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Wine Bar: Cork & Bottle

44-46 Cranbourne Street
WC2H 7AN
Tel: 020 7734 7807

Date of Last Visit: 29 December 2006

The Victims: K & A

The Wine Mark Up (Heath, this is for you--as a replacement to the counterbalance): Hard to tell. We bought a bottle of Pierre Sparr Pinot Noir Reserve 2004. Alsatian. Cost us £24.50. Can't find it online elsewhere, although I can find a few Pierre Sparr whites.

The Damage: £40ish total (so £13ish each). Exact figure unknown. K paid.

The Background: I have just arrived back in the country. After the longest wait in immigration EVER (but yet the fewest questions ever--perhaps they finally trust me), I was on Heathrow Express, in a taxi, and back home in NO TIME. Seriously, it was the cheapest and fastest ride back to my flat and well, most importantly, my bed, ever.

I let myself lie about only so long (OK, but that was very long) before planning my next meal. K & A were game to meet up and I convinced them to split the difference. We were in the mood for a wine bar, and the reviews for the Cork & Bottle were fantabulous. I thought maybe Leicester Square would be fun on a holiday weekend, when London is just so empty.

The Arrival: Well, I didn't see much of Leicester Square, so I can't tell you if it was packed or not. Exiting the tube station was a bit of a nightmare, but lickety-split, I was at the Cork & Bottle (smack dab in the middle of it all) and I managed to snag the last No Smoking table. It was folksy inside. Home-y. Convivial. I had hopes.

The Starters: In our country, cheese and crackers are not a pudding. Heck, that sentence wouldn't even make any sense in my country; people would look at you like you were crazy crazy. This is me trying to say that K hooked us up with some cheese and crackers (well...the crackers were actually more like a baguette) to start us off, along with some potatoes and some tomato and mozzerella salad. It was good. Only good. Nothing great. But we liked the wine!

The Mains: They were out of burgers. They were out of the day's special (ostrich) and they were out of the famed ham and cheese pie. These had the misfortune of being our top choices. So we were kinda screwed. And so we didn't eat. 

The Service: No table service. K ran to the bar, so I couldn't really tell you.

The Verdict: Eh. I left hungry. It may be everyone else's favorite wine bar, but it wasn't mine!

Brush with Fame

Just found out that my old buddy Josh Ozersky is editing Grub Street, New York Magazine's food daily. Josh at I used to work together at a large mid-western university newspaper many moons ago. In fact, I believe I used to edit HIS columns back in the day. He was always plenty entertaining, and so too is Grub Street. Josh, you've done us proud.

Florida: New England Fish Market

1419 NE Jensen Beach Blvd
Jensen Beach, FL 34957
Tel: +1-772-334-7328

Date of Last Visit: Tuesday, December 19th

The Victims: Mom, Mary, Carolyn

The Damage: $92 USD total with tip

The Background: My Internet friends at Chowhound recommended a couple of different places to try in Florida. Mom had never been to New England Fish Market, so given the ridiculously-in-my-favor Bush Conversion Factor, I offered to treat her and her gal pals to a Tuesday night out.

The New England Fish Market is located off a busy road on a somewhat less busier road. It's a combo retail fish market and restaurant, and my mother tells me a number of restaurants in the area get their fish from the NEFM, which is always a good sign. The decor is rustic-y...maps on the tables, wooden lobsters on the walls, seascape murals, etc. 

The Pre-Starter: As soon as we sat down, our server dropped some small plastic cups filled with mysterious beige goo down on the table. There was a big basket of Saltines there already. Apparently, the goo is the NEFM's smoked fish spread. It was very very good. I had to hold myself to 6 crackers. I just wanted more and more.

The Starters: I talked everyone into the mini crab cakes. I felt bad later because apparently, Carolyn is allergic to shellfish. BUT this meant more crab cakes for us (6 to an order, so we got two each) so I honestly didn't feel THAT bad. The crab cakes were EXCELLENT. Crabby and just a little spicy, and the perfect size. The NEFM was off to a very, very good start and I couldn't wait for my main.

The Mains: I love softshell crab, so I asked our waitress how she recommended it. She very clearly preferred it fried, and the guy at the table next to us had it fried too. So I did the same, and ordered sides of red beans and rice and mixed vegetables. Mom ordered the starter mussels, but asked for it as an entree. Interestingly, she asked if she could have it with linguini, and our waitress said she could, but she'd have to pay $8 more for it with linguine. Now I don't know about you, but the last time I was at the grocery store, I could get a whole pound of linguine for less than $1. I'm OK with wine mark-ups (why, I don't know), but linguini mark-ups? 800% linguini mark-ups? This seems a bit severe. (Granted, they need to put in a mark-up painful enough to prevent everyone from ordering an appetizer as a main.) Food for thought.

Mary and Carolyn both ordered the grouper sandwiches and were very satisfied.

Now--back to the soft-shell. It was salty. Very very salty. As in I started thinking that I hadn't had my blood pressure checked for a while. I couldn't figure out if it was salt from the crabs (three small ones) or salt from the friedness. Whatever the case, it was too salty for me. You know there's something wrong when I a. leave food on my plate AND b. Leave 1.5 soft shell crabs on my plate. Sadness. But the beans and rice were good. Mom said the sauce on her mussels was too salty too. Odd.

The Verdict: Loved the smoked fish spread. Loved the crab cakes. Liked the decor. Appreciated the power of the Internet in introducing people to new places. But did not enjoy my main (I did, however, enjoy the red beans and rice). All that being said, I loved the spread and the crab cakes so much, that I would still go back. But first I need to try Conchy Joe's. And understand this Floribbean thing. 

Good Morning, America!

I'm off. But I'll be back before the New Year. Here are some random thoughts in the interim...

1. British Airways offers antiseptic toilet wipes in its lavoratories. Must tell United. BA also offers more channels of entertainment than United.

2. I enjoyed a cocktail in the lobby of a hotel in Florida last night and as I was sitting there, I heard the people behind me speaking American. And I sat there for more than a few minutes thinking, "Hey, there are Americans here."

3. I woke up at 4 a.m. East Coast Time and spent a few moments outside the bathroom in my hotel room, trying to figure out how to turn the light on INSIDE the bathroom. (There was a lot of wall slapping going on.)

4. I ordered this huge pasta dish last night for $17 and could only eat about 1/3 of it and they gave me a doggy bag. I didn't even have to ask. God Bless this country.

5. Wagamama is opening in Boston in the Spring of 2007. (First US outpost!)

6. Enomatic Wine Bars are all the rage in the US right now. Check out # 56 in Food & Wine. I dropped in at The Wine Room on Saturday and loved it, but could not get the family to partake before 12 in the afternoon. Dos Hermanos have already profiled The Sampler, one of my first stops when I get back. 

7. Rachel Ray is everywhere. She has her own magazine. This morning--Christmas Morning--I caught her TV show. She's been on Oprah (although I do think it was a rerun from last year). She's all over the Food Network. I google'd "I hate Rachel Ray" to see what would happen, and I've found I'm not alone, no, I am not alone at all, not at all...

More to come, I'm sure...

Tapas: Salt Yard

54 Goodge Street
W1T 4NA
Tel: 020 7637 0657

Date of Last Visit: Tuesday, 12 December 2006

The Victims: Ripe, Monkey Gland, Ben, Howard

The Damage: £54. Each.

The Background: You may already know that I am a dork. A total dork. I enjoy nothing better than a long flight and a book of logic problems. I have a certificate somewhere that calls me "Woman of Physics." (And all I can remember is 9.83 m/s2.) So not surprisingly--well, at least not to me--I found myself out on an evening with my  "Internet friends."

I was early, despite being very late, running down Tottenham Court. (Spamalot, and then a first course elsewhere which I will endeavor to write about at some point.) But I was exactly on-time, and I was seated by a very nice server who told me a little bit about the whites and suggested his favorite. I was very happy.

The Starters: The others arrived and I was impressed by the power of this crazy thing called the Internets. I was impressed by my fellow diners most of all. I'm realizing my knowledge of new spots is high, while my familiiarity with foodie personalities is very low. I have mucho to learno.

As always, I digress. I believe it was I who prompted for keeping it simple to start: meat and cheese. This was mainly because I was (and am) an incredily selfish and hungry person, and our server had noted that meat and cheese could arrive in less than five minutes. How perfect. A platter of Spain arrived. And of Italy. And of cheese (again from Spain, I believe). We could not go wrong.

The Mains: After much consternation, we agreed on a strategy. Two each. I chose what I hope were party favorites: the tortilla of the day (spinach) and the croquettas. Who does not love a croquetta? Other selections included foie gras (you know I've banned it in 2006), zucchini flowers, squid, stuffed peppers, lamb and peppers, and I am sure I am forgetting many many things, but you get the gist. It just kept coming. And coming. And we weren't done yet!

The Desserts: The rice pudding was heavenly, and I made a mental note for mom to tell me what's in hers. The chocolate cake was like pure cocoa. I was afraid I would break out in hives, in a good way. (Well, not really. Hives are not fun.) Really, everything looked and tasted very lovely. I was sad not to have a dessert wine, but I knew what the next day would bring!

Service, Toilets, etc: Well then, our server was really nice, but he seemed a bit harried every so often. It was a small space downstairs, and I suppose seated tapas means that servers run around a little more. Toilets were nothing too remarkable, so they must have been relatively clean or else I would be telling you some sort of story about their disgustingness.   

The Decor: Dark and modern and functional with pretty lighting. Smallish space. I liked it.

My Verdict: I would go back, particularly on a quiet night.

Their Verdicts
Spanish Mainly, by Food and Drink
The Morning After, by Ripe London
Blogger Moot, by Jam Faced

Wine Bar: Hamptons

15 Whitcomb Street
WC2H 7HA
Tel: 020  7839 2823

Date of Last Visit: Friday, December 8, 2006

The Victims: K & A, Chrissy, Joe, Diane, David, Kevin, Hannah

The Damage: £20 each, assuming David didn't buy us a couple of bottles of red on the sly.

The Background: We were all over at "Christmas Drinks"--where I had narrowly avoided giving a speech!--and wanted to extend the frivolity. K had noticed a little wine bar that she felt could fit us all and wouldn't cost an arm and a leg. Not knowing how many were with us, space was key. Hamptons Wine Bar offered just that.

The Approach: It was very cute. Apparently, people from my country are the only people that use the word cute. It was simple. Nice. Cozy. Wooden tables. Wooden floors. Friendly servers. We were not there for foie gras and sauterne, but rather cheap red and cheese and crackers. I wish I had taken a picture to show you what I mean by all this...I actually had the camera with me, but totally spaced out. Sorry!!

The Food: K&A ordered us up a storm, but apparently the kitchen isn't open on the weekends, so they had to "give us what they had." This meant cheese, crackers, cheese, bread, crackers, cheese, bread, and some deep fried springrolls. And you know what? I was totally okay with this. Although I had originally hoped to get everyone over to Chinatown for some crispy duck (LOVE the duck), I was perfectly happy with my carbs and protein.

The Drink: Most of the wine was less than £20 a bottle, so we again ordered up a storm. I forget how many bottles we ordered, but it was a lot. I get the feeling David paid for a few on the sly...tricky!!!

The Verdict: You know, it's not a destination. And the food was just bar snacks. But if you are around Trafalgar Square and need a place to go with a large group for some drinks and snacks, Hamptons will do you just fine.

Shameless Plug: Whitecross Street Market Starts Thursday

The Whitecross Street Market is back on this Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I'll be there. Probably each and every day. You should check it out.

Bagels: Carmelli

126-128 Golders Green Road
NW11 8HB
Tel: 020 8455 3063

Date of Last Visit: Sunday, 3 December 2006

The Victims: Me, myself, and I

The Damage: £1.60

The Background: I have been thinking of bagels non-stop this week. You see, the Benugo on City Road has some pretty tasty bagel sandwiches, and I was enjoying my turkey and avocado bagel earlier in the week and found myself thinking....there's got to be a place significantly dedicated to bagels somewhere in this city. Yes, yes...I know about the Brick Lane Beigal Bake. But I crave more variety. And really, what I've really had a hankering for is SALT. I LOVE salt bagels.

So I scoured the Internet and came up with a few potentials, the majority of which find themselves in Golders Green. Field trip!

Combine this with a later-than-expected evening with my Brazilian friends where I perhaps enjoyed one glass of champagne and two glasses of port too many, and the lure of the potential salt bagel was too much to resist. My body craved salt, and my heart craved Long Island. I hopped onto the functioning Northern Line and headed, well, north.

The Approach: I like Golders Green already. They have an Asian supermarket and if I had had my backpack with me, I would have stocked up on large bags of wasabi peas. I love wasabi peas. But I was on a mission. I wanted a bagel and high(er) blood pressure!

I found Carmelli's and it was packed! There were people from my country there...I wasn't the only one to have made the trip in search of bagel nirvana. I searched around and saw photos of bagels, but no bagels themselves. But then I spied them--there, behind the counter in big big baskets. Hundreds of them, just waiting for me. I was in the right place.

Bagels seem to be just a small part of what Carmellis does. There were a lot of bread and baklava and little cookies. I felt like I was back on Long Island. Part of me wanted to order up two pounds (i.e., 1 kilo) of cookies just for old times' sake. But again, I was on a mission and cookies were not the target.

The Food: You order your bagel with cream cheese, lox, etc. over in one corner of Carmellis. They give you your food and a ticket and then you head over to the register to pay. (I wonder how many have left without paying? Indeed, the counter navigation could use some work.) So I quickly placed my order (behind the other person from my country) and was handed a plain bagel with cream cheese. £1.60 later, I found myself out on the sidewalk, desperate to dig in.

My disappointment in the lack of salt bagels was momentary. You see, I took one bite, and it was perfect. I wanted a bench to enjoy it on, but was sadly denied. (Carmellis, you could be made better by benches.) The consistency of the bagel had just that right amount of toughness to it. Contrary to what many people are taught to believe, bagels are not just donut-shaped-bread. They go beyond bread. There's something more to them. They're dense. Tough. Firm. And good cream cheese? It's not the shiny Philidelphia variety. It's gritty. Thick. Sandy, almost. This was good cream cheese. And this was a damn fine bagel. I was very happy. I was so happy, I ate my bagel without taking a picture of it.

The Constructive Comments: Maybe my memories of bagels on Long Island are too rosy. But when you ordered your bagel back in the 'hood, they put the cream cheese on it for you right then and there. There was none of this pre-made cellophane-wrapped stuff. I was slightly disappointed that when I ordered my bagel with cream cheese, they handed me one (of the many) that were already sitting there and ready-to-go. Would it have killed them to toast it up for me and add some cream cheese on demand?

Also, I would have appreciated more variety in cream cheese. Veggie and scallion being my particular favorites. I know I'm not on Long Island anymore, but a girl can hope, can't she?

The Verdict: I loved my bagel and cream cheese. I'll be back for more. Does Carmellis deliver?

Vietnamese: Au Lac

104 Kingsland Road
E2 8DP
Tel: 020 7033 0588

Date of Last Visit: Saturday, December 2, 2006

The Victims: Me, Myself, and I

The Damage: 14 gbp

The Background: Funnily enough, more than one person has found my blog by Google'ing "Cammy Nails." See, Cammy Nails is where I get my manicures and pedicures every so often, and it's off of Whitecross Street in a newer, more spacious abode. Whitecross Street is one of my favorite streets in London. (Although you would probably be puzzled by that statement if you were to purposefully trek there.) And well, I seem to mention Cammy Nails a lot.

I dropped in at Cammy first thing this morning (first thing for a Saturday morning, that is), and I was treated to a pedicure and manicure AT THE SAME TIME. As someone who never seems to have enough time, this was a Godsend. Thank you, Cammy Nails! (For your reference, Cammy Nails can be reached at 020 7496 9399. They are at 18 Fortune Street, EC1Y 0SB.)

I happened to be reading A Cook's Tour by Anthony Bourdain while I was in there, and of course I just happened to be on the Vietnam chapter. So I asked the folks at Cammy...if I were to go to Kingsland Road for lunch, where should I go? They all immediately said Au Lac. (In case you didn't figure it out, everyone that works at Cammy is Vietnamese.) This was followed quickly by Tay Do, which I will try another time. They were a little impressed that I'd already been to Cay Tre and Song Que, but not very. (They looked particularly puzzled by Song Que--as if they didn't really consider it Vietnamese or something.)

The Approach: So after waiting forever for my nails to dry, I walked over to Au Lac. I spied two older women out front, perusing the menu; they must have been taking a break from their bus tour to the Geffrye Museum.

I casually opened the door, turned to them and said, "This is supposed to be THE BEST Vietnamese place." They tittered and were so excited and came in after me. They were so grandmotherly, I should have adopted them and sat at the same table with them, but I was on the Great Chefs chapter in A Cook's Tour and just wanted to read and eat.

The Starters and The Mains: After having the Vietnamese pancake at Song QUe, I wisely opted for the same at Au Lac--but this time, not the veggie version! The shrimp were lucious--nice and fat--not those little teeny ones you get in prawn sandwiches over here. And the pancake itself was amazing...I asked my server what was in it, and she explained that it was three different types of rice flour. My plan was to eat about 1/3 of this, and take the rest home. Of course, this plan was ruined when I left the pancake in its carton on the table. Idiot!

I went for a spicy pho, which was really nice, although I still can't get the hang of slurping up all the noodles. It was served with a side of sprouts, lime, hot peppers, and what I think were bay leaves but I'm not really sure. The soup was really nice, but I think I liked the pancake a whole lot better. And now it's a few hours later and I'm sitting here thinking--I could really use a snack--and I'm totally kicking myself for leaving the pancake on the stupid table.

During lunch, I was entertained by the proprieters young daughter, who danced her way around the restaurant, and served the fish more than I think they could ever eat in a million years.

Decor: Mustard-y walls. Banquet-style tables/chairs. Lovely paintings. In short, a bit more atmospheric than Cay Tre or Song Que.

The Verdict: Love the pancake.