Amuse My Bouche

Remembering 2009

2010-01-05T17:46:00.000-08:00

73 best eats and drinks of 2008. Though the postings never came, seasonality and restaurant closings took dishes away from me before I could sample them, and balancing work and studying and spending time with family and friends kept me from reaching the century mark, I accept no excuse as redeeming and bestow upon myself a scarlet letter. 73 dishes. I know that the best 27 were yet to come.

What I have to be grateful for, however, is for the culinary opportunities taken in the last twelve months, the courses sampled that will forever take their place on my "best of" lists, and the experiences that redefined what I thought were simple ingredients and familiar tastes.

On one end of the spectrum, 2009 was the year I first dined at Le Bernardin, made my first trip to Momofuku Ko's eden, and allowed myself to be fooled again and again at wd-50. Salt Lick in Texas, John Besh's August in New Orleans, Blue Hill in NYC, deep-dish pizza in Chicago, waffles in Brussels and herring in Amsterdam would round off a year in culinary excursions that will be difficult to match.

On the other end, it was the year of the food tour, the exploration of the neighborhood gems in Queens and Brooklyn. Dumplings in Flushing, kielbasa in Greenpoint and chaat in Jackson Heights have earned their spot as regular destinations.

Levain, Momofuku and Jacques Torres cookies. Shake Shack, Burger Joint and Royale burgers. Tacqueria burritos, Little Poland dumplings, Dinosaur chicken wings, Salt Lick brisket, Redhead peanut brittle, Crazy wings in Waco, Clinton Street pancakes, Juan in a Million tacos and 50lb burgers.

2010 has a lot to live up to.

Eggs Benedict at wd-50

Juan in a Million breakfast taco

The Salt Lick in Driftwood, Texas

50lb Burger at Clinton Station Diner

King's Carriage House

2009-07-13T17:37:00.000-07:00

Kings' Carriage House
251 E 82nd Street

I want to begin this entry by thanking my gracious hosts, the owners of Kings' Carriage House and Naomi for arranging the evening. I was fortunate enough to dine at Kings' Carriage House as a guest of the owners, and was even more fortunate to dine with Naomi and my co-worker Dan who were both willing to order a variety of dishes for our table to sample. Disclaimer: Our table received a meal on the house.

Kings' Carriage offers a 3-course prix fixe menu for $49, with $4 supplements on select menu items, and with a menu that is updated daily, certain items may not be available on any given night. Our evening began with a glass of champagne and an amuse bouche of smoked salmon with cream cheese; a clean, fresh sampling to start off what would be a gluttonous adventure of food and drink. Always a fan of an amuse...

We started with orders of the french onion soup as a bonus course, which came with a delicously buttery crouton.

French Onion Soup:

For our appetizers, we quickly devoured an order of grilled sea scallops with shaved fennel and baby arugula salad, which were perfectly grilled, meaty and fresh. For an appetizer, it was quite a generous portion. The prosciutto wrapped quail with port wine syrup was tender and juicy, while the portobello & goat cheese terrine with roasted asparagus and beets offered a creamy and sharper dish.

Grilled sea scallops:

Grilled Prosciutto wrapped Quail:

Portobello & Goat Cheese Terrine:

After bouncing back and forth between several options for our entrees, we settled on the pan seared salmon topped with mango salsa, which provided a tangy and sweet compliment. Duck breast over sweet potato was moist with a hint of sweetness. Rosemary roasted loin of lamb over eggplant was tender and fresh.

Salmon:

Duck Breast:

Roasted lamb:

I think that the key takeaway from my meal was that while no one particular item blew me away, Kings' Carriage offers dishes that are prepared meticulously, with a focus on using fresh ingredients and providing well-executed dishes that would leave anyone satisfied. Everything is presented and served with that sense of precision; each dish carefully constructed. I can see why this restaurant has developed a regular following. It's comfort food, done simply, with immaculate attention to detail.

Dessert was no less precise. Creamy cheesecake, a perfectly executed creme brulee with candied mango, and a warm apricot crumble with fresh mint. Each more enjoyable than the last.

Cheesecake:

Mango Creme Brulee:

Warm apricot crumble:

We left our table stuffed, each dish marked by generous portions. Fresh ingredients, expertly crafted dishes and a rotating menu with options for anyone. For $49, Kings' Carriage House isn't the most affordable option for dinner, but it's certainly a spot that I will keep in mind for special occasions with family or for a romantic evening.

Thank you again to our hosts and to Naomi.

Been to Kings' Carriage House? Have a recommendation in the area? Post a comment!

Clinton Street Baking Company

2009-06-29T12:54:00.000-07:00

Clinton Street Baking Company
4 Clinton Street (just south of Houston)

After hearing about how awesome Clinton Street Baking Company is from my roommate, and seeing the pancake throwdown on Food Network, I knew I had to try them for myself. Recognizing that the line on weekends stretches to multiple hours, I did what any normal person would do. I took the day off from work to take care of a few errands, namely, to come check out pancakes on a weekday when there would be less of a crowd. 9am. Table for one. Right this way...

I was a bit skeptical of the price, as $13 for pancakes is a bit absurd. The margins have to be pretty crazy, but if it's that good and people are willing to pay it, congrats to them for cashing in on a successful product. After my first bite, I understood.

Pancakes:

Pancake Guts:

Sweet, but not too sweet. Tart, but not too tart. Fluffy, filling, fantastic. From what I remember from the episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay, they mix the batter, pour it onto the griddle and then sprinkle on the blueberries, such that they don't break apart as they would if they were mixed into the batter. Clinton Street fires on all cylinders:

1. They are fluffy, with plenty of blueberries.
2. The maple butter syrup is incredibly sweet, yet I couldn't stop eating it.
3. So much pancake! Yeah, it's $13 for pancakes, but they could easily be split with another person if you ordered a couple of $2 buttermilk biscuits which looked amazing ($13 + $4 / 2 is $9 per person for a biscuit and a half order of awesome pancakes. That is a steal!)
4. They offer the pancakes for dinner. Let all who are hungry come and partake of the pancakes, regardless of time of day.

Sure, coffee and pancakes cost $20 with tax and tip which is pretty ridiculous. But forgo the java and split it with a friend and pancake nirvana is much more affordable.

Been to Clinton Street? Want to go with me next time? Post a comment!

1849

2009-06-27T15:58:00.000-07:00

1849
Bleecker around the corner from MacDougal

Shame on me for the lack up updates. After speaking with some friends about potential food tours, we decided upon a buffalo wing outing. Scheduling and locations have yet to be determined, but if you're interest in attending or have a suggestion on a location, please drop a comment!

Meanwhile, take a gander at what could be the front-runner going into the competition, buffalo wings from 1849 Bar & Grill on Bleecker. $.20 wings during happy hour and all night on Wednesday, make it one of the best wing deals in the city.

HB Burger

2009-06-22T15:56:00.000-07:00

HB Burger
43rd between 6th and Broadway

The same crew that brought you Heartland Brewery, an overpriced mediocre establishment with multiple locations, has now re-branded one of their locations as HB Burger, a Times Square restaurant that plays into the times with a menu that prices all choices under $10. Gimmicky? Yes. Was the only reason I wanted to go the coupons they were handing out on the street for a free milkshake? Undoubtedly so. While it may have been my low expectations that played into my experience, HB Burger has earned my support.

What you soon realize upon first looking at the menu, is that they did, in fact keep to their word of pricing items below $10, with specialty burgers priced at $9.00 (well below what Ruby Tuesday's or any other Times Square restaurant would charge for a hamburger). However, HB Burger charges $3.50 extra for fries, normally considered a standard accompaniment, bringing the total bill to $12.50 for a burger and fries, and back on par with any other spot. There goes the value play.

Without the cost sensitive focus, the attention is placed squarely on the product itself, though I will mention that sauteed onions are included at no charge. My buffalo burger ($7.50) was fairly dry, as expected from a buffalo burger, but enjoyable nonetheless, and the fries for $3.50, while good, were grossly overpriced.

Buffalo Burger:

Fries:

Where HB Burger really flexed its muscles was in the good ole' plain hamburger ($7.50) from a "local, family owned steak purveyor," which they were unable to identify for me. Juicy, salty, and fatty, it's one of the better burgers I've had in midtown.

Hamburger:

To top it all off, an addition to the 2009 "Best of" list that came out of nowhere. Tator tots. Not just any tator tots. Tator tots made with smoked bacon and jalapeno jack cheese. Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside. Here's the value proposition for $4. Great bar snack? Or greatest bar snack?

Tator tots:

The coupon included a free milkshake, soda, egg cream or sundae. With two coupons, we got a milkshake and a sundae. They really mean it when they say they have the world's smallest sundae. It's basically a shot glass. The mint milkshake was quite good, though it's hard to mess up a milkshake.

Sundae:

Milkshake:

HB Burger, I was pleasently surprised, and if I can order a burger and split an order of tator tots, I can still hit the value play at under $10 for lunch.

Cabrito

2009-06-12T18:36:00.000-07:00

59. Cabrito
50 Carmine between Bleecker & Bedford

Marked by its pink goat that hangs above the doorway, Cabrito has become a popular West Village destination for those seeking out traditional Mexican fare since it opened in 2008. Sneaking in at 6:58, I noticed that happy hour ended at 7:00pm, and the bartender was nice enough to let me sneak in a round of Dos Equis on tap ($3/each) and a chorizo taco ($3 - normally $5) before time expired.

As I waited for my taco to arrive, our party of 3 was seated at an awkwardly positioned table facing the wall. It's a small space and I understand the need to maximize seating, but this table is kind of ridiculous. Alas, we were only there to sample a few things and move on, so we weren't about to cause a scene...

The taco arrived, and sure, it was good, but it was great, and for $3 there are so many other taco places in the city that offer higher quality at a lower price. Even during happy hour, I think I'll pass next time. Scanning through the menu, we opted for the TONY recommended Cabrito dish ($26), made with sour orange, garlic, and slow-roasted chili rubbed goat, served with flour tortillas, and the pork and purslane stew ($19), made with pork and purslane flower in a spicy tomato broth.

Taco:

Maybe it's because I'm price sensitive that I had a hard time not comparing the two dishes on taste alone, but the discrepancy in value was so distinct that I couldn't help but let that discrepancy spill over into my overall feeling about the two dishes. The cabrito was moist, spicy, fatty, and whether eaten alone or as part of a taco with chopped onions and cilantro was something that I could see myself eating regularly. That is, if it were half the price. It's the same amount of food as 3 or 4 of their regular tacos, so why is it priced like its 5 or 6?

Cabrito:

The pork stew offered the better value play, though at the same price, I'd go with the Cabrito. Sizeable portion, spicy broth and tender meat. On a pure happiness per dollar valuation, I'd have to go with the pork stew, though it's still no bargain.

Pork Stew:

Yeah, it's good. But certainly not worth the price or the cramped atmosphere.

La Superior

2009-06-12T18:01:00.000-07:00

58. La Superior
295 Berry Street, Brooklyn

Just around the corner from Marlow & Sons, lies La Superior, a small restaurant offering affordable and unique Mexican cuisine including pig's feet tostadas and fresh made guacamole. The TONY item, however, was ezquites; corn kernels cooked with epazote leaves, served with fresh cheese, lime, and Mexican mayo ($4.00). Cheap, interesting and there's cheese. Sounded like a sure winner. Disclaimer: We got it to go, so your experience may differ. Unfortunately, here's what I think the recipe is: Open up a can of corn and pour it into a plastic cup. Top with a sprinkling of cheese and a dollop of spiced mayo and charge $4.00. Maybe I missed something, but I didn't get it. It's corn and it tastes good, but only to the extent that corn from a can tastes good. This dish left me more confused than any other TONY offering. What's the big deal here guys?

Evan's Creamery

2009-06-11T17:47:00.000-07:00

57. Evan's Creamery Yogurt
Purchased at Marlow & Sons 81 Broadway, Brooklyn

I was already knee deep into Williamsburg when I got to Marlow & Sons, a fairly healthy walk from the nearest L train stop, and the opposite direction from my ultimate destination, so I was quite disappointed when I arrived at Marlow & Sons, only to find out that the lemon yogurt from the TONY list was sold out. Not ready to admit total defeat, I substituted the only available flavor, maple delight, and I was quite glad that I did. Disguised as any other cup of yogurt, Evan's Creamery offers a product that tastes like it came fresh, straight from the farm, and into a cup. Slightly lumpy, tart, sweet, and refreshing, its $2 price tag is certainly justified, especially when compared to greek style yogurts and come in at over $3. If I even find the lemon flavor, I'm definitely up for some Evan's Creamery yogurt.

Side View:

Top Shot:

Shake Shack - Lumbershack

2009-06-04T19:19:00.000-07:00

Shake Shack (UWS)

Ok, so it's not really fair to review since it was a limited time offering and it's just going to make everyone upset that they didn't have it, but maybe people can spread the word and get it on the menu permanently.

Shake Shack can pretty much already do no wrong. Probably the best burger in the city. Rotating selection of tap beers. Seating in the park. Amazing custards and concretes (frozen custard with toppings mixed in). But I know what you're thinking while waiting in line for your Shackburger. You're thinking about bacon peanut brittle from Redhead. No surprises there. Get excited.

You get to the front of the line at Shake Shack only to find out about a new concrete called, the Lumbershack, an ode to the lumberjack breakfast, traditionally made with eggs, bacon and pancakes or french toast. What's in the lumbershack concrete? Just vanilla ice cream... caramelized bananas... big pieces of belgian waffle...and...peanut bacon brittle from Redhead! That. Just. Happened.

Unfortunately this was only available for a couple of weeks and only at the location on the Upper West Side. For those that made the trip, I congratulate you on your admission into the club that has tasted the very best that frozen desserts have to offer (how many desserts do you know that have meat in them?). For those that did not, I can only offer consolation photos. There's no shame in licking the screen.

Perfection:

Top view:

China 1

2009-06-02T17:29:00.000-07:00

China 1
50 Avenue B

After being shutout from China 1 on a busy Saturday night, I had always thought of China 1 as more of a party space than a dining establishment, but after hearing about their weekday drink specials and subsequently reviewing their menu, I reached out to the restaurant to find out more about their chef and cuisine. *Full disclosure: We received a small discount on our food tab but received the same drink specials.

$2 well drinks, sake and beers meant a lot of drinks. The catch was that each person had to buy $15 worth of food. I think of it as 2 drinks and $15 of food for $20. Not a bad deal. The food at China 1 is meant to be shared, and for the five of us we ordered just enough to hit the $15pp minimum.

After placing our order, we were offered a chicken lollipop amuse bouche which was covered in crispy noodles. Love when I get an amuse bouche, but wasn't too thrilled with the taste. The noodles had the "I just grabbed a bag of em off the shelf and through them on some chicken," though the rest of the group enjoyed them.

Chicken lollipop:

We started off with a couple of "dragon soup dumplings" filled with hot and sour soup ($2 each). While it was a pretty good soup dumpling, my expectations were probably unrealistic. Hot and sour soup sounded crazy awesome and it didn't hit that mark. The rest of the food, however, was on target.

Soup dumpling:

The Shanghai belly fried rice ($10) was served with pork belly and a fried quail egg. It was perfect for sharing, with lots of food, garlicky and not greasy. The pan roasted chicken breast with coconut curry ($14) felt clean and refreshing. Cantonese BBQ crispy duck ($22), probably the winner of the entire evening, holds its own with any other top notch peking duck spot. For me, the key is the skin and managing the amount of fat. China 1 got that right. Crispy skin with tender pieces of duck sat atop pancakes (a la Momofuku pork bun?) for sandwiches. If you only order one thing, it's this.

Shanghai fried rice:

Duck:

The only dishes that weren't really memorable were the yellow flower fish with noodles ($17). It's just difficult to share a noodle soup, and even if I was eating it myself, I would have liked some spicyness to add some punch. Sure, the fortune cookie sundae was good ($8). It's difficult for chocolate and vanilla ice cream topped with hot fudge and fortune cookie not to be good, but I was expecting something more.

Yellow flower fish soup:

Fortune cookie sundae:

The verdict? $2 drinks is obviously a good deal. If you go with one other person, each get 2 drinks, the duck and the Shanghai rice, that's $40 for 2. Pretty good deal if you ask me. Definitely will go check it out again. Been to China 1? Want to go with me next time? Post a comment!

Pacificana

2009-06-01T15:42:00.000-07:00

56. Pacificana
813 55th Street, Brooklyn

After managing to convince my roommate to wake up in time for dim sum, we braved the 45 minute train ride, thinking of nothing else but trays and trays of carefully crafted shumai, pork and shrimp dumplings and whatever else looked remotely interesting that we could grab as it passed by our table. For the uninitiated, dim sum is not a spectator dining experience. Rather than simply placing an order from a menu, dishes are offered from carts that are pushed inbetween tables, in a seemingly chaotic yet well refined and deliberate dance. Turn your head, and you'll have to wait for that next plate of bean curd to come around. It takes a careful balance to dine successfully with dim sum. Act too aggressively and you'll be stuck with items you didn't want and that seemingly innocuous $3 plate adds up when you start moving into the double digits. Act too passively and you'll never even see what's coming.

We knew Pacificana would be crowded. Since its New York Times review in 2007, and certainly before that, Pacificana has been catering to those looking for one of the top dim sum restaurants. While dim sum is usually meant for larger parties and allows you to share more dishes, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I thought a party of two was perfect for us. First, we waited only about 15 minutes, and given the amount of people waiting with us, I imagine that some of those parties waited an eternity. Second, most of the plates have 2-4 pieces in them. Works for me.

The first server to catch our attention was clearly out to get us. She knew we didn't know what we were up against and we accepted her barrage of food like an unsuspecting tourist buys a cd off the street. Sure, I first felt like a sucker, but what a feast we had for only $2-5 per plate.

Bacon wrapped shrimp (more like shrimp toast than grilled shrimp) was crunchy, salty and fatty. Pork shumai melted in your mouth. Shrimp dumplings made with fresh seafood. Bean curd in a sweet brown sauce. Crisp jumbo shrimp topped with vegetables. Chicken feet. Yes, chicken feet. Gelatinous chicken feet. Not something I'd be quick to order again but definitely worth the novelty and it seemed to be a pretty popular dish. The only real miss was the seafood dumpling whose taste was a bit off.

Top (bacon wrapped shrimp); Left (shumai); Center (seafood dumplings); Right (shrimp dumplings):

Left (shrimp with vegetables); Right (Bean curd)

Chicken feet:

Chicken Feet close-up:

It's certainly not around the corner, but it's still easily accessible from the subway. Great food, awesome experience, just be prepared to wait. Interested in going?

Apologies

2009-05-29T18:30:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to quickly apologize for not updating the blog. While there was a lack of internet as I switched carriers and I've been getting creamed at work over the last week, there is no excuse. Should have a lot more posts in June. Sorry.

Adventures in Flushing

2009-05-14T12:59:00.000-07:00

55. Flushing

Some food tours reveal hidden culinary treasures and some food tours leave you disappointed with the food but appreciative of the journey. But some food tours are game changers that redefine your thoughts about NYC food and leave you feeling simultaneously like a kid that’s just been to Disneyland yet embarrassed that you hadn’t been sooner. When four of us set out to Flushing, Queens for our first taste of this culinary mecca, we knew we found that Disneyland experience. Exiting the subway to Roosevelt Ave. felt like bursting through the theme park turnstiles, carnival songs playing from the ice cream truck that seemed to follow us everywhere.

Our inspiration for the journey came from a post that we had all read on the Girl Who Ate Everything blog, our food destinations and menu items substantially mimicking their experience. For those that have been to Flushing, you area all too familiar with the story that is about to unfold and I humbly label myself as a novice with the hope that next time I go to Flushing it will be with another list of places to try. But for those that have yet to make the trip from Manhattan, I hope this will inspire you to go to Flushing in the same way that GWAE inspired us.

Welcome to Flushing:

The Great Flushing Dumpling Tour of 2009 began with the number 29, our place on the waiting list at Nan Shian Dumpling House where we were told our table would not be ready for 45 minutes. Though discouraged with such a long wait at 2:00pm, it afforded us just enough time to pick up some dumplings from two other spots nearby. We were all about efficiency, splitting into two groups to place orders and rendezvous back at Nan Shian.

A quick stroll down the block and half of us were at White Bear, a small dumpling shop with a handful of cramped tables, where we ordered wontons in hot chili sauce ($3.50 for 10), while the other half of the group made its way to Best North Dumpling House, a kitchen-front store inside of a grocery where we picked up an order of fennel dumplings ($3.00 for 10). Awkwardly crouched on the sidewalk outside of Nan Shian, we popped open our styrofoam containers to reveal our first tastes of Flushing.

Outside of White Bear:

Inside White Bear:

The juicy ground pork surrounded by paper-thin wrappers, topped with finely chopped scallions and covered in hot chili sauce from White Bear may have taken top honors for the day. Oily, soft and with just a hint of spice, we actually contemplated returning later in the day to get some orders for the subway ride home. Worth a trip to Flushing on its own.

Wontons in hot oil:

Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about the fennel dumplings. Though they were plump, filling and there was a considerable amount of fennel, the taste was a bit overwhelming. Sure, they were good, cheap, and if they were available in Manhattan, I’d probably order them on value proposition alone, but with so many options in Flushing, I don’t know if I’ll be able to allot stomach space for Best North. Definite points awarded for coolness factor given their awesome space (see photo below).

Best North Dumpling Shop:

Best North Dumpling Kitchen:

Plump fennel dumplings:

As we polished off most of the fennel dumplings and half of our White Bear order, our table was ready inside. We watched dish after dish of food being served to two older women at the table next to us and we were simultaneously intrigued by the dishes and baffled as to how they could eat so much. An order of pork and crab soup dumplings and an order of pork dumplings ($6.50 each) was more than enough for us to truly appreciate the art of soup dumplings and recognize why with so many options in Flushing, there is a 45 minute wait. Both varieties had a deep, creamy, rich broth which we delicately extracted from the balloon-like dumplings. Though the pork was excellent, the pork and crab was outstanding. Visible strands of crab meat were mixed in with tender ground pork. I could sit there all day, placing order after order, slurping and eating until the restaurant ran out of dumplings.

Inside Nan Shian:

Only 2 dumplings left:

Dumpling guts:

This was only the beginning. Our next stop took us to the Golden Mall, an underground food court marked by a handful of small stalls and cramped seating. It was here that we would sample TONY list item # 55, the lamb face sandwich from X’ian Small Delights. For $2.50, we were presented with a pita stuffed with ground lamb, grilled vegetables and a lot of cumin. Tasting more Indian inspired than of Asian origin, the sandwich was overshadowed by the other dishes that we ordered, including a spicy tofu and noodle dish in hot oil (liang pi) that I couldn’t stop eating, and beef noodle soup ($5.00) from the Hand Pulled Noodle stall directly across from X’ian that was both generous in flavor and portion size.

Into the Golden City Mall:

Inside the "mall":

Xian Foods

Lamb Sandwich:

Liang Pi:

Handpulled noodles:

Beef noodle soup:

Almost nauseatingly full by this point, we conceded dumpling defeat and moved on to dessert. There’s always room for cake and donuts. At Sun May Bakery we picked up egg tarts, a donut and a couple of pineapple cakes for a whopping dollar a piece. Though incredibly popular and I appreciated the concept, I couldn’t really enjoy the egg taste of the tart as a dessert item (for breakfast? that would be pleasantly decadent). The donut was another story. Coated in granulated sugar, doughy on the inside, slightly crispy on the outside yet not greasy, I would definitely return to Sun May for the donut while in Flushing.

Inside Sun May:

Awesome cakes in the window:

Egg tart:

Pretty pineapple cake:

Inside of the cake:

Awesome sugary donut:

Despite appeals to call it quits, we forged on to our final stop, the Flushing Mall, which houses a more typical food court layout (above ground this time), and while a full array of items were available, we were there for the shaved ice, and the donut with soy milk that looked spectacular. After waiting on line (shaved ice has considerable appeal after all), we ordered the ice with red bean topping and red bean ice cream ($5.00) while I snuck off to the next booth to order a donut with soy milk ($4.00), both recommendations from the GWAE blog.

Inside the Flushing Mall:

Flags adorning the entrance to the mall (Epcot?):

At first, we were baffled by our orders. A huge bowl of shaved ice, topped with syrupy red beans and ice cream. How are we supposed to eat all of this? The first half of this dish was great; the red beans were sweet, the ice cream was creamy and all of the flavors worked together. But after I had eaten all of the toppings, I was left with a block of ice. I chipped away for a good while before giving up.

Food Court:

Waiting in line for ices:

The donut didn’t live up to the hype, and even on its own, fell far behind the donut from Sun May. What was unique about this dessert though, was the bowl of soy milk used a la Oreos with milk style. Soaking the greasy pastry into sweetened (maybe I should have gotten unsweetened?) soy milk morphed the dessert into an overly sugary and soggy donut. On top of which, I couldn’t understand the proportion of milk to donut. There was definitely an entire quart of milk in this bowl. I can’t imagine that I was supposed to drink so much soy milk…

Red bean shaved ice:

Donut and sweetened soy milk:

Yes, there were considerable language barriers, etiquette mishaps and even bitter altercations that left us feeling like tourists in our own city (which we were nothing short of in Flushing). But to be able to escape to what almost feels like a different country for the cost of a Metro card is a privilege that I plan on exercising as often as possible.

Sant Ambroues

2009-05-13T18:17:00.000-07:00

54. Sant Ambroues
259 W 4th Street

Unfortunately I don't have a lot to say about Sant Ambroues the restaurant (atmosphere, service, etc...) since the TONY item is just a scoop of gelato which I picked up after my dinner Socaratt. After getting the rundown of flavors which included chocolate, vanilla, lemon, orange and passion fruit (originally identified as mango), we opted for a scoop of passion fruit and chocolate.

Well, our server should have gone with his gut feeling on the mango call since we wound up with mango (which I would have preferred anyway). It's decent gelato. Nothing crazy or worth getting again at the $3.25 price level. If it was $1 per scoop I'd sure go back. But with so many other choices at the $3+ dessert threshold (magnolia and sweet revenge are both around the corner), I don't think I'll make it back to try any of their other flavors.

Mango (aka Passion Fruit)

Chocolate:

Socarrat Paella Bar

2009-05-11T12:08:00.000-07:00

53. Socarrat Paella Bar
259 W 19th

What's not to love about paella? Oily, meaty, filling, and with so many different versions, it's pretty easy to find one that you like. At Socarrat Paella, the dish is the star of the show. It seems like the word is out on this new restaurant, and after reading a number of reviews online, I knew that I would have to come early just to get a seat at the long communal table where bumping elbows is commonplace.

For me, paella is usually made with clams, mussels, shrimp, chicken and sausage, and while I was tempted by all of the items, the TONY dish was the paella valenciana, using pork rib, rabbit, snails, scallions, sugar snow peas and asparagus ($22 per person). After ordering only the paella we were reminded that the dish takes about 40 minutes to prepare, as the waiter double checked that we didn't want to order any appetizers. For $22, aren't you already taking enough of my money? We waited patiently and were probably looked down upon by the noticeably pretentious staff for only ordering an entree but I wasn't about to be intimidated.
As if the service wasn't bad enough, what was incredibly distasteful was that the staff actually had the nerve to encourage diners to finish quickly to surrender their tables to waiting customers. I thought we were paying customers at a restaurant eating at a normal pace...

After watching other tables for quite some time, we noticed that most people ordered appetizers, and they did in fact look pretty good, though still a tad pricey for my taste. The paella arrived and if it's true that you eat with your eyes first, I was already stuffed. A marvelous display of cuisine, presented in a cast-iron pot was placed before us and I couldn't wait to dig in. I was pretty satisfied with the dish, as it had all of the elements that I was looking for; plenty of flavor, lots of food and complimentary ingredients (the snail, rabbit and snow peas actually worked). But it wasn't the best paella I've ever had, I didn't care for having to eat around the bones on each piece of meat and when the bill came to about $30 after tax and tip per person, I realized that it's not even close to being worth the cost when other restaurants have perfectly good paella for $30 total. The paella valenciana is good, but not worth the price or the wait (whether for a table or the prep time), or the poor service.

Russ & Daughters for Passover

2009-05-06T12:49:00.000-07:00

52. Russ & Daughters
179 E Houston

When I wrote about Russ & Daughters a few weeks ago, I was there for the smoked fish and wound up leaving with an assortment of treats including chopped herring salad and pretty much the best whitefish salad I ever had. With the TONY item only served during Passover and the High Holidays, I returned to R&D to sample their whitefish-salmon gefilte fish ($3.50 per piece). Gefilte fish is something of a mystery to those who didn’t grow up eating it with Friday night dinners and Passover seders. Gefilte fish is a fish patty made mostly from pike and carp, usually topped with spicy horseradish, and given its texture I can see why there are many that shy away from this appetizer. I’m more than happy to take their serving. It’s part of my tradition and I remember how much of a grown-up thing it was to start using the white horseradish instead of the red horseradish mixed with beets. While there are homemade versions and already made straight from the can, given how much I enjoyed their other offerings, I was excited for R&D’s gefilte fish. Unfortunately, I was severely disappointed. Maybe my expectations were too high or maybe it was because it was simply not what I was used to, but nothing about this gefilte fish worked for me. The texture was there, but the flavors just didn’t work. I quickly pacified my dissatisfaction with a spoonful of whitefish salad, knowing that next time, I’ll save the cash and opt for a piece straight from the jar.

Terroir

2009-05-04T12:48:00.000-07:00

51. Terroir
413 E 12th Street

I made a quick stop at Terroir, fresh off its Time Out New York award for Best New Wine Bar, for my first taste of the back half of the TONY list. It’s fitting that I would want to make it there as soon as possible; the picture of the lamb sausages from the 100 best printout have been staring at me in the face for the last few months and now I can finally check them off the list.

With a happy hour that runs from 5-6pm and offers $6 glasses of wine or a free glass of ultra-dry sherry, I made sure to go for my free glass of sherry (nothing like a sharply dry beverage for an after-work escape). Drink I hand, I flipped through the extensive wine list while waiting for my order to be ready and chatted briefly with the staff about the award ceremony. The lamb sausage ($7) is wrapped in sage leaves and fried, creating a crispy shell. Fatty, salty, and crunchy, it makes for a great bar snack that is perfect for sharing. I think what could take this dish to the next level would be some kind of spicy dipping sauce like a mustard or a jalapeño mayo just to balance out the flavors…

Spice Market

2009-05-03T12:07:00.000-07:00

Spice Market
403 W 13th Street

Situated among the mega-sized restaurants in the Meatpacking District lies the NYC location of Spice Market, a member of the Jean Georges empire of dining destinations. After hearing nothing but positive feedback from my roommate and coworker, I opted to check it out myself for a birthday dinner, compliments of the girlfriend (Thank you again).

Pushing open the obscenely tall entryway doors we are led to a table on the upper level of the restaurant, around the corner from the bar / lounge area which I'm told can get quite crowded. Being that it was my birthday I opted for the suggested kumquat mojito which, while I'm not sure completely fit in with the rest of the menu which is predominantly inspired by Indian cuisine, was refreshing and not too sugary, as mojitos can get.

While snacking on papadum, we placed an order for chicken samosas with cilantro yogurt ($10.50) and black pepper shrimp with sundried pineapple ($14.50). The three chicken samosas were crispier than a more traditional samosa and filled with spicy ground chicken. Not too much heat, and finished with a touch of cool cilantro yogurt made it a winning appetizer. The black pepper shrimp was covered in some kind of hoisin sauce, which I am a big fan of, but it was clearly too peppery for my taste and while I enjoyed the sun-dried pineapple, I can tell that it's not for everyone.

Chicken samosas:

Black pepper shrimp:

Ready for our entrees, I was pretty impressed with the red curry duck ($19). With a generous portion, both in curry sauce and duck meat, I was able to thoroughly enjoy the sweet and savory flavors of the dish. Scooping up the last bit of curry from the pot to mix it with some rice, I knew that this was a winning dish and that I would not hesitate to order it again.

Duck Curry:

Plated duck curry:

Our other entree, however, was nothing short of a disaster. To me, spicy shanghai noodles ($12) with tofu, garlic and herbs, sounds like an oily noodle dish, with some tofu in a garlicky sauce. What I would have given for some lo mein takeout. The entree was a bowl of thick udon noodles, cold tofu and what was essentially an entire salad made out of basil. No consistency of textures or flavors, we found ourselves suffering through leaf after leaf of basil until both of us called it quits. If I don't finish the plate, it's not good, and in this case, I couldn't make it past even a couple of tastes. The coconut rice which we ordered as a side wasn't anything I would order again, though it wasn't particularly bad. Duck = good; Noodles = bad.

Shanghai Noodles:

Coconut Rice:

For dessert, we tried the ovaltine kulfi ($9), served with caramelized bananas. The size of a couple kit kats, its fudge-like texture delivered an intense chocolaty taste which paired well with the bananas. The coffee and chocolate tart ($8) was light, creamy and was also a great way to end the meal.

Ovaltine Kulfi:

Coffee and chocolate tart:

Sure, there were definitely some misses and it's not cheap, but I would go back with some friends to either make a meal out of appetizers or split a few entrees, just no shanghai noodles.

Back Forty

2009-04-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

Back Forty
190 Avenue B

I first read about Back Forty when I was searching online for new hamburger spots to try. A recipient of Time Out New York’s Best Eats award for 2008 (the award plate is prominently displayed near the entrance), Back Forty caters to the locavore diner, with ingredients from local farms and beer selections from Northeastern breweries.

Though we were unaware that the restaurant even offered a happy hour, we managed to go on a Sunday night, where all drinks at the bar are half price. With most beer options normally priced around $6-7 and cocktails at $10, we didn’t need much convincing to sit at the bar (they also have a garden out back when the weather improves that looks like a great summer spot).

We started off with an order of the recommended pork jowl nuggets ($4). Small cubes of what is mostly pork fat, crispy on the outside and fatty on the inside, are placed over a jalepeno marmalade that provides much of the flavor and heat (not recommended for those who do not like spicy foods). For three to an order, they certainly weren’t cheap, and even though they were good, I can’t justify the price tag.

Pork Jowl Nuggets:

A Captain Lawrence pale ale later, and we were ready for what we came for, the grass-fed burger ($11). I topped mine with heritage farms bacon ($2), she topped hers with cheddar ($2), and we split an order of rosemary fries ($2), which I would strongly recommend ordering. The restaurant doesn’t suggest ordering their burgers more than medium, as the grass-fed beef tends to be less fatty than the usual burger meat. Though the patty was juicy and plump, which made it a very good burger, my medium-rare order was cooked slightly on the rarer side (not a big foul), the bacon didn’t really add much to the dish, and I would still prefer one from shake shack anytime. We finished the meal with an order of their pecan brownie topped with vanilla ice cream ($7), which was pretty simple and for $7 I expected a dessert that is more than something I could easily make at home. That being said, I would be happy to come back with a locavore who is interested in trying some of their other offerings or anyone that enjoys grass-fed beef, as long as it is happy hour.

Burger:

Burger with Bacon closeup:

Brownie:

Know of another restaurant that offers food specials at the bar? Interested in going? Post a comment!

Royale

2009-04-28T05:32:00.000-07:00

Royale
157 Avenue C

My roommate had told me about Royale when I lived in the West Village last year, and though I was reluctant to make the trip across town to Avenue C, Royale has solidified its spot on my list of top summer hangouts. Disguised as any other bar, the porch out back is one of my favorite places to go on a warm summer evening, since it feels like you’ve been transported to someone’s backyard deck. As if cans of porkslap and plenty of beers on tap weren’t enough, Royale offers a burger that challenges (perhaps successfully) the burger trifecta (shake shack, burger joint, corner bistro). The royale with bacon $8.00 is a perfectly charred, medium-rare patty, juicy and flavorful, manifesting images of the corner bistro burger (though Royale’s is slightly larger). Some fries and beer battered onion rings later ($3 each), I can only hope for another warm night to return soon.

Royale with Bacon:

Fries & Onion Rings:

TONY - Halftime Review

2009-04-25T14:31:00.000-07:00

TONY Summary

At the half-century mark on the TONY list and I thought it would be appropriate to take some time and reflect upon the quest, think about the highs and lows and try to provide some insight to anyone trying to determine what is the best of the best from the list. As it is with my inability to choose between members of the upper echelon of burger greatness, I find that the best way to sort out the winners is not to rank each place, but to sort the restaurants into tiers. With that in mind, I present to you what I consider to be Tier 1, mind you that they are in no particular order:

1. Artichoke Slice from Artichoke Pizza
2. Chicken-liver bacon sandwich from JoeDoe
3. Bacon peanut brittle from the Redhead
4. Hot buttered rum from Little Branch
5. Sticky bun from Amy’s Bread
6. Panelle from Ferdinando’s Focacceria
7. Wylie dog from PDT
8. Fried pork sandwich from Sophie’s
9. Calzone from Anthony’s
10. Prosciutto from Salumeria Rosi

Notable Mention (Tier 2): Porchetta sandwich from Porchetta, Sliders at Little Owl, Whoopie pie from Cake Shop, Pie in a Box from Park Avenue Winter, Herring salad from Café Katja

Still have about 40 or so left and I hope that what is now Tier 1 will be bounced to Tier 2. Some of the items that I’m most looking forward to include goat at Cabrito, foie gras ravioli at Scarpetta, face bacon at Blue Hill and duck-fat fries at the Harrison.

Want to come with me to one of the remaining places on the list? Think that my tiers are wrong? Want to suggest something for the 2009 AmuseMyBouche list? Post a comment!

NJ Transcript TONY List Article

2009-04-25T05:18:00.000-07:00

NJ Transcript wrote an article about my quest through the TONY list. Check out the story by clicking on the image below!

Lucali

2009-04-22T12:21:00.000-07:00

50. Lucali
575 Henry Street

Having been told that Lucali, a popular pizza joint in Cobble Hill, fills up rather quickly and that tables are hard to come by, I made sure to show up at 6pm, just when they open. What I hadn't realized is that people start to show up at 5pm and when I asked for a table for 5 people, I was told that they could do a table at 8:30. Two and a half hours?! I'll take mine to go, thank you.

A la TONY, we ordered one with pepperoni and hot peppers and after paying an absurd $32 for a pie that barely serves 3, we snagged an area around the corner to sample the famous pizza. Sure, it had fresh basil and a nicely burned crust but I'm not sure what the big deal is and could never imagine waiting so long for their pizza which isn't even in the same league as Artichoke. Patsy's, Grimaldi's, Lombardi's are all better options. Head around the corner to Ferdinando's for some panelle instead.

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

2009-04-21T15:32:00.000-07:00

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
646 W 131st Street

There aren’t many restaurants worth traveling to that are north of 120th street. With so many restaurants in the city, many have trouble traveling very far in search of a great meal. But for those that are willing to brave the journey and suffer through wait times that often exceed two hours, there are wonderful food splendors that wait, and they are covered in barbecue sauce. It’s not that I am not willing to be convinced otherwise (trust me, I would love to be), but having tried Blue Smoke, Hill Country, and Virgil’s, Dinosaur is my overwhelming favorite spot for barbecue in NYC (*Disclaimer: I have yet to be to Fette Sau which I have been told could offer Dinosaur a run for its money).

Born from humble beginnings as a biker joint in Syracuse, Dinosaur quickly spread to Rochester and opened up its third location to wondrous praise in Manhattan. Since my first visit a few years ago, I have spread the gospel of Dinosaur to all that would listen in an attempt to find dining partners as often as possible, and after sampling its offerings on numerous occasions, have yet to leave with anyone disappointed.

Any trip to Dinosaur will undoubtedly be met with a substantial wait, as even during offpeak hours I have waited up to an hour (the most I’ve waited is almost two and a half hours). During the warmer months, the restaurant offers tables outside that are first come first served, and while the wait might be a bit shorter, there is no one managing the line so be prepared for some territory disputes. The best thing to do is grab a seat at the bar and order a flight. Beer flights ($6) contain four 4oz. servings of any of the 23 beers that they have on tap; a perfect choice for the first beer of the night to allow you to make a more informed choice for the next beer.

For something to snack on while waiting, order their chicken wings which made Yelp’s list of best eats in 2009 (don’t think I’ll make it to all of those spots this year). Served 6 or 13 to an order, they come tossed in a “spicy” barbecue sauce or in a garlic parmesan sauce. Don’t choose, just order some of both. They’ll get eaten. Incredibly plump with moist tender meat that falls off the bone, I have been tempted to just make an entire meal out of just the wings. While tabulating the total number of wings to order, a friend from Syracuse noted that he would be eating 13 himself. Champion.

Chicken Wings:

The restaurant offers a full menu at the bar, so if you can grab seats and avoid the wait, go for it. We did this the last time we were there and by the time we left, our table had still not yet been called. Entrée time, and there are so many choices to consider, but for first timers, there’s only one way to go, the Tres Hombre ($18.95). Served with ¼ rack of ribs, pulled pork, brisket, two sides and corn bread, it offers the best way to sample the best of Dinosaur, all on one plate. The pulled pork is tender and the brisket has beautiful pink smoke rings (though it can be a bit dry at times), but what separates Dinosaur is the ribs. With meat that falls off the bone and killer sauce that doesn’t overwhelm the dish, I make sure to get ribs every time I visit. Finish off the plate with some mac & cheese and baked beans and you’ll be stuffed. Doesn’t get any better than that.

Tres Hombre:

Ribs:

With plenty of platters under my belt, I’ve moved on to some of the other offerings. The Cuban sandwich ($10.95) adds pulled pork to the traditional sandwich mixing crunchy with tender and sour with savory. What I’ve been ordering most often, however, is the "Pork-Sket" ($13.95), a brisket sandwich topped with cole slaw, jalapeños, and yes, pulled pork. As my friend who eats 13 wings says, it’s a “man’s sandwich.” There’s nothing like a giant pile of barbecued meats on one roll with some spice and crunch from the jalapeños. Needing to have some ribs also, I make sure to split the sandwich and a ½ rack with a dining partner to create my own platter.

Pork-Sket:

Next time you’re looking for some of the best barbecue that NYC has to offer, make the trek, it’s worth the wait.

Know of another barbecue place that you think challenges the throne? Interested in joining me next time I go? Post a comment!

Captain Lawrence

2009-04-20T17:23:00.000-07:00

49. Captain Lawrence Liquid Gold
Captain Lawrence Brewery (Pleasantville, New York)

Yes, the TONY item is liquid gold beer at Bierkraft, which is in Park Slope, not Pleasantville. But after calling Bierkraft, a boutique beer store that fills growlers and confirming that the liquid gold beer on the list is, in fact, Captain Lawrence liquid gold beer which I had already sampled at PDT and purchased a growler from Whole Foods, I didn’t think that a trip to Bierkraft would suffice the “quest” aspect of the TONY list (Those unfamiliar with a growler should note that it is merely a jug used to transport beer and contains about five bottles). With thirsty bellies and a yearning for adventure, a couple of friends and I made the hour long hike up to Westchester to sample the best of Captain Lawrence straight from the brewery, which is open Friday and Saturday afternoons and is half a mile from the nearest train station.

As we arrive at the parking lot at the commercial warehouse facility we are greeted by several beer fans who have purchased a number of growlers and seemed to be having a pretty good time drinking at the picnic table outside at 3 in the afternoon. The brewery invites guests into two rooms, the tasting room and the brewery. Without a liquor license, the brewery is unable to sell beer for consumption on the company’s premises. However, the tasting room can offer samples of their beers on tap, 2 samples of each of 6-7 the beers at 3oz a sample sounds like a good deal to me.

Liquid Gold: Of all the beers I tasted, this one was clearly my favorite and it’s obvious why this made the TONY list. A balanced, golden ale with a bit of spice and smooth flavor. Thankfully, it is served at a few bars in the city so I won’t have to make the trip again just to get some.

Espresso Stout: A dark, creamy guiness-like beer with a strong coffee flavor. Not really what I’m into but I can certainly appreciate the texture.

Xtra Gold, Pale Ale and IPA: What sticks out most about all of the Captain Lawrence beers is a focus on bringing out the flavor of hops. The pale ales are no different. Both have intense hops flavors with the accompanying bitterness and for a guy that isn’t really big on pale ales, I still found myself going back for that second sample. The Xtra Gold is a trippel ale with a 10% ABV sticker. Less bitterness than the pale ales, but plenty of hops aroma and taste.

Smoke From the Oak: Aged and carbonated using different barrels including wine, rum, bourbon and brandy, Captain Lawrence introduces beers that take on a hybrid characteristic. The seasonal variety offers beer that is aged in barrels that contained Merlot and Pinot Noir. Having trouble deciding between a glass of wine or a beer with dinner? Go for some Smoke from the Oak.

Though I could be quite content just staying in the tasting room all day, after sampling each of the beers, we were given a tour around the brewery by Scott Vaccaro, owner and head brewer of Captain Lawrence. It’s a pretty small operation but it was a great experience to be able to hear about the process and talk about beer.

On the way out, we picked up a number of bottles of the Smoke from the Oak ($10 each) and I grabbed a beer glass ($5) to add to the collection. Perfect trip out of Manhattan on any Saturday afternoon. Can’t wait to see what the rum barrel aged beer will taste like…

Sugar Sweet Sunshine Redemption

2009-04-18T19:49:00.000-07:00

After being quite unimpressed last time I tried their cupcakes, I was reluctant to grab another one, but after being convinced by my girlfriend that these were, in fact, better than Magnolia, as she claims, I gave it another try. While it's not at Magnolia level, I'm glad I went again, as their pumpkin cupcake had a homemade cream cheese frosting and just the right amount of spice. For a LES cupcake spot, it's worth a visit.

Return to Nicky's

2009-04-17T19:43:00.000-07:00

Gone for a few days but wanted to post a couple pictures from Nicky's since the original post was buried and I didn't have my camera yet. Enjoy!

Nicky’s Vietnamese Sandwiches
150 E 2nd Street between A and B

I had read about this place on a number of cheap eats websites and had wanted to try it for quite some time. Nicky’s is a small space that sells Vietnamese sandwiches, all served on baguettes with pickled carrots, cucumber, cilantro and mayo. All of the sandwiches are $5.00-5.50 including sardine, chicken and pork chop sandwiches with their specialty being the classic Vietnamese which comes with pate, Vietnamese ham and roasted ground pork and can be ordered regular or spicy. Feeling particular brave I chose the spicy and sat down at one of 2 tables. As my friend noted, one sandwich is not enough to fill you up but two is too many. Ideally I would come here and split 3 sandwiches with someone else. The classic was well worth the wait with the pate and vegetables providing most of the flavor and the ham and ground pork adding consistency. The baguette was fresh and the ratio of veggies to meat was just about right. The only problem that I had was that I thought I could take down the spicy sandwich which was slightly out of my heat tolerance. Nicky’s sandwiches are a steal at $5.

Traditional Vietnamese Sandwich:

A close-up:

Portobello Mushroom Sandwich:

Clover Club

2009-04-15T08:17:00.000-07:00

48. Clover Club
210 Smith Street (Cobble Hill, Brooklyn)

From the pictures on the website, I was somewhat concerned that a jeans and sneakers sporting group of six wasn’t going to be invited in. While our group sat around a leather couch, the room gave off an elegant library feel that made me want to talk in a British accent saying “Yes…indeed” as I held a cigar. Clover Club offers an extensive cocktail menu with plenty of seats at the bar, and though the atmosphere could be confused as being pretentious, the servers were welcoming. Yes, we went in the late afternoon, but that’s as good a time as any to sample the Harvest Punch, TONY item # 47 and grab some appetizers. Though we all knew that there was more food in store, the offerings sounded too good to pass up. Free-range chicken wings with Indian spices, mac & cheese with bacon, lamb burgers? Too tough to pass up.

Served in a large punch bowl with a block of ice in the center, the Harvest Punch bowl ($45) offered two ½ glasses per person. Made with apple cider, cognac, and rum, and topped with cinnamon and apple slices, the punch was sweet, with an apple cider finish that balanced the liquor perfectly. Like the hot buttered rum from Little Branch, I could be quite content to sit around for an afternoon with some friends and finish off a bowl… or two. The food which ranged in price from $9-13 was just as tasty. The wings were plump and flavorful though not spicy and served with a yogurt sauce. The mac & cheese was sharp, though not enough bacon, and the lamb burger was served with homemade potato chips fried in duck fat. Good food, good drinks, good atmosphere, good service, good company. Well worth trying out on a late weekend afternoon.

Harvest Punch Bowl:

Single Glass of Harvest Punch:

Indian Spiced Free-Range Chicken Wings:

Lamb Burger:

Mac & Cheese

LaBeleca

2009-04-14T15:13:00.000-07:00

La Beleca
200 W 40th Street between 7th and 8th

Feeling particularly gluttonous for lunch, I opted to scan the archives of Midtownlunch to guide me in my mealtime decision. As I jotted down a number of potential contenders on my notepad, I eventually settled on a chicken parm hero. While Midtownlunch has decisively named winners for best street meat, Chinese and Mexican options, it has been challenged to determine a winning chicken parm hero. Subjecting myself to an experiment of this sort was something I was willing to do.

One of the contestants for top honors is La Beleca, a small pizzeria just a few blocks from my office. Finding a willing coworker to join me on this task was a simple exercise and we decided to order one chicken parm hero and one eggplant parm hero, priced at $6.00 each.

It’s not that there was anything particularly wrong with the sandwich, the bread was nicely toasted, the ratio of bread to filling made the sandwich easy to eat, and the eggplant showed no signs of bitterness, but there wasn’t anything remarkably good about it either. I can’t imagine that a mediocre chicken parm is the best that midtown has to offer, and despite the enormous amount of calories that my coworker and I had consumed, we agreed that after eating an entire sandwich, we were still hungry.

Perhaps it was because my expectations were unreasonably high after having such a satisfying experience with the only other parm sandwich recommended by Midtownlunch (the calamari parm sandwich from Lazarra's), but the heros were not up to snub, and if I’m going to splurge on something heavier for lunch, I’ll look to Sophie’s for a sure winner.

Chicken Parm Sandwich:

Eggplant Parm Sandwich:

Ferdinando's Focacceria

2009-04-13T17:13:00.000-07:00

47. Ferdinando’s Focacceria
151 Union Street (Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn)

I know that when my friends and I go on food tours, we aren’t exactly what the restaurant owners want since we take up space and only order a couple of items. Knowing that we aren’t going to be the night’s biggest customer makes it all the more appreciated when servers and owners go out of their way to maintain the same level of service as if we just spent a fortune (I’m looking at you Café Katja and JoeDoe). To say that the owner of Ferdinando’s Focacceria was welcoming is an understatement. After explaining that we were there for the panelle (of course), he began telling us about how he moved from Sicily and engaged the group while we waited for our food to be ready.

Ferdinando’s Focacceria is another spot that makes the TONY list worth it. It’s a place I would never have traveled to but what they serve is worth going even further than the 45 minutes or so that it took us to get there. The panelle sandwich ($5) which is no small item, is made using deep-fried pancakes made with chickpea flour (panelle) topped with fresh ricotta cheese and served on a home-made toasted Italian roll. The crispy panelle acts as a perfect balance against the creamy richness of the ricotta while I could think of no better vehicle for transporting food to mouth than the soft, warm homemade bun. As if to show that Ferdinando’s is no one-hit-wonder, the potato croquettes ($5) were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with a likening to hash browns done wonderfully. Ferdinando’s offers an inexpensive, filling and delicious meal and I will certainly be coming back soon.

Petite Crevette

2009-04-08T18:08:00.000-07:00

46. Petite Crevette
144 Union Street (Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn)

Crossing the overpass across the BQE, we were led onto a small, quaint block that housed two TONY spaces around the corner from each other, Petite Crevette and Ferdinando’s Focacceria (see the post on Fernando’s next week). Petite Crevette, meaning “little shrimp”, is, in fact, quite petite and with a party of six traveling around Brooklyn we asked for our selections to go so as not to crowd their space. The menu is hand-written on the wall just above the counter displaying fresh seafood. Though all of the selections sounded very enticing, we ordered the TONY-recommended corn and crab chowder ($8) and after finding some plastic spoons at a nearby bodega we were ready to sample. On a scale from Manhattan clam chowder to New England clam chowder, the soup was probably a 20/80 split as it was creamy but not as thick of a stock as New England clam chowder tends to be. Yes, it’s pretty much just corn chowder with pieces of crab in it and for $8 I would have liked some more fresh seafood, but it’s still a quality offering. Rich and creamy with a considerable amount of corn for texture and flavor, the soup is big enough to share and is probably too rich for one person to finish an entire serving anyway. With the entrée selections as compelling as they are, I could definitely see myself returning for some cioppino and another corn and crab chowder.

Cubana Cafe

2009-04-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

45. Cubana Cafe
272 Smith Street (Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn)

Cubana Cafe was the first stop on a six-TONY-restaurant food tour of the Cobble Hill area. Traveling with a group of six enabled us to sample a wider variety of menu options at each of the locations. We ordered the sopa de mariscos from the TONY list, camarones de coco and a shrimp quesadilla (after all, we didn't really want to fill up on the first place on the tour).

The sopa de mariscos ($6.50) combines shrimp, mussels and calamari in a "spicy" tomato broth. Though it sounded like something that I would love, I found the broth to be pretty bland. Where was the spice? I can respect that for $6.50 there was a pretty generous serving of shellfish and plenty of soup, but even after the group had its fill there was still plenty left over, a rare sight if I'm at the table. Luckily the other shrimp dishes we ordered were much more enjoyable. The camarones de coco ($6 - shrimp coated in coconut and fried) were crispy and the mango relish served as a sweet and tangy compliment, though only three shrimp came to an order. At Cubana Cafe, the consensus favorite was the shrimp quesadilla ($8) made with avocado, tomato, chipotle salsa and served with a side of chickpea salad. Creamy, refreshing with added texture from the fresh seafood. While everyone was pretty disappointed with the sopa, the other menu items and dishes that we saw passing by looked great. I could definitely see myself coming back to try some of their $10 entrees and a mojito.

Sopa de Mariscos:

Camarones de Coco:

Shrimp Quesadila:

Posting on Slice

2009-04-05T12:53:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I saw that Serious Eats blog Slice, which is dedicated to pizza, posted a link to AmuseMyBouche's post about Anthony's!

Levain

2009-04-04T18:52:00.000-07:00

Levain
167 W 74th Street

As if Momofuku and Jacques Torres weren’t enough, my Internet surfing for the best cookie in NYC led me to Levain Bakery on the Upper West Side. Triumphant in its Throwdown against Bobby Flay and featured on numerous television shows, Levain (named for the French word for a leavening agent) is best known for their fist-sized, fresh-baked cookies. Coming in at a $3.75 price tag, they cost more than twice a cornflake marshmallow cookie and well over a Jacques Torres chocolate chip. Not being able to choose between the four selections, I did what any normal person would do and got one of each. These are their stories:

Chocolate Chip Walnut:

The anchor of the group. When people talk of Levain cookies, this is what they are talking about. This juggernaut of baking packs tons of chocolate chips and walnuts into a gooey mixture that is soft on the inside and firm on the outside. Getting one fresh from the oven is a winning proposition. If you prefer a softer chocolate chip cookie, this is the choice over Jacques. If you prefer a cookie that is just oozing with chocolate and is a little crispier, head down to visit the chocolate man.

Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip:

Brownie-like in texture with melted pools of semi-sweet chocolate make this a wise choice for those that want a deeper chocolate flavor. What I appreciated was that although the actual dough was dryer than I would have liked, the melted chocolate balanced out the texture and made for a nice complement.

Oatmeal Raisin:

I’m a big fan of oatmeal raisin cookies, just not this kind. Though my girlfriend was a fan, I found the flavors to be pretty muted. I wanted more brown sugar, more cinnamon. The dough itself needed to be sweeter and the whole thing just wasn’t up to par with the other choices.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip:

Take one dark chocolate chocolate chip cookie and substitute peanut butter chips for the chocolate chips. It’s a tough choice between this one and the chocolate chip walnut for top honors (though I would be happy to sample again to determine a winner). Loaded with peanut butter chips, fans of peanut butter treats will adore this cookie. Peanut chocolate chip ice cream is my go to, so this cookie was a perfect fit for me.

Is $3.75 too much to pay for a cookie? Probably, but it depends on the context and if you’re a cookie freak it’s certainly worth a trip uptown. I’m not sure that I can justify just stopping in for a cookie whenever, but I can easily see myself skipping dessert at a nearby restaurant in favor of a couple cookies from Levain. Whether thinking about grabbing a couple before heading into a movie or for an after-dinner treat, the decision isn’t whether to go, but how many cookies to get.

Fred's

2009-04-02T15:40:00.000-07:00

Fred’s
476 Amsterdam Avenue @ 83rd Street

My appreciation for restaurant.com gift certificates is well documented (Tacqueria, Joshua Tree), so when I was looking for a place to grab dinner before seeing a movie, my searching through restaurant.com led me to Fred’s restaurant, a spot on the Upper West Side serving classic comfort foods like roast chicken, meatloaf and mac & cheese with some seafood and pasta dishes to round out the menu. Named after a black Labrador retriever, Fred’s keeps the dog theme going throughout the restaurant with nearly every square inch of wall space dedicated to photos of dogs that patrons submit. After doing some due diligence online, I found that their recommended dishes were their meatloaf and the mac & cheese, and with the gift certificate in hand, I opted for the meatloaf, while my girlfriend ordered the red snapper off of the daily specials menu.

While the meatloaf ($16.95) topped with a thick mushroom gravy was plenty filling, it tasted like there was a lot of filler in the meat, almost processed. I want my meatloaf to be falling apart. I want to know that this is baked meat in loaf form. Not something I would order again. The red snapper ($19.95), on the other hand, was well seasoned and cooked appropriately. Nothing special, and definitely something that one could make themselves, but it wasn’t bad either.
Meatloaf:

Snapper:

For $10 a person, it’s tough to complain, and after hearing good things about their mac & cheese, I would be tempted to give Fred’s another chance, especially when their outdoor tables are open, but I don’t think I can justify coming here without a gift certificate.

Anthony's

2009-04-01T12:50:00.000-07:00

44. Anthony’s
426A 7th Avenue between 14th and 15th (Park Slope, Brooklyn)

I’ll admit it. I walked in here with my roommate and was incredibly skeptical. It didn’t have the hole-in-the-wall atmosphere you usually get when you have found a hidden gem, and wasn’t an upscale space where you know it is going to be good. Anthony’s felt like any random Southern Italian restaurant serving mediocre food and If it wasn’t on the TONY list, I would have walked right by it. However, after that first bite of the calzone, stuffed with fresh ricotta and anchovies, I was reminded why I had set out on the TONY quest in the first place, the search for amazing food at a great value. Anthony’s, I’m sorry I judged you so quickly.

The large calzone ($13) is definitely big enough to split and with additional ingredients priced at only $2, we opted for anchovies. What made the calzone really special was the crust, crispy with burn marks from the pizza oven, and firm enough to keep the overstuffed serving together, even after bludgeoning it with spoonfuls of tomato sauce. Creamy ricotta and an anchovy taste that permeated throughout make the calzone from Anthony’s a strong candidate for top 5 status as I near the half-century mark on the list. Worth the trip. Worth the money.

B&H Dairy

2009-03-31T15:47:00.000-07:00

B&H Dairy
127 2nd Avenue

Since first hearing about B&H during my freshman year at NYU I have come back time and time again to experience one of my favorite breakfasts in the city. A long counter, a handful of tables, and an open grill is you're looking at when you enter this dining institution that has been around for decades. Granted, I'm pretty skeptical about any place that is vegetarian, but it only took one visit to land B&H on my breakfast staples list.

The signature offering is their homemade challah, served with almost all of orders, though certainly worth the extra buck as a side. The bread is fluffy with a crusted exterior and it has just a hint of sweetness. It's from this humble beginning that the french toast is made. Dipped in an egg wash and thrown on the grill, it's quintessential comfort food and with three large pieces for $5.00, it's one of the cheapest breakfasts out there. Cheddar omelets for $5.00 and served with potatoes and, of course, challah, make it a perfect compliment for a dining partner ordering the french toast (split 'em both and you're in for a filling and incredibly inexpensive breakfast). Other offerings include a fresh juice bar, soups that are always very popular and borscht, which my girlfriend has stopped by for on more than one occasion.

French Toast, Cheddar Omelet, Potatoes:

French Toast & Cheddar Omelet:

Perhaps the best way to describe the true atmosphere at B&H is to mention that for lunch one day during college with a couple of my friends, a Tums commercial was being filmed at the restaurant. After singing "Tum tum tum tum. Tum tum tum tum tuuuuuuums" we returned to our three orders of french toast. Sure, it looks like a dive and there's usually one guy who's taking care of your table, your order and grilling your food, but if you go just once, you'll make it a point of going back again. Classic neighborhood joint with comforting, inexpensive food. A winner in my book.

Blue Apron Foods

2009-03-30T12:43:00.000-07:00

42-43. Blue Apron Foods
814 Union Street between 7th and 8th Avenues (Park Slope, Brooklyn)

Logistically, it’s great when one location offers two items from the TONY list. Located just around the corner of 7th avenue on Union Street, lies Blue Apron Foods, a small gourmet foods shop, offering everything from cheese to olive oil to chocolate to chorizo. After a quick browse around the store, I was guided to the two items on the list, Askinosie chocolate and palacio mild chorizo.

Askinosie chocolate, named after owner Shawn Askinosie, bills itself as the first small batch chocolate maker in the US to press their own cocoa and as the only maker of natural cocoa powder. After removing the biodegradable packaging which just felt a little pretentious, I was left with a chocolate bar with generally the same dimensions as your standard Hershey bar. The similarities stop there. The 70% dark chocolate bar has a deep flavor with earthy, fruity tastes mixed in. While I wanted to simply eat the entire bar at once, I couldn’t help but let each piece melt and enjoy the flavors just a bit longer. The 52% milk chocolate trades off the intensity of the chocolate for some more pronounced fruit flavors. Sure, for $7.50 I can’t imagine buying these often, but it’s certainly worth it for the chocolate fanatic in your life.

The Palacio mild chorizo at only $1.50 per piece is considerably easier on the wallet. While each sausage is only about 4” in length, it packs a smoky and spicy flavor into each bite and a few seconds in the microwave made the flavors come out even more. The only problem I had was that it was incredibly oily and slid across my plate which made slicing through the natural casing a fairly difficult task. If Blue Apron Foods wasn’t so far away, I could definitely see myself picking up a few pieces more often.

Beer Table

2009-03-25T12:46:00.000-07:00

41. Beer Table
427B 7th Avenue between 14th and 15th (Park Slope, Brooklyn)

My first trip into Park Slope was for a friend’s Halloween Party last year and as I walked passed Beer Table, I noted to my girlfriend that I would want to come back to check it out. After its spot on the TONY list was revealed, my roommate and I headed down to Brooklyn to sample the 13th Century Grut Bier ($13) from their extensive list of bottles that start at $11 and go all the way up to $95, with draft selections rotating daily. On Tuesdays, Beer Table offers a 3-course menu that changes often for $25 with an optional beer pairing for an additional $15 and with only 24 cramped stools around 3 wooden countertop tables we were lucky to wait only a few minutes before being seated. The Grut Bier had pronounced ginger and rosemary flavors that made for a smooth and savory beverage. An order of pickled fennel gave us something crunchy and vinegary to enjoy with the beers. While it’s not the cheapest place, it’s certainly worth going to for a new beer or to try their Tuesday night dinners.

Text from the Grut Bier label:
"Before the German Purity Law "Reinheitegebot" of 1516, it was common practice to use any kind of different spices, herbs, fruits and other plants to provide balance to beer. Hops was not yet well known at this time. Grut Bier has roots in many cultures and each culture had its own "special ingredients": Egyptians, Native Americans, Arabian Tribes, Gualles, Germanic Tribes and the Vikings. This interpretation of traditional Grut Bier is spiced with bay leaves, ginger, caraway, anise, rosemary, and gentian. It is brewed with water, wheat and barley malt, pollinated wild hops and fermented using top fermenting yeast."

Nizza

2009-03-23T12:32:00.000-07:00

40. Nizza
630 9th Ave between 44th and 45th

Scrolling through the list of options on Seamlessweb while at work on a Friday night, I noticed that TONY list restaurant Nizza offered deliveries through corporate accounts. Not about to pass up an opportunity to sample an item from the list for free, I placed an order for the sage socca ($8) which the restaurant describes as a “crispy chickpea pancake cooked in the brick oven with sage, onions, and pecorino.” The pancake arrived in a pizza box and was about 10” in diameter, that’s one sizable pancake. While not as crispy as I would have liked (it was delivery after all), the sage and pecorino made for a satisfying appetizer that is big enough to share. The pancake itself was a little dry, and I could have gone for more pecorino and onions but the pancake makes for a pretty good appetizer to nosh on while sitting at the bar.

I also ordered the broccoli bruschetta with avocado and walnuts ($7.25) which I took two bites of and threw out (again, hopefully this is because of the delivery). The ingredients just didn’t work together and it was pretty messy to eat. The mushroom & fontina crochette ($5.50), however, was probably my favorite appetizer that I ordered from Nizza. Small, one-bite fried spheres of cheese, rosemary and mushrooms were flavorful and gooey. The entrée selections are interesting enough with grilled tuna, pork scallopine and lamb shank to make me want to order a whole meal, but if I’m looking for a place to have a glass of wine and an appetizer before a Broadway show, I would definitely keep Nizza in mind.

Sage Socca Part 1:

Sage Socca Part 2:

Mushroom & Fontina Crochette:

Tehuitzingo

2009-03-22T12:33:00.000-07:00

Tehuitzingo
695 10th Ave between 47th and 48th

Tehuitzingo is a small Mexican grocery store with a microwave-sized window in the back that opens to a kitchen where authentic tacos and tortas are served up to hungry midtowners and local residents lucky enough to stumble through its doors.

After hearing about it on Midtownlunch.com, my friends and I stopped by to grab a quick dinner. I ordered three tacos, beef tongue, goat meat and roast pork, which cost anywhere from $2.00-2.75 each. Adding some lime and hot sauce from the various condiment selections offered, my dining companions and I grabbed some stools and dug in. Served atop a double serving of corn tortillas, each taco offers plenty of food (two tacos would have been plenty but I wasn’t complaining). The goat meat was tender, the roast pork was fatty and slightly crispy and the tongue had a nice char on the outside. The one concern that we all had though, was that everything was a little dried out, though I didn’t think this was anything that couldn’t be fixed with a little hot sauce. While I thought that the tacos were the real winner, my dining companions were more partial to the order of chips and guacamole that we ordered as a last minute addition after hearing the people behind us talk about how good they are. Freshly made to order (both the chips and the guac), the guacamole was creamy and at only $3.00 was a steal.

While I’m still convinced that Tacqueria y la Fonda offers the better taco, and the selections required some added hot sauce, Tehuitzingo offers some of the best Mexican that midtown has to offer and is definitely worth the walk.

Kefi

2009-03-21T17:32:00.000-07:00

Kefi
505 Columbus Avenue near 84th street

Having dined here this passed Sunday, I was excited to see that The New York Times Wednesday food section included Frank Bruni’s 1-Star review of Kefi, a Greek restaurant owned by star chef Michael Psilakis and restaurateur Donatella Arpaia. Originally opened as Onera, Psilakis transformed the space into Kefi to allow for significantly more tables over two floors of dining space (NY Magazine reported that over 130 seats were added). The spot has become one of the more popular restaurants in the area, a fact made all too clear when we were told that our 6:00 reservation would only be held for 15 minutes since all of the tables in the gargantuan restaurant were booked. After being escorted downstairs and seated at a table towards the back, my girlfriend, her father and I placed our orders. Warm feta, grilled octopus and crispy cod to start, with branzinos and a lamb shank to follow.

The crispy cod ($7.50) was coated in a light batter and served over mashed potatoes which sounds like a fancy way to say fish and chips substituted with mashed potatoes, but it still managed to be light and I was able to actually taste the fish instead of just batter. While it was definitely a nice appetizer, the other two really did it for me. When octopus is done well, it can be very tasty, and Kefi knows how to transform a tough piece of octopod into something soft and flavorful. Served with a bean & chickpea salad ($9.95), this is octopus at its finest. Forget the chewy rubber band mess prepared at too many places and redefine what the dish really tastes like. Our last appetizer, warm feta ($6.95) offers a plate of tomatoes, capers, anchovies, peppers, olives and warm feta with pita slices for dipping. It’s simple, flavorful and has anchovies and feta. I’m always up for that. The warm feta makes for a great appetizer to share and I would definitely order it again at a table or waiting at the bar.

Crispy Cod:

Grilled Octopus:

Warm Feta:

While Kefi also offers souvlaki sandwiches and pastas (which they dub “macaronia”), the entrée selections looked too good to pass up. The grilled branzino ($16.95) was delicate, accented by a drizzle of olive oil and accompanied by roasted potatoes, tomatoes and a hot pepper (a cousin of the pepperoncini?) that still had the fiery taste but without any of the burn. While the branzino will satisfy anyone’s craving for fish, I opted for the braised lamb shank with orzo ($15.95). Tender meat that fell off the bone, stewed tomatoes, and a generous helping of rich orzo made this a dish worth coming back for.

Grilled Branzino:

Lamb Shank:

As if the food onslaught wasn’t enough, we indulged ourselves with orders of walnut cake served with walnut ice cream ($7). Though the edges of the cake were a little dry and needed to team up with a sliver of the ice cream for texture, the dessert had a carrot cake spice to it which is always a welcome treat.

Though the quality of service seemed to diminish as the meal went on, the food, the prices, and the atmosphere make Kefi a great place to go to with your parents, a date, or anyone that lives on the Upper West Side.

Salumeria Rosi

2009-03-18T12:05:00.000-07:00

38-39. Salumeria Rosi
283 Amsterdam Ave between 73rd and 74th

Cesare Casella was the chef and owner of Maremma, a Tuscan-Italian restaurant in the West Village which my girlfriend and I enjoyed tremendously. We were pretty upset when we heard that Cesare was closing Maremma but I understand the allure of opening a grocery store selling Italian meats. When I visited the store to pick up TONY's recommended Prosciutto di Parma ($6 per quarter pound), the small eatery was bustling with customers lined up at the counter and all the dine-in seats taken. I picked up some Porchetta Toscana ($4 per quarter pound) and with the Finocchiona that my girlfriend had picked up for me, I was ready to see what Cesare had to offer.

Dubbed "the Ferrari of Italian pork products", the prosciutto was mild flavored, soft, fatty with an almost cheesy consistency. I could probably sit and eat a good pound of it, slice by slice and it would be one of the best charcuterie plates ever. While, I preferred the prosciutto to the finocchiona on its own merit, I would probably choose the finocciona for a sandwich. Finocchiona ($4 per quarter pound) is described as “a zippy, Tuscan-style salame, seasoned heavily with fennel, or finocchio. The salami is thinly slice and each piece is full of salty, meaty flavor and pieces of fennel. A quarter pound is probably enough for 1-1/2 sandwiches and is a bargain for $4.00. While certainly a solid option, the porchetta toscana clearly fell behind the other two champions of salami. Skip the processed meat from the grocery store and pick up as much salami as you can from Cesare.

Prosciutto di Parma & Porchetta Toscana:

Finocchiona:

Russ & Daughters

2009-03-17T17:33:00.000-07:00

Russ & Daughters
179 E Houston Street

It’s no secret that it’s easier to make better food with better ingredients. Fresh mozzarella, homemade tomato sauce, and fresh basil go into a better slice of pizza. Pat LaFrieda beef and Murray’s cheddar go into a better hamburger. Ghirardelli chocolate goes into a better cake than Hershey’s. A bagel with cream cheese and lox is no different.

I have a hard time thinking about a meal that I enjoy more than bagels with different kinds of smoked fish and salads. Whitefish, sable, salmon, tuna. I’m pretty happy with any of these comfort foods. With Ess-a Bagel and Murray’s, I had the bagel part covered. For the lox, I set out to Russ & Daughters, Manhattan’s cathedral of smoked fish which opened in 1914 and fresh off of announcing extended hours as reported by TONY's The Feed. While I made the mistake of going at around noon on a Saturday and was subjected to a 30 minute wait for my number to be called, it gave me just enough time to figure out what I was going to order and to snag a free sample while I was at it.

Russ & Daughters offers 9 different types of smoked salmon, each looking better than the next. I managed to try a piece of the Balik which they quote as the “filet mignon” of salmon. More sashimi than lox, it has a rich flavor, not salty, and I would be quite pleased if I received a piece of this kind of quality salmon in a nice sushi spot. For $48/lb though, I think I’ll stick with the “ground chuck” of salmon. I decided to get a ¼ pound of two different kinds of salmon, belly lox and Norwegian. The belly lox ($32/lb) is not smoked, but cured in a brine that adds an intense salty flavor and makes for a softer flesh. If you’re going to eat a slice by itself, you’d better like salt, but on a bagel with cream cheese and tomato, the saltiness is muted slightly and if you’re looking for an intense flavor from the salmon, this is the way to go between the two. The Norwegian ($26/lb) is the least expensive of the smoked salmons, and while it’s certainly better than anything one could get ordering lox in a restaurant, it didn’t offer much flavor and was hard to bite off a piece without pulling the entire slice.

So many of the other offerings looked too enticing for me to leave with just the lox. I opted for some chopped herring salad ($10/lb). I’m a big fan of herring and this definitely hit the spot and a ½ pound of this stuff is a lot. I sat down with some crackers and a fork and managed to take it down in a couple of sittings. An intense fish flavor combined with a hint of sweetness from chopped apples made this a winner.

I came here for the lox, but if I returned for just one thing, it would be the whitefish & baked salmon salad ($13/lb). I left with a ¼ pound which is enough for a generous helping on a bagel. Whitefish salad is certainly not for everyone. The flavor is pretty distinct and even a small taste can be a bit overwhelming, but for those that are fans, I strongly recommend trying the whitefish salad at Russ & Daughters which adds baked salmon in a move that pushes the salad to the next level. They offer any of their smoked salmons as part of a sandwich on homemade bagels and even offer a sandwich called the Super Heeb ($10.45). Whitefish & baked salmon salad, horseradish cream cheese and topped with wasabi infused flying fish roe. Sounds like a plan.

Irving Mill

2009-03-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

37. Irving Mill
116 E 16th Street between Irving and Union Square West

I pass Irving Mill almost every morning on my way to work and have always been impressed by the menu. Chef Ryan Skeen, former chef at Resto, has certainly made a name for himself in New York, representing the city as a candidate for the James Beard rising star chef of the year award. Skeen shares his passion for all things pork by including menu items such as pork toast with egg salad and caviar, crispy pig’s ear salad and a selection of sausages and pates. Time Out New York’s item at Irving Mill is the burger ($15) which blends ground sirloin, flap-meat and a touch of pig fat. Recently introducing a recession special, I ventured in on Monday nights where $15 nets a burger, fries and one of two rotating draft beers.

On tap were two Sixpoint ales though I only remember that one was light and one was dark (sounds like McSorley’s). The lighter ale was still slightly too bitter for my liking but enjoyable nonetheless. I’m not gonna lie, I was at first disappointed with the size of the burger. It’s small. For $15 I expected something bigger than a $5.50 double shake shack burger and even after the fries I was still hungry. Though I can see why people are excited about the burger, slightly crusty on the outside, fatty and juicy on the inside, topped with melted cheddar, I would still prefer a burger from the trifecta (shake shack, burger joint, corner bistro). What Irving Mill offers that the others don’t, however, is options and atmosphere. Sure, the burger on its own isn’t better than the others, but you certainly can’t get a charcuterie plate from a bistro, a pistachio crusted snapper from a joint, or tortellini with sweetbreads from a shack. Your friend doesn’t want a burger and you do? Go to Irving Mill. On a Monday. $15 is still too much for the burger, but if I rationalize it that I’m spending $6 on a beer, then the burger becomes only $9 which is right in the ballpark. As long as the Monday night specials keep going, Irving Mill offers a solid burger for a reasonable price.

Midtown Lunch Post

2009-03-15T10:38:00.001-07:00

The holy grail of food blogs, Midtownlunch.com, posted a link to my write-up of Sophie's Cuban. Ridiculously awesome.

Katz's

2009-03-13T20:23:00.000-07:00

Katz’s
205 E Houston Street

Not going to even try. Great food, great atmosphere, a bit pricey, but worth coming to. Some gratuitous pictures of a corned beef / pastrami sandwich below:

Sugar Sweet Sunshine

2009-03-12T18:42:00.000-07:00

Sugar Sweet Sunshine
126 Rivington Street

With Amai Tea & Bake House, and Sweet Revenge already marked off from the TONY list, my girlfriend was nice enough to bring me cupcakes from one of her favorite spots, Sugar Sweet Sunshine, a bakery on the lower east side serving homemade cupcakes and layer cakes. At $1.50 each, it’s priced below Magnolia’s $1.75 similar-sized serving and well below the larger in size Sweet Revenge’s cupcake at $3.50. I was treated to two cupcakes, hand delivered to my office on a rough day at work (isn’t she sweet?), one coconut cake topped with satin buttercream, the other, a chocolate cake with chocolate almond buttercream. While the flavors sounded exciting, I was pretty disappointed. The coconut cake tasted like it came from a mix, and the frosting, though smooth, doesn’t compare with a Magnolia creation. The chocolate cake with chocolate almond frosting was noticeably better as the frosting incorporated an almond paste that added a sweet and nutty flavor, but the cake still fell victim to the store bought taste. Given its proximity to Sugar Sweet Sunshine, I would rather spend the $3 on a whoopie pie from Cake Shop.

Ippudo

2009-03-11T19:58:00.000-07:00

36. Ippudo
65 4th Ave between 9th and 10th

The East Village has become something of a ramen mecca, with at least five different noodle shops within a few blocks of each other. Ippudo opened their first location in NYC after having considerable success with a chain of ramen shops in Japan and after trying a number of times to get a table, I succumbed to the waiting list and put my name down to join the masses. An hour and a half later my table was ready.

We sat at the bar to get a close-up view of the food being prepared and if the food was going to be anything like the décor, we were in for a great experience. Large booths surround communal wooden tables with plenty of viewing areas into the kitchen. We each ordered the Akamaru ramen which the restaurant describes as “new recipe, ramen noodles, thicker pork broth, berkshire pork chashu, cabbage, scallions.” What they forgot to list was something that added a pasty, slightly gritty taste (MSG? Miso?) that rendered the broth mediocre at best. The noodles were soft and slightly chewy, and the pork was tender and flavorful, but I just couldn’t get over the broth. It doesn’t even come close to Momofuku Noodle Bar.

I think that of all the items on the TONY list so far, I was most disappointed with Ippudo. Maybe it was because the hour and a half wait built up unrealistic expectations or that my recollection of Momofuku Noodle Bar placed Ippudo unfairly up against an unbeatable comparison, but whatever the reason, I can’t see myself returning to pay $16 for inferior noodles even without a wait.

House of Brews

2009-03-10T18:44:00.000-07:00

House of Brews
46th Street between 8th and 9th (multiple locations)

In search of a viable alternative to the sit-down lunch where a burger and a beer at an Irish bar around the corner will wind up costing upwards of $20, I managed to convince my co-workers that a walk to House of Brews for the $10 burger and beer special was worth the 10-minute walk. After several jabs at me for suggesting a place that necessitated walking just to save a few bucks, we were told that from a fairly extensive beer list, the options for the beer special were limited to Yuengling, Bud Light and Checker Cab. I ordered a Checker Cab Blond Ale, made by the Chelsea Brewing Company ($6.50 without the special), and was pretty impressed with my first taste of a Chelsea Brewing Company beer (certainly better than the Bud Light that I assumed would be the only option). House of Brews also offered a 2-for-1 special on Stella’s ($6.50 each) for those that opted out of the burger lunch special.

In an effort to convince my coworkers that it is worth the walk, I will acknowledge that the burger was nothing special, and at $13 for dinner would be a clear disappointment. However, a cheeseburger, fries and a beer for $10 at House of Brews gets you food that is pretty much on par with anything offered from an Irish pub at a fraction of the cost. Sure, it doesn’t offer the same feel of a pub, and the place was eerily empty, but for me, it is certainly worth the walk and is clearly a viable lunch option for those that work closer to restaurant row.

Sophie's Cuban

2009-03-09T07:59:00.000-07:00

35. Sophie’s Cuban
369 Lexington between 41st and 40th (Various locations)

I was fortunate to convince a number of my coworkers to come with me to Sophie’s, as they are usually reluctant to accompany me on any of my food excursions (save for a select few). We arrived to a bustling yet orderly theater in which tables available for a sit-down lunch were juxtaposed to two lines for take-out (one for sandwiches only, the other for their various platters). After quickly learning the rules of the game, we split up into the respective lines. I ordered the fried pork sandwich and the Midtownlunch sandwich challenge entry, the pernil with a twist to share ($6.00 each).

The fried pork sandwich, voted top sandwich for 2008 on Midtownlunch.com offers chunks of fried pork, sweet plantains and stir-fried onions, served on a toasted hero roll. The pork is tender, the plantains are soft and sweet and the onions add the perfect amount of crunch to the sandwich. I’m actually very tempted to go get one now as I’m writing this. It’s that good, and I’m almost embarrassed that I’ve never gotten one before. Taste. Value. Creativity. To me, these are the most important criteria by which midtown lunch foods should be judged. The fried pork sandwich from Sophie’s Cuban has not only conquered the trifecta, but vaulted itself into midtown lunch and sandwich royalty.

The “pernil with a twist” sandwich marks another strong entry into the Midtownlunch challenge. It uses roast pork which is almost like a pulled pork, plantains, onions and a green sauce which tastes like an offshoot of guacamole. If you find that the fried pork sandwich is too dry, I would definitely suggest trying the pernil with a twist instead, though for me, it’s all about the original. My coworkers sampled the platters ($8.00) which offer generous portions of juicy turkey marinated in a spicy tomato sauce and served with a choice of two sides (rice, beans, plantains, fries). For those that are used to ordering stir-fry from any number of places for lunch, I would strongly suggest switching up the routine with a platter. After Sophie’s, I have a feeling my coworkers will be willing to come with me to lunch again.

Outside of Sophie's

Pernil with a twist

Pernil with a twist

Fried Pork Sandwich:

Turkey Platter:

The Sunburnt Cow

2009-03-07T16:11:00.000-08:00

The Sunburnt Cow
137 Avenue C near 9th Street

My friends from out of town wanted something for dinner that they couldn’t get in D.C. Having already gone to Katz’s and with plans to hit up Artichoke and Ess-a bagel before they left, we decided to go to Sunburnt Cow, a bar / restaurant on Avenue C that I had read about in a number of articles, serving Australian food and $20 open bar specials. When we first entered, we were led into the bar area, dark and semi-uninviting for a dinner (it is a bar after all). But passing through a lounge area, we were led to a porch-like back room with a few tables surrounded by exposed wood paneling and covered in dark lighting. Not bad.

For $16, Sunburnt Cow offers a choice of any appetizer, entrée and dessert. Sold. I started off with an order of the fried calamari, served atop chopped kiwi and jalapeno. Sure, it was a decent appetizer but the execution was way off. The combination of kiwi and jalapeno works well, but how am I supposed to eat it? There was no way to get everything together in one bite. It would have been nice if they pureed the kiwi and jalapeno into a kind of dipping sauce for the calamari. That’s something I would order. My friend ordered the shrimp cocktail which coated baby shrimp in a mayo-based sauce. Also not a winner.

Fried Calamari with kiwi & jalapeno:

Shrimp Cocktail:

For my entrée, I split an order of Barramundi and an order of the Roo Bangers and Mash. The barramundi fillets were served in a Thai broth with veggies and noodles. More soup than entrée, the barramundi was pretty fishy, though the broth was pleasantly spicy and full of fish sauce which added a nice salty balance. I couldn’t help but pick up the bowl and drink the remaining broth. The ‘roo bangers are made from, you guessed it, kangaroo, served with mashed potatoes. I was looking for a more gamey flavor but it actually tastes pretty similar to rabbit (i.e. like chicken though the meat is more fibrous). In the end though, it doesn’t compare well to bangers and mash from London. My other friend ordered the skirt steak which I think was the real winner of the evening. The sauce complemented a tender medium-rare steak and for $16 with appetizer and dessert is probably the way to go.

Barramundi:

Roo Bangers & Mash:

Steak:

The dessert options included sponge cake cubes covered in chocolate and coconut, a pavlova which consists of meringue and cream mixed with fruit, and a date pudding. Opting for the date pudding, I was rewarded with a warm serving of sweet and flavorful pudding. The pavlova was light and serves those who like a more refreshing end to their meal.

Sticky date pudding:

Pavlova:

As our meal came to an end, we were surprised to find that from the empty dining room at 8pm had emerged a waiting list for tables, and while it could just be a function of the fact that the service was fairly slow, I was forgiving, one because there was only one waitress for a good number of tables and two because all employees had an Australian accent. In the end, I was pretty disappointed with the choices that I made, but if I came back and ordered a different appetizer, the steak and the date pudding, it’s probably worth the $16.

Gazala Place

2009-03-04T19:55:00.000-08:00

34. Gazala Place
709 9th Ave between 48th and 49th

Baklava is a Middle Eastern dessert made with layers of phyllo dough, chopped nuts and honey that is often pretty messy to eat, given the flakiness of the dough and the fact that the honey tends to stick to your hands. The pistachio and walnut baklavas made at Gazala Place didn’t taste like the mass-produced baklava that I’m used to, as they weren’t intensely sweet or sticky with honey. Both are fairly tall with countless layers of phyllo dough, though they didn’t hold together well, were slightly burnt and I found myself eating the pistachios and layers of dough separately. At $5 for the pistachio and $6 for the walnut balkavas, they aren’t cheap and for a dessert pasty I’d probably pass this up for something from Amy’s Bread.

Piece of Chicken

2009-03-03T19:47:00.000-08:00

Piece of Chicken
45th Street between 8th and 9th

Trying to find a cheap dinner in Midtown is a fairly daunting task. Becco offers all you can eat pasta feast for $25. The $10 burger and nachos deal at Joshua Tree with the restaurant.com gift certificate wound up being a steal, but is there a way to do even better? What about two pieces of fried chicken and a pile of chicken livers for $3.25?

Piece of Chicken is a small take-out only space whose menu prices look like they don’t belong anywhere near NYC. Any piece of chicken is only $1.00 (breast, thigh, drumstick or 2 wings). Sides and specialties like chicken and waffles or jerk chicken range from $1.00-$3.00. I was pretty impressed with how many fried chicken livers they offered for a buck, and while not particularly crispy, a single order is my new favorite $1 snack in NYC.

I’m not sure if it was just the particular piece of chicken breast that I got, but it paled in comparison to the juicy and tender drumstick (nothing that a little hot sauce can’t fix). Despite the fact that the breast meat was pretty dry, the fried batter that they use has a slight vinegary flavor which adds a nice kick. It’s not the best fried chicken I’ve ever had, but for a dollar per piece, it’s certainly good value and an upgrade over anything from KFC.

The catch? There’s nowhere to sit and you’re basically standing in the kitchen while waiting for the order to be ready so you have to have a place in mind for where to go and sit (might I suggest the tables and chairs that are in Times Square?). If you don’t mind the lack of atmosphere or having to eating out of a styrofoam container then Piece of Chicken offers one of the best bargains in the city.

Park Avenue Winter

2009-03-02T19:42:00.000-08:00

33. Park Avenue Winter
100 E 63rd between Park and Lexington

Park Avenue Winter will only be around for another few weeks, as the restaurant’s name, menu and décor change seasonally in an effort to offer only seasonal food items in an environment that reflects the associated time of year. I had read about TONY’s affinity for the apple pie from Park Avenue when they awarded the Pie in a Box top prize in their New York’s best apple pie bake-off back in November of 2008.

This dessert certainly doesn’t look like a traditional apple pie, as the filling is encased by a hard outer-shell made from white chocolate that keeps everything looking pristine. Fork in hand, I pierced through its protective casing to reveal carefully constructed layers of whipped mascarpone, diced apples, and thin pie crust atop a sponge cake base. Sweet, tangy, creamy, with a little bit of crunch; I was ready to eat the entire serving myself (servings are meant to be shared). What really worked for me was the fact that the pie itself wasn’t too sweet so when combined with the white chocolate shell there was a contrast between the tart flavor of the apple, and the sugar from the chocolate.

Even without the casing it’s up there as a top restaurant dessert, though it doesn’t come without a slight bit of sticker shock at $24.00, though if you do some cost analysis within the context of a nice restaurant where desserts typically cost $12 each and recognize that the pie in a box is meant for two, then it’s really on par with any other dessert course, and considerably tastier than most. Next time the dessert options at dinner look uninteresting, the pie in a box from Park Avenue Winter is worth checking out.

Shake Shack

2009-02-28T11:34:00.000-08:00

Shake Shack
Madison Square Park

The mere fact that the website has a live camera so you can see how long the wait is should give you enough of an indication as to how good Shake Shack really is. Mentioned on anyone’s list of top burgers in the city and covered extensively on the web, Shake Shack serves tender, juicey 4 oz. Pat LaFrieda hamburger patties (rare, medium or well done) on soft buttery hamburger buns ($3.75) which make any line worth the wait. Make sure not to miss out on an order of french fries ($2.75) which look ordinary but are deceptively crispy yet soft on the inside (certainly up for consideration for best fries from a burger joint). Top off the meal with a black & white milk shake ($5.25) and prepare for a top tier burger feast. Shake Shack also offers a shack burger which is topped with cheese and Shack sauce ($4.75), a ‘shroom burger which is a fried Portobello stuffed with cheddar cheese ($6.50), and a shack stack ($9.50) which challenges you to eat a creation with two cheeseburgers topped with a ‘shroom burger. Ice cream, beer and a selection of hot dogs round out the menu.

Since Shake Shack is outside in the middle of Madison Square Park, it’s best to make the trip on a warmer occasion, and canine companions are welcome (they even sell a dog treat for $3.75!). Whether you order the Shack Burger or a hot dog and fries, Shake Shack has always delivered one of the best, if not the best, hamburgers and fries in the city.

Joshua Tree

2009-02-26T18:59:00.000-08:00

Joshua Tree
46th Street between 8th and 9th Aves

I know what you’re thinking. Joshua Tree is a bar. In Times Square. On restaurant row, a stretch of rip-off dining destinations meant for tourist suckers. $12 burgers, $16 pastas and $6 beers. Of all the places in the city to eat, why did I go to Joshua Tree? Simple. Restaurant.com I was looking for a quick, affordable place near my friend’s apartment on 45th and saw Joshua Tree as an opportunity for an absolute bargain. After paying $2 for a $25 gift certificate, my friend and I were ready to grab a table at the bar.

Since there is a $35 minimum order, we started off with some chicken nachos ($12). Though the chips themselves were pretty average, the sour cream was on the side instead of on top, and there weren’t any jalapeños, the cheese was layered nicely and I was willing to forgive a lot given that I was pretty impressed with the portion size and I was getting a good deal. If I came back I would probably try some other appetizer like chicken wings or fried calamari, though the nachos are sizeable enough to split with a larger group. I’d skip the chicken next time which didn’t really have any flavor and wasn’t mixed properly with the rest of the nachos.

For my entrée I ordered the Hell’s Kitchen burger which is topped with cheddar cheese, onion strings and ranch dressing. I appreciated that the ranch was on the side instead of being smothered on top and I must say that I was pretty impressed with the burger. Juicy, cooked properly and at least a half-pound of meat, though the one drawback was that it didn’t have any heat to it. Ranch dressing just begs for spicy food; nothing that a little hot sauce couldn’t solve. After rectifying the problem I was able to enjoy a pretty good burger. My dining companion ordered the buffalo chicken sandwich ($11), which was also a pretty generous size and was covered in Frank’s red hot. Two sandwiches and an order of nachos for $10 per person including tax and tip. Definitely a steal. I don’t think I’d come here and pay full price, but as long as they keep accepting the gift certificate it’s certainly worth checking out for a solid value in one of the most expensive areas in the city.

PDT

2009-02-25T14:54:00.001-08:00

30-32. PDT
113 St. Marks Place between 1st and A

Crif Dogs is a small hot dog and burger shop that offers a unique assortment of deep-fried hot dogs topped with anything from bacon to guacamole to cream cheese. Though the food is enough of an appeal, what is offered inside of a telephone booth in the restaurant brings an entirely different clientele. Pushing open the telephone booth door there is a telephone receiver and a buzzer. After giving the buzzer a ring, the back wall of the telephone booth opens up, we are greeted by a hostess, and having made a reservation we were taken to our table. Welcome to PDT (Please Don’t Tell).

The name is a misnomer by now, as the sheer difficulty of obtaining a reservation is indication enough that people know about PDT. Reservations are taken on a same-day basis only starting at 3pm and after receiving a busy signal from 3:00-3:05 I finally got through only to be notified that I could get a table at 8:00pm (but not 8:30 or 9:00).

The four of us sat down at one of the four leather booths available. Reservations are taken for the tables, but walk-ins are welcome to sit at the bar with about 15 seats. If there are no seats, no one is allowed in, though the hostess will be happy to take down your cell phone and call you when a table opens up. The fact that everyone has a seat and there aren’t too many people means that it’s not noisy, private conversation is encouraged and one can just relax and have a couple drinks without being bumped into or yelling over music. We were presented with the cocktail and food menu which lists a number of specialty cocktails. The full order for four of us came to the Diamondback, a Dirty Martini, the LES Globetrotter, a Captain Lawrence Liquid Gold beer, a Wylie hot dog, a Chang hot dog and tater tots. First, the drinks.

The TONY list recommended the Diamondback (no longer listed as a special but the bartender had the necessary ingredients to make it) and a Dirty Martini. The Diamondback is made with whiskey, apple brandy and chartreuse. Though the alcohol certainly had a strong bite and it was certainly an enjoyable cocktail, it’s probably not something I would order again given the number of other cocktail choices available. PDT certainly makes a nice dirty vodka martini. There was still a vodka taste but it was smooth, went down easy, and the olive taste wasn’t overwhelming. The LES Globetrotter, recommended by our waitress and made with whiskey and orange peel may have been my favorite drink of the night. The drinks are strong, unique, and for $13, pretty comparable in price to cocktails at most other nice bars and lounges. There is an extensive list of specialty cocktails including one with bacon-infused vodka which I may have to come back to try. Captain Lawrence is a brewery in Westchester County, NY and the Liquid Gold pilsner is a safe bet. For $5, the beers are much less expensive than the cocktails, but the glass is only a ½ pint.

PDT is the only place on the TONY list to be blessed with three items. After the Diamondback and the martini, we moved on to the hot dogs ($5 each). The Wylie dog, designed by molecular gastronomist and chef/owner of WD-50 Wylie Dufresne, is made with a deep-fried hot dog, a stick of deep-fried mayonnaise, tomato molasses, and topped with shredded lettuce. I’m not a fan of mayonnaise and was fairly skeptical about this creation, but after the first bite I was hooked. The hot dog and tomato provide the flavor, the mayo gives it some creaminess and the lettuce adds the crunch. What’s not to like? After splitting the first one, we had to order another. The Chang dog, designed by David Chang, chef/owner of the Momofuku empire, is a deep-fried hot dog, wrapped with bacon and topped with kimchi. I’m not sure how well kimchi works on a hot dog, but the bacon-wrapped deep-fried hot dog part was evidence enough that I should return to Crif Dogs to order one with bacon more often. The tater tots for $4 were probably the biggest steal of the night and I would certainly recommend it to all groups at PDT who want something to snack on. The generous portion was crispy, hot and left us wondering if they were homemade.

Four drinks, three dogs, and one order of tots for $77 including tip doesn’t make PDT part of anyone’s cheap list, but to be able to have a table waiting, hang out with some friends (or a date) over a couple of specialty cocktails and try a new hotdog creation, it’s certainly worth calling at 3pm and trying to get a reservation.

Burger Joint

2009-02-24T17:14:00.000-08:00

Burger Joint
119 W 56th Street in Le Parker Meridien Hotel

Hidden in a corner of the lobby of Le Parker Meridian hotel sits Burger Joint, a small bustling eatery that serves made to order burgers and fries to long lines of patient customers. I say that it is hidden only because if you didn’t know it was there, you would never find it. The entrance is down a narrow hallway in the hotel lobby, obscured by the reception desk and only marked by a neon hamburger sign and an arrow pointing to the doorway. The contrast between the upscale hotel lobby and the hardwood coffee shop tables and stools with marker on the walls couldn’t be more refreshing.

The lobby of Le Parker Meridian:

Narrow hallway with the hamburger sign:

Welcome to Burger Joint:

The limited number of tables means that the earlier you get there, the better. Arriving at around 11:50, we were left to sit at a table with stools rather than in a booth, but were far luckier than the dozen or so others who were left standing and waiting for tables. I ordered their cheeseburger ($7.50), medium-rare, with the works (lettuce, tomato, onion, sliced pickles, mustard, ketchup and mayo), and after about five minutes was able to pick my order up from the small open-window kitchen. The burger was cooked perfectly, juicy and pink in the center, but firm enough to keep its shape. I don’t think it can be emphasized enough how much of a treat it is to be able to get burgers to order from a quick service restaurant. For $7.50 the price is in-line with other burger juggernauts like Shake Shack and Corner Bistro, and the size of the burger is comparable. I would probably ignore the fries, which, for $3.50 are enough to share, but taste like McDonald’s fries without the salt.

I can certainly attest to the fact that this is a top-10 burger, if not top-5 but I have a hard time saying that this, or any other burger, is the best burger in the city. Let me explain. I am an avid baseball fan and love to play in fantasy baseball leagues. One of the draft strategies that I use is to divide players at each position into tiers. If there are three really good outfielders, I’m not too concerned about the order that I rank those three, just that I recognize that they are in a different tier than the next three outfielders. So it is with burgers. Is Burger Joint better than Shake Shack? Corner Bistro? Tough to say, and I have a hard time being comfortable saying that any of them is shoulders above the others because none of them are. But what I can say is that in the realm of burgers they are in the highest tier and I would be comfortable having any of them on my team.

A Cheeseburger Close-Up:

With fries on the side:

Time Out New York

2009-02-23T15:53:00.000-08:00

I've been eating the items on the TONY 100 best list for a few months now, and the magazine has taken notice. The Eat Out editors have been linking to my posts as I work my way through the list and record my opinions on Amuse my Bouche. Look out for their shout outs on their blog, The Feed. Hopefully along the way I will develop a catalog of posts that others can use to make more informed dining decisions. Enjoy!

The following link is to the inaugural posting on the TONY blog:
Meet the guy who ate everything 2.0

Jacques Torres

2009-02-22T16:09:00.000-08:00

Jacques Torres Chocolate
350 Hudson Street at King Street

While Momokuku's cornflake marshmallow and compost cookies have their place among the cookie elite, sometimes there is nothing like a freshly baked, warm, gooey, chocolate chip cookie. Jacques Torres is known as Mr. Chocolate, and yet up until this past weekend I had never had the chance to sample one of his chocolatey creations. Just one block south of Hudson street lies a Willy Wonka factory of sorts, with giant glass windows through which surveyors have a chance to watch as everything from chocolate bars to delicate chocolate truffles are painstakingly crafted by a team of expert chocolatiers.

Though tempted by pretty much everything else in the store, we sat down on one of several comfortable couches to sample Jacques' chocolate chip cookie ($2.50) which is offered warm, or off the counter to go. Measuring in at around 4-5" in diameter, this is no small pastry. The outside of the cookie was slightly crispy with a softer buttery center. When ordering a chocolate chip cookie, they mean chocolate chip, as there is certainly no skimping on the amount of semi-melted chips. We also tried the mudslide cookie which is a chocolate cookie with chocolate chips and walnuts, and while good in its own right, it is overshadowed by the chocolate chip cookie.

It's certainly the best chocolate chip cookie I have ever ordered (though I would love to be proven wrong if anyone has another suggestion) and Jacques deserves "brownie points" for creating a welcoming and comfortable environment in which to enjoy his creations. Next time you want to meet a friend at Starbucks, I would certainly suggest checking out Jacques Torres's chocolate store instead.

Lazarra's Pizza

2009-02-21T15:17:00.000-08:00

Lazarra's Pizza
221 West 38th Street between 7th and 8th

My second foray into Midtownlunch.com's sandwich challenge brought me to Lazarra's, a small Italian restaurant famous for their thin-crust pizza topped with prosciutto. After climbing up a flight of stairs to get to the entrance, and sneaking our way past the line for a table, we made our way to the take-out area in the back and ordered the Midtownlunch special, a calamari hero ($10) which tops fried calamari with tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella.

I could eat a lot of fried calamari, and have taken down a full plate from Carmine's in one sitting, so you can imagine my excitement as I brought the sandwich back to my office cube. Though disappointed that the calamari wasn't crispy, and the fried breading had become soggy from the tomato sauce, Lazarra's did not skimp at all on the amount of squid, whose full flavor combined with a garlicky tomato sauce and strings of fresh mozzarella to make this hero worth the $10 price tag. The bread itself was lightly toasted and the sesame seeds were a welcome addition. I split it with a coworker in consideration of the caloric intake and was definitely full after my half. If you're looking to sit, be prepared to wait or come early, and if you're planning on getting the sandwich to go, the faster you can get it to your desk, the better. Make sure to check it out before the Midtownlunch challenge ends.

Azuri Cafe

2009-02-20T18:46:00.000-08:00

Azuri Cafe
465 W 51st between 8th and 9th

For me, falafel in NYC meant Chickpea or Mamoun’s and now with Chickpea closed, just Mamoun’s remains. I’m not sure why I haven’t branched out more, though Pick-a-Pita was a good find in midtown and Taim in the west village is worth a stop, but after reading about Azuri Café and hearing my co-worker rave about how great this falafel place was, I took it upon myself to make the trek up to 51st for lunch. Azuri is a small, kosher, Israeli café (closed Fridays and Saturdays) serving falafel, shawarma and a number of Israeli salads. We ordered a couple of sandwiches, sat down at one of the few tables and watched as our sandwiches were crafted. Adding hummus, bagaganoush, chopped parsley, onion, a number of other spreads and spices, and topped with a couple of pickle spears, our pitas were ready. What was particularly promising was that each bite had the taste of everything that went into it, as opposed to other falafel sandwiches where you wind up eating through salad and tahini before ever getting to the falafel or the pocket of hummus on the bottom. The crispy exterior of the falafel ball gave way to a soft and mild filling, the pickles added a salty and sour flavor with the different salads combining into one of the best falafels I’ve tried in the city. Mamoun’s at $2.50 is significantly cheaper than Azuri at $5.50 but I would have a hard time deciding between two from Mamoun’s and one from Azuri. Certainly worth being part of a lunch routine.

FreeFoods NYC

2009-02-17T18:24:00.000-08:00

FreeFoods NYC
18 W 45th Street (multiple locations)

Having access to comp’d dinners on Seamlessweb allows me the freedom to try new places without any financial repercussions. FreeFoods NYC isn’t a place I would typically go to for lunch, as their free-range gourmet sandwiches are $10+, and for dinner I usually want something more than a sandwich, but after MidtownLunch.com challenged restaurants to come up with a unique sandwich that was less than $10.00, FreeFoods obliged with a free-range duck reuben. After adding the usual premium to Seamlessweb orders, the sandwich wound up being $13, but with $25 to spend on dinner, I added a side of marinated beets.

The duck reuben used an entire duck breast, stuffed between grilled rye and topped with melted swiss cheese. I was pretty surprised at how much duck was on the sandwich; plenty of meat in each bite. There was an insignificant amount of an aoli-type dressing on the bread which is unfortunate that more wasn’t used as it could have masked the over-peppered flavor of the duck. It’s worth a Seamless order, but I don’t think I could rightfully spend $10 on it for lunch. The marinated beets weren’t anything special, tossed with goat cheese and walnuts for $7.50 for ¼ pound. If you need to eat free-range meat, it’s a fairly affordable way to do it. If you’re looking for a sandwich, there are better places to go.

Tacqueria III

2009-02-17T18:18:00.000-08:00

Some gratuitous photos from Tacqueria:

Grilled pork taco:

Chicken tamale:

Vegetarian quesadilla

Perilla

2009-02-16T15:13:00.000-08:00

Perilla
9 Jones Street

Harold Dieterle, of Top Chef fame, opened Perilla in May 2007, and since then, celebrity chef followers and west village residents alike have made this one of the more popular spots in the area. Stopping in to try the Sloe Autumn fizz cocktail, I realized only as I was ordering that maybe this was an "Autumn" drink and not available during the Winter. The bartender didn't help my disappointment much by letting us know that she could make it, only to alert us that she didn't have any sloe fizz a few minutes later.

The restaurant has become famous for their spicy duck meatballs and since I was already there I wasn't going to leave without trying them. Splitting the appetizer with my friend, they were nice enough to give each of us a half order. Two duck meatballs sat atop mini cavatelli pasta and were topped with a raw quail egg. We were instructed to mix the quail egg with the rest of the dish and dug in. The meatball was certainly spicy (those with particularly low heat tolerances would do best to avoid the dish altogether), and the pasta was perfectly al dente. Who doesn't like spaghetti and meatballs? For $13, it's certainly worth getting as an appetizer before a meal at Perilla but I for meatball sliders with a drink, I think Little Owl takes the victory.

Elettaria

2009-02-16T12:26:00.000-08:00

29. Elettaria
33 W 8th Street at MacDougal St

Just a few doors down from Gray’s Papaya sits Elettaria, a bar/restaurant whose French-American menu (guinea hen, duck, sweetbreads) is influenced by Indian cuisine (samosas, dosa crepe, coconut, turmeric). When we arrived we snagged the last two seats at the bar, and all of the tables were full. The open kitchen adds some welcome theatrics though I imagine it probably gets noisy when sitting too close. Despite the fact that there was only one bartender at the fully seated bar, the staff was welcoming to a couple of people who were only there to order one appetizer, the fried quail ($12). Instead of the usual bread and butter, we were offered some naan and a yogurt dipping sauce, keeping with the Indian inspired menu. The fried quail came soon after. Usually quail is prepared whole, but to maximize surface area for the fried coating, the bird was divided into six pieces, coated in what tasted like beer batter with a tempura-like crispiness and served over some greens. Not too fried or heavy, the moist flavor of the quail was allowed to come through. My dining companion and I agreed that the best piece was the breast meat, more tender than the others. Whether sitting at the bar while waiting for a table or if you're looking for a glass of wine and an appetizer before eating somewhere else, the fried quail is worth a visit.

Little Branch

2009-02-16T12:25:00.000-08:00

28. Little Branch
20 7th Avenue at Leroy Street

After circling around the block, calling my sister and using Google maps, we finally spotted the barely marked door on the street corner with a doorman that marks the entrance to Little Branch, an underground cocktail lounge that you would walk right passed if you didn’t know about it. We descended the stairs and approached the semi-crowded bar area to order the hot buttered rum from the suggested cocktails list, a drink made with rum, hot water, honey, nutmeg and a pad of butter. $13 seems to be the standard price nowadays for a cocktail at a nice lounge so I wasn’t surprised with the bill, though it pains me to spend that much on one drink. As we waited for our drinks to be prepared, we asked the hostess to see a menu; after all, there were several tables and we were interested in the bar snacks that were offered. After being handed the cocktail menu and explaining that we wanted to see a food menu, we were informed that the whole place is cocktails only. A forty minute wait for tables at a place that is cocktails only? It seems a little ridiculous but I imagine they must be doing something right if people are willing to wait for a table.

After slipping the bartender his cash-only fare, we took our first sips from the tall mug shaped glasses that were used, and were very pleasantly surprised. There’s definitely rum in there as you still taste a bit of the alcoholic sting but the honey and butter make me want to cozy up under a blanket on a cold day. It has a soothing effect reminiscent of drinking tea or hot chocolate on a snowy day. While $13 is plenty for a cocktail, Little Branch certainly has its merits. For starters, the hot buttered rum is worth dropping in. Second, the place feels exclusive but we walked right in, and the doorman didn’t stop guests that were wearing jeans and sneakers (maybe because it was only 9pm on a Wednesday?) It feels like a great spot for a quiet date or to impress out of town friends with a quick drink.

Bespoke Chocolates

2009-02-14T17:53:00.001-08:00

27. Bespoke Chocolates
6 Extra Place on 1st Street between Bowery and Second Ave

We had to circle the block for a bit before being able to find Bespoke, a small upscale chocolate store that, on the day we were there, was selling only five kinds of chocolates (see the picture below for more evidence as to how hidden this place is). Extra Place isn’t a road, but a sign-less alley that we couldn’t believe would have any commercial activity in it, let alone a chocolate shop. We walked in, ready to grab a couple samples of the pretzel-covered sea-salted caramels that are described by their website as, “a crisp chocolate shell encases silky, creamy, sea-salted caramel.” We approach the counter and order three of them. The customer in front of us was ordering somewhere around ten chocolates and as he was ordering them the chocolates were individually picked up and placed on a wooden board that looked like an artist palette. What kind of place is this? I guess when you’re charging $2.25 for a small piece of chocolate you have to look the part, and this store did just that. Pretentiousness aside, it was nice to see the open kitchen where Rachel Zoe, chocolatier and co-owner of Bespoke was preparing the small desserts, and just being in the store was worth the trip as the chocolate smell filled the room. I inhaled a few more times before leaving and tried the chocolate. I was expecting the caramel to be sticky but it was uncharacteristically smooth, as described, almost like one would expect from a chocolate-filled center. Salt and chocolate is a classic combination and the dessert delivered a very tasty two-bites. Though there’s no question that they are very good, I still have a problem paying $2.25 + tax for each of them. What might make it more successful, in my humble opinion, is if they were prepared for restaurants. If a restaurant was to offer 4 for $6.00-7.00 I would certainly order them. $2.25 each? I don’t think I’ll be running back.

Double Crown

2009-02-14T17:52:00.000-08:00

26. Double Crown
316 Bowery at Bleecker

I was slightly turned off by the attitude I was given by the hostess when I arrived at around 5pm and was told that the kitchen wouldn’t be open until 6pm. Nevertheless, we returned to Double Crown, whose menu could be defined as British Imperial (Bangers & Mash, Singapore Laksa, Tandoori Foi Gras) and sat at the bar to order miso-glazed bone marrow ($13). The dish took what seemed like a long amount of time to arrive but was worth the wait. I appreciated that the bone marrow was topped with the miso-glaze and that the salty and savory miso taste didn’t mask the flavor of the fatty marrow. The marrow was paired with an orange-olive marmalade, salt and toasted brioche, which served as the perfect texture combination. Service aside, bone marrow fans would be advised to give it a try.

Macondo

2009-02-13T12:26:00.000-08:00

25. Macondo
157 E Houston between Allen and Eldridge

The aguacate & mezcal at Macondo would represent the first drink item from the TONY list. Three of us sat down at the bar and ordered a half-carafe ($14) of this frozen drink made with honey, avocado, agave nectar, midori, cointreau, lime juice and mezcal, which was enough for three whiskey glasses full. The bartender coated the rim of the glass with a combination of salt and spices which I didn’t like with or without the drink and after one sip had to push them aside. I didn’t think that the lime-colored cocktail was anything special. It was blended properly, without any chunks of ice and was probably prepared as described but the avocado taste with the mezcal didn’t do it for me. That being said, the bar opens up onto Houston and looks like a fun place to go when the weather improves. The restaurant looks like more of a wine bar than a full service restaurant and the Latino-inspired menu looks enticing with selections such as hamburguesa cordero (lamb, tetilla cheese, foie gras terrine, fried egg and grilled onions; $15.00) and siete potencias ceviche (oyster, shrimp, clam, octopus, mussel, scallop, calamari, tequila, carrot-aji amarillo citrus sauce; $10.00)

Cafe Katja

2009-02-13T12:21:00.000-08:00

24. Café Katja
79 Orchard Street between Broome and Grand

We didn’t know what to expect when we sat down at Café Katja, a small and inviting Austrian wine and beer bar on the lower east side, but we were quickly met with a bartender who was ready to help us navigate through a menu with a number of intriguing appetizers and sandwiches and a list of European beers on tap. We were there for the herring salad ($8.00) served with buttered brioche and wound up also ordering the bartender’s suggested appetizer, the aufschnitt teller ($14.00), a plate of cured meats and spreads.

Pickled herring in cream sauce is standard fare at diner salad bars in Jersey and my family dining table on holidays. I wasn’t sure what the herring salad was going to be but it looked like the herring salad I was familiar with. I am a big fan of herring. It’s fishy, salty, has a meaty texture and the onions that are served with it add a bit of crunch. The salad at Café Katja met the mark. The herring is served atop a cucumber-potato salad that counterbalanced the saltiness of the fish, and there wasn’t too much dill sprinkled on top. It’s certainly better than anything I could find at a normal supermarket and to be able to sit at a bar and order herring salad is an enjoyment in and of itself.

The bartender steered us in the right direction with the aufschnitt teller, which is a perfect appetizer to split and snack on at the bar. The platter included liverwurst, which I found to be somewhat tasteless though my friends enjoyed it, three or four slices of four different kinds of cured meats including prosciutto, bacon and pork belly, shaved horseradish, pickled vegetables and a spoonful of creamed cheese. I’m not sure what kind of cheese it is but with the added paprika and sautéed onions it tasted like the Hungarian cream cheese, a winner.

Café Katja is certainly worth checking out, if only to come in for a couple of beers and appetizers before dinner. The service was excellent, the food is a great value and they have boot-shaped beer glasses. I’m always down for some more herring.

Cake Shop

2009-02-11T15:44:00.001-08:00

22-23. Cake Shop
152 Ludlow Street between Rivington and Stanton

I would have walked right passed it if it wasn’t for the chalkboard sign on the sidewalk. Cake Shop is a narrow café with a number of tables and couches in the back that serve as an antithesis to some of the more pretentious coffee shops selling $8 cappuccinos. The walls are painted using a palette of bright colors with band posters on the walls (After going on their website it looks like they have a basement with local band performances). When we approached the counter and told them that we heard about their vegan whoopie pies and peanut butter bomb cakes, the server’s eyes lit up. It was as if he was excited for us, and as I would later discover, this was for good reason.

After receiving a slice of the peanut butter bomb cake and two whoopie pies ($12), we grabbed a table and forks and dug in. The cake is circle-shaped with a hole in the middle so slices are slightly curved. A chocolate cake, topped with smooth peanut butter cream and covered in a chocolate shell drizzled with thin peanut butter stripes. It tastes as good as it sounds. The cake forms a solid base for the cream and the intense peanut taste remind you that this is a peanut butter dessert and not a chocolate cake. Light and satisfying, it’s well worth the time to stop by, grab a table and share a slice.

The whoopie pies, one chocolate and one pumpkin were pre-packaged so we saved them for later. I’m still baffled how they can be vegan. The vanilla cream filling, the same for both pies is smooth and trumps a Hostess cake any day, but what’s in it? No eggs, no cream, no milk. Crazy. I feel like a bit of a traditionalist with the pies since I preferred the chocolate one despite the fact that the pumpkin cake was much more moist and flavorful than the chocolate one but I don’t think you can go wrong with either of them. Score up another victory for Cake Shop.

Falai

2009-02-11T15:43:00.001-08:00

21. Falai
68 Clinton Street between Rivington and Stanton

Just across the street from Falai Panetteria is Falai, a small Italian restaurant with a décor that reminded me of an indoor pool; mostly white, small tiles on the floor. If not for the open kitchen and the bar I would have thought to bring swimming trunks. For all of the issues with the décor, I was gracious that the hostess let us sit at a table after we told her we just wanted to try the pappardelle. After being seated, we were offered a selection from the bread basket which included black cabbage rolls, onion rolls, and slices of rosemary-raisin bread. I guess we didn’t have to pick up the whole loaf across the street to get a taste. The black cabbage roll was forgettable but before we received our order, we were given an amuse bouche. Barley with a parmesan crisp with cauliflower soup poured over it. If I’ve learned anything from five seasons of Top Chef, it’s that an amuse bouche is supposed to be one bite. Not only was this more than one spoonful but I had a hard time getting it into the spoon. It tasted like a tater-tot that had been cooked for a third of the time required; falling apart such that not even the crisp could help after being drowned in the cauliflower. I’ll try the pappardelle now.

The waitress had informed us that the tarragon pappardelle from the TONY list was swapped out for a different pappardelle. We went with it. Thyme pappardelle with crimini mushroom ragu, ricotta and fig puree ($16). What’s nice about pappardelle is that it carries sauces well. Just like at Le Cirque, the pappardelle served as a fine transportation vehicle for the ragu placed on top. The mushrooms didn’t overwhelm the dish and the fig puree had an intense fruity flavor that went well with the mushrooms. The amuse bouche, the bread, the décor, eh. The pappardelle was worth the experience, though I’m not convinced the price is justified.

Falai Panetteria

2009-02-11T15:42:00.001-08:00

I think that part of what I’m discovering about the list as I try more items is that each is very good when judged against its own category. When I think of the best things I ate this past year, most will probably be very similar things that I really enjoy like sushi or steak. But what kind of list would it be if it was just different sushi and steak places? What the TONY list does is make you look for what’s new that year and, relative to other items in their category, determine the best. Pickle pork soup wouldn’t be in the top 100, but was it a good soup that was different and made we want to go back? Yes.

20. Falai Panetteria
79 Clinton Street at Rivington

Chef Falai used to be the pasty chef at Le Cirque until opening up a couple of spots on the Lower East Side including Falai Panetteria, a café-like corner store with a few tables, waiter service and a pastry counter. Paneterria serves lunch and dinner with menu items using the same flavors Falai across the street (Italian). Rosemary-raisin bread from the list sounded very tempting and for $4.00 I was expecting a small roll or some flat-bread but for $4.00 we got an entire round loaf, probably about 8 or 9 inches in diameter. The bread was light and airy on the inside, while the crust was pretty firm, to the point that tearing the loaf in half became quite a challenge. The rosemary taste wasn’t overbearing at all and the raisins were littered throughout the bread, instead of just lumped on top. If this was sliced or made into individual rolls and served in a bread basket at a restaurant I would be very pleased. I’m sure that serving small pieces with some olive oil or making toast (French toast?) out of it would be wise. At the end of the day, it’s bread and it’s not in sticky bun form from Amy’s. In the realm of bread it’s a winner but I wouldn’t go out of my way to pick up a loaf, even at $4.00

Doughnut Plant - Kossar's - Gus's Pickles

2009-02-10T18:57:00.000-08:00

19. Doughnut Plant
379 Grand Street at Norfolk Street

Doughnut plant has been getting a ton of press since it first opened in the mid 90’s, serving freshly made donuts with unique flavors and filling combinations such as pistachio and peanut butter filled with raspberry jelly. With a line wrapping around the small store-front it is clear that there is a reason for all of the publicity. After seeing all of the different donuts, peeking through the kitchen window and smelling all of the cinnamon and chocolate I wanted to try all of the flavors they had that day, but I ordered the donut I was coming for, the coconut cream doughnut ($2.75) Biting into it released the liquidy coconut cream center (liquidy because it had just come out of the oven) and it was topped with a coconut glaze sprinkled with sweetened coconut shavings. The crust is flaky like a krispy kreme donut but isn’t greasy or oily, the donut isn’t too sweet and the coconut isn’t overbearing.

Was it a good donut, considerably outflanking Krispy Kreme and Dunkin? Yes. But, the $2.75 price tag is a little too hefty for me to be able to justify coming back for it. I also sampled what I believe is the blackout donut (I just asked for the one that the guy in front of me ordered). Chocolate cake topped with cocoa powder and filled with chocolate pudding. Awesome, and probably better than the coconut cream. Cake donuts are typically too dry for me but that’s what made the chocolate pudding such a solid compliment. Still a bit pricey but I can see what the fuss is about and don’t fault anyone for picking up one or two. Maybe a dozen.

Kossar’s Bialy
367 Grand Street

I hadn’t planned on stopping here but Kossar’s is constantly ranked as having one of the best bagels / bialys in the city. Picked up an everything bagel and a bialy to taste. Maybe it was too late in the day (2pm) to really be able to judge Kossar’s, (though Ess-a Bagel is still good in the afternoon on a Sunday), but I was very disappointed. Not only was it nowhere near Murray’s or Ess-a but it wasn’t even a good bagel. Marginally better than the random bagel I could get from any deli. I took a couple of bites and threw the rest out. If you know me, you can’t even imagine me throwing out food and yet Kossar’s wasn’t worth it.

Gus’s Pickles
87 Orchard Street at Broome

It’s pretty awesome when you can be a famous pickle store and just sell them out of barrels on the street with a small storefront to use as storage. Gus’s sells 2 pickles for a dollar ($6.00 for a quart), offering full-sour, ½ sour and a handful of other pickle varieties. I went with the full sour. It’s a pretty small pickle but it is quite tasty. Garlicky, sour, crunchy. What more can you ask for from a pickle? It’s not worth a special trip, but if I lived in the area I’d pick up a couple for a snack.

LES Tour - Dumplings

2009-02-09T19:18:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday marked an epic chapter in the TONY quest. Joined by a couple friends and blessed with Spring weather in the middle of February, we set out to conquer the Lower East Side in one day. I had received my camera from Amazon and with an empty stomach and a map from Google, we began our walk. Note: Since there were so many places covered on Sunday, I decided to enter each one separately for archiving purposes.

18. Lan Zhou Handmade Noodle Shop
144 E Broadway between Pike and Rutgers

When I think about cheap dumplings, I think about Fried Dumpling, a small place on Allen Street and Delancey that sells 5 fried pork & chive dumplings for $1. Lan Zhou Handmade Noodle is another 10 minutes Southeast and the first thing you see when you enter is a table in the back with a huge pile of dough (hence the “handmade” part). For most of the time we were there, there was a person kneading, massaging, and even pounding on the dough, slamming it into the table. We ordered exactly what was on the list, “dumplings.” Eight boiled dumplings for $2.00. Needless to say, they were not very happy with us that that was all we ordered, but it was going to be a long day and we weren’t ready to fill up on dumplings. When they arrived, they were steaming hot with paper-thin semi-transparent dough, beautifully crescent shaped, where you could see the fingertip marks where they were sealed. Covering them in soy sauce and vinegar, we dug into the first bite of our Sunday journey. They were very good, but I’m not ready to say they’re on the same level as Fried Dumpling and certainly not worth the extra walking. That being said, the place was pretty crowded with people ordering the noodle soups ($4.50) and they looked very good. I am definitely willing to come back for a cheap lunch on a nice day to get some noodles and stop at Fried Dumpling on the way back.

Fried Dumpling
99 Allen Street between Delancey and Broome

After all of the praise I just bestowed upon Fried Dumpling while talking about Lan Zhou, I felt it necessary to comment on this whole-in-the-wall immediately. I will start off by saying that after hitting up a number of spots yesterday on the TONY list, one of my friends insisted that we stop here since the dumplings are just that good. There are probably 6 seats in the entire space with most of their business coming from a large lunch crowd getting it to go. The menu is simple and their specialty is obvious. 5 dumplings for $1 is what I would spend my last buck on. Talk about affordability during hard times. They also serve slices of sesame pancake for $0.50 and pints of hot & sour soup for $1.00 though I haven’t been impressed with either and would rather put the money towards more dumplings. They offer vegetable dumplings also so feel free to bring everyone you know, just don’t count on snagging a table.

Amy's - Hing Won

2009-02-09T19:16:00.000-08:00

16. Amy’s Bread
672 9th Avenue between 46th & 47th (multiple locations)

After being told by two different locations that the sticky buns ($2.75) sell out before noon during my West Village tour, I knew that I would have to get there early if I was going to be able to try them. Luckily, a co-worker passes the midtown location on the way to work and was gracious enough to grab a couple at Amy’s Bread. I had pretty high expectations given the popularity of the pastry and was not disappointed. It’s taller than the usual sticky/cinnamon bun, topped with pecans, walnuts and drizzled with the traditional sugary, sweet syrup that make sticky buns so tasty. What separates an Amy’s Bread sticky bun from any other is the dough. It’s fresh and fluffy on the inside with a slightly firm crust that feels like it just came out of the oven. I think the best way to describe how good it is would be to quote my roommate. I had my co-worker pick up an extra one for him because I knew he would want to try it. After informing him that he wouldn’t be able to get the sticky bun until this next morning he asked me if it was worth walking the 7 blocks back and forth between our offices to pick it up from my desk. I told him that it was probably worth it but that he could pick one up the next morning himself, to which he replied, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. That thing was worth a walk of 20 blocks. Fantastic.” Enough said. Get there early.

17. Hing Won
48 W 48th between 5th and 6th ave

Hing Won has been profiled on midtownlunch numerous times. I’ve always wanted to try it but can never bring myself to have such a heavy lunch. The pickle pork soup on the TONY list gave me an excuse. Hing Won is a small counter service eat-in / take-out Chinese restaurant with a small by the pound buffet and a fair number of tables for people to get their food and sit-down. Almost all of the menu items are under $6.00. Though hesitant to try a pickle pork soup ($6.00), I was encouraged by the number of people waiting on line to order, and standing around waiting for tables. For those of you wondering about the pickle portion of the soup, I have no answer. I don’t know why they call it this. There are no pickles floating in the soup and there is no pickle taste. There is, however, pork and soup. The pork was pretty bland and tastes like the boiled pork you’d get mixed in with an order of bad lo mein, but the broth was spicy, there were a lot of noodles (granted they were only one step above from cheap ramen), and for a quart of soup with a lot of flavor, spice and noodles there are worse things to get for $6.00 in midtown for lunch. I think they’d do well to keep the broth and the noodles and swap in some roast pork and wontons a la a number of other mandarin soups you can get in the city. The soup was pretty oily but it was good enough to keep me interested and I’ll probably go back to try some of there other items. People that order the same udon from the same place for lunch in midtown would be advised to try Hing Won next time they have the craving.

Le Cirque for Restaurant Week

2009-02-05T18:14:00.001-08:00

Le Cirque
151 E 58th Street

My girlfriend and I had gone to Le Cirque for restaurant week last summer and loved it, so when I found out that they were extending the $24.07 lunches through February, I jumped on a reservation. We were seated in practically the same seat as last time. Men are required to wear jackets in the dining room where tables sit beneath a domed ceiling and earthy, orange undertones. We are seated at our table and greeted by a waiter carrying a bread tray with French bread and multigrain rolls. I tried the multigrain which was good, but not anything special and could have been softer.

The restaurant week (RW) menu offers diners a choice of appetizer, entrée and dessert for $24.07. Not a bad deal at Le Cirque considering that unlike a lot of other RW menus that offer cheaper versions of normal menu items, the RW menu has normal menu items that normally cost $45 for 2 courses. I started with an order of chestnut pappardelle with veal ragout, mushrooms and topped with candied rosemary, which was sugar-coated and I probably shouldn’t have eaten the entire sprig at once (the taste was a bit overwhelming). The pappardelle, however, was wonderful. I could have licked the bowl if decorum would have allowed it and I was pleasantly surprised by the entrée-sized portion. If I could come back and just order this, I would.

For my entrée, I ordered the steak (medium-rare of course). The RW menu online notes that it is a hanger steak but when we arrived it was another cut. I can’t recall which but the meat was tender, juicy, and cooked medium-rare. The problems lie in the footnotes. “Dried cherry tapenade.” This came very close to ruining the steak. I like olives. I like cherries. I don’t want either coming close to touching my steak, nor with each other. The tapenade was tart, olive-y and not very appetizing. Luckily the steak wasn’t smothered with the sauce and I managed to get through it. The 4 pieces of radicchio on the plate were covered in the sauce and were too bitter to be enjoyed anyway. Potato confit? I guess that’s French for “4 small diced cubes of plain baked potato.” Can I have some more of the pappardelle?

We both ordered the warm chocolate fondant for dessert, which I usually a safe bet to order at a restaurant as it’s fairly simple to make. It was delicious, of course, but didn’t really have any imaginative aspect to it. The cake was served with a spoonful of chocolate ice cream with some crushed peanuts on the bottom.

Was it worth coming back? Absolutely. I loved the pappardelle, liked the steak, and had a satisfying dessert. For $24.07 during restaurant week it’s certainly worth coming for lunch. The service is excellent as you aren’t really assigned one particular waiter, but are aided by an army of well-trained servers. It’s a bit of a high-browed experience but the price is right during RW and I am looking forward to the menu choices in the Summer.

Cream Cheese - 'wichcraft

2009-02-03T17:52:00.000-08:00

14. Hungarian Meat Market
1560 2nd Avenue at 81st

The place is a meat market but the TONY item is cream cheese. Hungarian cream cheese. I had a friend pick up some for me since she lives close by so I can't comment on the actual store, but a 1/2 pound of cream cheese ($5.00) is a lot of cream cheese. Since there is paprika in the spread, the cheese is salmon colored, speckled with small dots of red and mixed with a few pieces of pearl onion. The cream cheese is creamier than a normal block shape but not as smooth as the whipped variety. Hungarian cream cheese tastes like its ingredients. Slightly butter-y, slightly onion-y, not an overpowering taste of paprika, or anything for that matter and altogether satisfying. I would probably say that it has a similarity to scallion cream cheese, though each bite has the slight sharpness to it, instead of just having clumps of scallion. Hungarian Meat Market is pretty much in the middle of nowhere unless you happen to live on the Upper East Side and I wouldn't go out of my way just to pick up some cream cheese, but if in the area (or if you happen to have a friend close by) it's worth dropping in for a 1/2 pound.

15. 'wichcraft
Multiple locations (see website)

Tom Colicchio (of Craft and Top Chef fame) opened up 'wichcraft only a few years ago with only a couple of locations and over the past couple of years he has opened locations all over the city (probably around 7-8). I had tried this when it first came out and was not particularly impressed, probably because the sandwiches weren't worth the $9-10 price both in taste and quantity. There's one location that is on SeamlessWeb and is located right outside of my office building but they close at 5pm. Just today I noticed another location on SeamlessWeb at another location and I took the opportunity to try a TONY item for free. The marinated white anchovy sandwich ($9.00) comes with soft-cooked hard-boiled egg, roasted onion, salsa verde, and frisee on country bread. The bread was soft and tasted fresh, the egg was cooked perfectly and provided some great taste and texture. They call it a salsa verde but it looked and tasted like pesto (a little garlicky and buttery). I love anchovies. I use an entire can of anchovies when I make a personal sized pizza. I didn't think I could get enough anchovies. I didn't love this sandwich. There were probably 3 large anchovies on each half of the sandwich (by the way, every piece that didn't have anchovy tasted nothing like fish) and when I bit into one, it had more of a fishy taste than the overpowering salt flavor that I love about anchovies from the can. I'm not sure if it was the marinade or the fact that they were "white" anchovies but I'm not going to say I wasn't disappointed. I also tried the beet salad ($9.00) which wasn't anything special. For free on SeamlessWeb I'm glad I tried it, but for full price it wouldn't have been worth it.

West Village Tour

2009-02-02T18:33:00.000-08:00

Decided that on my free Saturday afternoon I would try to get done with a few items from the list. The six food items were beer, cupcake, pork pie, sliders, gelato, and sticky buns. Being that there were a number of dessert items, my friend and I began our journey at the Little Owl for our slider entrée. Having been told that the kitchen opens at 5:00pm, we decided to pick up a sticky bun for the road. To our disappointment, we were informed that sticky buns sell out at around noon. We tried calling the other Amy’s Bread locations and they told us the same thing. Looks like that’s one from the list we won’t be able to try. Time for a drink…

10. Blind Tiger Ale House
281 Bleecker St at Jones St

I had passed this bar constantly when I lived in the West Village but never went in for a drink. According to their website, Blind Tiger serves 28 different draught beers, over 50 bottled beers and a handful of cask beers. Looking over the draught list, I quickly realize that I’m not familiar with any of them, save for the Magic Hat # 9 and give them credit for hosting such a wide selection of unique beers. What I came here for though, was the Bloody Beer ($7.50), which is essentially a bloody mary with beer. Tomato juice, “secret spices”, and an ale that the bartender throws in are mixed together and garnished with celery, a pickle, a jalapeño and a cube of cheese from Murray’s across the street. I’m not a fan of bloody mary’s and was skeptical of the bloody beer but gave it a try. At first sip, I thought I liked it, as it was certainly not as tomato-y as a normal bloody mary and the malt from the beer gave the drink a nice finish. The problem for me was the spices. There was a lot going on already in the drink and the chunks of whatever spices they added floating created a pulp-like mixture that required a bit of chewing before going down. Despite my hesitance to leave some over considering I paid $7.50 for the drink, I left about half of it on the table. In all fairness, I think that if you like bloody mary’s and like them spicy, it is definitely worth looking into. If you don’t like it, Blind Tiger is ready with 28 draughts to keep you busy.

11. Sweet Revenge
62 Carmine Street between Bedford and 7th Ave

It was about 4:50pm and being that it was quite cold, we decided to stop by Sweet Revenge on the way back to the Little Owl. Sweet Revenge is a small bakery / lunch / breakfast spot with seating for 8-10 in café tables that are right on top of each other. I food menu is predominantly French, serving croque monsieur sandwiches, quiche and parisian sandwiches, but the cupcake display showcasing the freshly baked treats reminded us quickly why we came. We tried 3 different cupcakes (all $3.50 – not exactly a cheap snack).

The Crimson & Cream, suggested on the TONY list was by far my favorite. Raspberry red velvet cake topped with cream cheese frosting. I was skeptical at first since red velvet cake usually has a very heavy and intense flavor but the cake was moist and not too sweet. The cream cheese frosting was smooth, creamy and you could taste the cream cheese instead of just sugar like a lot of other places. The Dirty cupcake is chocolate cake with dark chocolate truffle frosting; moist with an intensely chocolate frosting. The Sweet Revenge signature cupcake is peanut butter cake, chocolate ganache filling and peanutbutter buttercream frosting. While the chocolate ganache didn’t really provide much of anything, the cupcake was by far the sweetest of the three and the peanutbutter buttercream was excellent. Other cupcakes to try include a Spice Islands Carrot and a Malaysian Coconut.

The one thing I will definitely mention is that service was incredibly slow. Granted that there were only 2 people working there and all of the tables were full, but the woman in line in front of us actually left before she could even order, complaining that she had waited long enough.

Further commentary on cupcakes vs. cakes

My belief is that a cupcake can be one of two things. Either it is its own dessert, with rules that define it as its own item, the texture of the cake and how it combines with the frosting, or it is a cake in cup shape. Crumbs, for example and for those who have been, is the latter type in that it is so complex in its fillings and toppings that it tastes like a slice of cake and in my head should be compared to other cakes. Magnolia is the former type, with a taste that is something different than just a slice of cake. Maybe I’m crazy, but cupcakes taste different than cakes (unless it’s just a cake in cup form). I have deemed that Sweet Revenge, despite its complexity is, in fact, a cupcake. Each of them was light, not too sweet and not messy at all. If in the area, I would have no reservations about coming here for dessert, despite the $3.50 price tag.

I would welcome any further commentary on the cake vs. cupcake question. I've received a few different perspectives from people at my office (they agree that cupcakes and cake are different) suggesting that Magnolia is more cake than cupcake (counter to my argument) and feel that cakes are moist and cupcakes have a firmer base. Thoughts?

12. the Little Owl
90 Bedford Street at Grove

5:10pm and we return to the Little Owl. Having told the wait staff what our plan was earlier, we were seated at the bar, tasked to sample one item only, the meatball sliders. Coming 3 or 4 to an order, the Gravy Meatball Sliders ($10 for 3) are meatballs made of beef, pork, and veal blended with pecorino cheese, topped with some marinara sauce, a slice of arugula and served on small buns freshly made in the restaurant’s oven. The meatballs are juicy and tender and the pecorino cheese adds a slight sharpness to each bite. For those eating dinner, I would say it’s a must have appetizer. Alternatively, I think that if you’re looking for a smaller dinner, just sit at the bar, order the sliders, have some bread at the table and you’ll be entirely satisfied. The restaurant has been given considerable accolades from restaurant critics and reservations are strongly suggested for lunch, brunch and dinner. Little Owl also serves a burger during lunch and brunch using La Frieda meat, which I will definitely be coming back to sample.

13. Myers of Keswick
634 Hudson Street between Horatio and Jane

Heading north, we ducked into Myers of Keswick, a British bakery and convenience store selling all different kinds of pies, snacks and packaged goods from England. They have a website myersofkeswick.com where you can order items for delivery and have some pictures of the store to check out. We ordered some pork pies ($3.00) and a Scottish egg ($3.00) to go. The owner told us that most people eat the pies cold but we could heat them up and that the Scottish egg is eaten cold. The crust of the pork pie tasted like it was freshly made. The pork filling was basically ground pork sausage, which when eaten cold made me feel slightly disgusting since I could basically feel the fat filling my arteries. I had to heat it up. A few seconds in the microwave made all the difference for me. The warm crust and the sausage were excellent. It’s too big to be a snack and probably too small to be lunch, but splitting 3 of them is something I can definitely see myself doing. I was excited for the Scottish egg after having such a good experience at JoeDoe but it was just the same pork filling from the pork pie covering a hardboiled egg. Nothing special about it and since it’s the same price I’ll stick to the pork pies.

BuonItalia
75 9th Avenue (Chelsea Market)

We were a bit confused about this one, as its part of the list and yet the people that work there claim that they don’t sell gelato. Perhaps this is a seasonal item? At any rate, we will definitely return when the weather gets nicer. Meanwhile, something to satisfy the craving for ice cream…

Ronnybrook Farms Dairy
75 9th Avenue (Chelsea Market)

Tucked away among a number of ice cream / gelato places in Chelsea Market is Ronnybrook Farms Dairy, the only permanent NYC outpost selling products from the farm. Ronnybrook sells yogurt, milk and other dairy products at a number of green markets throughout the city but for ice cream, you have to go to the store in Chelsea Market. I went for two scoops; one pistachio and one chocolate ($3.50), which is not cheap but they do sell a children’s size for much less if you ask for it and is plenty of ice cream. The ice cream is fresh, full of flavor and very refreshing (it surprisingly did not leave me incredibly thirsty as ice cream tends to do). If you're in the area, or just want to explore Chelsea Piers, I would make a point of trying Ronnybrook before leaving.

Hallo Berlin - Return to Taqueria

2009-01-31T09:41:00.000-08:00

9. Hallo Berlin Express
744 9th Avenue between 50th and 51st

After receiving numerous accolades from midtownlunch and winning the 2005 Vendy Awards, Hallo Berlin Cart opened a full restaurant on 10th avenue and a smaller express restaurant on 9th avenue. Hallo Berlin serves 10 different kinds of wurst sausages and a number of other Eastern European dishes like schnitzel, goulash, and stuffed cabbage. Wanting to come here for some time, I finally braved the walk uptown and ordered the double soul food combo ($8.00) which consists of chopped up pork bratwurst and a pork/beef frank mixed with fried german potatoes, sauerkraut, onions and mustard. The sausages had a crisp casing with a tasty and salty filling, though certainly not the best sausage I've ever had. The potatoes were crunchy on the ends and the sauerkraut was probably from a can. The food was prepared well and left me satisfied but it wasn't anything special and certainly not worth the hype. On top of all of this was the service that was unbearably slow for a place that has most of its food prepared already and had few people to serve. The one item that did tempt me to come back is that the restaurant also serves various german beers in 17oz steins for $8.00 that look awesome.

Tacqueria y Fonda Part Deux
See original post for location info

Just wanted to add a couple of comments about Taqueria since I returned to try some new items. I admit that I was tempted to order the burrito again but I saw someone else order the tamale and it looked excellent. I went for the beef tongue taco ($3.50) and the chicken tamale ($3.50). The beef tongue came out first. They presented a generous serving of diced grilled tongue with cilantro, tomatoes and onions on top of a corn tortilla (there were 2 there though I'm not sure they meant to give me two). Two were necessary as there was too much food to fit into one tortilla. The tongue was tender and slightly liver-y in flavor, and the corn tortilla was made fresh. I didn't expect the tamale to be spicy but it had quite a kick. The thigh meat chicken in the tamale tasted greasy but the masa (corn dough) was well seasoned and filling.

Amai Tea - The Ginger Man

2009-01-29T16:32:00.000-08:00

8. Amai Tea & Bake House
171 3rd Avenue between 16th and 17th

My default cupcake spot is Magnolia. Despite numerous calls for me to try Billy’s Bakery and other spots, I have developed something of a loyalty to the smooth vanilla buttercream frosting and fluffy cake base that Magnolia serves. Amai serves a green tea cupcake, the recommended item on the list for about $3.00 (Magnolia is $2.00). The frosting was more whipped cream than frosting; light, airy and just a touch creamy, it was quite refreshing. In fact, the whole cupcake was refreshing. The cupcake and frosting are both green, the cake is moist, light and almost cooling. My friend thought it was great. For me, it didn’t hit the spot. It was a bit too light for me to consider it a dessert, and I don’t know what a cupcake can be besides something I crave after a meal.

The Ginger Man
11 E 36th Street between 5th and Madison

Finding inexpensive sit-down restaurants in midtown is a pretty daunting task. The Ginger Man is more of a bar than a restaurant, serving a vast collection of brews and cask ales. When I went at around 1pm, the place was almost completely empty, which I’m hoping is just a sign of the times and that less people are making the journey out for a sit-down lunch and simply retiring to office cafeterias and bagged lunches. The menu consists of traditional bar fare, though the intent was to make an Irish bar (save for the ploughman’s lunch and bratwurst at around $14). Not being prepared to spend so much on lunch, I decided to try the turkey and brie sandwich served on a French baguette with a side of potato chips. The sandwich is decent and clearly nothing special. For $9.50 it’s not horribly mis-priced for a sit-down lunch and given the selection of beers that they serve, it’s definitely worth going to if you want to try a new ale ($6-9 with $10 flights of 4 4.5 oz samples). If only they had a happy hour…

JoeDoe - Nicky's - Redhead

2009-01-28T15:17:00.000-08:00

A Quick Note

I just wanted to note that I ordered a digital camera and desperately want to add photos of everything to the site. Also, I am working on creating a master map that will have locations of all of the restaurants that I write about. Back to the food:

6. JoeDoe
45 E 1st Street between 1st and 2nd Ave

Jew food is comfort food and chopped liver on challah ranks pretty high on my list of Jew food. In sharp contrast with this Jewish staple is bacon. For those that keep kosher, one could suggest that even mentioning these items in the same sentence is somewhat unsettling. What I know is that chopped liver is awesome and bacon is awesome. JoeDoe gave me the chance to try them together.

JoeDoe, a small 15-20 seat restaurant, opened in Fall of 2008 and with competition coming from Prune (which I have yet to go) across the street, was not particularly crowded on the Friday night at 7:30 that I continued on the TONY quest. I had planned on splitting the chicken-liver sandwich with bacon ($11) with a friend at the bar and heading on my way but we were also intrigued by the “Scottish Egg” ($9) which is a hard-boiled egg that is covered with sausage and deep fried, served with mustard. The bartender started us off with some fried chickpeas which are apparently also served at Prune. They were hot, oily, slightly crispy and a welcome snack while we waited for the appetizers. The Scottish Egg was well plated, the sausage and egg were very tasty and the mustard complemented the dish perfectly. The only problem I had with it is that it is still a $9 egg, it’s only one egg and it’s essentially breakfast.

The chopped-liver sandwich, however, made me even more determined to complete the list. If all of the items are going to be this good, I’m in for a spectacular ride. For $11 I was quite impressed with the amount of food that they serve. It’s definitely enough to have as a small meal in itself. The challah is lightly toasted, the chicken liver is creamy and not as livery-tasting as its beef counterpart and the bacon adds saltiness and texture to each bite. As if this wasn’t enough, the sandwich is served with a side of baked apple chutney. I couldn’t decide whether I enjoyed the sandwich more with some of the sauce on it and finished the sandwich while alternating bites with and without it.

Though the rest of the menu looks fairly pricey, I will definitely return for the sandwich and to try some of there desserts.

Nicky’s Vietnamese Sandwiches
150 E 2nd Street between A and B

I had read about this place on a number of cheap eats websites and had wanted to try it for quite some time. Nicky’s is a small space that sells Vietnamese sandwiches, all served on baguettes with pickled carrots, cucumber, cilantro and mayo. All of the sandwiches are $5.00-5.50 including sardine, chicken and pork chop sandwiches with their specialty being the classic Vietnamese which comes with pate, Vietnamese ham and roasted ground pork and can be ordered regular or spicy. Feeling particular brave I chose the spicy and sat down at one of 2 tables. As my friend noted, one sandwich is not enough to fill you up but two is too many. Ideally I would come here and split 3 sandwiches with someone else. The classic was well worth the wait with the pate and vegetables providing most of the flavor and the ham and ground pork adding consistency. The baguette was fresh and the ratio of veggies to meat was just about right. The only problem that I had was that I thought I could take down the spicy sandwich which was slightly out of my heat tolerance. Nicky’s sandwiches are a steal at $5.

7. the Redhead
349 E 13th St. between 1st and 2nd Ave

Redhead is a small bar/restaurant that serves Southern-inspired cuisine until 1am. I had never heard of this place until it was mentioned on the TONY list. The place feels more like a bar with tables than a restaurant, but based on the reviews I’ve read about the service and quality of food from the full menu, I am ready to try the full experience (reservations are taken for parties of 5+ and only before 6:30pm and after 9pm; if it’s anything like when I went at 11pm, reservations are necessary as all of the tables were full and the bar was hopping). Items of note on the full menu include a homemade pretzel and Kreuz sausage which is flown in from Texas, and fried chicken. I was only there to get some of their bacon peanut brittle to go, which they sell in self-sealing jars for $7.50. It’s peanut-y, it’s sweet, spicy, salty and altogether befitting of the praise that it has received from food critics. There are small clumps of bacon that stick to many of the individual peanuts, combining the crunchiness of the nut with the softer texture of the bacon. I’m usually hesitant to spend $7.50 on a snack, but this is well worth it. The jar, while small in appearance, is probably enough for 3-4 tastings. For those not in the area, Redhead sells jars in 3-packs on their website for $20.

Tacqueria y La Fonda

2009-01-27T17:32:00.000-08:00

Tacqueria y Fonda

968 Amsterdam Avenue

Tucked away in an unassuming space is Tacqueria, a restaurant serving large portions of inexpensive Mexican cuisine. The menu doesn’t have anything above $12, and the value is accentuated even further given that the restaurant participates in restaurant.com gift certificates (purchase a $25 gift certificate for $2-3 with a minimum purchase of $35 which in this restaurant isn’t so easy for a party of 2).

The kitchen starts off tables with home-made chips and 3 kinds of salsa. Beers are all $4 and include Sol, Dos Equis, and Corona. We started off with some guacamole ($6) for the table in an attempt to reach the $35 threshold, which was fair but easily forgettable and not something I would be quick to order again. I ordered the Giant Burrito ($9) which is filled with beans, rice, cheese, lettuce, guacamole, tomatoes, sour cream and a choice of meat or vegetable. Following the waiter’s suggestion, I had mine with pork and grilled pineapple. I tend to think that I have a large appetite and yet I was narrowly defeated by the size of the burrito which I estimate to be about 1.5x the size of a Chipotle burrito and significantly tastier. While a substantial portion is rice and beans, the pork and pineapple were grilled perfectly and the mozzarella cheese forms chewy strings that contrast nicely.

At this point, we had spent $29 including 3 beers, the giant burrito and a vegetarian quesadilla. Scrambling to spend the extra $6, we were disappointed to discover that the only dessert option is flan. After ordering a chicken salad to go, which I subsequently ate the next day for lunch, our bill came to around $41, leaving the cost of the meal at $28 ($50 with tip - $25 gift certificate + $3 for the gift certificate). The chicken salad consisted of a nice portion of grilled thigh meat, avocado, tomato, onion and lettuce that left me satisfied but was certainly not up to standard with the rest of the meal.

While the atmosphere is non-existent and the location is fairly inconvenient for anyone living below 96^th street, Tacqueria’s portions, inexpensive menu and quality make it a strong contender for one of the top cheap eats in NYC.

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The TONY List

2009-01-27T17:30:00.003-08:00

TONY List

Time Out New York wrote up a list of the “Top 100 best things we ate and drank this year.” I noticed that I had been to a handful of them, wanted to try others and hadn’t heard of many of them. After reading an article about someone who tried to go to all 100 of the places mentioned in the 2007 list, I decided to go on my own quest to take down the list. Restaurants that are part of the list will be entered with a number before the name of the restaurant. The following 5 items represent the locations that I had previously been to before the beginning of the quest:

1. Artichoke Basille’s Pizza & Brewery

328 E 14^th Street between 1^st and 2^nd Avenue

When people think about pizza, they think about NY and Chicago. When people think about NY pizza, they think about Lombardi’s and Grimaldi’s. I’ve been to Lombardi’s. I’ve been to Grimaldi’s. I’ve been to Otto, John’s and Patsy’s and I would not hesitate for a minute to say that Artichoke is the best slice of pizza in NYC (Note: I have not tried Di Fara’s which I hear serves an incredibly good slice). Artichoke serves 4 kinds of slices: (1) Margherita ($3.50) – a traditional round pizza slice made with homemade tomato sauce, fresh basil and fresh mozzarella and sliced at around 1.5x the usual size of a slice; (2) Sicilian ($3.50)– square slice with slightly burned ends that is crispy, garlicky, and represents the contender for best slice despite its size relative to the round slice; (3) Artichoke ($4.00) – a round slice topped with a creamy spinach artichoke that is rich, filling and made with clumps of cheese; (4) Crab slice ($4.00) which I have yet to try but have heard good things about.

Usually there is a line at Artichoke (20 minutes+) so whenever I pass at an off-peak time I feel slightly obliged to order a slice simply because there is no line. The place does serve beer but there are no tables and only enough room for 2-3 people to stand by the counter. They are open late and serve as a staple option for those on their way back from the bar.

2. Momofuku Noodle Bar

171 First Avenue between 10^th and 11^th

The restaurant deserves its own review on its own merits but for the sake of the list I will try to describe the crispy pigs’ tails appetizer ($14) that is suggested. This item was not on the menu and served as a special that night but given that it is on the TONY list, I imagine that it is served often. If it has pork it in, I’m interested. If it has something unusual, I’m interested. Pig’s tails? Sold. The restaurant serves a healthy appetizer portion (about 8 or so). The tails are fried and glazed with a sweet/sour sauce and are gummy in texture, very similar to oxtail. For $14 I expected a bit more and with so many other strong options at the restaurant I don’t think I would order it again.

3. McSorley’s Old Ale House

15 E 7^th Street between 2^nd and 3^rd Avenue

It doesn’t seem right to write up a review about McSorley’s at is such a NY institution, but for those that have not yet experienced its majesty, McSorley’s is the oldest bar in New York and serves only McSorley’s dark ale and McSorley’s light ale (Two ½ pints for $4.50). The dark ale is caramel flavored and creamy while the light is more of a pale ale. The line can get quite long and the bar very crowded so go early.

4. Indus Express

48 W 48^th Street between 5^th and 6^th Ave

Chaat is an Indian snack food made up of potatoes, yogurt, spices, chick peas, and chilis that is normally topped with samosa pieces (samosa chaat) or fried crispy strings (papri chaat) and is served warm or cold. After searching for an Indian restaurant that served it as an appetizer, midtownlunch directed me to Taj Delhi Chat that serves generous portions for $5-6 and is spicy and filling. Indus Express serves as competition though the portions are a little smaller at Indus and the samosa chaat ($5) has more flavor at Taj. For those not willing to make the trek from their offices in the low 50’s to 38^th street to go to Taj, Indus Express is definitely recommended for inexpensive chaat. Additionally, Indus sells Indian sweets such as Burfi, has a buffet and a fairly nice dining area for a small fast food Indian restaurant.

5. Porchetta

110 E 7^th Street between 1^st and A

Porchetta has been named one of the top new places for 2008. Numerous critics and restaurant chefs have been vocal about their adoration for the porchetta (pork) sandwiches that this fast food stand sells. For me, the sandwich did not live up to the hype. Maybe I had too high expectations. Maybe it was an off night. Maybe it wasn’t enough of a sample size (Full disclosure: I sampled some of my friend’s sandwich). Don’t get me wrong, it was a good sandwich. I just have a hard time spending $9 on a sandwich when there are a number of other great spots in the area where $9 buys more food of equal or better quality (Nicky’s Vietnamese for example). I am certainly interested in returning for the platter which comes with roasted potatoes with burnt ends.

Just a quick comment should anyone want to try it for themselves. The place is quite small, with room for only about 5 people on stools so should the line be long you may be shivering in the cold for quite a bit. I would suggest taking the sandwich to nearby Tomkins Square Park to enjoy without the crowd.

Welcome

2009-01-27T17:30:00.001-08:00

Reviewing and cataloging the 10,000+ restaurants in NYC is a task that is surprisingly well undertaken by a number of the myriad food websites such as menupages, nymetro, yelp and midtownlunch, all of which I strongly recommend to those seeking a new restaurant to try.

Having spent the last few years sampling offerings from Michelin rated restaurants to street meat, I wanted to begin the chronicling of my own adventures in cuisine. Keeping in mind that food is predominantly a matter of personal taste, I hope that by journaling my experiences I can develop a catalog of reviews that others can use to make more informed dining decisions.