Christmas time is here (happiness and cheer)

The Christmas postings!

Christmas every year provides the same kind of fare, Italian. First stop was La Mela in Little Italy. A family style restaurant, its very basic kind of dining. Simple tables placed together and a little crowded. Pictures of celebrities with the owners plastered all over the walls, and strangely a flat screen television with security camera angles on the entire restaurant. Needless to say I made a few funny faces only to see my face on the screen. Before we get to the main event, I’d like to comment on the glasses. Very crisp lipped and square edges, I don’t know why but drinking out of these kinds of glasses seems more enjoyable.

Like most Italian restaurants a simple mozzarella and tomato plate starts the meal. This time there was black pepper and olive oil, the first of which seemed a little out of place. The mozzarella here was sliced very thickly sliced. Now this would be something that I favored, however it was very dry. Almost as though it was sitting in the air; rather then being in the “milk” that keeps it moist. I took no issue with the tomato, better then I expected. A so-so start.

Next the hot antipasto, roasted peppers, asparagus, stuffed mushrooms and a strange sort of fried mozzarella. I don’t particularly care for peppers or asparagus, however I adore stuffed mushrooms. These were fantastic; the stuffing was creamy and held a citrus note. The stuffing wasn’t overpowering to the great mushroom flavor and overall melded together well.

The mozzarella was something I had never seen before. It was layered with what I could only assume to be thin dough and then fried all around. Gooey was the word here, and although it had fantastic texture the dough felt uncooked. If they had cooked the dough first and then layered it, it could have lived up to its initial allure.

Interesting thing about La Mela is that the courses are ordered after the previous was finished, so say that we were full after the antipasto, then we would pay for that and it would be the end. In this case we got full after the pasta, so no meat was needed and we weren’t bursting at the seams. Here we have rigatoni, tortellini and Gnocchi. The rigatoni was very lackluster, nothing to write home about, I could have cooked it better at home. The Gnocchi couldn’t hold a candle to my mothers; they were gummy and bland, the sauce only masking that. The tortellini however, made up for all of that. These were the star of the meal. Cooked perfectly and stuffed appropriately, that is to say not bursting with filling. The flavor was at its peak, only to be boosted higher by the sauce. Creamy, buttery, call it what you will it was light in flavor but the texture really pushed the pasta further then any other sauce. Each individual tortellini was coated and I could hardly hold my self back from eating half the serving. Overall the parts I enjoyed were few and far between, but those that took to my taste were the stars of the meal themselves.

Phil’s Pizzeria in Massapequa was our Christmas Eve meal, and it was interesting to say the least. As you walk in, you see the usual pizzeria flair. Big glass cases holding crusty treats, Guys in aprons dishing out the pizza, what you would expect. Take a right turn and you’re in an entire dining area. This was more so a restaurant then it was a pizzeria. Rightfully so we ordered off the menu instead picking from the various glass cases.

Fried Calamari, ah were would I be without you? This was the first squid I tried in my life and it set me on a path I most certainly will never regret. This take was interesting, no tentacles first of all, I didn’t like that. They weren’t too chewy either, which was a breath of fresh air, but I found myself missing the bounce of the usual squid. Crispy was certainly the name of the game. Not so much crunchy, but the breading was really done nicely. And the squid didn’t taste stale at all, overall not bad a welcomed deviation.

I don’t know how to put this delecatley , the portions were titanic. I believe not a single person cleared their plate; each dish was easily for two. My first issue with my veal Marsala was that, you can’t see it. If you look really hard you can find it, but my veal was submerged and buried alive. This is poor poor presentation and really hurt the dish. The sauce was a broth and it held no flavors of white wine at all. The mushrooms had some flavor but were waterlogged. I wasn’t too pleased with this meal in the slightest. The veal last of all was meaty indeed, but I felt no veal flavor at all. It was assaulted by all of these powerful flavors. Sadly this meal suffered because of the size of the dish itself. Phil’s has great pizza, but ill pass on the menu next time. I miss my saltimbocca!

Christos Steak House located in Astoria Queens is indeed that, a steak house. Without a doubt the second you walk in you know what you’re in for. I won’t say man food, but there are big hunks of beef hanging in the windows as you walk in. I genuinely was excited as I walked into the doorways. A little aside: I love when coke is served in a bottle. It seems so right.

Bread: the savior for the initial hunger before the menus are returned. This was nice warm bread served with an olive spread. Just enough to hold the tides of hunger while the orders come in.

I opted for the New England clam chowder to kick start my meal. Without a doubt some of the best chowder I’d tasted. Creamy texture, nice chunks of clam and soothing. The flavor wasn’t fishy nor was it overly creamy either, a good solid chowder.

I adore steak tartar, the presentation is always magnificent. Served with a quail egg and some crispy chips I must again state the plating was gorgeous. It was hard to tear in, but well worth it. It was what you wanted to taste, tender juicy meaty chunks of beef with a touch of citrus. Hidden scallions and a bit of the quail egg sealed the deal. Very professional steak tartar, I could only dream of what my main course would be like. Heavenly.

Calamari once more! Very crispy most likley due to what seemed like butchers paper underneath to wick off excess oil. Very solid flavor, nice chew, good crunch, however it didnt take the Calamari to a new level but brought it to a high standard, in other words what I expect when I say "Good Calamari". Bonus Points for the paper though.

Steak au povire, possibly the only kind of steak I would order outside of a Barbecue situation. Its not that I dislike steak, it’s just that I never crave it in a restaurant setting. If it is served to me great, but usually I wont go out of my way to order it in a restaurant, which is if it isn’t steak au povire. This was an interesting deviation on the usual darker sauce. The cognac was certainly there, as well as bits of peppercorn, however this seemed to have a bit more cream then I would have liked. Without any doubt in my mind I do expect a creamy sauce, but this was more cream then it was sauce. Under the cream there was some incredible cracked pepper flavor. It oozed with the feeling and taste of au povire . A bit of chopped shallots on top to garnish, but then again how could I forget to mention the steak itself? This was a steakhouse, so of course there wouldn’t be any other option but a perfectly cooked steak. “Medium rare but more closer to rare” is what I requested, and is what I got, just how I like it. The steak too was seasoned with the very same peppercorns of the sauce. Overall the meal was a dream, certainly worth recommending, just keep an eye on the waiters.