None of these places were on the list I've been stiching together, but they were were surprising standouts, like a fat kid bypassing your donut stand without so much as a glance. And now onto the reviews:
Breeze (Thai-French, Hell's Kitchen, $-$$, ++): More Thai than French but with just enough fusion elements to keep the title out of the trickery zone, this restaurant is a standout among a neighborhood overrun with generic Thai food. Dishes were very fresh, a bit salty, but seasonings were original. Mushroom dumplings, lobster rolls, braised short tibs, scallops, duck were all very good. The most French element was probably the crust on the duck, but despite the lack of true fusion the flavor is compelling.
Taboon (Mediterranean, Hell's Kitchen, $$$, ++): I'm somewhat skeptical of the Mediterranean label for the food at this place, but overall it's a very solid meal, in the vein of places like little owl, although i'd say the flavors are actually stronger and more distinct. The Mediterranean tribute, hummus and falafel, are above average, probably not the best I've ever had, but better than most places, and clearly head and shoulders above several places that specialize in that type of stuff. This is one of those places where the cooks are really good and as a result, they tend to do what taste goods rather than feeling boxed in by the regional label (see Hell's Kitchen, etc.).
Buddakan (Asian Fusion, Meatpacking, $$$, ++): I didn't really notice any food quality difference between this one and the ones in Philadelphia and Atlantic City - which is a good thing. The edamamae dumplings were still awesome, the tarot root lollipops reminded me of legit sunday morning dim sum, the salad was one of those really light, insubstantial yet somehow refreshing and appetizing starr salads, and the ribs, well I think tender is the word I'm looking for there. I'm not really sure of the dollar/food quality ratio here, i think it might be overvalued, but you are paying partly for the scene, which is worth at least something to some people.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Another week in review
First some out of town places, then back to the home front:
Continental (Americana, Atlantic City Pier at Caesar's, $-$$, ++): I've always loved this place, American food with just enough fusion / spin /creative elements to set it clearly apart from even high-end diner food, with some other very straightforward dishes if you have a certain craving. Portions are pretty huge for some dishes (anything involving potatoes) and just right for others, presentation is well-executed, taste always comes first. The burgers and spin on comfort foods are always good, but unlike diners where you might be afraid to step up for a steak or seafood, that's exactly what you can feel comfortable doing here. You also get a sweet view of the ocean which during summer time is awesome, and you're right next door to buddakan, another amazing starr restaurant.
Longhorn Steakhouse (Steakhouses, Atlantic City, $$, -): I realize this is a well-established chain, but that's really not why I'm dinging it. Not only does the steak here comes up short when compared with places of the same caliber, but the sides and salads are also uninspiring and taste like they came straight from the box, with extra butter to try and hide that fact. See last review and then note, you could get almost the same quality food at a generic diner in terms of steak and you'd be paying less. Medium rare steak was solidly overcooked, although if you're running a place with this type of traffic it probably makes sense to play it safe all the time.
Sofia's Cucina (Italian, little italy, $$, ++): I've always had issues with the italian restaurants in hell's kitchen being somewhat touristy (medicore + overpriced), and i kind of assumed the same would be true of little italy, but this place was actually pretty good. The mushroom ravioli i had was probably a +, but the bruschetta / calamari were ++ and everyone else I was eating with insisted that their pasta was really good so despite my entree I'm giving this place a nod. This is italian comfort food but definitely prepared with attention to detail and presented with a small flair.
Riposo 46 (Winebars, hell's kitchen, $$, +): The wine selection here is eclectic but very solid, and the food (we had the flat bread) is also very solid, in the vein of a tapas place, not quite as much selection as some other places, but very well-executed using very fresh ingredients and no trickery in terms of over seasoning or buttering. Atmosphere / smallness makes this 100% a date place, spent 3 hours here with the food coming late at night and it was still pretty tasty.
Baba Louie's Organic Pizza (Pizza, Hudson [upstate NY], $, +): The health factor was evident here. The best part of the meal was actually the salad with figs and apricots and goat cheese. Everything was extremely fresh tasting, but the only issue is that when combined it tasted something like you make at home if you're not really a good cook, where the flavors are there but they don't really blend together. Overall thought it wasn't bad, just not memorable.
Hell's kitchen (Mexican, hell's kitchen, $$, ++): A more fusion approach to Mexican, vs. the more traditional tex-mex and or authentic places like Toloache, Dos Caminos. I've eaten here several times. It's like fine dining where you carefully cook and season everything and then randomly decide to throw some of what you make into tortillas or into shells. Both the appetizers and entrees are original and offer plenty of twists and surprises. Really good guacamole as well.
Pearl Oyster Bar (Seafood, west village, $$, ++): I was told after we came here that it wasn't oyster season, and I still thought this place was great, so I guess that says something. Raw oysters were decent, although I think my power of judgement are limited so until I get some more experience I wouldn't put a lot of weight into this. Salad was simple and well-executed, clam chowder was delicious, clam pasta and lobster roll were top notch (they give you the whole lobster tail as your sandwich), fried oyster roll was average. I would definitely come here again, especially during a month that has an "R" in it, since that's supposed to be the oyster quality litmus test.
Aureole (American, bryant park, $$$, +): I found this place to be a mixed bag, with more duds than hits, although the hits were pretty money. The bread, desserts, and chef's compliments soup (scallop and lime) were my favorites, which in general are not my favorite parts of the meal, but they were really well done in terms of combining divergent flavors, which is really what I think of when I think of high-end americana served in the formal dining setting. The pork belly and black sea bass were good, lobster tail was very average, and halibut, tomato terrine, soft shell crab were pretty uninspiring. There is a 15% discount here if you go before mid-september but I still wouldn't recommend it. Rumor has is there's a vodka, thyme, and ginger drink that's out of this world.
Quick reviews for before i was giving pluses:
Sugiyama, +++
Peter Luger's, ++
Word of the day: bait station
Continental (Americana, Atlantic City Pier at Caesar's, $-$$, ++): I've always loved this place, American food with just enough fusion / spin /creative elements to set it clearly apart from even high-end diner food, with some other very straightforward dishes if you have a certain craving. Portions are pretty huge for some dishes (anything involving potatoes) and just right for others, presentation is well-executed, taste always comes first. The burgers and spin on comfort foods are always good, but unlike diners where you might be afraid to step up for a steak or seafood, that's exactly what you can feel comfortable doing here. You also get a sweet view of the ocean which during summer time is awesome, and you're right next door to buddakan, another amazing starr restaurant.
Longhorn Steakhouse (Steakhouses, Atlantic City, $$, -): I realize this is a well-established chain, but that's really not why I'm dinging it. Not only does the steak here comes up short when compared with places of the same caliber, but the sides and salads are also uninspiring and taste like they came straight from the box, with extra butter to try and hide that fact. See last review and then note, you could get almost the same quality food at a generic diner in terms of steak and you'd be paying less. Medium rare steak was solidly overcooked, although if you're running a place with this type of traffic it probably makes sense to play it safe all the time.
Sofia's Cucina (Italian, little italy, $$, ++): I've always had issues with the italian restaurants in hell's kitchen being somewhat touristy (medicore + overpriced), and i kind of assumed the same would be true of little italy, but this place was actually pretty good. The mushroom ravioli i had was probably a +, but the bruschetta / calamari were ++ and everyone else I was eating with insisted that their pasta was really good so despite my entree I'm giving this place a nod. This is italian comfort food but definitely prepared with attention to detail and presented with a small flair.
Riposo 46 (Winebars, hell's kitchen, $$, +): The wine selection here is eclectic but very solid, and the food (we had the flat bread) is also very solid, in the vein of a tapas place, not quite as much selection as some other places, but very well-executed using very fresh ingredients and no trickery in terms of over seasoning or buttering. Atmosphere / smallness makes this 100% a date place, spent 3 hours here with the food coming late at night and it was still pretty tasty.
Baba Louie's Organic Pizza (Pizza, Hudson [upstate NY], $, +): The health factor was evident here. The best part of the meal was actually the salad with figs and apricots and goat cheese. Everything was extremely fresh tasting, but the only issue is that when combined it tasted something like you make at home if you're not really a good cook, where the flavors are there but they don't really blend together. Overall thought it wasn't bad, just not memorable.
Hell's kitchen (Mexican, hell's kitchen, $$, ++): A more fusion approach to Mexican, vs. the more traditional tex-mex and or authentic places like Toloache, Dos Caminos. I've eaten here several times. It's like fine dining where you carefully cook and season everything and then randomly decide to throw some of what you make into tortillas or into shells. Both the appetizers and entrees are original and offer plenty of twists and surprises. Really good guacamole as well.
Pearl Oyster Bar (Seafood, west village, $$, ++): I was told after we came here that it wasn't oyster season, and I still thought this place was great, so I guess that says something. Raw oysters were decent, although I think my power of judgement are limited so until I get some more experience I wouldn't put a lot of weight into this. Salad was simple and well-executed, clam chowder was delicious, clam pasta and lobster roll were top notch (they give you the whole lobster tail as your sandwich), fried oyster roll was average. I would definitely come here again, especially during a month that has an "R" in it, since that's supposed to be the oyster quality litmus test.
Aureole (American, bryant park, $$$, +): I found this place to be a mixed bag, with more duds than hits, although the hits were pretty money. The bread, desserts, and chef's compliments soup (scallop and lime) were my favorites, which in general are not my favorite parts of the meal, but they were really well done in terms of combining divergent flavors, which is really what I think of when I think of high-end americana served in the formal dining setting. The pork belly and black sea bass were good, lobster tail was very average, and halibut, tomato terrine, soft shell crab were pretty uninspiring. There is a 15% discount here if you go before mid-september but I still wouldn't recommend it. Rumor has is there's a vodka, thyme, and ginger drink that's out of this world.
Quick reviews for before i was giving pluses:
Sugiyama, +++
Peter Luger's, ++
Word of the day: bait station
Nostalgia lost, the AC redux
Atlantic City hasn't changed in the last 7 months (yeah, I realize that's probably not a surprise). There's some hope for the city, but unless oil/gold is discovered under the pawn shops on pacific ave, I'm not even sure that 2 billion is enough to turn the city into the waterfront paradise that I always wanted it to be. Revel will probably open sometime in 2011, and transformation or not, I'll be there to donate some more money to a good cause. If you're planning on taking a trip, I highly recommend the train. As much as I love a 15 dollar round trip, if you take the bus, you're invariably going to sit next to some one who eats fried chicken. And as much as I love fried chicken, the smell starts to bother me after about minute 45.
So the nostalgia was lost, but not because the city has turned into vegas. I'll take full credit for turning what should have been a slightly disastrous weekend given the circumstancs into an epic adventure involving a $57,000 jackpot, a blonde model, the craziest run at a craps table I've ever seen, and 4 hours of sleep for the entire weekend. I admit, I do get a certain kick out of being the swing factor.
So the nostalgia was lost, but not because the city has turned into vegas. I'll take full credit for turning what should have been a slightly disastrous weekend given the circumstancs into an epic adventure involving a $57,000 jackpot, a blonde model, the craziest run at a craps table I've ever seen, and 4 hours of sleep for the entire weekend. I admit, I do get a certain kick out of being the swing factor.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
List evolution
Worked from home yesterday and took the opportunity to not only get household chores done to possibly free up time to go to AC, but also to hone the list (thanks to all the co-workers who had input. Preemptively saving money is awesome). Oh and I tried out a new place last night.
Little Owl (American, west village, $$$, ++): Very solid, tasty albeit not very creative food, reminds me a lot of the White Dog Cafe in philly. The simplicity doesn't take away from the deliciousness in any way, no surprises pleasant or unpleasant (incidentally, what I like about high-end steakhouses and burger places as well when you get a craving for a certain taste). Great date place, cozy, good for intimate conversation, getting a reservation was apparently harder than getting a reservation to Gramercy Tavern, so we went early as walk-ins (it was already packed). Pork chop and meatball sliders were the best dinner I've had in a while.
Casa Mono (Tapas, irving place, $$$, ++): Very bold and unusual flavors (Basque), you're either going to love it right away or hate it (and if you hate it, there's a good chance you aren't paying since you probably didn't pick the place out). I happened to love it, although it's hard to describe, think of it as a dim sum version of a chef's tasting menu at a higher end restaurant. Drink lots of water in-between courses to cleanse your palette.
New list, in order of urgency:
Mexican: Maya, Rosa Mexicana, Zarela, Zona Mexicana, Pampano Taqueria, Mercadito, Mexico Lindo, Caracas Arepas Bar, la esquina, canyon rose
BBQ: Blue Smoke
Steakhouses: Keen's, Dylan Prime, Strip house, Spark's, STK
Japanese: Yasuda, Tomoe, Nobu, Yakitori Totto, Tori Shin, matsugen, Abuyriya Kinnosuke
Fusion: Momofuku Ssam, asia de cuba, buddakan (nyc edition), double crown, spice market, vong
American: Momofuku Ko, Gramercy Tavern, Blue Hill, Gotham Bar and Grill, Veritas, Aureole, the redhead, Blue Ribbon, Perilla, Hearth, Porchetta, eleven madison park, wd-50, Bar room at the modern, the black cat, Irving Mill, Market Table
Fish and Chips: A Salt and Battery
Italian: Babbo's, Scarpetta, Minetta Tavern, Cipriani, Il Mulino, L'Artusi, convivio
Seafood: Pearl Oyster Bar, Mary's Fish Camp, Oceania
Fried Chicken: Mama's fried chicken, Pink Teacup
Burgers: Corner Bistro, the spotted pig, prime burger, TJ O'Brien, Wolfgang/Luger lunch, Rare, rathbones, delmonicos, Diner, westville, db bistro moderne, walkers, all state
French: Bouley, Butter, Balthazar, cafe boulud, Jean Georges, Per se, Le Bernadin
Spanish/Tapas: Degustation, Alta
Little Owl (American, west village, $$$, ++): Very solid, tasty albeit not very creative food, reminds me a lot of the White Dog Cafe in philly. The simplicity doesn't take away from the deliciousness in any way, no surprises pleasant or unpleasant (incidentally, what I like about high-end steakhouses and burger places as well when you get a craving for a certain taste). Great date place, cozy, good for intimate conversation, getting a reservation was apparently harder than getting a reservation to Gramercy Tavern, so we went early as walk-ins (it was already packed). Pork chop and meatball sliders were the best dinner I've had in a while.
Casa Mono (Tapas, irving place, $$$, ++): Very bold and unusual flavors (Basque), you're either going to love it right away or hate it (and if you hate it, there's a good chance you aren't paying since you probably didn't pick the place out). I happened to love it, although it's hard to describe, think of it as a dim sum version of a chef's tasting menu at a higher end restaurant. Drink lots of water in-between courses to cleanse your palette.
New list, in order of urgency:
Mexican: Maya, Rosa Mexicana, Zarela, Zona Mexicana, Pampano Taqueria, Mercadito, Mexico Lindo, Caracas Arepas Bar, la esquina, canyon rose
BBQ: Blue Smoke
Steakhouses: Keen's, Dylan Prime, Strip house, Spark's, STK
Japanese: Yasuda, Tomoe, Nobu, Yakitori Totto, Tori Shin, matsugen, Abuyriya Kinnosuke
Fusion: Momofuku Ssam, asia de cuba, buddakan (nyc edition), double crown, spice market, vong
American: Momofuku Ko, Gramercy Tavern, Blue Hill, Gotham Bar and Grill, Veritas, Aureole, the redhead, Blue Ribbon, Perilla, Hearth, Porchetta, eleven madison park, wd-50, Bar room at the modern, the black cat, Irving Mill, Market Table
Fish and Chips: A Salt and Battery
Italian: Babbo's, Scarpetta, Minetta Tavern, Cipriani, Il Mulino, L'Artusi, convivio
Seafood: Pearl Oyster Bar, Mary's Fish Camp, Oceania
Fried Chicken: Mama's fried chicken, Pink Teacup
Burgers: Corner Bistro, the spotted pig, prime burger, TJ O'Brien, Wolfgang/Luger lunch, Rare, rathbones, delmonicos, Diner, westville, db bistro moderne, walkers, all state
French: Bouley, Butter, Balthazar, cafe boulud, Jean Georges, Per se, Le Bernadin
Spanish/Tapas: Degustation, Alta
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
In motion
Trading is to career as food is to dating.
Places I've tried recently:
JG Melon (burgers, upper east side, $, +++): One of the best burgers I've had in new york. People complain about the size of the burger but at this point you're paying for quality, not quantity. If you're hungry I highly recommend skipping the cottage fries side and just getting two burgers. Seriously.
Yoshi Sushi (Japanese/sushi, east village, $$, ++) Not just your normal sushi place, though the rolls and other dishes you typically find at places like these are very good. They also have quite a few creative dishes involving sashimi, like the raw tuna taquitos and volcano, which are similar to the appetizers you'd find at a high end americana type place in terms of presentation and style. Small but good to go with friends. Food is a little salty but still.
El Paso (Mexican/tex-mex, upper east, $, +) Much more reasonably priced and seemingly more authentic than places like Dos Caminos or Arriba Arriba, it's sort of like Mama Mexico but slightly less selection and cheaper. Guacamole is very good.
MarkJoseph's steakhouse (steakhouse, financial district, $$$, +) This trip completed the Luger circuit that I started earlier this year with a visit to Wolfgang's, a place which I still prefer to the other stops (Luger's, Ben and Jack's, and this place). Definitely give this place a nod over Ben and Jack's, although it's almost as far away as Luger's. Porterhouse was great, sides and appetizers were average, place was completely empty on a Friday night so fast service.
Tehuitzingo Deli (mexican, hell's kitchen, $, ++) The tacos here are completely amazing and max out at 3 dollars each. They're the authentic style tacos with the double soft shell wrap and the meat finely minced - you can get everything from straight up beef to chorizo to crispy pork ears. I'd say there almost as good as Toloache (although they don't have soft shell crab here) at around 1/2 the price. They won't win any awards for the setting (beat up stools crowded in the back of a tiny grocery store) but they are 100% legit.
Craft (Americana, flatiron, $$$, +++) Food here was amazing, although it started off stronger than it ended. That being said, the entrees (we had three different types of meat including short rib and fish) were very solid and I think it's just that the creativity and uniqueness of the appetizers plus their deliciousness was an overwhelming start to the meal. I'd definitely come here again despite the prices, although there are many of these types of places I want to try (see list below).
Places I need to try:
Mexican: Maya, Rosa Mexicana, Zona Mexicana, Pampano Taqueria, Zarela, Mercadito, Mexico Lindo, Caracas Arepas Bar
BBQ: Blue Smoke
Steakhouses: Keen's, Dylan Prime, the Palm Tribecca, Striphouse, Spark's, STK
Japanese: Yasuda, Tomoe, Haru, Yakitori Totto
Fusion: Momofuku Ssam, asia de cuba, buddakan (nyc edition), double crown
American: Gramercy Tavern, Blue Hill, Gotham Bar and Grill, Veritas, Irving Mill, Aureole, Market Table, Blue Ribbon, Perilla, Little Owl, Hearth, Porchetta, Momofuku Ko, DBGB, Standard Grill
Fish and Chips: A Salt and Battery
Italian: Babbo's, Il Mulino, Minetta Tavern, Cipriani
Seafood: Pearl Oyster Bar, Mary's Fish Camp
Fried Chicken: Mama's fried chicken, Pink Teacup
Burgers: Rare, Corner Bistro
French: Butter, BalthazarSaturday, August 8, 2009
Disabled will
I read about an article about this not too long ago, this mindset where you believe you're above everything and hold yourself to completely unreasonable standards. Then, when you try and live life and just jump into shit, you lack skills because you've been pretending you're too good for everything and your psyche can't reconcile the difference between reality and the image you've been building up in your head.
Following up on advice from an earlier post, just do it. And if it goes wrong, get better. And try to laugh along the way.
Following up on advice from an earlier post, just do it. And if it goes wrong, get better. And try to laugh along the way.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Distractions
Distractions are fun, intense, and in the best cases, rewarding and fulfilling. The only thing is, I'm not really sure what I'm being distracted from anymore. I like to think that at least, in the last month, I've become better at finding and enjoying them.
The vagueness of this post is mostly due to the fact that I think at least for now there isn't much benefit to posting details from my personal life. There was a point when I wanted everyone to know what and who I was doing with my weekends and nights, but I think I'm content now to just live it.
Keste is a great pizza joint. Thin crust, you could even call it wispy thin. Ingredients fresher than Will Smith in Bel-Air. I put it up there with Lazarra's but it's definitely something people should check out to decide for themselves.
The vagueness of this post is mostly due to the fact that I think at least for now there isn't much benefit to posting details from my personal life. There was a point when I wanted everyone to know what and who I was doing with my weekends and nights, but I think I'm content now to just live it.
Keste is a great pizza joint. Thin crust, you could even call it wispy thin. Ingredients fresher than Will Smith in Bel-Air. I put it up there with Lazarra's but it's definitely something people should check out to decide for themselves.
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