Sichuan glass jelly- chilled clear jelly (made from mung bean (green bean) flour) in noodle form, doused in chili oil and a spicy, tangy Sichuan black bean sauce. Fermented black beans are found in many Sichuan dishes and sauces - they lend a rich pungency to whatever dish they're used in.
For dinner we headed to Benjamin's Restaurant and Bar, a casual bistro in Murray Hill.
We started of with mussels steamed in white wine- tender mussels were immersed in a silky broth which had hints of lemon, garlic, and butter. The dish came with crispy garlic toasts, which we used to greedily sop up the mouth-watering juices.
Pistachio crusted rack of lamb with tomato cous cous. The lamb itself was tough and tasted like sawdust, as were the cipollini onions. And while the tomato smoky tomato bits saved the cous cous, overall, it was a disappointing dish.
Seared orange and fig duck breast with scallion wild rice. The duck itself was also dry and lacked sufficient duck-y flavor and richness. The mealy, reconstituted dried figs smeared on top didn't help the dish much, nor the scattered orange slices which seemed out of place.The grilled asparagus on the side was nicely charred and tasty, but did not compensate for the tough duck.
The only decent entree was this Carribbean-spiced tiger shrimp with curried rice. The prawns were seasoned with a pleasantly spicy jerk rub and grilled perfectly. They sat on flavorful curried yellow rice and peas.
We split a warm mango crumble with vanilla ice cream for dessert. The crumble layer on top was light and buttery but the ratio of fruit filling to crumb topping was off (too much mango). Next time, I'll probably choose a different filling- warmed mushy mango chunks, I've realized, just aren't for me.
13347 Roosevelt Ave. Flushing, NY
Benjamin's Restaurant & Bar
603 2nd Ave @ 33rd St
