Casa Mono Restaurant

Happy Sunday! I hope you all have enjoyed the weekend as much as we have thus far! Our weekend has been a perfect combination of friends, amazing meals, and spending time together wandering the streets of New York City!

Friday night, after a delightful happy hour at Pipa in the Flatiron district, Bo and I found ourselves wandering through the neighborhood at 9pm in search of a dinner spot. This can be a recipe for disaster as seats are hard to come by in New York City restaurants on Friday nights. We happened to pop into Mario Batali’s Casa Mono, hoping we could add our name to their wait list. Much to our delight, they were able to seat us immediately at the corner bar.

Batali’s Spanish tapas style restaurant never ceases to amaze us with the impeccable service, delicious dishes, and reasonable prices.

We quickly ordered a glass of crisp white Spanish wine and placed our order as we were both starving. Unfortunately, you can’t just order as you go at Casa Mono. You must place your entire order at once which is a bit annoying since it is a tapas restaurant.  The complimentary olives and fresh bread were just the thing we needed to put our hunger at bay as we chatted and people watched.

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We ordered five small plates including new to us items and a few of our favorites.

Scallops with Concord Grapes and Brussels: The scallops were cooked perfectly but neither of us thought this dish was worthy of ordering again. The grape flavor didn’t match very well and we were unfortunately very disappointed by this first dish.

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Pumpkin and Goat Cheese Croquetas: We ordered these little bites after reading on both Zagat and Yelp that these were many people’s favorite small plate. We could have easily enjoyed two orders of these croquets as they were absolutely divine. The mild goat cheese paired perfectly with the crisp pumpkin.

005 (640x480)Duck Breast with Butternut Squash and Maple Syrup This decadent and savory dish was my favorite of the night. The sweet maple syrup paired perfectly with the crisp savory duck breast and butternut squash is a side I never would have fathomed would pair so perfectly with the duck.

006 (640x480)Skirt Steak with Onion Mermelada We have ordered this dish each of our four visits to Casa Mono. Tender to the bite, this skirt steak is a leaner meat dish than most of their dishes, but perfectly tender and crisp. The onion mermelada is unexpectedly sweet with a hint of relish spice.

007 (640x480) Setas with Garlic: These wild mushrooms were tender and bursting with rich garlic flavor.

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We often forget to recommend Casa Mono to friends visiting New York City but after Friday night, it has quickly become forefront in our mind. If you’re looking for a perfect spot for an intimate dinner than Casa Mono is perfect.

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Duo NYC

 

This weekend our dear friends, Meg and Spencer, are visiting from Atlanta. Since sophomore year of college, Meg and I have been incredibly close. We suffered through college finals, the same major, many dramatic college moments, more than one late night Sig Ep party, and so much more. Now, even though we live almost a thousand miles apart, we’re as close as ever. When we are reunited, a few times per year, it’s like no time has passed!

DSC_0110002 (640x480)Due to work and marathon craziness, I wasn’t in hostess mode until late this week. I quickly realized that I forgot to make reservations for Friday and Saturday night dinner. If it wasn’t a holiday weekend in New York City than it wouldn’t have been such a big deal. But, this is the first holiday tourist weekend and all of the restaurants on our wish list were booked. While my Twitter friends provided some great suggestions, it ended up being Bo who discovered last night’s restaurant, Duo NYC.

Located between Flatiron and Murray Hill, just a few short blocks from our apartment, Duo was opened four months ago by Lorraine and Sabina Belkin. The two sisters, who were raised in the restaurant industry, wanted to create a chic yet classic environment for “patrons to enjoy their show stopping contemporary American dishes” while creating a party atmosphere.

IMG_0020 (640x480)Based on the amazing reviews it has received thus far, we were surprised when we entered at 8pm to find the restaurant only half full. But, as the evening continued, this changed quickly. Upon sitting down we were greeted by the fanciest menus I’ve ever seen: fully backlit menus!

IMG_0023 (640x480) They were fun and perfect for the dark restaurant. While waiting for Bo we ordered cocktails and appetizers. Their cocktail menu is extensive and each one we ordered was fabulous! We sampled the pomegranate mojito and the Forbidden.

IMG_0021 We can’t say enough wonderful things about our experience. The service was beyond amazing, exchanging one mixed drink and one entree for free during the evening, and very attentive. The appetizers and the roasted vegetable pasta were by far the standouts of the evening.

008 IMG_0024 Copy of 009 (640x480) Copy of 010 (640x480) Copy of 011 (640x480) A perfect location for a fun dinner with friends or a celebration, we certainly hope that Duo NYC makes a place for itself in the New York City restaurant scene!

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Brasserie 529: French Cuisine Savannah Style

While Savannah is certainly known for its’ cuisine, most of the restaurants’ famous dishes include the words fried or breaded and butter is one of the top ingredients. Paula Deen, made famous for her sweet Southern twang and love of all things butter, is a Savannah native and many of her dishes are in line with those that have made Savannah and the South famous. If you’re looking for delicious fried chicken, frickles (fried pickles), delicious drop biscuits, shrimp and grits, pecan pie, pralines, or greens than we do it better than anyone else.

Unlike Southern cuisine and seafood, French food is one cuisine for which Savannah has never been known. For example, even though I called Savannah home for more than 20 years, I couldn’t name a single French restaurant, until this trip home.  It turns out that the reason behind this is that the three most well known French restaurants in Savannah, Papillote, Circa 1875, and our lunch choice, Brasserie 529 have all opened quite recently.

After my long run on Saturday, my dad figured I’d like a proper meal to refuel. He knows me very well as there is nothing I prefer!

My parents surprised me with lunch at Brasserie 529, their new favorite restaurant. I was surprised to hear the name and realize that a French restaurant, a casual restaurant moreover, had finally called Savannah home.

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A casual but modern brasserie, conveniently located within walking distance of historic Savannah’s many tourist attractions, at 529 East Liberty Street,  Brasserie 529 is open Tuesday through Saturday for lunch and dinner. After just one quick glance at the menu’s prices, it was clear that the owners want this restaurant to be accessible for both locals and tourists.

IMG_4859 (640x478) (640x478)The décor is warm and comfortable with dark wood booths and comfortable chairs against the warm yellow walls. The Parisian influences throughout include paintings, chandeliers, and floral touches.

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I was a very happy and hungry lady, growing hungrier by the moment due the restaurant’s rich aromas.

It took us to study the menu as so many items sounded delicious including but not limited to their house specialties which have come to include the Lyndy burger, coq au vin, and mussel frites.

In the end, we all chose very different entrees so we could share the different flavors for which Brasserie is known. My mom chose Saturday’s special, Rabbit Stew, while my dad went with the traditional coq au vin. Deep down, I really wanted both items which they were already sold out of, the duck and the seared fish. I finally decided upon the fish en papillote since I was craving seafood.

Before our main entrees were served, we each shared a delicious salad, each of which were far fancier than we expected.

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The Torched Arugula salad is like nothing I’ve ever had before, topped with roasted grapes, blue cheese, nuts orange segments, ladrons, and an orange honey vinaigrette. We were a little disappointed with the salad, hoping it would be a bit larger as this picture is pretty true to size.  In addition, I wish that our waitress had donned our table with a fresh loaf of French bread versus bringing it out with our meal.

Thirty minutes later, our lunch arrived, steaming hot fresh from the oven. While the thirty minute wait flew by due to the great company, I do believe that Brasserie 529 needs to include on their menu details such as cook time if certain dishes take longer than others. Most business people and even tourists often expect lunch to be a meal that is quick versus a dining experience.

However, as soon as we enjoyed our first bite of lunch, our annoyance was replaced with delicious sighs. IMG_4866 (640x478) (2)

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We all joined the clean plate club, enjoying every bite of our lunch dishes. The fish and rabbit were petite portions, perfect for a lunch dish. The coq au vin was a far larger portion, similar to what you would expect during dinner. The rich meat and crispy skin was absolutely delicious and the sauce screamed for a hearty, crusty bread for dipping. My mom’s rabbit was the clear winner due to pure uniqueness and the overall flavor profile. The rabbit did not leave a “gamey” taste and the large vegetables and potato topping was a perfect pairing for the rich stew. Unfortunately the fish didn’t meet my expectations as the small portion did not have the strong garlic and lemon flavor I have come to expect in fish en papillote. However, it was still delicious and quickly devoured by our table!

After tasting each dish, I have put the above pictures in order of flavor and uniqueness.  

Overall, our experience was wonderful and I would recommend that both tourists and locals alike visit Brasserie 529 for lunch or dinner. The staff is very friendly, the atmosphere inviting, and the vast majority of their dishes leave you scraping the plate for every last bite. In addition, rumor has it that they’ve recently started a happy hour Tuesday-Saturday from 3-7pm during which time they feature $2 beers, $6 wines, and many appetizer specials!

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