Chiyono

I'd been meeting to visit this Japanese home-cooking spot for ages, but I kept forgetting the address. For some reason, it never registered with me that the restaurant was right by the prominent Mara's Homemade. Tonight, I walked by Mara's Arkansas barbeque ad and right into lovely little Chiyono.

A large vase of cherry blossoms decorated the long communal wooden table. (Chiyono pays special attention to the seasons; fried oysters are only available in winter, and fried eggplant in summer.) Since I had arrived between the hours of 5 and 6 p.m., the omakase (special multi-course meal) was still available. But at Chiyono, the omakase is not a special plate of sushi and sashimi; it is a dinner set of three appetizers, burdock soup, a choice of yuzu miso salmon or a fried sardine croquette, special rice, and dessert of the day. Since I have quite a large appetite, I ordered this special meal.

The set of three vegetable appetizers included a julienne of carrots and burdock in hot sesame oil, two chunks of Japanese eggplant, and a wonderful rendition of hijiki edamame salad, neither too sweet nor too vinegary. A well-peppered potato-burdock soup arrived afterwards.

Then, a plate of two large, miso-glazed, citrus-spiked salmon steaks arrived with a side of Japanese potato salad. Interestingly, the salad included golden raisins among the usual onions and cucumbers. I was also served a bowl of seasoned white rice; dried plums provided a smoky saltiness, and there were also sesame seeds and slivers of licorice-like shiso. I was amazed that the slightest sprinkling of these ingredients made the rice so flavorful.

The special dessert celebrated spring. Small preserved cherry blossoms had been baked into the green mugwort "chiffon" pound cake. A subtle sesame pudding, a spoonful of sweet azuki beans, a dollop of whipped cream and some sliced strawberries and apples completed the sweet. I also enjoyed the accompanying cup of roasted rice tea.

Towards the end of the meal, Chiyono herself came over to my table and talked about the special ingredients she cooks with. I was delighted to have made such a charming acquaintance and will certainly be back soon.

Chiyono: 328 East 6th St., (212) 673-3984.

A New Chocolatier In Town!

I never had the chance to dine at Zakuro before it closed, but I'm aflush with excitement about what's planned for the space it occupied. Max Brenner Chocolates, which used to operate the most wonderful chocolate bar at Harrod's, opens at 141 2nd Ave. on July 1. Another location, at 841 Broadway, will be opening on June 1. If my memory serves me well, Max Brenner will give ABC's Michel Cluizel Cafe a run for its money.


Max Brenner: (212) 896-3886.

Divine Frites At Cafe D'Alsace

Every so often, I'll develop a craving for a food other than chocolate. Strangely, this morning I awoke with a desire for French fries. I'd read something about the truffled asiago frites at David Burke at Bloomingdales (59th & Lexington Ave.), so I thought I'd start there.

I can't say that the cafe was inviting. The narrow room was packed with tired shoppers, and I was shunted to an uncomfortable stool by the window. I got hold of a harried waiter and ordered the fabled frites. When they arrived, they were cold and soggy. The truffle oil was a nice touch, but the shredded asiago was dry and cold, and the frites weren't well-salted. I didn't finish them (which is saying a lot).

This evening, I had another chance to satisfy my craving, and the second time was the charm. I took Grandma and Auntie over to the six-week-old Cafe D'Alsace, which is the first Upper East Side outpost of the French mini-empire which includes Nice Matin and Pigalle. (How perfect is it that the Alsatian restaurant landed in Yorkville?) I asked for the pommes frites (along with a Riesling-cream-sauced grilled brook trout garnished with white grapes and diced tomatoes) and they arrived piping hot, well-salted, golden-brown-crunchy and soft on the inside. Wonderful!

Cafe D'Alsace: 1695 2nd Ave., (212) 722-5133.

Barbounia

"How on earth did they get this octopus so tender?" I marveled. "It's blanched three times and then fire-grilled," said our waiter. The charred octopus appetizer, which also featured crunchy crystallized lemon zest, yellow grape tomatoes and fava beans, was the highlight of my meal at Barbounia.

I'd originally intended to try the restaurant's namesake appetizer (crispy barbounia), but due to weather conditions, the shipments of the little mullet had not arrived. So, in addition to the octopus, my companion and I ordered a picnic of starters: a board of sweet Italian salami with a tin of cornichons, and the trio of cheeses: olive-oil drizzled Parmesan and Taleggio with a terrine of pesto-topped ricotta. Oval cherry toasts, a branch of red grapes and some fig chutney accompanied the cheese. I wanted to order another serving and bring it to Central Park!

While we enjoyed the cheese, we sipped Abando Crianza, one of the excellent selections from the 20-page wine menu. (There was a rather long wait for the entree as the restaurant became increasingly full.) We shared the grilled dourade, which was crispy-skinned and redolent of thyme. Our sides were the herbed sunchokes and the creamy mascarpone polenta (yes, it's as good as it sounds).

Even though the cheese board was so dessertlike, we still ordered the special Moroccan chocolate pudding. This chocolate-cinnamon mousse was so dense that I could've eaten it with a knife and fork! It was topped with a healthy layer of whipped cream and served with churros. The fried donuts were not crunchy at all, but feather-light.

Barbounia: 250 Park Ave. South, (212) 995-0242.

Cha-An

Many restaurants stop serving lunch around 2:30 p.m. Often, I'll neglect to check my watch and then walk around in a hungry haze, wishing I hadn't missed the cut-off. Fortunately, I now have a trusty standby for those hours between lunch and dinner: Cha-An.

The menu is limited at this Japanese teahouse, but there's a wonderful lunch set (the "B") with changing selections. Today, the B included: two jumbo shrimp in a gelatinous spicy ginger-chili sauce, a tiny slice of quiche, crunchy hunks of bamboo shoot with caramelized onions, creamy seafood chowder with tomatoes, onions and shiitakes, tea-smoked salmon slices under a refreshing shredded radish and sprout salad, 15-grain rice, and finally, chocolate cake with mousse, cherries and vanilla ice cream. All of this was accompanied by a pot of my favorite Japanese tea, genmaicha!

Cha-An: 230 East 9th St., 2nd Floor, (212) 228-8030.

Find Friends Through Chocolate!

Clay Gordon (of Chocophile fame) is now hosting regular meetups at which like-palated people indulge in fine chocolates. But if you're not in the New York area, don't despair... chocolate lovers are everywhere!

Gribouille Patisserie Traditionelle (CLOSED)

"We printed out 100 take-out menus this morning, but they're already gone," said Timothy, the Parisian owner of the two-week-old Gribouille. I'm gratified at the instant popularity of this wonderul bakery-cafe! Among its many offerings are: quiche Lorraine both with and without bacon, Petrossian salmon sandwiches on fresh-baked brioche, organic omelettes, chocolate or coffee eclairs, lemon tarts, and delectable meringue-topped chocolate cupcakes. (Don't forget to ask for a "carte de fidelite" - once you've bought 10 pastries, they give you one free!) Timothy told me that he loves having his own cafe because he can serve all of his favorite foods. (They will likely become your favorites too.)

Gribouille Patisserie Traditionelle: 2 Hope St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn, (718) 384-3100.

Fresh-Baked Cookies...

...and performance art. Where might you find this juxtaposition? At PS1 Contemporary Art Center (22-25 Jackson Ave, LIC, Queens) this Sunday, April 9th from 3-6 p.m. The Scratch 'n Sniff Duo will be baking cookies while mixing live beats and sounds to celebrate the opening of PS1's "Reprocessing Reality" exhibit. Admission is free, and the cookies are as well.

Bouchon Bakery Snafu

As someone who hasn't yet scored a reservation at Per Se (I'm not very persistent), I was thrilled about the recent opening of Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery. However, my first experience was disappointing, and not because of the pastries (which were excellent).
I stepped out of the elevator, and there across from the A/X store was a display of the most exquisite danishes and tarts. Being in a comfort-food mood, I skipped over the beautiful mille-feuille napoleons and, in quick succession, ordered two vegetable jardiniere sandwiches, one giant chocolate-chip cookie, a TKO (buttercream Oreo) cookie, two "bouchons" (slightly-bigger-than-bite-sized brownies), a tuna Nicoise on ciabatta, an Illy cappuccino and finally, a beribboned bag of the aforementioned bouchons (I thought my grandmother might like them).

After browsing at Borders, I subwayed home and prepared to enjoy one of the jardinnieres, which had been advertised as containing sweet piquillo peppers. To my dismay, I realized that the bag was missing several important items. The two vegetable sandwiches were absent, but in a far greater tragedy for a chocolate-lover, the bag of bouchons was missing!

Morosely, I munched on my (terrific, olive-heavy) tuna Nicoise as I pondered whether I should call the bakery to try to claim the missing edibles. I'd paid in cash and hadn't kept my receipt.

There was no direct line to the bakery, just a voice recording, so I left a message for the cafe manager. She called back almost immediately and apologized, saying that if I returned, she would make sure that I received the sandwiches and "something extra for my trouble." By this time, the cafe was about to close, so I'd have to wait at least a day.

After one taste of the bouchon (meltingly chocolatey even at room temperature) I realized that I must return as soon as possible. The next day, I went back to the bakery, but the manager I had spoken with was not there! I explained my predicament to the slightly suspicious cafe personnel, and they packed up a bag of sandwiches, gherkins and bouchons for me.

Bouchon Bakery is definitely worth a second visit, no matter what the reason!

Bouchon Bakery: Shops at Columbus Circle, 3rd Floor, (212) 823-9366.