I can't wait to work from home again!

Sooooooo I just wrote this long blog post about this restaurant I went to a few days ago... and it somehow erased and none of it was saved..... great.

So here is my quick run down of Origin, a french/thai restaurant that I had the pleasure to discover with Eric.

When walking into Origin, I quickly noticed all the business men dressed in suits, hoping to grab a quick lunch with some co-workers. I felt a little off wearing my usual black tights with my Nemesis sweatshirt, but the hostess graciously sat us down and our orders were taken VERY quickly (i mean, I was taking off my jacket and the server came to ask me if i was ready to order).

A little bit thrown off, I quickly perused the menu and decided to get the safe option, Pad Thai. Eric got the duck burger.

Duck burger

Pad Thai

I am so excited that I found this place with Eric. The food came out extremely quick (they were obviously ready for the working lunch crowd) and was very well priced for what we got! Eric's duck burger was delicious. Full of flavor, the burger was huge! I really got that smokey (and a bit gamey) duck flavor out of my first bite and couldn't help but to take another! (Eric then yelled at me).

My Pad Thai was also great. It was extremely flavorful had a lot of shrimp in it, and best of all did NOT give me an allergic reaction!! (Most thai places unfortunately cause some bad allergic reactions).

The best part about this place was that not only did Eric and I got an option of a soup or salad with our entree, it all came out to be ~$10 each! What a great price!

Although I don't see what exactly makes this place FRENCH, I would definitely visit Origin again. I hope dinner is as fairly priced (although I hear it is not), but at least I know where to go when I work from home- this place is just 5 minutes from me! Wow, I can't wait to work from home again!

Price: $$ (Lunch)

Food: B+

Service: C

Ambiance: A-

My Special Valentine

As some of us know, being in a long distance relationship is pretty difficult. It's never easy to be away from the one you love, especially on Valentine's Day.

Eric and I have gotten pretty used to our relationship, and for the special holiday, we thought we'd have a special sushi Skype date on Monday night (Eric has class until 9:30PM on Tuesdays). I couldn't wait!

He told me to dress up as if we were going to go on a real date. To my surprise, he showed up in New Jersey and brought me out to a restaurant in the city!! What a sweetheart!

It turns out that Eric had been planning this surprise for a while and knowing me best, he picked out a restaurant where he knew I would absolutely love the menu- and he did a great job! We ended up going to SHO Shaun Hergatt, a restaurant located right on Wall Street. The food was absolutely delicious.

The menu at this place was really interesting as that you can't order things a la carte- but it was either a 4 course or 5 course meal! (We went with the 5 course- yum)

We got: Hudson Valley Foie Gras with Duck Skin Tuiles, Vermont Creamery Goat Cheese Pave, Slow Poached Knoll Krest Egg with Santa Barbara Sea Urchin, Nova Scotia Lobster with Coconut Cream Rice Balls, Three Day Beef Cheek with Black Trumpets, New York Guinea Hen, Blue Cheese with Quince Puree, Caramelia Custard.... yes.. we had lots of different dishes!

After we ordered, we got the complimentary amuse bouche (pictured below):

The shot glasses were my absolute favorite. A custard with some mushroom froth topped with sound ground coffee was absolutely amazing. The intense, earthy flavor of the mushrooms really shone through where the bitter coffee grounds added a nice aroma.

The round truffle looking balls were purposely made to look like truffles! I'm not really sure what it was (oops) but I do know that the outside was made with squid ink- how interesting!

The last one is a panna cotta. I didn't like this one too much.. it sort of tasted like a bar of soap....oops?

As for our first course, I was back in heaven.. mmM foie gras


The duck foie gras terrine covered in duck tuile was delicious. The crispy tuile added a great crunch and texture to the smooth, rich and creamy terrine. I love the sweet apple flavors that were the accompaniments as well! Perfect.

Eric's Goat Cheese first course

The slow poached egg (which Eric and I both ordered) was delicious (sorry not pictured). It was perfectly cooked and had some sea urchin on the side.

Nova Scotia Lobster-third course

The lobster is absolutely delicious. Paired with a coconut curry sauce, this asian inspired dish was perfectly paired with warm rice balls and crunchy cucumbers.

Guinea Hen

Three Day Beef Cheek

Our fourth course was also amazing (ok everything I had here was basically amazing). My beef cheek (that had been marinated for 3 days) was braised and just melt in your mouth. I did not need the knife that they gave me and it just fell apart. Full of flavor, this may have been the best piece of beef I've ever had. Seriously.

Eric's Guinea Hen was also delectable. The texture was not what I had expected- it reminded me of some really good pork belly! I like his as much as I liked my beef cheek!

Overall, this was one of the best meals I have had and definitely makes the list. The one thing that stands out at SHO Shaun Hergatt is the presentation. You can tell the detailed efforts invested into each plate and the presentations are absolutely gorgeous and very creative!

I'm so happy that I got to try this restaurant out, but even more, I'm happier that I got to spend the night with my special Valentine.

I really do have the sweetest boyfriend in the world, and I feel so incredibly lucky!

Happy Valentine's Day, love.

Food: A

Service: A

Ambiance: A

Price: $$$$