09.25.08
Posted in Alphabet City, Asian, East Village, Japanese, Latin, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, fusion, rated 6 to 6.5, seafood at 17:50 by Dominique
509 6th St. & Ave. A, 212-529-5200
Great for: chupe, lazy people who want to go clubbing after dinner
This is another ceviche place, but fortunately it’s not as bad as Rayuela. Midtown Hedge Funder and I started with the grande ceviche tasting. What that entails isn’t listed on the menu – plus I bet it’s not always the same – so all I can say is that there was lots of tuna, some crab, fried oysters and other assorted raw fish covered in a ton of sauce, all a bit sour but passable.
My favorite thing was the chupe, a shrimp bisque with corn, edamame and egg in creamy panca-oregano broth. The corn actually came on its cob in the soup so it was a bit difficult to eat. Despite tomato halves, the soup was delicious; a savory, not too creamy, very umami delight. I almost forgot to share.
The volcano roll with shrimp, octopus, fluke, hamachi, crab, avocado, cucumber and spicy tobiko mayo was just ok. It had lots of sauce-laden stuff in the middle, didn’t taste that spicy, and seemed similar to a California roll. The rainbow roll, ambitiously loaded with hamachi, salmon, tuna, fluke and crab ceviche, was also soggy, and maybe had too much avocado. Personally I would prefer no avocado in anything ever. I mean, except guacamole. I think even if you like avocado you would consider this too much, though. We also had an interesting construction called causa. It’s a napoleon that looks like a big biscuit of shrimp, crabmeat ceviche, avocado, spicy potato layers and spicy mayo. It was the best of our main dishes. There was too much potato but the inside was pretty good.
Kion’s flirtini with Stoli Razberi and champagne is tasty, as is the Plymouth gin martini. MHF had a Gougenheim malbec that he liked as well. The service was extremely slow for a while, partially made up for by the waiters’ considerateness. I enjoyed the decor. It’s kind of eccentric but I think all the textured, colored glass is pretty. It’s a nice place to have a few cocktails or a birthday party – if you must eat something, get the chupe.
Rating: 6.5
Our cost: $130 (2 cocktails, 1 glass of wine)
Noise level: quiet, but downstairs turns into a club/party space (only weekends I think)
Chance of walking in: pretty good.
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09.19.08
Posted in Flatiron, Gramercy, Mediterranean, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5 at 16:56 by Dominique
35 W.20th St. & 5th/6th Aves., 212-463-7890
Great for: introduction to Greek food, a nice quiet date
I was too stressed out to pick a restaurant, so Midtown Hedge Funder said he’d give me a shortlist and I could pick from there. The sheer number of restaurants in Manhattan is quite overwhelming. Narrowing it down to five or so for a given night is the best balance between overabundance of choice and the guy surprising me with a place I’ve already reviewed or been to and hated (I’m pointing the finger of shame at you, Rayuela, The Smith and Peasant).
MHF had a strawberry champagne cocktail waiting for me when I sprinted in 15 minutes late. I promptly spilled some of it on him. Thankfully, everyone was very kind about getting me to the table without further mishap. For apps we tried the keftekadia saltsa, Greek meatballs stewed in tomato sauce, which were five small crumbly bundles of tastiness and abundant sauce. The calamari was good as well. It came in crispy, small rings with a yummy dipping sauce and a nice salad. We cleaned both plates.
MHF’s lavraki plaki (striped bass) baked with tomatoes, vegetables and garlic could have been cooked less. We both liked it but he felt the spice overpowered the flavor while it wasn’t spicy for me. My kouneli stifado, rabbit stewed in tomato with red wine and pearl onions, was absolutely delicious. I was puzzled to find the rabbit on its bone though. Other than at Falai, I’ve never seen a rabbit dish with any bones. The meat was soft and very similar to chicken, though more tender. I really liked the sauce and there was enough of it for once.
Our half bottle of retsina Malamatina was sour but pretty good. The waitress was nice and helpful. Interestingly, though this is a supposed to be a Greek place, they played all bellydance and Arabic music. Plus the menu seemed kind of Mediteranean/Mideastern, not specifically Greek. I don’t know much about Greek food though. I liked it, and if you’ve not had much Greek food either, I think this is a lovely introduction.
Rating: 7.5
Our cost: $115 ($16 1/2 bottle of retsina)
Noise level: quiet
Chance of walking in: good.
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09.15.08
Posted in Latin, Lower East Side, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 4 to 5.5, small plates at 16:59 by Dominique
165 Allen St. & Stanton/Rivington Sts., 212-253-8840
Great for: fancy cocktails, crab & shrimp guacamole, being ignored and overcharged for mediocre food
A place that calls itself a restaurant should never have better drinks than food. Which is why I propose that Rayuela be repurposed as a pretty bi-level lounge with kitchen snacks. We were here because my friends L and D love ceviche, Rayuela’s putative specialty. Three other friends came along too, so I can say with certainty that, with only one duplicate dish between the six of us, we tried enough of the menu for me to have a pretty good idea of how blah it all is.
At least the very first thing, guacamole with crab and shrimp, was fresh and delicious. We had a hard time sharing it fairly among all of us. Then most of us got at least one ceviche. My cangrejo chino was crab and shrimp marinated in a lychee and guanabana citrus sauce with rocotto and jalapeño. The pear-like fruit strips made it slightly sweet. It wasn’t too sour, as ceviche so often is. The seafood was nice but not marinated enough. I liked it at first and then got tired of it. The hamachi with avocado and orange zest in a wasabi citrus sauce sounded great, tried to be inventive, and failed miserably.
The red snapper, marinated in ginger soy citrus with a rainbow of julienne peppers, cucumbers and jala, was nice but nothing special. One of us hit the jackpot with a yummy langosta revolucion of lobster and shrimp, grilled pineapple, jala and young coconut water infused with lemongrass and ginger, garnished with Uruguayuan caviar. The salmon trio al mango in pan seared, smoked and roe forms over mango, frisée, watercress and bacon with mustard and vinaigrette was fairly decent.
The pera con queso salad of Rioja-roasted pear infused with star anise, cinnamon, ginger, mixed greens, La Peral cheese, toasted walnuts and sherry vinaigrette was long on fancy ingredients, short on quality. Then there was the abysmal asparagus salad. D never sends things back, but she couldn’t just sit there and eat the worst salad ever. The asparagus was waterlogged and very clearly from a can. In fact, everything in the dish was canned, bland and horrid. At least they didn’t charge us for it.
My codorniz con lentejas, better known as roasted quail with a stew of pork belly, apples, black lentils, quail egg and crispy shallots was nowhere near as bad. It was a bit too sweet but I found the quail nice and spicy. The piquillo, a sweet Spanish pepper with lobster, shrimp, crab and chipotle aioli, was pretty good, as was the chile relleno (poblano with lamb barbacoa and creamy mushroom rice). The latter is very spicy. One of us got the restaurant week special of tiradito, which was sliced salmon with passionfruit, carica and citrus drizzled with ginger oil. It was quite sweet but decent.
We decided to share a dessert, since most of us were still hungry despite reaching our budget limits. (I had a ceviche and an app - that was already $34 without tax or tip.) The tres leches de chocolate with pineapple on the side was too fluffy. Its texture is weirdly different from how it looks, and there isn’t much taste. We did not like the random banana shit accompanying it. I hate bananas anyway, but in general I think they’re a bad idea with chocolate.
We had lots of $12 mojitos. One of them was so unacceptable D had to send it back. (The poor girl had some bad luck with this meal.) It wasn’t a big deal until her salad was awful as well, at which point we called the manager over. He was very polite verbally, but only took the salad off the bill. I kind of thought he should offer some drinks on the house, especially since he asked if we needed refills and a couple of us said yes. And despite the nice initial impression he made, he ruined it by scurrying away from us at top speed almost before he finished talking. After a little arguing at the end, he took off the automatic 20% tip.
We were puzzled by the glacial service. They not only took forever and lots of waving to come back to us for each thing, in two hours we did not get a single water refill. We were upstairs but there are lots of tables up there, it’s not as though we were all alone. There was really no reason for them to ignore us. We could not in good conscience leave them 20% for doing almost nothing, and begrudgingly at that. I think it ended up being something over 10%.
This place should just be a lounge. They have lovely cocktails and a bartender with some serious flair downstairs. I can’t understand what the hell is wrong with their food. Other than one or two standout dishes, it’s okay at best, inedible at worst, and quite pricey. At $15 or more for most apps, and $25 and up for all but three entrees, there is no excuse for such mediocre food and nonexistent service. I’ll come back for the drinks, especially the “Coming Up Roses,” but that’s it.
Rating: 5.5 / 10
Our cost: $400, but they took off the automatic 20% tip making it $330 for 6 + a small tip
Noise level: early stages of a party
Chance of walking in: medium, there are lots of tables.
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09.11.08
Posted in New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, Spanish, West Village, rated 6 to 6.5, small plates at 17:11 by Dominique
823 Greenwich & Horatio Sts., 212-929-8210
Great for: alliophiles (garlic lovers), sangria
My friend Matthew and I kind of randomly picked this spot for its location. Poor Matt got lost along the way because I forgot to tell him Greenwich Street, not Avenue. As I waited for him, a weird guy at the bar tried very persistently to get me to try one of his meatballs. He said they were really good, but I wasn’t about to eat some disturbing stranger’s food.
After Matt rescued me and we ordered, they brought us complimentary salad with a nice dressing. My shrimp à la diablo with tomato sauce, onion and green pepper was decent, not peppery as the adjective would suggest. His shrimp cocktail turned out to be baby shrimp in a very garlicky, somewhat spicy sauce. It was great. Probably my favorite thing we had.
In an effort not to over-order we shared an entrée of Valenciana paella with chicken, sausage, clams, mussels, scallops and shrimp. It was pretty good. It would have been very good but the chorizo was a bit dry, the shrimp unflavored and the shellfish just ok. The scallops were juicy and great though, and I liked the flavor of the rice. The dish was so huge, we only finished half.
We had a pitcher of just-right sangria, not too strong or sweet. I can’t say the same for the service. They barely paid attention to us, and I had a saucer for a bread plate. It was fine, since I don’t eat bread; I just think the difference between a regular plate and a saucer with a circle in it is pretty noticeable. The place wasn’t that busy, either, so I’m not sure why they were so lackadaisical. It’s a cozy space with a lot of filigree metalwork, which I preferred to the faded amateur frescos decorating the walls. I’d only come for the shrimp cocktail plus sangria.
Rating: 6 / 10
Our cost: $80 (1 pitcher of sangria)
Noise level: room is small, so you’re out of luck if there’s a table full of loud drunks.
Chance of walking in: pretty good, we didn’t wait at 8pm.
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09.10.08
Posted in East Village, French, New York City Reviews, rated 6 to 6.5 at 17:18 by Dominique
65 St. Mark’s Pl. & 1st/2nd Aves., 212-420-0998
Great for: appetizers, live music on Sundays, brunch (I’ve heard)
Midtown Hedge Funder and I were all excited to try Persimmon. Some people say it’s better than Momofuku Ko. (It most certainly is not. It should not even be mentioned in the same sentence. Those people’s tastebuds need to be examined, and perhaps replaced in a violent manner. See upcoming review.) However, it’s not open Sundays. So we wandered around a bit and came here instead.
I was delighted with my salade frisée aux lardons and poached egg. I liked the abundance of nice big chewy bacon chunks, the not-too-salty sauce, and super soft egg. A perfect little salad. MHF’s pâté de Campagne de Madame Azeline was a homemade country terrine accompanied by cornichons and toast. It was earthy and strong-tasting, almost meaty. It palled after a bit, but the cornichons perk it up.
Then I had the onglet de boeuf à l’Echalotte, which was pan-roasted hanger steak with shallot sauce and asparagus risotto. The risotto was good, at least. The beef was sliced and a bit bland and chewy. I ordered medium rare but it was more like medium well. I had to put salt on it, and I never put salt on anything. Having said all that, it wasn’t terrible; just ok. MHF’s noisettes de veau “di Mama Bruna”, better known as sautéed veal scallopines with marsala mushroom sauce, Gorgonzola gnocchi and black truffle oil, was pretty good. The gnocchi were not too strong, and the veal was quite chewy but fairly tasty.
I recommend the raspini (a raspberry champagne concoction). It wasn’t too sour, as raspberry drinks frequently are. Champagne is the most calorie-laden of all the wines, though, and they’re not alcohol calories. That’s why I switched to Château Haut Lavigne sauvignon semillon (slightly fewer calories). It was dry and likeable. Sadly, the Château Pourcieux Provence was not. Don’t be fooled by the “rose” misspelling on the menu, it is indeed a rosé. It is also oddly unflavored, almost like water, with a deceptively strong aroma. It basically combined all the worst things that wine could be.
We struggled with the disorganized, or rather non-existent, hostess situation initially but managed to get someone’s attention after wandering to the back of the entire restaurant and almost back out on the other side. This was compounded by the manager trying to take my salad while I was eating it and setting down our entrees at the same time. I think I just stared at him in shock. At least we had a cute, friendly waiter.
The live Buena Vista Social Club-type music, which they only perform Sundays, was good but really loud, especially the drums. Sometimes people are inspired to get up and salsa so I guess feel free. In good conscience I can only recommend the appetizers and champagne cocktails here.
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Our cost: $120 (2 glasses wine, 1 champagne cocktail)
Noise level: very loud music, other parties quite loud too
Chance of walking in: medium. I imagine brunch is a madhouse.
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09.08.08
Posted in Gramercy, Italian, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 8 to 8.5 at 03:21 by Dominique
41 Madison Ave. & 26th St., 212-545-8555
Great for: pasta, simple menus, people-watching outside, feeling sophisticated
[Lunch] The Producer is fun to eat with. He’s up on his foodie buzz, and so far has suggested places that are actually on my list. The list is about 400 restaurants long now – technically I don’t cross them off once I’ve gone if they’re good, but I like the feeling of “been there, accomplished that.” I of course love other extracurricular restaurants but I’m a very organized, finicky person and being able to check things off is hugely satisfying.
I was persuaded to eat some bread because of the delicious sheep’s milk ricotta that came with it. I believe it’s on the menu as an appetizer as well. We had to try the famous meatballs of duck antipasto with dried cherry mostada. They were juicy goodness. Though the sauce was initially a little sweet, it grew on me. I really liked the meatballs with the ricotta on top, which helped make them saltier.
P went for the special potato gnocchi with wild mushroom and spring garlic. It was surprisingly good. The light pasta made the mushroom taste tolerable to me, and I can honestly say I liked it a lot. The foam on top was maybe some kind of reduction. My scampi ravioli with spicy shellfish guazzetto (basically stew), toasted garlic and Ligurian pesto with little breadcrumbs on top was also very good. The guazzetto consisted of fresh, succulent shrimp, calamari and mussels scattered around – it was a bit salty but I quite liked it. The interestingly triangular ravioli were just right, not too thick nor too thin. I think there were salt crystals inside. I’m not sure exactly why. That could be why the dish was slightly too salty for me. We found that the two pastas went oddly well together. The subtlety and near-creaminess of the gnocchi balanced the saltiness and strong flavors of the seafood.
The menu was large type on one page. I love having lots of choices but sometimes it’s exhausting to figure out what I want when there’s too much to go through. With just four or five choices for apps, pastas and entrées, there wasn’t much difficulty. The waiter was very good, and though the decor is a bit corporate, it’s pretty decent for the area. I’d be happy to come here for dinner.
Our cost: $120 (3 glasses of rosé)
Noise level: pretty quiet
Chance of walking in: low.
[Dinner] Commodities Broker asked me to dinner with his brother F and F’s girlfriend L, but he’d been drinking at a strip club all afternoon and was unwakeably passed out so I ended up having dinner with just F and L. I was glad to be able to round out my review.
We were given balsamic vinaigrette and olive oil with bread instead of ricotta as at the visit before, so I didn’t bother having any. We got two appetizer-size pastas. My spaghetti vongole with little neck clams, soppressata, garlic and spicy peppers was not as spicy as I thought it’d be. I enjoyed the nicely al dente pasta. F’s veal agnolotti with pancetta, cipolla, lemon and pecorino was a bit gamy but still quite good. The pasta looked like medium-size ravioli, and the dish had tons of cheese and crunchy bits. I loved the soft, sweet onions at the bottom of the plate.
L’s scampi ravioli with spicy rock shrimp, tomato and toasted garlic were satisfyingly giant. It was a nice touch to have tiny bits of shrimp in the sauce too. The shrimp inside the ravioli was so pulverized, it could have been crab. I got the king prawns alla griglia with preserved lemon, garlic and fagiolini misti. They were succulent and delicious, in an intensely tomato-y sauce. F’s homemade tagliatelle mixed with sweet corn, chanterelles, smoked bacon and arugula was very fresh and tasted like spring. My favorite part was the salty bacon. I liked how well all the ingredients went together.
I had a Portofino cocktail while I was waiting for F and L, which was very good though a bit bitter from the Campari. I’d say it’s like a more alcoholic Pimm’s Cup. The Milanese is a lot sweeter and heavy on the pear flavor. My favorite was the Marco Polo, which tasted a lot like absinthe, probably because of the Galliano.
We had lovely service and I find it a very pleasant experience all around. It’s not the best Italian food in the city, but the surroundings are elegant, the food is well executed, and you don’t have to worry if it will be good.
Rating: 8 / 10
Our cost: $235 for 3 people (4 glasses of pinot grigio, 2 cocktails)
Noise level: pleasant hum
Chance of walking in: medium.
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09.05.08
Posted in Asian, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, Southeast Asian, West Village, rated 7 to 7.5 at 12:49 by Dominique
643 Hudson St. & Horatio/Gansevoort Sts., 212-352-3590
Great for: sliders, spicy food, skinny people with great hearing
Midtown Hedge Funder finally asked me out, but he left it so late all I had free was a Monday. I’ve been meaning to try Fatty Crab for ages. The menu is small but I was enthusiastic about most of it, a rarity for me. I’m a pretty picky eater.
We started with the Malay fish fry with turmeric [which was misspelled tumeric] tempura, crab curry, green chili and tamaki. It was like fish without chips and some bits were very hot. I found the coconut rice with pepper slices and parsley leaves quite good, despite my dislike of coconut, though a bit gritty. The fatty sliders of beef & pork on toasty buns were probably the best thing we had. They’re very juicy and the fat is blended in well enough that I didn’t feel the need to pick it out.
The somewhat eponymous chili Dungeness crab on white toast was pretty good. The sauce is a bit sweet for my taste, and the crab is nice though difficult to eat, primarily because it’s hard to hold onto the shells with all that sauce. I liked the giant, fluffy, thick slabs of toast. The fatty duck, both steamed and fried, with toasted tamaki on rice and pickle slices was also yummy. The sauce was really sweet and the peppers medium spicy, while the duck was crispy and very fatty but with good meat. It’s a small dish, you can definitely handle a side with it. We had the enjoyable and tender baby bok choy with oyster sauce.
Be careful, the hot sauce on the table is fishy and super hot! I went a little crazy with it and had to gulp down my Dark and Stormy cocktail. It’s made with Goslings black rum, ginger and lime. Too gingery at first, it grew on me. The bartender’s quite friendly too.
We liked our waiter, who managed to squeeze in and out of the narrow space and take care of all his tables with flair and grace. The place is cozy, if you’re feeling charitable – cramped might be more accurate. Don’t drink too much water, as you may not want to maneuver away from your table more than once. The music is super loud and I wanted cold water, but overall it’s a decent restaurant. If I came back I would get a snack of the sliders and then probably go somewhere else.
Rating: 7 / 10
Our cost: $160 (1 Tiger beer, 2 Dark & Stormys)
Noise level:
Chance of walking in: It’s not too bad early, like at 7pm. No reservations.
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09.04.08
Posted in Greenwich Village, Italian, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5, small plates at 12:58 by Dominique
28 Cornelia & W.4th/Bleecker St., 347-448-4805
Great for: sharing Italian tapas, an al fresco European experience
E was supposed to have dinner with Commodities Broker and me, but was delayed to the point where she said she’d just meet us after, since it was getting ridiculously late. We ordered for her as well, so don’t think we’re piggies because of all this food.
The five polpettini (meatballs) di carne with roasted tomato sauce and fresh basil were small and terrific with lots of sauce. I loved the texture of the meat. The crab salad with avocado, hearts of palm, sweet corn and lettuce was crunchy and fresh with subtle flavors. Everything came cubed or cube size. The fresh salad of arugula with orange, fennel and wine-cured olives in a light vinaigrette needed some balsamic.
The paccheri bolognese was supposed to be ribbed pasta with classic bolognese sauce. However, they just looked like huge smooth ribbons. In any case it all turned out simple and tasty. The linguini alla vongole was not as successful, mostly because the clams were on the wrong side of fresh. The rest of the dish was done well.
We found the tagliata di manzo, a grilled ribeye steak and arugula, tender and flavorful. Unfortunately there was a lot of gristle. We were full anyhow; for two people this was entirely too much food. Though I could have had more of the fantastic strawberry caipirinhas.
Our waiter was very friendly and kept us focused on ordering before the kitchen closed without being annoyed by our tendency to drift off into conversation. There is a beautiful garden between the two dining rooms, which is where we sat. Very romantic. I might return if the wait is too long at nearby Lupa again.
Rating: 7 / 10
Our cost: $180 (2 caipirinhas, 2 glasses of red wine)
Noise level: pretty quiet
Chance of walking in: medium. Try for the lovely garden in the middle.
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09.03.08
Posted in New York City Reviews at 14:12 by Dominique
308 W.58th St. & 8th Ave., 212-397-0404, reservations for parties of 5 and larger
Great for: service, fried chicken, playing the odds on getting a seat in one of the Blue Ribbons without waiting
Blond Hedge Funder lives way uptown. About 70 blocks too far uptown, if you ask me, but the silver lining is that I go to restaurants further north than I would otherwise. Is it weird that I look for geographical diversity in my dates for the benefit of this blog? Anyway, that’s why I found myself by the Time Warner Center one Friday.
BHF is a serious health nut and didn’t listen when I told him Bruni said the sushi isn’t the best in town. Fortunately for BHF, the two sashimi each of salmon belly, chutoro and yellowtail belly were good. The waitress accidentally brought us sushi (atop rice) instead of sashimi at first. We were busy talking and didn’t notice until she apologized and said she’d bring the sashimi immediately. The sushi would have been fine but she brought the sashimi anyway and let us keep both dishes. The yellowtail by itself was a bit more rubbery than its rice-covering counterpart. The other fish pretty much melted in our mouths.
The medium blue fin belly chutoro tataki with quail egg was fresh, salty and yummy. Be careful, the wasabi is very hot. The dish should have been called tartare, I think, since it was basically minced and not seared. (Beef tataki always seems to be slightly seared; I’m just going by that.) The pulled pork special app with black vinegar, Napa cabbage with crispy rice was also good. I found it stringy, crunchy and heavily spiced – yum.
As you may or may not know, I am obsessed with fried chicken. Plus, it came with wasabi honey sauce! I had to see what that tasted like. I didn’t think the chicken orgasmic, but it was tender with crunchy skin and very well executed. The sauce was crazy and spicy. I liked it a lot. I don’t know that I’d travel 60 blocks just for that, though I would definitely go out of my way if I were in the neighborhood.
BHF knows my love for all things steak and insisted we also try the Bruni-recommended NY strip on Asian broccoli with miso pepper sauce and salty onion tempura. The broccoli came across as too salty after I had a lot of it, though for a big leafy vegetable that has to be crammed in the mouth in giant bites to avoid leaving any hanging from the mouth, it was really quite enjoyable. The sauce was good and so were the onions but you should eat them when they’re hot. I liked the meat despite the big vein/tendons on the side.
We had a tasty bottle of the Blue Ribbon jun mai. The service was completely lovely – the waitress was wonderful, especially the way she handled the sashimi/sushi mixup. The décor is very Japanese, with lots of wood. There are lots of seats and you can put your name down ahead of time so it’s much more likely that you’ll get a seat in a reasonable time. It’s definitely a good choice if you’re within 15 blocks.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
Our cost: $240 (one bottle sake $48)
Noise level: quiet
Chance of walking in: not too bad, place is quite large.
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Posted in Asian, Chelsea, Japanese, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 8 to 8.5 at 02:45 by Dominique
88 10th Ave. & 15th/16th, 212-989-8883
Great for: omakase, toro, sakephiles, design enthusiasts
Commodities Broker had had a terrific day in the markets, and I was stressed out mid-acting program, hence an 8-course omakase splurge one night at Stephen Starr‘s giant Philadelphia import. CB’s also fun to dine with because he likes to drink even more than I do.
I saw a couple things I wanted to substitute on the tasting menu, but was convinced to give them a chance. I even tried CB’s special appetizer of hydroponic tomato salad with onion, soy, and shiso. It was really fresh and juicy – I’d love it if I could stand tomatoes outside of sauce. The onions were also raw but didn’t hurt too much, to my relief. Sometimes raw onions can pack a wallop like straight wasabi.
The most elaborate toro tartare I’ve ever seen was up next. It came with osetra caviar, crème fraîche, wasabi, dashi-soy, chives, avocado paste and tiny rice cracker croutons. The lovely soft toro itself came in a shallow square dish with a dainty silver scraper. Be careful with the super spicy wasabi. The whole thing was delicious artwork. An itty-bitty raspberry-sized yamamomo peach waited on the side as a palate cleanser after we destroyed the pretty sculpture.
The sashimi course consisted of beautiful thin strips of amadai (a Japanese tilefish, seared slightly) and yellowtail with ginger and different varieties of soy sauce on small green leaves. It was great though the yellowtail was a little chewier than I expected. I especially loved the oil – sesame, maybe? – it all came in.
The watercress salad with seared sockeye salmon sashimi and mild jalapeño sauce was pretty good. The sauce reminded me of relish, and the vinaigrette was delicious. I was bit disappointed when I realized the salmon was not spicy; even a little bland, in fact. But combined with everything it was a good dish. Don’t eat the random line of sauce or whatever it is, it’s nasty and bitter.
The next course was a tasting of two of their star dishes, the market oysters and the foie gras chawan mushi. The two oysters came with foie gras and uni in teriyaki sauce, which really helped me get mine down. Everything was soft and slimy but actually good. The two dainty little cups of foie gras chawan mushi with egg and heavy cream tasted like meaty, foie-gras-infused custard. They weren’t as heavy as you’d think.
The nigiri plate came with cockle clam, kanpachi (amberjack yellowtail) with sweet ikura (salmon roe), snapper, beltfish with yellow tobiko and chutoro. All of it was very fresh and lovely. The slightly rubbery clam was sliced so thin it turned out very well. The beltfish was rubbery and scary but a bit spicy and still pretty good. The chutoro was like seared butter made of meat. I was surprised all the exotics didn’t put me off – I remember when I had the omakase at Blue Ribbon and really didn’t like any of the rarer sushi. I guess that means they have better quality fish here.
It was now time for a palate cleanser before the main course of Korean green tea and a red bean macaroon. The tea came in powder form that the waiter mixed into water with a whisk for us. The presentation was over the top but it was really good.
All the fanfare was for flash-fried Kobe beef on sweet Japanese yams and a half lobster épice with garam masala, lemon crème fraîche and alfalfa sprouts. The soft lovely beef was folded over in thin slices, but there wasn’t much of it and it was quite tendon-filled. I found the yams super sweet, maybe from the sauce. I really liked the dish but it could have been any steak. I loved the lobster without reservation. The bitter alfalfa and meringue-like crème fraîche was a good contrast to the succulent, tender, spicy lobster. CB didn’t love it as much but he doesn’t enjoy Indian food. I thought the garam masala was the best part of an excellent dish.
We finished up with a sweet potato cake with red bean center and brown sugar ice cream accompanied by red bean compote. It was pretty good; the cake was not that sweet. I would have eaten a bowl of the ice cream, though all the red beans didn’t add much to the dish. I don’t understand the Asian obsession with red beans – they’re crumbly in a bad way and neither sweet nor savory. They’re like blah soft sand. Anyway, the wonderful ice cream made up for all that.
We tried all three levels of Morimoto sake – ginjo, daiginjo and junmai ginjo. The first, caramelized pear aromas with a ripe stone fruit finish, was smooth and not too strong, dry but still hearty. The daiginjo had melon and honeysuckle fragrances and was also yummy. The Shichi Ken (Seven Swords) Yamanashi, with a custardy richness & sweet rice aroma, was extremely smooth. It was like drinking vodka straight without having to make that “eeeee” face.
Our waiter was wonderful and cute, and patient with all my questions. He was knowledgeable yet not afraid to pull out the cue card. He advised us well on the sake too. I liked how he made sure we were done with every dish before taking it. I found his service very caring, as though he was personally invested.
The whole place is outfitted in crazy finished concrete with very mod curvy furniture in blond wood. There’s a huge glass water bottle wall, all lit up like a giant Lite Brite. The translucent plastic swirl chopsticks were pretty and functional; the folded white cloth ceiling was just pretty. They had the same cool Neorest toilets as at Megu Midtown, with fewer bells and whistles but still awesome. A tip, in case you get confused or you’re a little too drunk; slide the restroom doors, don’t push/pull.
Overall, it was an enormous amount of food, most of which was done extremely well. I was really impressed. I can’t wait until I get to come back again.
Rating: 8.5 / 10
Our cost: $535 (8-course omakase $120, 1 big $75 & 2 small $42 & $31 bottles sake)
Noise level: not too bad.
Chance of walking in: low.
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