08.23.09
Posted in American, Lower East Side, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, eclectic, rated 9 to 10 at 01:22 by Dominique
120 Essex St. Stall 16 & Delancey (enter from door on corner, next to cheese shop), 212-924-5160
Great for: quirky but delicious food, interesting conversation, après-shopping eats
I was terrified of eating here, as I’ve heard about Kenny’s legendary temper and read firsthand accounts of people being cursed or chucked out. But as a fledgling restaurant critic it’s my duty to go and review food… so I plucked up my courage and ventured in one sunny day. I’m not sure if I was wearing my sling (from the shoulder-shattering incident) – in fact, I don’t think I was – but Kenny and his son were lovely to me. I even committed the idiotic faux pas of asking for suggestions from the bewilderingly enormous menu in 10-point font on double-sided legal paper and they scolded “WHAT?!” but laughed and said cute girls are allowed to ask questions. I don’t know why I forgot you’re not supposed to. I was so nervous I even dropped my phone. Anyway, they quickly put me at ease and we chatted away for the next hour.
I got way too much food. The sliders with cheese and pickles would have been enough by themselves, but then I wouldn’t have experienced the ecstasy that is the fried potato salad. You know when meat is marinated and juicy and tender and you just want to keep on biting into it? That’s how the burgers were, with a great contrast in the pickles. I got mozzarella with the fried potato salad instead of the regular blue cheese and it was just wonderful. The potato chunks were small enough that I didn’t tire of eating them, and crispy and flavorful to boot. I ate sooo much.
I only wish I could eat there more often! It’s a bit expensive, but definitely worth the money. All the dishes are quite large, as well. Most sandwiches are about $15 and the skillets are over $20. It’s not a very big place (though I like how it feels like a homey kitchen), they stop accepting new orders around 2, and are only open weekdays and Saturdays, so it takes some determination to get there unless you’re technically jobless like me. Plus, if you act fake or snobby or are ridiculously picky about food (vegans seem to be especially reviled) or annoy Kenny in some way, he’ll probably refuse to serve you. So be real. And nice-looking apparently helps.
Rating: 9 / 10
Cost: $20 (this is not a cheapie lunch place)
Noise level: however loud Kenny has to yell to the kitchen
Chance of walking in: might be ok after the lunch rush – they don’t do dinner any more.
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03.04.09
Posted in Italian, Lower East Side, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 9 to 10 at 03:56 by Dominique
100 Forsyth & Broome/Grand, 212-625-3444
Great for: dates, specials, upscale Italian, live jazz, ambience
Every day when I walked home from the train I passed this place. I’d say to myself, I really ought to try that hideaway, but somehow I never remembered to put it on my list. Finally one night, the Boyfriend and I walked past it and I thought to go in. I am so glad. That week we went twice more, it was so good. It’s nowhere near as cheap as the dumpling places surrounding it but if you’ve got the money, it’s totally worth it. And you can always stick to the cheap pastas, appetizers and burger if money’s tight.
It’s always a good idea to try the specials, although everything I had from the menu was fantastic too. Of the apps, the carpaccio may have been my favorite, because it didn’t have anything I hate, but the other apps made me willing and happy to try tomatoes and and octopus. The lovely scamorza was a slick of melted smoked mozzarella with a strip of prosciutto next to garlic bruschetta and very fresh large tomatoes, to be assembled as you see fit. There was a generous amount of everything, too. The crostini are three bruschetta; one with mushrooms and red pepper, one with prosciutto and scallions, and the best with smoked mozzarella and marinara. They were fantastic texture and taste combinations. The prosciutto one could have used some sauce to help with the bread, though. I was brave one night and got the special grilled octopus with arugula, fingerling potatoes and sundried tomato aïoli in lemon vinaigrette. I wish it didn’t look so scary because the tender yet firm octopus was amazing. But the tentacles were longer than my (admittedly tiny) pinky! I loved the sauce and potato slices too. I just couldn’t forget that I was eating intelligent octopi – I almost tried blindfolding myself, it was that yummy. The caprese di bufala is not quite as stellar as the scamorza though the cheese is light and fluffy and the tomato wedges are smaller. The paper-thin slices of carpaccio are accompanied by arugula, capers, fried shallors, lemon-olive oil and love, or something equally magical, because I just can’t have enough of them.
The shrimp risotto had creamy, firm, chopped-up shrimp over al dente rice with just a hint of sourness for balance. The dainty quail risotto with asparagus is also great. I’ve twice had the tonnarelli alla carbonara with crumbles of pancetta, egg, cream and Parmesan and not been able to finish it either time, but it is a lot of fun trying. It’s quite heavy with creamy, cheesy sauce everywhere and a moat of grated Parm.
The burger, a steal at $15, comes with terrific fries and amazing chipotle mayo. It’s one of the few burgers I’ve had whose meat is tasty all on its own – they clearly do the marinating part well. And the mayo is addictive. You don’t need ketchup for the fries, you’ll be scraping the bottom of the little sauce bowl. The marinated NY strip steak topped with herb-tomato insalata was deliciously soft and it even made me like the very large accompanying tomato chunks. There were veins of fat on the sides but they were easily cut away. The lovely oven-roasted herb-infused halibut with fingerling potatoes, asparagus, and tomato in a lemon aïoli was a nice balance of flavors. The Berkshire black pork cutlet over roasted apples and mashed sweet potatoes in a red wine reduction was very sweet, which I normally hate, except it was so good. The onions alone are worth the price of admission.
The only dessert we ever had room for was the apple beignet with vanilla gelato. They were basically good apple pancakes with fantastic gelato. The cocktails are all very speakeasy and tasty. The Boyfriend, who barely drinks, ordered two hot toddys every time we came in: they pack quite a punch in the mouth, what with the Calvados, bourbon, allspice liqueur, and honey garnished with lemon (though the menu says orange) and cinnamon sticks. They’re perfect for the current weather or just for getting hammered without realizing it. I also enjoyed the Canton ginger smash, New York sour, lampone basilico and St. Gemainita. They were all interesting and not too sweet.
The first three times I sat at the same table served by the same pretty, friendly waitress. (Hi, Slavica!) Everyone else is very sociable as well, and though the drinks sometimes take a while, when you get them you’ll see they were worth the wait. It’s a really cool little grotto with lots of flowers and simple, tasteful décor. You can sit in what I call the date section or the noisier side with the live band on weekends. I’m shocked that this place has been open for four years and I never knew about it. But I’m making amends – I was just there yesterday again.
2010 update: it’s still terrific. They’ve changed the cocktail menu to equally tasty new concoctions.
Rating: 9 / 10
Our cost: the entrées are quite expensive, but you’ll want so many of the other things that it might end up being pricey even if you just get pasta and apps, which average around $15 each. Cocktails are $10-11, secondi $15 (burger) – $32.
Noise level: sometimes live jazz, usually quietly romantic
Chance of walking in: not bad especially on weekdays.
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01.01.09
Posted in French, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, Tribeca, rated 9 to 10 at 18:13 by Dominique
241 W. Broadway & Walker/White Sts., 212-226-6252
Great for: wonderful food in Tribeca for not much money, dates, private parties
The Boyfriend and I had just made our four-day relationship official the night before, so we left my friend’s birthday party at Bubble Lounge early to smooch. (I like commitment. Amazingly, so does he.) It was a bitterly cold night. Fortunately the best place around was right across the street. I came here when it opened about three years ago and thought it very good; if anything, it’s improved since then.
I got two appetizers in lieu of a main. The soupe du jour in a delightful little skillet was a delectable split pea with puréed bacon and shrimp and cream on top. I had a hard time sharing it with B. My lovely large crab cake tarte over salad and endive with creamy dill sauce was similarly fantastic. Crisp outside, the cake was soft and flaky inside with just the right amount of vegetables.
His mignon of Berkshire pork wrapped in applewood bacon with Calvados cream sauce and vegetables was amazing, with hints of sugar and wonderfulness. It almost felt wrong that something could be so good. That didn’t stop us from devouring it and B sopping up all the sauce with bread, of course.
We had attentive, nice service without hovering. The waiter made sure we had everything we needed and left us alone to snuggle as much as possible, which we very much appreciated. I liked the fun art and atmosphere; there was a noisy private party in the bar up front but the restaurant is big enough that they didn’t bother us, and it was actually fun for a Saturday night. My only regret is that I haven’t come here more often.
Rating: 9 / 10
Our cost: $60 (2 apps, 1 entrée, no drinks)
Noise level: convivial hum
Chance of walking in: decent - it’s rather out of the way for most people and the space is large.
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05.26.08
Posted in American, Asian, East Village, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, eclectic, rated 9 to 10 at 05:01 by Dominique
163 1st Ave. & 10th St., http://www.momofuku.com/ko/
Great for: impressing the hell out of a foodie, foie gras ecstasy, orgasmic food, oenophiles
As you may know, I managed to charm Mr. Ko into choosing me as his Saturday night date. It was a pretty tense few days for me – I met him Tuesday for a drink and waited until Thursday night to find out he’d picked me. I was so excited I was jumping up and down telling everyone within earshot. In April I tried every day for three weeks to get a reservation. I stopped a month ago because the Boyfriend and I broke up and I had no one to go with. Mr. Ko came along just in time.
Ko has this crazy Moorish prison look. It’s in the old Noodle Bar spot, covered entirely in grating. If the Alhambra only took up a storefront about five feet across and had some very dangerous prisoners, it might appear something like this. Yes, those are bars across every bit of glass except over the peach. It’s a very East Village-appropriate departure from the “welcome customers” school of restaurant design.
We were a little nervous going in, afraid we’d be told our reservation was canceled like the infamous Tom’s. Everything was fine, though, and a pretty hostess seated us; Mr. Ko, his friends J and S, and me. She put Moleskine notebooks in front of each of us, which turned out to contain a wine list glued to the first 15 pages or so. Bewildered – well, I was; the others are more advanced in matters oenological – I opted for the $50 wine pairing. Mr. Ko and J got the $85, and S splurged on the $150. Every course came with four plates. When there were two different dishes, we were given two of each to portion out amongst ourselves.
They started us off with two amuse-bouches. The house-made chicharrón, a crispy pork skin, with togerashi and salt was feather-light, odd and good. If Chef Chang ever wants to start a junk food line he could just package those and sell them as potato chip alternatives. The English muffin with whipped pork fat, bay leaf and chives was ridiculously tasty. It was a little bigger than a poker chip. I wish I could have one every morning. In fact, I wish I could eat them all day. Wine: rosé champagne.
Next up, a sliced diver scallop with pickled crosnes (a tuber, pronounced krones), chive oil, freeze-dried soy sauce and chive blossoms. It was the first time I’ve liked raw scallop. The whole combination was delicious. The Long Island fluke over buttermilk, white soy, chive and poppy seeds was even better. The slight tang of the buttermilk showcased the fish nicely. And chives just make everything better. Wine: sauvignon blanc.
The Georgia sweet pea soup with Louisiana crawfish and stewed morels wrapped in yuba (tofu skin) tasted strongly of peas, but the salty crawfish balanced that out. I liked it a lot, although it wasn’t a huge hit with the others. Mr. Ko made fun of me so I was brave and tried the morels, which were much less bad than I expected. I hate mushrooms and people are always making me try them again and I never like them any better. These were on the top 5 most tolerable list, though. We were united in our high opinion of the kimchi consommé, with two raw oysters, two slices of Berkshire pork belly and cabbage leaf. The broth is from pork stock and tastes smoky and amazing. The pork was life-changing. I avoid fat, for professional reasons, but I actually put the whole slice in my mouth. And I loved it. I can see I’ll have to step up my efforts at the gym. Wine: sake.
One of the best dishes was the lightly smoked hen egg over onion soubise, potato chips and hackleback caviar. I almost wanted to fake an orgasm like in When Harry Met Sally. Somehow the egg was “like its own hollandaise sauce,” as Mr. Ko said. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it. I loved the flavor combinations in the chawanmushi, a kind of egg custard, with asparagus, ramp juice, braised cashews, more hackelback caviar and argan oil. It was subtle and light. I wish I knew how to make it myself. Wine: sauvignon blanc.
Next there was a very filling spring lasagna stuffed with mushroom, burgundy, escargot, ramps and garlic, sprinkled with broccoli rabe flowers and ricotta salata, along with some other stuff that I couldn’t type in fast enough. There were so many delicious flavors and textures, it was like a mouth orgy. It’s quite salty, I think from the ricotta. The escargot is a surprising addition that somehow works with everything else and wasn’t too chewy. Mr. Ko thought it too salty at first but grew to like it as he ate more of it. Wine: pinot noir.
The trout in caper brine and bacon purée with toasted almonds and yuzu-marinated breakfast radishes was love at first bite. The crunchy nuts contrasted very well with the flaky fish. I thought the sauce was interestingly tasty, especially the bacon notes. The sourpuss radishes are better eaten with everything else. We were not that impressed with the halibut in pepperoncini purée topped with diced radishes, bok choy and burnt onion. The fish was a bit tough and/or overcooked and the radishes didn’t taste so great. Neither was the startling bitterness of the pepperoncini masked by the other things. Usually when we tried a bit of every component of a dish all together we understood why Chef Chang did it that way, but this one was just weird. J and S said theirs was really good – unfortunately, they’d devoured it all before Mr. Ko and I had a chance to compare. Wine: spiced white ale. I never drink beer, so it was a high compliment that I tried this one and didn’t hate it. Although that may have had something to do with the five little glasses of wine I’d already had.
The next course was the high point of the entire meal. It may have been the high point of my life as a foodie. It was, of course, the torchon of foie gras on riesling gelée, pine nuts, peanut (?) brittle and lychee. They freeze the liver using liquid nitrogen into a small log, which they then abuse with a grater until the dish is covered in a foiedrift. It comes in an aptly gorgeous wave bowl. The teeth-sticking brittle, whatever it’s made of, is a touch of genius. I’d have to give it at least 12 out of 10, for sure – all of us wanted to start licking the bowls when we couldn’t get another drop with our spoons. It was so orgasmic, J and S went outside for cigarettes afterward. Wine: dessert sake Kamoizume Komekome.
Somehow the “main” course kept the meal at the same high pitch. The deep fried Montana Legend short ribs with pickled daikon, mustard seeds, pickled baby carrots and scallion was nothing short of incredible. I don’t know how they managed to get the outside of the ribs crispy while the insides were like “short rib pudding” (Mr. Ko again). Maybe it was sous vide first before deep frying? The weirdly good vegetables were a perfect tart contrast to the richness of the meat and sauce. The morel-stuffed chicken poulard with ramps, swiss chard, kolhrabi purée and greens was also fantastic. Somehow the chicken was tender and chewy at the same time with an outside skin like Peking duck. J, who’s a chef, said they probably cooked the meat separately and then wrapped it back up in the skin. Both dishes were so good I forgot to drink for quite a while. Wine: Domaine de Poujol rosé, a combination of sancerre and grenache.
Our pre-dessert was two sorbets; lychee on sesame sand, and kiwi on apricot purée with olive oil. The kiwi was pretty tangy and not on the level of the amazing lychee sorbet, which was refreshing and light and somehow perked me up from my impending food coma as though I’d had an espresso. Wine: none in my pairing, though I helped the others finish off their cava.
The long hedonistic journey came to an end with poached rhubarb over pea soil and peas accompanied by yellow cake ice cream over a bit of chocolate cake. The ice cream was incredible, the rhubarb tart but tasty and creative, and we all could have done without the peas. We forgot about them when we combined everything in one spoonful though. The cereal (grapenut soaked) panna cotta with chocolate slab, cornflakes and avocado was a sweet and savory delight. The chef who served us the course came over and replaced my chocolate because I didn’t eat it right away and it was starting to melt. She was almost scolding me so I obediently started hacking away at it. I was again blown away at Chef Chang’s inventiveness – who would think to steep panna cotta in grapenuts? Or put avocado under it? And it worked, which was the truly crazy part. Wine: muscatel.
We found the wine pairings thoughtful and complementary. I liked each one except the ale, and I was on the verge of not disliking that. If you’ve got the extra cash, definitely go for the $150 – the others are good too, but that one had some transcendental wines. (S was kind enough to pass her glasses around.) Initially I was worried about getting the pairing, because the last time I did that – Fleur de Sel – I was almost wasted when we left. I needn’t have worried. They pour about half glasses, and the hostess said no one’s ever stumbled out blind drunk. She was great. Really knowledgeable about wine and like a ray of sunshine compared to the very focused, busy chefs.
They’ve stopped saying that “for the lady/gentleman” thing that people were complaining about. However, they still put all the lighter dishes in front of me instead of Mr. Ko, and it is annoying. I know they are just giving us both options so there’s no reason to consciously make that choice every time. The four chefs were kind of friendly at first. They got surly toward the end, especially when we started asking questions and the restaurant filled up. Some of them explained the dishes super fast while glaring at me. I guess I could have typed under the table but I thought they’d be used to all the food bloggers coming in. They were great about giving us a leisurely meal, though – J asked them to try to slow it down, and the hostess said we had some time before the next 4-top so she’d tell the chefs. We ended up eating for 3.5 hours!
A meal of 10 courses here is comparatively cheap at $85 $100 (as of 6/07/2008). For instance, the 8-course tasting menu at Bar Milano is $85, while the 6 courses at Fleur de Sel and 7 courses at Tabla are both $89. And Ko is a much better restaurant, at least food-wise. So basically you get more courses and better food while sacrificing only service and ease of access and $15. A worthy trade-off, I’d say.
This was one of the most amazing meals of my life. I’m really happy that Mr. Ko picked me, and of course it’s always exciting to meet a good guy. (I mean, I’m hoping he’s a good guy. It’s only been two dates.) It was 10 courses of incredible creativity, and although a couple things didn’t work, the rest of the 18 dishes were a parade of “Mmmmm!”s. I ate so much I had a little Ko baby for about an hour afterward. Good thing I was wearing a deceptive black dress. If I can ever get a reservation in a few months when I’ve lost the weight I’ll be back in a heartbeat.
Rating: 9.5 / 10
Our cost: $940 (4 people with $85 food prix fixe: 2 $85 wine pairings, 1 each of $50 & $150)
Noise level: very quiet. Conducive to private foodie arguments.
Chance of walking in: if you try the reservation site every day at 10am Momofuku time, maybe you’ll get lucky. Or more likely not and you’ll curse the “Sorry someone nabbed this spot” screen and say “well momo, fuk u too.” Er – that might just be me.
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Posted in Italian, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, West Village, rated 9 to 10 at 00:05 by Dominique
38 8th Ave. & Jane St., 212-366-6633
Great for: sweetbreads, grilled dishes, oenophiles, creative cocktails
My friend S is something of a foodie too. I know whenever he raves about a restaurant, it must be pretty damn good. Dell’anima is his new favorite. Apparently it’s the joint effort of an ex-Babbo sommelier and a former Del Posto chef. It certainly lives up to its potential.
I was lucky S has been here several times, so he could tell me the best things to order. He steered me away from the bruschetta, which he said is just fancy toasted bread, and the pasta, apparently on the brick side of al dente. My starter of quail with farro, beets, lime, chilies, mint, yogurt and tomatoes was a bit burnt in a great way, wonderfully spiced and juicy. The farro had a perfect texture halfway between firm and soft. The accompanying vegetables were an interesting contrast to the quail. S’s sweetbreads with parsnip puree, lemon and capers were fantastic. If I hadn’t known, I would have thought I was eating exceptionally tender chicken, which helped me get past the fact that it’s not and savor each bite. S had a glass of unfiltered white Collio to go with it, which matched really well.
For a main I got the ribeye with grilled fingerling potatoes and Gorgonzola. It was scrumptiously and crisply charred. The potatoes were crackly yet soft inside almost like overgrown French fries. I even liked the cheese, though I’m not usually a fan of that kind. S wasn’t too hungry so he got the octopus appetizer as a second course. It’s charred and served over rice, beans, chorizo and chicory. It was so soft! Not rubbery at all and I really liked it. I think this is the way octopus is supposed to be. His glass of red Alianco complemented it nicely.
The bartender makes some interesting drinks. S’s Negroni was way too bitter for me. I liked the Monte Bianco, a combination of Ketel Citroen, St. Germain and aperol. It was slightly bitter and sweet at the same time. Our waitress Gabriella was cute, friendly and attentive. The busboy, on the other hand, kept trying to take away my appetizer before I was done. He stopped that after I told him three times I was still eating.
The decor is understated and elegant. The lighting is fairly dim, so it’s a good place for a date. It’s quite a small space, although pretty big for the West Village – there’s an interesting counter in the middle at which you can sit and watch the chefs do their magic right in front of you. I’m looking forward to my next visit.
Rating: 9 / 10
Our cost: $180
Noise level: lean-forward-and-cup-your-ear noisy
Chance of walking in: very low.
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05.14.08
Posted in American, Midtown East, Murray Hill, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, Steak, rated 9 to 10 at 17:35 by Dominique
155 E.42nd & Lexington/3rd Ave., 212-953-2000
Great for: business meals, wine, seafood, meat gluttony, padding yourself with fat
I’ve been hearing about this place for years and never managed to go. One random Wednesday we just decided to pay a visit. I’m so glad we did. It’s fantastic. I probably gained 5 pounds, but it was worth it.
We only had to wait about 15 minutes for a table, during which time I enjoyed a delicious Stoli Doly pineapple martini (not as girly as it sounds). They sat us close to the absolutely lovely glass atrium. The food certainly lived up to the beauty of the surroundings. My lobster and crab cakes were great, with huge chunks of lobster and hardly any filler, accompanied by lovely peppery corn salsa to counteract the near-sweetness of the seafood. The tangy horseradish sauce on the sauce rounded out the dish nicely. The Boyfriend’s shrimp cocktail was terrific too.
At our waiter’s suggestion, I got sirloin Oscar, which is steak covered in crab, asparagus and béarnaise sauce. (I’d had very little for lunch.) He had suggested the sirloin as a nice balance between the flavor of ribeye and the tenderness of filet mignon. It was juicy and fantastic. Everything else was incredibly well done, too; the crab was tender and the asparagus crispy without those nasty stringy bits I sometimes find. B’s porcini-rubbed Delmonico with 12-year-old balsamic vinaigrette was a perfectly cooked medium rare. It doesn’t actually have mushrooms in the final dish, and I couldn’t taste them anyway. It was just wonderful.
We tried not to go overboard with the sides, as is so easy to do at steakhouses – we got half portions of two things. The creamed spinach was great, not too creamy; Sam’s mashed potatoes was creamy but with lumps and skin so it still had the texture of potatoes. B said they were his favorite version ever, and he is a mashed potato fanatic.
Finally we couldn’t stuff any more food in, and had time to look around. There were lots of fat old white men and business clientele. Oddly enough, there were deer heads gracing the bar area. The rest of the decor was good though; very corporate but nice. I was impressed by the enormous wine cellar, and also liked the old-fashioned menus as giant as the restaurant. We had a great, attentive, knowledgeable waiter, too. I can’t wait to go back.
Rating: 9/10
Our cost: $168 (a cocktail each) + 40 (waiter was great)
Noise level: civilized hum
Chance of walking in: low.
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05.03.08
Posted in Asian, Chinese, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, NoHo, rated 9 to 10, small plates at 01:30 by Dominique
380 Lafayette & Great Jones St., 212-533-7000
Great for: best dim sum in the city (so far), sharing lots of food, taking sophisticated parents to lunch
Usually the Boyfriend complains if I try to drag him to dim sum, with good reason. New York has a big Chinatown and at least one Chinese restaurant on every block – I don’t get why the dim sum is so mediocre. Vancouver, Toronto and San Francisco are all better. (I know, I know, Flushing, but it’s over an hour away and outside Manhattan. I don’t like to spend my Sunday trying to avoid mystery puddles and creepy strangers in trains.) Though I haven’t tried every single place here, I’ve been to a good proportion of them, and this upmarket NoHo place beats the rest hands down.
I nearly had a fit when I saw fresh corn and egg soup with crabmeat on the menu. My favorite dish at my favorite restaurant when I was a little girl was a corn, shrimp and crab soup. This one wasn’t quite as mind-blowing, and the crab was actually lobster (no objection), but it was pretty darn good. It’s not like traditional soup filled with cornstarch; it was very clear, and grew on me as I got used to it. I liked the crunchiness of the corn as well. I wasn’t sure, but I thought the modern update of an old classic boded well for the dumplings we had coming. I also knew that Joe Ng, the executive chef, trained in Hong Kong, so I wasn’t terribly worried.
I was right to hope. All the dumplings had really thin skin, which is a sign of a chef who knows what s/he’s doing – it takes artistry to wrap everything up in a perfect little package without much doughy reinforcement. The steamed shrimp dumplings (har gow) were tender, scrumptious bundles of joy. The roast pork buns were small, fluffy and delicious; the crab and pork soup dumplings juicy and fantastic. Resign yourself to losing some soup from the first two despite your best efforts with the lovely soup spoons, as the dumplings are quite cozy in the bamboo steamer. The crispy shrimp and mango rolls with Dijon mayonnaise (a house specialty) were surprisingly good as well. I didn’t think I would like them but I totally did. The spicy sauce that automatically comes for the table, of soy, chili peppers, onions and scallions, was great too. Although you should not eat the chilies if you want to be able to close your mouth in the near future. Fortunately, I made that mistake at the end of the meal.
We were in raptures over the lobster tail tempura on a bed of roast shallots with mild wasabi mayonnaise and hoisin sauce. The claws were pretty good, while the tail was excellent. The Boyfriend loved the tail so much I let him have a bit of my half. It’s best when hot but still very good otherwise. The beef puff pastries and pork potstickers were great despite having some mushroom. The shrimp and snow pea dumplings that looked like small toad Pokémon were tastier than any little monster should be. The only dish we didn’t love was the crispy taro root shrimp “birds.” Each bird had a taro filament-wrapped shrimp and pork body with a funny bread head dipped in honey. Sadly, they had very noticeable mushrooms and I don’t care for taro so it wasn’t really my thing. But we’d had eight excellent plates out of nine and were stuffed too full of dumpling love to care.
Our flutes of Taittinger rosé champagne went surprisingly well with the dim sum. So did the courteous service – in Chinese restaurants I’m used to waiters who are overworked at best and more usually surly and incomprehensible (I speak Mandarin and they all seem more comfortable in Cantonese). Our waitress was absolutely lovely in looks and action. I liked the décor too, which was chinois without being tacky. The place is basically a French brasserie in layout and furniture, with Chinese floors and furnishings. It’s enormous and seems the type of place you could take your visiting parents. Not because it’s stuffy or boring, but because it’s sophisticated yet homey.
I was impressed with the extent of the dim sum selection. They had all the regular ones plus some fusion and high-end variations. The dishes are mainly four of each thing and come out in waves – you get as much as will fit on your table at one time. I thought the prices were pretty reasonable too. Of course it’s not as cheap as Chinatown, but $6 for most of the plates is not bad for such an upscale restaurant. (The price goes up to $8 at dinnertime.) I am so happy I finally found good dim sum in NYC. And I am delighted to take back my former disappointment that “there aren’t more chefs trying to do really good Chinese (not fusion) cuisine.” Chinatown Brasserie is a shining example of terrific, real Chinese food in an upscale setting. Thank you, Mr. Ng!
Rating: 9 / 10
Our cost: $210 (4 glasses of $19 Taittinger)
Noise level: loud-ish music, not too much noise from other tables
Chance of walking in: medium.
Two weeks later we came with four friends and shared the Peking duck as well as lots of dim sum, and the bill was about $35 per person (I think we ate less than last time, though). The duck was great and even our Hong Kong friend thought the dim sum was good. Must think of another occasion to go…
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04.18.08
Posted in French, Haute Cuisine, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, Upper East Side, rated 9 to 10 at 17:45 by Dominique
20 E. 76th St. & Madison/5th Ave., 212-772-2600
Great for: exquisite food, speculating about strangers, impressing a date, lovely service, oenophiles
We heard about the Zagat Presents special prix-fixe menu to celebrate new top chef Gavin Kaysen and thought it’d be a great opportunity to finally eat here. I lived quite close by for years and never managed to go, and now that I live very far downtown I regret not doing so when I had the chance. At the entrance we divested ourselves of coats and bags in a tiny anteroom which probably gets crowded at the end of the night. Then we lifted a curtain into the magical wonderland – I mean, main dining room. It looks magical to me because of all the flowers and how beautifully it’s decorated.
We may have been the youngest patrons in the whole place – everyone else looked middle-aged, old or heavily Botoxed. It was surprisingly lively, considering. They brought us two amuse-bouches as soon as we said OK to the prix-fixe and no to the 27-page wine list. There was a bite of potato salad on a radish slice in a flat-bottomed soup spoon, and a fried ball of risotto and black truffle, both of which were great. I think there was some black truffle emphasis to the menu as well, as you will shortly see. (I may not have remembered every bit of the dinner correctly – unfortunately my BlackBerry lost my notes so I’m doing it from memory and the regular Café Boulud menu, which is slightly different.)
We were offered five kinds of bread when we had our first course, the kampachi sashimi with butternut squash purée, daikon radish and ponzu vinaigrette. Kampachi is a yummy Hawaiian yellowtail. I liked how the squash made it look as though the fish had dabs of spicy mayo and then it wasn’t spicy. It probably wasn’t that easy to make, but seemed very simple and wonderful when we ate it, which is the best way to be.
Next we were blessed with the “biscuit and gravy.” It was a quail egg atop a pork sausage-and-black truffle patty resting on a buttermilk biscuit on a bed of creamed spinach. It was even more wonderful than it sounds. The little egg was poached perfectly, so that the yolk was hot but still runny. The sausage was obviously the kind that you might actually want to watch being made – no filler parts here. Everything just went together scrumptiously. The hardest part was trying to get a bit of everything in each bite without eating it with my fingers.
Our main course was wine-braised short ribs accompanied by green beans, a baby carrot and celery root purée. The Boyfriend thought the ribs were a bit fatty but I reminded him that they are supposed to be very fatty and these were actually doing quite well on the heart attack scale. Mine just had one thin layer of fat, which was easily scraped away. The sauce was excellent, so much so that I ate all my beans – a rare occurrence for me. The entire dish went together so well.
Our dessert was almond and Darjeeling tea wafers with sorbet on the side, topped by what I can only describe as a slender sprig of chocolate. Between the deliciously crunchy wafers there was a layer each of almond and Darjeeling mousse. The plating was so beautiful I wanted to take a picture, but Boyfriend told me I’d look like a loser with the camera out. And soon I was too busy trying to wolf down the scrumptiousness in a ladylike manner to care.
I can’t say enough about the service here. It was quiet, friendly, unobtrusive, dexterous… definitely one of my top 5 experiences. Everyone, from the coat check girl to the busboy, was unfailingly kind and attentive. I love when restaurants create an atmosphere of privacy yet make sure we have everything we need. So despite it being very much not our scene, and way too far uptown, we loved it and I want to go back soon.
Rating: 9.5 / 10
Our cost: $260 ($75 half-bottle of Bollinger to celebrate our anniversary a little more)
Noise level: pretty noisy considering half the women couldn’t move their faces, but we easily had a quiet conversation
Chance of walking in: low.
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03.30.08
Posted in American, Lower East Side, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 9 to 10 at 01:15 by Dominique
162 Orchard St. #G & Stanton/Rivington, 212-353-3570
Great for: romantic dinner (especially with a foodie), quick service, large parties, amazing food
This is one of my new favorite places. It was excellent food with really good service and little fuss. Plus, it’s a beautiful restaurant. I shouldn’t have been surprised, though, as I love its nearby sister restaurant ápizz. They both have that combination of cool blond wood and inviting atmosphere plus wonderful cooking.
The Boyfriend and I were happy to start our meal with the crispy garlic (?)-flavored strips, which we had to ask the busboy to take away since we couldn’t stop eating them under our own power. The menu is divided into flatbreads, first course, second course and dessert, which I think might be a clever ruse to get diners to order an extra course of flatbread before the traditional app-entree-dessert. It worked on us – our waitress told us that if we got a flatbread to share and then our own dishes otherwise, it wouldn’t be too much food. It was certainly not a meal for the anorexic though. We went for the braised short ribs flatbread with marinated cherry tomatoes and sweet horseradish cream. I was very happy to find the bread wafer-thin. One of my pet peeves is sandwiches with thick bread – I try to avoid eating bread, & find myself tearing excess chunks out of sandwiches, pitas, etc. Here it was crispy, thin, and a perfect backdrop for the meat and vegetables. I even liked the tomatoes! (I generally hate their taste and texture.)
This yummy goodness was followed by crispy lobster empanadas stuffed with celery sticks with creamy cocktail sauce and yellowfin tartare with crispy tostones, guacamole and whipped red onion crème-fraîche. The empanadas were the only disappointment in the whole meal, because they were just good compared to the excellence of everything else. The tartare, on the other hand, was fantastic and Boyfriend almost smacked my hand because I kept sneaking little nibbles of it. We thought the combination of flavors and cuisines was creative, interesting and delicious.
For our main course I had the paella of Manila clams, mussels, black tiger shrimp, chicken, chorizo and carnaroli rice in a fresh white clear sauce that reminded me of the ocean. It was very simple and wonderful. All the seafood was fresh and the rice was that wonderful al dente texture that is just a joy to eat. Boyfriend’s sliced lamb tenderloin with mint crème-fraîche orzo and red onion-jalapeño relish was great, with lovely tender lamb. They were generous with the meat, too, which is always nice. The orzo sounded like it would taste strange but it turned out very well.
We had to skip dessert after all that food – in any case, our cocktails were enough sweetness for us. The purple passion mojito with passion fruit and blackberry, the Orchard martini of honey vodka and ginger with a splash of orange juice and the pomegranate bellini were all good. The last came in an absolutely gorgeous flute that, the hostess later told me, they buy a few blocks away. I’m sorry to say I’ve forgotten where – some place with Chef in the name, I think.
The dishes come out surprisingly fast for such a busy, good-sized restaurant. We had a 7pm reservation and the place was pretty much full when we got there, so the kitchen is definitely to be commended. The service is just as lovely as the food. We may have had an exceptionally good (and pretty) waitress, but everyone we interacted with went out of their way to be friendly or help us with things. Despite getting busy later, everyone we spoke to still had time to smile at us. I like the way it’s decorated too. It looks a bit Scandinavian, with the blond wood and dim lighting that are romantic without being sappy. I can’t wait to go back and try everything else on the menu.
Rating: 9 / 10
Our cost: $180 (2 cocktails each)
Noise level: noisy happy
Chance of walking in: low.
I think they change the menu a lot. I visited again in July 2009 with my friend DJ SWF and we managed to get completely different things from my last time. I couldn’t stop devouring the steak tartare flatbread with red onion, chives, Dijon potato cream and arugula – luckily she doesn’t eat meat. She thought her Mediterranean flatbread filled with hummus, edamame, baby lima beans, celery, frisée, lemon vinaigrette was terrific, and for a wonder I agreed with her. (I usually hate vegetarian food with a passion.) The celery was a nice contrast to the starchy veg.
Her drunken goat cheese salad with romaine hearts, cherry tomatoes, herb croutons and creamy red wine vinaigrette was also a lovely composition. The cheese is slightly spicy and didn’t taste drunk to us, but then we were well on the way to that state ourselves. I loved my shrimp ceviche – take note, Rayuela and Lima’s Taste. The shrimp, perfectly plump and cooked, was just tangy enough. I know it’s ceviche but the citrus taste has to have a limit, and they nailed it.
AW loved her lemon sole filet in white wine, citrus butter over a vegetable hash with pan juices. We were amazed, first that it came in two filets, and second that it was grilled to perfection. The wild crab pasta with tomatoes, peas, scallions, farfalle and pink cream sauce was fantastic, a nice balance between creamy and light. We enjoyed our $42 bottle of Trebbiano, lugana, ca’lojera as well. Still 9 / 10.
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02.23.08
Posted in American, Lower East Side, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 9 to 10 at 17:44 by Dominique
115 Allen St. & Delancey St., 212-253-5400
Great for: high-end pub atmosphere, fantastic food, impressing a foodie date, beer lovers
I try to follow foodie news and chef gossip, so I was very excited to hear that Gordon Ramsay’s ex-number two, Neil Ferguson, had opened his own place. I’ve been to the London Hotel, which Mr. Ferguson helmed until his departure, and it was very good but not worth the stratospheric prices. I didn’t know what to expect – the Boyfriend and I pretty much came in with open minds.
We were impressed by the bread, to start with. The bacon and sage roll was salty goodness. We got really excited, expecting that our ordered food would also be exceptional, and we were not disappointed. My scallops with celery root cream, braised cipollini onions and verjus were fantastic. I was sorely tempted to pick up the plate and lick it clean. The Boyfriend felt similarly about his leeks vinaigrette with truffled fingerling potatoes and prosciutto shavings. It was cold, yummy and salty. We wondered if we’d done anything particularly praiseworthy recently to deserve such blissfully good food. However, we were a little nervous that the entrées wouldn’t live up to the appetizers’ promise.
We needn’t have worried. I think pretty much all we could say was “Omigod” for a while. The Boyfriend’s fluke in cauliflower cream with parsley root and trompettes was great. We couldn’t find the trompettes, but I hate mushrooms so that wasn’t a problem. My lamb chop persillade with braised middle neck and potato purée was even better; so good I forgot to drink my cocktail. I don’t think I’ve ever had such tender lamb. It was like an orgy in my mouth.
Of course, after such delights we had to try dessert as well; purely for review purposes, you understand. We got the chocolate peanut butter tart with malted milk sorbet and whiskey vanilla shake and Gianduja chocolate terrine with milk chocolate sorbet and blood oranges. Generally neither of us like peanut butter combined with chocolate but our excellent waiter said it was a specialty of the house so we said what the hell. And what a specialty it was! We couldn’t help exclaiming “Mmmm!” between every bite. The terrine was equally fantastic, consisting of flourless chocolate cake, hazelnut millefeuille and Gianduja panna cotta.
Happily, they seem to put as much care into their cocktails as their food. We had to try the signature “Allen” and “Delancey” cocktails, of course. The former is Charbay green tea vodka, sake and jasmine citrus – good, very subtle and tea-y; the latter is prosecco, pomegranate and St. Germain elderflower liqueur, which is yummy and not too sweet. The Boyfriend next went for the Dogfish Head 90 minutes IPA Rehoboth, which is a dark beer of higher-than-normal proof. He said it was good. They also have a ton more beers – I never drink beer so you will have to discover how good the other ones are yourself. The Gibson, a proper gin martini with Noilly Prat (the Rolls-Royce of vermouths, according to Wikipedia), was good but very strong and a little bit burning on the way down. On the rare occasions I’ve had gin martinis straight up, though, they burned too so I wouldn’t say that’s a defect of the martini here as much as of me.
I love the ambience of this place. You duck through a curtained doorway into what looks at first like a very upscale, small bar. There are handsome men shaking cocktails and lots of dark blond wood. Then, if you’re lucky enough to have a reservation, you look around for tables and realize there’s another room. You walk through a little hallway and then emerge into the dining room, where you finally find the hostess. It all feels so grown-up and sophisticated; the furniture looked a bit rustic to me, but in an English ducal estate we’ve-had-this-for-300-years kind of way. It’s cozy without being too casual.
We had lovely service from our waiter, who patiently put up with my dithering over the menu (I have to pretend to take a long time and need second looks, so as to type everything into my phone – it doesn’t help that the Boyfriend frequently doesn’t know what he wants until he’s ordering!) and the Boyfriend’s many questions about the beer. He also steered us well in our food choices. Our courses took a little longer than I would expect, but the restaurant is pretty new and I’m sure that will be ironed out soon. I am really happy that this place is right by my new apartment and will have to stop myself from eating here too much, or I’ll be fat.
Rating: 9 / 10
Our cost: $210
Noise level: pockets of hubbub, but the tables are spaced far enough apart to not feel noisy
Chance of walking in: Low.
Neil Ferguson left around the end of 2008, but the place is still packed. They now do a Tuesday happy hour with half-off special cocktails. The new drinks menu has ten complicated, very strong drinks that are all terrific (yup, I’ve had all of them. In only two sittings.) There are a few different dishes offered now and a 7-course tasting menu for $78 that looks really tempting. On Tuesdays they also do a special bar menu that I can’t wait to try more of – the Cuban sandwich was the best I’ve ever had. And the fries… they just seem to toss them off but they’re perfect. If the place weren’t so expensive I’d definitely be here all the time.
They are now on chef #3, but the food is still fantastic. The special (very cheap) Tuesday bar food menu is gone. There is a new list of ten or so special cocktails, which are still half off on Tuesdays, and you can order most of the dining room menu. We tried the tagliolini with shrimp (lovely), “bologna” with cheese (fun and tasty), short ribs (heavenly) and skate (terrific). The cocktails were great too.
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