09.25.09
Posted in New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, Upper West Side, rated 4 to 5.5 at 06:47 by Dominique
505 Columbus Ave. & 84/85 Sts., 212-873-0200
Great for: really, not much
I love Anthos and it seems like everyone is always raving about Kefi, so I was super excited to try it out at long last with the obliging Ex. And was immediately disappointed. I really don’t know what all those people are talking about. Or what Michael Psilakis is thinking! It made me very sad.
I thought, after having such a lovely experience with them at Apiary, that sweetbreads with spinach, crispy shallots and garlic would be a good idea. Here the sauce was too vinegary or lemony though the sweetbreads themselves were nice. The dish was quite large and could be better. It was very clear that I was eating organs, which I really did not want to be reminded of. The Ex’s Greek salad was just ok too. We deemed it “not a good melding of flavors.”
For a main I had the special lamb chops. I am sorry to say the accompanying rice with vegetables was the nicest part of the whole meal. The lamb chops were very greasy, though better than my app. I felt compelled to finish them anyway because I was so hungry and the four of them were so small. His burger was good but big and soggy. The feta spread is too strong-tasting after a few bites. Overall the sandwich was too heavy. Ironically, his decent glass of red wine wasn’t quite heavy enough.
Shockingly, the restaurant did not have fresh pepper. I don’t know how this is possible. At least our waiter was very nice about it and everything else. I also did not enjoy the trashy, loud, b&t table next to us. The Ex and I had some mean-spirited fun making outrageous guesses about them so we wouldn’t stab them with our cutlery. Or gag them, which would have been more helpful I suppose. I feel terrible for restaurants when people are louts. The staff can’t do much unless others complain, and even then they’ll definitely be abused by both sides and nothing will actually improve. When’s the last time you asked a stranger to shush and they said “Oh, I’m sorry, I certainly will!” Anyway. Somewhat tolerable yet expensive food means I won’t be back.
Rating: 5.5 / 10
Our cost: $80 (1 glass of red wine, 1 bottle sparkling water)
Noise level: kind of loud
Chance of walking in: not great. But then, why would you want to after reading this.
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09.17.09
Posted in Hell's Kitchen (Clinton), Japanese, Midtown West, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5, small plates at 17:17 by Dominique
251 W.55th St. & 8th Ave./Broadway, 2nd floor, 212-245-4555
Great for: skewers, kara age, sake
After a busy day I had an hour to grab dinner in the area. I picked this place out of my trusty Blackberry list, and also because I’d heard there’s a formidable woman in the kitchen. I like to support the girls, you know? Especially in the closed, mostly male Japanese chef world.
I got a bunch of skewers, of course. The scallions were the most flavorful part of the negima chicken thigh, while the Berkshire pork with ponzu sauce held its own against them. I wasn’t a fan of the rubbery fat but I still liked it. The big scallop was pretty good; there was a bit too much oil, so maybe the option with soy sauce instead of salt and pepper would have been better.
My favorite was the harami skirt steak skewer. Tender, flavorful and drenched in sauce, I would definitely order it again. I also loved the jidori kara age. They were big mini drumsticks that still felt light (as opposed to greasy). I wished for a dipping sauce, though.
The restaurant manages to provide nice service while being quite busy. You can watch them grill everything, and the giant yakitori and sake lists have some unique offerings. It’s daintily and prettily decorated. I found the non-skewer menu expensive, although it’s probably reasonable for the theatre district area, so I was the glad the sticks were pretty reasonably priced.
Rating: 7 / 10
My cost: $30
Noise level: not too bad for the number of people
Chance of walking in: not good.
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09.12.09
Posted in food-related musings at 19:29 by Dominique
I gotta say, I’m a little offended at the new Nissin Chow Mein tv ads with the Chinese tiny old man cartoon. He spouts some vaguely Confucian-sounding crap in a thick accent and looks straight out of, I don’t know, 60 years ago. Long wispy beard, bushy eyebrows, a robe (what is he, Chinese Hef?) and something that could be a scroll or a lame samurai sword strapped to his back. Plus, he turns out to be “Eddie from Accounting” at the end of the ad. If they just went with the retro silliness it might have been funny, but it ends up weird and nonsensical.
Do they actually think this will get people to buy their noodles? If a real Chinese person said they were good that’d make the same point except a hundred times better. This little drawing telling a white girl that she has “followed the path to noodle enlightenment” is just dumb. I hope he’s not what the execs imagine when they think of Chinese people.
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09.07.09
Posted in American, Flatiron, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, Union Square at 00:00 by Dominique
10 E.16th St. & Union Square West/5th Ave., 212-243-1616
Great for: lunch, eating around Union Square if everything else is full
My actor friend V, who’s been really helpful to me (thanks V!) suggested lunch one day around Union Square, and as much as I love Republic, I also wanted to branch out. I take my bloggerly duties quite seriously.
I couldn’t resist Uncle Red’s Addiction, which is just fried chicken. I didn’t find it quite as lovable as he did. There was a bit too much honey and skin. I did love the gravy and smashies, even the cauliflower and carrots, which were good with gravy. V thought his catfish sandwich was good, not amazing. It was very big at least.
We had a nice waitress, and the walls are interesting to read and look at, but I was a bit disappointed. I wonder if we should have ordered other things, although I suspect the fried chicken is a specialty from its name, and maybe it’s just not my style of food.
Rating: 6 / 10
Our cost: $35
Noise level: it’s not quiet
Chance of walking in: probably pretty good.
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09.06.09
Posted in East Village, Italian, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews at 23:54 by Dominique
I would not normally review a little pizza joint because a) I don’t eat bread, which includes pizza, and b) they’re not usually restaurants. However, in honor of Artichoke I am actually devoting a post to pizza. When I find another worthy place it’ll appear here.
Artichoke, 328 E.14th St. & 1st/2nd Aves., 212-228-2004: The spinach artichoke pizza is something special. It is basically dip on thick bread – as much as I prefer thin crust, I totally understood that it would have collapsed in on itself if they’d used one – and well worth $4/slice. I was less pleased with the crab pizza, which turned out to use fake crab. It was pretty good nonetheless, but too… sweet, maybe. Stick with the eponymous artichoke. I was especially happy this night because I’d just won the Big Gay Spelling Bee but had no one to celebrate with. I actually ended up making friends with some people on the benches outside (hello there, if you’re reading!) and went home with a smile on my face. Plus, I came at the exact right time to not wait at all! Usually the line is horrendous.
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Posted in American, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, SoHo, rated 7 to 7.5, seafood at 16:35 by Dominique
290 Hudson & Spring Sts., 212-989-6410 [now closed]
Great for: sustainable seafood, far West SoHo food
It’s so much fun going to new restaurants… Especially when they turn out to be good. It’s nice that this one uses sustainable seafood without making a big deal of it. And my date with (another) Bar Owner went pretty well.
My kampachi crudo with Meyer lemon, lardo and melon was great. I didn’t really eat the melon, but it made sense to have it there. If I liked sweets with my savory food it would be a nice contrast to the tartness of the lemon and the salt of the meat. His wild striped bass sashimi with cherry, fennel, thyme and black garlic was also good, although I can see why bass is not as popular in sashimi – the texture takes a little getting used to.
I enjoyed my crispy branzino on romesco with fennel confit and black olive. And the vegetables weren’t too salty – I find that’s a problem with olives sometimes. He liked his spanish mackerel with baby turnips, green beans and lemon too. Both dishes were well-executed and the fish was nicely tender inside. Our side of escarole with poached egg and anchovy was interesting, and I found the leaves less bitter than expected.
I would definitely recommend the Bridgehampton cocktail – you can’t go wrong with Grey Goose, elderflower liqueur and rose water. His West Hampton was also pretty good. I would have liked it more if it didn’t have cucumber in it. Our waiter attentive and although I wasn’t blown away by the restaurant overall, it’s a stellar addition to the neighborhood and the quality of food and service after just opening augurs well for them.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
Our cost: $145 (2 cocktails)
Noise level: quiet
Chance of walking in: decent. [Sadly, they've closed already.]
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09.02.09
Posted in Asian, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, Queens, Southeast Asian, rated 8 to 8.5 at 00:55 by Dominique
6413 39th Ave. & 64th St., Woodside, Queens, 718-899-9585
Great for: savory Thai food, foodie excursions outside Manhattan, medium-size groups
My friend G was about to move to London for six months of work so it was the perfect time to have a girls’ dinner. She’s really special – I only leave Manhattan for things that start with p! (Planes, poker, and plays that I’m in. Though I guess you could say this was for pad thai.) Fortunately, it was very good food. I’m not sure it was worth an hour’s ride on two trains, but that’s a pretty tough standard.
We started with a mild roasted duck salad. They were generous with the large duck pieces, and the ginger was a good compliment to the onions, scallions and cucumbers drizzled with vinaigrette. The fried pork-crabmeat roll with honey sauce was tasty without being too much. The meat is ground fine and wrapped in a bit of tofu skin. The tom yum shrimp and mushrooms in hot and sour soup is very good, with surprisingly succulent shrimp.
The pad thai with shrimp did not disappoint. The noodles were discrete and not stuck together too much, and there was just the right amount of sauce. I rarely order pad thai but this went a long way toward changing my mind. So did the green curry with chicken, despite the many times I’ve tried curries and not been a fan. The red snapper with tomato, pineapple and onion in sweet and sour sauce was better without the sauce, which wasn’t as sweet as I’d feared it would be. Our favorite was the sautéed Chinese broccoli with crispy pork. With barely any vegetables, the terrific, crispy meat was the star of the dish, and of our whole meal.
Two brown and two coconut rice bowls were enough for the five of us. I didn’t like any of the desserts, unfortunately. Tapioca soup with ice cubes and sweet milk, green tapioca with coconut milk and corn, coconut on rice cake with rice crisps… no thanks. Some of them were warm, none of them were very sweet, and all of them were just eh. Asian desserts are probably just not my cup of tea though. The other girls seemed fairly happy. We definitely ordered the right amount of food – one appetizer and one main per two people is just about right. Each dish is quite generous, and fresh and juicy to boot.
The dining room is huge and packed at all times. I like the décor, which they evidently put thought into it. It’s cash only and no reservations. If I’m remotely in the area I will definitely make an effort to come again.
Rating: 8.5 / 10
Our cost: $125 for 5 people (3 apps, 3 entrees, 1 side, 4 rice bowls, 1 tea, 1 wine, 1 iced tea)
Noise level: echoey room packed with loud Asian people
Chance of walking in: not good. You’ll probably have to wait, they don’t take reservations.
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