Per usual, DLS wanted Pellegrino. I opted for a strawberry lemonade, but when I’d reached the halfway mark, I added Pellegrino for a bit of sparkle. I love sparkling drinks, that’s just me.

After a lot of debate – not knowing what to get, and just wanting a large sampler of everything, we finally settled on one of the set menus for two – the Hanabi menu for $100. We also had 15% off since they were newly opened, so that was cool.

Our first dish to arrive: hot oil seared salmon, which was very fresh and tasty, though it reminded me distinctly of a Chinese fish dish my mother makes – whole steamed fish that she then pours boiling oil over the top… with soy sauce. It’s very good, but not what I expected here.

Yuzu carpaccio was by far my preferred dish of the first two: slices of raw fish wrapped around assorted vegetables, served in a light yuzu dressing, I really enjoyed this greatly. I think DLS noticed because he kindly gave up the last piece for me to eat, thanks!

Our server came over and showed us the platter of Gyu Kaku salad, then asked if we’d like her to serve it for us. When we agreed, she left to scoop it into two separate bowls but still made it super pretty, which I appreciated. I should take a moment to note that our service was fantastic – I don’t remember her name, but our server made sure to explain everything to us, and she was extremely helpful when we were laboring over the menu and trying to figure everything out. She even asked at the end what we liked best and told us what her favorites were – really sweet.  And the salad was the perfect blend of crunchy bites, lightly sweet dressing, and just very tasty (though my friends will tell you that you don’t win friends with salad).

Then our meats began arriving: kobe chuck kalbi, which was super tender and very tasty. As each plate of meat landed on our table, the runner bearing it would tell us how long to cook it on each side, which was much appreciated.

Chateaubriand, again very tasty.

This horribly blurry picture is of the bistro harami hanger steak, one of my favorites of the night.

The cooking times/instructions were especially appreciated as it turned out that DLS was quite adept at following those instructions, using his watch to time each side. I let him cook everything; what is with guys and cooking meat over an open flame? Haha.

Our set menu also came with sukiyaki bibimbap, which… I can’t even explain how awesome this was. A server came by and showed to us how he stirred everything together in a hot stone bowl – asking us how spicy we wanted it – and then let it sit there while the smell tantalized us – to create a super crisp crust. Then, he came back eventually and served it into two separate bowls, so though the crust had formed, the rice was able to cool down (which is one of my issues when I eat dolsot bibimbap at Korean restaurants) a bit and I could enjoy the intensely crisp rice crust along with the well-flavored rice itself. At this point, I was giddy with delight over the food.

Miso cod came in a foil packet to steam on the grill. DLS asked if his miso halibut was better, and I had to say it actually was – the miso here was too overwhelming for the subtle fish and totally overtook it. I would not order this again.

Basil marinated chicken didn’t fare better – the flavor was fine, but I didn’t think it was anything special.

Garlic shrimp; I’m not a huge fan of shrimp and these were just eaten because they were there.

Asparagus, which both of us like, but this was in way too much butter. I’d have preferred they be grilled instead of soaked in butter… next time, I’ll pick grilling vegetables from the a la carte menu.

Well, here’s where I once again display my need for indulgences… One of the reasons the Hanabi menu was chosen instead of the Matsuri menu (another set menu for 2, this one only $80) was because of the desserts. Black sesame gelato, which obviously spoke to me on many levels, but DLS didn’t seem to mind when my eyes went wide and I whispered “black sesame gelato?!” – regardless, this was unlike any black sesame ice cream I’ve ever had. Denser, richer, more black sesame flavor, I literally danced in my seat with joy as I licked each spoonful clean. So freaking good.

The set menus came with two desserts, and the more fun one was obviously making your own s’mores over the grill. It was a lot of fun toasting the marshmallows carefully – though I almost lost mine! – and then pressing them carefully between the graham crackers to melt the chocolate. I didn’t think I’d be able to eat my entire s’more, but I did, and it was good.

Mmm.

Yvo says: I thoroughly enjoyed my meal at Gyu Kaku, and I know for sure DLS did as well. He even signed up for the frequent diner card (which costs $1 but is good forever), which is also a good deal. While I definitely preferred the red meat items over the other items, I enjoyed the menu for the ability to try a lot of different things and quickly realize what I liked and didn’t like as much… and next time, I’ll be able to order from the regular menu with ease and happiness. Yum! The one negative was the lack of exhaust hoods – normally, my experience at Japanese BBQ has been that they have exhausts close to the grill so you don’t go home smelling of food, but this place didn’t have that. Oh well – it won’t stop me from returning. I really liked the food.
recommended

© Feisty Foodie for The Feisty Foodie, 2012. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: bibimbap, carpaccio, DLS

Do you go to Seattle’s Best? Do you have a recommendation for a drink I’d like? Leave it in comments…

I received this $5 gift card courtesy of Seattle’s Best, but was under no obligation to post about it and received no monetary compensation to do so.

© Feisty Foodie for The Feisty Foodie, 2012. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: coffee, drinks

The Chinese influence was immediately apparent with the bowl of generic fried noodles and duck sauce to snack on while perusing the menu.

The Korean influence became apparent when the bus boy brought over a small plate of kimchi and another plate of raw onion and pickled radish.

We started with a simple order of pan-fried dumplings ($6ish). While the wrappers were on the thicker side, they were quite good for what they were.

They were packed to the brim with mostly pork and maybe a little onion?

As I write this I realize, we forgot to ask for the Korean menu also, so I did my best to pronounce jjajjungmyun to the waitress. Fortunately, she understood after my second or third attempt at it. (I’m not sure of the price but it was probably around $10.) We were later presented with this nice bowl of buckwheat noodles topped with black bean sauce with bits of minced pork and onions. The waitress will come by and offer to cut the noodles with scissors, which is recommended. This was my first time having the dish since that first time a couple years ago. Last time the sauce was served separately, but this time they already put the sauce on top. The food was slightly warm, which I believe is how it is supposed to be served. Although the color was deceiving, it was not heavy at all. I enjoyed the slightly salty sweet flavor and found it to be a treat when I came across a piece of pork.

We also ordered another dish to share from their nightly specials menu. I believe the menu said something about sweet & sour beef with crispy rice ($15?). The description made it sound like some sort of bibimbap, so I was intrigued to try it. We were a little taken aback when this was presented to us eventhough we had no idea what to expect. Once we saw the corn starch based sauce, our hopes were dashed a bit as neither of us particularly like it. The beef was nice and crispy but quickly became soggy from the sauce. The veggies stayed nice and crisp though. I had never seen “crispy rice” like that before. I enjoyed it for the texture but it had very little flavor. Sometimes you take a risk with a dish and it pays off, it did not in this case.

All in all, it was nice to change up the routine and go somewhere different especially since CT had never been to Hyo Dong Gak before. I will definitely return for the jjajjungmyun but be more careful about what else I order. Although it will be hard not to just go into Han Bat since it is right next door.

© TT for The Feisty Foodie, 2012. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: jjajjungmyun

All this to say, that’s how we wound up at Miss Korea BBQ one Thursday night in early March, DLS’s ex-coworker in tow.

My dish came with a small bowl of a very clear, very plain soup. Our small table became overcrowded very quickly from the food we ordered.

I’m pretty sure the waitress, upon seeing me snack on the plate of lightly-dressed scallions, thought I was a total Korean BBQ newbie, because she came over and proceeded to explain to us how to eat the kalbi we’d ordered – wrap it in lettuce with some of this, some gochujang, some of that, and eat.  Mmm… what, I can’t eat my greens any way I want?!

Some of the banchan we were served – random assortment.

Our kalbi – which was super tender, marinated nicely, and very tasty.

The yukhwe – since our table was so crowded, our server brought this over and then served it onto three small plates for us.  It was initially still very cold – which I now realize is how it’s served – but as it warmed from being next to a burner that was on, the meat just about melted in my mouth.  Dressed with a mixture of sesame oil, peanuts, tossed with slivers of cucumber and Asian pear, this was very well balanced and just incredible – I thought it was very good, and I would definitely order this again.  Yum.

I chose also the dolsot bibimbap, with kalbi – the screaming hot stone bowl keeps your dish super hot for a very long time, which helps it develop a rice crust, but doesn’t help with eating it more quickly, haha.  I tossed it all around and added a little bit of gochujang; I really liked this though I did have trouble eating it because it stayed so hot for so long!

DLS and Anthony also shared a soondubu, which I didn’t try, but I think they both enjoyed it a lot.  It looked pretty good, I just didn’t feel like eating something that hot…

Yvo says: I really enjoyed Miss Korea BBQ and I’m under the impression there are also some really good lunch deals to be had there. I’ll definitely be back – the wait was brief, but the food was good and definitely worth it. Service was pleasant even though we were clearly not Korean, and the prices were in line with what other places in the area charge.
recommended

© Feisty Foodie for The Feisty Foodie, 2012. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: bibimbap, DLS, korean bbq, tartare

Coconut macaroons, which, if you know me at all, you know I didn’t risk sampling. However, darling Sarah – my date for the day – did, and her opinion on all can be found here.

These rosemary cookies, though, were mine – and the texture was just incredible. Crisp edged with an almost cakey center, I enjoyed this very much, especially given that a lot of restraint was shown with the rosemary addition and I’m sensitive to too much rosemary. Mmm… and the cookie I somehow didn’t photograph clearly, a fennel one that I also enjoyed… but the rosemary one had my heart.

We were also treated to lovely bites of candy and chocolate coated marzipan, which was not like any marzipan I’ve had in the past. Yummy crunchy bites!

We also sampled Sunchowder jams, which were eye opening and simply amazing. While describing the business relationship he’d formed with the woman who created Sunchowder (and who grows all her own fruit to make the jams herself!), Mr. Petrossian’s face lit up with such child-like wonder, it was awesome. And the jams themselves – the strawberry one in particular – all natural, no preservatives, delicious.

These lemon thyme muffins were a huge hit with Sarah. I couldn’t decide if I wanted them to be sweeter or saltier, so I left it to fate.

These are a few of the baskets available for purchase at Petrossian – some are designed especially for a picnic in nearby Central Park. A nice romantic time with caviar and other goodies from Petrossian? Don’t mind if I do!

Coincidentally, before I’d been invited to the event, I’d purchased a Groupon for a 4 course meal at Petrossian – even more coincidentally, my reservation was for the following night.

The menu began with  30 grams of caviar and creme fraiche. Funny enough, when I’d first emailed DLS to ask if he wanted to accompany me, he’d said he didn’t know if he liked caviar, not having had it very often. I graciously offered to eat his portion if he didn’t like it (though we’ve obviously had caviar together a few times at the high end restaurants where we’ve dined), though sadly, he realized he enjoyed it and I was given no extra. Boo.

Granted, I’ve not eaten caviar like so very often in restaurants, but I’ve had enough experiences to enjoy the smear of briny caviar across a slice of perfect toast point with um, a lot of creme fraiche to match the brininess. Mmm.

To complete the experience, our toast points of course – which were refilled without hesitation as they were finished – and a tall glass of premium Russian vodka.  I cannot emphasize enough how delicious the caviar was – perfectly fresh, not fishy or stinky like some people seem to think caviar is, and just the perfect sized portion. Sure, initially I thought “that’s 30 grams?” (I was brought up on the standard system, not metric!) but when I finished, I thought, “That was just right.”

Next came our salmon sampler. Unfortunately, I had trouble understanding which was which (aside from the roe), but know that each piece was incredibly tender, some were creamy in texture, and glorious tasting. I wasn’t a fan of the bottom middle one – spiced like a slice of pastrami – but it has its place in a sandwich, I’m sure, just not eaten plain as I was doing

Next came our entrees. Initially, DLS was eyeing the pan-seared striped bass, but backed off when I corrected him that striped bass and bass are not the same fish. He chose the sauteed filet mignon with garlic mashed potatoes and creamy wild mushroom ragout instead.  Though I failed to take a photo of it, he cut me a piece and it was cooked exactly to his specification of medium rare. I know he enjoyed this dish thoroughly – as much as he loves mushrooms – and I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy my piece of steak!

As for my poorly-photographed dish, I chose seared West Coast sturgeon with sauteed cauliflower, brussels sprouts, parsnip medallions and caviar beurre blanc.  The fish was cooked perfectly as well – not quite fully cooked, retaining its tender sweetness, with the caviar beurre blanc just melting against my tongue to create the perfect bite. The vegetables were also cooked just right, retaining texture but not a hint of bitterness from the cruciferous veggies… just lovely, absolutely lovely.

I had no idea how I could stuff dessert in my mouth, but onwards we trooped. DLS again was swayed from his original choice by me, again unintentionally – I hadn’t noticed there was a third dessert option, so I presumed he would order the apple tart with cinnamon ice cream. He did so, then told me he’d intended to order the housemade ice cream or sorbet. *snore* What? Who’s boring? Not me… In any case, without question, this dessert was major WIN.  A crisp pastry crust filled with apples, topped with streusel, I was extremely jealous of his plate and ate a few bites before forcing my attention away and back to my own dessert.

Sadly, I consistently forget an important fact of life. My German chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream was wonderfully chewy, moist – almost like a brownie on top with a cake bottom – and wait, what’s this shredded, papery stuff on top of the brownie – oh crap, German chocolate means coconut, doesn’t it?  In my defense, there are no coconuts in Germany, and I never associate Germany with coconuts. Why would I? (For those new here, I’m fairly allergic to coconut, particularly shredded coconut.)  So I had to stop eating – and DLS agreed that his dessert was still better, so instead of trading, I contented myself with just eating my ice cream. Sadface. But the brownie that I did eat was pretty good – I just wish there was no coconut on it…

Yvo says: Overall, a fantastic meal at Petrossian that we both enjoyed very much. I checked the menu after I bought the deal, and it’s actually not THAT cost prohibitive to dine there for a nice occasion, so definitely give it a try if you can. It was worth it.
recommended

Please note that I attended the first portion – the tasting of baked goods – courtesy of the PR firm for Petrossian. However, the latter portion – regarding dinner – was paid for by me and we received no special treatment, so there’s no bias possible! Not that I’m ever biased, of course. I received no monetary compensation to post about the beginning part, nor was I obligated to do so.

© Feisty Foodie for The Feisty Foodie, 2012. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: baked goods, caviar, cookies, DLS, Groupon, press event, salmon, vodka