LIC Market

Tags

brussel sprouts, dessert, dinner, happy hour, queens, restaurant reviews

Things have been crazy these last few days. I sat down to take a peak at the blog and realized its been a week since I last blogged.

Sad.

Change is inevitable in life and with change comes adjustment. While things haven’t been set in stone, the adjustment has begun and I am still finding my rhythm.

Vague. I know. But there will be answers soon enough.

Its been a while since I have mentioned “the Dude”. Life happens and we lost touch for a while but when we recently reconnected, we thought there was no other way to do so than over something delicious. In true Diva and Dude fashion, we chose some place new…correction, Dude chose some place new and I just went with it.

I trust his taste.

He chose LIC Market. A cozy  restaurant with a great décor and awesome staff! Their menu is seasonal. Their happy hour is awesome. We arrived about an hour before the half price beer and wine specials were over.

We gushed over the cutesy, yet simple, décor.

Our server, Gina, was super friendly without being annoying and refreshingly honest. With so many wonderful selections on the menu, we asked for her honest opinion on what we should and should not try.

That particular day was really warm and she recommended we start with the Razor Clams appetizer since the constant change of weather would eventually make these guys impossible to find.

The clams were delicious. The broth they were smothered in was rich with garlic and wine and refreshing bits of parsley. When the clams were gone, Dude and I were using our bread to sop up the delicious broth… next time we ask for a spoon!

When it came to the entrees, Gina was honest and said the portions were a little on the small side and recommended we get an extra side to split. We then asked her for her favorites. She did not disappoint. To share, we got the wild rice and butternut squash. This was definitely delicious, but it wasn’t as good as the other things we tried.

Still, a Plus.

I ordered the Burger. The burger was GINORMOUS. On the side was a delectable wild oyster mushroom and truffle hash. Lately, I am a little hesitant when it comes to truffles as restaurants tend to have a heavy hand with truffle oil that turns me off, big time. But I was very happy with the results of this oyster mushroom and truffle hash. It wasn’t overpowering and every bit as delicious as I wanted it to be.

My burger?

Perfection.

The dude ordered the squab. The squab was also cooked to perfection with a gorgeous jewel-toned center that was tender and mouth-watering. Beneath the squab lay the most amazing brussel sprouts and bacon I have ever had. When I dine with the Dude, we split everything but I insisted he eat most of the squab and leave me as much of the brussel sprouts as he could part with… because they were THAT good!

By the time our meal was through, we were quite full. The restaurant was getting more crowded with locals and I was nursing my 2nd beer (which Gina let me order before the 7pm deadline but kept cold for me until I was ready for it! winnning!) when I spotted the table beside us enjoying something sweet and very inviting.

“Gina, what is that over there!?!”

And then she listed the desserts. And how could we choose just one? Above are the apple fritters they made fresh with a side of crème fraiche. Warm. Cinnamon. Sugary. goodness.

And a berry crumble with crème anglaise.

It was quite a feast! But I wouldn’t have it any other way when reconnecting with one of my favorite peoples in the world.

Here’s to more adventures, Dude.

 

<a href=”http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/3/1547678/restaurant/New-York/LIC-Market-Long-Island-City”><img alt=”LIC Market on Urbanspoon” src=”http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1547678/biglink.gif” style=”border:none;width:200px;height:146px” /></a>

Danny Brown

Tags

beet, burger, date, dinner, duck, goat cheese, queens, wine

Believe it or not, as much as I have proclaimed myself a content singleton, I have in fact been dating. It’s kind of crazy how it all happened, really. I put myself out there last year and then other personal things started to hit the fan and I realized I needed to be focusing on myself. My mom freaked but who could blame her. Her only daughter said with conviction “i might never get married or have kids but I’m not upset one bit about it”. Mom never gave up hope. And I never stopped pursuing things that made me happy.
But at some point in January, I needed a friend. And he was there. He who? Not important at the moment. But soon enough you shall know.
He took me by surprise as we hung out in a friendly capacity. And I found myself thinking about him even days after we last saw each other.
What I am trying to say is, I am seeing someone for the first time in a LONG time. Sure, I have had dates and I have dated someone for longer than 2 months but never someone I liked this much. And I have gotten so caught up in this new part of my life that I am trying to find a balance between my old way and the new way. Blogging must not suffer! Please bear with me as I adjust to this new “routine”.

It certainly wasn’t my intention to take a blogging break, or blog so sporadically; which is why I carried my camera along on our second date to Queens’ first Michelin star restaurant, Danny Brown Wine Bar.
The ambiance at Danny Brown is warm, inviting, relaxing, and intimate. We had reservations for a Sunday evening and found the place bustling; which was nice.

Our server was ever attentive and patient. My date knows wine like I know food so I chose our food and he chose the wine to go with.
He chose a Bordeaux. I’m not usually a fan of reds but he assured me with the right food, the wine would be less offensive on my palate

To start, I ordered a beet and goat cheese appetizer which was massive. The beets were sugary sweet and supple and the huge lump of warm goat cheese was a great addition. I mistakenly devoured the entire appetizer…(ever consume too many beers? Oh boy will you be seeing red!)

He ordered a grilled squid and white bean dish that was more tasty than it sounded. The squid was perfectly cooked without being chewy or slimy and with the bed of white beans underneath it, he was filling up rather quickly.

For the main course, he ordered the duck confit. The duck was tender and needed only a gentle touch from a fork to free itself from the bone while the skin on the duck was so crispy! A bite of his dish was quite sinful.

I had initially wanted a hangar steak but was told it was sold out… and then i opted for the salmon. And that was sold out too. I was not really craving anything crazy or heavy and opted for the burger. In my mind, it was wise because a place of this caliber would make even a burger a hot item… But I was wrong. It was served on a toasted English muffin that was too hard to eat, even after sawing at it with my knife. The meat, while cooked medium was mealy and bland. I was glad I ate my appetizer because I was full already. The fries were great and I shared them with my date.
We were too stuffed from dinner for dessert but finished our wine and hit the town for more fun 🙂
It wasn’t bad for my first time at Danny brown. I would definitely go again, but next time order something better than a burger!