Pre-Summer Loving

Just as the summer season hits the Big Apple, Monika Patel serves up a list of restaurants and cultural institutions you could note down

I experienced celebrityhood for a heartbeat when my table became a tourist hotspot after my waitress served dessert. People stopped to gawk, take pictures, and enquire what I had ordered. It was mille-feuille but instead of a normal portion, my puff pastry layered with whipped vanilla cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce was about 9" tall and covered an entire dinner plate. Chef Guy Fieri has said, 'food is not just eating energy, it’s an experience.' Well, that afternoon I was energised and having an experience. You might wonder what magical restaurant offers such decadence. I was at the New York branch of Chef Brendan Sodikoff’s famous Chicago burger joint, Au Cheval. The quality of the meat is good, perfectly red and juicy, but 'best burger', I’m on the fence with that. Though they sure charge best burger rates. The name means ‘on the horse’, supposedly because Au Cheval serves runny eggs on many of their dishes. I opted out. I have to say the Bloody Mary, rimmed with black pepper and erupting in a green riot of celery, olives and pepper was delicious. The desi girl in me did have to ask for extra spice on the side. The chopped chicken liver was a disappointment because the mayo overpowered the meaty taste, but I did enjoy the buttered toast. The super friendly staff made up for my disappointment in the actual meal.

Chef James Kents’ one Michelin-starred Crown Shy has a few hits and some misses. It is wonderfully located downtown at 70 Pine Street, in a beautiful Art Deco building. I was impressed by the ice cube in our drinks, personalised with the restaurant’s logo. My co-diners were vegetarian so except for a couple of dishes, we avoided anything carnivorous. Crown Shy recommends ordering about eight dishes to share. We ordered five of the six starters. The Gruyère Fritters with chilli and lime are basic cheese bhajiyas and the Cauliflower with Parmigiana and Sherry is deep-fried, which to me is a cop out. The White Bean Hummus on the other hand was blended to perfection, served with radish, peppers and carrots beautifully presented on a bed of ice. I just wish there were more vegetables. There was enough of the delicious asparagus salad and we all had seconds. The spears were not overcooked, the lettuce was crisp and the dish was perfectly balanced with the green garbanzo, Pecorino cheese and lemon. Our Hamachi Crudo was too thick cut and fishy. The bucatini was average and the Pork Katsu was a total disappointment. I’d go back for the Sticky Toffee Pudding with pecan and apple sorbet. Be warned, they charge $25 per person for the reservation, which is deducted from the total bill. And if a reservation is not cancelled within four hours of the time, the entire amount is forfeited.  

I made sure I didn’t forfeit my place in line at Thursday Kitchen. The fusion Korean restaurant is a dream realised for Busan-raised, Chef Kay Huhn. She honed her craft at many of New York’s finest eating establishments before striking out on her own. Thursday Kitchen does not take reservations, which means you have to stand in line and put down your name. I went early enough that I only waited 30 minutes. And it’s totally worth it. The chef combines her love affair for Spanish food, her French culinary training and her Oriental roots into a seamless meal experience. The small plates are reasonably priced so there is no breaking of the bank. My stand-out dish had to be the melt-in-the-mouth Edamame Dumplings. From the translucent wrapping to the subtle citrus truffle oil mixed with green pepper and Parmigiana, this dish went down so quick, we had to order seconds. The waitress had warned us to order everything we wanted at the get-go because seconds take forever. Lucky for us, she did not make us wait too long for the dumplings. The flavour parade does not end here. Our steak, served only medium rare, as it should be, is drizzled with a soy garlic glaze and served with Feta grits. I could have licked the tray. In fact there were many dishes where I wanted to make the dishwasher’s life easier. Like the asparagus served with hazelnut vinaigrette, sundried tomatoes and crushed red pepper. The same goes for the juicy heirloom tomatoes where the tang was balanced with a sweet honey Ricotta and flavourful herb vinaigrette. The crispy-fried Popcorn Chicken is avoidable, however, be sure to add the creamy Truffle Mac and Cheese to your order mix. Another innovative dish is the Kimchi Shrimp Paella, with a risotto texture, a subtle hint of saffron and crunchy tiger shrimps. We ended the meal with popcorn ice-cream, which sounds interesting but is basically a vanilla ice-cream with salted caramel and a layer of popcorn. It didn’t get me excited. What thrilled me was my refreshing Ms Cutetini cocktail. Made with soju, muddled cucumber and lime juice. All their cocktails are soju-based and served in a takeout bag with a straw and a lit-up plastic cube. My Lychee Reach Rich cocktail was a bit too sweet but hats off for the wow factor.

Something that wows everyone are summer sunsets and the one from the Gansevoort rooftop in the Meatpacking District does not disappoint. Not only does the sky erupt in magnificent shades of reds, pinks, purples and oranges, but the 360º dramatic skyline of New York and the Hudson River literally raises the bar on rooftop bars. The cocktails have eye-catching names such as Cinema Paradiso, Two to Tango, Happy Days and Crime of Passion. We settled on a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, which we drank with some small bites like Peking Duck Flatbread served with fig, shaved Parmesan and arugula as well as Truffle Flatbread with Ricotta cheese and micro parsley. They were crisp and the flavours blended well. Always a sucker for truffle, an order of truffle fries added to the mix, too. It was a nippy sort of day and unfortunately the outdoor heater at our spot was not working so we camped indoors to continue an intense conversation over cognac, scotch and a Diet Coke. It’s a great place to luxuriate in good company and aesthetic ambience over a light meal.

A short distance away from the rooftop, and back to ground level, is Chelsea’s aRoqa. From the outside it looks nondescript, but what Monica Saxena’s Indian restaurant lacks in ambience it makes up in cuisine having received a Michelin star in 2021. According to Saxena, the inspiration behind the name is the typical Indian ‘roka’ or engagement ceremony, where people get together to celebrate and share a meal. She wanted to create a high energy atmosphere, which is still intimate and immersive. The black and gold décor adds elegance to the interiors and the food menu has some unusual dishes. Their signature bhindi dish reminded me of whole stuffed bhindi in Gujarati homes. And the kurkuri bhel served with avocado and lotus stem chips was so popular we had to repeat the order. We were at a birthday celebration so ate a set menu. I will need to return to sample the intriguing cocktails and some of the fusion dishes like Shredded Crab with Lentil Shots, Basil Fish Tikkas and the chef’s special Kheema Mutter. Our waiter was enthusiastic but raw for a restaurant with a Michelin star. He not only opened the champagne without offering the honours to the birthday boy, but forgot to hand over a balloon bouquet, which some other restaurant guests, also celebrating a birthday, usurped. The restaurant was highly apologetic and did replace the bouquet.

Something that can never be replaced, is a person who has passed away. However, memories live on often with physical reminders, too. Such as graves in a cemetery. One of New York’s most famous landmarks, the Green-Wood Cemetery was founded in 1838. It is part of a thriving verdant landscape in the heart of Brooklyn where visitors can ogle at the gothic entrance, grandiose graves or browse in the museums, gape at lush trees or ride in a trolley. With its manicured lawns and large water bodies, it is a perfect place for a picnic. I rolled out my bright yellow picnic blanket and dug into my charcuterie box, surreptitiously sipping some bubbly while watching a school of goldfish glide beneath the surface, or a turtle raise its head. A stalking egret also flew past, intent on catching its next meal. An article in the New York Times in 1866 states, “It is the ambition of the New Yorker to live upon Fifth Avenue, to take his airings in the Central Park and to sleep with his fathers in Green-Wood.” The cemetery is a popular destination for a workout, a leisurely stroll or to visit famous residents like the greatest man in America, Reverend Henry Ward Beecher, Tribune founder, Horace Greeley, baseball legends, politicians and also artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Basquiat was a close friend of another maverick pop artist, Andy Warhol. Both of them died unexpectedly; Basquiat to an overdose and Warhol due to medical complications. The Brooklyn Museum presented an eye-opening revelation into Warhol’s world and how his Byzantine Catholic upbringing influenced his life and art. This is something not many are aware of, and the exhibit was superbly put together by curators Jose Carlos Diaz and Carmen Hermo. Some of Warhol’s iconic works such as Madonna, Mona Lisa and Jackie Kennedy were all inspired by his religion. Warhol was also a collector of crosses and religious iconography. His mother, Julia Warhol, spent time with him in New York and some of her art, signed as Andy Warhol’s mother, is part of the display. Warhol’s interpretation of The Last Supper, using bright colours and repetition is a visual delight, providing insight into his creative process. The exhibit has letters, newspaper cuttings, memorabilia and even screens The Chelsea Girls, an experimental film made by Warhol. For someone who was openly gay, Warhol ensured he visited church regularly especially after an assassination attempt by a friend turned foe left him with lifetime health problems. Pictures of his funeral at a beautiful Byzantine Catholic church in Pittsburgh are a part of the collection.

And as the summer starts, I brace for an onslaught: of visitors from India for sure but also for a certain virus, rumoured to be rearing its ugly head again. Until that happens, I must try to hit as many hot spots as possible in this city of food and dreams.