New York Food Company

My sister and I stuffed ourselves silly at the New York Food Company corporate office this afternoon, as a test run for a possible food venue. Consensus: the food isn't bad, but it's far from perfect. Food at both La Boheme and Kitchen for Exploring Foods was better, but given Verandas's adorable venue and stellar staff I'm willing to consider them.

We tried six hors d'oeuvres today, ranging from great to mediocre. We'll work clockwise from the lamb lollipops, which were over-marinated and rubbery. The prosciutto and arugula stuffed in tomatoes were cute and refreshing, the caviar and smoked salmon on potatoes was a little heavy on the potatoes, the deep-fried cheese-stuffed artichokes were pretty yummy if a little enormous, the pulled pork biscuits were tasty but heavy on the dough, and the foie gras french toast was tasty in a very different, remniscent of breakfast sort of way. None of these wowed, sadly.

The salads, on the other hand, did wow. My sister preferred this citrus and jicama salad on butter lettuce.

I preferred the Maytag bleu cheese salad with candied pecans, but thought the dressing could use much less pepper. We both agreed the pecans on this were astoundingly good.

The swordfish was just plain terrible. Marinated until rubbery, overcooked, and served on a bed of bland vegetables. This was borderline plane food.

The osso bucco was much better, but the bordelaise sauce it was in was much too salty. If this entree had been less salty, and if they had doused the beef with a little juice before serving, it would have been quite nice. The beef itself was braised until incredibly tender, I'll give them that.

Not a complete failure of a lunch, but I wasn't head over heels about anything I tried either. Now comes the tough decision: the plating (presentation of food), quality of ingredients, and food at La Boheme are all superior (click the link and let me know what you think), but the venue at Verandas is really quite adorable. Which is more important for a wedding? Hard to say...