Our early morning flight to LaGuardia was Delta this time around; the American Airlines flights were either exorbitantly expensive or not nonstop. Delta still offers free "snacks" with its beverage service — pretzels, peanuts and cookies. With fifteen lunch and dinner reservations awaiting us in New York, they probably weren't necessary. The weather was beautiful in the Big Apple — clear skies and low 80s. After settling into our Upper East Side apartment, we walked to our traditional first lunch reservation at Alfredo 100, on 54th street, between Madison and 5th Avenue.
We took our usual seats in the bar area, but instead of our usual glasses of Chianti, we bravely ordered a nice Nebbiolo by the bottle.
The grilled octopus and calamari salad we had enjoyed in the past was no longer on the menu. So we started by sharing the heirloom tomato salad. It was deliciously refreshing.
Insalata di pomordori — heirloom tomatoes, parmesan cheese, balsamic glaze, extra virgin olive oil Our usual pappardelle had not been taken off the menu. We shared the perfect al dente ribbon noodles bathed in rich gooey cheese, wiping the bowl clean with pieces of bread.
Pappardelle mozzarella e pomodoro — large homemade noodles, mozzarella, tomato-cream sauce And what does one do on a beautiful summer day in the city, after pasta and a bottle of wine? We went back to our apartment to nap! Our final dinner in Manhattan in October of 2015 was at Contra, on the Lower East Side. We impatiently waited eight months and three days to return.
Lest you forgot, Contra offers a set six-course menu, moderately priced at $67, which changes every two weeks. It's the creation of chefs Jeremiah Stone and Fabian von Hauske. Mr. von Hauske makes the desserts and the bread; Mr. Stone does the rest. The space is unassuming — long and narrow, with banquet tables lining the brick walls.
This time around we added the optional wine pairing for $55 each. It was easily the best pairing we'd ever had — six generous pours of six unusually delicious wines that went perfectly with Mr. Stone's and Mr. von Hauske's creations. We also again added the optional warm loaf of bread and soft creamy butter, spread with a wooden spatula, for the sum of $3. The bread and butter alone is worth the trip to Contra.
Our seven-year-old grandson is already a foodie; he's also a budding chef. He tells us he wants to create food that is simple and sophisticated. That's what Mr. Stone is all about. He chooses quality ingredients and lets them shine, with accompanying flavors that don't steal the show. On this evening, his show was spectacular. Our first course was cubes of sushi grade tuna, accompanied by blackberries and slivers of onion, which complimented without overpowering. Delicious.
Tuna, blackberry, onion Next up were linguini-like pieces of tender squid, accompanied by asparagus, squid ink and a walnut pesto. Perfect.
Asparagus, squid, walnut Our third dish was a generous piece of tender fluke, with snow peas and wild fennel. The fennel worked perfectly with the delicate fish; it was not a garnish.
Fluke, peas, fennel Mr. Stone's final creation of the evening was a perfectly seasoned and prepared (medium rare to rare) slice of tenderloin, complimented with a mild horseradish sauce and slivers of feta cheese. Again, the horseradish and feta were supporting actors, letting the delicious beef shine.
Beef, horseradish, feta And now it was Mr. von Hauske's turn. His first dessert was a milk mousse, with pistachio crumbles and elderflower granita, served in an ice-cold dish. It was palate-cleansing perfect.
Elderflower, pistachio, milk Our final dish of the evening was a deconstructed strawberry shortcake. A perfect semifreddo bathed in a fresh strawberry sauce with a chunk of cornbread. We both finished every bite of Mr. von Hauske's two yummy desserts.
Strawberry, corn On this evening, Mr. Stone and Mr. von Hauske presented us with one of the most incredible meals we'd ever had. Now it's time to again start counting down the days and the months until we can return to Contra. Copyright © 2016 TwoForTheTable.com |
