Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi

Sunday, June 13th, Australia played its first match of the World Cup against a strong Germany team. It was not pretty. We didn't get to watch, but we certainly heard/read about the massacre on the field. 4-0 Germany, the first major blowout of the tournament, the game that marked Germany as one of the teams to beat. How do you celebrate such an amazing defeat? Go to an Australian restaurant of course! Off to The Sunburnt Calf to partake in some good old Aussie goodness.


The Sunburnt Calf has a "counter meal" which is $25 for an appetizer, entree and dessert
Right off the bat, we walked in behind a couple consisting of a German male and a Brazilian female. The owner of the restaurant jokingly kicked the German fan out before seating them at the bar per their request. For our dinner, we asked to be seated in the back. Initial impression, that place is dark. Not a lot of lights, but with the large windows in the ceiling, we imagined that it was quite nice in the daylight.

Neither of us had any real experience with Australian food in New York (Outback doesn't count) so we really didn't know what to expect. A was looking to try some Australian beers because he loves trying foreign beers, especially from the countries they've been eating. Sadly, with the game earlier, all of their Coopers drafts were empty. A had to settle for a bottle of Coopers Pale Ale.

M ordered the Calamari Oz Style, and A started with their Shrimp on the Barbie. The kiwi and jalapenos added an interesting flavor to the calamari, but in the end, the calamari was still calamari. The shrimp was interesting. Good flavor, good spices, and it was more refreshing than the pictures appear.


Calamari on the left, shrimp on the right
For entrees M got the Barramundi, and A got the Steak and Fries, medium rare. The fish was flaky and flavorful. The accompanying salad was light and refreshing, and it also added a "freshness" to the dish. The steak was cooked well, and the fries were crisped perfectly on the outside. The sauce really made the steak and had a mild sweetness to it. Not the best steak A had ever had, but again, the sauce made it very enjoyable. The steak came with a side of broccoli with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top as well. Out of everything that came so far, M liked the fries the best.


Barramundi on the left, steak and broccoli on the right
For dessert, M got the Peach Melba, and A got the sundae. It was agreed between the two of us that the Peach Melba was the tastier of the two, but both were ice cream based treats to end up the meal. The grilled peach was very tasty, and A did his best to steal as much as he could, but he couldn't steal too much. The sundae was, well, a sundae. Yes it had kiwi and macadamia nuts, but it was still, in the grand scheme of things, just a sundae.


Peach melba on the left, sundae on the right
Generally, we thought the meal was OK. The food was good but nothing so special that we wanted to run back the next day. (In contrast, if a Burmese place were to open with food as good as the food festivals, we would be lining up the next day waiting for it to open.) Maybe next time we'll try different dishes.

The Sunburnt Calf is located on West 79th Street between Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway.