You didn't think I would miss the chance of trying yet another ramen joint on this trip, did you?
Hide Chan Ramen was decent although not at the level of
Totto or even
Jinya. I had the hakata with black garlic oil drizzled on top but it didn't enhance the flavor of the broth. I found it distracting. The broth was very fatty and I wished they would have filtered the little chunks of fat out. Even for the port broth lover like me, it was too much.
The gyoza was below average -- nicely charred but the filling was like the store-bought frozen gyoza. Not recommended. I probably wouldn't return.
Piora was quite the dining experience. The name means "go ahead and blossom" in Korean (피어라). Owned by Korean American restaurateur Simon Kim who partnered with Italian American Chef Chris Cipollone, Piora isn't about fusing Korean and Italian food. Rather, it's a celebration of excellent Italian food with some experiential elements using Korean ingredients peppered throughout. The granny smith apple balls amuse bouche were refreshing.
We also tried sparkling Riesling for the first time, which was excellent and perfect for a hot summer day. I already love Riesling and sparkling wine so what's not to love about a sparkling version of Riesling? Genius. The monkey bread with whipped
lardo and seaweed butter was one of the best things we had.
Monkey bread is usually a sticky, super sweet dessert doused with cinnamon and sugar. But oh, how I loved this savory, non-sticky version that was fresh out of the oven and served in the cutest little cast iron pan? The rock salt sprinkled over the piping hot pieces of bread added great flavor. Combine that with the whipped lardo, aka fat, spread generously on the super soft monkey bread interior, it was to die for. Though good in concept, I didn't love the seaweed butter but then again, it's hard to compete with lardo.
The spring peas with buttermilk,
nepitella, an herb in the mint family used in Italian cuisine, and a pea sherbert was once again a nice summer dish. The sweetness of the peas paired with the minty herb and rounded out with the cool sherbert was a nice combination.
Another favorite and a bit of a revelation were the scallops that were seared to perfection and served with sweet corn that was nicely charred, luxurious chanterelle mushrooms and the most interesting thing we had -- crispy chicken skin that had been pulverized for texture and flavor. Wow. This is what I love about these dining experiences. Who would have thought to take crispy chicken skin and turn it into powder to sprinkle over these gorgeous scallops? While the scallops were on the salty side, the super crispy chicken skin powder complemented the perfectly cooked scallop very nicely and the sweetness from the corn added another dimension that I really liked. Very successful dish.
Another favorite was the
tortellini with fava bean, preserved black truffle and
pecorino. It reminded me of the lighter pasta dishes I had when visiting Italy as opposed to the heavily sauced pastas oftentimes served here. The light hand with the sauce and choice of beans with truffles, topped with some fresh watercress was wonderful. I couldn't get enough of this dish.
The two main courses were disappointing, however. The lamb loin served with artichoke and a green garlic sauce with fresh marigold mint sprigs did not work as well for me. The ingredients were all fresh and the dish was well executed but I thought the lamb chunks were too heavy -- would have been better presentation and easier to eat had they been served thinly sliced. More importantly, the meat was not as flavorful.
The halibut served with shaved asparagus, morels and a meyer lemon sauce was beautiful to the eye but on the bland side. It needed a little somethin' somethin'.
The desserts were ok but nothing spectacular. We got the pound cake parfait with fruit and sorbet.
We got a complimentary dessert of this chocolate and ice cream concoction. The best part of the after-dinner course was hands down the complimentary after-dinner drink of aged rum infused with caramelized banana. This was another big wow moment where the aroma alone virtually transported you straight to Havana or some exotic destination with a killer beach. I can't say enough good things about this drink. It was strong. It was like my favorite dessert extracted into a wonderful, potent drink in a beautiful brandy glass. What a great finish to a meal to remember for a long time to come.
Last but not least, there was lamb rice. I had heard so much about this lamb rice at halal carts and while we didn't make it to THE halal cart in mid-town, we were able to pick up a nice platter to go as we rushed to the airport. I appreciated that our guy made the rice from scratch, stir-frying away and adding goodies like olives and hot sauce as he went. The result: great value and good if you're hungry. It's probably even better in the wee hours after some late night NRB. In any case, I'm glad I tried this quintessentially New York dish. I'm in an Empire State of Mind. Love you and will miss you, NY.
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