Acabonac Farms raise the bar for artisinal beef in New York....

Lynn and I had been meaning to write up Acabonac Farms since we had tried their grass fed beef at an event in spring at the Hamlet Organic Garden (AKA "the hog") in Brookhaven, NY.  Acabonac Farms are out of the far East End of Long Island in Amagansett and take understandable pride in sourcing their own livestock and using human and environmental conscientious practices that cultivate a sense of their being responsible stewards of their products.  We were lucky enough to get a sample and found the hamburger to be lean but succulent with a savoriness that we have rarely experienced in meat much less hamburger...M&L

Mark and Lynn get a taste of Hell's Kitchen at the Hourglass Tavern...

Lynn and I went to the historic Hourglass Tavern on a recent visit to Manhattan. The Hourglass has been around since 1894 in the heart of Hell's Kitchen near the Theatre District. The origin of the name "Hourglass" has to do with the need to turn the tables over on an hourly basis as there were only 7 tables available and many patrons had to get in and out and to the theater on time. An hourglass was used to manage this necessity.

The interior held much of the turn of the century vibe and energy.  It was easy to image characters from Gangs of New York or The Alienist dining here circa 1894.  The menu was unfussy with a nice selection of pasta, seafood and some small plates.  The PEI Mussels I had were as savory combination of white wine, garlic and herb broth with chopped bacon.  Lynn had the pecan encrusted Tilapia which had an interesting combination of honey cumin sauce and toasted coconut rice.  The service was great with our hip hostess Megan making us feel completely at ease.

Seoul Food DC makes a giant leap to Takoma Park....

Seoul Food, one of our favorite places in the world has recently relocated from a space in Silver Spring, Maryland (shared with a service station) to a chic space in Takoma Park.  We recently visited this new location in Takoma Park.  There was some trepedation that moving into a more traditional restaurant space might take away from the place as a great deal of the charm of the Silver Spring location was the fact that being located in a service station was a source of great novelty and charm. 

I should not have worried for a moment.  The new place retained the cheerful, hipster vibe of the old place and then some.  It was great to see Ana and her husband and our facvorites, the Kimchi Tofu Bowl and Bibmbap retained their out of the world mix of tastes and flavors.

There were even some improvements.  SF offers beer and wine and the seating is much easier than in their previous location.  Needless to say we are very glad that the place has moved and retained and even improved on its excellence....

Mitsui Sushi in Bay Shore impresses with its innovative menu...

Lynn and I recently experienced possibly the best sushi we have had on Long Island at Mitsui Sushi in Bay Shore on Long Island. The Sashimi Salad was somehow delicate but substantial with the bonus of being pleasing  to the eye.  The Crispy Calamari was delicate in its coating and not chewy like fried calamari can be in some restaurants that overcook this offering.

The staff was good humored and attentive and helped us negotiate the nuances of the restarurants menu.  We rarely venture towards Bay Shore but Chef Eric Mitsui's great touch will definitely make his namesake restaraunt a destination for us in the near future....
M&L