Marea: Seafood, Pasta, and My Latest Fave NYC Lunch

Oh, Marea ... Your Michelin 1-star, NYT 3 stars, and best new restaurant are all well-deserved.

But that wasn't why I went. I went because Sam Kim of LAist said I should, and I'm more than glad I did.

Business lunch at Marea runs $34 for 2 courses and the bright and spacious restaurant across from Central Park was a pleasure to dine in.

My lunch buddy got a tasting of three crudos for the first course ($8 supplement).
All three of the crudos we chose were wonderful but in particular I really enjoyed the delicateness and simplicity of the PASSERA which is the long island fluke with lemon thyme and olio nuovo.

For a better view: SEPPIA and PASSERA

I (surprise, surprise) ordered the ASTICE containing Nova Scotia lobster, burrata, eggplant al fungheto, basil and basil seeds.
Get it. Get it, get it. The burrata and the light basil seed sauce wonderfully accentuates the fresh lobster. Never overwhelming in any way, this was a lovely and balanced dish.

Moving into a more flavor-forward dish with the POLIPO (grilled octopus, insalata di riso, fava, yellow tomato).
Another highly recommended dish with the chewy and meaty octopus. The rice salad nicely mellows out the saltiness of the octopus and if that wasn't enough texture contrast for you, combine it with the pine nuts on the side.

In contrast to the delicate and meticulous plating of our first courses, the pasta courses looked decidedly simple but they were just as masterfully executed.
For my second course: Spaghetti with Santa Barbara uni, crab, and basil.
The creaminess of the uni really shone through with this al dente pasta. This was a dish bursting with flavor.

You can actually get some meat or fish dishes as your second course, but we both got our pasta this late afternoon. My companion had the equally delicious MARE (acquarello risotto, scallops, gulf shrimp, lobster - $5 supplement).
A much more subtle dish than the uni spaghetti - this is perhaps the best risotto I've had in a while.

Both of the desserts we initially ordered were nice but they were shadowed by the brilliance of our two courses.






The dessert portions were small and we were somehow unsatisfied, and so we ended up getting another one. Our server recommended the Torrone and it proved to be more satisfying than the first two.
Still, since the desserts range about $14 each, if you're like us foodbloggers trying to squeeze 50 eating places in a 5-day NYC trip, you'd be better off getting your dessert elsewhere.

For their crudi, antipasti, and pasta, however, there is no reason not to go to Marea. Just go.


Marea
240 Central Park South
New York, NY 10021
(212) 582-5100
www.marea-nyc.com

Upcoming Events + Help Haiti!

Saturday, January 16
I'm sure you've all heard about the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Haitian restaurant TiGeorges' Chicken held a well-attended fundraising dinner yesterday (raising $14,000!), but if you missed that one, they're holding another fundraiser tomorrow 2-6 pm.
309 Glendale Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90026. (213) 944-1515

Can't make it? There are so many ways to help!
The easiest and most popular way is to text 'HAITI' to 90999 and $10 will be given to Red Cross and charged to your cell phone bill.
Or, just go to the nonprofit website of your choice and donate. I donated to Partners In Health.

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All through the weekend you can also Drink to Help Haiti! Starting tonight 20% of proceeds from sales of Revolution Ale in the taproom will be donated to Haiti relief efforts. Reservations are available on Friday, Saturday, Sunday 4p-10p. Email ting@eaglerockbrewery.com for a reservation.
3056 Roswell Street, Los Angeles, CA 90065. (323) 257-7866

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Sat, Jan 16 is also Kiss My Bundt's Cake Tasting Event. All you can eat bundt cakes from 8pm-10:30pm, wine tasting, and coffee for only $10? It's the perfect time for after dinner dessert, too.
8104 West 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90048. (323) 655-0559

Kiss My Bundt also has an ongoing series of hands-on baking classes ($50 on the weekdays, $55 on weekends -- or you can also get the baking class tickets for cheaper ($30-32) from Goldstar here). There are also kids' baking classes, intro to frosting, etc. Check website for full calendar.

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Tuesday, January 19
Five finalists for Coral Tree Cafe's "Panini-Off" will compete from 8-10:30 PM at the westside location. This panini-off is open to the public and proceeds from that night will benefit LA Firemen's Relief Association.
11645 San Vicente Boulevard, Brentwood, CA 90049.

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Also on Tues, Jan 19:
25% off all sales at Pourtal from 7pm-on benefit Red Cross Haiti efforts!
104 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401.

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Sunday, January 24
LA's last remaining winery, San Antonio Winery, is holding Wine 101: Introduction to Wine Tasting and Food Pairing. Attendants will be tasting the whole gamut from Louis Perdrier Rose Champagne to San Felice “Il Grigio” Chianti Classico Riserva 2005 to Maddalena Vineyard Muscat Canelli 2008 from Paso Robles.
The wines will be paired with the following menu: puma goat cheese/orange and roasted eggplant salad with French vanilla glaze, basil oil and microgreens/broiled Miso Alaskan black cod on a potato and chive pancake with Miso glaze/roasted Ancho pepper crusted rack of lamb on roasted wild mushroom risotto with pinot noir coriander sauce/Island mango mousse with candied macadamia nuts and toasted coconut shavings.

This class/lunch costs $55.00 per person. If you can't make it to this one, you might want to check out their other upcoming events including their sparklies and their chocolate+red wine pairing.

San Antonio Winery, 737 Lamar Street, Los Angeles. (323) 330- 8771

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Also on Sunday, Jan 24:
From 5pm to closing, 10% of all sales at Barbrix will go to Doctors Without Borders for their Haiti Relief efforts.
2442 Hyperion Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027.

Campari Cocktails: Negronis, Punches, and More

Most people think of Negroni when they hear Campari, a classic that you can't really go wrong with.

Negroni
1 oz gin
1 oz sweet vermouth
1 oz Campari

But any liqueur deserves more than one cocktail to be made from them, so various mixologists have played around with this red spirit.


Nicaraguan Negroni Punch
Created by mixologist Jon Gasparini of Rye on the Road


15 ounces Campari
10 ounces Flor de Cana 7 year
7.5 ounces Cinzano Rosso
10 ounces Grapefruit Juice
2.5 ounces Honey

Combine juice of ten lemons and 30 cloves in a tupperware container or cake mold and freeze. Combine all ingredients in a large punch bowl with flavored iced block.

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Since I didn't have Flor de Cana and it was New Year's day, I tried substituting Appleton rum. After trying the above recipe, we kind of decided that grapefruit + campari is just too bitter overall, so we topped it off with Sparkling Cider and more rum for good measure.

The Butchered Negroni Punch went something like this:
2.5 oz honey
7.5 oz sweet vermouth
10 oz grapefruit juice, fresh squeezed
15 oz Appleton Rum
7.5 oz Campari
7.5 oz Sparkling Cider (or to taste - some like it more bitter than others)


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They also sent over a Valentine-themed Campari cocktail that sounded good, I'll be trying to replicate this soon :)
(PS. Don't get confused by "Small Hand Grenadine" - it's not a typo, this is just grenadine made by Small Hands Food and is actually made of - gasp! - pomegranates as opposed to food coloring!)

Love Letter
Created by Adam Wilson of Beretta


1 oz Campari
1 oz Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice
0.75 oz Cointreau
0.25 oz Maple Syrup (should be 1:1 with water)
0.25 oz Small Hand Grenadine
3 dashes of Peychaud's Bitters

Shake. Add Soda. Pour over ice in highball. Garnish with a lime zest.