Bobby Flay's Bar Americain in NYC is Elegant and Delicious

By Carine Nadel
Article Word Count: 535

Bobby Flay is a celebrity chef. Many times when someone reaches a high status within their career they lose some of what made them noticeable. Not so in this case!

My daughter and I were on a whirlwind 2 day trip to the Big Apple. We had wanted to have a special dinner to cap off a wonderfully, exhausting celebration of our two landmark birthdays (she had just turned 25 and I am crossing over to the big 50 at the end of the year). We noticed that Bar Americain was across the street from our hotel. We were fortunate enough to have had brunch in Flay's Mesa Grill in Las Vegas so we hoped this upscale brasserie would measure up to our first experience.

We were not disappointed. The atmosphere is quite elegant and serene. Warm wood walls, marble floors and dim lighting. The soaring ceilings and "loft" gave the room a feel of a 1940's dinner club. Even though we went at six o'clock, which is quite early for a New York dinner, there were quite a few parties seated. Our server was knowledgeable and when he heard about my dairy allergy he had the busboy bring over a basket of just out of the oven "safe" breads and drinks, promising to return momentarily with dinner suggestions.

He kept his word! Within five minutes our tuxedo clad server let me know which dishes could be prepared for my enjoyment. My daughter, who was fortunate enough to be able to chose anything on the menu went with a house favorite: a rack of pork with double apple butter and a balsamic vinegar and fig reduction sauce which included smashed potatoes with goat cheese. The pork had been marinated in a brine for 30 hours and came pink, juicy and according to my daughter was the best pork chop she had ever had and loved every bite of her side dish as well.

I had my choice of wild salmon (without the port wine reduction) or Floridian inspired red snapper encrusted in plantains and topped with a luscious and refreshing mango, corn and avocado salsa as it rested on a black bean puree. If my husband, who doesn't care for snapper, had been there-this was a dish he would have enjoyed-as did I. The plantain was quite thinly sliced on a mandolin and was just enough to give the moist fish a perfect crunch.

Before our main dishes, we also had to split an appetizer-Flay's signature spicy tuna tartare. We wanted to see if he used the same recipe as his Mesa Grill. It was very similar, but not as spicy. Which fit well with the elegant surroundings. The tuna was melt in your mouth fresh, icy cold with capers and cayenne.

My daughter loves tiramisu and saw someone at a nearby table having a portion and moaning in delight. She announced her intention to have one. However, by the time we split the appetizer and she had enjoyed every bite of her entree, she declared dessert officially out!

We may not have been able to see a Broadway show during our whirlwind weekend, but Bobby Flay's Bar Americain proved to be a delicious bit of memorable culinary theatre.

Carine Nadel is on The Reader's Advisory Panel of Woman's Day magazine and has had numerous articles and recipes published both on various websites and print publications.
To read more of her work, log onto: http://www.Carine-whatscooking.blogspot.com
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Soho's Corio - Not Your Run Of The Mill "Restaurant - Lounge"

By Casey Leblang

Manhattan surely isn’t short of restaurant-slash-lounge hybrids, and it seems more and more crop up each week. But a new gem in SoHo promises something fresh and unique for those jaded frequenters of the ubiquitous restaurant/lounge. Corio, which opened in September of 2006, is located on the corner of West Broadway and Grand and has much to offer for diners and partiers with varying tastes. The downstairs bar is casual and welcoming, but boasts a rather sophisticated drink menu that features the house specialty cocktails: “Blood,” “Sugar,” “Sex,” and “Magic,” after everyone’s favorite early 90’s Chili Peppers album.

Upstairs, relax on plush maroon sofas and converse while sampling Corio’s small plates such as the roasted candy beets and the amped-up lime butter bruschetta, or feast on the larger courses such as the hearty grilled hanger steak. The house white wine went perfectly with the organic field greens salad, which combines the light sweetness of black mission figs with Serrano ham and smoked paprika. And my friend with a remarkably discerning sweet-tooth declared the flourless chocolate cake to be “simply the best” dessert choice.

My personal experience at Corio was enhanced by its soundtrack—perfectly eclectic and ranging from funk and pop to the Smashing Pumpkins. Corio has a fun yet relaxing ambiance which is conducive to a night on the town with a group of friends, or also for an intimate date night. The sex appeal of Corio skyrockets when authentic Burlesque performers take the upstairs stage every forty-five minutes to an hour in five-minute sets. Corio is simultaneously classy and young, funky and chic, and definitely worth your time.

Check out their website: http://www.corionyc.com
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