08.26.09
Posted in New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, Spanish, West Village, rated 8 to 8.5, small plates at 01:03 by Dominique
64 W.10th St. & 6th/5th Ave., 212-505-7777
Great for: tapas, sangria, getting crazy with a large group of friends, hanging out at the bar, impressing out-of-towners, dates
Motorcycle Guy and I agreed on this place for our date, which turned out to be a really good decision because although I’d been here a while back, I hadn’t reviewed it, and it turned out to still be yummy enough that I actually want to write about it. (Sometimes I just can’t be bothered if a place is mediocre and obscure. And my palate has developed to the point where often what was once good is now disappointingly eh.)
The warm salad of artichokes and haricots verts with crème fraîche truffle dressing was a nice start. The lamb meatballs in spiced butternut squash foam, toasted sesame seeds and lebne (a dense yogurt cheese) were also lovely. The foam could have been better, but then I don’t like any form of squash.
The two best dishes – I really couldn’t pick between them – were the Brussels sprouts and scallops. The sprouts come with Granny Smith apples, crème fraîche and pistachios, which sounds strange, but that bit of sweetness sets off the rest of the flavors. I LOVED it. I also loved the three big butterflied, roasted scallops in artichoke purée and yuzu mayonnaise with salmon caviar. Tender, juicy and terrific, I only wished there were more (and an even number).
The yogurt-marinated lamb skewers with okra and eggplant in green leek sauce were a setback in an overall pleasant meal. I hated the vegetables, which were an unpleasant surprise, and the lamb was fine but a bit too sweet. Fortunately, the whole rack of Danish ribs roasted with kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce) and coriander made up for that. Though they could have been moister, they were very satisfying.
We rounded out the meal with an absolutely scrumptious warm chocolate cake topped with coconut sorbet, passionfruit emulsion and chocolate rum sauce. It literally melted in our mouths. I found myself actually eating more than a few bites of it, despite not usually being a huge dessert fan.
It was fun sitting in the semi-secret back room that you can only reach through the kitchen. A bit sexier than the rest of the place, which is nice but loud and packed. The décor is a little cluttered, though still good for dates. Our waitress was attentive and helpful. I’m so glad the food hasn’t stopped being great. And if you’re there with a bunch of people, get the “whole shebang” – everything on the menu for $400. Did that once, it’s so worth it. Plus the sangria is killer.
Rating: 8 / 10
Our cost: $110 (1 drink)
Noise level: music at a good level, loud people, quiet back room
Chance of walking in: they’re very popular, so definitely call ahead.
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05.10.09
Posted in Meatpacking District, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, Spanish, rated 7 to 7.5, small plates at 00:32 by Dominique
405 W.14th St. & 9th/10th Aves., 212-366-1640
Great for: tapas, red snapper chicharrón, cocktails, people watching
Software Guy thoughtfully picked a restaurant I haven’t reviewed for our date. He also proved himself to be really thoughtful later when some jackass stole my phone and he helped me get it back even though it took 15 hours. (No, I’m not kidding.) Happily, the night started out well.
The almejas villa clara, littleneck clams in Hoegaarden beer and saffron broth with cilantro and garlic, were pretty good. I preferred the giant papitas rellenas filled with ground sirloin. Their accompanying tomato sauce was sour in a good way. The generous amount of chorizo in hot oil was also satisfying. The empanadillas with sautéed spinach and Manchego cheese are small and heavy, a good dish in small doses.
The lovely calamari were on a different level. Large but tender, they were also easy to bite through. The best was definitely the chicharrón de pargo, lightly breaded red snapper with tartar sauce. It came in nice big flaky chunks and I had a hard time not scooping up every last piece.
We tried several of the cocktails, all of which I can recommend. I think the guava jalapeño martini and bellito were the best. Our waiters were pretty attentive and it’s a fun place. It’s quite large, but I’ve never see it less than packed all the years it’s been open. Side note: we saw Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman filming their new movie outside on our way out!
Rating: 7 / 10
Our cost: $195
Noise level: loud
Chance of walking in: you should probably reserve.
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04.15.09
Posted in Midtown East, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, Spanish, rated 8 to 8.5, small plates at 02:54 by Dominique
247 E.50th St. & 3rd/2nd Aves., 212-752-1414
Great for: sharing, live music, fun inexpensive dinner, dates
This was a very busy day for me. I was out the night before, and slept about an hour before taking off at 6am to snowboard. Around noon I caught an edge and flipped several times before landing on my shoulder and (fortunately helmeted) head. We had to go back to Manhattan so I could see a doctor without paying a fortune. Turned out my clavicle was broken in three totally displaced pieces. The doctor actually said as he showed me the x ray, “So this is pretty bad…”
- I think he was understating it, actually.
But I’d had enough hydrocodone, Percocet and Vicodin that I wasn’t crying any more and I made it to my dear friend Dominique’s birthday dinner in acceptable time.
We started with a bunch of small plates. The trio of croquettas was great. I couldn’t decide which was my favorite among the pork, crab and cauliflower. They were all interesting combinations, though tiny. The empanadas with veal, roasted red pepper, currant and salsa verde were all right, not special. I liked the crisp thin outsides – unfortunately the insides didn’t quite measure up. Everyone except me loved the sweet and salty plantains with sea salt caramel, cilantro and crème fraîche. But then I hate plantains. I found them a little sweet though nice otherwise. The roasted fingerling potatoes with chipotle aioli were more my speed. We liked the tiny beef and pork meatballs, though they were a tad dry. Also, the tamarind-chipotle barbecue sauce was too sweet and abundant.
I think the best thing we ate was the crisp, small and tender calamari in five spice corn flour. The chipotle mayo sauce was great, the squid so well-executed it could have been fish! We definitely wanted more despite the generous size of the dish. Though the grilled shrimp and asparagus over rice with chorizo and creamy shallot vinaigrette was smaller than we thought it’d be, it was also very good, especially the sour note of the sauce contrasting with the cream.
P, our lone vegetarian, found the ensalada tropical with fruits, nuts and cheese sweet but refreshing. His special vegetarian plate was ok, but they pretty much brought the exact things we asked them not to. The flight of three ceviches is a good bet. The mango snapper was tiny and all right; I liked the decent amount of tuna better, and the salmon, though a bit sour, the best.
We loved the rich Grand Marnier chocolate cake with vanilla anglaise and raspberry sauce. They even put a candle in it for Dominique, and the two members of the Gipsy Kings performing in the front sang her happy birthday! Apparently they have live music here often. We enjoyed the El Besito cocktail with cava, strawberry and rose syrup so much we mainly just ordered that. The espumosos are good too.
Our waitress wasn’t the brightest bulb in the chandelier but she tried at least. The restaurant is quite big with two long rooms. I liked the lovely granite tabletops, minimalist décor and nice candlelit ambience. It would be great for a date and it was certainly fun for Dominique’s party.
Rating: 8 / 10
Our cost: $350 for 6 people (5 small plates, 3 apps, ceviche flight, veg plate, 11 cocktails)
Noise level: the live music was loud but it rocked
Chance of walking in: not too bad.
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09.11.08
Posted in New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, Spanish, West Village, rated 6 to 6.5, small plates at 17:11 by Dominique
823 Greenwich & Horatio Sts., 212-929-8210
Great for: alliophiles (garlic lovers), sangria
My friend Matthew and I kind of randomly picked this spot for its location. Poor Matt got lost along the way because I forgot to tell him Greenwich Street, not Avenue. As I waited for him, a weird guy at the bar tried very persistently to get me to try one of his meatballs. He said they were really good, but I wasn’t about to eat some disturbing stranger’s food.
After Matt rescued me and we ordered, they brought us complimentary salad with a nice dressing. My shrimp à la diablo with tomato sauce, onion and green pepper was decent, not peppery as the adjective would suggest. His shrimp cocktail turned out to be baby shrimp in a very garlicky, somewhat spicy sauce. It was great. Probably my favorite thing we had.
In an effort not to over-order we shared an entrée of Valenciana paella with chicken, sausage, clams, mussels, scallops and shrimp. It was pretty good. It would have been very good but the chorizo was a bit dry, the shrimp unflavored and the shellfish just ok. The scallops were juicy and great though, and I liked the flavor of the rice. The dish was so huge, we only finished half.
We had a pitcher of just-right sangria, not too strong or sweet. I can’t say the same for the service. They barely paid attention to us, and I had a saucer for a bread plate. It was fine, since I don’t eat bread; I just think the difference between a regular plate and a saucer with a circle in it is pretty noticeable. The place wasn’t that busy, either, so I’m not sure why they were so lackadaisical. It’s a cozy space with a lot of filigree metalwork, which I preferred to the faded amateur frescos decorating the walls. I’d only come for the shrimp cocktail plus sangria.
Rating: 6 / 10
Our cost: $80 (1 pitcher of sangria)
Noise level: room is small, so you’re out of luck if there’s a table full of loud drunks.
Chance of walking in: pretty good, we didn’t wait at 8pm.
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08.22.08
Posted in East Village, French, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, Spanish, rated 8 to 8.5, small plates at 00:17 by Dominique
[I finished acting school but had to start a corporate project immediately thereafter. They're not so keen on the blogging during work hours, so posts will probably still be slow.]
239 E.5th St. & 2nd Ave., 212-979-1012
Great for: adventurous palates, oenophiles, people with quiet taste in interiors
Tuesday was the first day Commodities Broker and I could get a reservation here – they book up quickly, and there are only eighteen seats. I was pretty excited. It’s a sister restaurant to Jewel Bako, one of my favorite sushi places in New York. In fact, they share a door.
We opted for the $50 five-course tasting and $45 wine pairing, as most of the things we would have ordered were in the tasting. I’d had a really stressful day so we got a head start on the vino with a lovely large flute each of 2004 Llopart Leopardi brut rosé. Our first course was crudo of seasonal bonito with almonds, strawberries, asparagus, shiso flowers and marcona almonds in a red wine reduction. The lightness of the other ingredients, especially the almonds, offset the heavy-tasting fish well. I enjoyed the pairing with a 2006 Chardonnay.
Next, we had a crazy concoction of slowly poached egg, jamón Serrano, chorizo, smoked cheese foam and rice cracker-crusted asparagus. Somehow it all worked. The egg almost melted in my mouth, while the ham was balanced perfectly between chewy and soft. The slight blandness of the broth was a great contrast. It was a bit salty; you’ll need chapstick afterward. The 2007 rioja blanca was another lovely pairing.
I enjoyed our last appetizer of grilled octopus confit over potatos, caramelized cipollini onions, celery and piquillo pepper salad covered in micro cilantro emulsion. The octopus was a bit chewier than I’d like but nicely charred. I generally don’t even like octopus (everything in the eight-legged family is too rubbery for me) so this was quite good – enough that I managed to finish the disturbingly large tentacle, with the help of generous swallows of 2005 Ribeiro blanco.
For the main course we had suckling pig garnished with tomatillo, velvet pioppini mushrooms, scallions, cilantro, lemon zest and Fresno peppers. I really enjoyed the sauce - not so much the inch of fat on one side. But overall it was satisfyingly spicy and salty, with tender yet firm meat. The red Pago Fiorentino pairing nicely soothed the excitement caused by the spices.
Last, we had a terrific twice-caramelized torija (brioche) and raspberries and citrus. The fruit cut the sweet softness of the bread, which was crunchy outside and soft like custard inside. I could have had a bit more of it. Definitely more of the delicious Château Lafon Sauternes as well.
The service and decor matched the food in excellence. Our waitress was lovely, and the chefs were quiet and focused, just like at Ko, but emanating much more good humor. It’s amazing how many completely different beautiful wineglasses they have. Every time we had a new wine, it was a pleasant surprise to see what kind of glass it would come in. The whole place shows attention to detail without looking fussy. The stone tiles make it feel homey, while the quality of the materials keep it refined. After the sodium-fest that was Mercat and the fiasco politely called Fiamma, it was delightful to just have a great meal. I’d come back here any day.
Rating: 8.5 / 10
Our cost: $285 ($50 5-course tastings + $45 wine pairings + 2 $14 flutes of champagne)
Noise level: quiet
Chance of walking in: very low. Reserve at least 3 days ahead, even for an early weekday.
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08.17.08
Posted in New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, NoHo, Spanish, rated 7 to 7.5, small plates at 06:10 by Dominique
45 Bond St. #A & Lafayette/Bowery, 212-529-8600
Great for: cheese, watching chefs, people on high-sodium diets
I confess to a weakness for this little neighborhood because of the hallucinatory metal sculpture/enclosure/fortification around the new apartment building they’ve just put up there. It looks a bit like a T-1000 that’s been shattered, flung on the wall and somehow suspended there. I enjoy looking at it because it’s simultaneously brilliant and stupid. I can never decide which. Kind of a Schrödinger’s Cat paradox involving my taste in architecture.
We started with the selection of three cheeses. The Monte Enebro goat cheese from Ávila was soft, reminiscent of bleu cheese, and I thought it actually pretty tasty. I found the La Serena, a sheep version from Extremadura, bitter and soft. I didn’t much like that one. The Idiazabal, ovine cheese from Pais Vasc, was firm, not too strong, and delicious. The cheeses come on a nice board with bread and aged jelly. Yeah, I thought that sounded gross too. I couldn’t force very much of the jelly down.
From the tapas section we tried the patates bravas with garlic and spicy sauce. The sauce reminded me of spicy mayonnaise at Japanese restaurants. The potatoes were a bit charred, and the dish is really big, so though I liked it at first, I got tired of it about halfway through. The bombas – chicken, pork and beef meatballs – were minced very finely with a hard potato-y shell outside. They were interesting and yummy but the meat had a disconcertingly soft texture, reminiscent of Gerber’s baby food, which eventually overpowered the taste of it. We didn’t finish this dish either.
Of the embotits (Spanish for charcuterie, I think) we tried the jamón serrano, which was delicious and not too salty. I don’t know why the pá amb tomàquet, toasted bread with tomato and garlic, is in the same category, but it was pretty good.
In the larger dishes (cuiina de Mercat) we went for the vedella amb escalivada, a grilled hanger steak with cheese on top and roasted vegetables. A little tough, it was somehow juicy and too salty at the same time. I was surprised at the large amount of meat; too much, in fact, although sliced into good sizes. The truita, a Spanish omelet with chorizo was also overly salted. I did like the tender egg and creamy cheesy sauce on top. The Maya shrimp with crispy garlic and pimenton were nice and big and a bit too salty as well.
Commodities Broker and I were not disappointed with Avinyo, a rosé cava. It was a lovely ruby color and the flavors balanced well. I was pleased with the service too. The waiters are really nice, more attentive to the level of our glasses than getting the food out – though that’s not such a bad thing. The kitchen forgot one of our dishes, which was fine since we found ourselves stuffed anyhow. There is a sexy wine area catwalk just begging to be used in a runway show or movie.
I thought they used the large space inefficiently – they could have fit a couple more tables – but the decor was nice. There are white tiles everywhere, which, fortunately for the noise level, are offset by all the unvarnished wood and brick. You can sit at an open kitchen area in the middle of the room and watch the chefs. You could also sit at the spacious bar and skip the food. I had a fairly good experience here, what with the nice service and the abundance of champagne, but basically everything from the kitchen was too salty. Have drinks here. Bond St. a few doors down is more reliable when it comes to food.
Rating: 7 / 10
Our cost: $260 (2 $55 bottles of rosé cava)
Noise level: not too bad
Chance of walking in: medium.
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12.06.07
Posted in Flatiron, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, Spanish, rated 6 to 6.5 at 03:53 by Dominique
35 W. 19th St. and 5th/6th, 212-229-2300
Great for: dates, sharing food, catching up with several friends
The Boyfriend and I had lots of double dates in November. This one was with my friend S and her boyfriend. A friend of ours suggested Sala, although it turned out that he meant the one on Bowery. This is a new branch. It’s a surprisingly huge restaurant – there are a few tables in front with a bar, then another bar about midway in before the rest of the tables. We’d made an 8:45 reservation because that was all we could get, but arrived at 8:15 to see if we could get seated earlier. They accommodated us about 10 minutes later. We had a cute corner table that would be perfect for a very romantic date, as it feels kind of sheltered from the rest of the restaurant.
We started with the tuna bocadillo, which came in 2 giant triangle portions of seared tuna with onions. They were really hard to cut – we ended up just eating half and giving the other to our respective boyfriends. They were ok, not great. The tuna was a bit chewy for my taste. The salad de la casa, which had romaine, tomato, white asparagus, tuna and olives, was very good, so that we were politely fighting over the last few scraps. We liked the shrimp al ajillo (in garlic) a lot as well.
From the larger plates, we got the chorizo and paella. We liked the chorizo a lot and wished there was more of it – I guess the grill plates are supposed to be medium tapas. It was savory & cooked just enough to be juicy without getting too dry. The seafood paella was all right, very average. It was big enough for the four of us after all the starters but nothing special.
We had a pretty attentive waitress who made sure everything went smoothly for us while we were obliviously chatting away. I really like the lighting and the way they set up the place as well. It’s very sexy and romantic, but also great for a bunch of friends. The food isn’t the greatest, but when you have enough drinks & dim lighting, it’s lots of fun.
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Our cost: $160 for 4 people (1.5 drinks each)
Noise level: good, considering how many people were in the restaurant.
Chance of walking in: Medium, although as people realize there’s a second Sala I’m sure it will get harder.
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11.15.07
Posted in Gramercy, New York City Neighborhoods, New York City Reviews, Spanish, rated 8 to 8.5, small plates at 20:38 by Dominique
37 E. 28th and Park/Madison, 212-213-2328 (closed now)
Great for: medium-size parties, romantic dinners, sharing 10 dishes between two people
I’ve had Ureña (the resto’s previous incarnation) on my list since it opened and kept meaning to go but Alex Ureña, the chef, recently changed it to Pamplona. I’m actually quite glad; molecular gastronomy sounds interesting, especially to a science geek like me, but I’ve yet to like anything that crazy. Tapas is more my speed. And wow, did Mr. Ureña do a great job. The Boyfriend and I tried 5 tapas, 3 entradas and 1 plata principal, 6 of which were amazing. We wanted to get the paella but after looking over the menu a couple times we decided to save that for next time.
We got the shrimp and chorizo skewers over goat cheese toast, meatballs with butternut squash, dates with bacon, mamitaco of tuna and bocadillo de jamon from the tapas column. The dates were almost as good as at Pipa, and everything else was unreservedly terrific. The goat cheese went really well with grilled shrimp and chorizo; I normally detest squash but couldn’t get enough of it here, plus we had to stop ourselves from licking the last drops of sauce out of the dish; the tuna was perfect cubes with yummy sauces; and bocadillo seem to be like panini, except thinner and better. They were all about 4 bites big.
From the entradas (slightly bigger) we got the snow crab, shrimp over manchego rice and the poached egg on asparagus salad. The crab was ground up with spicy sauce and looked kind of like spicy tuna at a sushi restaurant; it was good but a little sweet. We loved the other two. After all this we were still a bit hungry so we got the slow cooked cod entrée, which may have been a tad undercooked. The middle was a little chewier and more raw than we expected. The sauce and the rest of the dish were great though.
Considering this was a Sunday night around 9:30, the host and waiters were incredibly chipper. The host was very nice and our 2 waiters were just the right level of eager without being annoying. The only problem was they forgot our snow crab. We ordered just the 5 tapas and 2 entradas and added the snow crab as an afterthought, so it wasn’t entirely their fault. They handled it very professionally, not making a big deal out of it and just bringing it when it was ready. I wasn’t even sure it didn’t just take longer to make until I started writing this and thought about it.
The presentation of all the dishes was great. Not pretentious or fussy, just neatly and artistically arranged. We really liked the minimalist interior as well. It’s all dark colors, well coordinated, and understated in a very chic way. You could do a business dinner or a date here equally well. We saw a couple parties of about 5 or 6 people who seemed to be having a great time, as well as some couples who looked like they were on good dates. It’s not too expensive, the tapas is some of the best I’ve ever had and the service is great. We’ll definitely be back.
Rating: 8.5 / 10
Our cost: $100 (teetotaling)
Noise Level: probably not too loud even when it’s busy
Chance of walking in: Pretty high right now, but I expect that will change as people discover it. (Never mind – it’s closed. Very sad!)
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