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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02.22.10
Posted in Asian, Barbecue, Midtown Central, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5 at 22:27 by Dominique
10 W.32nd St. & 5th/6th Aves., 212-594-4963
Great for: entrées, probably barbecue (everyone else had it)
This was a lucky spin of the Koreatown restaurant roulette wheel. We did not get barbecue this time, because I wasn’t sure the Boyfriend would like it – we’re slowly expanding his thoroughly American food horizons – but I would happily come back and try it.
There were lots of pickled vegetables in the small plates. The chawan mushi and tofu were the best. We enjoyed the giant pizza-roll-looking mandoo. They’re definitely a good value at that size.
His je yuk dubu kimchi, a boneless chicken breast in house sauce, was impressively tasty. It didn’t look like a whole breast’s worth of meat, and was a little odd, but we really liked it. The beef and seafood soondubu was also good,. It was spicy and tasty and the tofu was silky, as proper soondubu should be. Much better than BCD Tofu House.
Rating: 7 / 10
Our cost: $55
Noise level: fairly quiet
Chance of walking in: good.
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02.16.10
Posted in American, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, West Village, rated 7 to 7.5 at 17:18 by Dominique
99 7th Ave. South & W.4th St., 212-645-0600
Great for: dates, jazz, large entrées
My dear friend D and her girlfriend A invited the Boyfriend and me to a seminar nearby and we weren’t quite ready to call it a night afterward, so we wandered into Garage for some dinner. I’ve seen the place for years and never been inside – I was definitely missing out. It’s not a very wallet-friendly place, but it definitely is kind to the palate.
I really enjoyed my bay scallop linguine with asparagus in Champagne cream sauce. There were lots of little scallops and ample sauce, which was a bit sour from the Champagne but still tasty. The Boyfriend’s chicken and smoked mozzarella ravioli in light Parmesan alfredo with prosciutto and peas was absolutely wonderful. Fortunately there was such a generous amount, I got to eat some of it. We especially loved the terrific garlicky sauce.
D liked her Chilean sea bass in lemon-thyme beurre blanc with homemade spinach gnocchi and sauteed broccolini. A’s fettuccine and pan-roasted shrimp with garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach had extra large shrimp and was also delicious.
We really liked the cute décor and the homey, warm atmosphere. Try to sit in the upper balcony if you can. It’s a lovely date place, though quite expensive.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
Out cost: $150 (only entrées + 2 glasses white wine)
Noise level: music is a good volume and the talking isn’t too loud
Chance of walking in: it’s pretty packed.
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01.03.10
Posted in Asian, Japanese, Lower East Side, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5 at 21:53 by Dominique
245 Eldridge St. & Houston/Stanton Sts., 212-358-7773
Great for: a quiet meal in that random Milk & Honey part of the LES, sushi
It was a sushi kind of Sunday, and after some Blackberry consultation, the New Boyfriend and I settled on this place. Our starter of furikake-dusted calamari with nori, sesame seeds and lime aïoli was pretty good, but not that impressive. The calamari could have been less rubbery and the aïoli was a bit distracting; it needed more spice and less citrus.
I was happier with my sushi sashimi combo. The tuna, salmon and hamachi sushi were well executed, as were the good-size pieces of salmon, tuna, shrimp and yellowtail nigiri. The spicy tuna maki were small and nice. Our favorite thing of the meal was the creative and spicy yellowfin tuna roll with Thai basil.
In a word, the meal was nice. So was our service, mostly. Initially we were the only patrons, and asked them to switch the channel to poker. We sat facing the TV and discussing the action. Then two guys came in and unasked, the owner changed back to baseball. Which the guys, who weren’t even facing the TV, ignored. Poker might be a slightly odd request but I found the switching back quite rude. I’m not deducting points for that; it was just a weird footnote to an otherwise pleasant dinner.
Rating: 7 / 10
Our cost: $65 (1 app, 1 combo, 2 rolls)
Noise level: quiet, but it was empty
Chance of walking in: good.
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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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Posted in Florida, rated 7 to 7.5 at 11:22 by Dominique
all over the US; we went to one in Tampa, FL
Great for: Bang Bang shrimp, seafood, potatoes
I am now the proud co-owner of a house in Tampa. It’s for my little brother and sister, who are on track to become tennis pros (they are amazing and my favorite people in the world). Besides the enclosed backyard pool with fountain, new pool table, and tennis courts and Olympic pool across the street, one of the benefits of the house is that it is close to a Bonefish Grill. I had never heard of this chain before but it is really something. It’s better than a lot of New York places! Part of that is, of course, the crack they are disguising as a fried shrimp appetizer.
Funnily enough, when my mom announced we were going to the kids’ favorite place, I remembered reading a recipe on foodgawker for the Bang Bang shrimp, chiefly because the woman was so crazy about them. If you can imagine the orgasmic delight conveyed in a mere recipe that would cause it to stand out in my cluttered mind, out of the thousands I’ve read, you would still not fully comprehend the joy that is the shrimp. They are tender and crispy, tossed in a creamy spicy sauce. You’ve had rock shrimp with spicy mayo before, I’m sure. I myself have had stellar examples around the city. I don’t know what the difference is here, but these are better. (The recipe lady thinks it’s rice vinegar. If I can ever bring myself to use enough oil to try making the recipe, I’ll let you know.) They are pretty spicy, though not too much for a Szechuan family like mine, and your chief difficulty might be waiting long enough not to burn your mouth. We loved them so much we got an extra plate at the end of dinner. On the other hand, the Singapore calamari, fried with peppers and sweet spicy Asian sauce, was just good. It was a bit rubbery and the sauce was a little too much on the sweet side. It’s definitely better to eat with chopsticks. I am not sure why this should be, but the only time I’ve had squid that wasn’t rubbery was in Capetown. Maybe it’s fresher there?
The house and Caesar salads were fine. My sister and I loved our perfectly cooked scallops and shrimp grilled with lemon butter. The butter was great – I usually don’t like lemon anything, not being a citrus fan, but it had just the perfect hint of flavor to set off the seafood. It’s better than the chimichurri. Mom and my brother were fairly happy with their nice big filets of Norwegian salmon, although they were a tad overcooked. And we were all delighted with our sides of garlic whipped potatoes or potatoes au gratin.
This particular Bonefish had lots of room in the bar and seating areas. The décor is warm and inviting but still sophisticated, which I like in a restaurant. We had a very nice and patient waitress as well. I hope when I visit for Thanksgiving I can persuade my dad to take us there again.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
Our cost: $100 for 4 (they honored the app + 2 salads + 2 entrees + 2 sides for $18 deal even though it was the day after)
Noise level: not much, probably lively on the weekends though
Chance of walking in: I noticed those little buzzers you see at Olive Garden and stuff so they probably get packed. There were a decent number of people even though it was a non-holiday Monday night, so I would definitely make reservations.
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Posted in American, Greenwich Village, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, West Village, rated 7 to 7.5 at 09:53 by Dominique
331 W.4th & Jane Sts., 212-242-9502
Great for: simple good food, eating until 3:30am
[I know, I'm woefully behind on posts. I've been busy with tons of auditions and the new Boyfriend - I think this one will stick, as he just moved in with me!]
I had a very busy night of playing poker live (up a bit until I didn’t leave when I said I would, whereupon I promptly lost my whole stack with QQ against 10s), a friend’s birthday with lesbian jell-o wrestling (she won), and a different friend’s fetish wedding (everyone wins). Between the jell-o and the ceremony I realized I hadn’t had dinner, and figured my last $12 would go pretty far at Corner Bistro. Plus, I’ve never been in the whole time I’ve lived in New York. I always hear how it’s the best burger in the city. In my non-burger-obsessed opinion, it’s not - that honor stays with the Grotto and Shopsin’s - but it is a darn good deal and certainly one of the better burgers.
I got the bistro burger with bacon, grilled onions, no cheese, tomato and fries. I enjoyed the juicy and insanely thick patty, though I could barely get my tiny hands around it, let alone my mouth – I would have liked it marinated more, but for $7 it’s great. They were really generous with crispy and not-too-fatty bacon. The fries were pretty good, mainly crunchy, and could use more seasoning. Overall, I was satisfied. I’d definitely stop in again.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
My cost: $12
Noise level: noisy with people but nice with jazz
Chance of walking in: not too easy to walk in, I got the last seat at 12:30 am.
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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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09.17.09
Posted in Hell's Kitchen (Clinton), Japanese, Midtown West, New York City Neighborhoods, 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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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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