06.22.08
Posted in Italian, Lower East Side, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 8 to 8.5 at 19:28 by Dominique
68 Clinton St. & Rivington St., 212-253-1960
Great for: pici, game meats, trying glasses of wine, design enthusiasts, bread lovers
Mr. Ko and I have kind of been on a Lower East Side restaurant tour, since we both live in the area. I’d heard such rapturous things about Falai (and he hadn’t been in a while), we just had to try it. I’m glad – it was lovely.
I made a point of trying one of the breads from the bread menu, knowing that baked goods are a specialty of Chef Falai’s. The onion one was tasty, though a bit tough. I absolutely loved the amuse-bouche of rosemary honey gelée, mustard seed and sweet potato soup. The flavors and textures went together very well. I am fairly certain that was the first time I ever liked anything made from sweet potatoes.
For appetizers, we both got their homemade organic pasta. Mr. Ko’s flower ravioli (scrambled egg-stuffed cocoa tortelli) with stracchino fondata (soft cheese sauce), Bottarga and sea urchin was interesting. He liked it, but I found the pasta a bit bland while the Bottarga, tiny chunks of cured roe, was super salty. I did like the other ingredients and the creamy sauce. On the other hand, my pici (hand-rolled egg-less pasta) with fennel sausage, broccoli rabe sauce and Tuscan pecorino cheese was without question fantastic. The noodles were thick, mainly round, and nicely al dente. The sauce seemed to basically be delicious puréed broccoli rabe. I thought the bitterness of the vegetables was a great balance for the heartiness of the rest. I’m no sausage expert, but there didn’t seem to be any filler. Though a bit difficult to eat gracefully, the whole dish was so incredibly good I pretty much didn’t care.
My rabbit composition of braised leg, roasted loin, roasted ribs, sweetbreads, raspberry red radish, carrots and sweetened carrot purée was nearly as mind-blowing. It was fascinating to compare the texture and flavors of all the different cuts of meat. The succulent loin was probably my favorite; the leg came in crispy strips, and the tiny ribcage was simultaneously crisp and tender. (Those PETA Nazis would have had a fit. It wasn’t exactly easy for me to eat either, and I am of the “animals should run faster if they don’t want to be eaten or worn” camp.) I was pleasantly surprised to like the firm liver and tiny, not-too-strongly-flavored kidneys. I’m glad I was brave enough to try them. There was a shredded rabbit-and-vegetable patty wrapped inside a leaf of cabbage, which was good and a bit salty. I didn’t care for the radishes, though they were not as sharp as they usually taste. I did love the purée and the simple carrots strewn about it.
His venison strip steak on celery root purée with grapes, Brussels sprouts, a venison truffle and verjus du perigord sauce was also well executed. The truffle was weirdly delicious, essentially venison tartare covered in cocoa powder on pastry crumbs. We really enjoyed the impressively tender venison. I was not so sure about the inordinately crunchy, unseasoned sprouts. The slightly sweet sauce balanced the heaviness of the meat well.
We were much too full to get anything else. The little desserty things they brought anyway were yummy; you should definitely try to leave room for them. I had a glass of Lambrusco “Corleto,” a sparkling red wine. I generally don’t drink red wine – it’s the only alcohol that will sometimes give me Asian red face – but I have to say, I quite liked this. It was bizarre to sip something blood red and fizzy. Mr. Ko liked his glasses of white Traminer and Chianti classico. And we found the port-like Reciota del Valpolicella a perfect dessert.
I had a bit of a crush on our lovely friendly hostess. Not so much our waitress, who was competent but distant sometimes. I’m not sure how to explain it – I guess it was that much of the time she didn’t just leave us alone, she seemed either really stressed out or overly uninterested in us. There is a gorgeous garden that we didn’t manage to sit in, though you can reserve a table there. I liked the lacy plastic doily for placemat, which was ironically kitsch and pretty at the same time. I was also partial to the serious-looking knives with the faux-switchblade accoutrements.
From a design standpoint, in my layman’s opinion, the very white, oblong room was a success. The open kitchen takes up a bit of space toward the back, and there are interesting chandeliers over the bar consisting of a line of suspended glass trinkets. I still have a discouragingly long list of good restaurants I haven’t visited, but hopefully I’ll get to come back here soon.
Rating: 8.5 / 10
Our cost: $190 (4 glasses wine, espresso)
Noise level: not bad
Chance of walking in: low.
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06.18.08
Posted in Italian, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 8 to 8.5, West Village at 20:50 by Dominique
359 Bleecker & Charles St., 212-929-8727
Great for: skinny people, simple good food
My foodie friend A is thoughtful and articulate, so our discussions are always interesting and she can frequently help me figure out what flavors are and such. We decided to be each other’s Friday night date and August was on both our lists so she managed to get us a reservation.
A started with the special of veal tongue salad, bone marrow toast, mustard, capers and escarole with fennel seeds sprinkled all over everything. Confusingly, the thinly sliced tongue had a little iron skillet to itself. It tasted like cafeteria meat. I actually can’t think of an adjective to describe the flavor, it was that nondescript. The bone marrow had the texture of butter and was also blah. We liked the escarole with creamy vinaigrette though. Fortunately my tarte flambé abundantly made up for it – made with Alsatian onion, very fatty bacon and crème fraîche, it was deliciously creamy. It didn’t look like a proper tarte so much as a pizza without cheese, which was kind of funny.
My main dish of oven-roasted whole orata, a white fish, with Sicilian salmoriglio (a sauce with olive oil, fines herbes and garlic) was tender and flavorful. It was also a tad salty, but very enjoyable. A went for the charred minute steak with julienne salad and crispy potatoes, pickled shallots and horseradish strips. The meat was soft and lovely with olive oil and balsamic sauce. Though it comes pre-sliced, you’ll probably have to do a little more knife work as the slices are quite large. We found the steak perfectly seasoned to bring out its flavors.
We thought we were too stuffed for any dessert, until our handsome waiter unexpectedly brought us a free dish of gelati because we didn’t like the veal tongue. Both flavors were delicious – the ricotta almond was hard and mildly sweet, while the anise was not as strong-tasting as we thought it’d be. Our champagne cocktails were good too. They come in lavender or rhubarb. The lavender was quite sweet, I think because of added honey, and we liked the rhubarb as well.
The restaurant is very narrow, with a back dining room. We sat in the front section – it’s a good thing we’re both slender, or we would have had trouble. The table was so small that might have been why we didn’t get bread plates. We could barely fit our dishes at the same time as it was. It’s cozy though. They’re definitely going for the quaint wooden farmhouse look. We were less impressed with the forks, which had tines as messed up as redneck teeth, but overall we had a good experience.
Rating: 8.5 / 10
Our cost: $125 (2 champagne cocktails)
Noise level: quite loud, but easy to have your own conversation
Chance of walking in: very low.
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06.09.08
Posted in Latin, Lower East Side, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 6 to 6.5, Steak at 23:49 by Dominique
152 Stanton & Suffolk St., 646-602-2004
Great for: sizzling steak platters, undercover meetings, Argentinean wine, semi-al fresco dining
My best friend E and I decided to have dinner locally. This place seemed as good as any, and was pretty reasonably priced. It is basically all French windows so it’s great for sitting outside without really being outside. Be careful of the bugs though, E got bitten all over.
We just got one appetizer, the camaroncitos, which were sizzling Patagonian whole baby shrimps with olive oil, white wine and parsley. They were pretty large shrimp and tasty, though the seasoning was wasted on their shells. That always annoys me. You marinate the shrimp in some lovely seasoning and then peel all that sauce off anyway. I wish people would fry them up without shells.
The marinated, grilled and sliced prime sirloin (cortada) comes in a portion for two but they agreed to halve it for us. It is marinated for twenty-four hours with rosemary, thyme, sea salt, black pepper, olive oil and brandy and accompanied by mesclun and French fries. We found the meat flavorful, of a medium firmness and sometimes tender. The fries were thin and crunchy. I liked the chimichurri too. We also got the Tuesday and Wednesday special of oven-roasted suckling pig (cochinillo pampeano) with Argentine-style potato salad (rusa). I was pleased to see a nice big hunk of meat on the plate. The rusa was yummy, just the right level of sour, and nicely vegetable-intensive (carrots and onions). The hard-boiled egg white bits were a little tough though. The meat was just good, not great, with a big layer of fat. I did like the crispy outside. It kind of tasted like chicken the more we ate it. We were also puzzled by the large, inexplicable bone very like a wing, which made eating difficult.
We thought it would be fun to get a bottle of champagne. They only serve wine and beer here. The La Linda bottle for $35 was not too sweet, and kind of reminded me of soda water. I liked it but E wasn’t as enthusiastic.
Unfortunately, our service wasn’t even halfway ok. The waiters were inattentive and rude despite the restaurant not being busy. They had an annoyingly long debate about whether we could sit at a table for four (I paid attention – they didn’t need it the entire time we ate), and never asked us how things were. That was probably because they stayed far away from us after they put down the plates. They only warmed up when they were serving the check.
The restaurant itself is quite festive though, with tiny little Christmas lights that don’t do much to dispel the darkness. It’d be a great place for spies to meet. Especially since the waiters will leave you severely alone until it comes time for the bill. To be fair, the food is decent.
Rating: 6 / 10 – half point deducted for abysmal service
Our cost: $101 + $15 because they barely served us
Chance of walking in: good, although it gets busier around 8:30
Noise level: hubbub.
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06.05.08
Posted in American, eclectic, Lower East Side, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 8 to 8.5 at 19:12 by Dominique
50 Clinton St. & Rivington/Stanton Sts., 212-477-2900
Great for: adventurous palates, crazy good cocktails, a foodie date
I used to be afraid of WD-50. I enjoy science but the idea of molecular gastronomy always turned me off. Plus I’m fairly picky about food – aside from the slew of vegetables I don’t like, mixing sweet and savory is usually a good way to annoy me. Wylie Dufresne’s reputation as a mad scientist in the kitchen did not bode well for me… or so I thought. Mr. Ko persuaded me to give the place a try. I’m really glad I did.
The initial flatbread was a good sign. It’s paper thin, strangely addictive sesame salty bread. I tried to stop eating it but my hand kept breaking off pieces and putting them in my mouth. I was halted by the appearance of my popcorn soup with shrimp and lemon confit discs, tamarind-soaked jicama, shiso oil and ground popcorn on top. The soup was buttery like popcorn and the texture was thick as pea soup or something. The shrimp was almost sweet, cut into chunks and pressed together, while the lemon highlighted its deliciousness. The only jarring note was the jicama – it was so sour I gave the rest to Mr. Ko. He got the foie gras with fresh shavings of fennel, malt and sherry vinegar jam. He was “retraining his palate” after the orgasmic foie at Momofuku Ko. Fortunately, this one tasted so different it was not a letdown. We found it melded tons of flavors interestingly and deliciously. The malt balls were like crunchy ice cream, which was a good offset to the creaminess of the rest of the dish.
I was not as brave with my entrée. I got the lamb loin med over potato noodles, dijon mustard crumble, micro mustard greens and pretzel consommé. The meat was a bit chewy but delicious, with a thin layer of fat on top of each slice. I could only taste the pretzel when I had the broth by itself. The crumble was basically hard bread made of mustard. It was a good contrast to the other things, though I got tired of it. I liked the veggies too. Potato noodles are a great idea. They’re probably fewer calories than regular noodles. Mr. Ko’s Wagyu flat iron came with coffee gnocchi, cipollini onions, sylvetta (a shoulder cut of beef) and a sweet coconut emulsion. The gnocchi barely tasted like coffee and were an interesting combination. We found the meat really flavorful and pretty tender. The onions were great too. I could have done without the fluffy coconut slathered over half the plate though. It added nothing to the dish – it was just something to eat around.
Our unsolicited but welcomed pre-dessert was Greek yogurt inside an olive oil tuile (a straw we could eat) with rhubarb leather, sweetened rhubarb, toasted pinenut finish and olive oil marjoram jam was really cool. I liked the texture and flavor juxtaposition. The tuile was crunchy and sweet, contrasting with the creamy, slightly sour yogurt. The “leather” was kind of stringy in a good way and the rhubarb and jam were yummy.
Our actual desserts were wonderful too. They also reminded me of Murakami artwork. Mr. Ko’s warm gianduja chocolate with ice milk, hazelnut and fennel resembled a Smurf village. I loved the odd sacs of chocolate, while the ice milk plus random crumbly bits kind of tasted like a waffle. My passionfruit tart with black sesame, argan oil and meringue was a delicious Mandelbrot set. I enjoyed it, even its tartness. It was almost a shame to destroy the beauty of the dish.
Now I get to tell you about the drinks. I started with the pH: Absolut, raspberries, lychee and rose. It tasted very strongly of raspberries, and was tart, different and good. I was also pleased at the size of the glass – I have water glasses at home that are smaller. Mr. Ko went for the Son of a Preacher Man with Jim Beam, Canton ginger and lime. You must like rye and ginger to fully enjoy this drink but I still thought it was quite tasty. The Pumpernickel with Jim Beam and Brooklyn brown beer tasted amazingly like its namesake bread. My Old School was basically liquid, alcoholic peanut butter and jelly. The bartender gave us some extra Cabo St. Lucas which is a startlingly deep magenta color, but fortunately doesn’t taste as strong as it looks. There is an impressively extensive wine list too.
I found the decor interesting. The dining room walls are all different primary colors, which don’t really go together but somehow collectively shout “Lower East Side.” I liked the mosaic in the bathroom. It’s confusing in there; just push on the wider wooden panels, those are the stalls. It’s a good metaphor for the restaurant – forbidding and confusing, but when you give the place a chance and just go in, everything actually turns out well. I look forward to expanding my palate’s horizons again sometime soon.
Rating: 8 / 10
Our cost: $260 (2 cocktails each)
Noise level: fairly quiet
Chance of walking in: better earlier in the night. Apparently it’s less packed on weekdays.
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06.03.08
Posted in Asian, Chelsea, Japanese, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 6 to 6.5, Southeast Asian at 03:26 by Dominique
143 8th Ave. & 17th St., 212-691-8600
Great for: eating & drinking cheaply, bathroom amusement, male waiter ogling
It was my friend A’s birthday, and sixteen of us came out to dinner. A’s friends who sat close to me know about the blog and very kindly shared bites of their dishes with me so I could review them. I love this (non-) job.
The Bangkok drumsticks – fried minced chicken wrapped over sugar cane skewers with sweet & sour sauce – were yummy, almost all meat and no filler. I liked them better with hot sauce than their only slightly spicy accompanying sauce. The crispy beef special was just well-done slices of beef with sriracha dipping sauce. We found them tasty, albeit a little chewy. The Thai chicken salad was a bit sour in a good way with lots of raw vegetables like onions, carrot and lettuce.
I rather liked my pad see oui enu (traditional fried chow fun noodles) with sliced beef, egg, giant pieces of cabbage, scallions and crispy garlic. I found the beef slightly sweet but the noodles scrumptiously soft and almost gooey. The stir-fried udon with black pepper beef was the best dish I tasted all night. The meat was done medium well and the noodles were lovely and tender. Considering it was practically the same dish as mine, it’s funny how much better the udon was. I wish I’d gotten that instead.
They have a huge menu of cheap cocktails, mostly $8 or $9. Champagne ones cost a bit more. I tried the special Hawaiian coco with green tea vodka, rum and lime, which was pretty good though very coconutty. You might need glasses to read the astonishing number of drinks crammed onto the one-page menu. They have a nice little bar in the middle of the restaurant, but we didn’t see any people come in just for drinks. It’s definitely more of a restaurant – though certainly a crazy, futuristic-looking one.
The waiters were super cute and nice. So much so that I wasn’t upset they forgot my entrée until they’d served everyone else and realized their mistake. They do tend to be a little slow, though that’s probably a kitchen issue, since the restaurant is not that big. I was amused by the funny LED scroll across the mirror in the bathroom showing pickup lines. I guess if you’re too drunk to come up with your own, you can go get some inspiration in the bathroom. If I’m in the area again I would definitely stop by for the black pepper beef udon. Nooch serves until 11:30 on weekends, and is fairly spacious for the area, so it’s a good choice if you’ve got a bunch of people out late and are hungry and/or thirsty.
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Our cost: $30/person (1 cocktail)
Noise level: dance music in the background, not too noisy otherwise
Chance of walking in: medium.
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06.01.08
Posted in Gramercy, Italian, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5 at 14:22 by Dominique
323 3rd Ave. & 24th St., 212-683-3035 (now an ‘inoteca)
Great for: a sophisticated night out, eating in the bar area, oenophiles who favor Italian wines, lovely late night cocktails for small wallets
I wasn’t too sure about this place after reading Adam Platt’s two-star review in New York magazine, but the Producer said he’d heard good things about it. (Also, the four other restaurants we considered didn’t take reservations.) I figured, how bad could it be with an ex-Lupa chef? We’d just stay away from the pasta as Mr. Platt advised. I ended up ordering his ideal meal – although admittedly not very creative, I wasn’t in the mood for possibly crap food.
My appetizer of patata imbottita arrived as a crispy potato envelope filled with egg and fontina, with caviar on top and greens on the side. It was crispy, creamy and rich; a bit salty, too, I think from the hollandaise sauce underneath. I also liked the Producer’s mondeghili di ostrica, which alternated fried oysters with farro-stuffed cabbage pockets. The oysters were done very well, not rubbery or gooey. The farro was a little vinegary but overall, the dish was simple and good. We were both tempted to order a pasta, just because they look yummy on the menu, and were glad we didn’t when the table next to us made faces over their ravioli.
I was quite pleased with my veal chop Milanese. It had nice crispy breading with a bit too much fat on the sides. Absolutely enormous, it was nearly big enough to fill up the plate by itself (I declined the accompanying mushrooms). I thought the underlying sauce a little sweet. P’s pork chop with mustard fruit, escarole and braised pork was similarly huge. The meat was a bit chewy but tasty. We could have done without the dollops of sweet applesauce. Though the pork was able to make up for it in taste, contrast and quality, I don’t think it should have had to. Both chops could have been cooked a smidgen less – they weren’t dry, just “one step over” as P said. They were pretty good though. The side order of polenta made from Anson Mills corn meal was delicious. It was a great balance of creaminess and texture.
We were delighted with the complimentary triangles of hazelnut and almond nougat dipped in chocolate, as well as our drinks. I had the Corpse Reviver – I can’t resist absinthe – which you will only find on the “Lost and Forgotten Cocktails” menu at the bar. It’s not as absinthe-heavy as you’d expect. The delicious Purgatorio – Belvedere Pomarancza, Aperol, St. Germain, mango purée, and fresh lime juice – went down smoothly. P enjoyed his two giant glasses of rosé.
We appreciated our friendly, attentive waiter. Not so much the housefly convention behind me at one point, but the pretty geode-looking marble wall there kind of made up for it. We were amused by the very Upper East Side WASP-y drink cart off to one side with vodka, gin and mixers. Oenophiles would probably be more interested in the impressive amount of wine in glass cases along the dining room wall. In general, the decor was nice, albeit somewhat impersonal.
This is a very decent resto. For the kind-of-crappy stretch of 3rd Avenue it’s on, it’s veritable gold. Upscale without being pretentious, they also serve generous portions. Overall our whole meal was pretty solid.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
Our cost: $180
Noise level: loud
Chance of walking in: low.
Unfortunately, as of January 2009, Bar Milano is going to close for a little while and reopen as another ‘inoteca branch. Oh well. I hope they keep the cocktails.
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