FOOD PICS OF THE WEEK - Park Lane Tavern

Park Lane Tavern (***)

1250 Fordham Dr Virginia Beach, VA 23464

I came for a beer but stayed for the fish n chips.

I will say that enjoyed my experience at Park Lane Tavern, which is a British-inspired pub. The hubby and I had to lol for a little bit because the ceiling of the tavern has a huge painting of the European Union’s flag.

was like, I thought that the UK was not a part of the EU any longer. Perhaps, Park Lane Tavern did not get the memo, or they are hoping that the UK will rejoin the EU. Actually, maybe the physical vibe of the restaurant is British, but they have cuisines from other EU countries.

Anywho, on to the food. While we were deciding on what to eat, the waitress told us that the day’s special was fish n chips. Once I heard that I was sold.

I’m gonna say that this was the BEST fish n chips that I have eaten in a very long time. OMG, the fish was fried perfectly (ie the breading was not soggy as hell and the fish was nice and flaky) and the fries had just the right amount of salt on them. I’m glad that I gave Park Lane, as an establishment, a second chance. A couple of months before this visit, the hubby and I had brunch at the other location in Hampton. That experience was a hot mess for the following reasons:

  • The food kinda sucked. I get really annoyed when restaurants screw up simple things like eggs.

  • The Hampton location is way too large for the amount of staff they have. As a result, the service was very slow.

FOOD PIC OF THE WEEK - MARSEILLE

MARSEILLE (***)

630 9th Avenue, NY, NY 10036 (Midtown West, Hell’s Kitchen, Theater District)

The hubby and I decided to check out this spot for NYC Restaurant Week 2022. Basically, Restaurant Week gives folks a chance to check out restaurants’ special prix-fixe menus. This year, the price of a three-course meal was about $60 (~$39 for a two-course lunch). My oh my, how times AND prices have changed. I remember doing restaurant week for the first time back in 2003, and I remember the prices being $20.03 and $30.03 for lunch and dinner, respectively.

I will say that walking into this restaurant definitely took me back to Paris, France. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know that Paris is in the central region and Marseille is in the southern region of France. However, the vibe and the decor of the restaurant were definitely French.

Let me get to the food. The photos (like always) are kind of struggling because the restaurant was pretty dark, and I did not care to mess with all of the camera settings. Also, I was in true starvation mode.

APPETIZERS

Left to Right: Oysters (not included in the Restaurant Week's menu), Kabocha Squash Gnocchi, and Tuna Tartare (with seaweed salad and roe)

Since I know that the hubby loves his tuna tartare, I let him choose that appetizer while I went with the gnocchi. I've never been a huge fan of gnocchi because many places make it a bit TOO chewy for my liking, but this one had the perfect consistency/texture for me. Also, the crème fraîche really elevated the dish. I wonder if it would be appropriate to order gnocchi at an Italian place, but request that they use crème fraîche to prepare it. ;)

Main Course

Left to Right: Branzino (with parsnip purée, cauliflower, black truffle dashi) and Duck Breast (with Swiss chard, turnip puree, and farro)

I am so glad that I selected the branzino because it was out of this world AMAZING. For me, I love when branzino's "meat" is flaky while the skin is nice and crispy. Very few restaurants (IMO) can acquire that perfect combination. The fish was so delicious that I almost ordered another one for the road. Being that Marseille is a French restaurant (and we were dining there during Restaurant Week), I expected the portions to be on the smaller side, but the portions were pretty generous for my starving a**.

DESSERT

 
 

My Sticky Toffee Pudding with pecan ice cream was delicious, but it was not anything out of this world.

RESTAURANT WEEK: FINAL THOUGHTS

Because of Restaurant Week, I definitely could see myself dining at Marseille again. Since the restaurant is right in the Theatre District, it is a perfect spot to grab a bite to eat and/or some drinks before or after hitting up a Broadway show. I have to say that my French 75 cocktail was very yummy. Also, it's good to know that Marseille has oysters on its happy hour menu, and y'all know that I love all things shellfish.

Ok, the point of Restaurant Week is to sample food from restaurants that you would not regularly visit and to help the food services industry. For this year's Restaurant Week, I really wanted to support a Black- or Brown-owned restaurant in my neighborhood of Harlem. However, for the Harlem restaurants that piqued my interest, none of the $60 special menus really made me go: LET'S EAT HERE. Keep in mind $60 is the bare minimum because you have to add in additional cocktails, tax, and tip. Since you are getting more bang for your buck, it's an unwritten rule that you should tip a little more during Restaurant Week. Being raised on Soul Food, I am not going to pay $60 for corn chowder (appetizer), fried chicken with a couple of sides (main), and peach cobbler or banana pudding (dessert). Let me stop being so negative. Since there is a lunch option for Restaurant Week, I'll look into some of the lunch offerings from the Harlem restaurants.

FOOD PIC OF THE WEEK

SETTEPANI (***)

196 Lenox Ave, New York, NY 10026

A Christmas Eve pizza craving. After running some errands in preparation for “Tropical Christmas”, I was so frustrated with everything (and everyone) that I needed to eat my frustrations away with a pizza pie from a local spot. Settepani has been my go-to (primarily for cocktails and wine) pretty much since we moved to Harlem back in 2017. Actually, I think this was the second restaurant that I visited after moving to the neighborhood. Of course, I visited the restaurant because I “needed” a glass of wine.

PROSCIUTTO PIZZA

I decided to go with this guy because I was feeling meaty. The “simple” pizza consists of prosciutto (of course), mozzarella, basil, and Mike’s honey.

Prosciutto pizza from Settepani in Harlem, New York

Since I am of a Southern background, I tend to like my food a bit spicy. That said, I’m not too sure that I am a huge fan of Mike’s Hot Honey (***) on my pizza. I do not know, but the sweetness of the sauce took away from the flavor of the prosciutto topping. I guess that many folks like the combination of sweet and savory, but I’m not too keen with this mix of flavors on my pizza. Maybe I was not feeling the sweetness because I was in a crabby mood from running errands on the day before Christmas. Oh well, next time, I’ll just ask for the pizza without the hot honey sauce. However, I think Mike’s Hot Honey would be a perfect sauce for other foods such as french fries, chicken waaaaangs/tenders, or any other fun fried food.

Food Pic of the Week

Tomiño Taberna Gallega (***) 

192 Grand St., New York, NY 10013

The place has appeared on FPotW countless times, folks should know the deal:

  • A Galician (a region in northwest Spain) restaurant in the heart of Little Italy (or Chinatown depending on who you ask).

  • Amazing food

  • Great gin-tonics

Chuletón de ‘vaca vieja’:

 
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Cigalas langoustines + Zamburiñas Bay scallops:

 
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Torrija de bica gallega:

 
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Food Pic of the Week

Tomiño Taberna Gallega (***) 

192 Grand St., New York, NY 10013

This place has made several appearances on here. Because of this pandemic, it has been a bit tough to check out new spots. I've been repeated many places because

  • many places are closed or do not have outdoor dining options;

  • if I have to wear a mask, load up on hand sanitizer, and eat outside during the winter, I want to go to a place that I know will serve up good food.

The hubby, one of his best friends from Spain, and I went here to celebrate Three Kings Day. Unfortunately, I was distracted by the events that were taking place in DC so I really did not take too many pictures of our food . . . and cocktails.

The plato fuerte - Arroz Caldoso

I wonder if the restaurant put three cigalas (Norway lobster) in the dish because it was Three Kings Day. You know, one cigala for each king.

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In addition to serving yummy food from the Galician region of Spain, Tomiño has a wide array of gin tonic cocktails. After learning how much sugar is in tonic water (prob back in 2004), gin n seltzer has been my go-to cocktail. However, Tomiño uses tonic water (I forget the brand's name) that's typically served in Europe, which is significantly less sweet than the tonic water that we use here in the States.

 
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I think this one was the roses and juniper berry gin tonica.

Food Pic of the Week

Tomiño Taberna Gallega (***) 

 192 Grand Street, New York, NY 10013

After our “prove to the US government that your marriage is real” interview with homeland security, the hubby and I stopped by this place for lunch to celebrate/commiserate the end of our grilling session. This place always hits the spot.

QUARANTINE HOME COOKING - LAKE GEORGE EDITION

Because of COVID-19, I have not been able to check out local restaurants and be one of those people who takes pictures of his food before devouring it for the sake of posting on social media. Until I’m allowed to mingle with my fellow foodies, I’ll have to post food pics of things that we are making during our “new normal”. BTW, I hate the term, new normal.

We decided to spend a couple of days in Lake George with friends who live in our apartment building.

Seafood Paella Al Fresco

 
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Quarantine Home Cooking

Because of COVID-19, I have not been able to check out local restaurants and be one of those people who takes pictures of his food before devouring it for the sake of posting on social media. Until I’m allowed to mingle with my fellow foodies, I’ll have to post food pics of things that we are making during our “new normal”. BTW, I hate the term, new normal.

Here goes.


A simple glass of gazpacho overlooking Harlem

 
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Note, I pretty much add Tabasco sauce (or other forms of “heat”) to my food.

Tomiño Taberna Gallega (Jul. 28, 2019)

192 Grand St, New York, NY 10013

This restaurant may not be in Spain, but it can get you pretty close . . . in the culinary sense.

Arroz Caldoso con Bogavante - Large enough for two people.