guttergourmet's Profile
Best sushi in Manhattan
You also forgot the oft overlooked and forgotten Sushi Zen which I'd put in the first tier.
Need New Omakase Place...Not Masa
Uo was interesting. My experience from 2010:
Can white men sing the blues? Can white men jump? Of greater importance, can white men serve sushi? Eric Clapton and Woody Harrelson may be the answers to the first two questions, but to answer the last question you've got to check out John Bailey yourself as the new itamae (sushi chef) at Sushi Uo. Located in a converted apartment at 151 Rivington (hint:walk up the steps through the building's glass doors and make a right), you immediately feel like you've discovered someplace secret, the way I felt my first time at Sushi Azabu beneath the Greenwich Grill or Kuruma Zushi accessible by elevator or some of the subterranean sake bars like Decibel or Sakagura. Black leather banquettes and friendly black stockinged waitresses show you in. But what may be most striking to sushi heads like Jeff and I are the absence of any Japanese behind the bar. We immediately recognized Bailey and he us from 15 East. Both Jeff and I have spent inordinate time (and money) worshipping Chef Shimizu who came to 15 East from Jewel Bako and who massages octopi with the precision of someone familiar with shiatsu to create the ultimate tako sashimi. Bailey has spent even more time at the side of Shimizu whom he literally refers to as his master. After training at 15 East as assistant sushi chef, Bailey accepted an offer to replace another white sushi chef with greats "chops" who trained under Iron Chef Morimoto and created the initial buzz at Uo but who purportedly left to prove himself in Japan. Bailey has not missed a beat. Using his expertise from 15 East he has sourced pristine fish to offer a variety and quality of sashimi and sushi that rivals some of my favorite sushi bars around the city at extremely reasonable prices. Being a round eyed sushi afficionado, it is often difficult to build a rapport or even to strike up a conversation with a Japanese chef. With no language or cultural barriers, John is delighted to share his sushi knowledge particularly after Jeff ordered the third bottle of Wakatake, my favorite junmai daiginjo sake the name of which translates appropriately as "Demon Slayer". As Jeff poured for both chefs and the waitresses, we decided to test Bailey's sushi knowledge and each other's by organizing a game of Jeopardy with Bailey playing Alex Trebec's role as MC. The only category: Japanese fish names. Bailey would name a dozen fish names in Japanese and Jeff and I would compete to see who could translate more into English. Bailey gauged our level starting with "hotate" which Jeff correctly blurted out was scallop. It was downhill after that as Bailey stumped us with trivia like "sayori" properly translated was "half-beak" given its protruding jaw and not "needlefish" as Jeff and I were so sure of. A sushi Japanese/English lexicon can be found at (LINK) so you can play at your next sushi/cocktail party. I was underwhelmed by the cooked dishes (wasabi gnocchi, octopus confit with grapefruit, though the spinach potato soup with tofu was great). Much more intriguing, unless you're an animal rights activist in which case you should stop reading now, is that Sushi Uo features ikizukuri, the practice of serving sashimi of fish still alive whilst being sliced and diced. Many, including yours truly, regard this as the ultimate in freshness. Among the offerings, octopus which are given a quick blow torching, a variety of clams and uni. Sushi Uo is not on a level of greatness equal to Kuruma (where the second chef is not only not Japanese, she's a she), 15 East, Sushi Yasuda, Sushi Zen or Ushi Wakamaru, but given the atmosphere, the chef and the prices, it's a great place to hang out and develop your sushi knowledge and palate.
Takashi – Really Exceptional Yakiniku (Japanese BBQ) in the West Village
Went Friday night. Hour wait. Wonderful tongue in cheek atmosphere so I had the Tongue Experience followed by the cheek. Finished with belly. For apps, the schmaltz crostini was inspired, the yooke beat most Korean restaurants given the meat quality and the niku-uni was awesome. I still prefer Tori Shin (which is yakitori) but this is fantastic.
Uni Pizza? [moved from Manhattan board]
Uni stuffed crust? Hmmm? Is there a Domino in Osaka?
NY Hound Not Fooling Around-Back From Venice
Let me take a stab at some of these issues. Being born and bred (another cavallo pun?) in NYC, I find this thread very interesting. Were a tourist/traveler to come to NYC and tell me he or she wanted to experience the "local" cuisine, I would eschew the recently opened Peruvian, Malaysian, Spanish, Indian, Mexican and even Italian restaurants (all of which I will be eating at) in favor of lox and bagels, pastrami on rye and New York style pizza. Of course, like Venice and every other major international city, NYC's " local" cuisine is a product of immigrant influences and I simply identified the oldest. Waves of new immigrants continue to shape NYC cuisine and traditions so that I now, in addition to being a stone's throw from Manhattan's Chinatown (not to mention the newer and vastly more interesting Chinatown in Flushing, Queens) and a revitalizing Little Italy (not to mention the. Little Italy in the Bronx), I also live in a neighborhood yet to officially be christened "Little Japan" and work 10 blocks away from Koreatown. British ex-pats have colonized NYC recently as the Irish did before them and thank God French cuisine continues to thrive. All of these cuisines, whether traditional, authentic, fusion or molecular co-exist and I love them all. If I had not visited NYC before, or for 18 years as was the case for me with Venice, I'd probably stick with lox and bagels, pastrami and "local" pizza. That is what I tried to do in Venice. Of course, most people, unlike me, do not book their restaurant reservations ahead of their plane and hotel arrangements and most prefer Fodor's to Slow Food and "Local" food guides. But those folks are not the ones who make this site so fascinating like you, my fellow Hounds.
NY Hound Not Fooling Around-Back From Venice
It was in my response to Jen above-Busa alla Torre de Lele on Murano. Cannot find moleche in NYC for love or money. While in Venice I also enjoyed bresaola di cavallo-something else I could not get back home. The world has indeed shrunk since I've been to Europe but not entirely.
NY Hound Not Fooling Around-Back From Venice
Frito misto was fantastic everywhere but Al Covo and Busa alla Torre on Murano stand out. The latter included moleche and was served by the jolly red giant himself, owner Lele.
NY Hound Not Fooling Around-Back From Venice
It is interesting how NYC has become obsessed with all things Italian. Speaking of tiramisu, Dolce Vizio Tiramisu just opened here offering 10 different varieties of tiramisu in addition to the "classic"(mango or nutella anyone?) Eataly is a Disneyesque version of Italy brought to you by Mario Batali. But you can get a bicerin or a bellini to accompany your crudo there. I have both a Grom and Amorino gelateria across the street from me. I can get culatello di Zibello on occasion at Salumeria Rosi owned by Parmacotta on the Upper West Side. And I just strolled through the feast of San Gennaro which is being revitalized thanks to two young Italian American chefs named Torrisi and Carbone. Having said that, nothing substitutes for the experience of being in Italy. I walked past a DHL delivery truck today that had a life-size photo of Venice painted on it and I desperately wanted to jump into the picture!
NY Hound Not Fooling Around-Back From Venice
Scibilia's book, which smelled like cigarettes and was purchased from a used bookseller over th internet from the UK for $35 as it is near impossible to find outside of Venice and sells for upwards of $200 on other sites, was my trusted companion. (Anybody wanna buy my copy?) Also a Trade Association book called Venezia e i ristoranti dell"Eccellenza came in handy. While there, I purchased English translations of Venice, Food and Wine which is the cookbook of Osteria alle Testiere and the Osteria da Fiore cookbook to memorialize two of the outstanding meals I had. While all of the restaurants were expensive (we were 4 people including my wife, daughter and mother), that was partly attributable to the sorry state of the greenback. Average cost with wine for 4 people was 250 euros. Besides, in NYC I'm used to dropping $250 on sushi (as I did last night) just for myself. I was also happy eating mortadella and proscuitto panini at 5 euros and really enjoyed the pizza which I joked was more Staten Island than Neopolitan style. Forgot to mention unbelievable fritto misto, polenta e schie, cannocchie and, of course, tiramisu from the city that invented it.
NY Hound Not Fooling Around-Back From Venice
Wow. I go away for a few days and come back to controversy. I love it. Let me try to reply to various points on the thread. While Olivanera did serve some "non-regional" i.e. non-local/traditional dishes, that was very much the exception among these restaurants. Dishes which I had, often at multiple restaurants, included: granceole, fegato alla Veneziana,moleche,bisato sull'ara,scampi, canestrelli, alici,bigoli in salsa, gnocchetti, risotto di go, , risotto al nero di seppia, sarde in saor, baccala mantecato. Can't find these dishes in NYC or even elsewhere in Italy. I will continue this discussion shortly.
NY Hound Not Fooling Around-Back From Venice
Yes, THAT Da Fiore. With the exception of Corta Sconta, I'd highly recommend them all. Al Gato Nero on Burano and Busa alla Torre on Murano are reasons enough to visit those two beautiful islands. The owners of most of them were actually there presiding over their restaurant and, refreshingly, were delightful hosts insuring that everyone had a great meal and experience.
NY Hound Not Fooling Around-Back From Venice
Da Fiore was incredible. Scampi nostrani infornati al lardo with lightly fried rosemary reminded me of a dish here in NYC at Marea that I've written about on the Manahttan board http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/664148
which is ricci crostini al lardo. Trattoria Olivanera was my first and last meal and was truly wonderful also. I wrote about it in more detail here: http://www.thedailymeal.com/eating-immortal-city
NY Hound Not Fooling Around-Back From Venice
Was in Venice for the first time in 19 years for 10 days 8/25-9/5. Had an unbelievable time. Happy to discuss further. Local Venetian Hounds: How'd I do? Here's the highlights of where we ate in no particular order:
Trattoria al Gatto Nero-Murano
Alle Testiere
Hostaria da Franz
Antico Martini
Busa alla Torre da Lele-Burano
Da Fiore
Do Forni
Corta Sconta
Pizzeria Al Vecio Canton
Trattoria Olivanera
Fiaschetteria Toscana
Birraria La Corte
Al Covo
Cyril's-Get Out of the Water!!!!
Up the Old Montauk Highway just past the more popular Lobster Roll a/k/a Lunch, Montauk locals and visitors in the know go to Cyril's Fish House to start their drinking early. And even though Cyril's bows to popular demand by offering the ubiquitous lobster roll, the rest of the menu matches perfectly with the perpetual reggae soundtrack. Cyril's menu lists goat, oxtail and, of course, jerk chicken as entrees. But then I find myself humming the theme song to Jaws as my gaze falls on the jerk mako sandwich. A deep spicy brown Jamaican jerk sauce soaks into the generous filet o' shark which sticks out like a dorsal fin from the outer fresh great white kaiser roll (I'm sick of buttered hot dog buns anyway). This sandwich will get you out of the water, off the beach and keep you drinking tropical rum drinks on the bar stools at Cyril's long past sundown. The slogan of the place demands: "Respect Cyril!" The jerk mako sandwich with a side of waffle fries commands such respect.
Where can I buy dried beef 'viande des grisons' aka 'bundnerfleisch'?
So you've never had good bundnerfleisch in NYC? I wonder what' they're serving at some of the better NYC Swiss resaturants; e.g. Heartbreak Restaurant? Seems pretty good to me. Can't believe Ingrid Roetelle would serve inferior bundnerfleisch. By the way, I'm very fond of the wagyu variety of bresaola (from Salumeria Biellese I believe) I've had at various places and my wife likes the imported bresaola from Eataly.
Where can I buy dried beef 'viande des grisons' aka 'bundnerfleisch'?
http://www.italco.com/index.php/bernina-bundnerfleisch.html
Wow, This was a tough question. With all due respect to guts, bresaola is not the same as Swiss viande des grisons a/k/a bundnerfleisch. Koglin Royal German Hams in the Grand Central Market closed. But after much investigation, I found Bernina brand bundnerfleish. See attached description. They carry it at The Garden of Eden location on 14th Street. The perfect accompaniment to a real Swiss fondue or raclette. Enjoy!
Eataly NYC
Eataly is, indeed, a supermarket first and foremost. I live in the Village and work in Times Square, so tourists, while annoying, are part of my everyday life. But I still prefer "gastro-tourists" to the ones lining up for the Hard Rock or Bubba Gumps. While I get my mozzarella at Joe's, my salumi at DiPalo's, my Italian sausages at Faicco's-all of which are superior quality and cheaper than Eataly-I have had some wonderful experiences at Eataly. When you can avoid the crowds, I recommend that you start with a bicerin at the espresso bar (a layered espresso, hot chocolate and cold heavy cream drink that tastes like heaven and which was invented in Turino, the city where Eataly was also invented). Next grab a wonderfully salty mortadella or proscuitto or speck panino perhaps topped with some melted gooey stinky taleggio from the panini bar. The Rosticerria features whole chickens which do not tempt me, but their rare porcini rubbed prime rib with some balsamic and sea salt either on a plate or in a sandwich may be the
best eats in the place. The charcuterie features Armandino Batali's (Mario's Dad) products imported from his Salumi laboratory in Seattle and which are unique (try his various salumi flavored with chocolate or orange zest). The pizza is solid Neopolitan style, if not the best of the recent Neopolitan pizzeria invasion, and the lasagna with béchamel is outtasight. Il Pesche, Eataly's seafood restaurant, is a quick casual clone of Esca complete with crudo-Mario and Pasternack's coined term for Italian style sashimi. Manzo, which takes reservations, offers an incredible nose to tail tasting menu or the best veal chop (smoked with
hay) imaginable. On the way out, look admiringly at the folks making fresh mozzarella and they'll likely reward you with a kiss of a still warm bocconcini.
Brioche Rolls
Cannot believe no one mentioned the brioche rolls at Patisserie Claude which are so good they make me almost choose them over his pain au chocolat which also happen to be the best in the city. Of course, whenever I'm there I simply choose them both!
Currywurst Bros. finally open
While I have to admit to only sampling Currywurst Bros., what I found disappointing was that it was ONLY currywurst. I like an occasional currywurst (love the version at Wechsler's) but had been hoping for a larger variety of wursts. Wechsler's and Hallo Berlin (RIP Rolf, the cart man), remain the best of the wurst for me.
Sushi of Gari 46 or Shimizu?
Has anyone been to Shimizu lately? I used to go often, but haven't been for a while and someone who's opinion I respect went on my rec and did not like it. I've recently had an omakase lunch at Gari 46 which was mind blowingly good although for 3 of us with a moderate amount of sake cost well over $200 per person. Worth it to me but Shimizu was always more reasonable for great quality. Any recent reports?
The Great Char Siu Bao Debate
http://ny.eater.com/archives/2011/05/dining_confidential_rich_torrisi_and_mario_carbone.php
After reading this, I tried Manna One for the first time. While the char siu bao were of the onion savory variety, the pork to bun ratio was amazing and the unusually sticky bun added something extra. The shop also appeared to be bao heaven and I can't wait to try some of their other baos!
A New Regional Style Roast Beef Sandwich: Bowery Beef
Just as pizza, burgers and hot dogs have unique regional variations, so do sandwiches whether you call them heros, hoagies, subs, wedges, grinders, po'boys, torpedos or zeps. Narrowing that down further we have roast beef. Not to be confused with Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches, there are some interesting local and regional variations on roast beef sandwiches which are now available in NYC. Interestingly, the Chicago version, popularly referred to as Italian Beef, whose most well known purveyors include Mr. Beef and Al's #1 Beef, the rivalry between which is as intense as Pat's vs. Geno's for Philly Cheesesteak supremacy, is not (yet) represented here in NYC. Chicago Italian Beef sandwiches are served on long Italian hero breads and covered with giardiniera, pickled vegetables in olive oil. There's also Philippe's in Los Angeles, credited for inventing the "French Dip": a hot roast beef on a baguette submerged in the au jus drippings.
As for local styles of roast beef, we have the following: Brennan & Carr's wonderful shack opened in1938 on Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn which, like Philippe's, moistens (or drowns depending on your preference) it's roast beef sandwiches, here served on rolls, in it's famous broth. Roll-N-Roaster, coincidentally also originated in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, has been around for a mere 40 years and is a step closer to it's Philadelphian cousin by the addition of cheese (cheez?) whiz to it's hot roast beef sandwiches. The Staten Island boys best known for the rapidly expanding Artichoke pizza joints, have opened This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef in the East Village, paying homage to both Roll-N-Roaster with their cheese whiz laden "This Way" and to Brennan&Carr's au jus dunked "That Way" sandwich selections. Finally, we must mention DeFonte's, born in 1922 in Red Hook and thankfully exported to Manhattan on Third and 21st, who serve huge roast beef Heros with homemade fresh mozzarella, natural jus and an optional slice of fried eggplant for added crunch.
Now the Bostonian's have entered the fray with Bowery Beef, located just around the corner from This Little Piggy in The Bowery Poetry Club. Bowery Beef is modeled on a relatively new regional style of roast beef sandwich started in the 80's in Massachusetts, North Andover to be precise, called Harrison's. Bowery Beef's owners, obviously caring about authenticity, even snagged Patrick Sweetra, a nice Swedish boy and long time slicer at Harrison's, to oversee the operation. But what is this unique regional roast beef sandwich you ask? I observed the whole operation. Industrial hamburger buns are branded with a miniature flame torched brand so that each bun displays a "BB" so as not be confused with the competition. Not to worry, since there are no comparisons with the Brooklyn born roast beef sandwiches. Thinly sliced rare hot fresh roast beef is shaved onto the bun and hand formed into a thick compressed pile. You then have a choice of white American cheese, mayo, mustard, horse radish and the de rigeur, James River sweet tomato based BBQ sauce from (where else?) Virginia! I got mine (2 of them at $6 each) with cheese, sauce and horse radish. Messier than even a fully submerged Brennan&Carr sandwich, it was nevertheless delicious and strangely satisfying. While I may prefer some of the other styles, there is certainly room enough to welcome a unique roast beef sandwich into the ever expanding melting pot of NYC sandwichdom.
Sushi of Gari
I have been to every sushi bar worth mentioning dozens or more times (except Masa for which I'm saving my yen, though I've been to Bar Masa). Agree with Fooder but need to add Soto for it's prepared dishes and Ushi Wakamaru.
Burgers near Times Square
I work in the same building as The Counter (7 Times Square) and it is worth a try as you can customize your burger like nowhere else. Try a fried egg with chili, BBQ sauce on an English muffin with choice of a dozen cheeses. Schnipper's green chile cheeseburgers are good if you've got a yen for Bobcat Bite in Santa Fe. HB Burger is very good and consistent and reasonably priced. 5 Napkins with comte is excellent. Surprisingly, Brooklyn Diner, weighing in at $21, is a damn good burger. DB Burger when you need some foie is probably not worth the $32 but gotta try it. My current fave is Burger&Barrel on Houston and Mercer near my home, especially the white truffle burger when they have it. $41 but priceless.
Looking for authentic Swiss
Roetelle A.G. Is back!!!!!! Ingrid Roetelle is cooking up fondue , as well as fantastic German food, at her new Heartbreak Restaurant on 2nd and 2nd! and the fondue is as fantastic as it ever was with beers to match!!!!! Run don't walk to check it out. Who says you can't go home again?
NY Hound Not Foolin' Around
To paraphrase the Blues Brothers, my recent trip to Chicago was a "Culinary Mission from God". I had 10 days, a full tank of gas, it was dark and I was wearing sunglasses and determined to taste everything Chi-Town had to offer. The following is the run-down of the places I hit:
Deep dish pizza- Lou Malnati's, Due Pizza and, for stuffed pizza, Giordano's.
Gyros- Parthenon (which invented them along with flaming saganaki-Opa!) and Greektown Gyros.
Italian Beef- Mr. Beef and Al's #1 Beef
Italian Ice/Lemonade- Mario's Italian Lemonade.
Chicago Hot Dogs- the infamous Wiener's Circle to try to win a date with Poochie.
Fried Chicken- Obama's favorite- Harold's Chicken Shack.
Submarine- J.P. Graziano Grocery for the Mr. G Special
Mexican- Rick Bayless' Frontera Grill and the New Maxwell Street Market for tacos.
Thai- Arun's
New American- Alinea.
Seafood- L2O
French- Hemmingway's Bistro
Polish- Jim's Original and Original Maxwell St. Express Grill
BBQ- Twin Anchors for ribs the way Sinatra liked them.
Burgers- or should I say "Cheeborgers"?- Billy Goat Tavern
Gastropub- Publican
Chinese-Chiu Quon Bakery for char siu bao.
Insane Sandwich- Silver Palm's Three Little Piggies, the sandwich Tony Bourdain proclaimed as "the apex of the sandwich-making art".
Burgers! Please Opine regarding your faves
Just had the $45 white truffle burger at capon's Burger & Barrel. There's a new #1 burger in town. Forget Minetta and DB Bistro. Get'em while they last!
