Sunday, March 7, 2010

My Newest Obsession


No recipe this time, but I felt the need to share with you my newest foodie obsession; Beef Carpaccio. Carpaccio is paper thin slices of raw beef (usually.) It can also be made by pounding beef into thin strips. It is up for debate as to who exactly invented Carpaccio, but some say it was Harry's Bar in Venice. Harry's also claims to have invented the Bellini (another favorite of mine.)

Over the past few months I have had the pleasure to try out two fine restaurant's Carpaccio. The first was The Barrel at 10 Stuyvesant St, between 11th St. and 12th St. It has quickly become my sister and my favorite Tapas restaurant. It is mildly pricey but cheap compared to other tapas places we have tried. Their menu is solid but it was the Carpaccio that had Lizzie and I rolling on the floor with delight. It is pounded beef tenderloin Carpaccio served with fresh greens, herbs, and an aioli sauce. The textures in this dish are AMAZING! Crispy, smooth, buttery, and delicious! (thebarrelnyc.com)


The second restaurant which I w
as lucky enough to dine at with my sister and our good friend Amber was the rather well known Market Table, at 54 Carmine Street. The Market Table is a restaurant in the Village specializing in seasonal ingredients and seafood. The food was all around good if a little heavy in the seasoning department. Their version of Carpaccio was a salad that paired the meat (which I think was sliced not pounded) with greens, crisp french fries, Parmesan cheese and a Dijon aioli. The pairing of the soft Carpaccio with the crisp salty french fries was a brilliant idea if a little over powering of the delicate beef flavor (markettablenyc.com)

Overall I think I like The Barrels offering a little more. The simplicity of the presentation highlighted the flavor of the meat perfectly and the pounded beef was melt in your mouth soft. And in the bang for your buck department The Barrel also wins. Their plate, which was the larger of the two, costs you $9 while Market table charges $12. Either way they were both delicious and I can't wait to try this beefy delicacy again. Let the craving begin!

Please note: The images are not mine. The first is from Boca Dorada and the others from the respective websites.

Enjoy
~K

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