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Manhattan: Ipanema and Vong

Manhattan: Ipanema and Vong
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  • Manhattan: Ipanema and Vong

    Post #1 - October 12th, 2004, 10:04 pm
    Post #1 - October 12th, 2004, 10:04 pm Post #1 - October 12th, 2004, 10:04 pm
    I'm in Manhattan for a company event. One more night, but it's a hotel dinner (sigh). Here's the good stuff, tho:

    First night, arrived alone, couldn't find anyone to go out with.
    Walked a few blocks from Grand Central and found two Brazilian places next to each other, flanked by fast food Chinese, Turkish and a Kosher deli that serves chinese food across the street.

    Ipanema Restaurent (sic)
    13 West 46th St.
    New York, New York 10036
    212-730-5848

    I talked myself out of the Feijoada when the waiter said it was huge. I have a hard time stopping eating, so it seemed like a good idea. I also wanted to try an appetizer, especially as half of the ones on the menu are only $1.50 -- Brazillian dim sum! Croquettes of cod, chicken, yuca and beef, and shrip, plus a pastel de carne. The waiter recommended the shrimp. Nicely gooey inside with large pieces of shrimp, with crisp-fried bread crumbs outside. A little bland (needs a dipping sauce).

    Sopa de Feijao: Cream of black beans with chopped onion. Delicious, but stupidly ordered given that the dinner comes with more black beans. Shoulda tired the Caldo Verde, with sausage, potatos and collards.

    A small salad of shredded lettuce, tomato and a reddish vinagrette comes with the meal. Tasty, nothing special.

    Frango Bossa Nova: "Fried Chicken in Garlic Sauce"
    Very crispy small half chicken, with pieces of garlic glued into it. Delicious. Served with fried flatleaf parsley, a huge mound of rice pilaf with peas, and a big bowl of black beans. Extremely enjoyable.


    Tonight was a late dinner at Vong with 9 others. I've been to the Chicago version before they downscaled it, and the menu seemed very similar, although perhaps pricier. The "Black Plate" included six appetizers. A duck roll with duck sauce that tasted much like ketchup was added to the normal assortment: spring roll (forgot what's in it), raw tuna in a fresh spring roll (tasty, but a little al dente), lobster roll (rice paper, tasty sauce), fried shrimp on a skewer (more complex than that, but I can't remember the menu) and... uh... was there six or only five?

    I ordered the lemongrass chicken because I wasn't in the mood for fish, the rabbit wiith carrots just seemed wrong, and the beef (french pho, basically) I'd had before. Actually tasted a lot like the previous night's chicken! Not much lemongrass flavor. Tasty long beans sauteed with carmelized onions, and sweet sticky rice (possibly with vanilla) in a banana leaf. Delicious. I also tasted someone's lobster, which had a mild thai-like curry.

    Can't remember the wine, sorry.

    Only one person ordered desert (not me), but they brought tiny chocolate covered mint icecream bonbons, log-shaped chocolate truffles with pepper, and cocoa-dusted almonds.

    Excellent, but not truly inspiring food. Some of the combos just didn't sound right (sweet and sour broth with salmon?), and it didn't "zing" with flavor like I'd anticipated.
  • Post #2 - October 14th, 2004, 9:58 pm
    Post #2 - October 14th, 2004, 9:58 pm Post #2 - October 14th, 2004, 9:58 pm
    I ate lunch at Vong in June of this year and was dreadfully unimpressed with the food, although "Lurch" the maitre'd (Vong diners know who I mean) was impressive indeed. I was told it was Thai, so I suppose my expectations were unrealistic for this fusion type restaurant. Even so, I found everything just a little fey and overworked, trying too hard to be magically impressive but failing to satisfy as food. The room was beautiful and the service was excellent -- including the sympathetic head shake I received when I whispered to my waiter, asking whether they could do a papaya salad or a pad thai or something, as if to say, "I wish so ... sorry."
  • Post #3 - October 15th, 2004, 9:33 am
    Post #3 - October 15th, 2004, 9:33 am Post #3 - October 15th, 2004, 9:33 am
    Jim,
    I understand completely what you mean about overworked. I have the Jean Georges book, and while the inspiration behind the dishes sounds good, nothing in that book makes me go "Oooh! I have to eat this!"

    It's a very, very pretty book, and the food from Vong in person is indeed very, very pretty.

    But not once in the entrees did anyone go "oooh." The lobster dish one of our company's guests had was delicious, but subdued. I guess that's the French fusion part of it all.

    The cookbook makes it clear that Vong's intent is clean pure flavors infused into simple sauces like clear broths. This works well for the grilled beef with noodles which comes across as a french version of Pho.

    Overall, though, it ends up seeming sterile.

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