chowbie's Profile
SE Asian - Thai or Vietnamese - on the west side
I would say Kin Shop is pretty upscale compared to any other Thai/Vietnamese I can think of on the West side. It also takes reservations so you could avoid a hellshow wait.
Cafe Asean or Wong are other ideas (one is not upscale, one is very upscale).
There's also an Indonesian place 9th and 46th, which I recall being kind of cute.
Battersby = yum.
Am surprised there's no dedicated thread on this place (though a search does turn up some raves on other threads) so I thought I'd start one.
DH and I were thrilled with our meal last week. Amuse, bread, first and second courses were all what I'd call Platonic forms of each dish. The third courses were good, as good as you'd get at any other good place on Smith, but not transcendent like the others. We were too full for dessert.
Amuse: Smooth, mouth-filling chicken livers on toast. Bread: a puffy thick round of delicious salty crispy fluffiness in a hot pan. Starters: kale salad with deep-fried kale and fresh basil and loads of Asian flavours; "hen egg" in a mushroom broth (Platonic form of cream of mushroom soup). Second: oxtail on mashed potatoes, imagine the best possible version of melting rich oxtail and pillowy potatoes and that's what they served; sweetbreads with a deconstructed Caesar salad, rich vs tangy vs crispy vs melting.
Third: Duck (don't remember exactly what was on the plate besides the duck) and pork with cabbage, mustard and green apple. (If you don't like salt you won't like this place. I like salt.)
The wait: it's teeny and doesn't take reservations. We came in at 8.45 on a drizzly cold Thursday and were told the wait was an hour but that they'd SMS us. Plenty of bars on Smith to wait in, and at precisely 9.45 we got a text: "Slowest dessert eaters in the world finishing up. Probably 10 more minutes." Impressive service. By 11.30 it was pretty empty and the hostess slunk out, saying, "I'm going to take advantage of this unusual opportunity and leave early. This is a slow night."
So obviously the wait is considerable. But it's worth it!
-----
Battersby
255 Smith St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Brooklyn - Gowanus -Park Slope
--Black Mountain Wine House would be good for a person pf any age. It doesn't look like a bar from the outside (crnr of Hoyt and Union) but it's so cute and the wine and cheese are good.
--Surprised nobody's mentioned Bar Tano on 3rd Ave and 9th st. The food is medium but the vibe is pleasant and the bar would be fun. I like High Dive too.
--Ghenet: the tuna tartare is really good but everything else is just ok. Ethiopian isn't much fun by yourself.
--Sheep Station: second the lamb sandwich and also the coldness of the space.
--Miriam's really does have a good and interesting brunch; the latkes and other Israeli dishes are yummy. But it gets packed after 11. You can eat at the bar if alone.
--Blue Sky Bakery for breakfast goods; 5th Ave near Bergen. Get there early before they run out.
-----
Sheep Station
149 4th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Miriam
79 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Bar Tano
457 3rd Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Blue Sky Bakery
53 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Black Mountain Wine House
415 Union St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Ghenet
348 Douglass St, Brooklyn, NY 11217
High Dive
243 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
What is the ultimate nighttime Queens walking food adventure?
Great question and great answers; would love to hear back from the OP.
Lunch near United Nations
You can't sit down at Num Pang, although their sandwiches are yummy. Sakagura is great but you often need a reservation at prime lunch times. The two Turkish places (Sip Sak, on 2nd/50th) and Bi Lokma (45/3rd, more downscale/crowded, with a few tables) are very good. Aburiya Kinnosuke is a good recommendation and is directly across the street from Bi Lokma, so you can check them both out. If both are too crowded and you are in a hurry, you can do the Comfort Diner also on that block, which has good grilled cheese, though the rest is standard diner fare.
-----
Aburiya Kinnosuke
213 E 45th St, New York, NY 10017
Sakagura
211 East 43rd Street, New York, NY 10017
Sip Sak
928 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10022
Comfort Diner
214 E 45th St, New York, NY 10017
Bi Lokma
212 E 45th St, New York, NY 10017
Num Pang Sandwich Shop
140 E 41st St, New York, NY 10017
va beh', new Italian in Park Slope
I guess va beh' is counting on discerning types frequenting the new Nets stadium--it is a stone's throw away (Dean and Flatbush) and has big glass shutters it can throw open for a glorious stadiumside view. Anyway, discerning b-ball fans will indeed get simple but well-executed Italian food if they venture there. It's tiny but adorable--house wine taps set into the marble wall, wooden tables, lovely Italian staff in flannel shirts. The food was very good. Artichoke crostini was to die for, and the rotating special pastas were fresh and delicious (pappardelle with rabbit was particularly good). The menu is limited, the wine choices less so, and it wasn't too expensive (though the sides and apps can add up quickly). Service was eagerly attentive. Overall, a very enjoyable new addition to the 'hood. (Side note: my husband thought from the outside it was soul food, thinking the name meant "Virginia Beach"! but it's the Italian expression for "It's all good.")
-----
Va Beh'
446 Dean St, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Fedora Reborn (West Village)
Went to Fedora last night. Fun buzzy atmosphere, although it did get really loud even by 7.30. Drink: Three cocktails were sampled and nobody liked any of theirs very much, which surprised us given the raves they get.
Food: a special of "duck sausage made from all parts of the duck" with cranberry compote was "the thing I'd want to eat if I were about to die", according to one taster. The flap steak, cremini mushrooms, and brussels sprouts all got raves. Miso salmon heads were also a hit. Scallops with bone marrow were disappointingly ordinary and the marrow was all fat. The egg in a hole with tripe ragu was also not quite as good as I'd hoped. The banana pudding was baby-food mush. Overall I wouldn't race back, although if you pick well you could be very happy.
-----
Fedora
239 W 4th St, New York, NY 10014
What hasn't been booked for President's Day weekend already?
Definitely try Jungsik, the food is Ko-ish in an upscale romantic setting (ask for the corner booths). http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/815513
Also... consider Brooklyn.
-----
Jung Sik
2 Harrison St, New York, NY 10013
Brooklyn venue for 50-60 person Friday night dinner?
I believe Chestnut on Smith has a bookable private room.
-----
Chestnut
271 Smith St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Mable's smokehouse and banquet hall
Wow, sorry to rain on the fan parade, but I went last night and was incredibly disappointed. Was with a native, BBQ-loving Texan who was similarly underwhelmed. We had basically the whole menu. We loved the Frito pie (but how can you go wrong with Fritos, cheese and chili?), but: the queso dip was runny and tasteless; the mac and cheese was terrible (no flavour, no texture); the brisket and boracha beans were boring; the ribs and pulled pork just ok. The collards and BBQ beans were pretty good, but that was not enough to save this meal. Have the owners given up trying?
-----
Mable's Smokehouse
44 Berry St, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Authentic Japanese - 33rd and Park
Japanese friends have taken me to Tokyo restaurant, on Lexington between 39th and 40th, and said it was very down-home.
-----
Tokyo
342 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10016
Jungsik - one of the best restaurants in the city! (lots of photos)
Went for an anniversary dinner last week. LOVED IT. Couldn't agree more with the OP. Please go!
I don't understand why this place isn't getting more love. Is it because people can't reconcile Korean-influenced food with white-tablecloth, prix-fixe, haute cuisine? If so, people should get over it!! OK, I admit that I like strong flavours with my refined cuisine. But for my money, I preferred Jungsik to Brooklyn Fare (heresy, I know). The flavours were bolder and more interesting, and the seats were way more comfortable (corner banquettes rock).
Highly recommend the "birthday rice", which was even better than the Korean risotto-type dish with the foie gras base. The chef should also consider making some of the amuse (the mini-slider, the bulgogi 'pizza' bite, and the fried chicken) into courses; they were amazing.
Also, I reserved on Opentable saying it was an anniversary. They gave us free champagne and a special dessert decorated with "happy anniversary" on it.
-----
Jung Sik
2 Harrison St, New York, NY 10013
I'm itchin' for urchin - best uni dishes in NYC?
Don't forget the oyster pan roast with uni on toast at the John Dory. Yum.
Maimonide of Brooklyn
This is one seriously weird vanity project. We ate there last night, mostly because of the decor--which is truly cool. The two servers were really enthusiastic, possibly more than was warranted by the food. After we ordered, we received comic books drawn by the owner to read. Hard to say what they were about exactly, but the owner stars as a cartoon version of himself.
Anyway, the food was not bad. We are not vegan or vegetarian, though recently hosted a visiting vegan and so can compare Maimonide's food to others (eg Candle 79 in Manhattan). The appetizers were pretty good. The corn soup was sweet, creamy and tasty. The yucca fries were fine, and the spicy ketchup was just right. The vegetarian "saucisson" with mushrooms and other things was decently rich, textural and umami-ish, and the bread and mustard/aioli with it were very good. (But it was pricey with just a few small slices of the "sausage" for $7.)
The MOBs were odd. It seems strange to build such a cool-looking restaurant around what are essentially open-faced sandwiches. DH's "Iron Man" with kale & shiitake was pretty tasty (assuming you enjoy open-faced vegetable sandwiches)--plenty of garlic and aioli helped it out. My "Aphrodisiac", on the other hand, with mashed celery root, asparagus and toasted almonds was unappetizing brown, mostly tasteless moosh with some grilled asparagus on top. (The server chirped, "oh, the Aphrodisiac is yummy, huh?" as I pushed it unenthusiastically around my plate.)
Anyway, the food felt healthy and not weirdly weighed down with too much nuts & oil, which I had found to be the case at other vegan places. It will be interesting to see if it succeeds.
-----
Maimonide of Brooklyn
525 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
VIP @Thai on Smith St (formerly EM)
Went to EM Thai on Smith last night in search of spice. Found that it has changed its name and decor to the very odd "VIP @Thai". Whatever. The "authentic Thai spicy" mini-menu has remained (I am enamoured of it because they say, "don't ask us to make these dishes less spicy, we can't, we will lose the authentic Thai taste if we do.").
We had the red-chili sliced pork dish that has been mentioned on this board before and it really blew our heads off. Spicier than anything we've had in Queens and up there with actual Bangkok food.
The other dishes (tom yam, chicken laab, and ground pork with chili and basil (my standard test dish)) ranged from bad (laab) to not bad (pork).
The service was horrible; there were only 2 tables in the restaurant and they did not make us feel that they were interested in, say, keeping our water filled or happy that we were there.
Am interested in the experience of others.
NB-it's BYOB and the nearest deli is far.
-----
VIP @Thai
278 Smith St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Fabio Piccolo Fiore?
Forget about FPF. Overpriced, underwhelming. Weird decor. And not really near the theatre district.
Haven't been to Ai Fiori but it seems like a good choice, if a bit formal.
-----
Fabio Piccolo Fiore
230 E. 44th Street, New York, NY 10017
help on chinese dumplings
Oh, please help. I used to go to a Chinese restaurant overseas and was taught very carefully (phonetically) how to pronounce the name of the dumplings I loved. The pronunciation was something like "Shwe (falling tone) xiao (low tone) zhe (short higher tone)".
The dumplings were not soup dumplings, and not like the fried crescent-shaped dumplings you get at Chinese restaurants in NY. They were small and round and fried on one side, and actually they came with their bottoms all stuck together from being arrayed on the pan in a row. They came with pork inside and were delicious, and I miss them so much. But I cannot figure out how to get them in NY. Help on pronunciation--and likely places to find them--would be much appreciated.
Best Thai On Smith St?
I agree that EM's mini-menu is by far the best thing on Smith St.
1) late chow on Friday? 2) Adelaide or Louisiana Bistro?
Hi, am landing in New Orleans at 10pm on a Friday. Want to head out for food & drinks after dropping bags as quickly as possible, but it seems a lot of places close at 10 or 11. Deja Vu seems a possibility, but will it be a smoke-filled madhouse? Any other suggestions? Lively (but perhaps not raucous) atmosphere a plus, price no object, Creole food preferred, good beers or cocktails crucial. Staying on Camp near Canal.
Also, for Sunday dinner, what are thoughts on Cafe Adelaide vs Louisiana Bistro? Looking for fun, adventurous takes on Creole food. For this meal, I'll be with 70+ Mom, so noise level is an issue also. Thanks!
-----
Cafe Adelaide
300 Poydras St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Deja Vu Restaurant & Bar
400 Dauphine St, New Orleans, LA 70112
Louisiana Bistro
337 Dauphine St, New Orleans, LA 70112
7 nights in Brooklyn
Please, please go to Traif. It's so good on all your criteria. I think they even take reservations.
Roberta's and Franny's are kind of similar so I would go to one but not both (Franny's is closer to you and more sleek; Roberta's is funkier). Go during off hours to avoid huge waits. They do have excellent, locally sourced ingredients. But they are only partly pizza places--be sure to get other things and just one pizza, especially if you go to Paulie Gee's for pizza.
Non-Montrealish food would certainly include a lunch at Tacos Matamoros. Another fun dinner suggestion (and super cheap/byo) is the Guadeloupian cuisine at Kaz an Nou, in Prospect Heights. Get there before 7.15 to avoid a wait.
Thumbs down on Henry's End and Stonehome for quality of cuisine compared to your other ideas. iCi is too French for you. Personally I think Applewood, Grocery and Saul are overrated for not super interesting food, but not everyone agrees. Look at their menus online and see if you think they are "innovative" and "value for money" (and pick just one of the three if you go, as they're also kind of similar.) Good Fork I like for its innovations. Taro is just decent sushi, which I'm sure you have in MTL. Have fun!
-----
Saul
140 Smith St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Franny's
295 Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Applewood
501 11th St, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Henry's End
44 Henry St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Stonehome Wine Bar
87 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
The Grocery
288 Smith St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Taro Sushi
244 Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
The Good Fork
391 Van Brunt St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Roberta's
261 Moore St, Brooklyn, NY 11206
Kaz An Nou
53 6th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Paulie Gee's
60 Greenpoint Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222
Traif
229 S 4th St, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Tacos Matamoros
5717 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11220
Replacing Helios??
A friend who lives nearby says the new place is run by a partner of the people who ran Helios, and whose idea is "to one thing and do it well". The thing is chicken (local, organic, etc) --thus, the name, Purbird. I picked up a menu yesterday--as I recall there are half and whole grilled chix, a chick burger, chicken sausage, a chicken wrap, chicken salads, and maybe one or two things I forgot. Lots of different choices of sauce. It's teeny and mostly probably does takeout and delivery. My friend, who is a foodie, says it's very good.
-----
Purbird
82 6th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Buttermilk CHannel and others
Yes, BC is still good. It's still popular too. My friends who live across the street say that if you get there around 7 on a weeknight it's not hard to get a table (even outside) though. The duck meat loaf is yummy.
You should probably post your W'burg question separately.
Not in Brooklyn, but if you can slide into M. Wells before it closes at the end of the month, you will not regret it (assuming you do heavy food--which BC is).
-----
M. Wells Diner
21-17 49th Ave, Queens, NY 11101
Where's the best burrito in Brooklyn?
I've ordered from there several times. It's only ok, although I think the spicy shrimp burrito is the best thing there. If the OP is from California or anywhere else with "real" Mexican food, though, probably Maya will disappoint (just like most Mexican in NYC generally).
Aren't there any good burritos in Sunset Park? I'd sure like to know if there are.
Dinner in Grand Central area
I am not a Zengo fan. Overpriced and underwhelming IMHO. But a very nice space.
Plenty of steakhouses to choose from if that's your thing: Palm, Keens, Smith & Wollensky's, Capital Grille, etc. as well as the Michael Jordan steakhouse in GCT itself (such a nice view).
Pampano for upscale Mexican?
Me, I'd make the walk and go to Ma Peche. Most inventive food in Midtown. You can even make reservations now.
-----
Keens
72 West 36th St., New York, NY 10018
Michael Jordan's the Steak House NYC
23 Vanderbilt Ave, New York, NY 10017
Palm
837 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Smith & Wollensky
797 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022
Capital Grille
155 E 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017
Pampano
209 E 49th St, New York, NY 10017
Ma Peche
15 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019
Zengo
622 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10016
looking for new ice cream place in Park Slope Brooklyn with green tea ice cream
they have yummy savoury food too... I love this place and am hoping they will succeed!
momofuku noodle bar with a saavy kid-crazy?
Just go early, 30-45min or so before it opens. People do line up to be the first in when the doors open. If the hubby can then entertain the son during that first wait, and join you just before the doors open, you should be fine.
Ma peche dinner - what should I order?
The pork chop is huuuuuuge. (Ordered it once between 4 pax (with several other dishes) and we didn't finish it.) I wouldn't order it simply because I wouldn't have enough room to try other things. Also, it's pretty much just a pork chop (if a good one). The genius of Ma Peche is the Asian-fusion stuff.
I recommend getting many small plates (apps) rather than the mains, as the apps tend to be more creative/inventive.
-----
Ma Peche
15 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019
New in Bed Stuy: Do or Dine
This place is great. You can tell by that list of cuisines that they are a bunch of guys having fun cooking lots of things they like. And while they don't hit home runs on everything, plenty of it is good and some is close to transcendent. I didn't expect to have two dishes that were eye-closingly, conversation-stallingly good in such a funky, raw-edged space that's definitely still finding its feet. In short, it is truly endearing and I really hope it succeeds.
Atmosphere is like 1980's East Village--graffiti-painted back garden with wonky tables, server/owners who are psyched about what they are doing.
Food--the foie gras doughnuts are even better than they sound. Genius. And the cold smoked-chipotle corn soup was astonishing. Other things were fine (mussels, lamb (fatty as advertised) ) and/or fun (the salmon popper, the deep-fried nachos, the tako taco). Some were both (the E666S -- get it?)
Cost--as it's still BYOB, you can eat a lot for not very much, although the portion sizes aren't huge. But their rent is cheap and the prices reflect it.
I'll be bringing friends and spreading the word.
racchette (tennis racquet pasta)--where to buy?
Hi, I've promised a pasta salad for a tennis event... am trying to find that tennis-racquet-shaped pasta called racchette (De Cecco makes it). Any ideas where I can find it? thanks a lot.
Zaab-Elee, new Thai in the east village, now the best Thai in NYC, perhaps.
Went last night (a Tues) around 8. It was packed packed packed. I forgot the Times review was only a week or so ago. Service was a mess, but the servers were nice and so were we and it was all fine.
I didn't realise you could specify your range of spice at first. We just ordered, and our laab moo came out fresh-tasting but utterly non-spicy. We hurriedly specified that we could eat spicy and our later dishes, including som tam with pickled fish and long beans, were definitely in a different spice category. The pork leg soup (tom yum kha moo, I think?) was flavourful and mildly spicy. The food definitely had that Isaan funk. I liked that after the meal I had that fresh sweaty cleansed feeling I used to have in Thailand. It's like a sauna from the inside, and I haven't had it in NYC.
I loved all the authentic varieties of yam, som tam and laab. We will definitely come back and try more things, but maybe not at prime dinner hour.
