jakew8's Profile
After dinner dessert in hells kitchen area
Kyotofu hands down. I've had pies from LPC and everything from Amy's. They're good--nothing against them. But Kyotofu has elegant and innovative desserts that are really head and shoulders above the other places. It's a different scene; it's more expensive and it's a sit-down place. (But if you eat at Pio Pio first then hopefully you'll have money left over.)
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Kyotofu
705 9th Ave, New York, NY 10019
Restaurants near 92nd Street Y
If you like Italian, I recommend Sfoglia. The food is excellent; the service, gracious; the seating, okay, it's a little cramped. But did I mention the excellent food?
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Sfoglia
1402 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10128
Obao, 53rd/2nd-3rd
It's on the menupages menu, seamlessweb menu and at obaony.com. It's been available every time I've been there, maybe 10 times since it opened.
Did you actually go there and not see it on the menu?
Obao, 53rd/2nd-3rd
+1 for the Japanese eggplant app. It's great. The other stuff is all fine, nothing too stellar but I go there every few months for lunch when I'm in the mood.
Gluten free
Bar Breton has lots of gluten-free menu items, and they're clearly indicated on there. The burgers and crepes are good.
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La Quenelle
254 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10020
Americanized Sushi Rolls
Second vote for Japonais. It's trend-ish (read: cool but passe) and their "special" rolls are actually pretty good. My favorite is the spicy mono (octopus) roll, which I'd pair with the cucumber martini and just keep ordering more of both until I reach my $200 limit. Also the desserts aren't bad.
I'd skip Sushi Samba--it's never very high quality and you'll be surrounded by B&T high school kids.
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Japonais
111 East 18th Street, New York, NY 10003
Ko
Admittedly I haven't eaten there in three years, but I remember about half of the dishes highlighting either egg or seafood.
where to eat in new york city
I have to disagree regarding trying to do the bo ssam or the fried chicken. I've been to both ssam bar and noodle bar countless times and I think that the normal menus there are a better bet for your first visit. And yes I've had both the fried chicken and the bo ssam.
Especially at ssam (which I'd recommend over the noodle bar), where there is a large variety on the menu, you don't want to be confined to just eating pork and fixins.
Review: Gentleman Farmer
Three of us had dinner at Gentleman Farmer last night. It's a new-ish place on the LES, on Rivington near Forsyth. The place is small--I counted maybe 20 seats and at 8:00 it was totally full. It's very cozy and the lighting is warm. There isn't much clearance between you and the next table but, well, what restaurant in the East Village or LES isn't like that?
Bread came out accompanied by two condiments--a very creamy butter (we were told that it was from an upstate creamery--it was great) and pico de gallo. The pico was an interesting touch and I liked it (but I like the butter more).
For the apps we had a lentil salad with bacon which wasn't too heavy and had a nice balance. We also had the venison sausage with blueberry reduction which was excellent, on the heavy and flavorful side (read: gamy). Luckily we all like venison, lamb, etc. but if that's not your thing then I'd choose something else. People around us had the pate and seemed to love it.
The main courses were rabbit stew, smoked duck breast, and pork loin. The duck to me was the standout, very juicy and thick and the fat was perfectly rendered. And the smokey taste perfectly complimented its sweet peppery sauce. I also liked the pork loin--juicy with a sweet onion compote on top. The rabbit stew was very rich but not quite salty enough for me; however, one other diner liked it the best.
For dessert we had a pecan tart and creme brulee. The creme brulee was a standout--very creamy, just the right sweetness, and the crust was perfect.
We also drank two bottles of cote de brouilly which were good and a reasonable pick in the $40 range. The wine director was there, and she was very helpful in picking a wine without added sulfites (one of us has a sensitivity to them).
The total was about $200 which is reasonable for three people with two bottles of wine. I'd definitely go back.
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Gentleman Farmer
40 Rivington St, New York, NY 10002
Restaurant i in the New York Charles Hotel
Went to the new-American/Asian place "Restaurant i" in the New York Charles Hotel on Broadway and 19th St.
We went on a Friday night and it was about 20% full. The lighting changes color constantly--it's like a nightclub. At first it was very noticeable but eventually I got used to it. Your mileage may vary.
The waiter was attentive though not the most knowledgeable. The food arrived promptly.
Instead of bread they serve a bowl of fried chips--shrimp chips I think--with ketchup. Okay but not really my cup of tea. For an app we had the Hamachi "Brulee" which is a long filet of raw hamachi with a citrus dressing and spicy aioli. We agreed that it was "good" but there was too much aioli and the whole thing was a bit slippery. Just the fish and the aioli would have been better texture-wise, but the citrus was necessary to cut the heft and brighten it up.
The entrees were chicken and a NY strip and were not memorable. Each had the same pros and cons: nice sear on the outside, juicy inside; however, each was woefully underseasoned. Perhaps the fish dishes would have been the better choices?
Possibly the best thing about the meal were the specialty cocktails--well-balanced and not overly sweet (and quite strong).
The food didn't make a compelling case for a return visit. Maybe the kitchen still needs to get its legs under it. The bar seems hip though, so I'd consider dropping in again for a drink.
Best Ramen in Manhattan
I ate the tonkatsu ramen at Hide-Chan last week at lunchtime. All I remember about it was that it was very, very greasy, with lots of bits of solid pork fat floating in the broth. It was tasty but also disgusting. I've attached a photo.
Perhaps it's because we went later in the afternoon--close to the end of the lunch service--and were ladled the concentrated fatty broth that hadn't been served already.
Anyone else been here? Was this a fluke or is it always this fatty?
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Hide-chan
248 E 52nd St, New York, NY 10022
Awesome spinach artichoke dip!
Sooo... I was just here again last weekend and had the spinach artichoke dip again. It was still awesome and my immediate thought was to post a follow-up to help this place out because I like to help out the places near me.
Well, I walked by today and it has been closed by the DOH. Too many violations. Wah-wah!
dishes they are not known for but delicious
Mussels and fries at Via Emilia. My wife vouches for the mussels (I'm not a fan of mussels) and we both raved about the fries.
Italian restaurant recommendation please
Look up Mia Dona:
http://www.miadona.com/
My only caveat is that the food is very heavily spiced (some grandparents are put off by that).
Anyone tried Mantao Chinese Sandwiches?
I ate there this afternoon, it having been recommended by a friend who told me that the food was good but that the service was disorganized. I am happy to report that the food was good and the service was not disorganized.
I had the pork bun, the short rib-kimchi, and veg dumplings. The pork bun was tasty; I've had more tender pork for sure but I'd eat this again. Good flavor and the bread is just right.
The short rib and kimchi was also tasty, but was too sweet for my taste. Also as compared with other "short rib" sandwiches (e.g., Momofuku Ssam's--which is the best sandwich ever in the history of sandwiches, in case you were curious), the meat was a bit tough. I think that a better name for this would be the bulgogi sandwich, since that's exactly what it tasted like to me.
I also give high marks to the dumplings as dumplings go. They were lightly fried (not oily) and the veggie filling had a lot of flavor.
Since it's two blocks from my office, I'll likely return. I wouldn't make a special trip for it, though.
Lone Star Beer Rant
Good advice but if I remember correctly, it's the only beer served at Momofuku Milk Bar. I think that is the genesis of the OP's rant.
bar with outdoor space ?
Red Sky has a nice rooftop. It's a d-baggy college scene, though.
Birthday dinner for our 17 year old daughter
Consider Republic in Union Square. The price is right and they have a lot of non-alcoholic beverages for the kids.
Dammit I am desperate.
Have you considered a BBQ place like Dinosaur?
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/620223
Dinosaur, Hill Country or Daisy May's
The beef ribs at Hill Country, while tasty, are a huge waste of money. There's a 50:1 bone-to-meat ratio. And you pay by weight. Wah-wah!
Pita Grill--Worst Falafel Ever!
Another +1 for the rice bowls. I agree that the rest of the menu is weak.
BTW, chickpea also bakes its falafel--but they're a little better than Pita Grill's.
cups123, excellent falafel can be had at Mamoun's or, IMO, Taksim or Sip Sak (both of which are sit-down and more pricey, esp. the latter).
Dinosaur, Hill Country or Daisy May's
Dinosaur is the best atmosphere for a large group. Daisy May's isn't going to be much fun for your group. You have to sit at cramped indoor picnic tables and there's no ambience to speak of. Hill Country is a madhouse since it's also self-serve (but is complicated by table service for drinks).
Now as for food, I think that Dinosaur has the best sides out of the three, but if you really care about sides (more than BBQ), you should consider Blue Smoke. The sides are better than the meat there in my opinion. And it's good for groups (since they take reservations, which the others don't).
Angelo's on W. 57th
Second this. Angelo's is one of the more consistent whole-pie chains in Midtown. Even though it and Patsy's have essentially the same menu, I prefer Angelo's.
Black Iron Burger Shop
It looks like all of the posts about Black Iron Burger Shop are eight months old, so here's my more recent take. Went there on a Sunday afternoon, so it wasn't crowded. Also, it was a nice day so they door was open (if it had been closed, I could imagine it getting smoky in there).
I ordered my burger medium with the horseradish cheddar. Even at medium temp it was very juicy; others I was with ordered medium-rare which was probably not necessary (at least for moisture reasons). The burgers were excellent and nobody had a problem with buns losing their integrity. Shredded lettuce is a gripe of mine was well; I just scraped it off. All-in-all I liked the burger very much particularly since it wasn't overly tall. So many burgers these days are shaped like soda cans and there's no way to take a proper bite. These have a more reasonable shape.
A disclaimer: I don't like a lot of char on my burgers, so I have no problem with ones cooked to temp on a flat-top.
The fries were excellent. If they're always as crisp and tasty as ours then the place should be in contention for some french fry award.
We didn't try the shakes. Several beers are on tap--no complaints there.
Good German Restaurant
Both are occasionally filled with d-bags (like me), but my vote in this case goes to Zum Schneider as the more consistently crowded place. Also, Loreley doesn't accomodate people standing (i.e., blocking) all over the place like ZS does. ZS feels more like a bar; Loreley feels more like a restaurant. I like the food at both but prefer Loreley.
Heirloom tomatoes year-round?
plus the heirloom tomatoes that you find at the greenmarket are ripe or nearly ripe when you buy them, and they get that way on the vine. supermarket tomatoes are picked when they're bright green so that they're red (but not really ripe, huh) by the time you buy them. picking them green also makes them more resilient for shipping.
on a side note, you're not being at all conscious of "food miles" you eco-terrorist!
Wildwood Barbeque...any good?
In terms of meat, I think that Hill Country is better. In terms of sides (and, strangely, for brisket), I think that Blue Smoke is better. Both are in that same neighborhood.
Comfort Diner on 23rd St. closed--anyone know why?
The website says "unfortunate circumstances beyond [their] control." I'm guessing that it wasn't lack of business because it was always busy. Maybe a dispute with the landlord?
(unwanted) insects in food
Yesterday I bought a cup of soup from the cafeteria in my office. When I got back to my desk I discovered--before eating any--that there were small insects floating around in the soup. At first they looked like spices or caraway seeds or something. I brought it back to the cafeteria and the manager pulled the entire batch of soup and refunded my money and of course apologized.
Strangely, the incident didn't bother me at all. It was a beef barley soup and I suspect that the insects were in the dry barley to begin with. Once I bought a can of Quaker Oats from the supermarket and it had similar, small dead bugs in it. I wrote the company and they said that it happens from time to time and they gave me some coupons.
What do you think? Did the cafeteria commit a mortal sin by not noticing the bugs in the soup? (I'm assuming here that they didn't notice--had they seen them and served the soup anyway, that would be a different matter.)
