Dinner at Kittichai in NYC

Dan finally went with me to Kittichai in NYC for Restaurant Week.  Although it took us a little while to be seated (granted, we got there 35 mins for our reservation haha), the quality of the food totally made up for it.  Dan was veryyy impressed with everything, and that's quite a feat.  They also had a $15 3-course wine pairing, which was amazing given that a regular mixed drink there is that price (though tasty and worth it).  I had no idea what everything was that I drank and on their own, not so great, but with the food definitely a great pairing.  Dan also splurged on sashimi that was not part of Restaurant Week and thought it was some of the best he's ever had.

Snapper sashimi, cilantro-tamarind vinaigrette, candied cashews, trout roe - super tasty.  Dan thought was top notch.  Had all the five tastes/flavors that the foodies rave about

Duck Confit Salad, sesame dressing, micro herbs, lychee and peanuts.  A very fresh and light appetizer to start.  Duck was cooked well but a little lost in the dish in my opinion

Barbeque baby back ribs, spiced tamarind glaze, spiced basil - the ribs were cooked great as the meat fell off the bone, but the sauce was a tad sweet, even for me.  The portion was pretty damn huge though.  I was already kind of full!

Chili smoked hanger steak, stir-fried long beans, preserved chili jam, micro cilantro - Dan got this and enjoyed it a lot.  The meat was perfectly cooked and well spiced, though the portion was a little small

Braised pork cheek, spiced palm sugar braise, steamed buns, truffle poweder - some of the best pork buns I've had, but after the sweetness of the ribs, I think my sweet tolerance was wearing thin.  I wish I had gotten something else other than ribs because the pork was phenomenal.  And you know I LOVEE ribs

Black cardamon lava cake, thai basil ice cream - this was another thing that on their own, each piece was fine.  But together it was AMAZING.  The thai basil ice cream was super herby and refreshing and the cake wasn't too sweet, but together just the right amount of sweet.  And whatever that flaky thing was made it great for crunch.  Kind of cap-n-crunchy

Jasmine tea panna cotta, raspberry compote, coconut tuille - Dan got this as panna cotta is naturally gluten-free.  Basically tasted like flowery/tea-flavored custard, almost flan-like.  Nice and light and not too sweet