Review: Les Halles Park Ave, NYC

With his cavalier attitude, his love of food, travel, wine and smoking it can be no surprise to anyone that Anthony Bourdain is someone I look up to (and am incredibly jealous of). So after years of watching his shows and reading his books I finally bothered to go and eat at the restaurant that made him so famous - Brasserie Les Halles in New York City.



So named for the Les Halles marketplace in Paris the Brasserie is designed to bring good quality simple French bistro food using American ingredients to the New York crowd and it does this well. This being the US the majority of service staff I encounter are Latin but nonetheless the feel of the restaurant is murky European style and devoid of the washed clean Americana they seem to love in the US.



The Brasserie Les Halles has long been a New York favourite and evidently makes a roaring trade of 'event meals' with custom artwork for the restaurant in the art deco style to celebrate major events. I was rather enamoured of the display of them on show.

I was in town for the Memorial Day long weekend and after a lovely day site seeing with some friends we decided to round it all out with a meal here. I'm rather used to public holidays incurring some kind of service levy - but not in the land of the free where penalty rates don't exist! Not only was their no additional service cost, but to my surprise the wine is always 50% off on a Monday - including long weekends.



Pommery “POP Earth” Brut $125USD ($62.50 on Mondays)

That of course meant to I had to start with a champagne - this is the eco offering from staple Champagne house Pommery which was the first champagne house to obtain ISO 14001 environmental certification for their efforts in sustainable farming and waste management. You can feel good about yourself as you drink what is a classic glass of Pommery; crisp and fruity with a long finish.





Sour dough bread and Terrine Maison $8.50USD

If there's anyway I like a meal to start it's with champagne, pate and cornichons. Prior to this meal I had just spent 2 weeks in French canada being stuffed to the gills with exotic pates so it's nice to be presented with a simple French classic made well and in house.



Soup of the Day - Carrot Soup $8.75

Often in the US I am a little afraid of the vegetables - factory farming is the norm and many ingredients travel long distances. Brightly coloured vegetable soups such as these speak of local high quality produce and a respect for the food that I am thankful for.



Betteraves rôties au fromage de chèvre (red beets with roasted goat cheese) $7.75USD

The Australian obsession with beets is fairly well known (and somewhat abhorred by foreigners) however I am a little surprised that my friends have not encountered this classic combination of beets and goats cheese. Good quality French Chevre is used and the presentation is simple but modern.

From Les Halles

2008 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Télégramme $80USD ($40USD on Mondays)

Les Halles is famous for its beef, and I do love a Grenache Mourvedre with a steak, so with such a discount I immediately reach for the best Grenache I can find on the menu this 2008 Telegramme. It has the familiar notes of any French Mourvedre blend and is of a good enough drinking age to be appreciated, it sits extremely well with the French style food and I would easily order this as a staple in French restaurants.



Planche de Grillade $29USD for 1 or $58USD for 2 to share

Very happily taking his place as the protein fanatic my friend orders the mixed grill - lamb chop, hanger steak, merguez, steak, thick cut bacon, provençal dressing served with rustic French style chips. I don't dare try and sample from his plate for fear of losing a hand but he looked very pleased with the results.



Coq au Vin $23.50USD

It is the start of Summer and I could not stomach this kind of comfort food in the heat but - when in Rome, why not order a Roman dish? So this French classic is chosen and consumed with glee. This was a daily special and may not be readily on the menu




Noixde St. Jacques Poêlées au Champagne $24.50USD

One member of our party is a pesco-vegetarian and so I am a little surprised that Les Halles is considered the most palatable of the choices I had presented. Nonetheless she did find more than enough to eat and was delighted with these pan seared scallops with champagne cream sauce.



Filet de Boeuf, Béarnaise $31USD

For my meal I eat a tried and true staple of any brasserie - grilled filet with chips and bearnaise sauce. Simple food for me really highlights the quality of the restaurant - simple things done well are so much better than complex food made for the sake of its creator and not its diner. I am not disappointed; the beef is grain fed and dry aged just as I like it. It's slightly less flavourful than Australian beef but it is excellent quality and cooked to perfection. The bearnaise sauce is a classic done well, there is little else to say but that I can see how with such good quality simple food Les Halles could gain the notoriety it has.



Assorted sorbet/glaces $7.50USD

By the time we're done its 36 degrees celsius and we are now all full of wine and rich food - it's time for something a little icy to cool off. Both sorbets and ice creams are on offer all made on premise and recently scooped. They are served simply in a very cold bowl, but they don't last long enough for the bowl to warm up!



Creme Brulee - $8.50USD

Following a meal full of well prepared classics another is brought out - the creme brulee with cracking caramel and rich custard this is another classic recipe prepared with care.

To sum up Les Halles I would say this - when someone cares enough about the food to select classic recipes and excellent ingredients it shows. The entire meal was good quality from the salad to the wine and prepared with care and concern.

Even the service staff seem to have a pride in what they do, they try and stear us away from cooking the meats beyond a certain level (in the most polite of ways), they seem happy to have us choose good matching wines. We are brought extra bread, cold water, special coffee orders without a blink of an eye or a pause for concern. More importantly for myself sometimes I find that well established restaurants can react in an unflattering manner to someone who dresses in an alternative fashion the way I do - regardless of the price of the food or the fact that I am the customer. This snootiness doesn't just affect the alternative dresser though, sometimes you feel as though a restaurant is there to serve the chef's ego and not the customer - and Les Halles is not that place.

I leave feeling sated, well served and not badly out of pocket; the same meal at home would have cost twice the price. There's a standing steak and chips special at $20 and 3 course event and prix fixe menus at $65 a head - A steal by Sydney standards. This is a place you could easily bring your partner on a date or your family for a birthday to feel warm and well fed and leave satisfied. There aren't many places I've seen in New York that fit this bill and I can see why this Brasserie made such a name for itself in its time.

I have seen unflattering reviews of the service at Brasserie Les Halles, I will not say I support them but I will say that the common theme seems to be that those disappointed attended for a Friday or Saturday evening dinner. My honest opinion is that if you're expecting immaculate service on a weekend in a busy New York restaurant you're fooling yourself. Pick a quiet night or an early seating, order a nice simple meal and an excellent bottle of wine and you won't be disappointed. I can only assume I will be back.

Brasserie Les Halles, Park Avenue

http://leshalles.net/brasserie/

411 Park Avenue South (at 29th Street)
New York, NY 10016
Ph: +1-212-679-4111 (or book online)

Open 7:30am – Midnight 7 days - continual service throughout with Brunch on weekends
Fully licensed, upmarket casual atmosphere


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Review: Exeter Bakery, Tasmania

When I was growing up the tradition when driving between Brisbane and the Gold Coast was to stop at Yatala Pies, the perfect down home bakery serving simply excellent pies. Most regional roads in and out of larger Australian cities will have them and for launceston this is Exeter Bakery.



This is comfort food at its best - even at 4 in the afternoon on a quiet road in Tasmania the bakery was packed, but there was plenty of fresh food and great smiles from the staff who were more than happy to chat to me about their wares.



The traditional food in Tasmania I would discover is the Curried Scallop Pie but I really couldn't bring myself to eat it so it was an old fashioned Steak Pie for me.



The food is all cooked fresh on site and you can see they rotate their stock regularly. A large range of wood fired pies was available in both regular abd premium as well as a range of delicious and nostalgic sweet treats.



Chunky Steak Pie $4.50

The reason you come to a place like this has to be the traditional flakey pastry pie. Golden crisp pastry, thick steak and delicious gravy this was worth a side trip in the car. The whole thing was delicious, hot and not at all fatty or overwhelming. The kind of pie you widen your eyes, moan and point at to find your friends are doing the same.



Matchstick $3

All the joy the pastry, sugar, cream and jam could bring to a man. I'd like to tell you about it but being lactose intolerant I'd have to pass. On the other hand it did elicit this expression on the face of the purchaser.





$2.50 Lemon Slice

A very traditional Aussie favourite a biscuit and condensed milk base is topped with a citrussy fondant icing and shredded coconut. This is easily the best rendition of this simple classic I've ever had, and the theft of a bite of mine was so good my partner bought another.



There were plenty of other snacks to be had, but only so much stomach space. There's no wine or table cloths and a lot of the food comes in a paper bag but y'know... it doesn't matter. This is down home country cooking and nostalgic comfort food treats - my favourite!

The great thing too is that you know it's a small business and a local employer that you're supporting not to mention a great place to pull over when the kids need a bathroom or are fighting over the Nintendo on a longer drive! Much recommended, but take cash there's no EFTPOS or ATM facilities

Exeter Historic Bakery, Tamar Valley Tasmania

104 Main Rd
Exeter TAS 7275
(03) 6394 4069 ‎

Bakery and cafe environment, hot and cold drinks available
Expect limited hot food after lunch hours
Family friendly, super casual


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Recipe: May May's Tasty Meatloaf

Meatloaf is a real budget breaker that gets a bad wrap in sitcoms but is actually the perfect family meal - cheap, easy and kid friendly. As we enter the cooler months we start to enter my favourite comfort food territory so here's my meatloaf recipe perfect for those nights in.

All the better is that most of these items can be stored in the freezer or bought cheaply making it a great option to stretch out the budget or just keep yourself filled at the end of the month. For staple foods like this I have no problem with buying the cheaper grocery options as you can see from the pictures making this meatloaf coming in around $10 to easily serve 4 portions.



Meatloaf

500g mince lamb or beef
250g middle bacon
1 carrot
1 onion
1.5 cups breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons tomato puree
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste

Method



Get a large mixing bowl and put the mince meat into the pan. I prefer lamb for meals such as this, it mixes well with the bacon and has a higher fat content than beef but if you have fussy kids beef is just as good and will taste more like hamburger.



Dice the onion into very small pieces and grate the carrot - this is a great way to hide vegetables from fussy kids. If you think they won't eat carrot substitute for a second onion because you want to retain the moisture. Place the vegetables in the mixing bowl with the meat.



For the bacon buying cheap bacon is actually for the best, you want a high fat content to render through the mince meat as it cooks so middle bacon with lots of streaks is perfect. Don't use Picnic or Short cut bacon as this won't render and look for higher fat content bacon - often the cheapest is the best for this recipe. Cut off the rind and dice into small pieces.



Place the diced bacon in the mixing bowl with the wet ingredients and mix.



Season as you go, when the ingredients are well mixed through add a cup of breadcrumbs and knead with your hands or two wooden spoons.



When it is complete it should look similar to uncooked hamburger.



Place into a loaf tin, if you've made too much it is okay if the mixture mounds over the top of the tin because it will shrink slightly as it cooks.



You should still be able to see the sides of the tin however. You do not need to line the tin with paper or oil as the fat from the meat will stop the meatloaf from sticking to the tin.



Wrap the tin in foil and place into the oven for an hour at 180 C



After an hour take the meatloaf out of the oven and remove the foil, return to the oven for an additional 10 mins to crisp up the outside before serving.

Don't forget to run a knife or plastic spatula around the side of the meatloaf before attempting to remove and slice. Serve with your favourite vegetables and gravy or mustard.

Valentine's Day Dinner

I eat out so much it seemed to be a waste to go out for an overly crowded set dinner menu for Valentine's Day so instead we had a romantic dinner at home. The good thing about dating another foodie is that you know you can trust him to pick up the pieces without guidance!



For once the dining table isn't covered in gaming equipment!



Tintilla Estate 2005 Shiraz



Grain fed aged Scotch Fillet



Heirloom tomatoes and Spanish onion macerated with sugar and balsamic



Salad of mixed leaves, onion, avocado and herb goat's cheese dressed with olive oil and lime



Coconut tarts and Walnut macaroons



Assorted chocolates from Bon Bon Fine Chocolates

... all wrapped up with kisses, cards and the right kind of off colour humour.

Review: Sean's Kitchen, Star City Casino Pyrmont

When you think of Casino food you probably think of cheap buffets and $5 steak vouchers, but Sean's Kitchen is anything but. The warm classy interior is hidden on an elevated floor above and behind the gaming floor so that the blinking bleeping poker machines are out of sight and out of mind.



Sean's Kitchen specialise in European charcuterie and good quality Australian beef and seafood and it is a great restaurant for a celebration meal. We were off for a birthday, the boy's this time and after a not so pleasant day at work for both of us it was time to wash away the stress with some good wine and excellent food.



Veuve Clicquot by the glass $27



Flavours of Jamon Charcuterie plate $40

If you've never had Spanish ham this is a great way to try it as a progression of Fermin Serrano, Seven Hermanos Iberico de Bellota and Fermin Iberico de Bellota. Jamon Iberico de Bellota is a high quality ham cut from acorn fed Black Iberian pigs. High in fat and raised without stress this is the kobe of pork and the small amounts in the serving are deceptively filling. Served as it should be with good quality bread and pickles this is a great start to any celebration meal.



Liver Parfait and toasted brioche $17

I of course have to order the liver parfait and this is an excellent rendition made with chicken livers but cut with duck fat and sieved to perfection. This is a very heavy and large serving and would probably have done for both of us if only the boy ate liver. Generally I am not a fan of aspic sealing on pate however this is a sweet balsamic jelly that I am rather fond of, especially as the dish did not come with a chutney or other sweet acid to cut through the fat. The brioche is simply excellent, heavy and rich and toasted perfectly.



2005 St Henri Shiraz $157

It's a celebration meal so I decide to splash out on a bottle of the St Henri, easily one of my favourite wines and just perfect with a rich steak meal. The St Henri is the more affordable second cousin to the Penfold's Grange and the 2005 is a recent release but already at drinkable age, especially after being properly decanted. The wine itself is dark and luscious, heavy on berry tastes with a spicey touch similar to tobacco leaf, highly recommended with aged beef.



Dry aged Rib Eye 500g (on the bone) $58



Grass fed Greenham Natural Scotch Fillet 350g $42

Both steaks are perfectly cooked, my rib eye shows no innappropriate scorching on the bone and the more delicate grass fed beef is perfectly rested and sealed. I am less of a fan of the grass fed beef which has a 'younger' taste but we both enjoy the meat spectacularly. Be aware that Sean's Kitchen is of the "if you order a steak, you only get the steak" philosophy of things so be ready to order sides separately.

A choice of sauces is given, we ask for both mustards and veal jus. The jus is to be recommended they have a marvelous sous chef preparing this to perfection; rich, clear and succulent the tiniest amount provides a lingering taste sensation. There are a number of higher marble steaks on the menu including two wagyu steaks however after our experience of being bested by the meal at Glass we decide to avoid the richer choices.



Mustards and Murray River Salt provided with main meal



Butter whipped potatoes $9

Why yes that is a small pool of melted butter you can see in the side of the image. Be sparing with the spoon as this puree is more butter than potato and could easily remove your appetite for the delicious meats.



Baby cos salad with Chardonnay dressing $9

A kitchen hand with OCD has carefully selected and placed these lettuce leaves with peculiar care however they really are delicious and the perfect accompaniment to the rich food.



Remy Martin $15 (back) and Hennessy $18 (front) VSOP Cognac

Nothing particularly fancy here I just rather like a glass of cognac at the end of a rich meal. To be honest I rather wish I'd poured it in my coffee (because I am a bad person).



Panna cotta with Mango $12 with Espresso $5

The test of good service is to be fussy and see how they respond. Sean's Kitchen dutifully brought me soy milk, on the side, removed elements of the dessert and replaced them to order. This dessert should be served with strawberries and a coulis, neither of which I'm particularly fond of. The staff changed the orders readily and brought all items out as I had asked for them in record time, to be commended. The panna cotta sadly I cannot recommend after all that, it was a "yoghurt pannacotta" twist on the classic that left the texture slightly dense and not at all quivering. Sad news indeed.



Valrhona chocolate mousse with Blood orange sorbet and caramelised blood orange $12

The boy's dessert was far more successful (his photography not so much so) and much larger than expected. The dark chocolate mousse goes surprisingly well with the bitter sweet blood orange - if you're expecting overtones of Jaffa you will be disappointed. Still the heavy sweetness and crisp acid make an excellent mix particularly with the textural surprise of the chocolate crisp.





I must make mention of these delightful vintage style butcher's etchings that are printed on the tableware, it's this kind of sweet but macabre note that I think makes Sean's Kitchen a little more endearing.

The service at Sean's Kitchen also deserves a serious nod, while not silver service the hustle and bustle is kept out of chaos by an army of service staff that somehow still make you feel as though you are being especially attended to. That itself is an art form and here it is executed wonderfully. Sommelier's are dispatched with care, French bread boys appear like Carbohydrate Ninjas and the waitress managed to memorise the entire meal order prattled off by a starving gourmande without so much as a blink or a flash of paper. Combined with my fussy dessert ordering it really is something worth noting.

Next time you're looking for a really good steak in Sydney think about Sean's Kitchen, keep your head down in in the gaming room and march upstairs for a rich but soul satisfying dining experience.

Sean's Kitchen at Star City

http://www.starcity.com.au‎

80 Pyrmont Street

Pyrmont 2009, Australia

(02) 9777 9000

Formal dining, fully licensed

Not family or party friendly

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