Reynold's Profile
M&T Stands for Marvelous and Tantalizing
This should be the last restaurant you ever go to. When you are old and decrepit, and your taste buds have all but disappeared, the socko intensity of this food will jolt you back to the days of your youth.
The cuisine of Qingdao is a presentation of strong flavors. In a sea of competing Chinese cuisines, it is unique. M&T Restaurant (44-09 Kissena Blvd., tel. 718-539-4100) steps up to the plate and hits a home run. It is a simple storefront 32-seater, and you are advised to go soon before the place is totally gridlocked with enthusiasts. Prediction: they will have to relocate to a larger site. The menu is enormous: 8 pages listing 161 items.
Our waitperson Donna was able to field our questions with adequate English, and was very attentive, helpful, and friendly, but be prepared for the occasional slight misunderstanding. One wall is decorated with menu photos and Chinese/English captions, and you can order right off the wall if you choose (prices are shown only on the menu, however).
Our first dish was Kidney & Red Jelly Fish in Chili Pepper ($10.99, photo 1), one of the standouts of the meal. The kidney was tender and very flavorful, beautifully scored in a mince pattern. The jellyfish was bland but slightly crunchy, a wonderful contrast. Do not miss this one. Next came Pork Chops with Shrimp Sauce ($9.99, photo 2). The pork chops were breaded and deep-fried, and the shrimp sauce was under the breading. In spite of this being an admired specialty of the region, we did not warm up to it. The shrimp sauce seemed to create a little bit of an “off” flavor, with no very discernable shrimp taste. Then we had Qindao Special Course ($7.99, photo 3), the other standout of the meal: julienned seaweed, bean sprouts, tofu, celery, diced pork, carrots, bamboo, and (if you can believe) potato (like boiled French fries). Loaded with flavor. Wow.
About that slight misunderstanding. The next dish came to our table with the announcement, “Here are your squid heads.” Wait a minute. We had ordered Fish with Cumin and Hot Chili ($10.99, photo 4). Turns out that the translation to English on the menu was a little bit mistaken: the dish is not fish but squid heads (photo 5), period. They offered to take it back and make us some fish with cumin. No, no, no, no, no. Not before we snapped up a test squid head and decided immediately they were for us. Now, finally, we found out what happens to all the heads of the headless, cleaned squid at the fish market. The answer, at last, was right there and it was delicious. The dish was medium spicy with cumin and peppercorns; the squid heads had a slight crunch and the flavor was intense.
Then we had Sea Shrimp with Chili ($11.99, photo 6). These were cooked whole; you are urged to eat the head, shell, and tail (I did; Joyce did not). They are spicy with Szechuan peppercorns, which leave a tingle in the mouth rather than a sensation of the high heat of chili peppers. I would say the head was the most flavorful part. The shrimps were cooked overlong, rendering them slightly tough and chewy. Very intensely tasty, though.
And now for something totally different. Ever hear of sea intestines? They were a bit pricey, but we tried Leeks with Sea Intestines ($16.99, photo 7). They have nothing to do with intestines except a physical resemblance. They tasted like a salty kind of shell-less clam, but are a totally different creature (urechis unicinctus, the marine spoon worm, which lives in sand and mud) – hollow 1-inch tubes that look like segments of a straw. I thought they were good, Joyce felt they were too salty.
We hadn’t planned to have dessert, especially since the two of us had ordered enough food for 4 or 5 people, and were getting ready to shlep home two bags of leftovers. But Donna explained that the Qingdao Pumpkin Pan Cake ($5.99, photo 8) was a match for any American pumpkin pie, and we really should try this specialty. It was a dish of six pancakes, deep fried and a little oily, but loaded with concentrated flavor. One was more than satisfying—and any time you are eating food with focused flavor, the satisfaction level is reached early, and you will tend to consume less. Which, in fact, I’m not at all sure was the case that evening!
Sentosa Has Sensational Malaysian Cooking
A follow-up. I tried the Asam Laksa (photo 14) which I took home, and personally I didn't find it too appealing. It tasted a lot like sauerkraut. I am very fond of Singapore laksa which I learned to make at a cooking class over there, and would be delighted if anyone knows where to find such laksa around here. If you would like to make laksa at home and don't want to do so from scratch (it is quite a job), look for the Prima Taste brand of Ready-to-Cook Meal Kit for Laksa (manufactured by Prima Food of Singapore). It has laksa paste, coconut laksa premix, sambai chili, and dried laksa leaves. You just need to add seafood or poultry meat and noodles. It tastes wonderful and is authentic. I get it from a friend from Singapore, so I don't know if/where it can be bought around NY.
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Sentosa
39-07 Prince St, Queens, NY 11354
Sentosa Has Sensational Malaysian Cooking
Here are photos 13-16.
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Sentosa
39-07 Prince St, Queens, NY 11354
Sentosa Has Sensational Malaysian Cooking
Here are photos 9-12.
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Sentosa
39-07 Prince St, Queens, NY 11354
Sentosa Has Sensational Malaysian Cooking
Here are photos 5-8.
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Sentosa
39-07 Prince St, Queens, NY 11354
Sentosa Has Sensational Malaysian Cooking
Sentosa’s modern interior (photo 1) is more slicked-up than most spots in the neighborhood. Lots of panels, right angles, indirect lighting, all give the place a high-end look. Upon entering you will see a sign forbidding outside food and drink. However, we learned when booking that they do permit BYOB for a $6 corkage fee. They do sell beer and wine.
Our party of seven dug right into a wide range of choices. The classic appetizer Roti Canai ($3.50, photo 2) came as a feathery light pancake – crispy and slightly sweet – to dip into a coconut curry sauce with a piece of chicken submerged in it. We went nuts, it was so good, and quickly ordered two more. The Ipoh Bean Sprouts with Salted Fish ($6, photo 3) was routine and didn’t seem to have much flavor of salted fish. Looking at the check later, we realized that they gave us the non-salted-fish appetizer version instead of the $10 entrée we had ordered. The bland Baby Oyster Omelette ($10, photo 4) contrasted nicely with some of the more pungent items on the table.
Pleasantly pungent would describe the Satay Tofu appetizer ($7, photo 5), a shell of crispy fried tofu topped with cucumber and bean sprouts, and garnished with sauce and crumbled peanuts. This ravishing dish disappeared in record time. Kang Kung Belacan ($11, photo 6) merits special mention for its depth of flavor, somewhat dark. It is a vegetable called convolus, that looks like spinach stems – it was sautéed with fermented shrimp paste and spices. The convolus’s flavor was pleasant but not pronounced, and made a nice delivery system for the other ingredients. Off Topic Comment: If I were to take a cooking class at Sentosa, this would be the first dish I’d want to learn, and then apply the treatment to other greens. There are vegetables in America that I’d call light or bright (lettuce, snow peas, zucchini) which taste best when you simply bring out their own natural flavor, and those that are dark (green beans, broccoli, asparagus) which respond really well to some of the seasonings used in Vietnam, Malaysia, and nearby countries (anchovies, shrimp paste, fermented black beans, oyster sauce, whole cumin, whole coriander—not all at once, of course!).
Back to business. We ramped up our adventure with Chicken Feet with Chinese Mushroom Casserole ($10, photo 7). It turned out fairly basic, just braised/sauteed chicken feet – which were tender and tasty to some of us anyway - - with the usual snow peas, sliced carrots, and Chinese cabbage. Indian Mee Goreng ($7, photo 8) was a standout: stir fried egg noodles in dried squid sauce with tofu, potato, shrimp, eggs, peanuts, and bean sprouts. All the great foods in one dish! As if that weren’t enough, it came garnished with scallions and a wedge of lime. Next came Nasi Lemak ($7, photo 9), a fairly spicy and totally delicious regional specialty of coconut rice flavored with screwpine leaves and cloves, with dollops of anchovy, curried chicken, preserved vegetables, peanuts, and hardboiled egg.
Chicken Rendang ($10, photo 10) came next. It was perfectly OK if not distinctive. Unfortunately they pander to Americans by using all white meat chunks of chicken breast in a sauce with lemongrass, chili paste, and coconut curry. Nyonya Clam in Casserole seemed a touch overpriced at $15 (photo 11) and most of our party agreed that it was far too spicy to enjoy with our wine and the other items on the table. We did in fact request “not spicy” for all items when we ordered, but as a practical matter that can’t always happen. Malaysian Pork Chop ($11, photo 12) was voted the worst entry of the evening – breaded and fried pieces of pork, and the breading concealed not just meat but hunks of fat, and besides it was too sweet. So there.
Then somebody had the bright idea, why just have rice (which we had on the table) when you can have Seafood Fried Rice ($8, photo 13)? Basically mostly squid and scallops, as best I can recall, on the order of blandly flavorful comfort food. Asam Laksa ($6.50, photo 14) was at the opposite end of the spectrum, a spicy and sour noodle soup with fish flakes. It was a bit too sour for most people’s tastes. By then I was not remotely able to consume any more food, so it is now sitting in my refrigerator waiting to be sampled soon. The Eggplant with Salted Fish Casserole ($14, photo 15) – I think it was pretty good but will have to go back again to make sure.
Amazing how overloaded diners can pick themselves right up when dessert comes along (some of us, anyway). Ice Kacang ABC ($4, photo 16) is an amazing concoction not to be missed even if you are not a dessert fan. There is shaved ice, red bean, corn, palm seeds, jelly, red rose syrup, and coconut milk. We all raved. Finally, we had the Coconut Pudding ($7, photo 17) which looks touristy with the cute paper umbrella on the sculpted coconut. Unfortunately I did not take a picture of the inside. The pudding was delightful, especially the part you scrape from the sides, which gets more cooking and is quite dense.
Our server Janice was fluent in English, very attentive, and helpful with explanations. The staff seems very well trained and focused. We bought one bottle of Lockwood wine off the menu ($26) and paid two corkage fees for our own bottles ($12). The bill came to $201.43. With tip we paid $35 per person for a sumptuous repast that will result in a return visit in the very near future.
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Sentosa
39-07 Prince St, Queens, NY 11354
Nino's Tuscany - Traditional Italian Food and Traditional American Pianist
We went to this Italian restaurant on West 58th St. (between 6th and 7th Ave.) when we saw a special mentioned in the NY Times - lobster fra diavolo for up to 3 people, $45. For two people it was a delicious treat with generous-sized servings. Our appetizers, lamb meat balls ($10) and tripe alla fiorentina ($9), had intense flavor. The tripe was so good we ordered an extra one to take home. The service was friendly and attentive. (Note - photo shows 2 lamb meatballs; it comes with 4.)
The pianist, Irving Fields, plays on a beautiful baby grand, and is now 94 years old. He has had a lengthy career going back to the days 60 years ago when hotels, top restaurants, and ocean cruises all had pianists on staff. He is most enjoyable to listen to, takes requests, and is very friendly with the customers.
An experience not to be missed.
Dem Hoi Bar & Restaurant, Hoi An, Vietnam
This was flat-out one of the best restaurants we went to in Vietnam. It is located just outside the Life Heritage Resort. You might think it looks like a good-time bar (photo 1) with its tourist come-on sign (photo 2). We were just passing by and stopped to chat with a friendly Aussie at one of the outside tables, and he was so enthusiastic about the food that we decided to come back for dinner. Had we known how good it was, we would have taken a cooking class here. White rose (photo 3) was gorgeously presented and tasted fantastic -- soft rice noodles with pork inside, sprinkled with dried shallot and scallions. The dip looked spicy but it was a fish-sauce dip with the usual mild red peppers. Vietnamese tapas (photo 4) had very tasty coconut spring rolls, calamari, fish balls, and crackers with a topping of sweet/sour sauce, mushrooms, tomatoes, pineapple, and spices. We tried three kinds of eel meat flavor soup (photo 5). It was OK but had more mushrooms than eel meat. Even the broccoli-cauliflower had a nice visual presentation (photo 6). It was so good we asked the manager (Duy, who speaks excellent English) how they made it. He told us that first they stir-fried it in hot oil until half cooked, with oyster sauce. Then they added olive oil and salt and put it in a steamer to finish. We also tried stir-fried frog with chili and lemongrass (photo 7, sorry about the soft focus) which was very good. For this absolute feast we paid 602,000 dong, or $36, which included a $20.60 bottle of South African sauvignon blanc. There is a bar in the back (photo 8).
Senses Restaurant at Life Heritage Resort, Hoi An, Vietnam
After spending the first half of the evening lost in the dark in a driving rain, we made our way back to our hotel and opted for dinner there. We figured we'd get hosed some more, and we did, but not too badly. The food ranged from OK to very good, and portion sizes were almost double the standard Vietnamese. Banana flower salad ($6, photo 1) has become a favorite, and this version did not disappoint. A little fish sauce and lime juice, and it had a delicious balance. Perhaps tomatoes were added to please Western palates, but they fitted in just fine. The peanuts are roasted a little darker in Vietnam than we find in the U.S., and it gives them much more flavor. Stir-fried bean curd ($4, photo 2) was the best dish of the evening, with a nice sprinkling of mint. Stir-fried water spinach ($2.50, photo 3) was fine. Braised mackerel in clay pot ($8, photo 4) proved to be routine and uninteresting. The mackerel was cooked very hard (Koreans do this also), which was OK, but the dish just didn't have much flavor. We had a bottle of Obikwa chenin blanc for $23.30. With tip we paid $66.00. This was perhaps $15-$20 more than a non-hotel restaurant would have charged, but of course table settings and service were of the highest standard.
Le Ba Truyen II, Hoi An, Vietnam
This is a tour-group spot, located at 12 Ba Trieu St., but don't let that stop you -- there is lots of authentic and delicious food. Definitely worth a visit on any culinary tour. We had Saigon spring rolls ($4, photo 1) which were a bit oily but had feathery skin and were way, way tasty! The caramelized pork with salt ($5, photo 2) tasted like beef. We've never had much luck with clay-pot caramelized pork, even in a cooking class we took. The cao lao noodle ($2, photo 3) was a great find. In addition to flat rice noodles, it has bean sprouts, pieces of pork, and small squares of crunchy fried noodles. You top it with some greens like watercress or mint and it's VERY good, an interesting mix of consistencies and flavors. Finally we tried the chao ca fish noodle soup ($3, photo 4). We were surprised to put a spoon into it and come up with a great big slice of sea bass. It was like rice congee made with a rich, thick fish stock. The accomplisments of their kitchen were definitely above average.
Royal Park, Hue
This restaurant is located at 38-43 Nguyen Sinh Sac Street, Vi Da, Hue (photo 1). Our dinners were paid for as part of our tour package, so we were given the set menu (photo 2). Drinks were extra. We ordered a bottle of wine which was oxidized and there was no trouble about replacing it. The second floor has a roofed open-air balcony area which was very pleasant (photo 3). The 'mix soup' (photo 4) had lotus seeds and was quite forgettable. Phoenix of appetizer (photo 5) showed us that we were going to get the tourist treatment of "royal presentation" birds carved out of carrots. The beef rolls and shrimp rolls were both excellent. Steamed shrimp (photo 6) was plain but tasty. Fried squid (photo 7) was acceptable but not really fresh, so we did not mind that the portion was very small. The Hue cake (photo 8) was standout excellent! A really good mix of ground pork and shrimp on a translucent noodle, atop a banana leaf. Bo bittet beef (photo 9) featured small chunks of beef, potatoes, onions, and scallions -- routine tourist food you could find anywhere. The steamed vegetables (photo 10) was Western-fave bok choy. (God forbid they should give us something local and unfamiliar like morning glory or water spinach.) Grilled duck (photo 11) was 2 very small patties of duck-meat shreds, fried and almost devoid of flavor. Dessert was wedding cake (photo 12), actually quite interesting and tasty. There were coconut shreds and mango - it was sweet and chewy, with a lotus seed in the middle. It was very glutinous, like half-dried-out rubber cement or VERY thick jello. It was a reasonable way to sample a range of dishes, which is worthwhile if you can return for another meal which is not pre-paid and order ala carte.
Club Garden, Hue, Vietnam
Located at 08 Vo Thi Sau Street, this place (photo 1) furnished a delicious lunch at reasonable rates. Beer was $1.60, mineral water $1.00. At these prices we decided to spring for a glass of local vodka called lua moi (50 cents, photo 2). The label said 29% alcohol, so the small glass we received was plenty (photo 3). It had a slightly oily and grainy consistency, with a little sweetish aftertaste. Not unlike genever or cheap sake. We tried the grilled pork balls with peanut sauce and rice paper ($2.50, photo 4). This was a typical Vietnamese spring roll with cucumber, basil leaves, mint leaves, which you roll up in rice paper and dunk into the dip of your choice (peanut sauce or fish-sauce dip). It was very good. We had the steamed duck with fish sauce and ginger ($5.30, photo 5). The dipping sauce was spicy and we opted for soy sauce. The duck meat was chewy and full-flavored, a real barnyard fowl. After this delicious experience, we started looking for duck on every Vietnamese menu we encountered, but no luck. We also ordered stir-fried noodles with pork and shrimp ($1.85, photo 6). The vermicelli had terrific chicken flavor. From several cooking classes we took in Vietnam, we learned that they often use "chicken power" (powdered bouillion) in their cooking. The portions were kind of small, which was not a problem at these prices, so we ordered another dish of the vermicelli. Again, the pork was very full-flavored, and we were so glad to be in a country where industrial, tasteless meat is unknown ... and where the waitpersons are so very helpful and friendly.
Y Thao Garden, Hue, Vietnam
This place is promoted in guidebooks as an example of the ancient royal cuisine, big on presentation, and an unforgettable dining experience for foodies. All we can say is, it was a decent meal but temper your expectations! The fixed menu (photo 1) was only $10 per person. Passable French white wine was $25 a bottle. The spring rolls on formed peacock (photo 2) were certainly an auspicious beginning ... but we wondered how often they reused the peacock. The spring rolls were very firm but indeed tasty. The vegetable soup (photo 3) was routine and needed salt. We tried a glass of the Vietnamese white wine (photo 4) which was pretty bad and no bargain at $2 a glass (in a store, a bottle costs $2.75). The steamed shrimp (photo 5) showed some slacking of their vaunted presentation, and unhappily it was mealy and tasteless. If you get a bowl that looks like weak tea (photo 6), don't drink it -- it's a finger bowl (tea is astringent and a good cleaner). The Hue pancake (photo 7) was a real disappointment: greasy, overcooked bean sprouts, cheese-infused tofu, and peanut sauce. The "mixed salad fig" (photo 8) looked like tuna salad. It tasted like sweet gefilte fish and was served on shrimp crackers. The mixed steamed lotus rice (photo 9) had lotus seeds, carrots, julienned tree ear fungus, onion, and bits of pork -- all very bland and flavorless, as if it were cooked 5 or 6 days ago. By this point any pretense of decorative presentation had been long abandoned. The fried fish with tomato sauce (photo 10) was VERY well done and a bit sweet. Then along came a decorative dessert (photo 11) consisting of fruit and green-bean cake. The outside of the cake was like a sweet gelatin wax, but the filling was too sweet and acrid. It was like a floury jelly bean. We enjoyed trying things new to us, but felt that the execution was hit-or-miss. All the customers were tourists. We were reminded of the old Chinese saying, "You can always fool a tourist."
Saigon and Siem Reap--any favorites?
Quan an Ngon in Saigon is definitely worth at least one visit. There are cooking stations all around this very large restaurant ... you can walk through and decide to sit near one of them. We opted instead for an outdoor seat near the entrance, as the interior was pretty smoky from all those grill stations. Try the Pounded Shrimp Hash Fried on Sugar Cane with Rice Vermicelli, Rice Paper, and Vegetables (52,000 dong, about $3.75). You get shrimp pate on sticks of sugar cane (photo 1), you cut off a piece (photo 2), you put veggies, the shrimp, and noodles on rice paper (photo 3), and roll it up (photo 4). It is a tourist magnet but prices are reasonable, quality is high, service is very helpful, and best of all the food is delicious.
Lemongrass, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Sorry, I put in the wrong photo for no. 4 above, and Chowhound does not allow a reviewer to check or edit uploaded photos. So here is my "reply" with the real photo 4.
Lemongrass, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Unfortunately, an enthusiastic guidebook recommendation of Lemongrass at 4 D Nguyen Thiep street (photo 1) did not pan out. We found the food to be very routine and not overly authentic. Minced pork in the fried spring rolls was overcooked. The grilled chicken (photo 2) was routine. The crab with vermicelli (photo 3) had soggy, overdone noodles. The sauteed vegetables (photo 4) were geared towards American and European tourists, using only veggies known in their homelands. The place was nearly empty so it's not like the kitchen was being pressured. It was a bit pricey by Vietnam standards at 867,000 dong or $52 (including wine for 386,000).
Cucharamama is the Latin Grand Llama
The Peruvian Chicken ($25, photo 9) had been marinated and then roasted in Cucharamama’s wood-burning oven, and was served with a spicy potato purée. Wild Salmon ($25, photo 10), also from the wood-burning oven, came with a sauce of fire-roasted peppers and hazelnuts, plus oven-roasted potatoes. Both dishes were done perfectly and were extremely tasty. We also had Argentine Skirt Steak ($25, photo 11), which came with yucca gratin and sautéed broccoli rabe. The generous portion of meat was fabulous and perfectly grilled, but I could have done without the sauce which I found distracting—I don’t care how traditional it is. The Roast Leg of Pork ($20, photo 12) in adobo, with white rice and stewed canary beans, was richly-flavored and seductive with chunks of moist, succulent meat, dry chewy meat, and a crispy wafer of skin. Based on its profound deliciousness, next time back I’d be looking to order the whole leg of pork (special order for four or more) or even the whole roast suckling pig (5-day notice required).
The quality was as high as you will find anywhere in Manhattan, and so were the prices. We did not save a dime by going out to Hoboken. Even the wines are sold with a 300% markup. We had 2 bottles of Nieto Senetiner, a Mendoza Pinot Noir (a little too hotly alcoholic at 14.5%), perfectly OK but nothing special, for $35. Centralliquors.com has it for $12.99. The management added 20% service to our bill, which was fine with us as the service was prompt, attentive, and very friendly. For cooking that was so highly-accomplished, creative, and precise, with such nice atmosphere and service, and three rounds of drinks, each of us felt we’d gotten our money’s worth ($67.62).
Cucharamama is the Latin Grand Llama
Next we had Empanadas with Spinach, Manchego, Parmigiano, and Bacon ($9, photo 5) which were just dazzlingly good. Arepas de Choclo ($11, photo 6) was a corn cake with salmon roe and crème fraîche, similarly intense with flavor. Then came Chorizo Argentino ($9, photo 7), with roasted peppers and onions plus chimichurri sauce. I found it unbelievably bland; give me Spanish or Portuguese chorizo any time, but others at the table liked it very much. For our entrées, two of us ordered Grilled Duck Breast ($24), one rare and one medium rare (photo 8). The kitchen must be complimented on getting both done exactly right. These were served with tamarillo sauce, creamy quinoa and sweet potato purée. Every morsel was delicious. Continued...
Cucharamama is the Latin Grand Llama
Cucharamama ( http://www.cucharamama.com ), at 233 Clinton St., is about a 10-minute walk from the Hoboken PATH station. It bills itself as “artisanal South American cooking” and high-end artistic is definitely the word. Most of the recipes are from Peru, Brazil, and Argentina, with a few from Colombia and Venezuela. Our party of six took one of the few (two) outdoor tables on a nice, slightly muggy evening (photo 1). Most of us ordered Mojito cocktails ($9, photo 2) with minimal sugar, and we thoroughly enjoyed their perfect balance of lime, mint, sugar, and rum. Some of us were new to Caipirinhas ($8, photo 3), a delightful discovery, though next time we’d reduce the sugar as with the mojitos. Along came a raft of appetizers, starting with Bacalao (salt cod) and Potato Fritters ($8, photo 4). These were fine, but a bit bland—the pronounced taste of bacalao was absent. 4-photo limit reached here, to be continued...
Lunetta of Brooklyn is Crowded and Noisy like Manhattan and Almost as Expensive but has Great Food
Chicken saltimbocca with speck, fontina, & hash browns ($15, photo 5) was a perfect golden brown, and full of flavor. The revelation of the evening was the slow-roasted Berkshire pork belly with cannellini beans ($17, photo 6)—as tender, luscious, and unctuous as any comfort food could possibly be. The meat and fat are easily separated, so weight-watchers ought not to avoid it. The scams du jour were the rapini with toasted garlic ($7, photo 7) and the sautéed spinach with ricotta ($7, photo 8). Both portions were ridiculously small, but the spinach was particularly miserly for $7. We complained to the waitress, who was helpful and good-natured throughout the evening, and she brought us a somewhat larger serving.
For dessert we tried the flourless chocolate ‘boca negra’ cake ($7). The chocolate lovers at our table assured me that it was the real deal.
The check included a $4 overcharge on 2 bottles of wine, and we had that corrected. Also, the waitress earlier had kindly left a pepper grinder at our table after we asked for one. She did warn us that the restaurant had only two, so she would probably need to retrieve it later, which she did. If you visit Lunetta, you might want to bring your own.
Lunetta of Brooklyn is Crowded and Noisy like Manhattan and Almost as Expensive but has Great Food
It’s about the food, which is superb, so it’s well worth a visit. The bruschetta starters, at a very reasonable $4, were mostly savory and delicious: butter beans with rosemary-garlic oil, spicy leeks and pecorino romano (both in photo 1), and tuna conserva with farm egg & capers. Only the lunetta ricotta with honey & lemon, while certainly tasty, seemed more like a dessert item. The pricier fried artichokes with parmesan, herbs, and lemon ($11, photo 2, snapped after 2/3 of the food had been removed) were also superb.
Our entrees included spaghetti carbonara with smoked pancetta ($15, photo 3). The flavors were fantastic, the consistency was perfect, just the right amount of “cling,” but the serving was, shall we say, modest. As was the serving of the linguini with Manila clams and escarole ($16, photo 4).
More review and photos next post (photo limit is 4 per post) ....
Review - Compass (208 W. 70th, 212 875 8600)
(Continued ... because I can only upload 4 photos per reply, and I have 7 photos!)
The prix fixe entrée was Calves Liver and Applewood Smoked Bacon with Potatoes, Mustard Greens, and Muscatel Grape Jus (photo 4), topped with bitter greens and crispy fried onions. Beautiful to see and delicious to eat. Two of us opted for the Pan-Seared Duck with Foie Gras Crepinette, Salsify Purée, and Albufera ($27, photo 5). It was terrifically tasty, comfort food at its best. Finally we had Pan Crisped Organic Chicken with Almond-Leek-Cranberry Topping, Sweet Potato, and Maple-Cider Vinegar Jus ($24, photo 6). Just fantastic.
The prix fixe dessert was Passion Fruit-Pineapple Parfait with Vanilla Panna Cotta and Almond Streusel (photo 7), which some of us prejudged as decidedly unenticing. Wrong. It was a knockout hit.
The service was friendly, attentive, and prompt, easily coping with our arrivals at different times and our need to be out in time for the theater. It is somewhat pricey but the atmosphere, décor, service, and food are of such a high standard that there is excellent value for the money. And best of all for chowhounds, the chef is imaginative and accomplished.
Review - Compass (208 W. 70th, 212 875 8600)
At Compass, all directions point to great food! Our party of four had a nice experience there a few days ago. The seating is unusually roomy for a Manhattan restaurant. The wine list must run about 70 pages and has numerous offerings in the three and even four digits. I was tempted by a saucy yet winsome little Bordeaux by Chateau Margaux dated 1945 (being the year of my birth) but somehow couldn’t locate the necessary $4200 anywhere in my pockets. There are very few wines in the $40-$70 range, but notably more bargains are to be found in the whites than the reds. We opted for cocktails and a $138 bottle of Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape (delicious). Compass makes a tiptop mojito ($12), perfectly balanced levels of rum, mint, lime, and sugar.
Entrées range from $24 to $32, but there is also a prix fixe for $35 (appetizer, entrée, and dessert). Among our starters was a fabulous Lobster and Black Truffle Risotto with Matsutake Mushrooms ($26 – that’s right, twenty-six dollars, photo 1). As you can see in the photo, there was a generous amount of truffles, so the dish was fairly priced. The taste was out of this world. It set the tone for the rest of the evening: everything was freshly and fully flavored. Not once did we sense that an ingredient had been sitting in the walk-in day after day, in the hopes of recovering the expense of something being held well past its prime.
Another starter, the Market Soup (photo 2), opened the Winter Prix Fixe Menu. It was a satisfyingly full-flavored broth with daikon radish and shitake mushrooms, garnished with bits of tomato and cilantro. We also had the Poached Salmon and Confit Rock Shrimp Salad ($16, photo 3), interestingly topped with grape tomatoes, lima beans, radishes, and watercress. The rock-shrimp confit was raw, which was not mentioned on the menu and should have been, and this ingredient was lacking in flavor. Continued...
