05.30.08
Posted in Latin, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, Upper East Side, rated 7 to 7.5 at 06:04 by Dominique
1022A Lexington Ave. & 73rd St., 212-879-6190
Great for: sharing lots of appetizers, wonderful cocktails, drunken shopping after dinner
My friend L invited me to girls’ night with her friends J and S, and I like her so much I actually went all the way uptown to see her. With four hot women at one table, our poor waiter had difficulty concentrating on his job, especially since he could hear our raunchy conversation – we had an early reservation and the restaurant was pretty quiet. When I lived uptown for four years I had this place on my list and never visited; now that I live 80 blocks south I finally managed to come here.
L and J went a little crazy ordering apps. We ended up with six for the four of us. I’m glad there were two tuna tartars with foie gras, cachaça-molasses reduction and sesame seeds. They were pretty good, and an interesting choice to pair the foie gras with tuna. They have a lot in common – both fatty, creamy and with guilt to go around. I found the molasses sauce far too sweet, though. I like my candy to stay in the candy aisle. The warm fresh calamari salad with cherry tomatoes, arugula, parsley, garlic and lemon-lime juices was too frightening to eat. I bravely tried a leftover tentacle, because the rest of the bits looked disturbingly like mini octopi. In the chef’s defense, it was soft with a tastily burnt sauce and tender spinach. In my defense, I just read a book about how intelligent, agile and sensitive the octopus is.
The girls liked the Paulistana salad of baked tomatoes on the vine, mozzarella di bufalo, butter head lettuce, balsamic caramel dressing and crispy chopped garlic on top. (I don’t eat whole tomatoes, so I can only take their word for it.) The dish is exactly as described – the tomatoes are somehow still on the vine though a bit cooked. I can heartily recommend the very soft cheese and greens. I saved our two favorite starters for last. The carne seca, which was seasoned shredded beef, garlic persillade, cherry tomatoes and onions with manioc fries was just terrific. The fries were a bit bland, but what did we care with a whole pepper-shaped pot full of yummy, salty, spicy corned beef-looking stuff to attend to. I must confess to polishing off this one (there were only a few shards left, really, I swear). The bacalhau brandade, which was salty cod purée, black beans broth, crispy collard greens and bone marrow was also so good we couldn’t stop eating it. The fish was creamy and flaky while the collard’s crispiness invited overeating.
L and I went for the Friday special of moqueca, a stew with cod, one enormous shrimp, coconut and dende oil. It was tasty and a bit spicy. I liked it despite the coconut. However, the fish and shrimp were a little undercooked. I couldn’t finish my dish for that reason, afraid I would pay for it later. I contented myself with sauce on a tiny bit of the accompanying white rice. J’s steamed fresh herbs-encrusted salmon with baby vegetables in papillotte (a little parchment pouch), ginger, parsley butter, roasted apples and spicy sauce was terrific. The fish was not only tender, it somehow tasted a bit creamy as well. S had the roasted organic Cornish hen with fig juice, sautéed baby vegetables and yam purée. The chicken was a good texture, but really difficult to cut with all those bones in the way. She had the waiter do it. The fig juice was a crazy and bad choice on the chef’s part.
We very much enjoyed our strawberry sake caipirinhas. I also branched out to the equally delicious Dona Flor cocktail, which was, according to my notes, “Whoo! Drunky drunky yummy with a kick.” It’s definitely only for the members of your party who can hold their alcohol. Combining 42 Below honey vodka, triple sec, Chambord, simple syrup, passion fruit purée and fresh strawberries is pretty lethal.
Our waiter was just lovely. He cut up S’s food, advised us, and offered his extracurricular services when he heard some of us were looking for boyfriends. Also super cool: the black paper in the bathrooms. Because a restaurant named after a happy Brazilian-French clown needs dark goth toilet paper, obviously. Additionally, there was a store in the corner before the stairs. In case you’ve forgotten your bikini or some other tropical article of clothing, you can get it right there. They must have so many drunken purchases.
I’d like to, but I can’t say the food was really worth the effort. I’d come back this far uptown if someone got me the carne seca, bacalhau brandade, salmon and the $200 dress I was eyeing on the mannequin. And of course, several special cocktails.
Rating: 7 / 10
Our cost: $370 (4 people, 2.5 cocktails each, 6 apps)
Noise level: quiet when it’s early
Chance of walking in: medium.
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05.26.08
Posted in American, Asian, East Village, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, eclectic, rated 9 to 10 at 05:01 by Dominique
163 1st Ave. & 10th St., http://www.momofuku.com/ko/
Great for: impressing the hell out of a foodie, foie gras ecstasy, orgasmic food, oenophiles
As you may know, I managed to charm Mr. Ko into choosing me as his Saturday night date. It was a pretty tense few days for me – I met him Tuesday for a drink and waited until Thursday night to find out he’d picked me. I was so excited I was jumping up and down telling everyone within earshot. In April I tried every day for three weeks to get a reservation. I stopped a month ago because the Boyfriend and I broke up and I had no one to go with. Mr. Ko came along just in time.
Ko has this crazy Moorish prison look. It’s in the old Noodle Bar spot, covered entirely in grating. If the Alhambra only took up a storefront about five feet across and had some very dangerous prisoners, it might appear something like this. Yes, those are bars across every bit of glass except over the peach. It’s a very East Village-appropriate departure from the “welcome customers” school of restaurant design.
We were a little nervous going in, afraid we’d be told our reservation was canceled like the infamous Tom’s. Everything was fine, though, and a pretty hostess seated us; Mr. Ko, his friends J and S, and me. She put Moleskine notebooks in front of each of us, which turned out to contain a wine list glued to the first 15 pages or so. Bewildered – well, I was; the others are more advanced in matters oenological – I opted for the $50 wine pairing. Mr. Ko and J got the $85, and S splurged on the $150. Every course came with four plates. When there were two different dishes, we were given two of each to portion out amongst ourselves.
They started us off with two amuse-bouches. The house-made chicharrón, a crispy pork skin, with togerashi and salt was feather-light, odd and good. If Chef Chang ever wants to start a junk food line he could just package those and sell them as potato chip alternatives. The English muffin with whipped pork fat, bay leaf and chives was ridiculously tasty. It was a little bigger than a poker chip. I wish I could have one every morning. In fact, I wish I could eat them all day. Wine: rosé champagne.
Next up, a sliced diver scallop with pickled crosnes (a tuber, pronounced krones), chive oil, freeze-dried soy sauce and chive blossoms. It was the first time I’ve liked raw scallop. The whole combination was delicious. The Long Island fluke over buttermilk, white soy, chive and poppy seeds was even better. The slight tang of the buttermilk showcased the fish nicely. And chives just make everything better. Wine: sauvignon blanc.
The Georgia sweet pea soup with Louisiana crawfish and stewed morels wrapped in yuba (tofu skin) tasted strongly of peas, but the salty crawfish balanced that out. I liked it a lot, although it wasn’t a huge hit with the others. Mr. Ko made fun of me so I was brave and tried the morels, which were much less bad than I expected. I hate mushrooms and people are always making me try them again and I never like them any better. These were on the top 5 most tolerable list, though. We were united in our high opinion of the kimchi consommé, with two raw oysters, two slices of Berkshire pork belly and cabbage leaf. The broth is from pork stock and tastes smoky and amazing. The pork was life-changing. I avoid fat, for professional reasons, but I actually put the whole slice in my mouth. And I loved it. I can see I’ll have to step up my efforts at the gym. Wine: sake.
One of the best dishes was the lightly smoked hen egg over onion soubise, potato chips and hackleback caviar. I almost wanted to fake an orgasm like in When Harry Met Sally. Somehow the egg was “like its own hollandaise sauce,” as Mr. Ko said. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it. I loved the flavor combinations in the chawanmushi, a kind of egg custard, with asparagus, ramp juice, braised cashews, more hackelback caviar and argan oil. It was subtle and light. I wish I knew how to make it myself. Wine: sauvignon blanc.
Next there was a very filling spring lasagna stuffed with mushroom, burgundy, escargot, ramps and garlic, sprinkled with broccoli rabe flowers and ricotta salata, along with some other stuff that I couldn’t type in fast enough. There were so many delicious flavors and textures, it was like a mouth orgy. It’s quite salty, I think from the ricotta. The escargot is a surprising addition that somehow works with everything else and wasn’t too chewy. Mr. Ko thought it too salty at first but grew to like it as he ate more of it. Wine: pinot noir.
The trout in caper brine and bacon purée with toasted almonds and yuzu-marinated breakfast radishes was love at first bite. The crunchy nuts contrasted very well with the flaky fish. I thought the sauce was interestingly tasty, especially the bacon notes. The sourpuss radishes are better eaten with everything else. We were not that impressed with the halibut in pepperoncini purée topped with diced radishes, bok choy and burnt onion. The fish was a bit tough and/or overcooked and the radishes didn’t taste so great. Neither was the startling bitterness of the pepperoncini masked by the other things. Usually when we tried a bit of every component of a dish all together we understood why Chef Chang did it that way, but this one was just weird. J and S said theirs was really good – unfortunately, they’d devoured it all before Mr. Ko and I had a chance to compare. Wine: spiced white ale. I never drink beer, so it was a high compliment that I tried this one and didn’t hate it. Although that may have had something to do with the five little glasses of wine I’d already had.
The next course was the high point of the entire meal. It may have been the high point of my life as a foodie. It was, of course, the torchon of foie gras on riesling gelée, pine nuts, peanut (?) brittle and lychee. They freeze the liver using liquid nitrogen into a small log, which they then abuse with a grater until the dish is covered in a foiedrift. It comes in an aptly gorgeous wave bowl. The teeth-sticking brittle, whatever it’s made of, is a touch of genius. I’d have to give it at least 12 out of 10, for sure – all of us wanted to start licking the bowls when we couldn’t get another drop with our spoons. It was so orgasmic, J and S went outside for cigarettes afterward. Wine: dessert sake Kamoizume Komekome.
Somehow the “main” course kept the meal at the same high pitch. The deep fried Montana Legend short ribs with pickled daikon, mustard seeds, pickled baby carrots and scallion was nothing short of incredible. I don’t know how they managed to get the outside of the ribs crispy while the insides were like “short rib pudding” (Mr. Ko again). Maybe it was sous vide first before deep frying? The weirdly good vegetables were a perfect tart contrast to the richness of the meat and sauce. The morel-stuffed chicken poulard with ramps, swiss chard, kolhrabi purée and greens was also fantastic. Somehow the chicken was tender and chewy at the same time with an outside skin like Peking duck. J, who’s a chef, said they probably cooked the meat separately and then wrapped it back up in the skin. Both dishes were so good I forgot to drink for quite a while. Wine: Domaine de Poujol rosé, a combination of sancerre and grenache.
Our pre-dessert was two sorbets; lychee on sesame sand, and kiwi on apricot purée with olive oil. The kiwi was pretty tangy and not on the level of the amazing lychee sorbet, which was refreshing and light and somehow perked me up from my impending food coma as though I’d had an espresso. Wine: none in my pairing, though I helped the others finish off their cava.
The long hedonistic journey came to an end with poached rhubarb over pea soil and peas accompanied by yellow cake ice cream over a bit of chocolate cake. The ice cream was incredible, the rhubarb tart but tasty and creative, and we all could have done without the peas. We forgot about them when we combined everything in one spoonful though. The cereal (grapenut soaked) panna cotta with chocolate slab, cornflakes and avocado was a sweet and savory delight. The chef who served us the course came over and replaced my chocolate because I didn’t eat it right away and it was starting to melt. She was almost scolding me so I obediently started hacking away at it. I was again blown away at Chef Chang’s inventiveness – who would think to steep panna cotta in grapenuts? Or put avocado under it? And it worked, which was the truly crazy part. Wine: muscatel.
We found the wine pairings thoughtful and complementary. I liked each one except the ale, and I was on the verge of not disliking that. If you’ve got the extra cash, definitely go for the $150 – the others are good too, but that one had some transcendental wines. (S was kind enough to pass her glasses around.) Initially I was worried about getting the pairing, because the last time I did that – Fleur de Sel – I was almost wasted when we left. I needn’t have worried. They pour about half glasses, and the hostess said no one’s ever stumbled out blind drunk. She was great. Really knowledgeable about wine and like a ray of sunshine compared to the very focused, busy chefs.
They’ve stopped saying that “for the lady/gentleman” thing that people were complaining about. However, they still put all the lighter dishes in front of me instead of Mr. Ko, and it is annoying. I know they are just giving us both options so there’s no reason to consciously make that choice every time. The four chefs were kind of friendly at first. They got surly toward the end, especially when we started asking questions and the restaurant filled up. Some of them explained the dishes super fast while glaring at me. I guess I could have typed under the table but I thought they’d be used to all the food bloggers coming in. They were great about giving us a leisurely meal, though – J asked them to try to slow it down, and the hostess said we had some time before the next 4-top so she’d tell the chefs. We ended up eating for 3.5 hours!
A meal of 10 courses here is comparatively cheap at $85 $100 (as of 6/07/2008). For instance, the 8-course tasting menu at Bar Milano is $85, while the 6 courses at Fleur de Sel and 7 courses at Tabla are both $89. And Ko is a much better restaurant, at least food-wise. So basically you get more courses and better food while sacrificing only service and ease of access and $15. A worthy trade-off, I’d say.
This was one of the most amazing meals of my life. I’m really happy that Mr. Ko picked me, and of course it’s always exciting to meet a good guy. (I mean, I’m hoping he’s a good guy. It’s only been two dates.) It was 10 courses of incredible creativity, and although a couple things didn’t work, the rest of the 18 dishes were a parade of “Mmmmm!”s. I ate so much I had a little Ko baby for about an hour afterward. Good thing I was wearing a deceptive black dress. If I can ever get a reservation in a few months when I’ve lost the weight I’ll be back in a heartbeat.
Rating: 9.5 / 10
Our cost: $940 (4 people with $85 food prix fixe: 2 $85 wine pairings, 1 each of $50 & $150)
Noise level: very quiet. Conducive to private foodie arguments.
Chance of walking in: if you try the reservation site every day at 10am Momofuku time, maybe you’ll get lucky. Or more likely not and you’ll curse the “Sorry someone nabbed this spot” screen and say “well momo, fuk u too.” Er – that might just be me.
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Posted in Italian, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, West Village, rated 9 to 10 at 00:05 by Dominique
38 8th Ave. & Jane St., 212-366-6633
Great for: sweetbreads, grilled dishes, oenophiles, creative cocktails
My friend S is something of a foodie too. I know whenever he raves about a restaurant, it must be pretty damn good. Dell’anima is his new favorite. Apparently it’s the joint effort of an ex-Babbo sommelier and a former Del Posto chef. It certainly lives up to its potential.
I was lucky S has been here several times, so he could tell me the best things to order. He steered me away from the bruschetta, which he said is just fancy toasted bread, and the pasta, apparently on the brick side of al dente. My starter of quail with farro, beets, lime, chilies, mint, yogurt and tomatoes was a bit burnt in a great way, wonderfully spiced and juicy. The farro had a perfect texture halfway between firm and soft. The accompanying vegetables were an interesting contrast to the quail. S’s sweetbreads with parsnip puree, lemon and capers were fantastic. If I hadn’t known, I would have thought I was eating exceptionally tender chicken, which helped me get past the fact that it’s not and savor each bite. S had a glass of unfiltered white Collio to go with it, which matched really well.
For a main I got the ribeye with grilled fingerling potatoes and Gorgonzola. It was scrumptiously and crisply charred. The potatoes were crackly yet soft inside almost like overgrown French fries. I even liked the cheese, though I’m not usually a fan of that kind. S wasn’t too hungry so he got the octopus appetizer as a second course. It’s charred and served over rice, beans, chorizo and chicory. It was so soft! Not rubbery at all and I really liked it. I think this is the way octopus is supposed to be. His glass of red Alianco complemented it nicely.
The bartender makes some interesting drinks. S’s Negroni was way too bitter for me. I liked the Monte Bianco, a combination of Ketel Citroen, St. Germain and aperol. It was slightly bitter and sweet at the same time. Our waitress Gabriella was cute, friendly and attentive. The busboy, on the other hand, kept trying to take away my appetizer before I was done. He stopped that after I told him three times I was still eating.
The decor is understated and elegant. The lighting is fairly dim, so it’s a good place for a date. It’s quite a small space, although pretty big for the West Village – there’s an interesting counter in the middle at which you can sit and watch the chefs do their magic right in front of you. I’m looking forward to my next visit.
Rating: 9 / 10
Our cost: $180
Noise level: lean-forward-and-cup-your-ear noisy
Chance of walking in: very low.
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05.25.08
Posted in American, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, West Village, rated 8 to 8.5 at 03:59 by Dominique
90 Bedford St. & Grove St., 212-741-4695
Great for: intimate dinners, sharing dishes, pretending you’re in a cozy upstate farmhouse
This night was my three-year anniversary with my girlfriend E. Initially, we were set up on a blind date by a guy who was into both of us but settled for putting us together since neither of us liked him that way. We kind of dated for a while – we both had boyfriends though, and now we’re pretty much just really good friends. She finished culinary school recently, one of the many reasons I love eating out with her. We’d heard amazing things about the food, and were really excited to finally try it. I actually made our reservation a month in advance. They are so small they book up really quickly. I called around midday of exactly a month ahead and the prime times were already taken.
Upon our waiter’s advice, we decided to share just the regular two appetizers and two entrées, though we would have been happy getting the last four appetizers on the menu. He very kindly split everything for us, giving us half of both appetizers and mains on each of our plates. It was so thoughtful. I know it must have been more work for the kitchen, since everything was beautifully presented, not just divided onto different plates. The duck breast with arugula, almonds, Parmesan and truffle was great. The very thin slices of meat with their almost-soft texture made a lovely contrast with the crunchy almonds and cheese. I found that overall it was just the right amount of tartness. The ricotta cavatelli with fava beans, bacon and tomato broth was also fantastic. It was a little spicy and very flavorful. The pasta, kind of a long squiggle, had a perfect al dente firmness.
The broiled halibut on a bed of English peas, corn, baby snow pea shoots and pesto was wonderful. The sauce was delicious – even though normally I don’t like pesto much – and the fish was very firm with a soft layer of pesto on top. I don’t know a whole lot about how firm different fishes are supposed to be, but I know this halibut’s texture did not suggest overcooking, as so often seems to happen with this particular fish. It just seemed right. The enormous pork chop with Parmesan butter beans and wild dandelion was the only thing that fell a bit short. The meat was not as soft as it could have been, and a little dry. The butter beans were huge, though, and it was kind of sweet in a good way with a hint of licorice that I surprisingly didn’t hate. The dandelion was very sour in the middle. The spiced fries with aioli may have been sprinkled with turmeric or magic stardust, I’m not sure. They were crispy outside and chewy perfection inside. The aioli seemed to be just mayonnaise, possibly flavored.
Of the two cocktails we tried, the petit hibout was better than the bramble. I found the latter a little tangy for my taste. The petit hibout tastes quite strongly of apple juice and comes in a huge glass. Next E had the Taburno white wine, which we liked. We enjoyed my Vega Sindoa rosé wine too, and especially how generous the sommelier was with our pours.
Our waiter showed saintly patience toward us. We didn’t look at the menus for a while, and then when we did we had lots of questions and dithered about what to get for quite a time. He was unfailingly nice and helpful despite all that. The place feels like a quaint, cozy farmhouse with plants everywhere. We even noticed little mangrove trees, as well as tulips and other little flowers. I very much liked the staggered lamps hanging from chains that provided lighting. I’m definitely coming back here.
Rating: 8 / 10
Our cost: $150 (2 drinks each)
Noise level: pretty loud
Chance of walking in: hah. I called a month in advance to get our spot. It’s a tiny place, don’t depend on luck.
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05.24.08
Posted in American, Japanese, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, SoHo, rated 7 to 7.5, seafood at 05:02 by Dominique
142 Mercer St. & Prince St., 212-431-7676
Great for: sushi, interesting ’80s music, a lovely quiet place to relax after SoHo shopping
I was so busy last week with my friends, Sunday was the first night I could have a date. I was at Balthazar Thursday night with my friend S and this German guy D basically told me I was gorgeous and please would I have dinner with him before he went back to Germany. I told him he could have Sunday. I calculated from his stories that D must be over twice my age, but it was nothing serious, just a good way to dip my toe in the water. The Ex-Boyfriend and I spent so much time together, I almost forgot how dating works.
D asked me to meet him at Balthazar in honor of our initial acquaintance. He didn’t seem to understand that you must make reservations in this town. I figured 9pm on a Sunday wouldn’t be too bad, but I was very wrong. When I walked in at 9:05 he hadn’t even thought to put his name down with the hostess, as I found out after wasting another 20 minutes sipping my cocktail. Long story short, at 9:30 the wait was 1.5 hours. I firmly suggested we go somewhere else. Which is how we ended up at Lure just in time to order before the kitchen closed at 10.
D loves seafood, so we got the medium plateau from the raw bar, consisting of 6 oysters, 4 shrimps, 5 clams, 2 Jonah crab claws (instead of the stone crab claws they’d run out of) and seafood salad for $58. It was good. The shellfish were not as tender as they could be but overall it was pretty decent. The salad in the center was ceviche-sour. The cocktail and mustard sauces were tasty. I liked the yellowtail carpaccio with apple cubes, alfalfa (?) and green pepper cubes much more. It was bizarrely good. I would never think to combine those things and I am glad someone else did.
The yellowtail jalapeño roll with cucumber and sriracha was great, with yellowtail inside and on top. We found it spicy and delicious. The Lure house roll was somehow even better. It was shrimp tempura with cucumber and lettuce topped by creamy soft spicy tuna drizzled with a plum sauce-type dressing. I loved the contrast of crispy shrimp and melty fish. D taught me a Dutch word to describe the rolls, lecker. He explained its meaning as lip-smackingly yummy. I assume it has something to do with the English word lechery, or maybe that was just the way he was licking his lips saying it.
I was surprised at how filling those four things were. I was afraid we’d need more food – I’m usually always hungry. To avoid a case of the midnight munchies, we shared the cheesecake with pineapple ice cream and artistically arranged pineapple and orange chunks around it. It was an interesting combo that totally worked. The cheesecake was fluffy and creamy and I liked the chewy crust.
Our waitress was very nice and helpful, giving us her informed and correct opinion about the amount of food we got. The busboy ignored our empty water glasses, though. The odd ’80s rock they played was jarring to me at first, but then kind of a nice change from the ubiquitous Pink Martini and chill lounge music they play everywhere. Apparently Owen Wilson liked it too – he walked in a little after 10 and asked them to replay the song that was on at the moment. I think he was getting takeout or something.
Celebrity gawking aside, I was pleasantly surprised at the inventiveness and excellence of the sushi. It’s ironic that the raw bar fell short of the (also raw) sushi bar. In any case, it’s in a great location, and is if anything even better than I remember from my last visit a few years ago.
[It was an all right date. I started not liking him so much towards the end.]
Rating: 7.5 / 10
Our cost: $160 (teetotaling)
Noise level: very quiet
Chance of walking in: medium.
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Posted in American, Greenwich Village, Indian, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, eclectic, rated 6 to 6.5 at 03:10 by Dominique
33 W.8th St. & Macdougal St. (between 5th & 6th Aves.), 212-677-3833
Great for: fancy cocktails, cilantro and cardamom fanatics, kitchen watching
My best friend E (the one who finished culinary school recently) and I were wandering around the East Village looking for somewhere to eat, when she remembered that Elettaria had just opened. Chef Akhtar Nawab from Craft and some bartenders from Freemans and Death & Co. united to create a ton of foodie buzz. The space is in the middle of that stretch of 8th Street I used to call Stripper Street, which was mainly super-slutty shoe and clothes stores. We’d heard such good things about this place we were really excited. I guess a lot of people had the same idea, since even at 9pm on a Wednesday we had to wait 25 minutes.
E and I both love to eat. We felt hungry enough to get three appetizers to share. The fried quail with pomegranate molasses, bacon and a fried egg over frisée salad was juicy, tender and crispy like wings. It didn’t taste particularly of quail, though. It could have been chicken, ostrich, cuckoo, pheasant – any bird. It was not at all quail-centric. The breaded quail egg on top was good too, but we were expecting more from such a ballyhooed chef. The crab meat resala over gnocchi, turmeric-onion soubise, basil seed and fried herbs was great. As I said to E, it was crispy meets tasty meets lovely crab. The gnocchi of just flour and water were amazingly crisp. Though it could have used some salt, I loved the soubise.
The pork ribs with garam masala and snow peas strips with a dollop of yogurt did not live up to expectations. I have no idea how they managed to make the meat fall off the bones while being a little dry. It was also unevenly salted and had an embarrassment of cardamom. I disliked the yogurt as I expected I would. I’m not much for sourness.
For a main I had the mahi mahi over fried rice with saffron, cipollini onions, poppy seeds, lima beans, and chives. The rice was the best part. The fish by itself was a little bland and dry, much better mixed with a lot of veg. I never thought the day would come when I would want lima beans on my fork. E was persuaded to have the duck slices with keema (a duck leg made into ragout), nettles and yet more cardomom. It tasted like they dumped a whole bottle of the stuff on the duck. A pity, because the non-encrusted pieces were pretty good and tender. The keema was tasty, the nettles buttery, saucy and delicious. Yes, I was surprised too. All I know about nettles is that they sting, and I believe I read a book years ago where someone was beaten with a fistful of nettles. Such a versatile weapon; good for punishment and sustenance. What seemed to be croutons in the sauce may have been crispy duck skin. I liked the texture of the meat but again, it could have been anything. It was just more meat with cardamom.
I know, Elettaria is a genus of cardamom, blah blah – doesn’t mean you have to smother dishes in it. I am aware of the restaurant in which I am eating, I don’t need the food to remind me. Speaking of which, the place could have called itself Cilantro, which came with everything. That excess actually kind of worked though.
I am very happy to report positively about the drinks. I have not had the pleasure of visiting Freemans or Death & Co. (perhaps I should post on Craigslist for a date there before the SLA kills it), so I can’t compare with those establishments, but we had some pretty darn good drinks. The Electric Ladyland of pisco and champagne was somewhat sweet, with a bit of a tang. The Rita Hayworth kind of tasted like a margarita, and we could definitely taste the sage in it. The bartender said it was better before dinner and she was absolutely right. I liked the Ginger Rogers, which was slightly bitter and packed a yummy punch. E’s Navy Grog came in an enormous glass. It was a crazy combination of three rums and some juice and tasted like black cherry if a black cherry went on an epic three-day drinking binge. If I hadn’t had to work the next day I probably would have got the absinthe-including Zombie Punch next.
We had a very friendly and knowledgeable waitress, who felt no need to ask us if we needed anything at any point. It was weird. She was so nice and attentive otherwise. It was as though she was trying to make a point. I liked the cool book-like menu, hardwood ceilings, and spacious bar and dining areas. In the back, the kitchen is totally open – you could practically walk in without realizing you were there.
The whole meal was a lot less creative than we expected it to be. More importantly, some of it just wasn’t very good. E did not even finish her duck, the cardamom was so off-putting. It would be one thing if the restaurant opened a few days ago, or even a few weeks. But I know they opened at the beginning of March. 2.5 months ought to be long enough to get your act straightened out, especially when you’re charging this much. We would only come back for drinks.
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Cost $165 (2 cocktails each)
Noise level: fairly noisy
Chance of walking in: very low. Waited 25 minutes at 9pm on a Wednesday. It will probably get better though.
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05.23.08
Posted in food-related musings at 18:09 by Dominique
I got a write-up in Grub Street today because of the whole Craigslist date thing, which was super exciting. I was hoping they would someday magically notice how wonderful my reviews are, but this’ll work too. I’ve been working really hard these last few weeks trying to catch up posts to the present day – I was about 30 behind only 2 weeks ago, now I’ve got 4 left – and I expect I’ll finish that project tomorrow before dinner at Ko. New readers, thanks for dropping by! Stay tuned for a few more reviews, coming right up.
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Posted in American, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, SoHo, rated 8 to 8.5, seafood at 17:54 by Dominique
222 Lafayette St. & Spring/Kenmare Sts., 212-343-3236
Great for: amazing clam chowder, French fries, lobster roll, a light meal in Soho
It’s a good thing I live way east of this place, or I’d be there all the time for the clam chowder. And then I would be a fat blob and never get any modeling or dance work. I love chowder too much. It’s one of my vices. Sometimes it’s ok to indulge though. My friend J and I haven’t seen each other in a long time, so he invited me to his favorite lobster bar along with two other friends R and H. By the time we were all there at 8:30, they had a nice table in the back for us.
I went straight for the New England clam chowder. (Why do they even bother with Manhattan? It’s like the reviled step-cousin of the New England version. I don’t know anyone who likes it.) I’ve had it once before, and it was so fantastic, I was a little afraid I’d built it up in my mind and would be disappointed this time. Nope! It’s a perfect blend of clams, bacon, onions, potatoes and cream. They always leave one clam shell in the soup, which I kind of find annoying because I can’t politely get at the tiny bit of soup that always gets stuck in it. The liquid is not too thick, the potatoes are cut small, the clams have very little sand, and the bacon is of course a delight. I could eat gallons of the soup. H got the tuna tartare with fried zucchini slices, which was very good – creamy, with perfect flavoring. I like the imaginative use of zucchini instead of standard bread. R’s bucket of steamers was also terrific, not salty or gritty. It comes with clam juice and butter. J very much enjoyed his chef lobster salad of claws, half tail, avocado and tomato.
I can’t tell you what R and J got as entrées. I was too busy deconstructing and devouring my excellent lobster roll (market price: $27). I only know what H got because she ordered the roll as well. The bread looked like a mini hot dog bun and was not too saucy, while the lobster was juicy and firm. I found the insanely sour pickle slices made the lobster taste sour, so they were better eaten separately. Now this I would say is “the best lobster roll south of Maine.” The Tides roll was barely in the same category. The French fries were crunchy, salty and excellent as well.
I had two delicious drinks, the kir royale and their specialty spiked lemonade cocktail. My three dinner companions shared a bottle of Côte de Nuits-Villages, a red wine they all seemed to like. Our waiter was very attentive and nice. He brought the pepper for our appetizers and left it with us, which was a nice touch. It may also have been because the restaurant wasn’t too busy at that hour, but I like to think the best of people. This is a great little place to stop in for a casual bite, drink or meal – they’ve got a terrific raw bar up front too.
Rating: 8.5 / 10
Our cost: $335
Noise level: a bit noisy, probably because of the tiled walls
Chance of walking in: medium. FYI, the kitchen closes at 9 on Sundays.
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Posted in American, New York City Reviews, SoHo, rated 7 to 7.5 at 15:41 by Dominique
97 Sullivan & Prince/Spring Sts., 212-274-0404
Great for: eating late, leisurely drinks at the bar while you wait for a table
My friend P took me to get some food here late one Wednesday night. It was past 9 and we still had to wait about 15 minutes. The waiters were really nice about it, though.
When I saw that they have a pu pu platter on the menu, I had to get it. I live close to Chinatown but pu pu platter is a fake Americanized Chinese thing so it is not available anywhere near me, or at least nowhere that I’ve discovered. I couldn’t pass up this opportunity. It came with the proper flame in the middle and two of everything: chicken wings, chicken mushroom egg rolls, pork ribs, shrimp skewers, chicken skewers and potato and onion pierogies. I found the chicken wings with sour cream and bleu cheese just ok, a bit sweet; the egg rolls were surprisingly good despite the mushrooms. The pork ribs were sweet but meaty and tasty. The shrimp and chicken skewers were bland. I liked the pierogies, although I stayed away from the sour cream. I’ve been eating late way too much recently. Our waiter warned me away from the hot Chinese mustard sauce, with good reason – I tried a teeny dab at the end and my mouth went numb. What can I say, I had to try it.
P had a good steamed artichoke and enjoyed the hummus very much. That came with endive, olives, tomatoes, chopped onions and some pita triangles. He’s vegetarian. I even liked the hummus, although I probably wouldn’t have ordered it on my own just because I love meat too much.
I liked our waiter a lot. I have a feeling the manager was looking after us as well, but I didn’t ask him his title whenever he swung by to collect plates and refill glasses. I can’t say this was a pu pu platter I’ll order again, but I know the rest of their food is pretty good from other visits. And a huge point in their favor – there aren’t many other good restaurants that are open until 4am every day.
Rating: 7 / 10
Our cost: $100
Noise level: civilized hum
Chance of walking in: very low.
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05.19.08
Posted in East Village, Italian, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews at 16:48 by Dominique
182 2nd Ave. & 11th/12th St., 212-505-5931
Great for: pasta, homey Italian
I came here several times last year and loved it. My best girlfriends E and name-twin Dominique were out with me in the East Village, and we didn’t want to wait an hour to sit at Terroir so we came over here. They were comforting me in the wake of my and Boyfriend’s breakup – it’ll be weird writing the blog without him. [As I write this, it's been almost three weeks, and I'm pretty much fine about it. I guess I'm stronger than I thought.] Dominique’s other friend P came along later as well.
One of my favorite dishes in the whole world is the appetizer here of shrimp with bacon over white bean purée and balsamic reduction. E got it and shared some with me, and I was sorely disappointed. Instead of the four medium shrimp they used to serve, now there are three little ones. The bacon was overpowering and the whole thing was really salty. It was only pretty good – it shouldn’t have been $12. E said something to the waiter about the tiny shrimp and they unexpectedly brought her two much bigger ones. Which was very kind of them, but I’m still upset about how they changed the dish. Fortunately my appetizer-size plate of bucatini all ‘amatriciana with guanciale, onion, tomato and pecorino was more satisfactory. The guanciale, which is like bacon, was extremely fatty and everything was generally very salty. It’s delicious anyway and reminds of the same dish I used to have in Rome.
For a main, I had the pork scaloppine rolled with smoked provolone and pancetta accompanied by cauliflower and mashed potatoes. It was great; salty but lovely. I can categorically state that I’ve never liked cauliflower so much. Dominique’s braised lamb shank over mashed potatoes was fattily delicious, falling right off the bone. E loved her appetizer portion of gnocchi with white veal ragout, black truffles and parmesan despite not being able to taste much meat in it. P got the signature tonnarelli cacio e pepe (spaghetti-like noodles with pecorino Romano and black pepper), which was mouth-watering in both presentation and taste. They prepare it in a giant wheel of pecorino and swirl the noodles around the inner walls until they’re completely drenched in cheese. His side of broccoli rabe was also tasty.
The waiters were very nice, though their English was not so good. They tended to be a bit leisurely and confused about which plates went to whom. But they made sure we had enough wine at all times. I remember this restaurant being fantastic when I was here last year. I’m not sure if my palate has become more sophisticated after all this dining out, or if their cooking has fallen off, because it wasn’t the same this time. Almost everything was very salty – good, but definitely too much salt. I was upset about the mysteriously shrinking shrimp appetizer too. And note that half portions of pasta are only about $3 less. Recession notwithstanding, it feels like a ripoff. It’s good, and I’ll definitely give them another chance soon in case this was a bad night for the chef, but it is no longer one of my favorite restaurants.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
Our cost: $230 (4 people, 2 bottles of $42 white wine)
Noise level: East Village noisy
Chance of walking in: medium.
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