cubeoccupant's Profile
Best places for cheap, unique and good desserts
Would Minamoto Kitchoan be bit too adventurous?
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Minamoto Kitchoan
608 5th Ave, New York, NY 10020
How do you eat tinned sardines?
Japanese style - empty about half of the oil in the can, heat the entire can on a frying pan, when the oil starts bubbling over, take it off the fire, sprinkle shichimi pepper, soy sauce, and squeeze a lemon wedge, maybe a little bit of minced scallions, eat with white rice
Best coffee house to study with WiFi in the East Village/LES?
My favorite is the Ninth Street Espresso on 9th between C&D.
They make good espresso drinks. Their coffee/ice coffee is decent. the pastry is bit lacking, but besides that they have a free wifi and good desk space to spread your laptop plus books. Most times you can find a seat which is a plus (it helps to have an extension cord with you because some seats are located far from outlets and they are often used)
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Ninth Street Espresso
700 E 9th St, New York, NY 10009
Can't go to Japan...
becky,
Is your mother originally from Japan? If not, how much experience has she had with Japanese food? I think those things make a difference in what establishments to go to i.e. (a native Japanese person can perhaps be more specific about what they want a la 'I want soba for one of my meals' vs someone who is trying Japanese food for the first time etc.)
One breakfast option I can suggest would be Kitano Hotel, I think they serve Japanese breakfast there. Or, you can take her to Japanese-style bakery, I think Pan-ya in East Village has best seating but Zaiya in Midtown has better pastries.
East Village Sandwich Shop?
I recently went to Sunny and Annie's on Ave B and 6th. It's a normal Korean deli, but their custom sandwich menu is pretty extensive. Lots of yelpers like the Pho Real and BBQ Kimchi sandwich, but they have selection that is more on the conventional side as well - def not on par with Defonte's but if you live within walking distance, it does the job. Not trek worthy.
On the schticy side, I'd add Num Pang to flower_poppy's selections. If you live closer to LES, I say sesame pancake sandwhiches at Vanessa's count in the 'extended' sandwhich category
When I want to treat myself to a good sandwhich I actually trek all the way to Alidoro in edge of SoHo. I prefer their Il Capitano sandwhich on grandaisy bread to what I get at Defonte's. however, my most recent visit had me bit concerned as the white bread that I got seemed like a regular italian bread instead of the usual.
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Alidoro
105 Sullivan St, New York, NY 10012
Num Pang Sandwich Shop
21 E 12th St, New York, NY 10003
We got soft shell crabs yet, or what?
Went to a steak dinner at Strip House, remembered this thread and ordered the softshell app which was on the special for the night. Tempura battered with avocado dressing and some fresh veggies...pretty underwhelming, didn't really have a fresh crunch to it.
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Strip House
13 E 12th St, New York, NY 10003
Recs Please!: Business Dinner & Drinks for Wall St. Types (10 ppl)
Thanks for the recs guys, and sorry to anyone who was offended by my use of 'glitzy' in the original post. I didn't necessarily mean it in a negative way although some of my buddy's coworkers that I ran into have been the credit card roulette at bars typpe.
Turns out that my friend went to Standard Grill, which I recommended based on food not knowing their reservation situation. Apparently they had a private room where the team (all senior than my friend) enjoyed the food and the outing in general.
Scarpetta would be a great dinner destination for a group though, how hard is to get a reservation for party that big?
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Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014
Standard Grill
848 Washington Street, New York, NY 10014
Recs Please!: Business Dinner & Drinks for Wall St. Types (10 ppl)
Thanks for the recs! I think The Harrison seems pretty promising...
Recs Please!: Business Dinner & Drinks for Wall St. Types (10 ppl)
Hello CHers:
I am helping a friend of mine plan a dinner outing for his team. Good food and fun place for drinking for 10 people. I am assuming the diners' ages range from 20s to 40s and perhaps some older.
I don't want to pigeonhole 'Wall St Types' but I am thinking they probably like somewhat glitzy setting for their team dinner (who knows if these people are douchey?), but I cannot be sure so I would like to get some suggestions.
My friend was originally thinking Balthazar or Blue Water Grill, I think Balthazar is fine if he can get a reservation in time, but Blue Water Grill is a rather meh selection.
I was thinking if not Balthazar, they can go to Schillers as I see lots of 'Wall St. types' seem to really enjoy that establishment (same owners anyway) or Macao Trading Company for good drinking...Maybe TriBeCa or MePa area will work best because of proximity from their office and abundance of large and 'considered-hip' establishments.
Thanks!
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Blue Water Grill
31 Union Square West, New York, NY 10003
South Brooklyn Pizza in East Village
I had their margherita slice tonight, I have to give them a thumbs up. very good crust, thin - and nice balance of chewy/crunchy. The overall taste is similar to margherita slice from Artichoke. I almost prefer this slice as Artichoke slice sometimes has too much cheese to crust/sauce in my opinion. The shaved parmesean and hot pickled peppers available for diners to top of their slices is a nice touch.
The owner was telling me he is planning to open the back soon, but the way the shop is designed is rather awkward, what appears to be a counter-stand and eat space actually series of fridge storing supplies, and no stools. The design of the shop may be a inconvenience if it picks up more clientele - not to mention the awkward transition to the back of the joint. The price is another issue, even with pizza prices going up, $4 is pretty steep for a single slice. Especially considering that Artichoke serves a similar slice for $3.50 and their slices are slightly bigger and to those who prefer, has more cheese. I did appreciate the pretty liberal use of basil to top off the slice, but i did notice that the leaves weren't as fresh as they could be (compared to DiFara where Dom is pretty good about using fresh ones - of course this can be explained away by slower rotation, and perhaps due to the fact i was there around 9PM).
Like the OP wrote, I think this is a nice alternative to its competition on St.Marks (Pizzanini, Stromboli's, or $1 pizza), but perhaps more importantly a good pizza option to Alphabet Town as the 'hood is sorely lacking in good pizza by the slice joints...
I think it's worth a try for those who are in the neighborhood and are curious. I will give them my business again, when I don't mind splurging a little for a slice.
Coffee shops on the 2/3 subway line
Cafe Grumpy, Chelsea, a short walk from the station, no laptops though.
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Cafe Grumpy
224 W 20th St, New York, NY 10011
Looking for authentic Japanese restaurant to take visiting Japanese ex-pat
Few that I can think of:
Totto or Tory's (prefer Totto)
No sushi on the menu, but the food/service is authentic Japanese, and really good. You can reserve the private table section, Totto takes resevervation up to 7PM - which is a reasonable time for a toddler to start eating dinner anyway.
Sushiden
decent sushi, and you can reserve the ozashiki (private room upstairs), so you don't have to worry about a 'well behaved' toddler not behaving poorly all of a sudden. may not fit the bill of affordable.
Riki
Reserve the private box, sushi is an option although not great, but the izakaya style food is good, and it's casual and pretty rowdy so you don't have to worry about the toddler.
Kanoyama
Downtown, but decent sushi, not stuffy like some of the more prominent midtown sushi establishments, it gets loud enough so toddler shouldn't be that much of an issue.
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Kanoyama
175 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003
Sushiden
19 E 49th St, New York, NY 10017
You're About to Die And You Only have $50
I will play along. (i will cheat a bit and ignore tax and be a non-tipper)
breakfast: croissant from Patisserie Claude $2.50(?)
breakfast: small coffee from Grumpy $2.50 (the cheapest on the menu)
lunch: akamaru ramen from Ippudo $14.00, plain slice from Joe's $3.00 (if outer borough was permitted - i will cough up $5 for di fara's), al pastor taco on 116th st. $2.00
alternative lunch: Il Capitan sandwhich at Alidoro $9.00, fish taco from pinche $4.00, elote from habana $3
afternoon snack: shot of hot chocolate at City Bakery $2.00
dinner: nigiri of oo-toro and uni at whichever sushi joint that has the best/freshest that day. $20.
alternative option: lasagna from Apizz, spaghetti from Malatesta
dessert: slice of cake from Lady M, $8
I've clearly gone over the budget, and I failed to squeeze in steak, wine, beer, and couple of glasses of scotch that I would surely want on my last day among other things. I think I need about 3G to stuff myself on my last day..
Looking for Okinawan food in NYC-help!
Although not a full Okinawan menu, many izakayas such as Riki will have goya champroo either on their regular or seasonal menu. Sorry, that's about the only thing I could come up with.
The Meatball Shop - recommendations?
sugartoof: your guess is right, the sliders are on the small side - but slightly larger than 2 bite size - maybe 3~4 bites?
on my recent visit, I had three sliders: beef w/ spicy meat sauce, lamb (special) with mushroom sauce, chicken w/ parm. cheese. All of them were very tasty, with great texture. I wish if they had give me more sauce with the mushroom sauce - but that is a minor complaint. The ice cream sandwich was decent, but nothing extraordinary.
I saw many others ordering heros with side of simple salad. Judging from what you get for the same price, I think heros are better option once you know what you want for the particular meal - more bread, more meat. and you get cheese on top.
All in all it was a good dining experience, the owners have invested enough in decor of the restaurant - for a casual dining establishment - it was functional, comfortable and welcoming. The staff was attentive and well trained, and nice. The open kitchen was fun to observe, and the kitchen staff was working hard but in a relaxed yet professional manner.
Depending on one's budget, it can be a bit pricey option for solo lunch, i think the best way to go is to go in a not-too-large group (4?) and share bunch of sides and some wine. I do like that they are open late, it may be a good destination for post-drinking grub in LES and an cheaper alternative to 'inoteca.
NY Chowhound visiting London - Mayfair area recs please?
Thank you all for great recs! Getting excited for the trip!
NY Chowhound visiting London - Mayfair area recs please?
Hello,
I am visiting my parents in London from 18~29th, apparently they live around Mayfair, and would love to get some grub recommendation around the area and beyond.
More specifically:
Place to get a good coffee, read books in relative comfort to get away from family (I love my fam but I also need to get away from them every now and then!).
Good gastropub - I am willing to travel out of the area but I am thinking many of the good ones are already booked up for the holiday season?
Chinese food - my friends are high on Chinese food in London, and my past experiencea have been pretty good so I would like to get one meal in
Casual/Cheap (Street food, curry).
Thank you very much!
Recs Please: Casual/Reasonable Pre Jazz Dinner - Spring & Hudson
Hello all,
I'm looking for a casual/reasonable but good dinner option around Spring&Hudson tonight. The show I am attending starts at 10:30 - I am planning on a 7:30ish dinner followed by drinks (the drinks can be at any old dive).
I thought of Malatesta but I am afraid the wait there will be prohibitive. I've heard Gigino has gone down hill in recent years (used to go there as a kid and liked it). There are Blue Ribbon establishments nearby but I think I have more appreciation for them at 3AM in the morning - and don't really want to pay that price for regular dinner.
our party (3~4) can handle any food, any suggestions?
Thank you very much!
Can you recomend a place for afternoon tea this weekend? Wanted to try Payard, but it's closed
I like Lady M, although they do not do traditional 'afternoon tea' they have great cakes and good teas.
amazing sushi? EV, LES
I thought Hasaki was pretty solid.
Nori isn't amazing, it is good for the price point ($1 nigiri specials) - I do hate the way they store their fish though - very unorganized and unsightly.
Please help with recommendation for this Saturday night
Buddakan, Morimoto, Spice Market, Pastis? They aren't my favorites necessarily - but I think they fit the bill for "young hip and fun" for people visiting NY from the outside. They are in MePa so you can go out in the neighborhood after your meal.
May Chan Ramen & Robatayaki - Review (long)
Just got back from newly opened May Chan Ramen & Robatayaki in East Village.
The restaurant is run by the same people who operate May's sushi next door.
The menu is a combination of ramen, skewers (yakitori & robata-yaki), and teppan type dishes (okonomi-yaki, yaki soba, etc.). I understand it is a business decision but I really hate the idea of hedging bets on a restaurant like that. While all of those can be lumped together as Japanese comfort food, it takes certain level of craftsmanship to do them well.
As for the space, it is a notch or two above their sister restaurant next door. Nice dark wood communal tables and a counter that runs along the open kitchen (although no customer gets a clear view of any of the food being made without standing up). Counter space is a requisite for ramen shop as ramen is best enjoyed and meant to be eaten solo (or by two with minimal conversation during the meal) The ceiling is high, and space is very open, I think they have done much better than Setaga-ya which is in the same neighborhood. I was bit concerned about the wall paper that was pasted along the top of the kitchen area as I don't know how well it will fare against the grease that will get generated from the kitchen. The sake bottle chandelier was a nice touch although I'd be concerned about the dust and grease again. the theme seems to be 'modern-bland-semi asian inspired,' I think enough people will like it.
I was dining solo so my selection was rather limited. I ordered Miso ramen (half portion), three kinds of skewers: negima (chicken with scallion), teba (wing), and harami (beef skirt steak). I thought the half portion ramen serving was a very good idea as it caters to people with lighter appetite without waste, and it would allow for greedy eaters like myself to try out other items on the menu. Their signature ramen was 'may-chan ramen' which appeared to be spicy seafood ramen with heap of seafood such as crabs - they did not have half portion option for this one so I skipped it. Skwers covered standard yakitori affairs, some beef options, and seafood items.
The first item that came out was the miso ramen. It was actually a rather large serving, I think most average eaters will be just fine ordering a half portion if they want some ramen fix. The ramen was topped with two slices of cha-shu, scoop of soft seaweed, a half boiled egg, and 1/4 cut sheet of nori. The actual noodle was rather thick - probably one of the thicker variety available in NY (bit thicker than that of Minca). The color and taste indicated that it used a decent amount of eggs. Ramen noodle thickness/type preference is up to each individual so my opinion may be moot but I will give it a pass. It was cooked pretty well - al dente, with a nice bounce. Seaweed was ok - probably would have liked some menma (bamboo) in there. Nori was stale. The egg was done pretty well - nice coloring on the exterior and really great color (orange) and texture (gooey) on the inside - I think it could've used somewhat stronger flavoring though. The cha-shu (x2 pieces) was thin, small, dry and lacked flavor. The miso soup - tasted like miso soup - which is awful. Miso ramen soup should never taste like miso soup, but what i was served was pretty much miso soup with some extra grease.
The skewers were equally awful, all of them lacked the necessary slight charring which gives the skwers the contrasting texture with the meat in the interior. Negima was done wtih a yakitori sauce that seemed like it was purchased at a store. the skirt steak had absolutely no seasoning - they should've copied Totto's version of loading it with white scallion and ponzu, or at least karashi mustard like Riki would've been nice. the teba came without lemon which is a no-no.
two kinds of beer on tap, sake menu with picture and detailed description.
Like may's sushi, the staff was nice and attentive. they were taught to greet customers' entrance and departure in Japanese which i thought was corny but nice touch. My bill came out to be about $14 including tip so the pricing is very reasonable.
So how will May chan ramen do? As far as ramen, it has plenty of competitors that serve better product in the immediate proximity (ippudo, minca, setaga-ya - all with their flaws too). And Taisho is better at skewers - do not even compare them to Totto or Torishin. But their pricing is decent, location and space is good to great. There are enough ignorant and uneducated clientele in the neighborhood. I think the place will survive...I suggest they stay open til late so it can capture the late night ramen craving crowd (although i doubt ramen aficionados will stay away from this place).
Summing it up:
+s
price, space, location, egg
-
bad food, waaaayyyy too much hedging.
not chowhound worthy.
BUT - please do let me know if the place improves, or if their signature ramen is worth the try.
Good night!
Looking for small thin skinned crispy samosas
Chowhounds,
I am looking for restaurants/take out joints that serve think samosas that are smaller, and have thinner skin (almost like spring roll). I like the big knuckle sized samosas that are served at many indian establishments throughout the city but I grew up on the smaller ones (about the size of thumb?) and would love to get my hands on them again.
Interestingly/Sadly - they are similar to version that is sold at Trader Joe's. Is there a specific name for that type of samosa? And if so, can someone point me to an establishment that may carry authentic versions of it?
Thank you very much.
authentic japanese restaurants
Soba Nippon's soba salad is one of my favorite salad dishes in the city, Restaurant Nippon also serves the same dish, but Soba Nippon's version is far superior as they put in more hijiki, more meat, and they top theirs off with fried soba noodles which add good crunch to the dish.
I've heard from many Japanese ex-pats that one of the best Japanese curry in New York is the one served at Restaurant Nippon. Story goes that, when Hideki Matsui (Yankees) came over to NY from Japan, he frequented Nippon but always told the owners that their curry was off. So when Matsui's parents were in town, the chef asked Matsui's mom for her recipe - and that is what they have been serving for several years. I don't remember the price - but I think it was slightly pricy for a bowl of curry,I always skipped the curry at Nippon because I couldn't quite justify the price. Has anyone had their curry? Any feedbacks?
Best salad in midtown west?? Help!
I like the soba salad (you can get it verggitarian, or with beef/chicken/tuna) from Soba Nippon. Great dressing.
Has Anyone Done Alinea Solo?
nsxtasy,
I am in town for a night next week, have coworkers travelling with me who can only do safe foods (nothing adventurous or sophisticated).
Since all the famous places (Alinea, CT) are out of question in this short of a notice, can you recommend me a place where I can do a walk-in, solo dining and get a good meal?
Or should I go to one of the pizza joints with my coworkers (hope they are ok with deep dish!). I've been reading your other posts to visitors and appreciate all you guidance - but there's so much choice to narrow down from!
Thank you in advance.
Black Iron Burger Shop
I went for their opening - i believe they use Pat La Frieda meat for their burgers. it was good meat, but their grill just didn't seem to have enough heat to cook the burger medium rare while putting adequate char on the outside. I am heavily against their use of shredded lettuce. the bun that came with the burger was the highlight - unlike the previous poster's, mine held up extremely well the entire time.
the shake was good but the size of that thing was extremely small to a point I was kind of offended (shoulda gone with beer). Their onion rings were indeed pretty good.
the pricing isn't all that conducive for repeated visits, not as bad as that of Zaitzeff around the corner, but I think i can get more bang for the buck elsewhere in the EV neighborhood.
Beer is Food, Where are the Best Beer 'Establishments' in Manhattan
Craft used to have one of my favorite beer Hitachino on the tap, I think it has been discontinued for some time, does anyone know of an establishment where I can get Hitachino on tap?
As for beer establishments, I think Zum Schneider in EV has combination of decent German beer selection on tap and german beerhall food. if you want to trek to Williamsburg, Radegast Hall is another beerhall with good selection and beerhall food - both locations are better suited for a lazy weekend afternoon outings than night outings in my mind.
