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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11.25.10
Posted in Italian, Midtown West, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5 at 03:11 by Dominique
234 W.56th St. & 8th Ave./Broadway, 212-265-2610
Great for: specials, bruschetta, pastas
The then-Boyfriend’s parents were taking us to see Jersey Boys, and wanted Italian food nearby beforehand. This seemed to fit the requirements, and turned out to be a really good choice. So was Jersey Boys, for that matter – I didn’t even know most of the songs and I still loved it.
I had an audition beforehand so I missed most of the apps, but they very kindly saved me a little bit of each. The calamari was just ok, pretty chewy, with nice breading and sauce. The bruschetta was better. And I was really glad they’d managed to leave me some of the creamy burrata special, which was scrumptious mozzarella wrapped in lightly toasted prosciutto. I would happily have eaten a couple more plates of that.
Two of us ordered the rock shrimp and scallop spaghetti special with cherry tomatoes and arugula. Though the tomatoes could have been incorporated more, it was very good overall. The nice fresh seafood was cooked just the right amount. I couldn’t bring myself to try any of the special of ravioli stuffed with wild mushroom in butter and sage sauce, but the sauce turned out to be quite tasty despite the mushrooms. The baccalà with potato slices (really chips) in fennel purée was well-executed, tender and flaky.
Service was as lovely as the décor. If you need good, moderately priced Italian food in midtown, you won’t do much better than this place.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
Our cost: $160 for 4, 3 apps, 4 entrees
Noise level: happy noisy
Chance of walking in: not bad, there are lots of tables.
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01.03.10
Posted in Asian, Chinese, Midtown West, Murray Hill, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 6 to 6.5 at 21:30 by Dominique
30 W. 32nd St. & Broadway/5th Ave., 212-629-6450
Great for: noodles, eating non-Korean late in Koreatown
This was a really big day for me. I shot my first feature film (I play a gangster who stabs a girl after helping kill her fiancé) and had my first date with the New Boyfriend!
He got spicy noodles with chicken substituted for seafood, and it was quite tasty. The lovely round noodles were silky and slightly chewy. The sauce was a bit sweet, but pleasantly so. My Szechuan chicken was an absolutely giant dish. It was only medium spicy, with far too many mushrooms. The sauce was also on the sugary side without being annoying.
It’s a decent Chinese restaurant, and certainly a better bet than some of the Korean joints on the street. I love barbecue and regular Korean food, but it’s so easy to walk into a random place and end up spending $60 on maybe two plates of raw meat and wondering why we’re still hungry. (True story, at Won Jo.) Plus, this place seems to stay open forever – we left around 5am and there were still people coming in – and you won’t smell like barbecue when you leave. (Though personally I am always delighted by that smell.)
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Our cost: $30
Noise level: it’s pretty large so I imagine it’s not quiet when full
Chance of walking in: not bad.
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09.17.09
Posted in Hell's Kitchen (Clinton), Japanese, Midtown West, New York City, 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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08.29.09
Posted in Asian, Japanese, Midtown West, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 8 to 8.5, small plates at 23:50 by Dominique
152 W.49th St. & 7th Ave., 212-764-8549
Great for: pre-theatre dining, izakaya food, sharing with a small group
Snowboarding Guy had an irresistible proposition one day – dinner and In the Heights (fantastic, I definitely recommend it). It was perfect timing to get a table, as they get jammed really quickly but around 6pm isn’t too bad. The line starts around 6:15, S said. I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting Japan yet, so I can’t tell you if this is a proper, authentic izakaya. I can, however, assure you that if the proper ones are anything like this they must be absolutely delightful. Basically, izakayas serve a lot of small dishes along with sakes and beers, and are traditionally for businessmen to unwind after work.
We started with some lovely yellowtail sashimi and went a little crazy with the skewers. I wasn’t feeling very adventurous so we just got chicken, duck, pork belly, asparagus wrapped in bacon, shrimp and one other. They were all quite good. I did not enjoy trying to de-shell the giant shrimp on its stick though. I fell in love with the mentai pasta, which has cod roe and creamy sauce mixed on top; so much so that I think I will try to make it at home. It sounds odd but is really good. The saltiness and texture of the roe are a great contrast to the smooth creaminess.
I also surprised myself liking the soup with salmon and pickled stuff over rice. So simple, yet so delicious. It wasn’t that big, though, so we ordered a tempura shrimp skewer. This was much better than the regular shrimp skewer, mainly because I didn’t have to deal with a shell and it had spicy mayo. We also got delicious gyoza filled with Berkshire pork (is there anything Berkshire pork doesn’t augment?) and perfectly crispy, juicy kara age. I think Japanese-style might be my favorite kind of fried chicken.Obviously I love Southern, and the Korean marriage of crisp and saucy, but the Japanese have figured out how to pack a lot of crunch and flavor into very little breading and oil. At least it seems to have not much oil.
The waiters are very busy, but do their best. They don’t rush you either, which is especially nice considering how popular the place is. They have many rare foods, like natto, and interesting little cocktails – SG got some kind of fruit + beer mixture that was actually quite good – plus there are some private booths too. I cannot tolerate waiting, so I will always try to go around 6, but it’s lively any time and I certainly want to come back.
Rating: 8 / 10
Our cost: $85 (one fruit beer)
Noise level: kind of loud
Chance of walking in: not good. The line starts around 6:15pm.
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05.26.09
Posted in American, Latin, Midtown West, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 8 to 8.5, small plates at 20:59 by Dominique
321 W.51st St. & 8th/9th Aves., 212-957-9338
Great for: sharing lots of interesting dishes, American food with a Latin twist, pre- or post-theatre
The Marketer knows the owners here and thought I might be able to give them some nice publicity. (I don’t think he understands the point of this blog. This is for straightforward reviews, without exception.) The eponymous Emily was indeed a sweet lady and I’m happy I can honestly recommend her restaurant. M and I had dinner plans elsewhere so we just had several small plates, but we tried a decently varied cross-section of the menu.
The Prince Edward Island mussels with tasso ham in tequila broth were very good. I’m not even a huge mussels fan. The broth doesn’t taste much of tequila, and there was lots of lovely diced ham, onions and small tomatoes as well as a generous number of mussels. The roasted jalapeño cheese poppers with creamy herb dip were great. There was just the right balance of everything, so that each popper was delicate and creamy without overpowering the peppers. The bacon mac and cheese croquette with smoky, spicy tomato dip was also terrific. It managed to be light and not too cheesy with nice big bacon crumbles.
We decided to leave room for our next dinner but couldn’t resist some dessert. M’s warm apple cake with caramel sauce and whipped cream turned out to be awesome despite its appleness. I wouldn’t order it myself, as I don’t really like apple desserts, but I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who does. My baked cheesecake empanada with strawberry sauce and more whipped cream was great. I found the cake a little spongy but the combination of ingredients was lovely.
The waiters are really nice and seem happy to be there. There are two dining rooms, although they’re not always both open, so it’s probably a good idea for large parties and walking in. I enjoyed the lights and décor, which made the place look inviting and upscale at the same time.
Rating: 8 / 10
Our cost: $45 (3 apps, 2 desserts)
Noise level: quiet
Chance of walking in: pretty 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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05.12.08
Posted in American, Midtown West, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5, Steak at 17:56 by Dominique
603 W.45th St. & 11th/12th, 212-245-0002
Great for: expensive debauchery, eating with strippers on your lap, tuna tartare, having fantasies in the flesh, getting rid of a lot of cash quickly
My friend G was in NYC for a short visit, so she, her boyfriend C, our two girl friends N and L, and the Boyfriend and I did a fun strip club visit. The boys like strippers almost as much as we girls do. It turned into a crazy night.
We got a bunch of appetizers to share. The crab cake was quickly demolished. We found the Kobe beef carpaccio delicious, but no different from regular carpaccio. I actually thought Robert’s salad with shrimp, crab, avocado and tomatoes, was pretty good, despite the detested presence of avocado and tomatoes. The best starter was the creamy, salty, umami tuna tartare with quail egg and sourdough toast – fortunately there was plenty of it to go around.
We were a bit less happy with the filet mignons than I thought we’d be from Frank Bruni’s review. I quite liked mine, although I felt it was better when I ate here maybe 4 years ago. Boyfriend and L, who got the same thing, agreed that the filets seemed slightly burned and dry, as though they had all been cooked a little more than requested. As in, the Boyfriend’s medium rare seemed more a medium. The complimentary sauces were a nice touch; although the béarnaise was a bit vinegary, the cocktail sauce was good. G & C shared a good, giant ribeye. N very much liked the special of halibut in champagne cream with yellow and black caviar and so did the rest of us, whenever we could snatch bites out from under her fork.
We shared four sides as well. (A bit overambitious of us.) The potato gratin with bacon, mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts with cream and bacon were all great. I kept checking to see that my heart hadn’t stopped from the cholesterol overload. We didn’t like the creamed spinach as much, but who could complain with so much meat floating around. The bacon, incidentally, was more lardon-style, I guess because they thought we needed more fat in our meal. We also enjoyed the beauty on display. Three or four strippers came by to flirt with us, and it was fun watching them try to figure out our table’s story and whether the guys were free to buy time with them or not.
Towards the end of the meal, we started doing shots. First I demonstrated the proper way to do a Blow Job – you have to pick up the glass using only your mouth, and toss your head back quickly to swallow the shot. You can put the glass down with your fingers though. The girls needed a little practice, so we did one more round. Interspersed with those were tequila shots, which I hate, but the Patrón went down all right. Then C and Boyfriend bought all of us girls the shot where the pretty waitress sits in your lap, pours alcohol in your mouth, and tops it off with whipped cream. I think I had two of those. At this point we decided we could get into a lot more trouble downstairs (see end – extracurricular activities don’t count towards the restaurant rating).
We had very attentive and flattering service throughout the meal. The waiters made sure to keep our drinks topped up and our places fairly free of debris. The go-go dancers over the stage were easy on the eyes, too. I love strip clubs and it’s great that I can have a good meal here plus titties in my face all at the same time. A few weeks later when I came back, the steak was better, so I would say it might be a bit uneven in execution but is pretty decent, though expensive. Make sure you get cash outside, because inside they charge 10% or something ridiculous like that.
Rating: 7 / 10
Our cost: $1320 (we did at least 4 rounds of shots with 3 or more cocktails each – a filet mignon is about $50)
Noise level: raucous party
Chance of walking in: pretty good. If you’re just coming to the strip club, it’s $40 at the door.
So downstairs the Boyfriend and I bought each other lapdances and watched our friends getting them, and then we found a very lovely Filipino girl named Leslie who is my new favorite dancer. (Sadie and Erica are pretty awesome too.) We ended up in the champagne room and I won’t go into details but it was a fantastic night.
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04.04.08
Posted in Haute Cuisine, Italian, Midtown West, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 8 to 8.5, Upper West Side at 12:10 by Dominique
240 Central Park South & 7th Ave., 212-265-5959
Great for: simply wonderful food, grown-up dining
I was not having a good day, but some of San Domenico’s great food and service cheered me right up. We were late for our 8:15 reservation and they were so friendly about it while we waited for another table to open up, I was almost sorry to sit down. The dining room is gorgeous, understated and elegant.
We weren’t quite sure what to make of the canister of fresh raw vegetables waiting for us on the table – they were giant and included fennel. They reminded me of those Bunnicula children’s books, about the vampire bunny who sucked all the color out of vegetables in the dead of night. Bunnicula probably would have enjoyed these ones very much. The Boyfriend nibbled a bit on the carrot, which was good, and I attempted to make headway with the celery, although I didn’t get very far as it was almost the size of my forearm. Fortunately our first course arrived soon and delivered us from our perplexity.
In the interests of trying more than one appetizer, I got the Prince Edward Island mussels and cannellini beans in parsley broth, which was very bean-y but pretty good. I would probably have enjoyed it more if I liked beans and mussels. It is a testament to how well they cooked the dish that I quite liked it anyway. The Boyfriend got to have most of the homemade soft egg yolk-filled raviolo with truffled butter. Later I discovered that that’s their signature dish, so it was very cool of them to put it on the Restaurant Week menu. They are justifiably proud of it – it was fantastic. Every aspect of the dish was beautifully executed and delicious.
Next, the Boyfriend was very happy with his seared scallops and braised endive in lemon parsley veal sauce. It started out sweet and got even better as we ate more of it. It was interestingly tasty. My veal fillet alla bergese in light pancetta-cream sauce with braised endive and cippolini onions was also great; I think the sauce was my favorite part. Everything we ate was just so good. I’m excited to come back and try the regular menu.
For dessert we had warm polenta, hazelnut and dark chocolate soufflé over white chocolate sauce with crème fraîche on top. We were surprised to find it wonderfully light and refreshing, especially the crème fraîche. I was also pleasantly surprised at how nice everyone in the restaurant was. I’ve had Restaurant Week experiences where I was treated with disdain for ordering off the cheap menu, and I am very glad to note that here, they were just as attentive and courteous to us as to the next table ordering bottles of Perrier-Jouet. We are definitely coming back soon.
Rating: 8.5 / 10
Our cost: $105 (1 cocktail each plus espresso)
Noise level: happy hum
Chance of walking in: low.
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