03.03.10
Posted in Asian, Japanese, Midtown East, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5 at 17:10 by Dominique
213 E.45th St. & 3rd/2nd Aves., 212-867-5454
Great for: trying lots of small things, robata (grill) items
I have wanted to try this place since it opened and I heard terrific things about it. Finally, one lunchtime I got to go. Now I want to have dinner there too, especially since I didn’t get to try any robata things. Who knows when that’ll happen, though.
The amuse bouche of grilled octopus was terrific; meaty, not rubbery, and very unexpected at lunchtime (the fact that they served an amuse bouche, not the cephalopod itself). That is only the third time in my life I have unreservedly enjoyed octopus. To the kitchen: bravo!
P got organic teriyaki chicken over rice, which came in a nice, hefty, delicious portion. I was very hungry and did the lunch special where you can get two different things for only slightly more than the price of one. My grilled washu beef was delightful. (Washu is a hybridization of Kobe and Black Angus.) I rarely eat rice, but if you pour such tasty sauce on it I will be forced to happily eat all the saucy bits. I also really liked the salmon flakes with salmon roe over more rice. They clearly craft their dishes with care here, and it showed.
I was pretty full by this time, as you can imagine, when out came a complimentary tiny apple pie flute. I enjoyed my nibble of it, as I did the carafe of Otokoyama Kimoto. The service is deferential and extremely polite, as it is at most Japanese restaurants. This one certainly stays on my list.
Rating: 7.5 / 10, pending dinner visit
Our cost: $70 (lunch, 1 carafe sake)
Noise level: polite hum
Chance of walking in: maybe decent, but I’d probably call ahead.
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02.22.10
Posted in Asian, Greenwich Village, Japanese, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 6 to 6.5, small plates at 23:56 by Dominique
11 Barrow St. & W.4th St., 212-675-7775
Great for: interesting little plates
I was supposed to audition for this show in the far West Village. They said I should watch it first to be sure I wasn’t offended by the religious mocking. I knew I wouldn’t be, but it’s always nice to see a free show. Except this one. The singing sucked ass, the story made no sense, and if the people had got up on stage and masturbated it would have been far less solipsistic and annoying. In any case, we ran away as soon as the show ended, to a place with redeeming qualities.
We both got the chashu ramen. A simple broth with just noodles, scallions, very thin pork slices and and radish bits, it’s pretty good. I give them props for doing something simply and well. $14 is a little expensive for what it is, though. We got more mileage out of the bottle of organic Sho Chiku Bai Nama.
Our service was nice and the place seems quite popular. There are lots of interesting little plates I’d try in a more adventurous mood.
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Our cost: $55
Noise level: depends how drunk the other patrons are
Chance of walking in: not good.
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Posted in Asian, Barbecue, Midtown Central, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5 at 22:27 by Dominique
10 W.32nd St. & 5th/6th Aves., 212-594-4963
Great for: entrées, probably barbecue (everyone else had it)
This was a lucky spin of the Koreatown restaurant roulette wheel. We did not get barbecue this time, because I wasn’t sure the Boyfriend would like it – we’re slowly expanding his thoroughly American food horizons – but I would happily come back and try it.
There were lots of pickled vegetables in the small plates. The chawan mushi and tofu were the best. We enjoyed the giant pizza-roll-looking mandoo. They’re definitely a good value at that size.
His je yuk dubu kimchi, a boneless chicken breast in house sauce, was impressively tasty. It didn’t look like a whole breast’s worth of meat, and was a little odd, but we really liked it. The beef and seafood soondubu was also good,. It was spicy and tasty and the tofu was silky, as proper soondubu should be. Much better than BCD Tofu House.
Rating: 7 / 10
Our cost: $55
Noise level: fairly quiet
Chance of walking in: good.
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02.16.10
Posted in Asian, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, SoHo, Southeast Asian, rated 6 to 6.5 at 23:50 by Dominique
196 Elizabeth & Spring/Prince Sts., 212-925-3310
Great for: ginger fried chicken, hobo noodles, dates on a budget
Lovely Day is sort of a SoHo institution, so people were pretty upset when they closed for several months last year after fire damage. Fortunately, they managed to get back on their feet and their beloved ginger fried chicken was not lost.
That chicken is good and juicy, but they should make the pieces smaller so the flavoring gets to more of the meat. I love the accompanying aïoli, basically a spicy mayo. The kimono fried shrimp with sweet chili sauce was fine, not a standout. I wish it were spicier.
The Boyfriend’s pad thai with shrimp was pretty good. There was too much sweet fish sauce – it was better when doused in hot sauce. A Thai place really should have better pad thai. I was tempted by the special of Chilean sea bass but couldn’t pass up the chicken hobo noodles. It was satisfying, though the chicken could be moister. The best part was the addictive and lovely, soft but not sticky noodles.
The green tea ice cream was fine and so were the nice waiters. We liked the cute log cabin décor. The quaint and homey thing keeps the vibe low-key. The place was packed on a cold Wednesday at 10pm including every seat at the bar. I guess people are very happy it’s open again.
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Our cost: $55 (one green tea ice cream, 2 non-alcoholic drinks)
Noise level: noisy but not too bad
Chance of walking in: they’re always packed. You can only make a reservation at lunch. They’re open until 11pm every day though.
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01.03.10
Posted in Asian, Chinese, New York City Reviews, Williamsburg at 22:08 by Dominique
208 Bedford Ave. & N.5th/6th Sts., 718-388-8898
Great for: everything, especially noodles, and it is not expensive at all
I usually only leave Manhattan for things that start with p: planes, poker and parties. In this case it was the bi-monthly Williamsburg Spelling Bee, which I suppose would go under prizes. I went on a lark with some British friends several months ago and won, and have been winning the local bees ever since. (There are also the NYC and Big Gay Bees.) This time I came in second. I could tell it wouldn’t be a good night when I spelled my first word, blintze, incorrectly. (Did you know it officially has an e? I was totally shocked too. In fact, Microsoft Word is giving it the red line right now.) But the winner spelled crazy words like emmeleia and pteridology correctly, so I wasn’t as upset with myself as I normally would have been. Plus I was meeting the New Boyfriend. He promised he’d move out of Brooklyn soon, which made me willing to explore it a bit while he lived there.
This restaurant is so good, I would seriously consider hopping a train for the two stops it takes from the Lower East Side just to have more of their noodley goodness. It’s better than a lot of the nearby places in Chinatown! We started with spicy wontons with peanut sauce, which are rather large and not terribly spicy. I thought it a tasty dish despite my dislike of peanut sauce.
He ordered chicken lo mein, which they got confused and served with beef instead. It didn’t matter – it was very, very good, with chewy, soft noodles and crunchy vegetables. I loved my terrific black pepper beef udon for basically the same reasons. The flavors and textures were perfectly balanced. It’s a lot harder to get it all right than it seems, and this jaded, spoiled Manhattanite was impressed. If he still lived in the neighborhood, we’d go back. As it is we might yet!
Rating: 8.5 / 10
Our cost: $40 (1 app, 2 noodle entrees, 1 beer and 1 wine)
Noise level: not too noisy but still lively
Chance of walking in: not bad.
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Posted in Asian, Japanese, Lower East Side, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5 at 21:53 by Dominique
245 Eldridge St. & Houston/Stanton Sts., 212-358-7773
Great for: a quiet meal in that random Milk & Honey part of the LES, sushi
It was a sushi kind of Sunday, and after some Blackberry consultation, the New Boyfriend and I settled on this place. Our starter of furikake-dusted calamari with nori, sesame seeds and lime aïoli was pretty good, but not that impressive. The calamari could have been less rubbery and the aïoli was a bit distracting; it needed more spice and less citrus.
I was happier with my sushi sashimi combo. The tuna, salmon and hamachi sushi were well executed, as were the good-size pieces of salmon, tuna, shrimp and yellowtail nigiri. The spicy tuna maki were small and nice. Our favorite thing of the meal was the creative and spicy yellowfin tuna roll with Thai basil.
In a word, the meal was nice. So was our service, mostly. Initially we were the only patrons, and asked them to switch the channel to poker. We sat facing the TV and discussing the action. Then two guys came in and unasked, the owner changed back to baseball. Which the guys, who weren’t even facing the TV, ignored. Poker might be a slightly odd request but I found the switching back quite rude. I’m not deducting points for that; it was just a weird footnote to an otherwise pleasant dinner.
Rating: 7 / 10
Our cost: $65 (1 app, 1 combo, 2 rolls)
Noise level: quiet, but it was empty
Chance of walking in: good.
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Posted in Asian, Lower East Side, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, Southeast Asian, rated 6 to 6.5, small plates at 21:48 by Dominique
113 Ludlow & Rivington/Delancey, 212-353-8866
Great for: sharing lots of small dishes, easily impressed out-of-towners
One of my favorite girlfriends organized a girls’ night one Saturday. I’d been here before so I wasn’t too excited about the food, but fortunately her presence makes up for quite a lot. The last time I was here the company was also better than the food, which is only middling anyway, so it is not the place to take a foodie. Unless they like everything sweet.
We had to wait a very long while for the people at our reserved table to clear out, for which inconvenience we were given free edamame with lemon butter and salt. It was really good. It sustained me through our first dish of pickled vegetables, which was kind of like being tasered with a pickle. In my mind, even when a dish is “pickled [something],” it ought to still have some balance. I shouldn’t be fighting to keep my eyes open.
Fortunately the scallops with bacon, kalamansi and sake were much better. They also were a little sour, but a nice size and overall pretty tasty. So was the pork tonkatsu with watercress salad and lime butter. I found the meat a tad dry and the sauce a little sweet, while the lime butter was nice. I did not, of course, eat the mushrooms with baby bamboo, though the bamboo was decent.
The langoustines special in panko with wasabi tobiko aïoli was the best dish we had. The aïoli is addictive – the shellfish was good too. I enjoyed the sautéed Chinese sausage with super-hot Thai chili-lime sauce, which offset well the sweetness of the meat. The tofu with Thai basil and wood ear mushrooms in spicy soy mirin was not good. Too sweet, and just blah all around. I didn’t care for the seared ahi tuna in Thai chili-miso vinaigrette either.
We finished things off with the dessert tasting. The Thai chili chocolate ice cream (for an avowedly Filipino restaurant, they really like those Thai spices) was fine, as were the black plum sorbet and fried plantains. The lemongrass panna cotta was the best.
The service partly makes up for the mediocrity of the food. They are very attentive, and it was nice of them to mitigate the annoyance of waiting 45 minutes with unsolicited edamame. On the other hand, we were shocked to be charged corkage for our two bottles of sake; we tried to empirically figure out if that’s standard, and couldn’t remember details of past byob dinners well enough to come to a consensus, but basically it was surprising to be charged for twist-open bottles.
I can’t tell you why this place gets so much hype. Both visits I was in parties of 4 that ordered a good cross-section of the menu, and had an okay meal that rose to pretty good at best. I might have liked it better if I liked sweet flavors in food, and I think that might be a Filipino idiosyncrasy, but I am not a fan. Another annoyance is that everything is kind of expensive. Nothing is under $7, and most is considerably more. Not even the vegetarian dishes. Really? On the Lower East Side? The food definitely didn’t earn its price tags.
Rating: 6 / 10
Our cost: $130 (just food, they’re byob with small corkage fees)
Noise level: a bit noisy, not bad
Chance of walking in: not great. You can reserve for **parties of 4 or more.
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Posted in Asian, Chinese, Midtown West, Murray Hill, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 6 to 6.5 at 21:30 by Dominique
30 W. 32nd St. & Broadway/5th Ave., 212-629-6450
Great for: noodles, eating non-Korean late in Koreatown
This was a really big day for me. I shot my first feature film (I play a gangster who stabs a girl after helping kill her fiancé) and had my first date with the New Boyfriend!
He got spicy noodles with chicken substituted for seafood, and it was quite tasty. The lovely round noodles were silky and slightly chewy. The sauce was a bit sweet, but pleasantly so. My Szechuan chicken was an absolutely giant dish. It was only medium spicy, with far too many mushrooms. The sauce was also on the sugary side without being annoying.
It’s a decent Chinese restaurant, and certainly a better bet than some of the Korean joints on the street. I love barbecue and regular Korean food, but it’s so easy to walk into a random place and end up spending $60 on maybe two plates of raw meat and wondering why we’re still hungry. (True story, at Won Jo.) Plus, this place seems to stay open forever – we left around 5am and there were still people coming in – and you won’t smell like barbecue when you leave. (Though personally I am always delighted by that smell.)
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Our cost: $30
Noise level: it’s pretty large so I imagine it’s not quiet when full
Chance of walking in: not bad.
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12.19.09
Posted in Asian, East Village, Japanese, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, eclectic, rated 8 to 8.5 at 11:53 by Dominique
171 1st Ave. & 10th/11th Sts., 212-777-7773
Great for: pork buns, ramen, enough fried chicken to feed a small army, trying interesting entrées
In the beginning, there was Noodle Bar. David Chang looked around, and saw that it was good (and that people were willing to line up for hours to get a chance at his food). So he created Ssäm Bar, Ko, Milk Bar and just this month, Má Pêche. I love his food, whichever market level he aims at, but Noodle Bar was one of the first restaurants that introduced me to the foodie world, and it has a special place in my heart. This particular visit was for the fried chicken meal, courtesy of my friend T’s reservation-snagging skills.
One girl was very late and the rest of us used that as an excuse to get the life-changing pork and chicken buns. To stave off starvation, you understand. I had resisted trying those for a long time, since I don’t eat bread or fat. But the buns are worth going off any diet. My only concession to staying slim is letting fat drip out the back. Each order has two buns, which you will probably want to yourself. The chicken version has a piece of fried skin included, which is totally awesome, though not quite as orgasmic as the pork.
At long last, it was time for the giant platter of two fried chickens. 
One is seasoned with Old Bay; the other is Korean-style. I preferred the Old Bay style, though it’s a tad too salty. It is the perfect level of crunchy and crispy, though. The Korean chicken was also good, but I felt the sauce could have been integrated into the meat more. As if all that chicken weren’t enough, the meal is accompanied by a bowl of lovely crisp veggies, four sauces and moo shu wraps. 
I didn’t use the last, but I actually enjoyed the greens, and everyone was delighted with their wraps. I found myself eating raw radishes for the very first time in my life (with liberal dollops of jalapeño chili sauce). Generally a fun time, especially at $100 for two chickens with unlimited fixins’ for six people. It was not quite as perfect as I thought it might be, but I’d give the chicken a solid 7.5 / 10.
The ramens are also very tasty (from several other visits). The Momofuku ramen is salty goodness and the pork ramen is cheaper but likewise demands to be completely finished. Both have nice big noodles and a good mix of vegetables. There are quite a few other choices in ramens.
Noodle Bar is always a good option when I’m in the East Village and not in the mood to try a new restaurant. I tend to keep odd hours and avoid the lines, but if you’ve got enough people with you, it’s still fun since they’ll serve you alcohol while you wait. Plus, I have yet to find anything on the menu that’s not delicious.
Rating: 8.5 / 10 (extra half point for little pockets of heaven on earth)
Cost: it’s not cheap, but it won’t break the bank. Beer, sake and wine are quite reasonably priced as well.
Noise level: it’s always a party there
Chance of walking in: not good. Try to go at off-hours.
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11.29.09
Posted in Asian, Gramercy, Midtown Central, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, rated 4 to 5.5 at 17:02 by Dominique
17 W. 32nd St. & 5th/6th Aves., 212-967-1900
Great for: not much
I had an audition and rewarded myself for getting up so early with some soon du bu. It’s silky tofu cooked in a spicy sauce with veggies and various meats or kimchi. I usually get beef or seafood – on the lunch menu here, “both” was an option, so I happily chose that. This place is the offshoot of an LA-based Korean chain that I’d heard a lot of good about. Sadly, it did not live up to its hype.
The plethora of side dishes was ok, with several things I don’t usually see. The cream pasta with ham is decent; I found the fried whole fish hard to eat. The main problem is that the soon du bu is not very flavorful. I don’t think it needed more salt. It just wasn’t that savory. I was bored with it after a couple bites. A good soon du bu – at least, what I’ve had and liked – is a combination of different flavors, textures and spices that change with every bite and make you want to lick the bowl. It’s a sophisticated tofu stew that showcases the soft absorbency of the tofu and lots of spices. Plus, the shrimp (there’s crab and squid too) had heads and shells on. It is so frustrating to eat! What is the point of marinating, stewing or covering shrimp in sauce if they are encased? You peel them and they’re simply boiled boring shrimp anyway. It’s especially annoying in a messy soup. The added difficulty of the shrimp just made me mad.
Service is fine, décor is standard vaguely-Asian, and I am going elsewhere for my beloved soon du bu. A restaurant should at least make its own putative specialty well. I was so unhappy I almost visited Mad for Chicken to erase the memory with something tasty. (I didn’t, as I am only allowed to have fried chicken once a month.)
Rating: 5 / 10
My cost: $10
Noise level: not too bad
Chance of walking in: good.
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