Bar Six

http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/11302318/new_york_ny/bar_six.html

I wanted to note this place as we were walking around looking to stop in somewhere for a quick drink and this place fit the bill perfectly. The bar setting is that of pure french bistro (along with the food menu) but the bar scene is randomly amazing. We sat at a bar table adjacent to a few old guys in tuxedos, some pure hipsters, and a few euro-looking guys. I had a drink called the Moroccan and my girlfriend had a drink called Rosie's Petal (which came garnished with an actual rose petal the bartender picks out of a bouquet). Both were great drinks to sip as neither was too sweet, nor too bitter. I definitely will check this place out again.

Del Frisco's

http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/11351690/new_york_ny/del_frisco_s_double_eagle_steak_house.html
Ate at this very popular steakhouse before unfortunately heading to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular (which i didnt find to be too spectacular). We started the meal with the cocktail shrimp appetizer. The dish comes with three shrimp per person, each with a different sauce (one traditional cocktail, one remoulade, and one i dont remember). It wasn't particularly notable, and wasnt even on par with the shrimp at the other major steakhouses in size or texture.

The steak at Del Frisco's is one of my favorite in New York. I had the 12oz filet and as usual, the meat was of a great quality. Getting the cut medium rare produced a perfectly red center but crispy exterior. The part i enjoy here is that there is a slighty peppery flavoring to the entire steak which precludes the need for any sauce. To accompany the steak we had a Frogs Leap 2003 Cabernet. The wine was a solid complement but nothing too powerful to commit to memory (chosen more for nostalgic purposes as i went to this vineyard back in March).

For dessert we had the Jack Daniel's Bread Pudding. This dessert was definitely out of character from normal desserts as it was more appropriate as a central focus of a meal rather than the conclusion. The pudding was an extremely thick, yet somehow creamy concoction standing in the midst of what appeared to be a plateful of a buttery-sweet sauce. The dessert was fantastic, but I would recommend it more if you were maybe just having some wine and dessert rather than to conclude a meal. Even splitting it posed a problem in trying to finish it, and I definitely can normally eat myself to death. With the dessert we had their only Muscat..not sure the vintage, but a great complement.

This place is always a great steakhouse to go if you'll be with girls as the ambience is nothing of the stereotypical old-boys club. It's afterwork midtown at its finest (whatever that means).

Le Zie:

http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/7104744/new_york_ny/le_zie.html

Stopped into this Italian place right near my apartment. The layout was rather interesting as the entrance on 7th ave led to a very crowded room, filled with children and gaudy decorations. We still decided to stay and after being seated i went looking for the restroom. Through a long hallway i saw what seemed to be a much quieter, cooler area, but turned out to be the "lounge" area of the same establishment.

I wasnt terribly hungry so just ordered a mussels appetizer in a standard white wine, garlic sauce. The mussels were decent and the accompanying bread was extremely fresh, yet crispy on the crust (perfect for dipping). The sauce was fairly average but nonetheless enjoyable. What has me wanting to remember this place though was what the girlfriend ordered. She had monkfish wrapped in pancetta and the dish was both visually and tastually stunning. As a fan of a more meaty fish, the pieces were just solid enough without being too chewy and the taste of the pancetta covering the fish added an amazing texture and taste addition.

As this is only a few blocks from my place i definitely will be returning to hopefully try out a more complete meal.

Crafsteak:

One of the best meals i've had in a while. So good in fact that it is what has me back on this blog writing after about a year (that, coupled with it almost being a new year and again that resolution to have a running blog is dancing around the brain again).

As an appetizer i went with the seared foie gras which was one of the BEST things i've eaten in a long time. the piece itself was enormous versus the normal serving; it had a slight pistachio-like crumble covering the piece and there were three different sauces lining the plate evenly. the texture was of the sort that could convert any nonbeliever into the school that foie gras is one of the best foods available. the addition of the crumble on top was a perfect fit as each bite would have the gras melt in your mouth and finish off with an ever-so slight crunch. At the behest of the british aristocrat to my right i coupled this with a Sauternes. was a little suspect of this, but the creaminess of the wine definitely added to the already amazing feeling running through my mouth.

For the main course we shared a bunch of different types of steak across the table. The whole Craftsteak experience was great in the 'beef education' provided. before ordering we were given a full explanation of the cornfed vs. grassfed vs. waygu beef distinctions. we went with the sirloin for 4 and porterhouse for 2. The sirloin was especially good as it came out a soft, medium rare. my favorite side definitely had to be the mashed potatoes, which come out almost like pure butter. they maintained a perfect texture of not quite soupy, but buttery and "potatoe-y" enough to even function as a dipping sauce for the steak.

the dessert was another highlight. I had the peanut butter cup, most aptly described as a Reeses peanut butter cup on steroids. there is one small peanut butter cup with a great crunchy exterior, served with peanut butter ice cream.

the overall ambience of the establishment is great, best described as the perfect steakhouse for a date. it definitely keeps a general feel for a temple to beef, but completely bypasses the "old boys club" feel of this city's other great steakhouses. highly recommended.