03.03.10
Posted in Asian, Japanese, Midtown East, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5 at 17:10 by Dominique
213 E.45th St. & 3rd/2nd Aves., 212-867-5454
Great for: trying lots of small things, robata (grill) items
I have wanted to try this place since it opened and I heard terrific things about it. Finally, one lunchtime I got to go. Now I want to have dinner there too, especially since I didn’t get to try any robata things. Who knows when that’ll happen, though.
The amuse bouche of grilled octopus was terrific; meaty, not rubbery, and very unexpected at lunchtime (the fact that they served an amuse bouche, not the cephalopod itself). That is only the third time in my life I have unreservedly enjoyed octopus. To the kitchen: bravo!
P got organic teriyaki chicken over rice, which came in a nice, hefty, delicious portion. I was very hungry and did the lunch special where you can get two different things for only slightly more than the price of one. My grilled washu beef was delightful. (Washu is a hybridization of Kobe and Black Angus.) I rarely eat rice, but if you pour such tasty sauce on it I will be forced to happily eat all the saucy bits. I also really liked the salmon flakes with salmon roe over more rice. They clearly craft their dishes with care here, and it showed.
I was pretty full by this time, as you can imagine, when out came a complimentary tiny apple pie flute. I enjoyed my nibble of it, as I did the carafe of Otokoyama Kimoto. The service is deferential and extremely polite, as it is at most Japanese restaurants. This one certainly stays on my list.
Rating: 7.5 / 10, pending dinner visit
Our cost: $70 (lunch, 1 carafe sake)
Noise level: polite hum
Chance of walking in: maybe decent, but I’d probably call ahead.
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11.18.09
Posted in Indian, Midtown East, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5 at 13:36 by Dominique
246 E.51st St. & 2nd Ave., 212-644-8330
Great for: a nice quiet meal of upscale Indian food in a pretty townhouse
I earned this meal by walking thirty blocks from the Upper East Side. Lunch is quite a good deal – I got the North Indian one for $11.95. There are tons of apps and entrees to choose from, maybe fifteen to twenty in both categories, which is very unusual. I got the Indo-Chinese chili shrimp on the waiter’s recommendation. The soft, breaded shrimp in super spicy and a little bit sweet sauce could have been cooked a bit less with crispier breading, but overall they were pretty good. I think the sauce quickly made them limp.
I got my lamb rogan josh (an onion-based sauce) made spicy. The portion was quite small, I think because it was lunch – I remember things being bigger at dinner a couple years ago. There were good cuts of meat and the sauce was not too heavy, nor was the meat drowning in it. I was surprised that the rice that comes with it was normal and not basmati. The accompanying naan (bread) and dal (mashed lentils) were both lovely. I found it a good amount of sides for the size of the main. The strength of this dish bumped up the restaurant’s overall rating to 7.5, from 6 for the app.
My waiter helped me a lot and was attentive. Initial incongruous salsa music soon gave way to soothing Hindi instrumental music. I like the décor; it looks well taken care of inside, not rundown as so many Indian restaurants seem to be.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
My cost: $15 (lunch special. Entrees are about $24 on average I’d guess.)
Noise level: hush
Chance of walking in: decent.
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11.04.09
Posted in Latin, Midtown East, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5 at 02:11 by Dominique
200 Park Ave. & 44th St., 212-867-6767
Great for: business lunches, sangria, skate
I used to work at Jovia, and I was a fan of Sumile and Bar Fry, so I always follow Josh DeChellis’ career with affection and interest. (That, of course, has absolutely nothing to do with him saying I was the prettiest hostess at Jovia. And being unfailingly kind.) He is a terrific chef, if sometimes a bit ahead of his time. I was delighted when my friend P suggested La Fonda and happy with my food, though he wasn’t quite as satisfied.
I decided to be adventurous and get the scallops tiradito appetizer with chiles, citrus, tomato and cilantro. I rarely enjoy raw scallops, Momofuku Ko being the notable exception, so I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy these. The sauce may have been a tad too strong for the delicate scallops but at least it wasn’t a face-puckering citrus fest as ceviche often is. P’s pickled red and yellow watermelon salad with avocado and jalapeño-pickled onion was odd and pretty good. The salad leaves were still the best part, though.
I very much liked my skate wing special entrée with fingerling potatoes, onions, potatoes and peppers. The veg were all a bit pickled, maybe from a sauce that seemed to be red pepper coulis, but the skate was absolutely scrumptious and perfectly browned. Unfortunately, the bass special (instead of snapper) with saffron, tomato and calamari did not measure up. The rather large filet was a bit dry and overcooked, and the overall dish was small for its hefty price.
We figured cookies for dessert would be a safe bet. They give you 10 (two each of five types) plus a chocolate. Two-thirds were good and we liked the chocolate. It probably wasn’t the best use of $9. The sangrias, on the other hand, were both lovely. I liked my rosé and he liked his red – they had just some fruit, and weren’t too heavy.
We had very polite service in a very busy dining room. It’s an enormous space, 1.5 levels near Grand Central, and has that nice sleek corporate chrome-and-glass look. I wasn’t thrilled with it but I wouldn’t mind returning to try some different things.
Rating: 7 / 10
Our price: $160 (3 glasses of sangria + dessert)
Noise level: not bad
Chance of walking in: dinner may be easier than lunch.
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04.15.09
Posted in Midtown East, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, Spanish, rated 8 to 8.5, small plates at 02:54 by Dominique
247 E.50th St. & 3rd/2nd Aves., 212-752-1414
Great for: sharing, live music, fun inexpensive dinner, dates
This was a very busy day for me. I was out the night before, and slept about an hour before taking off at 6am to snowboard. Around noon I caught an edge and flipped several times before landing on my shoulder and (fortunately helmeted) head. We had to go back to Manhattan so I could see a doctor without paying a fortune. Turned out my clavicle was broken in three totally displaced pieces. The doctor actually said as he showed me the x ray, “So this is pretty bad…”
- I think he was understating it, actually.
But I’d had enough hydrocodone, Percocet and Vicodin that I wasn’t crying any more and I made it to my dear friend Dominique’s birthday dinner in acceptable time.
We started with a bunch of small plates. The trio of croquettas was great. I couldn’t decide which was my favorite among the pork, crab and cauliflower. They were all interesting combinations, though tiny. The empanadas with veal, roasted red pepper, currant and salsa verde were all right, not special. I liked the crisp thin outsides – unfortunately the insides didn’t quite measure up. Everyone except me loved the sweet and salty plantains with sea salt caramel, cilantro and crème fraîche. But then I hate plantains. I found them a little sweet though nice otherwise. The roasted fingerling potatoes with chipotle aioli were more my speed. We liked the tiny beef and pork meatballs, though they were a tad dry. Also, the tamarind-chipotle barbecue sauce was too sweet and abundant.
I think the best thing we ate was the crisp, small and tender calamari in five spice corn flour. The chipotle mayo sauce was great, the squid so well-executed it could have been fish! We definitely wanted more despite the generous size of the dish. Though the grilled shrimp and asparagus over rice with chorizo and creamy shallot vinaigrette was smaller than we thought it’d be, it was also very good, especially the sour note of the sauce contrasting with the cream.
P, our lone vegetarian, found the ensalada tropical with fruits, nuts and cheese sweet but refreshing. His special vegetarian plate was ok, but they pretty much brought the exact things we asked them not to. The flight of three ceviches is a good bet. The mango snapper was tiny and all right; I liked the decent amount of tuna better, and the salmon, though a bit sour, the best.
We loved the rich Grand Marnier chocolate cake with vanilla anglaise and raspberry sauce. They even put a candle in it for Dominique, and the two members of the Gipsy Kings performing in the front sang her happy birthday! Apparently they have live music here often. We enjoyed the El Besito cocktail with cava, strawberry and rose syrup so much we mainly just ordered that. The espumosos are good too.
Our waitress wasn’t the brightest bulb in the chandelier but she tried at least. The restaurant is quite big with two long rooms. I liked the lovely granite tabletops, minimalist décor and nice candlelit ambience. It would be great for a date and it was certainly fun for Dominique’s party.
Rating: 8 / 10
Our cost: $350 for 6 people (5 small plates, 3 apps, ceviche flight, veg plate, 11 cocktails)
Noise level: the live music was loud but it rocked
Chance of walking in: not too bad.
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01.07.09
Posted in Asian, Japanese, Midtown East, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 8 to 8.5 at 15:02 by Dominique
141 E.47th St. & Lexington/3rd Aves., 212-207-1938
Great for: yummy cheap lunch, business lunch, big parties
I saw in Serious Eats that there was a special limited edition Wednesday ramen place in midtown. But they only serve thirty bowls of it, starting at noon. When I found myself in midtown at 11:45 one Wednesday, I knew exactly where to find lunch. I went about 10 blocks out of my way and I’m happy to say it was worth it. They actually do specials every weekday and the other food was good enough to warrant a non-ramen-centric visit. (Hence its own review outside of the Ramen Roundup.)
One of the waitresses took pity on me hovering outside in the rain and let me come sit down a few minutes before they officially opened. Even before I was allowed to order she brought green tea and a salad. I didn’t realize that the ramen comes with a bowl of rice and ikura, so I got an appetizer of shrimp shumai (they don’t offer gyoza). Each had a whole shrimp on top and there was a dainty bit of minced jalapeño on the side. I loved it.
The shio ramen came with two slices of not-too-fatty pork and one giant straight-out-of-the-shell scallop. The noodles were lovely, chewy and sticky, with lots of scallions and bamboo slices on top. The scallop looks weird but is nice. As a whole it was not that salty and I really liked it. I noticed there wasn’t much extra stuff like at other ramen houses but honestly the soup didn’t need it. Besides, I had a whole bowl of rice and ikura (salmon roe) to help hold my attention. It was also only slightly salty, even a little sour in a good way. They were surprisingly generous with the eggs. I can’t believe all that was only $13.50.
Everyone was very polite. I especially liked that the waitress didn’t argue when I over-ordered; I hate when servers assume that I won’t want to eat much because I’m a small woman. OK, maybe not that small, but I’m certainly no Amazon. I just eat like one sometimes. The resto itself is quite large, though from the outside it looks tiny. The pretty, plushy, white leather chairs that look a bit like handbags are amusing. They go well with the blond wood scheme. I was pleased to see that the clientele was almost all Japanese people. By 12:05 there were already ten people eating the ramen, so you should definitely not dawdle if you want to get some of that shio goodness. You also have a chance on Fridays with miso ramen.
Rating: 8 / 10
My cost: $25 (special for $13.50 + app)
Noise level: sushi temple hush
Chance of walking in: decent, there is an upstairs as well.
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05.15.08
Posted in Alphabet City, Asian, East Village, Japanese, Midtown East, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews at 18:18 by Dominique
I love ramen. Give me noodles in soup with a hobby kit of other ingredients and I’m a happy girl. Over the years, I’ve tried a lot of ramen places in New York. I am not Japanese, so I don’t know what’s traditional besides the information I’ve picked up over the years. I just know what I like. I’ve listed the places in order of how much I enjoy them from most to least. More will be added as I visit them.
Ramen Setagaya, 141 1st Ave. & 10th St., is another American branch of a Japanese chain. It is supposed to be really authentic and is my favorite. I generally get the original soy sauce ramen which is quite salty in a very good way. I like how the broth is flavorful without being super fatty. I wasn’t so sure about the chopped raw onions on top at first, but if you mix them into the soup, it seems to cook them a bit. The gyoza, which come in vegetable, pork or seafood, are great too. The shio is also wonderful.
gyoza: $4.50
original soy sauce (syo-yu) ramen: $10.50; shio $9.50; on Mondays shio + gyoza is $12
Momofuku Noodle Bar, 171 1st Ave. & 10th/11th St., is outrageously tasty. It doesn’t claim to be authentic – chef David Chang has put his own touches on things, and what wonderful touches they are. The Momofuku ramen is a bit salty (not a bad thing, just an observation), and the pork ramen is cheaper but likewise demands to be completely finished. Both have nice big noodles and a good mix of vegetables. There are quite a few other choices in ramens. They also have several entrées and many interesting small dishes, such as sweetbreads, tripe, and the life-changing pork buns. I have low blood pressure so I can eat as much salt as I want, but you might want to be careful if you don’t. See full review of buns and chicken dinner as well.
basic ramen: $10; Momofuku ramen: $14; pork buns: priceless ($9)
Hakata Ippudo, 65 4th Ave. & 10th St., is the biggest and nicest-looking of all the ramen houses I’ve been to. They clearly put a lot of effort into decorating the place. It’s the first American outpost of a Japanese chain, and is by all accounts authentic. I got the Akomaru original with special sauce, which came with cabbage, thin round noodles, scallions, stewed fatty pork and wood-ear mushrooms. It was very good, but the broth was so fatty it had formed a thin skin in the interval between leaving the kitchen and arriving in front of me. After picking out all the mushrooms I quite enjoyed the rest. The shoyu, which was less fatty, was also well-done. I really liked the food – I doubt I can come here often, though, because the soup is just too fatty and it’s more expensive than all the other places except Momofuku and Soba-Ya.
akomaru: $13; shoyu: $12
Tsushima Wednesdays & Fridays, 141 E.47th St. & Lexington/3rd Aves., 212-207-1938. There is shio ramen plus rice with ikura on Wednesdays, starting at noon until they’ve served thirty bowls. It’s great and only $13.50 for all that. If you are very hungry even after the complimentary salad, you can have delicious shrimp shumai as well. See full review. On Fridays they have a miso ramen special too.
Shumai (no gyoza): $7
Ramen + rice deal: $13.50
Menchanko-Tei, 131 E.45th St #1 & Lexington/3rd, is quite good. It’s a pretty big place and is always full of Japanese businesspeople. I usually get the house specialty Menchanko ramen, with shrimp, chicken, egg, vegetables, tofu and some other yummy stuff. I find it tasty even before I add spice to it. The broth is a good level of saltiness and the ingredients are always fresh. The gyoza are delicious too.
gyoza: about $5
Menchanko: $8.95; shoyu: $7.75
Rai Rai Ken, 214 E.10th St & 2nd/3rd Ave., is a very narrow lunch counter, except it looks as though it was carved out of one tree. The seats are tree stumps too. I like the texture of their slender noodles, but the broth of the shio tends to be a little bland, and I end up putting tons of hot oil, pepper and shichimi togerashi in it. I found the seafood ha-chan – fried rice with baby shrimps, scallops, egg and scallions – not very good. Once Setagaya opened I stopped coming here.
gyoza: $4.60
shio: $6.95
[I will have to go back and try their ma-po ramen. Ma-po tofu is a very yummy spicy Szechuan dish.]
Soba-Ya, 229 E.9th St. #3 & 2nd/3rd Aves., actually does not have ramen, but it is mainly noodles so I’m including it. I went in September 2008 and had the Kamo, soba with cooked duck and sautéed scallion in broth. I really liked the soba but the duck was weird and tough and just generally not good. I would definitely go back and have some other soba, which is better for you than normal noodles. I’m curious to see how good their nabeyaki (shrimp, chicken, lots of stuff) udon is as well. It is quite expensive for the neighborhood and compared to other noodle shops.
shumai (no gyoza): $8.50
plain soba/udon: $8.50
kamo (duck & scallion): $15
nabeyaki (lots of stuff, udon only): $16.50
Kambi Ramen House, 351 E.14th St. & 1st/2nd Aves., is from the Minca people. I don’t know why I thought it would be any better, but actually it kind of was. I got the sio with thin noodles in pork and chicken broth with char siu, half a brown egg and veggies. It was pretty decent; the noodles were chewy, but the broth wasn’t that flavorful until I added half a bottle of spice. There are many other choices and the décor is calming and lovely.
pork or shrimp gyoza: $4.85 or $5.75
sio: $9.50
Minca, 536 E.5th & Ave. A/B, I hated. I think the place itself is cute, and it’s nice to watch the cooks running around in that little space doing everything, but I found the food itself kind of bland. And the pork was so fatty I couldn’t eat it at all. I have nothing good to say about anything I put in my mouth there except the water. Good thing it was a cheap meal.
gyoza: $4.50
shoyu: $8.50
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05.14.08
Posted in American, Midtown East, Murray Hill, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, Steak, rated 9 to 10 at 17:35 by Dominique
155 E.42nd & Lexington/3rd Ave., 212-953-2000
Great for: business meals, wine, seafood, meat gluttony, padding yourself with fat
I’ve been hearing about this place for years and never managed to go. One random Wednesday we just decided to pay a visit. I’m so glad we did. It’s fantastic. I probably gained 5 pounds, but it was worth it.
We only had to wait about 15 minutes for a table, during which time I enjoyed a delicious Stoli Doly pineapple martini (not as girly as it sounds). They sat us close to the absolutely lovely glass atrium. The food certainly lived up to the beauty of the surroundings. My lobster and crab cakes were great, with huge chunks of lobster and hardly any filler, accompanied by lovely peppery corn salsa to counteract the near-sweetness of the seafood. The tangy horseradish sauce on the sauce rounded out the dish nicely. The Boyfriend’s shrimp cocktail was terrific too.
At our waiter’s suggestion, I got sirloin Oscar, which is steak covered in crab, asparagus and béarnaise sauce. (I’d had very little for lunch.) He had suggested the sirloin as a nice balance between the flavor of ribeye and the tenderness of filet mignon. It was juicy and fantastic. Everything else was incredibly well done, too; the crab was tender and the asparagus crispy without those nasty stringy bits I sometimes find. B’s porcini-rubbed Delmonico with 12-year-old balsamic vinaigrette was a perfectly cooked medium rare. It doesn’t actually have mushrooms in the final dish, and I couldn’t taste them anyway. It was just wonderful.
We tried not to go overboard with the sides, as is so easy to do at steakhouses – we got half portions of two things. The creamed spinach was great, not too creamy; Sam’s mashed potatoes was creamy but with lumps and skin so it still had the texture of potatoes. B said they were his favorite version ever, and he is a mashed potato fanatic.
Finally we couldn’t stuff any more food in, and had time to look around. There were lots of fat old white men and business clientele. Oddly enough, there were deer heads gracing the bar area. The rest of the decor was good though; very corporate but nice. I was impressed by the enormous wine cellar, and also liked the old-fashioned menus as giant as the restaurant. We had a great, attentive, knowledgeable waiter, too. I can’t wait to go back.
Rating: 9/10
Our cost: $168 (a cocktail each) + 40 (waiter was great)
Noise level: civilized hum
Chance of walking in: low.
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03.23.08
Posted in Asian, Haute Cuisine, Japanese, Midtown East, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5 at 00:00 by Dominique
845 UN Plaza (1st Ave.) & 47th St.., 212-964-7777
Great for: watching the kitchen, getting rid of excess cash, lethal cocktails, luxurious toilets
I like Megu in Tribeca very much so when a friend invited us along for Restaurant Week at the midtown branch, I was excited. I’m not sure why they need another Megu only halfway up the island from the other one, but I suppose there are a lot of uptown snobs who don’t come downtown. I can understand that – now that I live downtown, I think everything above 34th is like the North Pole.
They’ve got a beautiful black Swarovski crystal chandelier in the entrance, maybe to make up for the smaller ice Buddha inside (Tribeca has an enormous one). The hostesses seemed a bit disorganized, first taking us upstairs for cocktails and then downstairs to our table. One of them was also not pretty enough to justify such a bitchy attitude. [Why is it usually Asian girls who do that? Those Asian fetish guys must be turning their heads.] The drinks made up for it, though.
We added the sake pairing for $25 each, on top of $35 each for the Restaurant Week prix fixe. It turned out to be a good idea. Somehow each one complemented its course well, even though there were three choices for the savory ones. My starter of panko-fried scallops with black truffle oil and okaki asparagus was a little strong but very yummy. The Boyfriend’s shrimp cocktail was good, nothing special, though the spicy sauce was great.
The hosho yaki silver cod with miso juice, asparagus and lemon was delicious. My Kobe kagero steak flambéed with Hennessey accompanied by garlic chips was quite good, although it basically tasted like normal steak. It may have been a bit overcooked, I don’t know. The omakase six pieces of sushi plus a roll was better. Everything came with a bowl of tasty white miso soup.
Our desserts of green tea crepe were great, as was the mango sorbet with pieces of fruit that they brought for our gluten-allergic friend. The drinks were just as good – the Tokyo sunrise, made of shochu, mango liqueur, orange juice and a Campari float was orange-y but yummy. The best was the Japonais 75, of Hendrick’s gin, champagne and lemon. I couldn’t taste the alcohol but I sure could feel it afterwards.
My favorite part of the evening was the incredible Neorest toilets. They are marvels of engineering, with front and rear jets of air or water for cleansing, drying, pulsating, oscillating, etc. The seats were even self-warming. I played with it for a while, more from shock and curiosity than anything else. We should totally get more of those things over here.
One of the things they do well at both Megus is service. Everyone smiles (except the unjustifiably over-confident hostess), is friendly, and makes sure you have everything you need. They were really cool about substituting a non-gluten dessert. The sake pourings were generous, and our waiter was attentive without hovering. The only thing I didn’t like was the strange chant all the staff performed every time a new party came in, which was cute the first few times but kind of annoying later. It was a very theatrical way of notifying all staff that people were coming in, but unnecessary since the open plan allows everyone to see pretty much every part of the dining room. I know it’s the custom in Japan – it just felt overdone here.
I’m glad we were doing the (very cheap) prix fixe, because the meal wasn’t astounding enough to warrant how expensive it would have been at any time besides Restaurant Week. Considering how restaurants participate to get customers who wouldn’t ordinarily shell out so much money to try their food, I would expect this week to be the best they can do. It was pretty good, don’t get me wrong. Certainly good enough for business dinners and the like. But I’ll maintain my loyalty below 14th street at Megu downtown.
Rating: 7 / 10
Our cost: $330 for 4 people doing Restaurant Week prix fixe with sake pairing plus 2 cocktails
Noise level: decent
Chance of walking in: medium.
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02.09.08
Posted in Asian, French, Midtown East, Murray Hill, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, Southeast Asian, fusion, rated 8 to 8.5 at 17:40 by Dominique
200 E. 54th St. & 3rd Ave., 212-486-9592 (now closed, sadly)
Great for: small intimate parties, converting people who think Asian fusion is over, wallet-friendlier Jean-Georges
The Boyfriend and I went snowboarding in the Poconos one weekend, and after much exertion (and aprés-ski drinking), felt that we’d earned a nice dinner out. Vong has been on my list for a while, and we were in the mood for a nice, grown-up, sophisticated place, so uptown we went.
It was pouring outside, so the restaurant wasn’t that busy and we were lucky enough to get one of the little alcoves. They’re upholstered in leather and very romantic. I liked the tables as well, which seemed to be topped with granite. I wasn’t much a fan of the sesame rice cakes with spicy peanut sauce, but then I don’t like sesame or peanut sauce. The Boyfriend does, and says they were very good.
We opted for the tasting plate to start. It comes with four yummy dipping sauces of lemon ginger rosemary, tamarind, ginger garlic and sweet chili, and two each of five appetizers. We thought the lobster daikon roll and the tuna, avocado, carrot and cucumber roll were not bad, light and refreshing. The lobster roll is very gingery though. The breaded and fried shrimp satay was pretty good. We especially liked the crab spring roll, and the spiced quail on watercress salad was definitely our favorite. The meat was delicately and perfectly flavored, while the greens were tart and delicious.
For entrées, I had the duck and Boyfriend had the sea bass. My Muscovy duck breast came medium rare in tamarind sauce with baby bok choy and a spring roll of duck confit. It was so good. The duck slices were succulent and tender, the vegetables were too and the spring roll was scrumptious. I’ve never tasted duck in that form, but I hope I will again soon. I love the way it was presented too, like two fans; the top half of the plate a fan of duck slices, while the bottom half a fan of bok choy. The Boyfriend’s black sea bass was a white island in a shallow lake of coconut lime juice with sandbars of parsnip purée. I’m not sure either of us had ever had parsnips before – I just had a vague idea that they were nasty root vegetables – and I almost don’t want to eat them again, except at Vong, because they could only be worse. What an interesting and unique pairing, too. The purée was very light, which was perfect for the lovely texture and taste of the fish. Boyfriend’s only quibble was with the sauce, which was good initially but got a bit sweet after he had a lot of it.
They brought us jade tea while we waited for our fantastic passion fruit soufflé. We had a mini-joust with our spoons over every bite, it was that good. It was a fluffy wonder. The complimentary chocolate petit-fours with mint sorbet at the center were also yummy.
The service at this place is as good as the food. Our waiter never rushed us, but kept a keen eye on whatever we might want. He was unobtrusive yet attentive. The whole place feels welcoming without being overbearing. Everyone is helpful and very friendly, but only when you need them. I love that kind of service. The decor is very stereotypically Asian, done so tastefully it still brought a smile to my face. I like the funny red temple door or whatever that they have close to the entrance. Everything just feels sophisticated and zen, without being precious or pretentious. It’s great. We love it, and are definitely going back once we’ve crossed a few more places off my list.
Rating: 8 / 10
Our cost: $165 (no drinks)
Noise level: nicely quiet
Chance of walking in: medium (the NYC location is now closed, though there is one in Chicago).
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01.31.08
Posted in Asian, Gramercy, Latin, Midtown East, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, fusion, rated 9 to 10 at 17:03 by Dominique
237 Madison Ave. and 37th St., 212-726-7755
Great for: romantic trysts, delicious cocktails, sophisticated debauchery, incredible food
I’d wanted to try Asia de Cuba for ages, but somehow never got around to it. The Boyfriend and I decided to have a hedonistic night in Murray Hill and this seemed like the perfect place. When I pulled up in the cab, even though I’d been there before for drinks, I almost couldn’t find it, the door is so low-key. Inside I was greeted by three hot hostesses who fussed over me in a most welcoming manner. One of them led me upstairs to where Boyfriend was waiting. There’s something very naughty about the open-plan top floor, where you can look down on the larger tables in the middle of the first floor. It almost felt like I was meeting a lover for a secret rendezvous.
After a preliminary drink at the bar, we started with seared scallops on habanera corn crema with sweet and sour plantains and raisins. Despite my usual hatred of fruits and sweets in savory food (and specific dislike of plantains and raisins) I thought it was great. The Boyfriend and I looked at each other after our first bites – we could tell this was the start of something special. Restaurants seem to frequently mess up scallops by overcooking or not getting the freshest ones. A scallop that is even slightly not tip-top tastes very clearly fishy. These were perfect. Even the plantains were an interesting yummy texture. Our other appetizer was Asian pesto grilled shrimp atop wok-charred mango and pineapple and fried lotus root. The pesto is made of chives and garlic and is absolutely delicious, as are all the other parts of the dish. At this point we were so happy with the food, we couldn’t wait to see how amazing the entree would be.
We weren’t disappointed in the least. The waiter told us that the entrees were family style, and definitely large enough to share. So we just got the char sui short ribs with chili orange mojito-flavored rice and black beans on congre tostones (fried plantain discs), and couldn’t resist adding a side of lobster-boniato mash to that. Every bite we took was accompanied by an “Mmmmm!” It was amazing in every way. I was again pleasantly surprised at how well sweet things can add to a savory dish, even when I would normally hate them. Boniato is a tropical sweet potato that tastes much better than ordinary sweet potato, which I detest, or maybe it’s just that they have a magical way in the kitchen here. The mash was addictive; even when we were full and really couldn’t eat any more, we kept nibbling at it. Actually we kept nibbling at everything within reach until finally I told the waiter to please take away the temptation.
We couldn’t possibly fit any more food in, so we had to skip dessert. The cocktails more than satisfied my sweet tooth though (the Boyfriend stuck to vodka sodas). I had the mambo king, dragonfly, and coconut club martini – they’re all good, but the best is definitely the lovely, pink and delicious mambo king. It’s Champagne and Stoli Razberi in a very tall stemless flute with grenadine anchoring sugar to the rim.
As if the amazing food and drink weren’t enough, we also had one of the best waiters ever. He was attentive without crowding us, made sure we had enough drinks and generally made us feel extremely welcome and looked-after. He did a great job explaining the menu and what we would want to order. I love the ambience of the place as well – it feels very sexy and sophisticated, but not pretentious. It’s the kind of place you could go in designer jeans & a slutty top before hitting the club, or wear an evening gown and not feel out of place (I went the dress route). The lighting is dim enough to make it romantic without requiring glasses and flashlights to read the menu, and the music is appropriate and unobtrusive. We had one of the best meals ever and we can’t wait to go back.
Rating: 9.5 / 10
Our cost: $180 + $50 tip because of awesome service
Noise Level: not loud
Chance of walking in: medium, seems pretty reasonable
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