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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12.31.08
Posted in American, Hell's Kitchen (Clinton), New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews at 08:53 by Dominique
523 9th Ave. & 39th St., 212-947-4208
Great for: bar scene (gay and straight), decent food in what would otherwise be something of a wasteland
A little Zagat research turned up basically only this place near the 8pm show my friend S and I were going to. Thank goodness! Although I suppose the Metro Marché at Penn Station wouldn’t have been too awful. I was surprised at how busy the bar was even when we got there at 6; it looks like a lot of fun for after-work drinks if you’re anywhere nearby.
My Caesar salad with roasted garlic dressing, smoked bacon and herb foccacia croutons could have had more dressing but I liked it and its generous size. We Americans are accustomed to too much dressing anyway. S enjoyed her veggie burger, and I got lucky again with the grilled salmon filet accompanied by saffron couscous, ratatouille and what I thought was dill butter. (The current online menu says citrus curry butter – I’m pretty sure that’s a change.) This one was bigger than Sonia Rose’s and a decent competitor. I ate the squash in the ratatouille, though I drew the line at mushrooms. The couscous was surprisingly firm and came in big clumps. All mixed together it was quite good.
We had very efficient, nice service. The waitress made sure we didn’t feel rushed but had us out in plenty of time for the show, which I appreciate even more considering this isn’t technically in the theatre district. The décor is kind of sexy comfy spaceship with neon accents and the bar is definitely where you want to be if you are in within a ten-block radius. I added it to my list immediately.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
Our cost: $60 (1 app, large $9 Voss)
Noise level: quite
Chance of walking in: not terrible, and the bar is very nice so you won’t mind waiting anyway.
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