Thursday, January 15, 2009

NYC: Pre-Theatre Deal at Center Cut Steakhouse

I decided to go to Center Cut since:1) it also happened to the OpenTable Stimulus Week when I was in NY and wanted to take advantage of the deal, and 2) it was right next to the Lincoln Center where I was going to see the musical South Pacific (AWESOME, btw).

It turned out though, Center Cut has a $39 pre/post-theatre prix-fixe deal all the time anyway! Oh well ...
The $39 deal is called the "Center Cut 4^2" so as you can deduce, it comes with 4 items: Soup, Salad, Entree, Side (and bonus cookies at the end).

First came the bread - which looked like a popover. It had a different texture and taste though (still hollow in the middle, however).For the soup I opted for the Golden Potato & White Truffle Cream w/ crispy shoestring potatoes
Nice texture (rich, creamy), and pretty aromatic with both the white truffle cream and the sliver of black truffle on there.

I also tried the Five Alarm Wagyu Chili Soup corn bread crisps and sour cream, that someone else ordered.
This tastes great, except that it was somewhat spicy for me - I had to finish it off with the rich, creamy potato soup to calm my tongue down.

For the "salad" I got the Mozzarella Compression opal basil and virgin olive oil
A great and simple appetizer. The tomatoes were amazing: sweet and juicy. All four of us ordered this dish and are glad we did.

For the entree I ordered the Steak Au Poivre: 6oz brandt beef filet, red peppercorn crust and braised belgian endive
This is actually a great steak! Well-prepared (I asked for medium rare), tender and juicy - it wasn't at all overcooked! The peppercorn crust really adds a nice flavor.
Really enjoyed it over all.

The other ppl on the table got:
Hot Smoked King Salmon poached asparagus, morel mushrooms and dried cherry butter
Jumbo Pink Shrimp Scampi basmati strudel
They seemed to be enjoying these dishes too.

Some of the sides were pretty interesting, like these Eggplant Fries:
All the food was good quality and well-prepared. While not mind-blowing, they were very solid and enjoyable. Plus with the prix-fixe deal, we believe this was the best deal we got in NY this trip!

The $39 meal also came with cookies and milk (!) which you can take to go (to take to the theatre with you) or eat there. What we didn't know before was how big these cookies were going to be!
This huge stack was for ONE person. They were WARM, right out of the oven, and moist.

The milk came in individual ceramic bottles - CUTE.

Being stuffed and happy (and happy for the bill too), we ambled to the Lincoln Center - just across the street pretty much.

I would definitely recommend Center Cut's theatre deal for people who are in New York. It's no Jean Georges but it's very solid food and quite a deal. The restaurant is also not loud, allowing actual conversations, with very courteous servers.


Center Cut
(at The Empire Hotel)
44 W 63rd St, New York 10017
Btwn Columbus Ave & Central Park W
Phone: 212-956-1288

Center Cut on Urbanspoon

Monday, January 12, 2009

Simpang Asia to Stay Open Until Midnight, Plus 20%Off

Starting on Friday, January 16th, Simpang Asia will stay open until midnight everyday!

Also, between January 16th-31st, you can get 20% off food when you come in between 10pm-midnight :D

This is going to be awesome for my late night cravings!

Simpang Asia Groceries
10433 National Blvd #2
Los Angeles, CA 90034

Sunday, January 11, 2009

S-S-Spicy Dumplings!

Disclaimer #1: I can't really eat spicy foods and don't normally eat spicy (that is to say, I'm no authority on anything spicy -- if I am on anything at all).

Disclaimer #2: I tried these dumplings in chili sauce at YunChuan garden after Kat's disclaimer that she can't really eat spicy yet she loves these dumplings.

I now also loove these dumplings, despite my disclaimer #1.
Give me a bowl of these and a pitcher of ice water (or two) and I'm a happy camper.
It's really the chili sauce that makes this soooo good. The dumplings themselves could be better - with better dough and better meat.
But alas, they don't just sell you the chili sauce! You can try to bring home leftovers and throw the chili sauce with your own homemade dumplings. Mmmmm.

YunChuan garden serves a variety of other (spicy or non spicy) dishes as Pleasure Palate has tasted on her visit there, but these li'l babies are what I eat there!! Actually, they're the only reason I go there :P

YunChuan Garden
301 N Garfield Ave
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 571-8387

Yun Chuan Garden on Urbanspoon
Yun Gui Garden on Urbanspoon

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