The Breslin's Scotch Egg & Onion and Bone Marrow Soup

All I can say is Wow. The Breslin and its decadent menu nearly knocked me off my feet. April Bloomfield, the same chef behind the Spotted Pig, opened up the Breslin last year and I just now discovered it. Like the Spotted Pig, the food is British gastropub and it's all super duper rich. Like whoa super heavy. For example, they have thrice fried french fries which they cover in salt. We ordered the Scotch Egg and Onion and Bone Marrow Soup.

A scotch egg is a soft boiled egg that's wrapped in bacon and then breaded with a peppery dough and deep fried. The dough was a little bit of overkill but their egg was perfectly soft boiled. I wouldn't order it again but glad I tried it.

The onion and bone marrow soup was another story. I can confidently say this was my favorite version of this dish and I love French Onion Soup. They served it like any traditional French Onion Soup with a slice of bread and melted cheese (think they used parm) in a brown baking bowl. The difference in contents was that instead of beef stock they used veal stock and to the veal stock they added bone marrow for flavor. If you're thinking, bone marrow?! yuck! Think again. You can't taste or see or feel the bone marrow in there--it's a taste enhancing component. As for the veal, I learned in my cooking class last week that veal stock imparts more flavor than beef because veal bones are younger and have more gelatin in them which turns out to be a good flavor agent. Hmmph. The end result is a thick, rich stock that's a touch on the sweet side. Bon apetit!

thebreslin.com

Clinton Street Baking Co.

On Clinton Street below Houston in the Lower East Side lies a small restaurant/bakery named Clinton Street Baking Co. known for its pastries and blueberry pancakes. I've never made it east of Essex so I decided to branch out and see what this place was all about.

I ordered the Southern-Style Breakfast which was truly Southern and truly stylish. The only non-Southern thing about it was the price--a bit too much for my homegrown taste but it was hard to resist:

2 fried green tomatoes
sugar cured bacon (thick cut)
2 fried eggs
creamy cheese grits

Balthazar Duck Confit

When Kristy arrived for her quick little visit I took her straight to the place that I think every NYC tourist (and nontourist alike) should go--Balthazar. Even though I have an obvious French bias and even though Balthazar is French--not American--I think it qualifies as an ambassador to the city. It reflects NYC's breadth of culture, diversity, food, wine, atmosphere, and leisure dining. You can't leave Balthazar without feeling love for those around you and the city surrounding you. Once you pass through 3 sets of doors you're swept up immediately in the bustle of the dining room, bar, and hostess stand....asked if you want sparkling or flat water....given rustic artisan bread and butter....and presented with a menu that features anything from Foie Gras to Onion Tart to Steak Frites. Wooosh! We're not in Applebee's anymore, Toto.

Normally at Balthazar I order Moules Frites. Because hey, it's Moules Frites. Can ya go wrong? But this time I decided to try something new and boy am I happy I did. This time I ordered the Duck Confit. I did so because my mom and I had the Duck Confit at Casa Mono the week prior and theirs was fantas-TIC! I asked the bartender exactly what "confit" means and he explained that it's when you cook something in its own juices. So. Duck....cooked in duck fat. sign me up. I once read that the secret to any good french fry is frying in duck fat so I knew I couldn't go wrong.

Ingredients as follows:

Duck leg crisped and cooked in duck fat
wild mushrooms
paper thin sliced potato

*Key Ingredient: duck fat*

The duck meat was so tender, juicy and crispy on the outside that it slid off the bone with barely any effort on my end. I can't describe how delicious a forkful of duck, mushroom and potato is--it's heavenly. You have to close your eyes to fully enjoy and savor these bites. Duck confit is the way to go. I am a lifetime believer in the confit way of cooking. If it's on the menu I'm going to order it. Garlic confit. Pear confit. Duck. Ahhhh. This was savory at its absolute best.