02.22.10
Posted in Asian, Greenwich Village, Japanese, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 6 to 6.5, small plates at 23:56 by Dominique
11 Barrow St. & W.4th St., 212-675-7775
Great for: interesting little plates
I was supposed to audition for this show in the far West Village. They said I should watch it first to be sure I wasn’t offended by the religious mocking. I knew I wouldn’t be, but it’s always nice to see a free show. Except this one. The singing sucked ass, the story made no sense, and if the people had got up on stage and masturbated it would have been far less solipsistic and annoying. In any case, we ran away as soon as the show ended, to a place with redeeming qualities.
We both got the chashu ramen. A simple broth with just noodles, scallions, very thin pork slices and and radish bits, it’s pretty good. I give them props for doing something simply and well. $14 is a little expensive for what it is, though. We got more mileage out of the bottle of organic Sho Chiku Bai Nama.
Our service was nice and the place seems quite popular. There are lots of interesting little plates I’d try in a more adventurous mood.
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Our cost: $55
Noise level: depends how drunk the other patrons are
Chance of walking in: not good.
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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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01.06.10
Posted in East Village, Latin, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 6 to 6.5 at 02:42 by Dominique
304 E.6th St. & 2nd/1st Aves., 212-253-5888
Great for: tequila lovers with deep pockets, dainty eaters
I wanted to do something nice for the Boyfriend, and we’d decided to move in together the next week (I know, I know, crazy fast, but it’s working), so I figured what could be better than taking a Mexican food- and drink-loving guy to a tequila bar/restaurant? Turns out I should probably have taken him to Crema, although we did find a lovely new tequila we both like.
We started off with good croquetas. The one of chorizo was slightly better than the cheese and smoked tomato one. We preferred the seared shrimp and scallops stuffed with chorizo and roasted sweet pepper. They came in skewers and we could have eaten a few more, for sure.
I also enjoyed his tacos with chicken, cilantro, radishes and lime. They were insanely hot in places – someone definitely didn’t understand how crucial dicing and spreading out peppers is – and otherwise crispy and quite nice. My entraña with chimichurri over summer corn pudding with pico of tomato, radish, red onion and Mexican oregano was only fine. It felt like a small amount of steak. I enjoyed the pudding, at least. We definitely needed more tequila to forget how much we were being charged for eh food.
The cocktails are pretty good. I liked the suro-mago, though I was puzzled that it came in half a tumbler. I don’t know why they didn’t just put it in a smaller glass. The amor morado came in a more appropriately sized container and was also good. The Boyfriend said his margarita was good, not terrific, despite people saying it’s Mayahuel’s specialty (but then the Cali boy is picky). He loved his 2 ounces of Siete Leguas, which is strong-tasting yet approachable. It was so good, we got a bottle at Astor Wines later.
This is an overpriced, New York-y type of place. Our waitress knowing her tequila saved them half a point. It’s pretty decent compared to some of the swill that passes for Mexican here, but at these prices I kind of expect a little more, and a bit better, food.
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Our cost: $135 (regular dinner + 4 cocktails)
Noise level: noisy until late
Chance of walking in: not great, but it’s still new.
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01.03.10
Posted in Asian, Lower East Side, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, Southeast Asian, rated 6 to 6.5, small plates at 21:48 by Dominique
113 Ludlow & Rivington/Delancey, 212-353-8866
Great for: sharing lots of small dishes, easily impressed out-of-towners
One of my favorite girlfriends organized a girls’ night one Saturday. I’d been here before so I wasn’t too excited about the food, but fortunately her presence makes up for quite a lot. The last time I was here the company was also better than the food, which is only middling anyway, so it is not the place to take a foodie. Unless they like everything sweet.
We had to wait a very long while for the people at our reserved table to clear out, for which inconvenience we were given free edamame with lemon butter and salt. It was really good. It sustained me through our first dish of pickled vegetables, which was kind of like being tasered with a pickle. In my mind, even when a dish is “pickled [something],” it ought to still have some balance. I shouldn’t be fighting to keep my eyes open.
Fortunately the scallops with bacon, kalamansi and sake were much better. They also were a little sour, but a nice size and overall pretty tasty. So was the pork tonkatsu with watercress salad and lime butter. I found the meat a tad dry and the sauce a little sweet, while the lime butter was nice. I did not, of course, eat the mushrooms with baby bamboo, though the bamboo was decent.
The langoustines special in panko with wasabi tobiko aïoli was the best dish we had. The aïoli is addictive – the shellfish was good too. I enjoyed the sautéed Chinese sausage with super-hot Thai chili-lime sauce, which offset well the sweetness of the meat. The tofu with Thai basil and wood ear mushrooms in spicy soy mirin was not good. Too sweet, and just blah all around. I didn’t care for the seared ahi tuna in Thai chili-miso vinaigrette either.
We finished things off with the dessert tasting. The Thai chili chocolate ice cream (for an avowedly Filipino restaurant, they really like those Thai spices) was fine, as were the black plum sorbet and fried plantains. The lemongrass panna cotta was the best.
The service partly makes up for the mediocrity of the food. They are very attentive, and it was nice of them to mitigate the annoyance of waiting 45 minutes with unsolicited edamame. On the other hand, we were shocked to be charged corkage for our two bottles of sake; we tried to empirically figure out if that’s standard, and couldn’t remember details of past byob dinners well enough to come to a consensus, but basically it was surprising to be charged for twist-open bottles.
I can’t tell you why this place gets so much hype. Both visits I was in parties of 4 that ordered a good cross-section of the menu, and had an okay meal that rose to pretty good at best. I might have liked it better if I liked sweet flavors in food, and I think that might be a Filipino idiosyncrasy, but I am not a fan. Another annoyance is that everything is kind of expensive. Nothing is under $7, and most is considerably more. Not even the vegetarian dishes. Really? On the Lower East Side? The food definitely didn’t earn its price tags.
Rating: 6 / 10
Our cost: $130 (just food, they’re byob with small corkage fees)
Noise level: a bit noisy, not bad
Chance of walking in: not great. You can reserve for **parties of 4 or more.
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Posted in Asian, Chinese, Midtown West, Murray Hill, New York City Neighborhoods, 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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11.28.09
Posted in Asian, Japanese, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, Upper West Side, rated 6 to 6.5 at 16:51 by Dominique
311 Amsterdam Ave. & 75th St., 212-877-9300
great for: decent sushi on the UWS, cocktails
My friends D & A love the guacamole with spicy tuna and wasabi chips here. Unfortunately, they didn’t tell me that was the key dish before I came, so I was left to my own devices trying to pick the best things on the menu. I might return to try that with them, but the rest of the food was just decent. This is an upscale, trendy, sort-of-Asian place; if that’s your thing, you’ll like it. Otherwise, it’s overpriced and not bad for the Upper West Side, but I wouldn’t make the trek from downtown just for this. (There was a party nearby.)
Our two duck spring rolls to start were pretty good. So was my sashimi Fusha – not as amazing as I’d like, but certainly serviceable. The Dynamite, Lady Lobster, California and Volcano rolls were all good as well. My favorite part of the meal was the drinks. I was tired after a long day of auditioning and indulged in an espresso martini – I am not drinking for a while to lose weight, but I figure caffeine counteracts alcohol (shut up, it’s true if I believe it) – and the Strawberry Fields cocktail is a nice tall glass of yummy. Literally.
We had slightly befuddled service but everything worked itself out in the end. It’s a good place to bring people before going out, and certainly if you want a decent meal in a fun atmosphere in a bit of a frat boy/stodgy area.
Rating: 6 / 10
Our cost: $150ish for 3 people eating, 4 people drinking
Noise level: fairly noisy
Chance of walking in: decent.
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08.30.09
Posted in Financial District, Italian, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 6 to 6.5 at 00:00 by Dominique
225 Front St. & Beekman/Peck Slip, 212-227-8890
Great for: hiding in a secret garden, post-shopping food, Italian groceries
Software Guy was finally back in town and we decided to meet up around South Street Seaport and wander around. New York is such a great town to do that. You’re certain to stumble upon some hidden gem if you look hard enough. Or walk long enough. The restaurant is concealed by an Italian grocery store; once you get through that you find an enclosed courtyard that’s actually the restaurant. You can sit outside, if you like, but that’s nowhere near as cool.
We mainly got the specials. The speck was great and there was a lot of it. There’s just something about cured salty meat I really like. Probably the fact that it’s meat. My app of medium-size shrimp with fava beans had lots of beans and the shrimp could have been cooked a tad less, but it was quite nice.
We liked SG’s cavatelli with rabbit ragú. The pasta was very al dente. My veal scaloppine in green pepper sauce with capers, carrots, zucchini, onions and potatoes was a little disappointing in comparison. Though they were generous with the meat – four wide slices – one slice was unpleasantly stringy and the others were only halfway better. I enjoyed the sauce and vegetables though.
I think perhaps meat is not their specialty here, so if I’m in the area again I’ll probably stick with a pasta and/or seafood. The service is slow, but that’s nice if you’re having a pleasant conversation. And the location is uniquely lovely.
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Our cost: $70 (2 glasses of wine)
Noise level: quiet in the secret garden
Chance of walking in: good.
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08.25.09
Posted in Lower East Side, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, Northern European, rated 6 to 6.5 at 04:11 by Dominique
49 Clinton & Stanton/Rivington Sts., 212-614-3234
Great for: good solid English food, a taste of home for Brit expats, late night food
I was trying very hard to qualify for the World Series of Poker through Pokerstars freerolls (obviously, I did not make it this year) but I couldn’t miss my friend L’s birthday either. I made it through round 1 quickly and was puzzled to find myself sitting alone at a table with all the chips for round 2, but figured I’d lucked into a free pass to the final round. It was also way past time to leave for dinner so I jumped into a cab. This is why I forgot my BlackBerry and had to take notes with my camera.
We were all delighted to see the eminently reasonable $28 3-course prix fixe menu including one glass of prosecco or rosé. I didn’t actually love anything on it or want dessert, so I ordered from the regular menu, but it definitely helped to keep costs down. Those Brits do love their vino! (I was staying sober until I won the tournament.)
I tried most of the savory dishes on the prix fixe menu, since there were about 16 of us and we ended up getting everything.
The chicken from this walnut chicken salad with celery leaves, Granny Smith apples and mixed lettuce was a bit bland. The greens are nice, though I’d prefer that it have no fruit. The new season asparagus with poached egg and candied lemon as well as the rocket salad with manchego, pear and pine nuts looked good and reportedly tasted good as well.
I really liked the rich country-style pâté with red onion marmalade and toasted bread. There was a lot of bread and the onions were a little too sweet though.
I found my main course of toad in the hole pretty good. The sausage was a bit bland and the onions were way too sweet as in the marmalade, but I liked the bready stuff and mashed potatoes a lot. I think the English Ex’s mother made it slightly better.
The butternut pumpkin risotto with basil pistou (French pesto) and parmesan would have been yummy if I liked any form of pumpkin.
Unfortunately I didn’t get to try any of the well-received burger. Looks nice, doesn’t it?
As did the pan-fried mackerel with green olives, celery and raisin.
The prosecco, rosé, Champagne and wines are reasonably priced and quite good. They were working on their late-night liquor license (probably have it by now) and are open ’til about 2am on weekends. The owner himself often helps wait tables and everyone is very nice.
It’s an unpretentious pub with decent food and a fun atmosphere. We went soon after they opened, so I expect they have worked out some of the kinks. It’s a lovely place to start the night and linger. As for me, I had to dash the minute I finished my entrée but I certainly had ample wine to drown my sorrows when I came back later.
[When I got home an hour later the tournament said I'd been sitting out too long. I tried to salvage the situation but they didn't know why I'd been alone in the first place so I was probably the victim of a computer glitch. Terribly disappointing, that and the many other times I battled impossible odds to win a round, only to be eliminated eventually. Once I had one small blind left against three other people - I trounced them all in thirty minutes. Didn't carry over to the next round.]
Rating: 6.5 / 10
My cost: $30 (no drinks)
Noise level: quite loud
Chance of walking in: it might get pretty slammed as people find out about it.
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08.05.09
Posted in Asian, Lower East Side, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, Southeast Asian, rated 6 to 6.5 at 02:10 by Dominique
85 Orchard & Broome/Grand Sts., 212-226-3700
Great for: upscale pho without weird cuts of meat, sandwich takeout (you can’t have the pho to go)
[Sorry for the hiatus. Poker has been taking up most of my time when I'm actually on the computer, plus I've been taking classes and I'm in a soon-upcoming play. But in an effort at discipline, I've banned myself from online poker until I'm caught up here. Also I'm catching fuck-all for cards so this should save me some money and grief. At least I'm still winning in live games. And cooking is going well.]
I was sad Elyssa Dido closed, but this place is pretty good too. For some reason, the night before I had a craving for pho, but they aren’t open on Mondays. Fortunately for my readers I was able to wait until the next night.
I got the last dish of goi cuon, a salad roll with shrimp, greens, herbs and peanut sauce. It was light and pretty good, though the shrimp were a bit dry. I liked the sauce, which is surprising because I usually hate peanut anything. My pho bo with cinnamon cloves, star anise, brisket, eye round and optional meatballs was decent. The thin-sliced meat was very nice. I was happy that it was all meat I could eat – I know, I know, I’m a bad Chinese girl for hating tendon and other offal-type things, but it’s just so yucky to me. I found the broth tasty and the noodles a little too thin.
It’s a really narrow space, so you’re pretty much guaranteed a wait at peak hours. It’s also hot, and expensive for what it is (especially considering dirt-cheap fantastic Vietnamese places are a few blocks away in Chinatown), so even though it’s around the corner from me, I doubt I’ll become a regular.
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Cost: $20
Noise level: it’s a small space, so depends on the people
Chance of walking in: probably not good for now, since it’s new.
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07.14.09
Posted in American, Lower East Side, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 6 to 6.5 at 02:04 by Dominique
61 Hester & Ludlow Sts., 212-477-2427
Great for: if you’re on the Lower East Side shopping and it’s an odd (non-peak) hour
My friend S is great. The whole time I was recovering from my shoulder injury she checked on me almost every day and made time for lunch with me quite often. This was one of those days. We were lucky we both had stuff to do until about 3 pm, so we avoided the whole lunch rush.
Her big plate of tuna salad with greens and toast was pretty good. My mac and fontina cheese with black forest ham was actually with penne and also decent. I liked the lightness of the cheese, but I can’t call the dish very memorable. The small size is definitely enough for one hungry person.
They’ve got a rustic wooden theme going on with the décor. We had a nice waitress. I hear they’re packed on weekends for brunch – not sure why, from the food we had, but it is a cute little place.
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Our cost: $30 (lunch, no drinks)
Noise level: probably not too bad
Chance of walking in: not good during brunch.
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