The Moosewood Restaurant

"A fruit is a vegetable with looks and money. Plus, if you let fruit rot, it turns into wine, something Brussels sprouts never do." ~ P.J. O'Rourke

Muslims have Mecca. Fashion designers have Paris. And natural food lovers have Moosewood.

This week Trudi and I had dinner at The Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, NY. Their website gives some history:

"Moosewood, Inc. is a collectively owned business with nineteen members who share responsibilities and participate in the various jobs necessary to run what has grown from a very small natural foods restaurant to become a larger and more diversified company. Most members of the Collective have worked together for at least 15 years, and some since the restaurant's inception in 1973. The restaurant is further staffed by a talented and dedicated group of employees whom we truly appreciate and without whom we could not operate."

"With our emphasis on healthful natural foods cuisine, Moosewood Restaurant has operated successfully for thirty-three years and has been acclaimed as a driving force in the world of creative vegetarian cooking. Moosewood was named one of the thirteen most influential restaurants of the 20th Century by Bon Appetit. We started in an era when many alternative businesses began, and we feel incredibly grateful to have endured, thrived and had a positive impact."

Our waitress was Bethany. When she first approached, she beamed a smile that immediately made us feel welcome. During dinner, Bethany was attentive without being intrusive. Her enthusiasm for making our meal enjoyable was very much appreciated.

The name Bethany means "house of figs" in Hebrew. It's interesting that this name is associated with food - since Bethany works in a restaurant. Perhaps her destiny is to pursue a culinary career.

Moosewood's atmosphere is quiet, casual and relaxed - my favorite dining environment. And unlike some NYC restaurants, we didn't have to fire off a flare gun to get attention for service or a check.

For dinner, Trudi had Vegan Lasagna. I chose the Caribbean Stew. To accompany dinner, Bethany brought us an intriguing Pinot Noir. For dessert, we selected the Vegan Chocolate Cake. Everything was superb. Moosewood's archive of culinary creations can be found at Recipes.

Note: Check out Vegan for more information on this life style.

The Moosewood Restaurant is also well known for its cookbooks. Eleven have been published, with more on the way. The recipes are easy to follow - an appealing feature for amateur chefs. After dinner, I bought Trudi a copy of Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home, which focuses on meals that can be prepared in less than 30 minutes. It's Rachael Ray in Birkenstocks. Trudi will be test driving some recipes this weekend. Yum!

No matter what your food preference, this natural nourishment will delight you. Good food is good food - no matter what philosophy is behind it. Plan B is to pick up one of their cookbooks. Whatever choice you make, you will very much enjoy the Moosewood experience!

Scotch N Sirloin Restaurant in Amherst, NY

"My favorite animal is steak." - Fran Lebowitz

Tonight Trudi and I had dinner at an upstate NY steak house, located 20 miles from Niagara Falls.

We visited the Falls this afternoon. It was so romantical! The Canadian side is better because 1) the view from North of the border is more impressive, and 2) Canadians beat Americans hands down in the niceness category. Even their Customs officials were more pleasant.

On the way back to our hotel, we developed a craving for steak. Not being familiar with this area - and having no one to ask - we queried my Garmin C340 GPS Unit for a decent carnivore cafe. Jill - my pet name for this device - suggested Scotch N Sirloin in Amherst, NY. Jill is quite knowledgeable (and has a very sexy voice) so I decided to trust her judgment. We were not disappointed.

After being seated, we were promptly greeted by Denise, our waitress. We liked her instantly. She displayed a genuine smile - a rare commodity in NYC bistros. And her enthusiasm for making our meal enjoyable was immediately apparent. She made us feel welcome.

Good food is of course the major component in any dining experience. A top quality steak should excel in the following areas:

Aging - tenderizes the meat.

Seasoning - brings out the beef's natural flavor.

Cut - if done properly, assures consistency in both flavor and texture. A Porterhouse should always taste like a porterhouse, not a NY strip or a flank steak.

Degree of Cooking - If you ask for a steak that is medium rare, then that is how it should be prepared. No excuses.

Scotch N Sirloin excelled in all of these areas. Trudi said that her filet mignon was one of the best ever. I sampled hers and agreed. My top sirloin was also exceptional.

To accompany our meal, Denise suggested a wine that was a wonderful discovery - an Acacia 2005 Pinot Noir. While many pinots are lighter in bouquet and body, this vintage came closer to a cabernet or shiraz. It had hints of strawberry and peach, with an exceptionally long finish. A perfect compliment to a good steak.

We asked Denise about the history of Scotch N Sirloin. She indicated that it used to be part of a small chain of upstate NY steak houses. The first one opened in 1969. Subsequently they have been sold to individual owners. Many of the new proprietors are former employees who worked their way up from dishwasher or bus boy. So these people have an emotional and experiential investment in their establishments. This deeper commitment was evident in the restaurant's operation. You could tell that the employees were genuinely motivated to provide good service.

Denise also mentioned that Scotch N Sirloin's fireplace lounge was a favorite hangout for locals during the long Buffalo winters. There is nothing like a wood fire to warm you up on a cold night. An old saying among upstaters is - "What day is summer this year?" Winters feel like they are endless, so a warm comfortable nest - with good food - is highly prized by area residents.

Summary: If you find yourself in the Buffalo, NY area and you enjoy a good steak, then I highly recommend Scotch N Sirloin.

Petrarca Cucina E Vino - A Casual New York Trattoria with Superb Food and Wine!

Wikipedia defines Serendipity as "the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely. The word derives from an old Persian fairy tale and was coined by Horace Walpole on 28 January, 1754 in a letter he wrote to a friend. The letter read,

"I once read a silly fairy tale, called The Three Princes of Serendip. As their highnesses traveled, they were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of."

Today was a serendipitous day for my wife Trudi, my sister Vicki, and I when we discovered a charming restaurant in lower Manhattan called Petrarca Cucina E Vino.

We originally set out from SoHo to participate in the TriBeCa Family Festival Street Fair, which we were told was located somewhere on Church Street. But alas, we found out - after walking down to the World Trade Center (about 20 blocks) - that the Street Fair was located elsewhere.

It was on the way back through TriBeCa that we happened upon Petrarca Cucina E Vino. I was immediately attracted to the restaurant by its resemblance to the trattorias that I frequented in Tuscany.

The interior was uncluttered, with nicely spaced tables, so that you didn't have to be involved in your fellow diners' conversations. The walls were lined with wine racks, interspaced with jars of preserved fruit. This environment made me feel like I could just "chill out" and enjoy a casual meal - something which is hard to come by in The Big Apple.

The wine menu was impressive, with a generous selection of Italian reds and whites. We chose a Super Tuscan "Corbaia" 1997 by Bossi. This turned out to be a full bodied and fruity red, with a wonderful bouquet, and a substantially long finish. It was a delightful discovery which we greatly enjoyed. Trudi has added it to our "We Have To Get More of This Wine" list. The "Corbaia" was $35 for a half bottle, which I thought was reasonable in a city where many restaurant wines come with three digit price tags.

Petrarca Cucina E Vino offers many of their best wines in half bottles, which I think is a smart marketing move. It allows diners to sample wines that might normally be out of their price range, and thus to increase their wine experience. It also increases the inventory turn for the higher priced wines, which can tie up a lot of a restaurant's cash.

During our meal, I spoke with Giorgio Conte, the Manager. He was trained as a sommelier. His talent and passion were clearly evident in the quality of the wine selection.

One thing that I don't enjoy about many restaurants is the wine glasses. Many are thick, clunky containers, without the full bow that allows you to fully appreciate a wine's bouquet. They look like they are designed more to survive hundreds of dishwashings than to optimize the wine tasting experience. This restaurant, to their credit, served our wine in the same quality wine glasses that we use at home. I give them high marks for this!

Petrarca Cucina E Vino also offers a Happy Hour from 4:30 PM to 7:00 PM on Monday through Friday. During this event, they offer 75 wines by the glass, and 350 wines by the bottle, an impressive number of choices for any New York restaurant!

For my entree, I chose Fettuccine Alla Bolognese, ($17.50) which was fettuccine with a red meat sauce. The portion was generous and the meat sauce melted in my mouth! It was so good that I wound up eating the entire portion.

Trudi opted for Pollo Paillard, ($17.50) which was grilled chicken with arugula, tomato, and onions. The chicken was juicy, with a nice caramelized glaze that blended perfectly with the vegetable topping. Trudi has traveled to Italy for over 20 years on business. She said that her chicken dish was as good as any meal she had in "The Old Country".

Vicki selected Penne Al Tonno, ($17.50) which was penne with fresh tuna, tomatoes, black olives, and capers. The chef was successful in broiling the fish into "The Perfect Tuna Zone". I define this as the degree of "doneness" where the outside has a delicious crust while the inside is cooked enough to take the raw taste out of the fish - but not so much that it loses the succulent texture that makes sushi so delicious.

We were also served wonderful Italian bread, with extra virgin olive oil.

No Italian meal is complete without a cup of cappuccino. Petrarca Cucina E Vino's offering was well prepared, and provided an enjoyable conclusion to our meal.

As far as service, our waiter was attentive, but not intrusive - a rare commodity in New York restaurants! In many places, you either can't find your waiter for half an hour, or they are hovering around you like a nervous puppy.

Conclusion: Very good food, an excellent selection of wines, and reasonable prices. Combined with a relaxed dining atmosphere and good service, I give Patrarca Cucina E Vino - 5 Bananas. I will recommend it to all of my primate friends!

NOTE: The Monkey Prose Restaurant Rating System goes from 0 Bananas (It makes Army food look good.) to 5 Bananas (An exceptional dining experience.)

Monkey Bob Has Another Great Meal in East Hampton!

The gods must be smiling upon me. Never before have I struck gastronomical gold twice in the same week. Last night I had an unsurpassed meal at The 1770 House in East Hampton, NY. Tonight I dined, with family, at cittanuova, (also in East Hampton) and again the meal was superb! By the way, both restaurants are owned by the same people.

The cittanuova experience is very different from the 1770 House. While the latter provides a more formal dining environment, Cittanuova presents trattoria style dining. But that's OK too, as long as the food is good. And it was!

Zulfia, who is new to cittanuova, provided us with first class service, and was also very helpful with our wine selection. Because I am not familiar with Italian wines, I relied on Zulfia to select a full bodied red for us. She chose a Dolcetto di Dogliani, 2004, which was delightful. My first perception of this wine was of grape juice, but as it lingered on my tongue, the flavor morphed into a melange of dry and fruity sensations that were most pleasant. Cittanuova's menu describes it as "wild fruit, with a note of spice and minerality - long finish", which I think was "right on the money".

Cittanuova serves their wine in cylindrical glasses, which resemble juice cups. No Reidel at this restaurant. But this was OK, because that's the way that people drink wine in Italian trattorias. Most of the time, Italians drink table wine, which is usually served in carafes. They only bring out the bottled wine (and traditional wine crystal) at high end restaurants. I was therefore able to enjoy my wine because I understood that its presentation reflected an authentic Italian custom.

For my main course I chose the Filetti di Passera, which was described as "pan fried local fluke, brown butter, caper berries, lemon and parsley". The fish was cooked to perfection, and the outer shell of carmelized ingredients provided an excellent culinary counterpoint to the fluke's natural flavor.

I skipped dessert, because I am now at the last notch on my belt, and I don't want to cross that threshold into the next larger pants size. However, I did have a decaf cappuccino, which was most satifying, and which provided a perfect punctuation to the meal.

Both The 1770 House and cittanuova have excellent websites that appear to have been designed by the same company. They both have a polished appearance, with some wonderful photographs, which make these restaurants look very appealing.

Monkey Prose Rating: I give Cittanuova 4 bananas. If you like informal trattoria style restaurants (and good food), then you will definitely enjoy Cittanuova. I hope that Zulfia sticks around to provide her excellent service to this summer's diners. I definitely plan to be one of them!

Monkey Bob has an Exceptional Meal in East Hampton!

One of my favorite quotes is from The Buddha:

"Your body is precious. It is our vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care."

Tonight I had a chanced to treat my body with TLC when I had dinner, with family, at The 1770 House in East Hampton, NY. To say that dinner was exceptional would be an understatement.

My criteria for a fine restaurant are:

• Interesting and unique recipes
• An intriguing (but not intimidating) wine list
• Knowledgable and supportive staff

The 1770 House far surpassed my criteria. Andre, who served our meal, was there when we needed him and wasn't when we didn't - an important tip to "would be" waiters and waitresses who think that "hovering" is a virtue. Message from The Mother Ship - it isn't.

Andre expressed a passion for the food that was impossible not to share. The presentation was flawless, and his devotion to our dining experience made the food taste even better. He brought out each dish as if it were made of precious metal.

We "lucked out" by dining at one East Hampton's most popular restaurants in the off season. In July, there could be a long wait for a reservation. But in April, we were able to get an early seating with few other diners to distract us. In addition, The 1770 House is currently offering a Prix Fixe (3 course) Menu - for $30.00 per person, which is an exceptional bargain.

For an appetizer, I had a salad consisting of Mache, endive and Maytag blue cheese, accompanied by Cavaillon melon, bacon, candied walnuts, and sherry vinaigrette. The flavors accented each other perfectly, without any one ingredient overpowering the others.

A delicious olive bread was also served, along with a well seasoned extra virgin olive oil. This provided a nice accent to the appetizers.

My choice for a main course was roasted organic miso glazed salmon, with Soba noodles, cucumber, radishes, red onions, and "Tosa-Zu". The combination of the perfectly cooked salmon with the crisp outer shell of accent elements created a hard/soft taste experience that was new and captivating.

Capable assistance was also offered with the impressive wine list, which included some Premier Cru labels. While First Growth Bordeaux is still "just a little" out of Monkey Bob's financial reach, the wines that we did have were full bodied, with a complex blend of flavors, and nice finishes. Trudi, my wife, had the 2003 Powers Cabernet Savignon (Washington State) while I sampled the 2005 Pillar Box Red Henry's Drive Shiraz/Cab from Australia. These were new wines for both of us, and neither one of us was disappointed.

One mark of a fine restaurant is their choice of glassware. There was no commercial stemware on our table. Our wine was served in Riedel crystal, which impressed me, and added an extra level of enjoyment to our beverages.

For dessert, I selected an apple crisp with caramel ice cream, which was delicious. But I must confess that I couldn't eat much of it because I was so full from the first two courses.

If you live near (or on) Long Island, and you want an unsurpassed dining experience, then I highly recommend The 1770 House. Now would be an good time to go, to take advantage of the excellent Prix Fixe deal!

Monkey Prose Rating: I give The 1770 House 5 bananas (my highest rating). The food, service, and wine were all first class.

NOTE: Neither Monkey Bob, nor any of my primate friends, were compensated by The 1770 House for this review. I just really liked the food and the dining experience!