02.27.09
Posted in Italian, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5, Upper East Side at 03:43 by Dominique
1748 1st Ave. & 90th/91st St., 212-828-5810
Great for: specials, opera with your dinner
The Boyfriend’s father Mr. G took us out to dinner again, this time on the upper east side. It’s an adorable little place, and the specials are definitely the way to go if you find yourself in the “wilds” above 80th Street.
B and I got the pasta specials to start, his in entrée size and mine in appetizer. His risotto with saffron, shrimp and calamari was great and creamy. The squid was a little rubbery but otherwise it was a lovely dish. My spaghetti with sea scallops fra diavolo had yummy sauce and soft likeable tomatoes but I thought the scallops might have been a bit off. Mr. G was unmoved by his good, not excellent, artichoke soup. He said it didn’t taste much of artichoke and wasn’t cream-based.
All our entrées came with broccoli and creamy fine-ground mashed potatoes that I liked a lot. B’s salmon special with mustard was the best of the three main dishes. The large, flaky, tender filet came with lots of sauce, which was not too sharp and had just enough mustard flavor. My saltimbocca veal with crisp prosciutto, breading and spinach was pretty good. The prosciutto was a little too salty but the dish as a whole was quite decent. On the other hand, Mr. G said his homemade scarpariella (chicken) on the bone was better than their just-all-right version.
We liked the strawberry shortcake with lots of whipped cream and powdered sugar, as well as the bottle of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo CaDonini for $23. B rated it a 6.8 and I agreed. It was kind of the waiter to steer us to that instead of the $38 bottle we were initially considering. We were a bit puzzled by the regular coffee that they poured from a carafe as people do at home – it tasted fine, in any case. The nice waiter managed not to hover though he didn’t have much to do. Overall, it’s a quaint, cute little resto. And if you pay cash they’ll give you ten percent off.
Rating: 7 / 10
Our cost: $195 (3 people, $23 bottle of wine, 1 dessert, 2 coffees)
Noise level: loud opera but it’s nice
Chance of walking in: good. Although it was a horrid, cold, rainy Wednesday night.
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02.22.09
Posted in American, eclectic, Lower East Side, New York City, New York City Reviews at 00:04 by Dominique
99 Stanton St. & Rivington St., 212-995-0099
Great for: cocktails for large groups, romantic desserts, sophisticated brunch after a night of debauchery, sharing food
I finally got home from exile with my family and needed copious drinks. Commodities Broker, now just a friend, said he’d be in the neighborhood and we agreed to grab brunch/lunch. This was the only place I could think of. It’s not the best place for food but it is nicer than most of the other little local spots. Plus, lots of fun cocktails!
It’s the same menu all the time, so they don’t get any lunchtime reviewing mercy, not to mention they’re quite as busy at lunch as dinner. We started with the excellent breakfast bruschetta, lots of soft eggs on chewy bread. The chicken and waffles was an insane mix of sweet and savory - maple syrup and balsamic swirled together, especially. It was sort of strangely good and I enjoyed the plethora of scallions, but overall it was just a little too weird for me.
The French onion soup dumplings were more my speed. They were extremely juicy and maybe a bit too salty. I liked the Social mac and cheese, although I would have preferred no tomatoes. To be fair, I hate tomatoes that are not in marinara form. The meatballs in tomato sauce, good though a bit vinegary, were accompanied by an interesting and tasty lasagna sheet filled with ricotta and pesto.
I had no objections to my strong champagne julep or gin-lemon mojito. CB found his mimosa a little flat and the pineapple 75 martini a bit weak. We agreed favorably on the margarita and the friendly though somewhat absent-minded service. In general, the food is pretty good but not really the focus of the place, I think. It is just a very pretty bi-level hideaway on a trendy-ish stretch of the Lower East Side, expensive enough to keep out the undesirable and tastefully decorated to soothe hangovers. Or nourish the beginning of one – I’ve been here once for dessert (I love the doughnut sauces) and once for many, many cocktails with a bunch of friends upstairs. I’d stick to the booze if you have the choice.
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Our cost: $160 (5 small plates, 5 drinks)
Noise level: try to banish your hangover before you come in, although their bloody mary looks quite popular
Chance of walking in: not good, ever. Definitely call ahead. They take brunch reservations too.
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02.18.09
Posted in Asian, East Village, Japanese, New York City Reviews, small plates at 04:44 by Dominique
243 E.14th St. & 2nd/3rd Ave., 212-253-7670 (now closed – Lesly is turning it into a Mexican place, sadly)
Great for: trying lots of inventive yakitori, dates (the booths are cozy), having a grown-up drink in a mostly-student area
Mr. Jones keeps a low profile; the door is almost as hard to find as when it was hidden behind plywood. I was lucky enough to go as Bar Owner’s guest during Friends & Family, when it was already very good. I was back for my birthday in February; they’ve improved the food from its already high level and added a large cocktail menu. (Full disclosure: I happen to know Lesly, the owner, a bit through a friend.) The prices are surprisingly reasonable for the quality of the ingredients. If you go with a large party, they can do a very decent omakase from $30 (!) per person.
Bar Owner & I started with daikon and chilies salad sprinkled with black sesame seeds. There were a generous number of square daikon logs and I actually liked it a lot. I’m not a fan of radish, so that’s saying a lot. Our first yakitori was four skewers of Wagyu harami separated by sliced leeks and garnished with fresh wasabi. I didn’t even mind the mushroomy flavor, they were that tasty. The kara yuzu, chicken with spicy yuzu sauce, were small, exceedingly spicy skewers. Also a success. The BLT yakitori was cute. It was peppered bacon plus a big, cooked cherry tomato on a small bed of lettuce. I was persuaded to be brave and try it and I’m glad I did! I think I hate whole tomatoes for their nasty pulpy texture but that problem is gone here since it’s cooked. Plus, the bacony goodness covers the tomato taste, which basically just adds juice.
The ton toro wasabi shiso, Berkshire black hog belly with fresh wasabi & shiso, was miraculously not fatty; instead crispy, juicy and succulent. I guess hogs get more exercise than pigs. The calamari (ira tempura) in spicy mayo came in big crunchy pieces and were delicious, tender enough to distract from the knowledge that I was eating squid. Next up were the tori tatsuta age, chicken wings with daikon paste, They were fantastic – juicy, basically chicken meatballs with actual meat held together by bread (not ground up) around tiny bones. I could have eaten at least twenty more.
From the big dish section we got the escolar goma ponzu, Hawaiian walu with black sesame and citrus sauce. I was surprised to adore the sauce, which sounded like it’d taste weird. Walu is a white fish; they made the top crunchy and the flesh a bit too firm but the center was perfect. Our second one was still a tad overcooked but less so. It might have been because the fish came in a giant tofu-looking thick slab. It was still really good. We’d ordered the lamb chops but the kitchen ran out of them, so we contented ourselves with the Kobe meatballs with foie gras centers. They were very juicy with a crunchy outside and much improved the second time I had them. They’re not over the top, just delicious and subtly decadent.
Mr. Jones has an extensive sake and shochu list, as well as lots of delicious cocktails. Try them all, every one that my birthday table of 13 people ordered we enjoyed. I liked the pretty model/waitresses in brown dresses and the really cool mod-ish (’60s, ’70s) décor. The very warm yellow and orange light was a nice touch, as was the spacious setup. The tables aren’t squeezed together as so frequently happens with East Village restos and there is plenty of room to stand at or around the bar in front. There are also comfy curvy couches in the back dining room, presumably for bar overflow. Try to get one of the cozy, circular, corner booths near the fireplace in back. It’s not just great food – you can eat dinner and then have your friends come hang out at the bar, which is exactly what I did for my birthday. It feels welcoming and upscale at the same time.
Rating: 8.5 / 10
No cost first time. My birthday cost: $80/person, but that’s 13 $30 omakases split 12 ways with a lot of heavy drinkers
Noise level: you may need your outside/club voice, but it’s fun
Chance of walking in: it’s pretty packed even on off nights with inclement weather.
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Posted in Hawaii, rated 7 to 7.5 at 04:11 by Dominique
525 Farrington Highway, Kapolei near Honolulu, Hawaii, 808-674-8888
Great for: real Chinese food, consistency, re-energizing after much shopping
Now this is what I’m talking about. It’s a bit out of the way from downtown Honolulu, maybe 15 miles, but so worth it. It’s cheap, it’s delicious, they use pretty high-quality ingredients, plus it’s across from a big shopping mall. My family has been coming here since we started visiting Hawaii every year about ten years ago and it has never once disappointed us. I cannot praise that enough in a restaurant! I completely understand that we can never expect exactly the same dish exactly the same way all the time, but I like a good high baseline, and KCR delivers. They consistently make simple food well.
Their chicken corn soup is the best on the island. The corn is crisp, the meat is real, and they put just enough cornstarch to hold it together without making it gloppy. Even my brother loves it and he is one of the pickiest eaters I’ve ever met, and I’m counting myself. The shrimp fried rice is also great.
The teppanyaki steak with peppers and onions was an improvement on Hee Hing‘s.The sauce was even better and the meat wasn’t stringy. I was very happy it was actually chewable. A lot of times I find restos are lazy when there’s lots of sauce on meat – they put in stuff that is so chewy you just kind of have to swallow it and not think too much. There were also lots of veggies and the dish wasn’t drowning in sauce.
The only sort-of miss was the breaded tofu with shrimp in the middle. It was a little too bready for my taste but I liked the shrimp and the accompanying spicy soy sauce. The calamari tossed with garlic, peppers and scallions was not as rubbery as I feared; actually quite good. I usually won’t eat that dish when my parents order it but I found myself stealing a few bites.
The Singapore mi fun (thin rice noodles) was slightly bland, but fine with the addition of hot sauce. It is supposed to be a spicy dish but we all eat super spicy so that might be a skewed opinion. Plus, there are badly-made dishes that hot sauce doesn’t improve, because they need salt or pepper or whatever, so needing a dab of heat isn’t a large criticism. We also really enjoyed the steamed basa fish with soy sauce and scallions.
My parents say this place is authentic Cantonese-style Chinese food. I love it. We come here every year as many times as we can in our weeklong vacation and my very American little brother and sister, who can get away with whining about eating Chinese food all the time on vacation (hah! when I was little I would have been smacked!), actually love it and ask to come here too. So I feel confident saying that it offers something for everyone. Go! Best non-dim sum Chinese on Oahu!
Rating: 7.5 / 10
Our cost: $80 for 5 people, no drinks
Noise level: quiet mostly
Chance of walking in: pretty good. But it closes at 9pm, so don’t get too sidetracked by the giant mall across the way.
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Posted in Hawaii, rated 6 to 6.5 at 03:41 by Dominique
449 Kapahulu Ave., Honolulu, Hawaii, 808-735-5544
Great for: chicken corn soup, appetizers, eating decent Chinese outside Chinatown
My parents have been in America for over thirty years but they always still want Chinese food, no matter where we go. So I’ve had most of the Chinese food available on the islands of Oahu and Kaua’i, except for the expensive places. This place made it on a top 100 list for Honolulu. I can’t speak to any of the non-Chinese restaurants there besides the one at the hotel, but this was yet another example of “eh, they don’t know what they’re talking about.” I wonder if Chinese food is kind of inaccessible in the sense that we Americans eat a lot of crappy versions and consequently it’s hard to appreciate whether it’s good or not unless you’ve grown up with the good kind. But please, everybody, sweet and sour sauce is crap. It’s not authentic, it’s bad for you (did you hear about the mercury-poisoned high fructose corn syrup?) and it’s like slathering Cheez-Whiz on a good steak – unnecessary and silly. I mean, if you enjoy it, OK… but there’s a lot better stuff out there.
We started with a lovely giant pot of chicken corn soup. See, you can make non-traditional things that taste great. Cubes of chicken plus crisp corn and yummy broth with just-right streamers of egg white are a happy time. The fried shrimp wontons were also yummy, although I always wish they’d cut all that excess breading off.
Our entrée-sized dishes were not up to the same standard. The salt and pepper boneless pork chops were caramelized, somewhat too sweet but otherwise good. The teppanyaki beef with onions and peppers was better-tasting but with elastic-stringy meat. It had a good sauce for putting on the shrimp and ham fried rice (sometimes labeled yung chao chow fun), which was decent but marred by possibly expired ham. Thank goodness my brother noticed it – he said the ham tasted off and we pooh-poohed the idea until I tried it by itself and agreed with him. The rest of the ingredients hid it pretty well. The seafood and tofu stir-fry, basically giant seafood meatballs over spinach in sauce, were bizarre and lumpy-looking but actually pretty good. I tired of them quickly though.
I hate that the best Chinese food in most cities is ghettoized in the Chinatowns. Why can’t we have good normal restaurants like most other cuisines? We had a lot of dim sum in Honolulu Chinatown, which has maybe fallen off a little in quality over the ten years I’ve been going, but that’s definitely where the best places are. Even they were uneven, though in general things were tasty enough to make me gain back all the weight I lost from three months of disciplined tee-totaling. (Well, that and my mother force-feeding me noodles about every two hours and stressing me out until eating became Valium.) Anyhow, to come back to Hee Hing, supposedly this is where the locals eat. If you’re not fussy about your Chinese food, it’s pretty good. If you are, or are Chinese, my next post is about what I consider the best option in the Honolulu area: Kapolei Chinese Restaurant.
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Our cost: $75 for 5 people, no drinks
Noise level: silent in mid-afternoon, probably somewhat noisy at night
Chance of walking in: decent.
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