Entries from December 2007 ↓

Tarabia

ADDRESS: 1071 First Avenue
(Between 58th and 59th Streets)
New York, NY 10022

WEB SITE: www.tarabianyc.com

TELEPHONE: (212) 888-0809

FAX: (212) 888-0209

HOURS: Lunch: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Mon.-Sun. Dinner: 4:00 PM – 11:00 PM, Mon.-Sun.

CUISINE: Turkish

Award-winning website, Punchin-dot-com, features the Walman Report and reviews of restaurants, travel, wine and theater. Executive chef was formerly at Turkish Kitchen (Manhattan’s first great Turkish restaurant). At Tarabia, he prepares classic Istanbul dishes dating back to the Ottoman Empire.

A wide variety of daily Turkish appetizers are offered on a cart in the traditional style of Istanbul. They are all excellent, if a trifle too cold. The elegant dining room is enhanced by candlelit tables with handmade Turkish table-cloths and napkin holders, handsome mahogany and leather chairs and fabric-upholstered banquettes. Cream-colored walls support Turkish chandeliers. Lovely fresh flowers enhance the effect that care was given to every detail.

Outstanding starters include octopus or calamari salad and lightly pan fried phyllo, rolls, filled with feta cheese or pan fried zucchini pancakes served with garlic yoghurt sauce. Of entrees, go for lamb or chicken shish kebob, stuffed vine leaves, grilled lamb chops or whole fish. They are all prepared with care and finesse. Leave room for rich desserts baklava or almond pudding. There is also a selection of Turkish wines, from a shot wine list that should contain more options under $30. There is an excellent Turkish beer for $6. Service is warm and accommodating at Tarabia, 1071 First Avenue, which is the best Turkish restaurant to open this year and rates “B Major” on the Walman Report.

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KAMPUCHEA RESTAURANT
Opened: November 2006
Chef-Owner: Ratha Chau
Web Address: www.KampucheaNYC.com
Address: 78 Rivington Street (Corner of Allen Street)
New York, NY 10002
Phone: (212) 529-3901

Price: (Inexpensive-to-Moderate) $10-$18
Hours: Mon – Tue 5:30 pm – 12:00 am
Wed – Fri 5:00 pm – 1:00 am
Sat 12:00 pm – 1:00 am
Sun 12:00 pm – 12:00 am
Reservations: Not Accepted
Cash Only
12 Wines By The Glass ($8-$11). Bottles From $35. Cocktails: $11

I Know This Great CAMBODIAN RESTAURANT

Chef-Owner Ratha Chau of KAMPUCHEA RESTAURANT

Award-winning website, Punchin-dot-com, features the Walman Report and reviews of restaurants, travel, wine and theater.

Despite its reputation as a world-class restaurant city, New York’s, like London’s real contribution to gastronomy is its variety of affordable small, charming ethnic restaurants. Over the years the trend has continued, although they are not so inexpensive as the old days and some have evolved into hot destination restaurants.

Kampuchea Restaurant is a tribute to Cambodian street food, redefined by Chef-Owner, Ratha Chau. Kampuchea provides a communal dining experience and schoolroom accents (like a notebook-inspired wine and cocktail list), evoking a playful atmosphere. But the food totally serious and there wasn’t one clinker in an elaborate dinner, starting with a sassy Pickle Plate, marvelous Baguettes, brimming with Sweet-Pulled-Oxtail, terrific House Cured Bacon and unique home made Headcheese. While the Ribs are fabulous, the Catfish Crepe is to die for and substantial bowls of Noodle/Soup/Stews, like one boasting Okra, Brisket, Oxtail and Papaya are soul satisfying.

In addition to exceptional service by lovely young women, there is a fine selection of wine, beer and knockout cocktails such as one based on Cachaça, Brown Sugar, Lime and Thai Chili Sauce that is guaranteed to send you home with a warm glow. The beautiful wooden tables were designed by the chef at Kampuchea Restaurant, (78 Rivington Street at Allen), which rates a not to be missed A Major on the Walman Report.

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Succulent P.E.I. Mussels

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Opinionated About Dining Announces Rating Reward Program

Opinionated About Dining Survey (www.opinionatedabout.com), an online dining survey launched earlier this year, has announced a new rewards program beginning in November through which survey participants can earn discount coupons and gift certificates to high-end specialty food and beverage retailers.

Survey participants will accrue reviewing points based on the number of restaurants they are able to rate and critique. The points will be redeemable for gift certificates and discounts to Bryan’s Fine Foods, Casa Oliver, Chamber Street Wines, Chefshop.com, Farm2Farm Market, Grateful Palate, Hudson Valley Foie Gras, Jeni’s Ice Cream, Kitchen Arts & Letters, Murray’s Cheese, Russ & Daughters and Terroir Select Coffees.

Opinionated About Dining was initiated as a food discussion forum in March 2003 by music and entertainment industry veteran Steve Plotnicki, an avid restaurant-goer and international traveler, for whom dining out a serious hobby – serious enough to focus on turning it into a new business venture. In addition to overseeing the Opinionated About Dining Survey, Plotnicki writes a restaurant blog widely read by fine dining aficionados under the same name, www.oad.typad.com.

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Singles Travel International Announces Exclusive Luxury Trips
for Singles in their 30s & 40s

Singles Travel International (www.singlestravelintl.com) proudly announces their 2008 luxury cruise and adventure travel schedule specifically for singles in their 30s through 40s. This year’s schedule includes weekend getaway cruises to Cozumel and Baja, Mexico and European trips to Italy and Ireland. Additional 2008 Singles Travel International trips and cruises can be found at www.singlestravelintl.com for all adult age ranges.

2008 Trip Schedule for 30s – 40s Singles:

. Cozumel Weekend Getaway Cruise for Singles in their 30s – 40s aboard Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas (January 24-28) Starting at $419* including all taxes, departing from Ft. Lauderdale. Great low single supplement of only $260! Enjoy this 4-night, 5-day long weekend aboard the luxurious Navigator of the Seas to Cozumel’s beautiful beaches & sheltered coral reef. Great food, bars, shopping and excursions, all in the beautiful Mexican sunshine! Ship activities include Welcome Aboard Singles Party with open bar, Happy Hour Club, Farewell Party, singles-only seating in dining room, optional singles-only tours.

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BLT Market

Address: 1430 Avenue of the Americas, Sixth Avenue and Central Park South
The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park
New York, NY 10019

Telephone / Fax: 212-521-6125 / 212-207-8831

Web site: www.bltmarket.com

From Farm to Table: BLT Market Celebrates Artisanal American Foods

Award-winning website, Punchin-dot-com, features the Walman Report and reviews of restaurants, travel, wine and theater. Acclaimed chef and restaurateur Laurent Tourondel seamlessly integrates French sensibilities into the hearty constituents of American cuisine at BLT Market in The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park.

The market is brought to the table by focusing on fresh, seasonal ingredients available in farmers’ markets, paying particular attention to unusual, wild and locally grown items. Monthly menus and weekly blackboard specials are updated to feature fruits and vegetables that are at their peak of freshness, flavor and natural abundance. In addition to appetizers, pastas, risottos and entrees, the menu features a column listing of monthly peak produce.

Current dishes include remarkable Jumbo Stone Crab Claws in Meyers-Lemon Sauce; Wild Boar Pasta; Bay Scallop Salad with Watercress, Blue Cheese and Walnuts; Braised Lamb Shank with Indian Curry and a stellar Honey-Based Black Cod with Celeriac Puree. The Garlic Bread is to die for and the wine list is organically oriented and superbly chosen. Desserts include Pear Tart Tatin with frangipane and frozen almond milk and Chestnut Floating Island. Tourondel also offers a lovely seasonal selection of Artisanal American cheese from New York’s Mecox Farm paired with Sullivan Street Bakery breads and sweet cream butter from Vermont Butter & Cheese Co. accompanied by sour plums, roasted pears, honey hazelnuts and figs in a port wine reduction.

BLT Market cocktails also mirror the flavors of the season, featuring muddled fresh fruits and vegetables. And even the overworked martini is a massive paragon of perfection. Service is laid-back and benevolent and the room, which was formally home to the posh Atelier, has been redefined with casual elegance and sophistication. The color palette in shades of coffee and cream appears in plush deep chocolate brown banquettes of textured velvet and leather and the wide oak plank floor has been sanded and waxed to a well-worn finish.

BLT Market integrates casual comfort and urban sensibility to create a country chic environment, serving food that is stylish and well executed. The latest venture in a mini-empire that includes BLT Fish, BLT Prime and BLT Burger, BLT Market is located at 1430 Avenue of the Americas in The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park, and rates A Major on the Walman Report.

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