Melp

This is my version of Yelp. My daily usage of this site proves much more helpful than books like Zagat. "Real People. Real Reviews"

The Tasting Room
264 Elizabeth St
New York, NY 10012

Hidden on a this small dark street, you can walk by this restaurant thinking that it's either closed or not even notice it. The inside decor is somewhat "barn-like" but in a quiet, dim lighted way that makes it trendy. Our table was kind of messy looking, like it actually belonged in a barn and instead of chairs, I felt we should have been sitting on a long bench. The other tables however were very nice dark wood. I guess for large parties it's hard to find a matching long table. There is quite a big selection of wines and knowing nothing about wine, I opted out for a salty dog, which is some grapefruit, vodka concoction with sugar and salt. Holy salt batman - all over the outside of the cup. The drink though was very tasty. Later we had a Hungarian dessert wine, Tokaji, which was by far the sweetest wine I've ever had. In true Melissa style, I felt the need to water it down, but I realized that was probably a socially unacceptable move.

to Start: Foie Gras "en Torchon"
Molasses Gastrique, Beets, Scallion
to Continue: Muscovy Duck Breast
Okinawan Sweet Potato, Mustard Greens, Pears
to Finish: Bittersweet Chocolate Pots de Crème
Molasses, Bourbon, Coconut Macaroons

Let's not lie - ordering Foie Gras seems a bit pretentious but the book I'm reading got me intrigued. I imagined a liverwurst kind of taste in a pâté form but surprisingly, it was sweet. Unfortunately I was in a salty mood (despite the drink), damn molasses. I could have just eaten a bag of chips and been pretty happy. There goes any kind of classiness I could have otherwise faked. I actually felt less cultured than usual as I enjoyed the pâté less and less until I resorted to just eating the toast.

The Muscvoy Duck or duck from the region in west central Russia or Moscow, tasted like duck from northern queens or Flushing. Four quarter inch slices of duck breast with a layer of fat atop it and a crunchy skin. The slightly rubbery rareness of the meat warranted a walk through history on how you can eat raw bird. I'll believe it - I'm still stomachache free as of now. I actually did enjoy the duck despite everything - I could have eaten more. The Japanese mashed below it was sweet which once again made me crave salty boxed mashed potatoes. The mustard greens (which at the time I thought was spinach) were deliciously salty but only lasted 3 leaves as the portions was really small and my appetite was really big.

The finishing touch was a thick chocolate pudding-like creation with three neatly laid out macaroons. I guess I'm supposed to say something like, "How decadent" but in this case, I might have to go with "eh". Not to say that it wasn't good but it was a bit much, in a way I cannot describe. There was a cheesecake shared with me (see: stolen)that was absolutely great. Light but not too light, fluffy but not to fluffy, cheesy but not too cheesy...the perfect after dinner dessert.

overall - The best part was the stolen cheesecake. I left wanting a greasy burger.

mL