Lunch Prix Fixe at DBGB

My lovely sister, Sam, came to visit NYC, and, like she always does as her favorite, wanted to explore the talk-of-the-town places to eat. This time is the time for DBGB kitchen & Bar restaurant at Downtown Manhattan, one of the places owned by Chef Daniel Boulud.

Sam always wanted to try this place, and had been trying to make a reservation for dinner and hadn't got any luck, she also had to fly back to Chi-Town that evening, so we ended up having lunch instead.


We met at my place and walked there since it's just a short walk. We got there very early, the place was still empty, but filled in half an hour later.

Fall Squash Soup, amber lager emulsion, crisp sage.


Besides the regular menu, they offer Weekday Lunch Prix Fixe menu for $24.07 which was what we opted for. We both started with Fall Squash soup since it's our favorite. It comes with tiny crisp sage in the middle. The taste is silky smooooooth...really enjoy it.

Sam said no mater where you eat it, it'll always be delicious, and this one was no exception.

THAI14

My sister is another Curious George when it comes to Foods and Drinks, and when she saw THAI 14 in the menu, she went for it. Some people might think what's the point of ordering Thai food in French-American restaurant when you are Thai...


Plain and simple...she just wants to know how Thai influenced foods will taste like in this famous chef's restaurant. We were having a little fun guessing what is what originally in Thai, and I think he did a good job on creating and keeping the taste close to the original.

As for main, we chose different dishes, so we both could try two different dishes. Sam went for Spicy Tamarind Mussels, and I chose Risotto with butternut squash, chicken and mushroom.

Spicy Tamarind Mussels

Risotto


Tamarind sauce is no stranger for us as Thai, but we never have it with Mussels before, so this dish is surprisingly delicious. My Risotto is comfortably delicious, but it sits on a little salty side, for me, well... still enjoyable.

Last comes the desserts; Gateau Tout Chocolate for Sam, and Green Apple-Honey Sundae for me.

Green Apple-Honey Sundae

We both loveeee the Sundae. We were agree that the Chocolate is too Chocolate-y rich, especially for me, who isn't a big fan of Chocolate. Oh Yes, people.....the people who doesn't like Chocolate is still existing :)

Gateau Tout Chocolate

I love the ice cream, it's light and delicious - well balance - little tang, sweet, crunch, smooth...easily want more. We couldn't finish the Tout Chocolate though.


Sam swiftly picked up the tab before I blinked. I promised, I'll tie her hands to the chair next time she comes because she always does that, and I told her so.

Next stop she wants to sit in is the Japanese Ramen Noodle restaurant called Ippudo in East Village, and I'll bring a chain with me this time...be prepared, Sam.

My lovely Sis with Tamarind Mussels.

Shirmp Paste, Ka-Pi

Now we are talking stinky - stinky but delicious. I believe every nations have their own delicious-stinky foods that they have to cringe their noses when smelling it, but when putting it into the mouth, it is like seeing the heaven on earth. Shrimp paste is a perfect fit in that category.

It is one of the important ingredients in South East Asian cooking. It's made from krill, Thais call Kueey shrimp. Fresh krill are fermented with salt over night, made into paste the next day then brought it out to Sun-dry for a day before storing it in an air flowed container for another seven days to be used later . We call the finish process Ka-Pi.


Ka-Pi is widely made trough out the area coast where krill are found. Kra-Pi made from krill give a very delicious gentle salty taste and not too pungent smell - in my mom' s words "Lovely Smell"....

Shrimp paste can be pricey depends on the quality of shrimps used for making Ka-Pi. Some qualities of Ka-Pi are good for making all kind of curry pastes such as red, green, Massaman curry paste etc. Those Ka-pi have strong salty taste and smell and quite dark in color, which make a perfect taste once mixed with water.


As for the dishes that uses Kra-Pi as a main ingredient which normally show off the taste of Ka-Pi, such as spicy shrimp paste dipping called Numprik Kra-Pi or the rice dish called Kaw Klook Ka-Pi (cooked rice tossed with Ka-pi) we would use Ka-Pi that is not too strong in taste and smell. In these dishes, Ka-Pi will be grilled with very low heat before using to make it more "delicious" smell.

Some women might love to splurge on their perfume....well, that's not the case of my mom. Mom loveees to splurge on Ka-Pi. She's always proud of herself if she got top-notch Ka-Pi from someone, somewhere and will announce it to everyone who happens to set foot in her kitchen, and she will make to-die-for Numprik Ka-Pi that everybody loves.