Entries from September 2007 ↓

East Side Fusion

As one enters Aja, an eye-catching new Asian-fusion restaurant cornering the new Sutton Place Area, you know something important is going on inside. On the right is a cunning little bar/lounge and on the left, a welcoming sushi bar beckons with fresh, beautifully carved seafood and a trio of chefs, who smile and greet you with a warm hello. Gray stone walls surround gorgeous mahogany tables (everything is imported from China), while a Teakwood Buddha, carved from a single large piece of wood hundreds of years, adds a spiritual element. There are stone floors, punctuated by a fully stocked aquarium, set in the stone-floor. Industrial pipes are attractively covered with hemp, while bamboo columns, a pond of water and colorful glasses surround Mr. Buddha. Counterpointing these exotica is a friendly, energetic staff of mostly Caucasian waiters, a terrific soundtrack of new-age music and sexy cocktails like a green-tea margarita.

The helpful young general manager, Leo Cheng moves from table to table, guiding customers to the most popular dishes. Truth be told, there isn’t must to worry about on the menu, which spans the Orient from creative takes on sushi and tartars (go for the toro and you will be delighted) to Thai, Malaysian, Vietnamese and China where a classic Peking duck, that arrives user-friendly, without even a leg bone, with featherweight, housemade doilies, moist fresh and paper thin, crisp skin. Some of the best dishes at Aja are the small plates, labeled “Kitchen Starters.” You won’t find better baby ribs in rib-heaven and the dumplings, here ground pork with mashed green beans and Chinese ham, are wonderful. Thai spiced beef wrap is a huge plate, filled with good quality beef, Thai chilis, spices, a tad too much lime juice and fresh mint, all waiting to be wrapped in red leaf lettuce that belies its modest $9 price tag.

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1950s Cadillacs and oversized Buicks, colorful laundry drying over the balcony railing, a horse-drawn carriage, an old woman smoking a cigar, sugarcane growing in a field, curvy dancers moving to a salsa beat. These are just some of the images of Cuba conjured up by the restaurant Guantanamera and captured in photographs on their menus. This classic Cuban restaurant in the Columbus Circle area is known for good times and good food in a party atmosphere, continues to be the same as it ever was, thriving to the beat of live music with the same copious food and cocktails. With plenty of tables that can accommodate groups, generous portions at reasonable prices and large pitchers of sangria, he is the place to celebrate birthdays and other special occasions (such as the end of the work day!) At a table by the front window, you can watch the resident cigar maker as he takes sheets of tobacco out of an antique press and hand-rolls Cuban-style cigars, that patrons can take home free of charge. A tip is not out of line. Guantanamera makes more than 1000 mojitos per week. Located at 939 8th Avenue, it rates B Major on the Walman Report.

The Boat House Central Park Restaurant
East 72nd St. & Park Drive North
Telephone: (212) 517-2233
Website: http://www.thecentralparkboathouse.com/sections/home.htm

Restaurant Hours: Mon thru Friday. Lunch: 12:00-4:00. Dinner (April-November): 5:30-9:30. Saturday and Sunday: Brunch,
9:30 am-4:00 pm. Dinner (April-November), 6:00 PM- 9:30.

Dinner Prices: Appetizers: $10-$15. Entrees: $21-$31. Sides: $6 Desserts: $8-$16

Wine List: International List: $28-$280.

All Major Credit Cards Accepted

Getting to The Boathouse.

The Boathouse is located in the center of Central Park, just a short stroll from Fifth Avenue and 72nd Street.

Weekdays from 3pm to 7pm when vehicles are permitted in the park, you can use our parking lot. At all other times, we recommend using the Metropolitan Museum garage at 80th Street and Fifth Avenue and taking the free Boathouse Trolley to and from the restaurant. The garage is open 24 hours.
A mini-bus transports you gratis from 72nd street and 5th Avenue to Boat House (from 5:30 PM).

Award-winning website, Punchin-dot-com, features the Walman Report and reviews of restaurants, travel, wine and theater. The incredibly delightful Boat House Central Park Restaurant offers one of Manhattan’s most spectacular views. A mini-bus takes you gratis from 72nd street and 5th Avenue to the restaurant, where your elegant table overlooks the water and happy couples ride in authentic gondolas imported from Italy. Thanks to executive chef, Anthony Walton, the kitchen produces stylish food that is pretty as a picture and equal to some of Manhattan’s best restaurants. Appetizer favorites offer a fabulous house salad with lovely tomatoes, imported feta cheese and black olive vinaigrette. Filler-free Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes will make you swoon. Generous entrees include Grilled Atlantic Swordfish, sautéed with yellow wax beans in a shallot pan sauce and one of the best Dover Soles imaginable. The standout dessert is a gossamer Lavender Pannacotta). Boat House Central Park Restaurant is one of NY’s joys and rates A Major on the Walman Report. For a free subscription, visit www dot Punchin dot com on the net.

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The Curtain Rises at TOLOACHE
Toloache 251 W. 50th St. (bet. Broadway & 8th Ave.) 212-581-1818 www.toloachenyc.com

Chef-Owner Julian Medina’s New Theater District Contemporary Mexican Bistro August 7th, 2007 — Chef-owner
Julian Medina announces the August 23rd opening of Toloache (toh-lo-AH-tchay), a contemporary Mexican bistro located in the Theater District at 251 West 50th Street (bet. Broadway & 8th Ave.).

This amazing restaurant is named after a flowering plant famed in Mexico for its use in love potions, the lively two-story space is adorned with handsome tiles and light fixtures imported from the states of Guanajuato and Guerrero, respectively. The restaurant also features a ceviche and guacamole bar; a wood-burning brick oven; an open kitchen; and a cocktail bar with a list of more than 100 tequilas and mezcals (overseen by General Manager and self-accredited “Mezcalogist” Giovanni Campos). Toloache’s menu is best characterized as creative, contemporary Mexican cuisine, employing both traditional and nontraditional ingredients. Chef Medina notes: “In the same way that we now see Asian, South American, and European ingredients incorporated into ‘Contemporary American’ restaurant menus, my contemporary Mexican menu freely borrows elements from those regions as well.”

Chef Medina’s menu particularly emphasizes the flavor diversity of chiles, with 15 varieties in use (for the full list, click here). Highlights from the menu include the best civiches in NY: Salmon “Panzon” Ceviche (organic salmon belly, tomatillo, green apple, lime, serrano chile, and radish sprouts); A remarkable Guacamole de Frutas (avocado, vidalia onion, mango, quince, apple, Meyer lemon, habanero chile, and Thai basil); Sopes de Requeson (corn cakes, Mexican ricotta, fried quail egg, and salsa ranchera); Churros con Foie (churros with foie gras and a mole dipping sauce); Delicious Carnitas de Lechon (brick oven–roasted suckling pig, habanero–sour orange salsa, and cactus-avocado-chicharron salad). The menu features twelve types of Tacos, with fillings ranging from classics like Grilled Steak and Baja-style Fish to more unusual ingredients such as Braised Veal Cheeks, Chapulines (Oaxacan dried grasshoppers and not at all odd), Negra Modelo–Braised Brisket, and Carmelized Sweetbreads.

Toloache provides patrons with several festive ways to experience the restaurant: the vibrant cocktail bar for a margarita or small-batch tequila; the ceviche and guacamole bar, an ideal spot for a quick bite (not to mention front-row seats to the theater of made-to-order guacamole preparation); and comfortable dining tables on both the ground level (30 seats) and upstairs balcony (50 seats). The complete menu, including all items from the ceviche and guacamole bar, is available at every seat in the house. Chef Medina was born and raised in Mexico City, and as a teenager worked at the city’s top classic French and Mexican restaurants. He later moved to New York City, and was appointed the Chef de Cuisine at Richard Sandoval’s Maya, which went on to receive two stars from The New York Times under Chef Medina’s leadership. While working at Maya he enrolled at the French Culinary Institute, graduating with the “Best Final Project.” Chef Medina was later promoted to Corporate Chef for all of Sandoval’s restaurants and oversaw the opening of his Mexican coastal cuisine restaurant Pampano; it too received two stars from the Times. Chef Medina has also worked as the Executive Chef for the SushiSamba restaurants, which specialize in Latin American–Japanese fare, and most recently was Executive Chef of Zocalo, a Mexican restaurant on the Upper East Side.

Bottom line: GO. Fabulous, Fun; Great Food; Attentive Service AND affordable prices.

Hours of Operation & Source Material
Great Location for Theater & Dinner

Toloache Address: 251 West 50th Street (bet. Broadway & 8th Aves.) Phone: 212-581-1818 Web Site: www.toloachenyc.com Date Opened: August 2007 Chef: Julian Medina Owners: Julian Medina and Louis Skibar Cuisine: Contemporary Mexican Menu Highlights: three types of guacamole eight types of ceviche dishes from the wood-burning oven, such as quesadillas tacos Price Range: Appetizers: $8-14 Tacos (two per order): $9-16 Entrees: $18-30 Desserts: $8 Beverages: More than 100 tequilas; margaritas; beer; wine; full bar Capacity: 50 upstairs, 30 ground floor Decor: bar, guacamole & ceviche bar, wood-burning oven tiles and lanterns from Mexico Dress: Smart casual Hours: Brunch: Saturday–Sunday, 11 AM–3 PM Lunch: Monday–Friday, 11:30 AM–3 PM Dinner: Monday–Thursday, 5 PM–11 PM Friday–Sunday, 5 PM–11:30 PM General Manager: Giovanni Campos Policies: Reservations: Accepted via the phone or on OpenTable Walk-ins also welcome Public Transportation: C or E train to 50th Street; 1 train to 50th Street; N, R, or W train to 49th Street All major credit cards accepted

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Don Miguel Gascón

2006 Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina

Here is the perfect dinner wine at a price that can’t be beat. ($12 Suggested Retail). Intense, well balanced, with lovely fruit, I could drink it every night.

Region: Mendoza, Argentina
Mendoza is located in the western central part of Argentina in the region of Cuyo. A mountainous area at the foothills of the Andes Mountains, Mendoza has been regarded as the most important wine producing province in Argentina, accountable for over 80% of Argentinean winemaking. Mendoza’s high altitude valleys, each at different elevation and different temperature profiles allow for a multitude of microclimates. High altitude allows for intensity of sunlight producing fruit with thicker skins delivering extraordinary color, body, aroma and structure. The sourcing of Malbec at varying altitudes offers unique flavor and aromatic expressions in the finished wine.

Coming Attractions

Will To Toloache be the One Mexican Restaurant New Yorker’s Will Take to Heart

Is Ben Benson’s Stil NY’s Best Steak House

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