusion

The service was excellent, as was the experience of being at the chef's table.  We were given an unbelievable amount of attention and care. 

However, as I mentioned, chef Tramonto is one of my favorite chefs because of the inventive approach he takes to his cuisine.  This was sorely lacking.  There were very few times that I was blown away at any point during the meal, which should just not be the case.  All of the food tasted great, but that's only part of what makes a 4 star restaurant in my opinion.  Have a look at the Tru website.   The featured dishes on the site and in his books are nothing less than innovative.  Now have a look at the menu above - pretty tame in comparison.

I am a stickler for being able to taste flavors and elements of a dish that are pointed out on the menu.  The descriptions from the server and a menu we kindly received after the meal were just not accurate with what I tasted on the plate in many courses.  What's the point of a foie gras glaze if you can't taste it? Just to sound luxurious? To me, there was a lot of that going on in this meal.  Finally, as I mentioned, Tramonto's signature course of the amuse was nothing less than a disappointment to me.  I surely missed the "blend of mad scientist and magician", as Tru describes chef Tramonto on the Tru website. 

While we experienced a larger variety of dishes at Tru vs Charlie Trotter's, I would definitely give the edge to Trotter.  There were many innovative elements to the dishes at Trotter's that I found inspiring.  The service at Trotter was impeccable and generous. 

In terms of comparing Tru and Trotter with other tasting menus over five courses I've had, I think both Trotter and Tru rank below Per Se here in NYC, with service being equally excellent at each.  I would also say that Jean Georges was also a notch above Trotter and Tru.  I would rank Le Bernadin above Tru and a notch below Trotter, as Trotter gets extra points for innovation.  And without the playful, creative genius of Tramonto pushing the cuisine at Tru, I would say that my tasting there was even on par with the technically sound efforts of Cru here in NYC.

related: Tasting at Charlie Trotter's

1998 Joseph Phelps Cabernet

I have been known to transport wine across the world, in an effort to bring home favorites that I wasn't sure I could find back in NYC.  That has included many bottles from Argentina, a few keepers from Sonoma, and a couple of wines we loved from a trip to Napa.  Back then (2002), wine shops wouldn't ship to certain states and many wines were harder to find in NYC.  The web has changed that, thanks to sites like wine-searcher.com and the loosening of wine shipping regulations.  With friends over for dinner a few nights ago, I thought it was the perfect time to break out a stashed Napa bottle.  The Joseph Phelps 1998 Cab was a good wine that we'd tasted at their vineyard, though I knew that 1998 was a subpar year for Cab in Napa.  But it was a highlight from an amazing experience we had at the Phelps winery, and that's the reason we bought it.  Overlooking vineyards on their terrace on a crisp, sunny day in the wine country (while tasting a few vintages of the Phelps Insignia, nonetheless) was an experience to remember.  One that had been symbolized in a good but not great bottle of wine that has been stored for years as a keepsake (of course, there are also amazing pictures but none shot digitally...gasp! the horror! ).  The picture on the label was very similar to the view I remember from the Phelps winery - but who knows, I was drunk (that was a joke.  sort of.)

Anyway, we just cracked this wine and it was amazing.  I can't stand young, huge, tannic Cali Cabs. I tend to avoid ordering them in restaurants or drinking them at home, to be honest. Waiting at least a few years until the wine mellows and rounds out a bit is a great idea.  The wine was powerful with a long, fruity, oaky finish -  yet it was softer, with less tannin than what I had remembered.  I decanted it for 1 hour before serving and it was fantastic with a mushroom and ricotta gnudi I made.  You can probably track it down for about $40 a bottle.  But to be honest, I'm hoping you just pick up a nice Cab sometime and store it for a few years.  Who knows, maybe you'll not only enjoy a much improved wine but also a few sunny memories from your past.