01.18.11
Posted in American, Brooklyn, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 8 to 8.5 at 04:03 by Dominique
61 Wythe Ave. & N. 11th St., 718-963-3369
Great for: rock & roll fries, fried chicken, live shows
Generally, I think leaving Manhattan for something we already have here is stupid. (The great Mimi Sheraton agrees with me.) There are several Blue Ribbons and amazing fried chicken all over this borough. But I’m a loyal friend so Bubbly Blonde and I went to support my actress friend’s burlesque troupe. My shoot ran so late I actually didn’t see her act, which apparently involved independently rotating tassels, but the food amply made up for annoying travel and missing the sexiness.
Bubbly Blonde and I were naughty and started with the rock & roll fries with Cajun spice, gravy, provolone and cheddar. My exact notes are “thin fries dipped in yummy crack.” It was a nice big plate of crispy, gooey, flavorful addiction. In the spirit of thoroughness we also got six bbq wings, which were a bit sweet and pretty good, though I wish the skin were crispy. I was impressed that the accompanying dipping sauce had actual blue cheese crumbles in it. The honey barbecue sauce is decent too. I can’t say $9 is a great price, though.
We had to wait a bit longer for our eight pieces of mixed white and dark chicken. They are lovely big pieces with crunchy batter and juicy, tender meat. It’s even nicer that they are $22, especially since a half chicken dinner with bread, collard greens and mashed potatoes is $21. I couldn’t stop myself from finishing my half despite having eaten so much already. The side of coleslaw is good and I don’t even like coleslaw.
The service can be spotty since the place is so big. It is also not cheap; one Coke is $3. Regardless, I would actually consider making the trek back just for the food.
Rating: 8 / 10
Our cost: $60
Noise level: cacophony
Chance of walking in: good.
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01.11.11
Posted in American, East Village, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5 at 16:05 by Dominique
43 E. 7th St. & 2nd/3rd Aves., 212-982-3006
Great for: sausage, lots of beers on tap
Jimmy’s is a beer lover’s fantasy. They have a ton on tap. It’s a pity I hate beer. At least I got to have some “local food.”
They were out of slow-roasted pork so I got the piggery sausages with tomato, leeks and roasted patti pan squash. Though there was a little too much not-meat in the sausage and not a whole lot of them overall, they were very tasty. Combined with the veg and sauce, it was a nice salty mush. I had no use for the tasteless giant squash.
The side of local sweet corn on the cob with Ronny Brook butter and sea salt was fine. It was exactly what it sounded like and therefore disappointing. At least it was cheap.
My date had already eaten; he just had a beer. He says they are very good. Our waitress, on the other hand, was a vaguely friendly, dopey, spectacularly unhelpful hipster. She completely ruined the experience. I know how hard it is to be a waitress, but this girl was terrible on the rare occasions when she randomly floated into our vicinity.
If you like beer and rustic basements with funny Gothic doorways and lots of casks lying around, this place is for you. I just hope you have better service.
Rating: 7 / 10 (I took off .5 for the awful waitress. She was that bad. Someone was high when they hired her.)
Our cost: $25 (1 app, 1 side, 1 beer, cash only)
Noise level: not terribly noisy
Chance of walking in: it’s probably busy usually, what with all the beer.
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01.05.11
Posted in American, Chelsea, Meatpacking District, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 8 to 8.5 at 23:30 by Dominique
409 W. 14th St. & 9th Ave., 646-289-3930
Great for: food, cocktails, large parties, an entire night out in one place
The Music Exec liked to impress me, and he certainly did a good job picking this place. I used to party here when it was Lotus… those were fun nights. I was not expecting much after reading some snide reviews so I was very pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food.
We started with a special appetizer of grilled octopus in lovely romanesco sauce with chorizo and almond. The octopus was soft, just the way I like it, and as it so rarely is. The tuna tartare tacos with avocado, citron-soy and red chili aïoli were also wonderful.
His medium rare New York strip steak with peppercorn sauce was a little more towards medium, but still quite good. The meat itself is flavorful even without the delicious sauce. It was also nice and big, maybe twelve ounces. My pan-roasted cod and crispy rock shrimp with ramps, snap peas, young ginger and sweet soy was terrific. Everything was tender, juicy, plump and bursting with flavor. I actually found the soy sauce salty, a good contrast to the near sweetness of the seafood.
We couldn’t resist a side order of truffled Parmesan herb fries. They are as crispy and addictive as you could desire. I was starving, to be sure, but they’re truly awesome.
The cocktails here are expensive and great. Our waitress wasn’t sure which pinot noir ME wanted so she brought both bottles; she was that thorough all night.
Sitting upstairs is nice and noisy, though not too much so. The tables have extremely sharp metal corners but are wide enough that you probably won’t hurt yourself until you’ve had a few drinks, by which time you won’t care. Although we didn’t have trouble making a reservation the day before, the place was totally packed.
The place turns into a club after dinner, so it’s basically a one-stop shop for going out. The next time I want a pricey, crazy, delicious night out with rich friends, this will be my choice.
Rating: 8.5 / 10
Our cost: $195 (2 apps, 2 mains, 1 side, 2 drinks)
Noise level: the people are loud but the music is quiet enough
Chance of walking in: you probably can’t. Call ahead and bring ten friends to share the fun.
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11.26.10
Posted in American, eclectic, Greenwich Village, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 8 to 8.5 at 17:16 by Dominique
9 Jones & W. 4th Sts., 212-929-6868
Great for: salad, duck meatballs, agnolotti, really pretty much anything
I have never watched Top Chef. I suppose this could be an honorable exception, but I have a strict no-reality-show policy. There are so many scripted shows I watch for work, I just don’t have the time or desire for much else. Plus, looking at food on TV makes me hungrier. All this is to say that I had no prior knowledge of Harold Dieterle except that he won one of the seasons. And I am glad I could be so pleasantly surprised.
Blackboard Eats offered a 30% discount which I shared with my good friends the Average Wonderwoman (her choice of name) and B. We started with some crisp, light, tasty duck fat popcorn. If they served this in movie theatres I would have a hard time not eating it. AW stayed on the somewhat healthy path with a great appetizer of Bibb lettuce, hearts of palm, peppercress, mango, manchego and toasted macadamia nut vinaigrette. My spicy duck meatballs with mint cavatelli, water spinach and quail egg were my favorite of the whole meal. It’s four big meatballs in scrumptious sauce.
B’s crispy lamb belly with pickled rhubarb, black lentils, feta froth and Banyuls-vanilla caramel was surprisingly not sweet. The lamb bits are chunky but not fatty – the dish is very satisfying and large. Chef Dieterle really has a gift for combining things that sound like they wouldn’t get along and turning them into a harmonious flavor symphony. (Even six months later, the memory of the food inspires me to purple prose.)
B ordered the wonderful spicy duck burger with jack cheese, avocado and spicy fries. They brought duck breast by accident and immediately and graciously corrected it. The finely minced patty is seasoned well, and very filling. The fries are more spiced than hot, and so good I had to strictly limit myself to only a few.
I got the tasting of wild boar, which included grilled strip loin, crispy boar belly in crispy eggroll skin and a stuffed cabbage bon bon. The strip loin I liked though it was a bit tough, I think just because it’s game. The belly was a fat explosion as expected, and tasty though I didn’t much care for the sweet red sauce under it. I liked the cabbage thing; I didn’t know what to expect, and it turned out to be sausage-like.
AW’s fiddlehead fern agnolotti with honshimeji mushrooms, lemon zest, asparagus and aged pecorino were delicately delicious. Fiddleheads are interesting, crunchy and earthy. I decided I like them, but not enough to go to the greenmarket. The asparagus were great, the agnolotti the length of my finger and lovely.
They brought some yummy petits fours and coconut ginger cookies, as if we needed any more calories after all the meat and wonderfulness. Their cocktail list is small but a good bet. I can recommend the Perilla 75 and Liliko’i personally.
We had a hot, very thoughtful waiter. The restaurant is bigger than you’d expect for the area, filled with gorgeous dark wood and lots of candles and light. Overall, the portions are nice and large, maybe not mind-blowing but really good value for the amount of food and how tasty it is.
Rating: 8 / 10
Our cost: $190 not including discount (2 cocktails, 1 glass wine, 1 bar snack, 3 apps, 3 entrees)
Noise level: convivial hum
Chance of walking in: you want to reserve. It was full on a Sunday at 8:30, and the place is not small.
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Posted in American, Barbecue, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5, West Village at 02:07 by Dominique
178 W. Houston & 6th Ave., 212-741-7390
Great for: ribs, buffalo wings, takeout
I have no idea how I’ve never heard of this place when I’m such a huge barbecue fan. Apparently it’s been around for years. It is about the size of a postage stamp with a grand total of four tables, though. That’s probably why takeout is 10% off.
I shared a brisket and 1/4 rack combo platter with stuffing, potato salad and cornbread. The ribs were truly fall-off-the-bone delicious and I could definitely have had more. Could use some right now, in fact. They were balanced between sweet and savory just the way I like, decidedly on the savory side. The stuffing was very good – I found it a bit bready but that’s what stuffing is, so I didn’t really mind. The potato salad is creamy and liquid instead of with mayo, which is odd but still tastes good. I was somewhat disappointed in the tender but not fantastic brisket. It maybe needed more braising or marinating.
I loved the eight medium-size buffalo wings. They were very crisp despite dripping with sauce, which was spicy without destroying my taste buds. Definitely one of the better versions I’ve had. Damn, I just made myself hungry again.
It’s a cute, quaint little restaurant. The owner/chef is nice and you might get to know some strangers while you’re pressed up against them eating delicious meat. I may need to stop by soon for some more ribs and wings.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
Our cost: $35 (1 combo platter, 1 order wings, no drinks)
Noise level: noise is unavoidable in such a small space
Chance of walking in: not good. Takeout is definitely an acceptable option.
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09.30.10
Posted in American, brunch, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 6 to 6.5, SoHo at 01:27 by Dominique
54 Prince St. & Lafayette, 212-226-0211
Great for: tuna tartare, Tilly cocktails, brunching and people-watching
SoHo, despite its reputation as a hub of nightlife, is oddly short of places to eat late. Or at least the eastern bit is. Towards Broadway there’s more stuff open. Delicatessen helps somewhat by being open until 12 on weekdays and 1 on weekends. I’ve been here before for drinks in their subterranean party space, so I was glad to finally try the food.
The tuna tartare with wasabi tobiko, crème fraiche and taro chips is wonderful. One of the best I’ve ever had, it’s a huge disc with lovely taste and texture. I even liked the taro chips, the wasabi really flavored the tobiko, and the tuna was great quality. On the other hand, the La Frieda short rib blend sliders with bacon, Swiss and minced pickles were just fine. They weren’t as rich as you’d expect. Some of the meat was a bit burned, though overall the combination was pretty good.
They can’t do chicken properly here. We tried the chicken caesar salad and the enormous paillard over arugula, fennel, parmesan and balsamic, and the chicken was all weirdly done. The salads were delicious minus the meat. The paillard was just grilled, no breading or flour, and the edges were overcooked while the center was juicy and tasty. There is no excuse for a restaurant that has trouble with chicken.
The place redeemed itself somewhat with the Tilly cocktail, which was so good I asked the bartender for the recipe. 1.5 ounces Ketel One, 3/4 ounce triple sec, the juice of half a lime, 4 small strawberries and a splash of pomegranate juice all blended are heaven. There you go, a foolproof way to to make people’s eyes light up at your next party. When I made it at home, my friend and I couldn’t stop saying “Mmmm” for quite a while.
Our waitress was as pretty as she was nice. The cooking was also impressively fast, though it was very late and they weren’t packed. It’s a large restaurant with abundant sidewalk space, and somehow usually filled despite the mostly so-so food. I am proud of myself for not stopping here for the tuna tartare when I leave the Equinox up the block every day or so. It is good enough that I might consider working out an extra hour to have it! And maybe a Tilly. Just one.
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Our cost: $90
Noise level: noisy all the time
Chance of walking in: not great. With such a big restaurant, though, it raises your chances.
Their MacBar next door is not very good. I tried the small “lobsta’” mac and cheese and it was a disappointing waste of $9. It was my treat for the day, so I finished it, but there’s not a lot of flavoring, just expensive ingredients they overcharge for. I personally have not tried Delicatessen brunch. However, the place is always slammed during that time, and the patrons are pretty, so it’s probably worth stopping by.
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09.29.10
Posted in American, New York City, New York City Reviews, NoLIta, rated 6 to 6.5, SoHo at 21:59 by Dominique
282 Bowery & E. Houston, 212-226-1966
Great for: eating late in a weird area, pizza, noisy scene
I’m generally a Keith McNally fan. The man definitely has a way with French bistros. I wasn’t as impressed by Morandi, but then I was coming off a massive Halloween bender and that’s not their fault. In this case, I was on my way to an audition and sober, so I’m pretty confident about this review.
In deference to the cheapskate (and hence ex-) Boyfriend, we shared a salsiccia pizza, though everyone else seemed to have their own. I liked the superthin crispy crust, which was a bit too blackened. The ingredients were scattered in very even average density; someone clearly took a lot of care with that. Broccoli rabe plus sausage is a new combination to me and I grew to like it. If you don’t, they have more than ten other choices and fairly good ones. None of that lame no-topping crap like some other Italian joints. Yes, I know, it’s “classic” to have just sauce and cheese – whatever, I want meat on my pies.
The service and cooking are mercifully quick. I shudder to imagine how much longer the lines would be if they were any slower. It’s also admirable considering they serve late and open back up for breakfast a couple hours later. There are classic McNally touches of numbered wine carafes, tile and exposed brick everywhere. It looks basically like Schiller’s writ large, down to the double door entryway. It’s always lively, packed and a bit noisy from the tin ceilings. I like the enormous frosted windows. The retro slatted chairs are, surprisingly, fairly comfy. Be careful, there are children and the tables are close together so if you’re swearing at your meal partner because he won’t stop arguing, you might get some horrified parental stares. Overall, it’s not mind-blowing but it is really good pizza. If I want food late and haven’t had bread in a while I might come back.
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Our cost: $20
Noise level: loud party with children
Chance of walking in: haha you will wait a while. Have some drinks.
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08.07.10
Posted in American, Italian, Lower East Side, New York City, 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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03.03.10
Posted in American, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 8 to 8.5, SoHo at 01:04 by Dominique
264 Elizabeth & E. Houston Sts., 212-966-9640
Great for: everything, private parties
I am so happy to discover a great new restaurant in my neighborhood. Plus, it’s really close to SoHo Billiards, where the Boyfriend practices, so we’ll probably be coming back often.
We started with perfectly cooked mussels with andouille, white wine and herb butter. They were terrific. Not gritty and the sausage was perfectly salted. The broth was so yummy I actually used bread to eat more of it.
In an attempt to be healthy, I got the striped bass with potato purée, snap pea emulsion, grilled onion and sopressata. There was no sopressata that I could find but the dish was just lovely, with nice soft fish and some crunchy skin. It was kind of a small portion and the peas were a little unexpected but overall I really liked it. My included side of local greens in soy vinaigrette was absolutely great. I loved the dressing and the leaves were a little big but I was delighted to stuff it all in my mouth. His shell steak au poivre was also terrific. The meat was evenly cooked and there were lots of fries with wonderful garlic chili mayo.
We had very friendly service. It’s really cute inside, with an inner dining room after you get past the large bar. There’s a back room with stripper poles for private parties. (The next time I do a birthday dinner, I’m so there.)
Rating: 8.5 / 10
Our cost: $85 (1 big app, 2 Lionshead pilsners)
Noise level: convivial hum
Chance of walking in: it won’t stay undiscovered for long – you probably want to call first.
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02.16.10
Posted in American, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5, West Village 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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