07.12.10
Posted in Italian, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, SoHo, rated 6 to 6.5 at 02:19 by Dominique
231 Mott & Prince Sts., 212-966-1234
Great for: olives all’ascolano, possibly pizza (pending another visit)
The first couple times I tried to come here, they were closed, or doing a private party. Don’t you hate when that happens, and then you finally try the place and it’s not amazing?
I started with the four juicy olives all’ascolano, which are breaded olives with veal and sausage inside. They were a little oversalted, but satisfying and a nice size and number. P got grilled octopus with potatoes. It was chewy and quite tasty.
We both got the Yukon gold gnocchi with oxtail ragù. The gnocchi had kind of a weird taste and the meat was super fatty and gristly. I never had oxtail before, and when I researched it online later I learned that it’s supposed to be a bit fatty, but this really freaked me out. I didn’t even finish my dish. Now that I’ve had oxtail at Má Pêche I don’t think the meat was very good quality. P quite liked his, on the other hand, so I’m willing to give them another try.
To calm down my palate, I got an affogato gelato in an espresso shot that was pretty good. I felt there was a bit too much cocoa powder which made it very bitter. It sort of did the trick.
We had a nice waitress. I found the meat slicer prominently displayed behind the bar the most interesting thing in the restaurant. I literally couldn’t stop watching people slice things on it. Fortunately P thinks my nerdy tendencies are funny. It was less amusing that they misspelled “proscuitto” on the entire menu.
I suspect pizza is their best thing, since that’s what everyone else ordered. Each pie is really big, though, and I didn’t want to eat that much. Next time I will suck it up and get a pizza, and sit in the lovely back room with its skylight.
Rating: 6 / 10
Our cost: $90 (1 glass wine)
Noise level: not too bad
Chance of walking in: fine.
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03.25.10
Posted in Italian, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, SoHo, rated 8 to 8.5 at 21:37 by Dominique
200 Mott & Spring Sts., 212-966-0904
Great for: crostone, quiet awesome Italian, logophiles
I love wandering around SoHo and the Lower East Side. There’s always a new little shop or restaurant, and sometimes it’s not even new; it’s only been hiding from you. That was the case with Epistrophy, which apparently has been right there for nearly 6 years and yet invisible to me the whole time. I’m just glad I got through platform 9 3/4 and found it – sometimes it still disappears on me, but I just keep the address firmly in my mind.
The Boyfriend suggested we start with crostone al pomodoro and mozzarella, which turned out to be the best idea ever. The dish is deceptively simple; toast with melted cheese and thin-sliced tomatoes. The mozzarella helped meld all the flavors together and protect me against the tomato texture, while the toast is a terrific half inch of crunchiness that is just the right level of crisp because of the cheese and tomato juices. The Boyfriend was in raptures, and has in fact asked for this dish on several occasions since. It is perfect.
His short ribs in red wine and herbs with roast potatoes were lovely, salty, dense and stewy with tender meat. The potatoes were well-spiced and delicious. It might have been a tiny bit dry but overall it was really lovely and I had to stop myself from sneaking too many bites. My pork chops Milanese with fennel and arugula in lemon dressing were also very good. I loved the salad and the pork was exactly the light, delicious dish I wished for. They must have an expert meat tenderizer – the chops were uniformly thin, so much so that the little bit they were overcooked didn’t even matter.
I got a big kick out of their word-themed décor. It’s interesting that they serve Italian food but the place has a French feel, especially with the distressed brick walls. It looks like an old antique store with lots of books. Which is basically my idea of heaven, plus they serve terrific food!!!
Rating: 8 / 10 (in April 2010 just as good)
Our cost: $55
Noise level: the hum of happy, well-fed people
Chance of walking in: low; I’ve been there on a late Monday night and it’s still packed.
In April, we tried the crostoni misti, which was almost as good as the simple tomato kind. I very much like the soppressata one. The tilapia in spiced tomato sauce (fregola al sugo di pesce) is very yummy and spiced as advertised. I am starting to suspect that they cook things super hot here, as the meats and fish we’ve tried have uniformly been a teeny bit too well done. The Boyfriend’s ravioli al carciofi with basil pesto, pinenuts and parmesan was terrific, with flavors that go together really well. I had to sit on my hands for a bit to stop stealing nibbles.
Their raspberry cheesecake is so scrumptious I want to roll around in it. It’s creamy, not too sweet, with nice tart raspberries and a nice contrast of chocolate drizzle. They also have lovely house wines.
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03.03.10
Posted in American, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, SoHo, rated 8 to 8.5 at 01:04 by Dominique
264 Elizabeth & E. Houston Sts., 212-966-9640
Great for: everything, private parties
I am so happy to discover a great new restaurant in my neighborhood. Plus, it’s really close to SoHo Billiards, where the Boyfriend practices, so we’ll probably be coming back often.
We started with perfectly cooked mussels with andouille, white wine and herb butter. They were terrific. Not gritty and the sausage was perfectly salted. The broth was so yummy I actually used bread to eat more of it.
In an attempt to be healthy, I got the striped bass with potato purée, snap pea emulsion, grilled onion and sopressata. There was no sopressata that I could find but the dish was just lovely, with nice soft fish and some crunchy skin. It was kind of a small portion and the peas were a little unexpected but overall I really liked it. My included side of local greens in soy vinaigrette was absolutely great. I loved the dressing and the leaves were a little big but I was delighted to stuff it all in my mouth. His shell steak au poivre was also terrific. The meat was evenly cooked and there were lots of fries with wonderful garlic chili mayo.
We had very friendly service. It’s really cute inside, with an inner dining room after you get past the large bar. There’s a back room with stripper poles for private parties. (The next time I do a birthday dinner, I’m so there.)
Rating: 8.5 / 10
Our cost: $85 (1 big app, 2 Lionshead pilsners)
Noise level: convivial hum
Chance of walking in: it won’t stay undiscovered for long – you probably want to call first.
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02.16.10
Posted in Asian, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, SoHo, Southeast Asian, rated 6 to 6.5 at 23:50 by Dominique
196 Elizabeth & Spring/Prince Sts., 212-925-3310
Great for: ginger fried chicken, hobo noodles, dates on a budget
Lovely Day is sort of a SoHo institution, so people were pretty upset when they closed for several months last year after fire damage. Fortunately, they managed to get back on their feet and their beloved ginger fried chicken was not lost.
That chicken is good and juicy, but they should make the pieces smaller so the flavoring gets to more of the meat. I love the accompanying aïoli, basically a spicy mayo. The kimono fried shrimp with sweet chili sauce was fine, not a standout. I wish it were spicier.
The Boyfriend’s pad thai with shrimp was pretty good. There was too much sweet fish sauce – it was better when doused in hot sauce. A Thai place really should have better pad thai. I was tempted by the special of Chilean sea bass but couldn’t pass up the chicken hobo noodles. It was satisfying, though the chicken could be moister. The best part was the addictive and lovely, soft but not sticky noodles.
The green tea ice cream was fine and so were the nice waiters. We liked the cute log cabin décor. The quaint and homey thing keeps the vibe low-key. The place was packed on a cold Wednesday at 10pm including every seat at the bar. I guess people are very happy it’s open again.
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Our cost: $55 (one green tea ice cream, 2 non-alcoholic drinks)
Noise level: noisy but not too bad
Chance of walking in: they’re always packed. You can only make a reservation at lunch. They’re open until 11pm every day though.
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09.06.09
Posted in American, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, SoHo, rated 7 to 7.5, seafood at 16:35 by Dominique
290 Hudson & Spring Sts., 212-989-6410 [now closed]
Great for: sustainable seafood, far West SoHo food
It’s so much fun going to new restaurants… Especially when they turn out to be good. It’s nice that this one uses sustainable seafood without making a big deal of it. And my date with (another) Bar Owner went pretty well.
My kampachi crudo with Meyer lemon, lardo and melon was great. I didn’t really eat the melon, but it made sense to have it there. If I liked sweets with my savory food it would be a nice contrast to the tartness of the lemon and the salt of the meat. His wild striped bass sashimi with cherry, fennel, thyme and black garlic was also good, although I can see why bass is not as popular in sashimi – the texture takes a little getting used to.
I enjoyed my crispy branzino on romesco with fennel confit and black olive. And the vegetables weren’t too salty – I find that’s a problem with olives sometimes. He liked his spanish mackerel with baby turnips, green beans and lemon too. Both dishes were well-executed and the fish was nicely tender inside. Our side of escarole with poached egg and anchovy was interesting, and I found the leaves less bitter than expected.
I would definitely recommend the Bridgehampton cocktail – you can’t go wrong with Grey Goose, elderflower liqueur and rose water. His West Hampton was also pretty good. I would have liked it more if it didn’t have cucumber in it. Our waiter attentive and although I wasn’t blown away by the restaurant overall, it’s a stellar addition to the neighborhood and the quality of food and service after just opening augurs well for them.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
Our cost: $145 (2 cocktails)
Noise level: quiet
Chance of walking in: decent. [Sadly, they've closed already.]
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08.29.09
Posted in Italian, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, SoHo, rated 7 to 7.5 at 23:23 by Dominique
11 Bleecker & Elizabeth Sts., 212-529-5133
Great for: pizza, vegetarians, organic food
My friend F suggested lunch here, and I thought I recognized the address. As I walked up I was shocked to find that it was the same restaurant I’d disliked five years ago. It didn’t help that my date was frightfully boring and made me pay my half (on a first date!), but F told me not to worry, the pizza was really good. Though I don’t usually eat that, I was game for some carbs.
We shared the special fettuccine with shrimp, cherry tomatoes, asparagus and crushed red pepper. It needed more pepper and the shrimp were slightly overcooked, but it was generally nice. The pizza was as good as promised; eight slices of thin crust covered with tomatoes and cheese. I actually could have done with a little more cheese. All of this was just the right amount for the two of us to share.
I came away with a favorably revised opinion. It’s decent, especially for its somewhat out-of-the-way location, with pretty décor, an extensive wine list and a back garden. Our waitress was a little slow but I think maybe that’s because she was setting up for dinner at the same time. I think I might actually come back next time I want a simple pizza.
Rating: 7 / 10
Our cost: $40
Noise level: music at a good level
Chance of walking in: pretty good.
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01.03.09
Posted in French, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, SoHo, rated 7 to 7.5 at 10:15 by Dominique
132 W. Houston & Sullivan Sts., 212-475-1543 (now closed)
Great for: appetizers, burgers, eating late in SoHo
Princess Dominique wanted steak close to home one day and this was the best reasonable-money option we could come up with. (New Boyfriend is adjusting well to my demanding palate.) Fortunately they were open quite late, as we walked in around 10 pm.
B had soup of the day to start, a fantastic butternut squash. I don’t even like that vegetable and I was enthusiastic about it. My frisée aux lardons was just as good; somehow I enjoyed the very strong taste of bleu cheese. I also appreciated how soft the lettuce was. We had high hopes for the rest of the meal.
B, at least, was not disappointed. He liked his burger with everything on it and good French fries. My entrecote (shell steak) with salad and gratin dauphinois instead of fries was not quite as satisfactory. Other than being an exceptionally fatty cut, overly chewy in places and a bit raw in others, it was good. Of course, that took some of the enjoyment away. I did love the potatoes and the generous helping of salad, though.
The waiters were uniformly nice. The décor was as well, kind of standard brasserie but not too corporate. At first I thought they had really strange music. There was weird porno electronica, which gave way to old French caterwauling, then Pete Tong on BBC 1, which was when I realized it was just an eclectic iPod on shuffle. All in all, cute and mostly yummy.
Rating: 7 / 10
Our cost: $65 (no drinks)
Noise level: Not too much
Chance of walking in: Good, it’s on a bit of an odd corner. But sadly, it’s closed now.
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12.22.08
Posted in Asian, New York City Reviews, SoHo, Southeast Asian, rated 7 to 7.5 at 21:44 by Dominique
143 Grand & Lafayette Sts., 212-431-7999
Great for: beef pho (in my un-Vietnamese opinion), cheap drinks and sake
[I finally have more time to blog now! My musical is over. It went very well, I think. I’m three months behind on this thing, but at least I didn’t go to very many restaurants recently so the backlog is not as big as it might have been. Also the new Boyfriend and I stay in a lot.]
I’ve been to the sister restaurant, Bao Noodles in Gramercy, and I really liked it. (Not so much the exorbitant prices, but Blonde Hedge Funder took care of that.) When chef Michael Huynh announced round-the-clock service in SoHo in May, I signed up for one of the super late reservations for a free dinner. It turned out to be a good thing that I didn’t make it down there in time to keep my res, as they apparently ran out of food early and had to cancel the whole promotion after one day. A few weeks later I was looking for somewhere to go with my friend A and this popped up in my list.
For some reason she had already had dinner (not cool – never plan dinner and then do that to a foodie, half the fun is sharing dishes) so she just drank a glass of red wine while I ate. My spicy beef salad with endive, rocket, pineapple, grape tomatoes and mint was good. For a wonder, I enjoyed the pineapples’ contribution to the dish. Though not very hot it was quite satisfying.
The waitress recommended the garlic tiger shrimp chilies and lemongrass virgin olive oil with rice noodles for my main. I thought it delicious at first, but then I got tired of it. Perhaps it was because the sauce was a bit too sweet, or possibly the presence of the heads and tails. I liked my side of sticky rice with Chinese sausage. The shrimp is a big dish, though, so it turned out to be unnecessary.
They have an extensive cocktail list. My Julie lycheetini was great. The drinks are pretty cheap too, I think maybe $10 depending on how fancy you’re getting. Our waitress was very nice as well. A and I had a lot to catch up on but it didn’t seem to faze her that we were slow about deciding. She just checked on us periodically and patiently. It’s a surprisingly large space; rather narrow, but it extends quite far back. It seems to be decorated in the slightly ‘70s acid aesthetic.
I would have given this place a 6.5 but for the bun hue ($12), which I had at 3am one Sunday night. It was so ridiculously good. Everything about it was just heaven; the broth, the noodles, the meat, the abundant veggies… if I’d been mad about something that day, although I wasn’t after an afternoon of Paradou champagne brunch, a fashion show with VIP seats and free-flowing vodka at a rooftop bar, it would have put a smile on my face anyway. And then I found one of my favorite sakes, Koizuimi Komekome, on the menu! It being only $42 for a bottle, barely marked up, was just icing on the cake. I loved that sake from the wine pairing at Momofuku Ko. It was just a delightful dinner all around.
Rating: 7 / 10
Our cost: $45 + $10 (food for 1, 1 cocktail, 1 glass of wine)
Noise level: quiet, but I’m sure it gets rowdier at peak times
Chance of walking in: good, though they’re no longer open 24/7
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10.02.08
Posted in Asian, Japanese, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, SoHo, rated 7 to 7.5 at 04:12 by Dominique
119 Sullivan & Prince/Spring Sts., 212-343-0404
Great for: rock shrimp tempura, orgasmic lobster with miso butter
Commodities Broker took my friend M and me out to dinner one night shortly after school. We had to wait about half an hour, but we did that in a bar down the street (the Room, it’s all beer and wine, quite nice) so I didn’t mind too much. Also, I knew I was going to have crazy delicious rock shrimp tempura soon.
The shrimp didn’t disappoint. It was every bit as wonderful as I remembered from last time. The yellowtail tartare with lots of scallion and a quail egg on top didn’t maintain the same high level, as it was a bit bland. M and CB attacked the edamame with gusto, and we also enjoyed the pork shumai. Beware the hot mustard that comes with the latter. The gyu tataki was somewhat bland too - the meat was good but it needed more soy sauce and slices. Six weren’t enough. Or maybe I’ve been spoiled by other places with ten or more slices.
We tried some jackfish, salmon and chutoro sushi, all of which were quite good. The blandness issue came up again with the two shrimp tempura rolls, though not with the spicy tuna and spicy crab rolls. I found the soy sauce massively salty. I’m not sure but I think it was in the low-sodium bottles – don’t know what’s up with that.
The hands down, chopsticks down, nearly pants down best part of the meal was the broiled lobster with miso butter. It was decadently awesome. I said the butter was like if KY tasted good. M, taking it to a whole ‘nother level, said it was what every girl wishes cum tasted like. (Am I allowed to say that on here? I guess since it’s my own site.) In any case, I completely agree with her. I confess to using the also-delectable pieces of lobster as succulent little convex spoons, because I just couldn’t get enough of the butter.
We worked our way through an enjoyable bottle of Black Dragon sake slowly, not because we weren’t trying, but because the glasses are quite tiny. We finished that as M and I mopped up the last few drops of miso butter. Dessert sake and a shared green tea crème brûlée rounded out our meal nicely. (See other review for my praise of the crème brûlée and service.)
I give them an extra half point solely for the lobster. (Thanks for telling us to get it, Dominique Angel.) Most of what we had this evening was at best a 7. If you come, get the shrimp tempura and the lobster, maybe some sushi pieces, and drink the rest of your dinner – that’s what I’m doing next time.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
Our cost: $463 (3 people, 1 large sake bottle, 3 glasses of dessert sake)
Noise level: not too bad
Chance of walking in: that’s a nice pipe dream. Put your name down and get a bottle of sake, it’ll be a while.
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08.06.08
Posted in Italian, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, SoHo, rated 6 to 6.5 at 03:50 by Dominique
[Sorry posts have been so rare. I'm doing a summer intensive acting program and I barely have time to go out to dinner, let alone blog about it. School finishes this week so expect lots of reviews soon. And tell your friends about my site!]
206 Spring St. & 6th Ave./Sullivan St., 212-653-0100 (now closed)
Great for: lovely service and cocktails
E and I try to have dinner together once a week or so. We finally got a reservation here and were really excited, after all the lovely things we’d heard about it in the press. Plus I had a gift card so we figured with its help we could splurge a little bit on the tasting menu.
We were cautiously hopeful after the amuse of chilled tomato water with a toasted chip and smoked ricotta. I would have liked it more if I didn’t hate tomatoes. In fact, it was quite good. My first course was even better. I had the fantastic crudo of ahi tuna with Pine Island oysters, sorrel, and fior di sale marino (fancy sea salt). I loved all the spices and oils and the whole dish was just heaven. The chef constructed it well too, with alternating blocks of tuna and circles of tartare. E’s duo of Wagyu beef in carpaccio and tartare form with wild mushrooms, Parmigiano Reggiano and balsamico was also mouthwatering. The tartare was chopped with nicely contrasting anchovies and peppers. The poached quail egg on the carpaccio wrapped around tofu was a weirdly tasty combination. To my delight, I could barely tell that there were mushrooms. Raw beef can be so sensual and they really highlighted it here.
For the pasta course they mistakenly brought me aglio pasta with tomatoes and green market basil, and left it with me while I waited for my actual dish. They said I could finish it but I wanted to save room. It smelled better than it tasted, though it was still pretty good. The spaghetti chitarra in basil Genovese pesto with Maya prawns was similarly good, not great. The chef shaved black truffles liberally on top to make up for sending out the wrong dish, which was so nice of him. But there were only three shrimp halves and as much as I wanted to like the truffles, they basically seemed like funny-tasting potato shavings. On the other hand, E’s classic Le Marche region lasagna in bianchetto sauce was to die for, especially the milk-soaked veal. The whole thing was pasta pancakes surrounding veal delight. I am so glad she couldn’t finish it and I had to help her out.
Next I had smoked fingerling potato gnocchi with Maryland jumbo lump crab, spicy Calabrese chilies and chervil. The very fluffy, light gnocchi didn’t really match the salty sauce and tender crab, though the dish was still pretty decent. We liked it less after we had more of it. The slightly sweet sauce got annoying too. Her seared red snapper with roasted artichokes Romana and anise hyssop (tempura leaf) on top was much more impressive. The snapper had a nice crunchy top and I even liked the artichoke. E (a chef herself) was amazed at the inventiveness of the dish. I really liked it so we switched plates halfway through. It got saltier as I ate my way through it, though.
My main course of sautéed skate wing on littleneck clams, sugar snap peas, Sicilian fresh herb salmoriglio and slivers of baby chives was all right. The peas were super crunchy, like the skate. But I found the sauce salty again and the clams quite rubbery and chewy. E got the Emerald Farms baby lamb with a fricassee of spring vegetables (artichokes, sugar snap peas, squash and beans) and Tuscan mint nepitella with fiddlehead ferns. The lamb was a weird leg portion with lots of tendons and kind of tasted like liver, which was really disturbing. Her peas were better than mine and the fiddleheads were a little squishy. I know somebody long ago decided mint goes with lamb but adding it was a bad decision here, as it was very strong and numbing.
Each course was surprisingly large – I’ve seen actual entrées that were the same size, so definitely be hungry if you visit. For a dessert amuse they gave us liquid mango gelée shooters; yummy and fun to eat, like poached eggs. My warm chocolate crostata with toasted hazelnuts, brown butter ice cream and cherry foam redeemed the chef a bit in my eyes. I loved the ice cream especially. It tasted somewhat like chocolate. E enjoyed her cylinders of Amedei chocolate cream with ricotta sorbet and praline powder. We found it had a very subtle, light flavor. As if we weren’t stuffed enough at this point, we were also given scrumptious little Amedei chocolates. The square one is great, as is the very rich espresso-flavored teardrop.
They have some weirdly terrific cocktails here. The Balance - pear & white pepper vodka, Tanqueray Rangpur, Lillet and Moscato d’Asti – reminded me of the Vesper of Casino Royale fame, and I couldn’t resist. It is a great thing to order for your date if you think she (or he, let’s not be sexist) might need a really stiff yet delicious drink. E’s Paradiso combined rum, amaretto, lemon and white peach white pepper foam. I would love to meet their mixologist and be his or her drink tester.
The service here was fantastic. Every single person who interacted with us was lovely. I am truly sorry that I can’t say as much for the food. In the first place, I’m puzzled as to why there were so many mushrooms ruining the menu for me and so many of the sauces were far too salty. And only the apps, lasagna and dessert were anywhere near the level I’d expect from a restaurant this upscale and expensive. For comparison, 6 courses at Fleur de Sel are $89 (7/10), 7 courses at Tabla (7.5/10) $89 and the 8-course tasting at Bar Milano (7.5/10) is $85. It’s not really fair to bring in the 10 courses at Momofuku Ko (9.5/10) for $100, since the service and size of the place are not at all comparable to the others, but seriously – 5 courses for $105 here? No thanks. I’d only come back for cocktails.
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Our cost: $350 (5-course $105, 2 cocktails + 1 glass of nebbiolo)
Noise level: civilized hush
Chance of walking in: low – medium, though it clears out early. They’re closed Sundays and Mondays.
So far for NYC B. R. Guest restaurants, I’ve liked four (Blue Water Grill, Isabella’s, Primehouse, Vento) & considered mediocre or hated five (Atlantic Grill, Blue Fin, Dos Caminos except the guacamole, Fiamma, Ruby Foo’s). Plus they’re all really expensive, which just adds insult to injury when they’re bad.
Apparently NYC agrees with my assessment… Fiamma is now (January 2009) becoming just an event space.
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