Tolani Wine Restaurant (NYC): The Meal That Inspired This Blog

Before I get into this post (and the meal that inspired this blog, as advertised), I have a confession to make. I have not had the best track record with starting blogs. In fact, my relationship with blogging might even be called dysfunctional.

I usually begin with an idea, an idea that leaves me thinking that I am super creative, despite the fact that it's 2 o'clock in the morning and my judgement is already sleeping. I then spend a few days of doubting my earlier self-aggrandizement, but eventually decide to go ahead and create my blog.  The next roadblock: crippling indecision. I toil over every last little decision, from formatting the layout to picking fonts. Once I finish the painful process of creating the blog, I spend five hours one blog post and promptly forget all about the whole thing.

For this blog, I've decided that I need to keep it simple. You know, deal with something that I love and that I encounter on an everyday basis. Something elementary. Or should I say...alimentary? And so, I've started a food blog! (Here's hoping it's more of a success than the last few...)

But beyond the motive of overcoming a dysfunctional relationship, I was also inspired to start a food blog because of one very happy accident: Tolani, Wine Restaurant.

So here's the story: my mom and I took a trip to New York City about a month ago and we met up with a friend of mine in Upper West Side for the last dinner of our trip. Both my mom and I wanted to go all out on our last night there and we were both craving something that we could only describe as "fresh gourmet" food. Somehow (hallelujah) we happened upon Tolani. What happened next can really only be described as heavenly. Eating off of each other's plates, we enjoyed every last little bit of our (rather large) dinner. Here's what we got:

[Appetizers] Honey Roasted Peach Salad, with mache (a type of lettuce), goat cheese, spiced pecan and crispy serrano, for me. My mom ordered the Beet Salad, also with goat cheese, horseradish, mizuna (Japanese mustard), walnuts, and red wine vinaigrette. My friend got the gazpacho of the day, which I believe was avocado and cucumber.

[Main course] We shared the special: Lamb Chops with Ratatouille and a Blackberry Sauce. Also, ordered Rosemary French Fries, which were so god damn addictive, and Grilled Asparagus with Parmesan.

Photo Credit: Miraya Berke.

[Dessert] Bread Pudding with vanilla creme sauce, which was so delectable. And Nectarine and Blueberry Cobbler with a scoop of Vanilla Ice-Cream, which was even more delectable, hard to believe as that may be.

Overall, there are only two words to describe that meal: too good. That meal was just too good. And actually, that's what Tolani means: it's South African slang for 'too good'! But really, words cannot do it justice. And sadly, I didn't have my camera with me for this meal, so photos can only do a very limited job in capturing the experience. (In the future, I will try to give you all a bit more to feast your eyes upon). Though some of the details of this meal have faded in this last month, its impact was unforgettable. I've been raving about it ever since and it may well have been the best meal of my life. Having reignited my passion for food, Tolani has helped this blog get off to a good start.