11 - Amsterdam

11 Restaurant and Bar is all about the view. That is not to minimize the menu, the see-and-be-seen vibe or the stark industrial approach to the 11th floor loft space (including the graffiti-tagged hallways and giant art-as-eroticism posters hanging in the elevator lobby). All that does just fine to compliment the view. In a city completely dominated by squat four and five story buildings, the converted mill rises about the city's downtown like a forgotten voyeur. Unfortunately, a recent condo project to the west blocks a small chunk of the 360 degree vista, but that matters little when you're sipping a white beer at ten at night with the summer sun still beaming. The latitudinal phenomenon that allows for an 11pm sunset and 4am sunrise is pure magic. I don't know how it would feel as a local - to swing from bleak winter days to endless summer nights - but for a summer visit to one of my favorite cities, it's ideal...

An unexpected 30-hour trip to Amsterdam is a prelude for a longer (purely recreational) stay next month, but a late dinner in the Eastern Docklands area (adjacent to the Central Station) made the quick turnaround worthwhile...

Escargots with gnocchi, Dutch lettuce and parsley butter
Spinach truffle risotto with asparagus, Beaufort cheese and water cress
Peach frangipane with lavender créme

I'm not exactly sure if white beer (or witbier) was the perfect pairing for my menu, but nor do I care because I am a huge fan of the European brew. It's light and citrusy and I love the little plastic muddle they deliver with it to pulverize the lemon. 11's brand of choice was Hoegarden, a Belgian beer that I'm told is available in the States...

The food was prepared with care and each course was enjoyable, although I can't say anything stood out. The snails were a little tougher than I had a couple of weeks ago at Artisinal (my one and only escargot experience to date) and the lavender was a little overpowering in the dessert (a frangipane is evidently, in this case, a Belgian almond pastry tart) but when you consider the view, I'd highly recommend experiencing this place for dinner. At a minimum, get a drink and stare out the window...

Rating: 6.5/10.0
Cost: $$$ (33 Euros for the prix fixe menu)

11 Restaurant and Bar
Oosterdokskade 3-5
1011 AD Amsterdam
020 62 55 999

Artisinal - New York City

...or the full name Artisinal Fromagerie Bistro & Wine Bar. Went with some friends, who had been there before and suggested it. In general, I have this aversion to overly commercial restaurants. You know, the celebrity chef (Terrance Brennan), the website with MBA-caliber merchandising (welcome to The Artisanal Online Cheese Shop). And after perusing the menu online, I was fairly certain that's what we was getting...

After a couple of drinks, we made it to Artisinal. Nice, very large room that, while noisy, I didn't find annoyingly so. There was a nice feeling to the room - they do the whole French Bistro thing well...

Chilled Asparagus Soup with Basil Oil
Burgundy Snails en Croute with Chervil-Garlic Butter
Rainbow Trout with Chanterelles
Orange Zest Creme Brulee

Given my penchant for allergic reactions (see the title overhead), I have effectively avoided escargot for my 35 years on the planet. I understand that shellfish are different that other things that happen to live in shells but are not fish, but let's be honest, I'm fragile. That said, after a couple of drinks and some prodding from my friends (and possibly because my wife thought I was taking a stupid, unnecessary risk), I placed the order. I thought they were okay, the actual snail at least, because let's be honest. It's all about the butter. In fact, enjoying (which I did) the escargot is the best testament I can think of to my new-found corollary that anything works with a ton of herb butter...
Overall, the meal was solid. I really enjoyed the soup, which had a fresh from the garden earthiness. The fish was good, not great, and the chanterelles didn't add as much to the dish as I was expecting. As far as dessert, while I may not have the requisite training, I am a self-proclaimed creme brulee aficionado and this one was very good. The orange was a little overpowering, but not too much so...

Sorry, forgot the wine we drank, which would make it, by definition, forgettable...

Rating: 6.5/10.0
Cost: $$$

Artisinal Fromagerie Bistro & Wine Bar
2 Park Avenue (@ 32nd Street)
NYC, NY 10016

Bin 26 Enoteca - Boston

On a recent trip to Boston, we coincidentally happened on Bin 26 Enoteca, a trendy Beacon Hill wine bar/restaurant I'd read about in Food & Wine ("Best New Wine Lists"). I remembered how they had ironically put Thunderbird on the wine menu, which I thought sounded clever (my unfounded fear was that it was a little too clever)...

Inside, it was a fairly typical setup. Small front-room, albeit with a nice, sizable wine bar, and smallish back room. I would ask for a table up front, by the street-facing window (but then I'm a people-watcher). The food was what I guess I'd describe as gourmet Italian with a seasonal menu (wouldn't it be refreshing for a restaurant to advertise their penchant for frozen fish and canned vegetables?) - interesting takes on traditional Italian fare (seemingly all regions, but I could be wrong). At the risk of getting all socio-political, it had the too-familiar homogenous ethnic makeup of Boston (that always amazes me), but, of course, that had no impact on my meal. My food:

Red & Yellow Pepper Bruschetta
Beef Carpaccio w/ Tarragon Citronette
Cocoa Tagliatellee with Porcini Ragout scented with Nepitella
Strawberry Millefeuille

As an aside, I had no idea what either Nepitella or a Millefeuille were. After some digging, Nepitella is a wild mint from Tuscany (not sure I could taste it) and a Millefeuille is a layered pastry...

Everything was very good. Nothing great, nothing bad. My friend's Hanger Steak, however, was perfect. The best I've ever tasted. My other friend's special pasta was also a better order than mine (what else is new). The dessert was outstanding. I can't recall, but it's possible I licked my plate...

The wine list was impressive. Broken down a couple different ways and comprehensive by the glass. We started with a bottle of Seghesio Zinfindel, which was great. For my dinner, I put myself in the hands of the helpful/attentive waiter who paired my pasta with a Pinot Noir from Northern Italy (Grosjean Freres, Valle D'Aosta). Tremendous Pinot Noir, quite different from what you normally drink from California. Of course, I can't pinpoint how. Trust me, it was a great glass of wine. I've found it online for $22/bottle, and I plan to order a few bottles ...

Definitely worth a visit...

Rating: 7.0 / 10.0
Cost: $$$

Bin 26 Enoteca
26 Charles Street
Beacon Hill, MA 02114
617.723.5939

Obligatory mission statement disguised as first post...

While I completely recognize the value of a blog (power to the people and all that), I am not a devotee. Sure, I have several bookmarked. Guy Kawasaki's energetic take on the business world, John August's carefully constructed thoughts on the world of screenwriting, and, while I don't know that I would consider it a blog in the truest sense, who doesn't bookmark Bill Simmons as The Sports Guy? But I'm not addicted. That is, they're not part of my day-to-day. And if you subtract those few outstanding blogs from the blogosphere, I am blinded by the sea of mastubratory musings that hopefully provide some sort of catharsis to the blog-er, yet are rarely of value to the blog-ee (at least as decided by me)...

I am not looking to form a community, appear in a New York Times blurb or parlay my food-lifestyle blog into a lucrative career as a food critic (offers on the aforementioned encouraged). This blog is meant to be but one fabric in the wonderful world wide web. It struck me, when researching restaurants for an upcoming trip to Amsterdam, that I needed help. Some sort of resource (or collection of resources) to help me avoid a night spent with my wife in a restaurant overlooking an outdoor brothel (we're saving that for the last night. joke)...

What I'll capture is straightforward... My thoughts on dining out, cooking in, food, wine and drink. I have no formal training, no time to do this, but it's too late. I'm in...