Phantastic's Profile
Staten Island Bagels
It really is hopeless, huh? Most of the Bagels I find out there are roll with holes... It's like living in Kansas.
Best Authentic Polish Food in Town?
I'm not an expert but the Polish Place, on the corner of Corsen and Daniel Low Terrace (just off Victory about a 13 minute walk from the ferry) is very good. The bigos is delicious, so that's a good start towards authenticity.
Enoteca Maria, worth the Staten Island ferry boat fare
So, I finally went to Enoteca Maria, the new buzz in Staten Island. (For nay sayers so far, read no further, we’ll never convince you.)
First, the concept is brilliant. Denise and Joe (proprietors, bar tenders, wine stewards, chatters) decided to open a traditional erotica (essentially a wine bar) with little Italian bites to keep you thirsty and satisfied. They didn’t want cooks, or worse yet, chefs. (This is their place, sharing the concept with an ego (or even just another) wasn’t in the cards.) They wanted your little old Italian grandmother; loves to cook, great ideas, used to cooking for a crowd. What they got was a bevy of wonderful Italian women who alternate night and make the menu often twice a day based on what’s in, what’s fresh, what’s within their individual repertoire. So far I’ve been there twice and both times the food was exceptional. My risotto was near perfect. Both Joe and Denise seem to know their wines but it seems that Joe is the master of the wine cabinet (which is extensive) while Denise is the master of the kitchen, as much as she can be with 6 Italian grandmothers down there.
So, clearly, this concept risks a certain spottiness as inevitably, one cook will outshine another, or one night there will be little fresh, in season or in the fridge to work from. But so far I haven’t suffered from this. I’ll let you know if I do. In the meantime, let me know what you think and who your cook was (or what night you went, as they rotate by night). A little hint, sit at the bar and chat up the owners. Free wine is likely to be your reward.
(This is not an advert. Everything above is true. Full disclosure, Joe and Denise are very nice and I want to see them succeed, AND I would like to see St. George, Staten Island succeed as well.)
P.S. The Enoteca is directly up the hill from the ferry, right behind the Borough Hall, just before the St. George Theater.
sometime soon? vegetarian sri lankan in staten island!
P.S. You are in a car. It's 9-12 minutes from the Slossen exit. It is worth your while.
sometime soon? vegetarian sri lankan in staten island!
I live near the New Asha Cafe (a weird twist of events that includes a three story house and a grill the size of my old Manhattan apt.) and it is good... it is REAL good. But it makes me crave Chandna on 29th street. Oh my, yes.
Restaurant Week/ Firebird disappointment
As for restaurant week, why would a restaurant participate and then so clearly resent it, and thus put its worst foot forward? It seems to me like they should accept significantly reduced profits for that week. They should not serve their worst dishes, done extra poorly but rather excel. The point to me is to get lots of people raving about your establishment. “Worth every penny.” This experience… they should have paid me.
My suggestion, make a reservation at Firebird. Go. Tell the host as you get there that you’ll need to cancel. He will be very polite and you will have had the best of Firebird.
Restaurant Week/ Firebird disappointment
Went to Firebird on Friday as part of restaurant week. The two hosts were exceptional. They greeted us promptly, were very courteous and remembered my name at the end of the meal when they asked me if everything was fine. Unfortunately, that’s all I can say positively about our experience. Let me start with the food. I started with what we believe was a cream of chestnut soup, although we heard another waiter tell another table something else. I think we would have understood better if either waiter hadn’t seemed totally put out for having to move their jaws. It was fine if unexceptional but then, what is one to expect from cream of chestnut. My girlfriend got the perogi which was dry and flavorless but came with the tiniest dollop of delicious sour cream.
At this point I had asked for a wine list and 45 seconds after receiving it had been asked for it back… twice. So relinquished it without having picked a wine. Now, I understand that Firebird, despite what seems to me to be bland, dry, totally uninspired food considers itself to be a high class, high end establishment. But, to serve a wine list with only one bottle under 40$ seems like a little overkill. Then to be out of the Bogeda Norton Malbec ($41 on the menu, $8 at my local wine shop) and to bring over a “just in, lovely bottle of Malbec for only $64” really took the cork out of the night. Not to mention at the ratio of the Norton, the offered bottle at $64 would have been a $12.50 bottle of wine. So, upon my third inspection of the wine list we ended up with a twist cap, pretty bad bottle of Cab Sav from New Zealand for $44.
On to the mains. We were both ordering from the restaurant week menu, and I’ll get to this in a moment. I had the beef stroganoff, disgusting, wet, overcooked and undelicious. Served with an even smaller dollop of delicious sour cream. My girlfriend had the chicken kiev, which wasn’t bad, certainly was filling, but really was nothing remotely special. It did come with a tiny plate of fantastic blanched vegetables and a potato croquet that we were of mixed opinion on. She liked it, I think in comparison to the other things on the table. I thought it was dry, mushy and not very good.
To make matters worse, no sooner had we taken out last bites, but the plates were swept away and desert flung in front of us in tremendous hurry. The menu read for this course:
Desert
Or
Chocolate something
Oh the myth of choice!
The bill came to over $120.
staten island bloody marys
I too have been in search of good bloodys in SI. Had one at Cargo just the other day and would have to say, oh no. It was runny and clear-ish and didn't have any vegies sticking out of it. Again No. As for Tugs, I agree with Becky. Go for the view, stay for the view... order water.
Cafe Botanica
I was there in the warm weather for brunch and it was perfect, except that the service (or perhaps it was the kitchen) was totally over-whelmed. Brunch took over three hours, which even with the paper, seemed too long.
Chinese in Staten Island (don't say Jade Island), and other yummy ethnic...
I just saw your post about Zest. ...
Chinese in Staten Island (don't say Jade Island), and other yummy ethnic...
Thanks, that is really helpful! The Roti shop on Victory scares me a little but I should give it a shot.
Have you been to Zest yet? New, I think, on Bay. Terrible name but the menu looks good, kinda in the Vida/Aesop's Table category.
Chinese in Staten Island (don't say Jade Island), and other yummy ethnic...
I'm new to SI and went to Jade Island as a few ChowHounds seemed to like it. It was fine I suppose if what you’re looking for is the chinese cuisine of my suburban youth. Thick clear sauces, “spicy” dishes that barely made the tongue prickle, a hot and sour soup that was sweet and cold. Honestly though, it was fine just not remotely notable. It may be that SI is no place for Chinese, but I won’t give up is you send suggestions that you love and can vouch for. I love Sichuan and Cantonese and Dim Sum and Hunan... (I could go on and on) Looking for any of these.
We asked a few places if there was SI dim sum, but these places (Chinese Places!?!?) clearly don’t know what dim sum is? (“uh, you want a cocktail?””oh, so like, catering then”)
P.S. Any other SI ethnic that you LOVE I’d love to know about. I’ve got the Sri Lankan down and do quite like it. Live right near them. But, any great Indian? Ethiopian? Pakistani? African? Send me on a quest, I’ll go.
great bakery in SI
Beuino (sp) bakery on Hylan is a FANTASTIC Italian bakery. The line was over an hour on Christmas morning but that may say more about SI that the bakery. I learned of it by asking the guy behind the counter at Pastosa (the most amazing Italian specialty store, like compressing all of Philadelphia's 9th street Italian market into one shop... but this is another post, isn’t it?) where to get really great canolis. While he sells conolis, he sent me to Beuino.
Best Ethiopian?
Awashes uptown location (around 107th and Amsterdam is better than the downtown location (although I've only been down town once). The uptown location is spectacular. My girlfriend used to live up that way and we would order it in at least once a week. I miss it so much...
