01.18.11
Posted in American, Brooklyn, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 8 to 8.5 at 04:03 by Dominique
61 Wythe Ave. & N. 11th St., 718-963-3369
Great for: rock & roll fries, fried chicken, live shows
Generally, I think leaving Manhattan for something we already have here is stupid. (The great Mimi Sheraton agrees with me.) There are several Blue Ribbons and amazing fried chicken all over this borough. But I’m a loyal friend so Bubbly Blonde and I went to support my actress friend’s burlesque troupe. My shoot ran so late I actually didn’t see her act, which apparently involved independently rotating tassels, but the food amply made up for annoying travel and missing the sexiness.
Bubbly Blonde and I were naughty and started with the rock & roll fries with Cajun spice, gravy, provolone and cheddar. My exact notes are “thin fries dipped in yummy crack.” It was a nice big plate of crispy, gooey, flavorful addiction. In the spirit of thoroughness we also got six bbq wings, which were a bit sweet and pretty good, though I wish the skin were crispy. I was impressed that the accompanying dipping sauce had actual blue cheese crumbles in it. The honey barbecue sauce is decent too. I can’t say $9 is a great price, though.
We had to wait a bit longer for our eight pieces of mixed white and dark chicken. They are lovely big pieces with crunchy batter and juicy, tender meat. It’s even nicer that they are $22, especially since a half chicken dinner with bread, collard greens and mashed potatoes is $21. I couldn’t stop myself from finishing my half despite having eaten so much already. The side of coleslaw is good and I don’t even like coleslaw.
The service can be spotty since the place is so big. It is also not cheap; one Coke is $3. Regardless, I would actually consider making the trek back just for the food.
Rating: 8 / 10
Our cost: $60
Noise level: cacophony
Chance of walking in: good.
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01.11.11
Posted in American, East Village, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5 at 16:05 by Dominique
43 E. 7th St. & 2nd/3rd Aves., 212-982-3006
Great for: sausage, lots of beers on tap
Jimmy’s is a beer lover’s fantasy. They have a ton on tap. It’s a pity I hate beer. At least I got to have some “local food.”
They were out of slow-roasted pork so I got the piggery sausages with tomato, leeks and roasted patti pan squash. Though there was a little too much not-meat in the sausage and not a whole lot of them overall, they were very tasty. Combined with the veg and sauce, it was a nice salty mush. I had no use for the tasteless giant squash.
The side of local sweet corn on the cob with Ronny Brook butter and sea salt was fine. It was exactly what it sounded like and therefore disappointing. At least it was cheap.
My date had already eaten; he just had a beer. He says they are very good. Our waitress, on the other hand, was a vaguely friendly, dopey, spectacularly unhelpful hipster. She completely ruined the experience. I know how hard it is to be a waitress, but this girl was terrible on the rare occasions when she randomly floated into our vicinity.
If you like beer and rustic basements with funny Gothic doorways and lots of casks lying around, this place is for you. I just hope you have better service.
Rating: 7 / 10 (I took off .5 for the awful waitress. She was that bad. Someone was high when they hired her.)
Our cost: $25 (1 app, 1 side, 1 beer, cash only)
Noise level: not terribly noisy
Chance of walking in: it’s probably busy usually, what with all the beer.
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01.05.11
Posted in American, Chelsea, Meatpacking District, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 8 to 8.5 at 23:30 by Dominique
409 W. 14th St. & 9th Ave., 646-289-3930
Great for: food, cocktails, large parties, an entire night out in one place
The Music Exec liked to impress me, and he certainly did a good job picking this place. I used to party here when it was Lotus… those were fun nights. I was not expecting much after reading some snide reviews so I was very pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food.
We started with a special appetizer of grilled octopus in lovely romanesco sauce with chorizo and almond. The octopus was soft, just the way I like it, and as it so rarely is. The tuna tartare tacos with avocado, citron-soy and red chili aïoli were also wonderful.
His medium rare New York strip steak with peppercorn sauce was a little more towards medium, but still quite good. The meat itself is flavorful even without the delicious sauce. It was also nice and big, maybe twelve ounces. My pan-roasted cod and crispy rock shrimp with ramps, snap peas, young ginger and sweet soy was terrific. Everything was tender, juicy, plump and bursting with flavor. I actually found the soy sauce salty, a good contrast to the near sweetness of the seafood.
We couldn’t resist a side order of truffled Parmesan herb fries. They are as crispy and addictive as you could desire. I was starving, to be sure, but they’re truly awesome.
The cocktails here are expensive and great. Our waitress wasn’t sure which pinot noir ME wanted so she brought both bottles; she was that thorough all night.
Sitting upstairs is nice and noisy, though not too much so. The tables have extremely sharp metal corners but are wide enough that you probably won’t hurt yourself until you’ve had a few drinks, by which time you won’t care. Although we didn’t have trouble making a reservation the day before, the place was totally packed.
The place turns into a club after dinner, so it’s basically a one-stop shop for going out. The next time I want a pricey, crazy, delicious night out with rich friends, this will be my choice.
Rating: 8.5 / 10
Our cost: $195 (2 apps, 2 mains, 1 side, 2 drinks)
Noise level: the people are loud but the music is quiet enough
Chance of walking in: you probably can’t. Call ahead and bring ten friends to share the fun.
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01.03.11
Posted in Asian, Chinatown/Little Italy, Chinese, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5, small plates at 16:25 by Dominique
14 Elizabeth & Canal/Bayard Sts., 212-964-5640
Great for: xiao long bao, scallion pancakes, pork belly special
Sometimes I remember that I live in Chinatown and there must be awesome random places there. Shanghai Garden sounded good to me and my neighbor Hagan the Wandering Foodie. Turns out they changed the name, for some reason.
To start we tried juicy dumplings with crab, which were awesome and a steal at $6.95. They had properly thin skin with lots of soup and pretty flavorful meat. The scallion pancakes were very thin and not as crispy as they looked, which I was surprised to really like.
As a half-Shanghainese girl I had to get the nian gao (rice cakes) with pork, shrimp and bok choy. It tasted strongly of the vegetables but the nian gao were somewhat bland. Overall, I found the dish nice but forgettable. Hagan’s walnut shrimp with cream sauce on a bed of nice broccoli was a bit sweet. The batter was crispy and yummy though we could do with less of it. It was definitely priced for white people at $14.95.
The special of thin-sliced pork belly with cabbage, scallions, peppers, mushrooms and tofu was the best of everything we had. Complex, in a very dark sauce, it was everything you want from braised meat. We ordered too much but couldn’t help finishing the pork anyway.
The waiters are friendly though their English skills aren’t great. It’s a nice, bright restaurant that closes a little later than Shanghai Café, so if you don’t make it over there before 9pm, you can at least get your appetizer fix here. And ask for the pork belly.
Rating: 7 / 10
Our cost: $55 (2 apps, 3 mains), cash only
Noise level: not bad
Chance of walking in: fine.
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01.02.11
Posted in Alphabet City, brunch, East Village, Italian, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 8 to 8.5 at 14:35 by Dominique
156 East 2nd St. near Ave. A, 212-477-7600
Great for: brunch (so far)
The Australian Astrophysicist lives near Tompkins Square Park and consequently I have been trying places east of 1st Avenue. This place is worth the walk.
The garlicky white beans that come with the bread basket are delicious, and I’m not even a fan of beans. We were soon distracted by terrific poached eggs. Mine were on a large block of tasty grilled polenta with prosciutto di Parma, shaved Parmesan, abundant fennel and aged balsamico. It was so much deliciousness I actually could not finish it. His eggs Benedict came with great hollandaise sauce, pancetta, potatoes and mixed greens.
The place is cute inside with a surprising number of tables. Rather twee, but I like it. It’s fun to see the cooks in the open kitchen. Despite watching the entire time, I still have no idea how they poach eggs so efficiently and wonderfully. You should go and see if you can figure it out.
Rating: 8.5 / 10 pending dinner review
Our cost: $40 (2 mains, 2 coffees)
Noise level: not noisy
Chance of walking in: it’s probably packed and they only take reservations for 8 or more. There are two private rooms downstairs though.
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