If you want a fancy restaurant in a fancy hotel with a famous chef, then Come on down to the ritz Carlton and try Maison Boulud , the restaurant of world renowned chef Daniel Boulud. This restaurant is located on the lobby level of the Ritz Carlton Hotel. There is inside seating near the fire, or seating on a closed porch, with a view of the duck pond. CHEF: Daniel Boulud is a French born chef, who has know New York City as home since 1982. He is one of Americas leading culinary authorities. Maison Boulud is his first restaurant outside of the US. One more thing to make this restaurant exceedingly distinguished is that he is a three Michelin star chef and owner
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPETIZERS:
For the appetizer at Maison Boulud you HAVE YO TRY, the chilled corn soup. It is so creamy and seasoned and garnished with king crab and cilantro! It is just divine. The best item for the appetizers, on the menu. Also for the appetizers try the ham, with cantaloupe. The ham is seasoned heavily, but the sweetness from the cantaloupe cuts some of the seasoning from the ham so it’s not strong. The cantaloupe is sliced thin, like the ham so they go well together. In the middle is a spring mix salad, with arugula and grissini.
ENTREE:
For the entree you definitely have to try their signature burger. It is one of the best burgers in North America. It is probably one of the most high class burgers ever created. On it is a piece of Rillon, which is like pork, morbier cheese, arugula and tomato compote.The burger was a great portion and it was served with a basket of frites (french fries). Also you should try the grilled baby chicken. It is served with kibbeh, dried tomatoes,fingerling potatoes and green beans. The chicken was well cooked being tender and moist. Also try the pan seared salmon. It is served with a variation of carrots and a side of mustard. The sourness from the mustard brough great falvor to the fish. There was a “bubbly foam sauce” that was also on the side. Maison Boulud is not cheap, but its very elegant and a great place to eat. SERVICE:***** FOOD:***** AMBIANCE:*****
1228 Sherbrooke St W
Montreal, Qc
(514) 842-4224
Danji (NYC, NY)
If you are looking for a casual oriental restaurant, with good prices, minutes away from Times Square, then Danji Korean cuisine is what you should try next time you come into Manhattan. The prices are reasonable, and the service is good. The address is 52nd street and 8th avenue. Better yet Danji has a Michelin star! RECOMMENDATIONS Most of the food is Korean comfort food. CHEF: The chef at Danji Hooni Kim, was born in Souel Korea, but spent some of his childhood in London and settled in New York when he reached the age of ten. For eight years he had been living in New York, but when his college years came, he decied to attend University of California Berkley. He was strated to pursue a medical carrer, but then his passion for food, made him change gears. He left California and came back to the east coast and attened the French Culinary Institute. From then he has opened two michelin star restaurants. APPETIZERS: For a starter their signature dish, crispy tofu, is impeccable. It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It feels like your mouth is on vacation. They use organic tofu, and to top it off, they glaze it with soy ginger sauce and scallion, all cooked in sesame oil. MAIN COURSE: For the main course, we tried the Bi Bim Bop. In the bi Bim Bop bowl there is rice and a fried egg. On the side there are carrots, mushrooms, scallions and bongoli beef (beef with sesame seeds), to mix in with the rice and egg. The Bi Bim Bop was acceptable but not the best Bi Bim Bop I’ve had. Also there is a pre-fix option. There is a choice of pork belly and rice, or bongoli beef with rice, it came with beef soup, and two kinds of kimchi. Both the pork and beef were great, and so was the kimchi’s, But the Highlight of the dish was the soup. In it was potatoes and large pieces of beef, with scallions and the broth was very soothing to the throat, and tastebuds. This place is very good for a light lunch, so I recommend coming here at lunch time, after a hearty breakfast. SERVICE: **** AMBIANCE:*** FOOD:****
SERVICE: ***
AMBIANCE:***
SERVICE: ***
AMBIANCE:***
LEMAC Montreal Canada
If you are willing to go to the outskirts of Montreal but still Montreal then you most certainly have to try LEMAC, French cuisine in the French quarter. It was great food and good service. A good day to go there is on a Sunday, because it is a true brunch place. There is inside an outside seating options.
RECCOMENDATIONS
APPETIZERS: For the appetizers I would always recommend a nice hearty fish soup. Their fish soup is taken to another level! On the side you can choose to pour in cheese and mustard, into a puree thick soup. The cheese enhances the flavor of the fish and the puree. Also for the appetizer try the tuna tar tar with truffle oil. The truffle oil compliments the tuna, very well! The tuna tar tar was seasoned perfectly and it was served with either salad or potato strings. I would recommend the potato strings. They are very high class, and not greasy like French fries. MAIN COURSES: I would highly recommend the braised short rib. It was very very very tender. It just glided off the bone. It was so juicy and fell apart in your mouth! It was served with a bed of salad and has a barbecue sauce on it. Also for the main course I recommend the duck leg confit, which is also very tender, but not as tender as the short rib. It was perfectly seasoned and juicy! The skin was crispy, and there was basically no fat, besides the skin. It was served with a spring mix and arugula salad, and fingerling potatoes. That was a star dish. Also I recommend the full Cornish hen marinated in a variety of spices. The chicken was juicy, and it was a huge portion, so bring your appetite, if you choose to get this. Also it was very crispy! It was served with a salad and a HUGE amount of french fries underneath it. The whole chicken was butterflied and then it was half roasted, then pan seared to make it crispy!
APPETIZERS: For the appetizers I would always recommend a nice hearty fish soup. Their fish soup is taken to another level! On the side you can choose to pour in cheese and mustard, into a puree thick soup. The cheese enhances the flavor of the fish and the puree. Also for the appetizer try the tuna tar tar with truffle oil. The truffle oil compliments the tuna, very well! The tuna tar tar was seasoned perfectly and it was served with either salad or potato strings. I would recommend the potato strings. They are very high class, and not greasy like French fries. MAIN COURSES: I would highly recommend the braised short rib. It was very very very tender. It just glided off the bone. It was so juicy and fell apart in your mouth! It was served with a bed of salad and has a barbecue sauce on it. Also for the main course I recommend the duck leg confit, which is also very tender, but not as tender as the short rib. It was perfectly seasoned and juicy! The skin was crispy, and there was basically no fat, besides the skin. It was served with a spring mix and arugula salad, and fingerling potatoes. That was a star dish. Also I recommend the full Cornish hen marinated in a variety of spices. The chicken was juicy, and it was a huge portion, so bring your appetite, if you choose to get this. Also it was very crispy! It was served with a salad and a HUGE amount of french fries underneath it. The whole chicken was butterflied and then it was half roasted, then pan seared to make it crispy!
If your in the mood for breakfast then get the breakfast platter, only served on Sundays (which is the brunch day). On the platter there is sausage, poached eggs, pieces of bacon, and beans cooked duck fat. The baked beans were creamy do to the duck fat and the bacon was nice and crispy, just the way I like it. The sausage was brown which means it was cooked all the way through but not burnt, and it was cooked perfectly! The poached eggs looked amazing and tasted even better than they looked. When you cut them the yolk just flowed out. DESSERT!: For Dessert we got the FRENCH TOAST! It was in the style of bread pudding, and on top was milk jam ice cream! But the Bread Pudding was the biggest bread pudding ive ever seen it was probably 8 inches tall and 10 inches wide! The flavors contrasted well together, and the plate was licked clean! Also for dessert we got the chocolate moose. It was thick and creamy just like it should be!
Service:***
Ambiance:****
Food:****
L’Academie Montreal Canada
When you are around and trying all of the great restaurants, for a lunch place you certainly have to stop by L’Academie. It is one of those restaurants The food is modern French, and it is amazing. It is a more casual place, but you can’t judge a book by its cover. It is one of those restaurants that have all of thewindows, facing towards the road. The food, tastes like it is coming out of a four star restaurant. Also the service is good, not great but not bad. Also, why its a great lunch place and not a dinner place is because their food is heavy, and in Montreal you want to have the haviest lunch as possible , because for dinner you want to have something light, because light in their terms, is not so light, so try and find a very light place or dinner. Also it is a bring your own wine restaurant.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
RECOMMENDATIONS Appetizers: For an appetizer you can choose from their huge selection of muscles and fries. They have at least 10 different kinds. From classic to Thai chili, thy have it All, but you always should stick to the classics when it comes to muscles. Stick with the Provencal style with tomatoes and onions, and a salty broth. It brings a taste of France to the table, much like everything in Montreal. For the soup get the cheese and broccoli, it doesn’t sound to appetizing but trust me , you won’t regret if you get it. The soup is so creamy and the cheese compliments the broccoli like cheese and wine do. That was to only appetizer that I tried, but you only need one bowl of that to get you ready for the main course. Main Course: Lets start off with the traditional French dish, Steak Frites. The steak was so juicy and so creamy thanks to the sauce. It was a cognac cream sauce. The sauce was peppery and salty and creamy all at the same time. It coated the steak, and the fries like there was no tomorrow. Also for the main try the pasta with churizzo sausage and mushrooms. The pasta was boiled to perfection and the sausage had a nice sear on it, not burnt but brown, the way i like it! Also try the halibut with assorted vegetables and a green pesto sauce. The halibut was juicy and was so tender it fell apart in your mouth. The sauce balanced it out with the vegetables so it was a little bit of every flavor. L’Academie for me is definitely that casual hotspot that you want to just relax and have a good time in, so if your looking for that kind of place be sure to stop by, next time you are up north.
Service: ****
Ambiance:***
Food:*****
Auberge St-Gabriel Montreal Canada
Also when you are in Montreal, there are only a few very traditional French restaurants, such as Auberge St-Gabriel. Great service and great food! It is a building from the 1600’s with historic stone walls and a giraffe skeletal spine running through the middle of the restaurant.
HISTORY:
Abuerge St-Gabriel is the oldest inn/restaurant in North America! It is located not in main town Montreal but in Old Montreal.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Appetizers: For the appetizers if you like Pork, then the charcuterie of the day is the appetizer for you. It is a ball of shredded pork with breadcrumbs, and on the side is a large rectangular crouton with a small mixed salad on top. The pork fell apart in your mouth and the crouton was soft and the salad on it made juicy so it was well balanced. Also for the appetizer you should try the pork croquet. It was stuffed with the pork and very delicate and tender. Instead of a ball, the croquet was a rectangular shape instead.
Main Course: You should try the Diver special, which is sea bass and muscles in a fish cream bubble sauce. It was so succulent and the fish was just very tender and melted in your mouth much like the pork ball. Also you should try the penne with a white cheese sauce, ham chunks, mushrooms basil and a raw egg yolk, to be mixed in with the pasta on the side. It was creamy and very delicious. Also if your a duck fan you MUST TRY the duck, with a balsamic sweet sauce underneath with fresh figs. It was cooked perfectly and in my opinion the best duck I have ever tasted, and the figs balanced it out. Auberge St-Gabriel is definitely a must go hot spot in Montreal, and next time you head up north, just stop by Montreal, to dive into the culinary adventure.
SERVICE:*****
AMBIANCE:*****
FOOD:*****
Rosemarrys (NYC, NY)
If you want a funky, modern, brunch place for the whole family, then Rosemarrys Greenwich Village NYC, is the right place for you. It has moderate service and awesome food, which come in the form of tapas and bigger dishes.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
You have to try their mozzarella, tomato and basil stuffed bread. There is so much cheese that you don’t know when the bread starts and stops. The tomatoes make it juicy so it balances with the cheese. The appetizers, which are mainly a selection of tapas all exude scents and tastes from all over the world. In case you don’t know what tapas are, they are: Small Spanish savory plates, typically served as a snack or appetizer.
Tapas (Appetizers)
If you are a fish, seafood type of person then try their calamari. It is grilled calamari with almond, celery, raisins and chili oil.
Also try the eggplant which is cold and marinated in spices, in an “american curry,”. Also they have olives, but they aren’t just regular olives. They are heated up with herbs so that they are nice and warm and taste like nothing you’ve tasted before.
MAIN COURSE: For the main course, you should try the skirt steak. It comes with a mixed salad, arugla and olive oil with a side of fingerling potatoes. They prepared the steak just the way we asked for it which was medium well, better than a lot of steak houses you will go to. For brunch, you should also try the poached egg with oyster mushrooms, and a salad. It is just amazing! Poached just right, and the yolk tasted quite unique with the mushrooms. Rosemarry’s is definitely a stand out in New York City.
Tapas (Appetizers)
If you are a fish, seafood type of person then try their calamari. It is grilled calamari with almond, celery, raisins and chili oil.
Also try the eggplant which is cold and marinated in spices, in an “american curry,”. Also they have olives, but they aren’t just regular olives. They are heated up with herbs so that they are nice and warm and taste like nothing you’ve tasted before.
MAIN COURSE: For the main course, you should try the skirt steak. It comes with a mixed salad, arugla and olive oil with a side of fingerling potatoes. They prepared the steak just the way we asked for it which was medium well, better than a lot of steak houses you will go to. For brunch, you should also try the poached egg with oyster mushrooms, and a salad. It is just amazing! Poached just right, and the yolk tasted quite unique with the mushrooms. Rosemarry’s is definitely a stand out in New York City.
FOOD: ****
AMBIANCE:****
SERVICE: ***
The NoMad (NYC, NY)
New York City is filled with thousands of restaurants, but a must try is “The NoMad.”
Located at the NoMad hotel is one of the best continental restaurants in Manhattan. The NoMad Hotel is located on 1170 Broadway and 28th street, right in the heart of the historic NoMad Neighborhood (North of Madison Square Park.) The interior makes you feel like your back in time, to old Europe.
RECOMMENDATIONS
APPETIZERS: If you’re in the mood for fish, try the fluke. The fluke is marinated with sorrel, amaranth and comes with a side of mushrooms. It lays on a bed of tomatoes and greens. If your not a big fluke fan, then try the tuna. The Tuna is a tuna tartare with lemon, black olives and tomatoes. One interesting thing about the tuna, is that it’s served on its own bone! The tartare is gently punctured through the bone, and will slide in a smooth motion into your mouth. Another appetizer I recommend is the King Crab Tagliatelle. I’m not that big of a pasta fan, but this dish blew me away! It was savory lemon mixed with Buttery Alaskan King Crab with a hint of black pepper. You should also try the lamb. Its glazed with romaine lettuce, cumin and yogurt. It was cooked amazingly and was very juicy.
MAIN COURSES:
If you want something on the lighter side, go with the lobster. The lobster is poached and served with zucchini, summer beans and vegetable bisque. The lobster is out of the shell and comes in three pieces. The lobster bursts with flavor, and the vegetables balance with amount of meat. If you want something more to the heavy side, but not too heavy, I strongly recommend the suckling pig. The pig is served with a confit, with cherries, arugula and bacon marmalade. The skin on the pig is nice and crispy, and its so moist inside. The cherries give the pig a nice sweet taste, but not too sweet so that the flavors of the cherries aren’t overpowering. At NoMad, there is an option for a meal for two, which is a roasted chicken. The Chicken comes with Foie Gras, Black Truffel and Brioche. It’s a huge entree, even for two people, so bring your appetite!
CHEF:
Chef Daniel, originally from Switzerland, began his culinary journey at the age of 14. He went on to cook at the finest Swiss hotels and restaurants before earning his first Michelin Star at the age of 24.
Chef Daniel, originally from Switzerland, began his culinary journey at the age of 14. He went on to cook at the finest Swiss hotels and restaurants before earning his first Michelin Star at the age of 24.
Nobu (NYC, NY)
If you want a fancy Japanese sushi restaurant, with very good service and a nice ambiance, then Nobu is what you should try. There are 3 Nobu’s in Manhattan but the one on Hudson street is the original, and most laid back.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
At Nobu the sushi specialty roll is salmon, crab and tuna, wrapped in rice and radish. It was good but not the best sushi ever. Also with the eel maki, it was good but not outstanding as I expected it to be. The tuna and eel hand rolls were amazing! They were actually succulent, and a little moist. If you go to Nobu you can’t just get sushi, you have to try their wide variety of hot Japanese food. Their specialty is blackened cod with miso sauce. In my opinion that is the best cod I have ever had. It was a huge full piece of cod, coated in a sweet sauce. It was so tender and it melted in your mouth. Also you try the lobster. It is stir fried with a mixture of vegetables, such as carrots, mushrooms, scallions and basil. It was just impeccable, and delicious. Also, we had the rock shrimp tempura. It was crunchy with a hot and spicy sauce. The tempura was not overly coating the shrimp, thus giving it a delicate tempura flavor. Also try the tempura style fish and chips. It was a tempura fried white fish, with seasoned, delicious sweet potato fries. It had the best tempura fry. Crunchy and crunchy ;). We also had a spicy seafood soup. The soup was spicy and clean, with lots of lobster, shrimp, scallops and squid. Also if you have all of those dishes, you need rice. Nobu’s rice is a special rice from Japan. It is sticky rice, but not to sticky. DESSERTS: Nobu has a great variety of deserts. We tasted caramelized banana with vanilla ice cream, mochis, espresso moose and chocolate cake block.The banana was sweet and decident, and a hot and cold fusion. The mochis were in three different flavors: Blueberry, Green Tea and Tiramisu.The moose was velvety chifanne like, with a smoothe texture. The cake block was servered with raspberry sauce and fresh raspberrys. It sure was special.
Service:****
Ambiance:*****
Food:****
Bhatti (NYC, NY)
A casual Indian restaurant in the heart of little India on Lexington avenue and 27th street. Amongst so many other Bubbling Indian Eatries in the neighborhood, which stands out for its tandoori food and Curries. It is owned by the iconic indian restaurant “Moti Mahal” in New Delhi, India. APPETIZERS: For an appetizer, we had Bhelpuri. Bhelpuri is an Indian snack, made of a mixture of rice puffs, lentil crisps, onion, tomatoes, chilies, cilantro and mixed with tamarind and mint chutneys. Its flavors are sweet and sour at the same time. We also enjoyed chicken and lamb boti kabobs. They were marinated in ginger garlic, yogurt and roasted black cumin, then were cooked in the tandoor (clay oven). They were very moist and served nice and hot. MAIN COURSES: For the courses, we had chicken biryani, Bhuna Goash and butter chicken. The chicken biryani: a fragrant combination of long grain basmati slow cooked in a special vessel with fresh herbs and spices served with a mint yogurt. The flavors just bursted in our mouths, and were not too spicy, yet not too bland.The Bhuna Goash was a home cooked style Mutton (goat), with a masala of onions, tomatoes, ginger garlic and a nice blend of selected dry spices. The goat was on the bone, but was so moist that it would just slide right off, and be sucked in your mouth. The butter chicken has to be the best dish I had there. The man who invented butter chicken was the owner of “Moti Mahal,” hence this is the original recipe. The chicken is first grilled in the tandoor, and then immersed in a butter and cream sauce, then blended in with various exotic spices. Also, we had the Ajwanni Shrimps that were marinated in lemon and ajwan (Indian Spice) and cardamom. We alsoAlso try the Gilauti Kabob. Bhatti has recreated this kabob, which it’s recipe comes from one of the best kabob makers from Avadh-Tunde Mian, and is so unique and it’s very soft, which supposedly came from a family who incorporated 160 different spices. DESSERT: Theres only one way to go for dessert at Bhatti:Phirni. Phirni is an almond and rice flour pudding dish. Its a good palate cleanser after a great spicy meal. AMBIANCE: ** SERVICE:**** FOOD:***** 
North End Grill (NYC, NY)
If you want an elegant continental dining experience,come on down to the tip of Manhattan in Battery Park, to the North End Grill. Located on 104 North Avenue, North End grill has indoor seating, and a full bar, with a great view of the kitchen and window seating with great views of the Hudson River. RECOMENDATIONS APPETIZERS: For an appetizer, one of my favorite dishes was the clam pizza. It’s grilled with chili flakes and lemon. It has a nice flavor that is not too hot and not too sour. This dish is for someone who likes white pizza or flat breads. I would also recommend the Tuna Tar Tar. It’s served with a fried quail egg and crispy shallots. It’s for someone who likes raw fish. Also try the scrambled eggs with morels mushroom. The last time I saw that in a restaurant in Paris. As well as the eggs, try the duck breast. It is served with sunflower sprouts and an apricot compote. MAIN COURSES: For the main course, I recommend the Ashley Farms roasted half chicken. It’s served with foccacia crutons. The chicken was very moist and the outer skin was a golden brown, and nice and crispy.The croutons give the chicken that nice crunch you look for in your meals. If your a fish type of person, I recommend the wreck fish or the Branzino. The wreck fish is grilled and served with bacon, Romano beans, squash and cherry tomatoes. Its a very light fish with amazing flavors. The Branzino is a whole fish, so bring your appetite! It’s served with grilled lemon on top. With any entree, you can pick any of these sides: Three spiced fries, Charcoal grilled baby carrots, Grilled sweet corn with red onion Grilled summer squash,and Braised North End Grill rooftop greens DESSERTS: For all the sweet tooths out there, They has an excellent dessert menu. One of the specialties is the Manhattan sundae. It consists bourbon ice cream, cherry meringues and vermouth caramel. It’s flavors scream out at you, making you want to dig in more. Also, try the Deconstructed German chocolate cake with coconut milk chocolate ice cream. It’s flavors are very rich and creamy. I also recommend the plain cheesecake. It has it’s usual simplistic taste, and is a circular shape, with the graham cracker crust only around the cake. It’s served with a raspberry reduction sauce. For those wanting something refreshing and light, you must try the sorbet selections. The yellow plum and raspberry sorbets were to the mark. CHEF Chef Floyd Cardoz was the chef at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai, where he first started his culinary journey. He was the head chef at the French Indian restaurant “Tabla,” which unfortunately closed its doors. He is also the author of the book “One Spice, Two Spice.” RATINGS 1 Star (Poor)- 5 Stars (Outstanding) Service: *** Food: ***** Ambiance: ***** v iew
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