08.16.10
Posted in New York City Reviews, food-related musings at 18:03 by Dominique
I went to Hong Kong Supermarket on Hester and Elizabeth today because I am completely out of groceries, and I can only cook really healthy if I have things to make. Not trying to do the anorexic thing; not on purpose, anyway. This was my loot:
mmm, healthy food
As you can see, I packed the stuff together and it pretty much covers my dining table, which has an area of 1,590 square inches, or 11 square feet. I got a pound of 33-40 count shrimp, a salmon filet, 2 giant chicken breasts, 2 Dover sole filets and enough veggies to feed an army of bunnies. Plus a couple of prepared things, which are always more expensive. The cost of all this food was $42.39.
If you live anywhere near Chinatown and have even a little time to cook, this is really the way to go. Especially now that I don’t have to feed the ex-Boyfriend, I can make these groceries last 3 weeks or so. I portion out the meat for freezer storage right away and prep the veggies. They keep a surprisingly long time in the fridge when stored in plastic containers. (Don’t expect the plastic bags to do the same trick, though – I’ve wasted some carrots and celery that way.)
This is why I generally don’t bother with Whole Foods.
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08.13.10
Posted in Asian, Barbecue, Midtown Central, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5 at 23:42 by Dominique
32 W.32nd St. & 5th/6th Aves., 212-947-8482
Great for: apps, good cheap Korean barbecue
There is lots of Korean bbq in New York. A great deal of it is mediocre and expensive, though, and especially in Koreatown, it’s hard to figure out which kind is which just by looking. I am here to tell you that Kom Tang hits the sweet spot in terms of being delicious and not breaking the bank. After years, I finally found the grail!
The man doo gui, fried beef dumplings, are terrific. The small hae mool pa jun, a seafood and vegetable pancake, is actually pretty big, and soft and scrumptious. There are a bunch of other appetizers and mains I would definitely go back for as well.
The meat comes in nice huge portions and the waiter cooks it for you. We tried the bul go gi sirloin and the kal bi sirloin tips, which were both delicious. The menu offers lots of other combinations that are also great deals. The tiny free plates are yummy as well. Next time you’re hammered after karaoke, any hour, any time, you know where to go.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
Our cost: $85 (2 beers, 2 apps, 2 plates meat)
Noise level: probably noisy when busy
Chance of walking in: pretty good. They’re open 24 hours.
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08.07.10
Posted in American, Italian, Lower East Side, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 6 to 6.5 at 02:31 by Dominique
84 Stanton & Allen/Orchard Sts., 212-982-8895
Great for: pork meatballs, spicy meat sauce, cream sauce, bread, ice cream, destroying your hearing
I had an exhausting and strange audition – the weekend ones are always the worst – and my reward was to go try this place. Fortunately I had a wonderful book to read, so the noise didn’t bother me much. I highly recommend Leo Babauta’s Power of Less. Sadly, I can’t recommend the Meatball Shop anywhere near as wholeheartedly, but they do some things well.
There’s no mix-and-match option, so I ended up ordering 5 different meatballs as sliders. That was the only way I could try all of them (I didn’t bother with the veggie ball, that’s just dumb). They’re quite small for $3 – they’d fit comfortably in my tiny curled-up palm. You get a cool laminated menu to write your order on, since there are many permutations of sauces, meats and sandwich formats. I didn’t have stomach space to try any of the sides. You can get up to four of the same meatball on a sandwich as well.
My favorite was the pork in spicy meat (pork) sauce. The pork itself was flavorful, moist and spicy, and the sauce helped it along. I also quite liked the juicy special of tandoori lamb in tomato sauce. It had a good combination of spices.
The chicken in parmesan cream was tasty, not amazing, and soft. It scares me when chicken is very soft. I loved the cream, which definitely had some cool spices in there. I was a bit sorry I got the salmon in parmesan cream. Not as tasty or moist as I’d hoped, I definitely did not need more than one. I tired of it halfway through. Good thing I ordered it with the cream sauce.
The worst was the beef in tomato sauce. It was bland and had lots of gristle, unlike all the others. Shocking, that such a standard meatball was so underwhelming.
Whatever each bun was, brioche or something, it was terrific; fluffy and tasty without competing with the meat. And you guys know I don’t eat bread. Sometimes there isn’t enough sauce but that’s ok, the bread is good all by itself.
I’d heard a lot about the ginger snap ice cream sandwich. Since I was being a dutiful blogging piglet anyway I figured I’d go the distance. The ginger snaps were pretty good but ultimately they are still messy, bready sweets. I preferred the caramel ice cream. The sandwich is fairly difficult to eat – I found it best to nibble one side at a time so as not to squeeze out all the ice cream. For $4 it was a pretty good deal.
Service is nice, but scatterbrained and slow. It’s very likely that was because they just opened and were swamped from day one, so I didn’t mind being patient. I finished my book, though. The décor is colonial/crazy American Gothic. I have never seen so many black and white pictures of loony old people. I probably won’t again, as this place is very overpriced for being only decent, and insanely packed all the time. Only two meatballs of six offered are good – not a very good success rate. I’ll give them this, though; it’s a cool gimmick and they seem to be raking it in at the moment.
Rating: 6 / 10
My cost: $25 (5 sliders and an ice cream sandwich)
Noise level: noisy as hell; the music is loud rock and the people are just as bad
Chance of walking in: bad. But at least they’re open late (noon until 2am Sunday to Wednesday, 4am other days) and have many seats so you have a lot of chances to try.
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08.06.10
Posted in Asian, Chinatown/Little Italy, Chinese, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 8 to 8.5 at 00:49 by Dominique
66 Bayard & Elizabeth/Mott Sts., 212-625-2359
Great for: dumplings of all kinds, especially guo tieh (potstickers)
I live near Vanessa’s and their four dumplings for $1, but sometimes I make the trek over here for juicy, crisp, slender potstickers. Only my parents make them better (though they grind their own meat, so that’s not quite a fair comparison). I have been known to eat a plate of ten all by myself!
Their xiao long bao and scallion pancakes are pretty good too. Both are a little thick and could use some more spice – only in comparison with Shanghai Café, though. In general Green Bo does everything quite well. I was delighted to find yummy nian gao (oval rice cakes) here, and if I could tear myself away from the dumplings I’d be able to try many of the other delicious-looking things I see every time I’m here.
Rating: 8 / 10
Our cost: $15
Noise level: it’s pretty loud during lunch
Chance of walking in: outside of peak hours, not too bad. Cash only.
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07.20.10
Posted in New York City Reviews at 02:32 by Dominique
17 Prince & Elizabeth Sts., 212-625-2001
Great for: corn, fish tacos, Cuban sandwich
I walk by this place on the way home from the gym and I always think about their corn. If they didn’t have such ridiculously long waits, I’d be eating it most of those times. So I guess I should be thankful they haven’t expanded and made me even more of a piglet with their divine, spicy, cheesy, crunchy, creamy ears of corn.
The Baja fish tacos are also wonderful. The fish is good and flaky, the batter light and crispy, and I love the tomatillo salsa so much I even ate some rice with it (I rarely eat rice). The white sauce is delicious too. It’s a toss-up which is better, the tacos or the terrific Cuban sandwich. Nothing wrong with crunchy fresh Parisi bread, thin-sliced ham, lots of pork and nice slender pickles.
The waitstaff are very nice even when they’re run off their feet. They’ve got a full bar with wine and a frozen margarita machine. It’s been a haven of consistently yummy good as long as I’ve lived in NYC and I hope it stays one for many years.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
Our cost: $35
Noise level: it’s a party
Chance of walking in: not good at all, and they close at 12am. Try their handy-dandy takeout counter around the corner.
On another trip, the huevos rancheros and grilled skirt steak were fine, nothing great, but a really good value for $12.50. The bacon cheeseburger is pretty good, though you can tell it’s not their specialty.
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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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07.11.10
Posted in East Village, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 8 to 8.5 at 23:24 by Dominique
25 Cooper Square & 5th/6th St., 212-475-3400
Great for: large parties, ciabatta, scallops, lobster, tajarin
I seem to be having trouble finishing this review, so if it’s a little rough, sorry – I have let it sit for a couple months now, and there are many new things to write about. Like the amazing Beef 7 Ways feast at Má Pêche, the Meatball Shop (good but terribly overpriced), Pulino’s (good but it’s still just pizza, not crack), Steak Shoppe (wonderful! damn the landlord), Minetta Tavern (totally worth it), and Kampuchea‘s rapid decline. It’s a tribute to how good Faustina was that I’m not just skipping it.
For my birthday the (now ex-) Boyfriend took me out to a fancy new restaurant. We lucked into a reservation here because there was a crazy blizzard and a lot of people canceled. I’m a fan of Scott Conant’s from Scarpetta and this was similar, just with smaller plates.
We started with the grilled ciabatta with poached duck egg and fonduta, which was absolutely terrific. The charred thick bread is a good base for the creamy, lovely “sauce” – I actually used some to scoop up the last bits of egg yolk. We weren’t as fond of the stromboli with prosciutto and smoked mozzarella. Though nicely composed, it was pretty bland.
We really enjoyed the lobster susci with concentrated tomatoes. I’ve never had nearly raw lobster, and it was very tasty. I especially loved the tomatoes-turned-into-green sauce underneath. I just wished for more than six little bites. The seared diver scallops with farro, seafood and sunchoke purée were perfectly cooked and big. The purée and nearly crisp farro made a good salty offset. A small dish, it is deceptively filling. It was interesting with lots of flavors and textures.
From the larger dishes we got short ribs and spaetzle, which are little pasta twists, with cheese and vegetables. It was quite good and very rich. I was excited for the tajarin with tomato and ricci di mare (sea urchin). It’s maybe not “sex in a bowl” as some people have called it, but it was pretty awesome nonetheless. I loved the perfectly-done tagliatelle and somehow creamy tomato sauce (I guess from the uni). We were quite happy despite the smallness of the dish.
Just in case all that wasn’t enough food, we also got a side of herbed fries. They were only fine, though better with their sauce. I was expecting better, as they seemed really popular. I suppose everyone else thought fries would be a safe bet for extra food too.
For dessert we got a chocolate carmellina with chocolate-caramel mousse, gianduja and mocha (or coffee) ice cream. It was almost as lovely as it looked, with nice little jolts of caffeine.
We had very nice service. The lovely, friendly hostess let me sit for a long while waiting for B, which was unusually kind. Our waiter worried that we hadn’t ordered enough food but it turned out to be enough even for a birthday piglet. I loved the sophisticated vibe, which is probably why it was packed even on a blizzard night – cool dark wood with light grey leather is nice. The place is sort of dim but a lot of strategically-placed lighting helps. It’s ridiculously confusing to get into the restaurant, though I’m not sure if that’s temporary.
The menu is mostly raw bar and hot apps with some pastas and two mains. I appreciated the music at a decent volume level, and sexy but not silly selections (some restaurants really go overboard). It is mainly very good food; somewhat inconsistent, but a good time regardless.
Rating: 8 / 10
Our cost: $160 (3 small, 1 big plate, 1 pasta, 1 side, 1 dessert, 2 cocktails, 1 beer)
Noise level: not too loud
Chance of walking in: you definitely want to call.
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04.22.10
Posted in New York City Reviews, food-related musings at 15:21 by Dominique
An article in the Telegraph UK, “Should men be in charge of the kitchen? Yes” made me so mad I couldn’t write about it for a while. I love gadgets more than the next guy – and I’m better with them – and cooking is a way for me to get exactly what I want, save money and have fun experimenting. Bullshit I do it to feed my nonexistent family. And I don’t cook with some nebulous love, I cook with taste, creativity and intelligence. And you know what else? I can build stuff too. Mr. Hirst apparently is “worse than useless at DIY” but I wield a mean drill. So pooh to you. And shame on you for being an inefficient, messy cook. Sure, you can make things and leave a “mountain in the sink” for your wife to wash – that’s not something you should be proud of, idiot. That means you are wasting your time, her time, water and energy. What a douche bag.
Unfortunately, the stereotype continues with the Newsweek article, “Women write about food as a substitute for love, while men write about food as a way to brag about sex.” It’s true that a lot of women blog about their cooking recipes and how good it makes them feel to take care of their families. (And a disturbingly large number are crappy, prolix writers. Strunk and White are rolling in their graves.) I see very few men’s recipes. A disproportionate number of men review big restaurants and food events. Women want to stay at home while men go out in the big bad world, it seems. But there are women like me who aren’t caught up in the sentimental stuff. Not that there’s anything wrong with that – where would you be if your mom didn’t make sure you ate? And isn’t it partly because we as a society expect women to cook “with love” and for their families, and for men to execute daring feats in the professional kitchen? Unfortunately, I don’t see much that women can do to change that except go do stuff we enjoy and hope that the world catches up soon.
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03.30.10
Posted in Latin, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, Union Square, rated 6 to 6.5 at 01:08 by Dominique
137 4th Ave. & 13th St., 212-677-7300
Great for: Mexican in Union Square, eating standing up, well-executed meat
I thought the Boyfriend would be delighted I was willing to eat Mexican – he was fairly happy with the food here, just not the price. He feels Chipotle is a slightly better value. Considering they get Niman Ranch pork and other high-quality ingredients over there, I sort of agree. Dos Toros only specifies the source of its chicken. They do pack the tacos super full of meat but the tacos are quite tiny. And, of course, the waiting would drive me crazy. We got lucky and snagged seats and service immediately.
I tried all three tacos – carnitas (pork), pollo asado and carne asada. The shells are very crispy, though not after they’re overstuffed with the super juicy meat. Seriously, I could barely open my mouth wide enough. I really enjoyed them. The accompanying veggies are fresh and crispy. I’d say three tacos is ample; I probably would have been ok with just two. I was a little annoyed the guy didn’t tell me they charge extra for guacamole, and just slyly asked, “Would you like some guac?” B liked his steak quesadilla, which tasted a bit different from my steak taco, in a toasty nutty way. It was a good size, maybe a bit on the small side.
They make a big deal about doing a whole sustainable thing, which is a gimmick as far as I’m concerned, since it is merely smart business practice, but you can feel good about eating here. The place is tiny. You’ll almost certainly need to have your food to go. It might be nice before movies at the Regal, especially in the summer.
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Our cost: $25 (3 tacos, 1 quesadilla, a mango Jarritos)
Noise level: loud
Chance of walking in: there is a curb outside that you can sit on, though I’d walk the extra few blocks to the park.
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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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