02.22.10
Posted in Asian, Greenwich Village, Japanese, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 6 to 6.5, small plates at 23:56 by Dominique
11 Barrow St. & W.4th St., 212-675-7775
Great for: interesting little plates
I was supposed to audition for this show in the far West Village. They said I should watch it first to be sure I wasn’t offended by the religious mocking. I knew I wouldn’t be, but it’s always nice to see a free show. Except this one. The singing sucked ass, the story made no sense, and if the people had got up on stage and masturbated it would have been far less solipsistic and annoying. In any case, we ran away as soon as the show ended, to a place with redeeming qualities.
We both got the chashu ramen. A simple broth with just noodles, scallions, very thin pork slices and and radish bits, it’s pretty good. I give them props for doing something simply and well. $14 is a little expensive for what it is, though. We got more mileage out of the bottle of organic Sho Chiku Bai Nama.
Our service was nice and the place seems quite popular. There are lots of interesting little plates I’d try in a more adventurous mood.
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Our cost: $55 (2 ramens, 1 bottle sake)
Noise level: depends how drunk the other patrons are
Chance of walking in: not good.
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Posted in Asian, Barbecue, Midtown Central, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5 at 22:27 by Dominique
10 W.32nd St. & 5th/6th Aves., 212-594-4963
Great for: entrées, probably barbecue (everyone else had it)
This was a lucky spin of the Koreatown restaurant roulette wheel. We did not get barbecue this time, because I wasn’t sure the Boyfriend would like it – we’re slowly expanding his thoroughly American food horizons – but I would happily come back and try it.
There were lots of pickled vegetables in the small plates. The chawan mushi and tofu were the best. We enjoyed the giant pizza-roll-looking mandoo. They’re definitely a good value at that size.
His je yuk dubu kimchi, a boneless chicken breast in house sauce, was impressively tasty. It didn’t look like a whole breast’s worth of meat, and was a little odd, but we really liked it. The beef and seafood soondubu was also good. It was spicy and tasty and the tofu was silky, as proper soondubu should be. Much better than BCD Tofu House.
Rating: 7 / 10
Our cost: $55
Noise level: fairly quiet
Chance of walking in: good.
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02.16.10
Posted in Asian, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 6 to 6.5, SoHo, Southeast Asian at 23:50 by Dominique
196 Elizabeth & Spring/Prince Sts., 212-925-3310
Great for: ginger fried chicken, hobo noodles, dates on a budget
Lovely Day is sort of a SoHo institution, so people were pretty upset when they closed for several months last year after fire damage. Fortunately, they managed to get back on their feet and their beloved ginger fried chicken was not lost.
That chicken is good and juicy, but they should make the pieces smaller so the flavoring gets to more of the meat. I love the accompanying aïoli, basically a spicy mayo. The kimono fried shrimp with sweet chili sauce was fine, not a standout. I wish it were spicier.
The Boyfriend’s pad thai with shrimp was pretty good. There was too much sweet fish sauce – it was better when doused in hot sauce. A Thai place really should have better pad thai. I was tempted by the special of Chilean sea bass but couldn’t pass up the chicken hobo noodles. It was satisfying, though the chicken could be moister. The best part was the addictive and lovely, soft but not sticky noodles.
The green tea ice cream was fine and so were the nice waiters. We liked the cute log cabin décor. The quaint and homey thing keeps the vibe low-key. The place was packed on a cold Wednesday at 10pm including every seat at the bar. I guess people are very happy it’s open again.
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Our cost: $55 (one green tea ice cream, 2 non-alcoholic drinks)
Noise level: noisy but not too bad
Chance of walking in: they’re always packed. You can only make a reservation at lunch. They’re open until 11pm every day though.
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Posted in American, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5, West Village at 17:18 by Dominique
99 7th Ave. South & W.4th St., 212-645-0600
Great for: dates, jazz, large entrées
My dear friend D and her girlfriend A invited the Boyfriend and me to a seminar nearby and we weren’t quite ready to call it a night afterward, so we wandered into Garage for some dinner. I’ve seen the place for years and never been inside – I was definitely missing out. It’s not a very wallet-friendly place, but it definitely is kind to the palate.
I really enjoyed my bay scallop linguine with asparagus in Champagne cream sauce. There were lots of little scallops and ample sauce, which was a bit sour from the Champagne but still tasty. The Boyfriend’s chicken and smoked mozzarella ravioli in light Parmesan alfredo with prosciutto and peas was absolutely wonderful. Fortunately there was such a generous amount, I got to eat some of it. We especially loved the terrific garlicky sauce.
D liked her Chilean sea bass in lemon-thyme beurre blanc with homemade spinach gnocchi and sauteed broccolini. A’s fettuccine and pan-roasted shrimp with garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach had extra large shrimp and was also delicious.
We really liked the cute décor and the homey, warm atmosphere. Try to sit in the upper balcony if you can. It’s a lovely date place, though quite expensive.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
Out cost: $150 (only entrées + 2 glasses white wine)
Noise level: music is a good volume and the talking isn’t too loud
Chance of walking in: it’s pretty packed.
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02.10.10
Posted in food-related musings at 15:14 by Dominique
I have been going to all these inspiring, fun foodie events! I kept meaning to blog about them but I’ve been super busy with my other careers and playing housewife (I’m a slow chopper and a perfectionist. Not an efficient combination). Anyway – first there was the free Word of Mouth event about Online Media and the Future of Food Writing. It’s amazing how many people turned up. Housing Works was packed. I was really excited to see Ed Levine from Serious Eats and it was inspiring, but a bit overwhelming, to hear how many other food sites are out there. I guess it’s good that my blog has a clearly defined niche or I’d be even more lost in the shuffle.
The Boyfriend and I went to Hill Country to use my Blackboard Eats coupon when I stumbled into a foodblogger party, courtesy of Hagan Blount and his 93 Plates project. I met some other interesting people – hello Diva Jackie! – and realized that I should be networking a lot more if I want to make any headway at all.
Which is why I actually paid to go to the Culintro Future of Food Journalism seminar. It was, as all verbal discussions of food and writing tend to be, a little bit omphaloskeptic, but I actually learned some stuff this time. I’m not a trained journalist, though I’ve read enough books and issues of the Economist and New Yorker to have a pretty good idea of the ethical rules. It was nice to discover that I have been instinctively following them the whole time.
I like being more involved in the foodwriting world. The Boyfriend is helping me improve the website and I am thinking of new things I can do. I might write a little more about things I cook at home, since I do that nearly every night, and I think I will try to stick to a posting schedule. I’ll throw my hat over the fence and say Mondays and Thursdays will be the magic days from now on. Tomorrow is my birthday, so there, by publishing this I am ahead already!
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