09.12.11
Posted in Gramercy, Midtown Central, Midtown West, Murray Hill, New York City, New York City Reviews, Northern European, rated 9 to 10, small plates at 03:03 by Dominique
16 West 29th St. & Broadway/5th Avenue, 212-679-1939
Great for: basically everything on the food and cocktail menus
After hearing so much about April Bloomfield I was delighted to finally try her food for myself. It certainly lived up to the hyperbole!
The sausage roll is a very large pig in a wonderfully soft blanket. They make the sausage in-house with actual meat. It was so good I wanted to cuddle with it. (I know, that doesn’t really make sense.) I would wake up a hell of a lot earlier if I had one of these waiting for me every morning! The seafood sausage with beurre blanc and chives is a large, perfectly-spiced sculpture composed of nice big chunks of shellfish arranged in a vaguely sausage-y shape. It’s a “sausage” the way a Ferrari is a car.
The thrice-cooked chips (fries) with mustard might be the best ever. They were an impeccable balance of crispy outside with soft insides. Even their accompanying pickle wedges were delightful. The almonds are spicy and terrific too. If I liked marrow vegetables I would like the baby squash with parmesan. I think it could have used more spices but I didn’t eat that much of it.
The service was nice, though I haven’t eaten in the dining room yet. On the other hand, having drunk the entire cocktail menu (in two visits, it’s short), I can say with certainty that all the drinks are strong and tasty. This is a great place for meeting friends, making new ones, and generally having a grand old time in an otherwise semi-desolate area. The lobby bar is fun when you get tired of sitting, too.
Rating: 9 / 10
Our cost: $75
Noise level: very noisy
Chance of walking in: you can’t reserve, just go and have drinks until you don’t care how long you’ve been waiting.
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12.04.10
Posted in Asian, eclectic, Midtown Central, Midtown West, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 9 to 10, Southeast Asian, Steak at 00:59 by Dominique
Chambers Hotel 15 W. 56th St. & 5th/6th Aves., 212-757-5878
Great for: greedy carnivores, a downtown-feeling restaurant in upper midtown
Getting a Momofuku reservation is harder than it seems. It’s not just a matter of clicking at the exact right time, which requires a fast internet connection and technological competence. You also have to corral enough people for a res who are a) all free on the same range of nights or willing to make it happen and b) not going to flake at the last minute. (You know who you are. Stop it!) When you click through, you’re confronted with a week’s worth of choices and you have a few seconds to swoop on one. This time I confirmed options with two other people I knew would deeply appreciate it all, Average Wonderwoman and R, and then trusted that between us we could find three more carnivores. It all worked out in the end, though we ended up sans sixth person.
It was worth every bit of stress when we walked in and saw the beautiful menu. Our starter of tongue salad with basil in plum vinaigrette, sprinkled with peanuts, was lovely with a good balance between vegetables and meat. I wasn’t sure what to expect from my first tasting of tongue; I needn’t have feared. The meat reminded me of the paper-thin slices that come in beef pho, except this was all very good. I really liked the vinaigrette and the mint leaves were a nice touch. Tongue is just meat like anything else and I was amazed how much I liked it.
The seared Wagyu with radish in ginger scallion sauce is amazing. I could have eaten a whole plate of small delightful morsels myself. I don’t know how raw meat can be so tender – maybe it’s the marinade. The Momofuku cookbook isn’t holding anything back, at least not about ginger scallion sauce, because it tasted just like when I make it at home.
We next had the pleasure of côte de boeuf, which was sliced ribeye roasted in thyme and garlic. It was nutty, soft and just fantastic. There was none of that stringy thing that often happens with beef. I had to keep reminding myself to cut ladylike pieces and not just stuff whole slices in my mouth.
My favorite might have been the lemongrass and Thai basil saucisson. It’s hard to decide between so many amazing things. The sausage was incredibly juicy and rich, and when wrapped in a leaf with pickled stuff and fried garlic and shallots it was a substantial packet of joy. It is extremely rich and does become a little much after you’ve had a lot, which is another reason to load it with veggies. Plus, there are still three courses to go. You don’t want to fill up yet.
After my bad experience at Emporio, I was nervous about the oxtail, but I actually liked it here braised in soy and sherry with scallions. Fat lovers will rejoice – fat pickers like me will have fun teasing out meat morsels. We initially confused the braised shank in crab paste and chilies with a brontosaurus bone that had somehow survived, tender and tasty, for the last sixty-five million years.
It was a bit difficult to do it justice at the end of the meal but we all made valiant efforts. Between the shank meat, which was easily plucked off with the tongs, and the oxtails nestled around it, a die-hard carnivore could not be happier.
For a digestif we had a very refreshing short rib consommé, which seemed to be spiced like pho. It was a perfect last course for a perfect meal. And I’m sure our stomachs were thankful.
Service is pretty friendly, much more so than at most of the other Momofukus. The chairs are a little more comfortable, though still wooden, and it’s the biggest of all his restaurants. There is a funny giant X of tables in the center of the room, maybe to make logistics easier for the beef feasters. I definitely have to come back to try the rest of the menu, although writing this has got me salivating for the whole beef extravaganza all over again. Maybe when I’m off my diet I can celebrate…
Be careful of the dangerous Milk Bar outpost upstairs. Not content with eating an entire cow, I also took home a slice of crack pie, and wow does it live up to its name. Good thing I don’t live close to either dealer, I mean store. In any case, this feast is a must for any New Yorker. And if you get a reservation and have an extra seat, let me know.
Rating: 9 / 10
Our cost: $115 per person (including some drinks) – they argued, but eventually let us pay the $85 prix fixe for the 5 people we had instead of the 6 we thought we would. The rest of the menu is pretty expensive too.
Noise level: it’s kind of echoey with high ceilings
Chance of walking in: probably difficult.
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08.13.10
Posted in Asian, Barbecue, Midtown Central, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5 at 23:42 by Dominique
32 W.32nd St. & 5th/6th Aves., 212-947-8482
Great for: apps, good cheap Korean barbecue
There is lots of Korean bbq in New York. A great deal of it is mediocre and expensive, though, and especially in Koreatown, it’s hard to figure out which kind is which just by looking. I am here to tell you that Kom Tang hits the sweet spot in terms of being delicious and not breaking the bank. After years, I finally found the grail!
The man doo gui, fried beef dumplings, are terrific. The small hae mool pa jun, a seafood and vegetable pancake, is actually pretty big, and soft and scrumptious. There are a bunch of other appetizers and mains I would definitely go back for as well.
The meat comes in nice huge portions and the waiter cooks it for you. We tried the bul go gi sirloin and the kal bi sirloin tips, which were both delicious. The menu offers lots of other combinations that are also great deals. The tiny free plates are yummy as well. Next time you’re hammered after karaoke, any hour, any time, you know where to go.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
Our cost: $85 (2 beers, 2 apps, 2 plates meat)
Noise level: probably noisy when busy
Chance of walking in: pretty good. They’re open 24 hours.
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02.22.10
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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11.29.09
Posted in Asian, Gramercy, Midtown Central, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 4 to 5.5 at 17:02 by Dominique
17 W. 32nd St. & 5th/6th Aves., 212-967-1900
Great for: not much
I had an audition and rewarded myself for getting up so early with some soon du bu. It’s silky tofu cooked in a spicy sauce with veggies and various meats or kimchi. I usually get beef or seafood – on the lunch menu here, “both” was an option, so I happily chose that. This place is the offshoot of an LA-based Korean chain that I’d heard a lot of good about. Sadly, it did not live up to its hype.
The plethora of side dishes was ok, with several things I don’t usually see. The cream pasta with ham is decent; I found the fried whole fish hard to eat. The main problem is that the soon du bu is not very flavorful. I don’t think it needed more salt. It just wasn’t that savory. I was bored with it after a couple bites. A good soon du bu – at least, what I’ve had and liked – is a combination of different flavors, textures and spices that change with every bite and make you want to lick the bowl. It’s a sophisticated tofu stew that showcases the soft absorbency of the tofu and lots of spices. Plus, the shrimp (there’s crab and squid too) had heads and shells on. It is so frustrating to eat! What is the point of marinating, stewing or covering shrimp in sauce if they are encased? You peel them and they’re simply boiled boring shrimp anyway. It’s especially annoying in a messy soup. The added difficulty of the shrimp just made me mad.
Service is fine, décor is standard vaguely-Asian, and I am going elsewhere for my beloved soon du bu. A restaurant should at least make its own putative specialty well. I was so unhappy I almost visited Mad for Chicken to erase the memory with something tasty. (I didn’t, as I am only allowed to have fried chicken once a month.)
Rating: 5 / 10
My cost: $10
Noise level: not too bad
Chance of walking in: good.
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07.08.08
Posted in French, Midtown Central, Midtown West, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 8 to 8.5 at 00:03 by Dominique
9 W. 57th St. & 5th/6th Aves., 212-829-0812
Great for: crab cake, very civilized meals, relaxing after couture shopping, exciting trysts
After a very satisfying morning of shopping at Chanel, it was time to relax with a lovely lunch. I never got to try this place when I lived on the Upper East Side so I was glad to finally have the chance.
To start with, there was the excellent Maryland jumbo blue crab cake with artichoke salad, Dijon mustard sauce and red onions. The crab came in big lumps, slightly spicy, with minimal breading. The mustard was the perfect level of sharpness. My only caveat was the slightly chewy artichoke leaves.
The chicken salad “Chinoise” with tropical fruit, Napa cabbage, cashews and honey ginger dressing was chopped very fine and arranged to look like a giant crab cake with artistic flourishes of the nuts. I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious I found it, considering how much I hate fruits and sweets mixed into savory foods. I even thought the sugary cashews were a good accompaniment. The angel hair pasta with lobster Bolognese, basil oil and Parmesan crisp was not quite as good. Creamy, but a bit bland, pepper improved it. I liked the tender small pieces of lobster.
I would definitely recommend trying the fruit-flavored iced teas. I was also very pleased with the unobtrusive, attentive waiter, as well as the lovely decor. Try to get one of the spacious leather booths if you can, which even have glass dividers for privacy between them. I imagine a lot of affairs (or just exciting dates) are discreetly conducted here. The tablecloths cover a lot. And the place is so elegant and beautiful, it’s equally appropriate for a business lunch or a princess mood (that was me).
I noticed the 3-course prix fixe lunch menu had completely different items from the rest of the menu, which was a bit odd. I thought perhaps they might be dishes only otherwise available on the dinner menu, but they’re not on that either. The dessert menu was also a little crazy. It was two pages long with something called a “Show of Dessert” on one of them. All of them look delicious though. I would love to come back here – there were tons of good things on the menu I didn’t get to try.
Rating: 8 / 10
Cost: $95 (2 passionfruit iced teas)
Noise level: low hum
Chance of walking in: medium at lunch. I think it might not be too bad on weekend nights either.
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