1849

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.

Cabrito

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.

Sant Ambroues

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:

Spice Market

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.

Jacques Torres

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.

Perilla

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.

West Village Tour

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.