Eat, live, Party.....

Nobody can deny that NYC contributes more than its fair share to the field of gastronomy. A trip there definitely includes at least one memorable meal and although it's tough making a choice- with way too many options, some stick out more than others. What are the odds of experiencing the farm-to-table experience in the middle of an urban jungle?
David Burke kitchen in SoHo has a menu that rises to the challenge and does it convincingly well. We ordered a smorgasbord of artisan cheese, roast chicken, pork chop, Dorado, Branzino, octopus and bone marrow. Each dish was refreshingly original, well executed and farm fresh. The breads were aromatic and the butter beautifully presented on a slab of marble. We started with the Burrata, a fresh Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream and served with grilled sourdough bread.

My kids ordered the roast chicken for two and were a bit worried when a whole roast chicken was presented to them and promptly whisked away. To their relief, it came back a few minutes later, sliced on individual platters topped with a leek and Gruyere quiche. Their verdict was that it was undoubtedly the best roast chicken they've ever tasted. The menu calls it "Farm chicken two ways for two days" but it was wiped out in record time.

The pork chop was artfully arranged with a tangy tamarind sauce and parsley onion rings. As if this wasn't enough, there was the addition of cumin flavored bacon. All of the flavors make for an unbelievably sweet and spicy explosion in the mouth.

I ordered the  grilled Branzino over Swiss chard, carrots and a candied mint sauce. The fish had a natural sweetness and was crisp on the outside and flaky on the inside.

My NYC hosts Uttara and Deepak never disappoint me when it comes to picking a restaurant. They could lead me blindfolded to any corner of the city and I come away bursting at the seams and happy.
After stumbling out of one of these places we move around the city like spry teenagers and party until dawn. On this trip, our childhood friend Nandita flew in all the way from Hong Kong to join in our merry making and all I can say is that I'm still nursing my hangover ; nature's way of telling us that we are definitely no teenagers!