Upper West Side – Rays Picks NYC

* This venue is now closed.

When it comes to fine dining in NYC it’s usually dominated by Italian, French and Japanese cuisine. However, within the past year numerous Spanish restaurants have opened throughout the city. New Yorkers have seen the second coming of the Spanish Armada. The Upper West Side of Manhattan has experienced this wave firsthand with the opening of Gastroarte (aka Graffit,) “gastronomic arts” or “edible art” as I call it. Executive Chef/ Owner, Jesus Nunez is a native of Spain and a former graffiti artist. His love of art is apparent in his beautiful and colorful presentations as well as his playful modern approach to the cuisine.

I have dined at Gastroarte a few times – months have passed in between visits so I was able to witness improvements and menu changes. Some of the dishes that I had on my initial visits are no longer available; for instance: the “Shrimp Marble” carpaccio style dish which has a great texture and is very fresh and flavorful; and the “Fake Truffles” made with falafel that tasted just ok, but had an amazing presentation. Among the entrées I really enjoyed “Hake” with zuchinni cream and shrimp puree, which sadly is no longer on the menu. I also enjoyed the “Not So Average Egg,’ which is very tasty and well-seasoned; and the”Serrano Wrapped Monk Fish,” both of which are currently on the menu. The restaurant originally had a policy that the tapas menu was only available in the Tapas Bar, but I was glad that it can now be ordered in the main dining room as well.

On my most recent visit, my dining partner and I decided to share (from the tapas menu) the Albondigas De La Abuela made of meatballs with sweet potatoes cream and purple potatoes confit. We both agreed it was delicious and the sauce complemented the meatballs very well. A special chicken entrée was presented that night that was not on the menu – “Chcken Pepitoria,” pulled chicken meat placed on top of a sunny side up egg and baby zucchini with crispy fried chicken skin. The chicken was moist and meticulously prepared. Hopefully it will be a regular on the menu. And finally, I had their cheese plate consisting of 3 cheeses, Machega, pasteurized sheep milk from Machega, Tetila, a pasteurized cow’s milk and the Valdeo from pasteruzied cow and sheep’s milk. All three were very good but the Valdeo stood out with a sublime taste that I’ve never experienced in a cheese. The desserts were equally impressive like the Convertion of Bouley made with peaches and wheat. It has an interesting combination of natural sweetness from the peaches complemented by the texture of the wheat. Gastroarte complements its great tasting food with an extensive wine list from Spain.

Located on a quiet residential street this sunken restaurant is about three steps below street level. Its sleek wooden floor extends throughout the space creating an atmosphere of sexiness. The restaurant has a long layout which begins with the Tapas Bar and the Bar Room; both are visible as soon as you enter. The long white stone toped bar table is accompanied by steel metal framed high chairs completing the section . Behind the marble top bar there is an exposed brick wall with a mural mimicking urban street art. Towards the dining room there is more seating which is ideal for couples. There are booth seats directly beneath a mural of a bull and a matador over exposed brick; and fiberglass orange seats ,uncovered marble top tables completes the dining room. The soft music combined with soft lighting gives the dining room a smooth atmosphere. Glass enclosed seating at the very end of the restaurant where the sky can be seen is ideal for dinner under the stars. The crowd varies from pre and post Theater to foodies and locals enjoying the atmosphere and cuisine. The service is unpretentious and pleasant.

Chef Nunez has invaded the Upper West Side with his beautiful presentation and savory flavored dishes that New Yorkers can enjoy. His modern twist on Spanish cuisine is a great way to try something new in the neighborhood’s ever growing gastronomic scene.

Gastroarte
141 W 69th St
New York, NY 10023
646 692 8762
Official Site

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Telepan
72 W 69th St
New York, NY 10023
212 580 4300
Official Website

*This restaurant is now closed

Manhattan’s Upper West Side is uncharted territory for me; nevertheless it is home to many great dining establishments. Some of the best chefs in New York City have made the UWS their home. Just like Bill Telepan, the owner and Executive Chef of Telepan, a staple of the neighborhood. Bill Telepan is a well known chef in the NYC dining scene and also is an advocate of healthy eating in the NYC public school system. He actively works to eliminate processed food from city schools’ cafeterias. His activism and acclaim as a chef fueled my enthusiasm to dine at Telepan.

Situated in a converted brownstone on 69th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West, on any given day the restaurant is packed with pre and post theater goers as well as locals. Don’t let looks fools you, when I first walked in I thought the place was small but it’s not. And if you are looking for trendy and chic decor this ain’t it. Even Frank Bruni, the former NY Times food critic calls the interior “outdated “in his review. The restaurant’s maze-like layout is sectioned off containing multiple rooms with fireplaces. A wooden semi-circular bar in the front area designed with exposed red brick and split by a support beam in the middle is perfect for some drinks while waiting for members of your party to arrive. The mood is serene with curtain covered windows, perfectly subdued lighting and soft almost non existence music. The grassy green colored walls are adorned with paintings of produce or farming scenes which hang alongside numerous mirrors. The dining tables are covered in white cloth accompanied by chocolate upholstered seats or booth seats which complement the elegant yet casual atmosphere.

Telepan is strong supporter of local farmers and therefore provides seasonal organic ingredients on the menu, no exceptions. Their farm to table concept is apparent in the freshness of the ingredients in each dish. At dinner time the restaurant’s New American cuisine is offered in a four course tasting, guests can choose from among the dishes on the menu at $69 ($125 with wine parings.) I’ve dined here a couple of times, on my first visit I selected the tasting menu and the sommelier paired the wines flawlessly. Lunch on the other hand consists of two courses at $22 or three courses at $28. Though the restaurant serves a la carte for lunch and dinner the tasting menu is the way to go to actually get a good feel for the taste of the cuisine.

The dishes that I’ve had for the starters were the Calamari Pasta with arugula pesto and baby tomatoes; and the House-Smoked Brook Trout corn blini and green onion sour cream. The Calamari Pasta was very delicious, it was impeccably cooked while the Brook Trout was my favorite dish – the sour cream made the dish very savory. As for the entrées I’ve tried the Codfish with roasted corn golden nugget potatoes, cippolini onions and balsamic; and the Roasted Chicken with wild mushrooms, crispy gnocchi and wild spinach. Both dishes were impressive, the chicken was soft and juicy and had a sour taste that was interesting and tasty. I also tried the Lobster Bolognese spaghetti, light herbs and shallot-garlic-tomato broth; and the Mezzaluna veal meatballs, mushroom and parmigiano broth. The lobster dish was wonderful with the broth as a perfect complement, and as for the veal, although I’m not a beef eater the taste of that dish was enough to win me over. Finally for desert, the Crispy Creme anise hyssop, strawberries and sauce had a fruity strawberry taste was that was magnificent. The Peach Granita Parfait almonds, verbena cream and prosecco chilled on ice had a mixture of peach and almond with the prosecco that combined deliciously. And I was in heaven with Telepan’s S’More marshmallow – chocolate brownie and graham cracker ice cream – chocolate, marshmallow and ice cream is like a holy trinity of sweetness do, I need to say more?

The Upper West Side has a gem in Telepan. The well trained staff provides first rate service. If one is looking to eat great food in an elegant yet casual atmosphere this is the place for you.

For individuals who are ordering medicines online, there are several significant factors that must be elaborate. Internet is an ideal practice to get medicaments. Several medicaments are antifungal medicines. There are at least some medicaments for each sicknesses. Levitra is a treatment prescribed to treat few ailments. What do you have to consider about cialis vs viagra? When you buy remedies like Levitra you must ask your dispenser about viagra vs cialis. Many drugstores describe it as viagra or cialis. Many probably sure the forcefulness of Levitra is well documented. In supplement, there are some of explanations and pharmacists are ordinarily able to pinpoint your problem through biological tests. Ordinarily the treatment options may include erectile malfunction medicaments or counseling. Your generic is for you only. Never give your drugs to other humanity even if their condition appears to be the same as yours.