Diet Detour: ABC Kitchen (food)

My friend JC came to town on short notice with her roommate, so we went to MOMA to see the Matisse exhibit. We also stopped by ABC Kitchen, Jean Georges Vongerichten's farm/market to table restaurant on 18th street. The service was slow all around, from the bartender to us waiting half an hour for a table with a reservation, but the food was quite good.

I didn't have my camera with me, so here are some descriptions of what I had. The portions ranged from adequate to substantial, and I found the overall value to be quite good.

Chocolate chunk smoothie: almond milk base, frozen bananas, Thai coconut meat, chocolate syrup, and cocao nibs sprinkled in and blended together. The texture from the cocao nibs worked really well and the almond milk flavor definitely came through. It's not cheap at $10, but it's also a step above your neigborhood chocolate banana smoothie.

Chicken liver toast: a healthy (amount) spread of chicken liver pate on their terrific bread. I really liked the crust on the bread, which was flavorful and crunchy without being hard and tough. A larger portion than I expected for $9.

Pretzel dusted calamari: served with marinara and a mustard aioli, but the main attraction is the batter on the calamari, which was terrificly seasoned and had a clear pretzel flavor that was not overwhelming. The batter stuck to the calamari without excess clumps. I thought it was a very well done fried calamari dish.

Grilled portabello sandwich: the juicy portabello was served on a nice soft bun with arugula, parmesan, lemon mayo, and jalapenos. I couldn't really get the jalapeno flavor, but what really made the sandwich for me was the great peppery flavor from the arugula. The sandwich came with some nice fries, and ketchup which I could taste was Heinz. When I asked our server, he replied that it was Heinz, but Heinz organic.

Side of sauteed corn, shredded manchego cheese, jalapenos, and lime juice. A little bit of everything. Sweetness of the corn, creaminess of the cheese, heat from the jalapenos, acidity from the lime juice. Simple and delicious.

Like I said, I believe the value was quite good (especially for a place with the JG name attached to it), and the simple flavors were accentuated but not overdressed, which is exactly what you want from a farm/market to table restaurant.

After MOMA, we also stopped by the Momofuku Milk Bar in midtown at the Chambers Hotel. I had a chocolate chocolate cookie and a strawberry milk which was amazing. Containing 17% juice, it tasted less like strawberry flavored milk, and more like strawberry juice rounded out with a milky creamy finish. Not too sweet, just right.