Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: When you are given the opportunity to order a burger cooked to order and you order it pass medium rare, you are on notice
My parents love going to Union Square Café and after coming here for brunch again, I can see why. Though it kind of gets lost in the chaos of the Green Market and hidden behind the Bluewater Grill, Union Square Café is executing great food and the brunch here is one of the best in the city.
I cannot get enough of their polenta squares, this time to coincide with the season, some blueberries. Crisp on the outside and custard like in the inside, this was enough to get me my sugar fix. Okay, my sugar fix for the morning.
 |
| Polenta Crisp |
I cannot get enough of their polenta squares, this time to coincide with the season, some blueberries. Crisp on the outside and custard like in the inside, this was enough to get me my sugar fix. Okay, my sugar fix for the morning.
The appetizers like the sugar snap pea tagliantini salad that was shaved sugar snap pea, pecorino and guanciale. I mean, there is really no way this dish can go wrong with the combination of face bacon and pecorino.
The other appetizer we got was the hamachi crudo with pickled vanilla pineapple and an avocado puree. I was wary of the pickled vanilla pineapple, but the vanilla was subtle and worked nicely with the cubes of hamachi.
 |
| Sugar snap peas |
The other appetizer we got was the hamachi crudo with pickled vanilla pineapple and an avocado puree. I was wary of the pickled vanilla pineapple, but the vanilla was subtle and worked nicely with the cubes of hamachi.
 |
| Hamachi Crudo |
For mains we got the Chicken Cutlet Milanese which as my Mom compared it to a tonkatsu, thankfully she did not attempt to ask the waiter for katsu sauce. It was topped with a salad/vegatable bomb. It felt like it was a guilty, pleasure, hide the awesome tasty chicken under the mound of healthy green stuff.
My dad got the lamb chops that had a creamy Gruyere potato gratin that I think could have been a dish on its own.
Lamb chops were thin, but still cooked to a perfect temperature and I if it was not for the public setting, bone gnawing would have been done. The cappellini is something that is not to be missed, with stracciatella, zucchini and truffles. There is a healthy dose of summer truffles on this dish and perfumes just about everything. Creamy and earthy, this dish was worth every bite.
The Ahi tuna burger was another great hit. I liked it that they cook the tuna to your desired temperature, and doing this anything pass medium rare in my opinion (like a good old hamburger) is a sin and you should be forced to give up meat. The tuna burger has a whole Asian vibe going to it, with pickled ginger and a cabbage slaw that has sesame in it. The burger is just as rich as any red meat burger. The tuna was juicy and though I do not like pickled ginger, it worked well with the burger and was balanced out with the cabbage slaw.
 |
| Chicken Milanese...under that forest of greens |
My dad got the lamb chops that had a creamy Gruyere potato gratin that I think could have been a dish on its own.
 |
| LAMB?? |
Lamb chops were thin, but still cooked to a perfect temperature and I if it was not for the public setting, bone gnawing would have been done. The cappellini is something that is not to be missed, with stracciatella, zucchini and truffles. There is a healthy dose of summer truffles on this dish and perfumes just about everything. Creamy and earthy, this dish was worth every bite.
 |
| Cappellini and summer truffles |
The Ahi tuna burger was another great hit. I liked it that they cook the tuna to your desired temperature, and doing this anything pass medium rare in my opinion (like a good old hamburger) is a sin and you should be forced to give up meat. The tuna burger has a whole Asian vibe going to it, with pickled ginger and a cabbage slaw that has sesame in it. The burger is just as rich as any red meat burger. The tuna was juicy and though I do not like pickled ginger, it worked well with the burger and was balanced out with the cabbage slaw.
 |
| Tuna Burger |
There are few places that I eat at repeatedly, the options here in New York are tremendous and with new places always popping up, you could go on without eating a the same restaurant twice, but with a place like Union Square Café, you want to come here repeatedly.
Union Square Café
21 East 16th Street
New York, NY 10003
New York, NY 10003
http://www.unionsquarecafe.com/
I can not only but concur with you! However, I do so miss Michael Romano's dishes such as the Filet Mignon of tuna, and, especially now, the salmon on a bed of corn, shittake, greens, and his special sauce. To die for!
ReplyDelete"Rex"