FoodMayhem

*Update 2/5/09 – Now Closed*

We thought we’d check out Totally Baked Totally Baked on opening day. The well designed space was filled with people on a rainy day, so good job to the publicist. They seem to be working out some logistical kinks as the wait was quite long, and Melinda’s (Lon’s co-worker) order got lost (They gave her an extra baked potato and a drink for that). The owners and involved parties were all there to schmooze with the crowd so I learned that Chef & Company (the catering company that previously occupied this retail space) was still behind the scenes of this operation.

Before I get to the spuds, the packaging was great and I was glad to see that it was made of recycled cardboard. I have to wonder though, how much it added to the prices because the potatoes are quite pricey (most are $9 and up). My Cape Cod Chowder Baked Potato was good, a creamy combination of flavors, topped with onions for another texture. All potatoes were packed with a fresh side salad.

Lon ordered the Brisket Baked Potato and loved the perfectly cooked brisket, but seemed uninterested in the potato.

He was way more interested in his Sweet “Spa” Potato, topped with cottage cheese, maple syrup, crunchy praline and banana caramel. I liked it more than I expected, since I’m not a fan of cottage cheese. The dessert potatoes were a great idea in concept alone, so points there.

Lon and I agreed that the toppings were good, made with good ingredients and cooked correctly, flavors were well thought out, creative yet satisfied the parameters of a baked potato. The problem is that each person from his office had to get two potatoes to call it lunch. Two potatoes and a drink will sink about 20 bucks.

Carlyle on the Green handles their tastings a little differently. We were invited to have dinner in The Oak Room, the restaurant of their country club, where several menu items overlap with choices you have on the wedding menu. We tried three appetizers, three entrees, and dessert, asked our wonderful server, Andrew, many questions, and now we have a ton of notes for menu planning.

The crab cakes were problematic for us. First, they were not lump crab meat, as listed. We didn’t like that they were battered and deep-fried, and very wet inside. Lon was bothered by the overwhelming flavor of roasted red peppers. We both loved the corn salsa.

The sesame crusted tuna was seared nicely and evenly but we did not feel that it was sushi-grade as described to us. It was under-seasoned but the salad and dressing was nice.

The Mozzarella and Tomato Tower was topped with a delicious balsamic drizzle and garden fresh basil. The mozzarella was too cold and therefore too hard. It needs to be brought closer to room temperature for optimal texture.

The generous portion of Filet Mignon was pretty good (we asked for rare and got a nice medium rare) and served with a nice Merlot Sauce. Lon loved the fried onions, except that they were cold. The mashed potato was good. The vegetables were way too oily and over-cooked.

The Duck Legs were disappointing, over-cooked and stringy. The skin was soft, not crispy. The raspberry sauce was a nice flavor and we loved the sweet potato mash. Again, mushy vegetables.

The lamb chops were cooked a bit unevenly, a few pieces were past the medium-rare we had asked for, but I enjoyed the slightly minted dijon sauce. The same mashed potatoes and veggies accompanied this dish.

By now, we were stuffed. We asked for a small portion of dessert and got a giant plate. Lon liked the cheesecake but I thought it was salty. The molten chocolate cake was standard and the banana foster wasn’t really a foster but bananas are always yummy to us. The ice cream cookie was the best.

Whoever, came up with this dessert deserves an award. The cookie was like a thin layer of granola bar, perfect for holding the vanilla ice cream, because it was strong yet chewy, so that it didn’t push out the ice cream. It was then dipped in chocolate.

Generally, the plates were all arranged nicely and portions were really large. Some items need work and now that we have our notes, we’re probably going to be the biggest pain their chef has ever seen.

*Update 2/5/09 – Now Closed*

Lon and I were walking to Paper Presentation and saw a new food spot opening up. It looks like we’ll have a baked potato bar in our neighborhood, starting this Monday. We snagged a menu from Totally Baked Totally Baked so we could plan our method of attack.

We won’t be getting the $55 Truffle Potato, with truffle compound butter, truffle oil, truffle salt, and fresh truffle shavings, but several others sound enticing. The Cape Cod Chowder tops a potato with creamed cod and potato, sauteed onions, parsley, garlic, and grated manchego. The Pulled Pork and The Brisket with marsala reduction sound good too, and of course they have the standards like broccoli and cheddar. You can make your own potato or go for a sweet one like Sweet Potato topped with spiced pecans, marshmallows, nutmeg, and maple syrup drizzle.

There’s so many that sound good so I’m making Lon meet me there for lunch on Monday with some of his co-workers so I can try a few. I hope it’s good cause I love a good baked potato. Stay tuned for a proper review of this restaurant on Monday.

Lily’s send off party was held at Steak Frites Steak Frites, at the new location in Tribeca. I never went to the previous Union Square location, but I heard it was quite popular. I wonder if it was better in the original spot because Lon and I were pretty disappointed in this experience, and others voiced complaints as well.

Our 14 person party reserved the private room which was lined with wine rack cases. I thought it was cool at first but realized how impractical it was as wait staff came in and out to grab wine. Each time, they had to open the glass doors in inadequate space. Lon noticed the instrumental latin music as soon as we sat, but it switched to hip hop, then video game instrumentals, Michael Jackson, and then was shut off when the ultra loud live music (Thurs, Fri, Sat at 9:30PM) began.

Our first taste impression was the cumin flavored mayonnaise. It was just weird as an accompaniment to bread, and I stared at it for a while since it took a long time for the appetizers to come, and half of us were served a good 5-10 minutes before the other half. Lon and I chose a special, Little Neck Clams with Bacon. They were fresh and plump clams with visible chunks of bacon that did not add any flavor. The liquid that we would normally sop up with bread was so salty, we left it alone.

My main course was Pan Seared Scallops with Lobster and Spring Vegetable Risotto. The scallops tasted like nothing. I only ate two out of three, which has never happened before. The risotto was like steam table food, the stuff that sits on a buffet table for hours, with an over-powering taste of asparagus and carrots. You could see the flecks of lobster but could not taste it. My mom would have had a heart attack if she saw how much food I left on my plate.

Lon’s report of his Bouillabaisse was not much better. Most of the seafood was over-cooked until chewy. The familiar flavors of bouillabaisse were not there in the murky brown liquid. Uncharacteristic of Lon, he didn’t finish his dish either.

We had high hopes for the sides. Lon’s eyes widened when he saw Duck Fat Hash Browns and pointed out the Truffle Fries, he knew I would want. The Hash Browns were decent fried potatoes but the duck fat was not evident.

The Truffle Fries came out cold with a hint of truffle and we sent them back. (Others talked about their cold onion rings.) The new plate was freshly fried, nice and hot, but the truffle flavor was gone, making them just a plate of decent fries. Some pieces were crispy, some were soggy.

The focus here seems to be large portions of lovely looking food, in a modern bistro space. If you eat with your eyes, this may be the place for you, but Lon and I will not be back. Flavor is just too important to us.