Atera: Like An IMAX 3D Arthouse Film (food)

The general feedback I got from friends and from reading reviews going into my dinner at Atera was that there was a lot of technique on display, but not everything was tasty. After my dinner there a few weeks ago, my verdict is exactly the same.

I liken the experience to paying for IMAX 3D to see an arthouse film. When people pay extra to go see a movie in IMAX 3D, they tend to want to see an entertaining blockbuster. Something that excites and entertains from start to finish Similarly, when people pay top dollar for high end dining, most are looking to be wowed by a meal where they can say, "This is one of the best ::whatever ingredient:: dishes I've ever had!"

Atera, however, is very much like an arthouse film. It's about the chef's unique vision and his journey that he wants to take you on. While they cater to allergies and dietary restrictions, they will not cater to dietary preferences. There's a lot of visual beauty and technique that one can geek out on, but you have to be really into the genre.

Overall, it feels like there is much less of an attempt to connect and relate the vision with the diner than at other high end restaurants around the city. If you're a foodie that can appreciate all that's going on at Atera, you might have a good meal. But if you're saving up to go out for one big delicious, celebratory night out, you could easily walk out of there disappointed and be like, "What just happened?"

Because my friend couldn't sit in the high barstool/chair arrangements in the main dining room, we ate in the library/private dining room. It's a nice, cozy space downstairs next to the prep kitchen. While this removed the interaction with the chefs that's a part of the experience, we did get dedicated servers and the service was excellent.

The chefs also tend to have their meetings here when brainstorming ideas for dishes.

Across the hall from the library room is a fairly sizable room filled with gym equipment that the staff can use. The owner of the restaurant is also owner of the entire building so I don't know if other building tenants share this as well.

There were 22 "courses" in total. Before the proper set of courses are a set of snacks. The first one of the night was a beer macaron with caviar. The beer flavor was not very strong, and the flavor combination with caviar was not particularly memorable. Not a strong first impression.

Up next were flax cookies. They're pretty much what you would expect flax cookies to taste like, being a bit more flavorful than cardboard.

Their version of a lobster roll involved using slightly toasted yeast meringue in place of the bread. An interesting idea, but the most noticeable thing was that the lobster mixture itself wasn't very good.

My friend couldn't have the lobster, so they gave him a fried sunchoke skin which he enjoyed.

The next three items were all variations of cracker or flatbread. Unfortunately, the menu they sent me afterward (by mail!) had no descriptions of the snacks so I don't recall what these were.

Next were quail eggs which we just popped into our mouths, only being told well after things were cleared that the egg whites were actually made of aioli while the yolk was a real quail egg yolk. The difference was lost on us, however.

Their play on razor clams was a sight to behold. The edible shell was made of french bread hollowed out to have just the crunchy crust remaining, and then hand painted with squid ink. The filling was a chantilly cream also flavored with razor clams. While it was visually stunning, I couldn't shake the fact that the flavors were mild while I'm so used to razor clams being intensely flavored.

Lichen. Not something made to look like it. This was pretty much it. It was moss that was cooked and reformed into this shape, and it pretty much tasted like wet grass.

Swordfish cured and prepared in the same way as ham, sprayed with ham essence. This gave the swordfish a more tender texture, but the fish and pork flavors didn't marry as well as say pork with shellfish.

GRILLED TOMATO ICE WITH SEA URCHIN
I've had tomato ice before, but the grilled flavor really comes through here and makes the dish unique.

This was one of the tastier dishes of the evening. The slightly smoky grilled tomato flavor enhanced the briny ocean flavors of the sea urchin underneath, while the sweetness and tartness of the overall dish was balanced well when blended together.

DIVER SCALLOPS WITH PICKLED GREEN TOMATOES AND SESAME
FEATURING SUMMER PURSLANE
The dish was well balanced across sweet, sour, nutty, and salty flavors.

While everything is featured to achieve said balance, it's hard to say it's a successful scallop dish when the scallop does not stand out in sweetness or meatiness.

PEEKY-TOE CRAB WITH COLD HERB INFUSION, STRAINED BUTTERMILK
FEATURING ARTICHOKE
The cold herb infusion combined with the buttermilk was light and refreshing. You would think those flavors would highlight the sweetness of the crab, but that wasn't the case here. Perhaps the crab just wasn't that sweet to begin with.

LAMB TARTARE
The lamb tartare was quite good. Topped with some lamb fat or oil, it tasted fresh and was not gamey at all.

BLACK MALT CRACKER
This came with the tartare to provide a crunchy texture, but I'm much more used to malt flavor in sweets.

SALTED RYE
The bread was quite good, and the extra salt on the crust was a nice touch.

BUTTER
The butter is brushed with the rind of a cheese, carrying a cheesy richness in its soft texture.

"RAMEN"
FEATURING ANISE HYSSOP
Not only did these noodles not look like ramen (they look more like udon noodles), I could immediately tell these were squid strips on first bite. I thought this was a complete fail. The dish was neither tasty nor creative nor successful in its attempt to be whimsical.

ESCABECHE VEGETABLES WITH COCO BEANS
FEATURING ANISE HYSSOP
Our friend who couldn't have the squid had this instead, which seemed more successful. Atera does very good things with a wide array of vegetables, but seems a bit weaker in coaxing concentrated flavor out of a main protein ingredient.

SEARED DUCK HEART WITH TENDER YOUNG VEGETABLES, PASTRAMI SPICES
FEATURING NASTURTIUM
This was one of the best dishes of the night. The duck heart was amazingly tender while the vegetables and spices filled the range of textural senses and sweet, sour, and bitter tastes in perfect harmony.

One of the more interesting things I found was that the balance in some of these dishes was extraordinary. While Thomas Keller's approach is to leave the diner "wanting one more bite", the approach here resulted in a feeling that every portion was exactly enough. While that is a marvelous feat, it does take away from some of the excitement of keeping the diners on their toes.

SOURDOUGH BASTED IN MANGALITSA PORK FAT
One of the best things of the night, just a gut bomb that puts even Momofuku's gut bombs to shame. Especially if you go for the overkill by putting some of that cheesy butter on it.

DRIED BEET "EMBER" WITH HAY ASH
FEATURING TROUT ROE
This was probably the only dish of the night where I thought, "This is one of the best ::whatever ingredient:: dishes I've ever had!". This was a brilliant preparation of beet, with the smoky charred exterior flavor matching well with the sweet vegetable, creamy crustacean sauce, and the salty roe.

The roe also played a role in providing a texture contrast to the soft flesh of the vegetable.

BRINED HAKE WITH WILDFLOWER HONEY AND YOGURT
FEATURING DAISY
I think I had fish with honey before at WD50, but I wasn't a fan of it either time. I also wasn't a fan of the fish's texture, which was more stringy like bacalao as opposed to something that resembled flesh.

BARBEQUED VEAL SWEETBREADS WITH HAZELNUT
FEATURING GARLIC CHIVE
It is rare to get barbecue sauce in a fine dining meal, but here it was. It wasn't bad, but was a bit overpowering. I thought the best part of the dish was the garlic chive.

My friend who couldn't have the sweetbreads had the same preparation with cauliflower. I didn't taste it, but I imagine that the flavor and texture of cauliflower probably stood up better to the sauce than the sweetbreads did.

BEEF STRIP LOIN WITH MARROW, SMOKED ONION, MATSUTAKE
FEATURING LOBSTER MUSHROOM
The beef is aged about a month, and everything in the description sounded amazing. And yet, while this tasted good, there was no wow factor. This should have been a wow dish, but ended up underwhelming amid the expectations.

WHITE ROSE WITH WILDFLOWER SHERBET
FEATURING SEA ROSE MALLOW
I thought this was too tart for my tastes, but my dining companions thought it was fine. Another example of elaborate preparation, with the rose water frozen and reformed to look like a rose.

DRIED FRUIT WITH RAW MILK ICE CREAM
FEATURING PARSLEY
Another guessing game where they asked what we thought the fruit was. I got it immediately that it was tomato. It's an interesting combination, as I kept thinking that it tasted good while having it feel weird in my mouth at the same time.

It had already been a long meal and I don't quite recall these end of dinner snacks. I believe one was a caramel truffle.

BOURBON CASK ICE CREAM SANDWICH WITH ALMOND, VANILLA
FEATURING OAK
It was nice at this point to have something that was more of a straightforward sweet treat. The bourbon, almond, and vanilla flavors worked well together.

CHURRO WITH SALSIFY AND CINNAMON
FEATURING WHITE CARDAMOM
This dish to me is the epitome of what I feel is wrong with Atera. I bit into this to discover it had kind of a tough, chewy texture. When I commented out loud about the texture, the server, who's in on the joke, quipped, "Oh I'm sorry, did we give you a stale one?" He then explains that it was not a regular churro as we know it, but rather it was made of salsify through some elaborate process. While that was cool, it was still tough and significantly worse than a real churro. Maybe they were hoping that I'd be sitting there pondering this salsify creation, but the only thing that popped into my mind was "WHY THE FCK WOULD YOU SERVE ME A STALE FCKING CHURRO?"

Big NFL Spreads (sport, gambling)

Of the twelve games on Sunday, only two have spreads that are within a FG and there are four games with spreads greater than a TD. The JAC@HOU game also features a spread of 15 points, the second largest so far this season.

Big NFL Spreads are tough because there truly is a lot of parity in the league, and points are at a premium in the league. Most heavily favored teams will often have high powered offenses that are capable of generating points in a short amount of time. However, I feel that the focus should really be on defense when looking at big spreads.

A good and proud defense will be one that still fights hard at the end of a game to prevent that backdoor cover that many bettors are so afraid of. A good defense will also be able to make up for an off day for the offense by shortening the field.

A look at Sunday's big spreads will show that there is only one game featuring an elite defense, and that is Houston. Sure the line is almost a TD more than the ones in the other games, but I believe that is more a reflection of Jacksonville being much worse than San Diego, Cleveland, and Arizona.

Another interesting team to look at is the Atlanta Falcons. While both Dallas and Denver give up fewer yards per game, Atlanta is the only other team giving up less than 20 points per game. Given Atlanta's no huddle offense, I think that says a lot about their defensive prowess. Combine that with Arizona's still horrible offensive line, and I think Atlanta is worth a play too.

Picks:
JAC@HOU
HOU -15

ARZ@ATL
ATL -9.5

Is it really that simple? (sport, gambling)

Detroit has one of the highest scoring 4th quarter offenses, averaging 13.4 points in the final period (I'm not sure if this stat includes overtime points). One reason for this is the fact that Detroit has been playing from behind most of the season, sometimes far behind. Offenses are obviously more likely to score if they use all four downs on every set and are in the hurry up.

Jacksonville is also a team that's often been playing from behind this season. And yet, Jacksonville has one of the poorest 4th quarter offenses, averaging 3.7 points and scoring exactly ZERO points in the 4th quarter in three home games. What makes it even worse for them is that their defense is giving up an average of 10.4 points in the fourth quarter, with that number going up to 13.7 at home.

So why is Jacksonville so much worse than usual (and their usual is pretty bad) in the 4th quarter, especially at home? I read an observation online that could easily be the explanation. It's not something reflected in numbers or stats, but it does makes a lot of sense. The Jaguars' home uniform is a black jersey with black pants! Sometimes, it really is just that simple.

It's already likely that the Jaguars' defense is on the field more than average because of their shaky offense. Compounding that by trapping the sweltering heat of that muggy Florida weather (temps in 80s, humidity frequently 30%+) through head-to-toe black uniforms is disastrous! I can't imagine how exhausted the players must be by the fourth quarter.

DET@JAC
DET-4.5

If you can play props, just bet Detroit 4th quarter.
Otherwise, I would suggest playing Detroit full game, and adding to it at halftime if the game is close or if somehow Jacksonville has the lead.

Hooray for Good $1 Sushi (food)

While I mostly write about high end fine dining, I am also partial to good deals at the lower end of the price range. So I was very excited to discover that the $1/pc a la carte sushi at Tomo Sushi in Jackson Heights was not only cheap, but good as well. I remember the Queens Blvd branch from a few years back, but this Jackson Heights branch is a closer walk for me.

It's the same $1/pc for both sushi and sashimi. The sashimi is nicely cut into shorter, thicker pieces.

There is quite a good selection on offer, from the more popular "big three" of salmon, tuna, and yellowtail, to eel and white tuna (escolar). The rice was just a bit tough on one night, but otherwise, the grain size, vinegar, and temperature were fine. The pieces are also of decent size.

While there's plenty to like about filling up on cheap sushi, the real value comes from all the more special pieces, such as toro (limited availability), uni, and scallop, all still for $1/pc. You won't be able to see every individual bump on the urchin tongue, but both the uni and the scallops are still sweet.

Also at a discounted price are the hand rolls at $2.50/pc. Pictured here is the spicy tuna crunch hand roll. This is another good deal as the filling goes all the way to the bottom, and there are actual diced bits of tuna as opposed to just a thoroughly mashed "pink slime".

I WAS Looking Forward to This Season at MSG (sport, food)

Tonight is the start of the new NBA season. Last April I went to a late-season Knicks game and had an enjoyable time. The tickets weren't too bad (around $170 for 100 level behind the backboard) and the new food options sounded very interesting. So interesting, in fact, that I tried a whole lot of food in order to write this review. I really was looking forward to going again this season, until I checked out the online presale and the outrageous prices. Oh well.

Knicks dancers were available before the game for pictures and autographs. They seemed very nice.

The view of the game from my seat.

Food:

I did not feel like paying $15 for a chicken sandwich or getting sushi at a sporting event, so those didn't make the list of things I tried.

Andrew Carmellini's Sausage Boss:
I did try both the cheese bratwurst and the Italian sausage with onions and peppers. I thought the bratwurst was interesting and had more flavor, while the Italian sausage was a bit generic and a bit too sweet.

AquaGrill: Lobster shrimp roll was the only thing they served. The good thing was that they buttered and toasted the buns to order, but it also meant a longer wait than one might expect for the pre-made filling. At $21, it's fine for what it is but nothing spectacular. If you really have a craving for lobster while you're watching the Knicks or the Rangers, then by all means.

Drew Nieporent's Daily Burger: By far the best thing I had all night was the cheeseburger with bacon-onion jam. It was juicy, meaty, flavorful, and perfectly cooked.

I don't know if it comes through in this picture, but the interior is a perfect pink of loosely packed meat. Not only was this burger tasty in its own right, but I was wowed at the level of cooking for a stadium burger.

Red Zone Efficiency and the Over/Under (sport, gambling)

As the NFL continues to move toward more and more high-powered passing offenses, it's hard not to get caught up in betting the over. I think that's especially the case for the average public bettor, because big plays and lots of scoring is exciting and a great thing to root for. That being said, whichever side the public tends to favor, the opposite side is probably where most of the value is. So here are two under bets I like this weekend, joined by a common stat.

Big plays are going to happen in the NFL. I'd always wondered over the years why every Andre Johnson highlight seemed to feature him waiting for the ball 5+ yards behind the defense. Once you're beat as a defender, you're beat, and every team is going to have those moments. But the ability to stop the opponents in a confined field of play is something that can noticeably vary from team to team.

SEA@DET Under 42.5

Seattle is the perfect example of a bend-but-don't-break defense that has gone under the total in all but one game this season. Opponents have only been able to score a TD 25% of the time they're in the Red Zone. But you know who else has been great defending in the Red Zone? The Lions. Their opponents' Red Zone % has only been 30% this season. Think about it this way. Even if there were 10 scoring drives between these two teams, it would still only add up to about 3(TDs)x 7(points) + 7(FGs)x 3(points) = 42 total points by those percentages.

ATL@PHI Under 43.5

I liked this under when the line opened at 46, and I still like it here. This is another example of the fantasy football heuristic dominating people's perception. They look at a team like Atlanta, see great fantasy football numbers from Ryan, Jones, White, Gonzalez, and even Turner, and they conclude that this is a high scoring team, especially with so much mention of their no huddle offense. But fantasy points are skewed toward TDs, and I doubt the Falcons will have as much success as they've had, this time against an Eagles defense that has given up only a 35% Red Zone %. Add in the fact that Atlanta is a dome team playing outdoors in rainy weather, and there are too many factors that look to slow down this Falcons offense.

We can look at another interesting trend as well. Except for two games against very bad teams in Kansas City and Carolina, Atlanta has played under the total in all its other games. The Eagles have also played under the total in all but two games, with one going over because of OT, and another going over by half a point.

I'm Back!

Sorry it's been almost three months since an update!

A lot has been going on, but I think things will be a bit more settled going forward. So that means more posts going forward as well as catching up on what I've been doing! This will include food and restaurant posts, sports and betting views for the rest of the NFL season and the upcoming NBA season, as well as resuming random observations on TV/Entertainment and Economics/Politics. Well, maybe not politics, that's not really my thing.

Some of these posts I might write ahead of time and then space them out in the publishing, so check back often for updates!

Excellent Food at Le Bernardin (food)

I've written before that in NYC I find Per Se and Eleven Madison Park to be the best celebratory dining experiences while other well known top tier restaurants such as Le Bernardin, Daniel, and Jean Georges tend to be more like a "canteen to the rich". Obviously that analogy is exaggerated, but the point is that they are more traditional restaurants with great food and less of a grand overall experience.

Atmosphere: The renovation has made Le Bernardin feel more like a restaurant than the old "office lobby" feel it used to have. The dining room feels more spacious and modern, and even the bar area feels less stuffy than before. While there were clearly people there on dates, I did not find the space romantic at all. The lighting was fairly bright (which I actually like personally), and to compare, it lacked the view of Per Se, the serenity of Eleven Madison Park, and the warmth of Daniel.

Service: The bartender and servers seemed friendlier, especially compared to my last visit, during which I would classify them as downright snooty. The service is efficiently run, and you don't get the sense that there are too many servers which often results in "hovering". One interesting result is that while dishes arrive at the same time, they do not always get placed at your table simultaneously by multiple servers as they would at some other places.

Food: I find that the key at these more traditional restaurants is to order a la carte or prix fixe, and avoid the tasting menu. I found this to be true at Daniel, Marea, and now Le Bernardin. The food is excellent, but do not expect some grand tasting menu of elaborately composed and plated small bites.

I arrived early and sat at the bar for a bit. They offer bar snacks in the form of walnuts, rice crackers, and yuzu popcorn.

SMOKED SALMON, CRAB SALAD, WATERMELON SOUP
The amuse was brought to the table before we even got our menus. The crab salad stood out with its freshness.

The bread selection was quite good, with my favorites being sourdough and brioche.

FLUKE - FLUKE "SASHIMI"; MICRO WATERCRESS AVOCADO JALAPENO-LIME BROTH

CAVIAR TARTARE ($45 SUPPLEMENT) - LEAPING WATERS BEEF, LANGOUSTINE AND OSETRA CAVIAR TARTARE BLACK PEPPER-VODKA CREME FRAICHE, POMME GAUFRETTE
Unlike a traditional tartare flavored with condiments, this was extremely clean tasting and allowed the freshness of the ingredients to shine through. The addition of the raw langoustine provided brilliant sweetness, though I would have preferred the caviar to have been slightly saltier than it was to balance it out.

MESCLUN SALAD - SALAD OF THE DAY'S MARKET HERBS AND VEGETABLES WITH BALSAMIC-SHALLOT DRESSING
For a restaurant that specializes in seafood, they do a fine job of catering to other tastes. For example, this salad is far superior to the one at Marea where the salad looked like they had just "put something together".

SCALLOP - WARM SCALLOP "CARPACCIO"; SNOWPEAS AND SHIITAKE LIME-SHISO BROTH

BACALAO - GRILLED SALTED COD; HEARTS OF BABY ROMAINE "CAESAR VINAIGRETTE"

LANGOUSTINE - SAUTEED LANGOUSTINE; SUMMER TRUFFLE AND CHANTERELLE AGED BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
This was one of most extraordinary langoustine preparations I've ever had. This was just perfect. While cooked langoustine can easily be overdone and raw langoustine often has a bit of chewiness/stringiness that I don't like, this langoustine was perfect with a warm, soft texture. The sweetness was balanced well with the earthy truffle and mushrooms and enhanced by the vinaigrette. This is probably my favorite composed langoustine dish, although I still love the simplicity of the langoustine en papillote at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon.

BLACK BASS - CRISPY BLACK BASS; PICKLED CUCUMBERS BLACK GARLIC-PERSIAN LEMON SAUCE
One of Le Bernardin's signature dishes, the skin was indeed crispy and the sauce was simple yet had a complex flavor with the black garlic. Although I can certainly understand if people feel that this dish is too straightforward.

SKATE - BAKED SKATE "EN PAPILLOTE"; PICKLED CHANTERELLES, BABY TURNIPS "GREEN MARNIERE"
I did not see them opening up the papillote so I'll have to take their word for it. In between the the two pieces of beautifully cooked skate were more vegetables and turnips, which really made the dish with crunchiness and flavors that complemented the delicate skate beautifully.

DOVER SOLE - SAUTEED SOLE; BROWN-BUTTER TAMARIND VINAIGRETTE
This dish, to me, stole the show among the main courses. The fish was perfectly cooked with delicate flaky flesh and a slight browning on the outside. While I often find dover sole sauces to be too rich, this one felt just right and beautifully balanced.

"ALMOND-PISTACHIO-BARBERRY" GOLDEN BASMATI
This came with the Dover Sole, but I didn't feel it was necessary.

PASTA - BLACK TRUFFLE-BUFFALO MOZZARELLA STUFFED RAVIOLI "SUMMER VEGETABLES", PARMESAN SAUCE
This sounded great on the menu so we ordered one for the table. While all the components were tasty, I didn't feel that the dish really came together as a whole. It could be because we focused on our fish courses first, but the pasta felt limp. I don't have a problem with that myself, but if you equate pasta with al dente, this wouldn't work for you.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT - MADAGASCAN CHOCHOLATE CANACHE, PEANUT MOUSSE SALTED CARAMEL ICE CREAM

ASSORTMENT OF ICE CREAM - VANILLA, COFFEE, CINNAMON, CHOCOLATE
Honestly I don't really remember the flavors exactly. I asked for the egg, but they told me that it's not available at all now that Laiskonis is gone. Having already ordered the chocolate peanut, nothing else on the menu jumped out at me.

They gifted us this passionfruit and white chocolate dessert, which was good even though I'm not a big passionfruit person.

MIGNARDISES

The food is excellent, with some of the best composed seafood preparations I've ever had. The overall meal itself, however, seemed to me to lack a grandeur that one now expects from a 3 Michelin Star "destination" restaurant. But if the only thing that matters is food, and you're not saving up to be wowed by a whole night out extravaganza with delicately composed plates, then it truly is some of the best.