From the shores of Baltimore to our chops at Choptank:

What an appropriate day to write this review: last night, Eric and I just finished up the fifth and final season of The Wire, a show that stars Baltimore, "the game" on the streets, and the city institutions. And now I sit down to write about Choptank - a restaurant named after a river that runs from Baltimore across the Chesapeake Bay - conjuring up the complete opposite image of Maryland... preppy twenty-somethings, khakis, mallards, pink shirts and country clubs.

Choptank just opened this year and we were eager to take advantage of the BlackBoard Eats 3-course meal (nibble, entrée, desert) paired with either wine or beer (of Choptank’s choosing). We had heard good things and it’s located just a short jaunt away from our apartment. It was packed at 9:15 when we arrived – I guess the buzz hasn’t died down.

They serve up a basket of Old Bay chips, which is a nice little treat and a good way to dive into a Maryland seafood experience. Eric promptly dropped the basket all over the floor. Oops!

We started out with a "nibble" (aka "appy" or appetizer) of the crab dip and fried oysters. The crab dip was very rich…almost too rich and heavy…but it was quite tasty despite lacking in the crab meat department. It’s served with bread for dipping and wasn’t finished by us, which is rare. The fried oysters were delicious…hard to go wrong with this dish.

Along with each course came a very full glass of wine for me and a beer for Eric. We were both impressed with the drinks they brought to our table. We were expecting half-filled glasses of cheap wine & a "standard" beer. We were wrong, thankfully.

For the entrée, I went with the jumbo lump crab cake served with salad and sweet potatoes. Eric commented that there should have been two crab cakes, as it wasn’t a huge portion, but it was certainly delicious and full of crab meat, not mayo. I would order this again.

Eric had a hard time deciding between the fried chicken and the burger, two odd options for a seafood joint, but our waiter and the online reviews really pinpointed these two as signature dishes. He went with the fried chicken.. It was a heaping portion of goodness - crumbly fried batter & piping-hot chicken below. The pepper-honey dipping sauce brought it to another level and he was happy with the decision he made.

For dessert (which is a little hazy, after a drink before dinner and two large drinks at dinner), we got the Bailey’s ice cream and vanilla-coconut 7-layer cake. Both were good, but certainly nothing special.

So…to sum up, this restaurant is good, not great. It’s one of those times when the whole somehow doesn’t add up to the sum of its parts. Each dish was good but after the meal was over, I didn’t get the I-have-to-go-back-and-recommend-this-place feeling like you can get at so many NYC establishments – post-meal glow, if you will.

As Sam Sifton says in his New York Times review of Choptank (I guess any mention of Baltimore allows people to draw upon the.best.show.ever):

New Yorkers probably deserve better. Certainly better is available. But as Snoop once said on “The Wire,” a stone-cold gangster making sense of the Baltimore night, “Deserve got nothin’ to do with it.”

April… The Missing Month!

We think we would be ignoring the elephant in the room if we didn’t explain our absence from this blog in April… No excuses, we completely dropped the ball. And for that, we are both sorry, and promise not to let it happen again, dear followers!

And if there is anything positive to take away from our hiatus, it’s that we both missed Restaurant Hoppers dearly and felt like a part of the dining experience was missing. We think blogging extends the lifespan of a meal & allows us to relive the experience.

While we were off the grid we headed to a bunch of restaurants, and even though we’re not going to do a write-up on each one of them, we’ll share with you the list & a few quick thoughts. If you are thinking about heading to any of these spots, please drop us a line and we’ll share with you our experience in more detail, and hopefully be able to provide you with some suggestions that will improve your dining experience:

Cafeteria – Great outdoor seating for people-watching. Mac & Cheese Spring Rolls and Mac & Cheese Sampler are heavenly. Turkey burger & salads are great as well.

Pepe Giallo – Great find! Cute, inexpensive, and delicious Italian food . Be sure to sit in the back garden area and once you catch a whiff of the truffle oil pasta, you won’t be able to order anything else.

Num Pang – Meatball, pulled pork, & pork belly sandwiches were all phenomenal.

Stand – Quality burger and a great beer selection. Didn’t try, but I hear milkshakes are also great.

Piccolo Angelo – Delicious Italian food, and the meatball entrée/app is worth the visit.

A Casa Fox – A delicious tapas restaurant that’s a fun place to hit up before going out on the weekend. Small and cramped quarters make for a social experience.

Tipsy Parson – Cute brunch spot… Mushroom Toast With Eggs was the best dish we had (out of 2). We'll definitely be coming back for the famed Luther Burger (Bacon-Cheeseburger in between two doughnuts)!

Mary’s Fish Camp – Small, long waits, stinks of fish, semi-expensive, and somehow we left with a smile on our face. Sharing a full fish was quite the experience & all the starters/sides were great – especially the corn!

Ardesia – Out-of-the-way wine bar with a happy hour until 8. Plus, a great selection & helpful service… Get in the way of it!

Grey Dog (breakfast, brunch, lunch & dinner) – The omelets, sandwiches, and salads are all phenomenal. You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu – meal, snack, or drink. It’s a local favorite of ours for any meal of the day.

Barmarche – A cozy spot in the West Village – eclectic drink menu and delicious crispy bass tacos.

Coppola’s East – Any pasta dish I’ve had at this Murray Hill staple has always been good.

Muzzarella’s – $6 for a quality chicken parm hero that’s as big as your entire arm!

La Carbonara – A surprisingly delicious Italian place on W. 14th street, among the hustle and bustle. This restaurant serves the classics but where they lack in creativity, they make up in flavor.

ABC Kitchen – This place deserves a full write-up, and we hope to give you one in a few weeks when we re-visit it. Very cool atmosphere in this new, sustainable Jean-Georges joint. Some of the shared plates fell flat but most were enjoyed thoroughly. Highlights: clam whole wheat pizza, mackerel sashimi.

Isabella's – BR Guest spot on the UWS does the trick if you are looking for a quality restaurant with a diverse menu. Outdoor seating for people-watching is a plus!

Dumont Burger – Come for the burger and stay for the burger, onion rings, & beer. The chipotle mayo for the onion rings (& frickles) is out-of-this-world good. A must-try for any burger lover out there!

Boqueria – Tapas, tapas, tapas at this Flatiron joint. Been here twice & never had anything bad so navigate the large menu with confidence.

Angelica Kitchen – A low-key vegetarian BYOB joint with some delicious options that don’t make you miss the meat.

Ippudo - Ramen Wars

Hello stranger! It's been awhile since Eric or I have posted, but we haven't forgotten about Restaurant Hoppers...our absence has made our hearts grow fonder for it. And what a better place to begin blogging again than Ippudo?!?!

Now, it was only a few short months ago that we went to Momofuku Noodle Bar, which blew our mind. When a friend told me that Ippudo has even BETTER ramen, I couldn't wait to try it and was a little skeptical. The reviews we read online all had Ippudo victorious in the NYC ramen battle. We were in.

Even during the week, and supposedly even during lunch, there is at least an hour wait. The bar was crowded but we did manage to find a spot to sip on some beer and wine until our names were called. We were told the wait would be an hour and a half but it only wound up being 45 minutes.
The atmosphere upon entering the dining room is infectious - the chefs yell as you walk by and the dining room is filled with people slurping their ramen bowls up with big spoons and chatting away. They really do pack you in but it's a surprisingly large space - much bigger than Momo.
We really did a throwdown between Momofuku and Ippudo by ordering the exact same thing at each. Pork buns > ramen. The pork buns at Ippudo had a great sauce and lettuce for some crunch, which was positive, but I must say that the lack of pork meat left a bad taste in my mouth. You only got two good bites with meat before you were left with a squishy bun and that's it! +1 for Momo. The Akamaru ramen bowls at Ippudo are wonderful - large, filled with lots of stuff and a delicious chutney/paste in the middle of the bowl so that when you stir it around, the broth takes on a heavenly, savory flavor. So the ramen bowl did redeem the pork buns, however I'm going to have to give Momo +1 for the ramen battle because my personal taste is in favor of their lighter broth, lots of cucumbers and scallions and the ginger flavor. However, Eric gives the +1 to Ippudo for ramen - to each his own. As I said to him last night, Ippudo gives you the dirty dirty ramen and Momo is a little more healthy-feeling, not as salty.

Overall, Ippudo is worth its "wait" in ramen! But we can't give it the definitive win for Best Ramen in NYC. What does everyone else think?

The Smith (Pancakes-specific)

Eric here... I'm not sure if I have written this or not, but I LOVE PANCAKES! They are a great way to start your morning off, especially if you are hungover and in need of a hearty meal to soak up last night's alcohol :-) Today was one of those days for me. The Smith is a busy, busy place and was probably not the best choice for a couple with a nasty hangover, but these pancakes made it worth it...

Three big, fluffy pancakes are topped with baked apple slices, candied walnuts, and a white rum caramel sauce. And of course, a healthy portion of syrup (as desired by the individual). Some purists don't like any toppings, but for me, they provide a great blend of textures in every bite (I dig the crunch). I've gotten these pancakes many-a-times and they are always light & fluffy. It's quite the sweet dish & these pancakes are large so be prepared! I promise you that if you also enjoy pancakes, get these, and thank me later!

Olives - Union Square W Hotel

This weekend was our second go-round at Olives, the restaurant in the W hotel in Union Square, a Todd English joint. Not many people know that this place serves good food, since many people come just for the bar and the atmosphere. It really is a wonderful dining experience, especially at the tables with the curtains around them - it's very intimate and the service is great.To start off, the dirty martinis are great - nice, big chilled glasses. Their olive spreads and bread basket are quite tasty too.

We started off with three appetizers to share - the fig & prosciutto flatbread, the beet salad and the small portion of the butternut squash ravioli (3 pieces versus 6 for the entree). The flatbread (pictured) was great, the figs and salty prosciutto play well off of each other. The beet salad was better the first time around. The ravioli is wonderful and two people in our party got it for their main dish. It's savory and delicious.We both got the scallops for our entree - the dish is a masterpiece both in appearance and taste. Three scallops - cooked through to perfection & browned on the outside - come on a thin layer of whipped sweet potato. There is quinoa and some crunchy oat pieces on the plate as well, accompanied by the outer layers of b-sprouts. When you put the pieces together, it is the perfect scallop bite. We were fortunate to have a lot of these bites!

Those who had the ravioli as their entree thoroughly enjoyed their dishes. On the side we got the spicy broccoli (a side of another entree but they let you order it for the table) because we had heard that it was "the best thing I ever ate" on the Food Network... Not true in our opinions! It was very average, as was the carrots side we ordered.

Since we were celebrating a birthday, we got two desserts to share. The apple crisp (which is a different version of the dish) and the liquid snickers (pictured) - both were great for a few bites each & satisfied our sweet tooth. If we had to pick one to get again it would be the liquid snickers since it was a deconstructed twist on snickers. To finish you off, they give you a mini lemon cupcake surprise, which was good, but not necessary.

All in all, a great meal! We left feeling full but not weighed down. We love this place and will definitely come back!

Gonzo

Last weekend, we went out to dinner with our parents to Gonzo (13th St btwn 6th & 7th). We had heard good things and it was on our mental list of "places to try." Gonzo is sneakily big as you walk down a few stairs to get in and are greeted by a bar area with a bunch of tables. However, if you keep heading towards the back, you walk into a large dining room with an open, yet rustic, feel.. With the large, open room, Gonzo got loud by 9-10 PM when it really started to fill up. They seated us at a circular table, which is always nice when you are dining with 6 or more people. Plus, by going with a group of 6 people we were able to sample a bunch of the different dishes offered:

Appys: We'll start off with what Eric felt was the best thing that he tasted all night... Wild mushroom pizza! We ordered a pizza - half mushroom, half margherita - for the table and everyone was able to eat 2 slices (1 of each).

The sauteed mushroms & onions were carmelized to perfection and together with the muzzarella cheese and "tortilla-thin" pizza crust, it was a pizza party for your taste buds! Everyone who tried this slice was a fan! The margherita was fairly average, so we would say that if you go, try something a bit more exotic - they had lots of pizza options with a variety of toppings.

We also shared the grilled onion salad with aged balsamic vinegar and the arugula salad:


Both salads were a success and the same could be said for each: if you like onions/arugula then you'll be sure to enjoy this salad. For an additional $4, you got some aged balsamic vinegar on top of the grilled onion salad. We read before that this was worth trying so we indulged. No doubt, it was tasty & a great way to give the dish a little more life, but if you're not a big balsamic fan or don't want to spend $17 on a salad appetizer, don't feel bad for not getting it as it doesn't make or break the dish. The arugula salad comes with a tasty surprise underneath the bed of greens, but we wouldn't want to ruin that for you so you'll have to go to Gonzo to see for yourself!

On to the entrees: I (Eric) got the braised shortribs since it came highly recommend by our server (very sweet woman, although on this Saturday night, she was a bit all over the place). I normally don't order shortribs but I figured what the heck!


The shortribs were very tender, and were falling off the bone. The meat had tons of flavor and the fat was marbled right in there so very few bites were too chewy or fatty. The portion size was HUGE and could easily be split into two meals. Especially since we got a handful of sides for the table.

The creamy polenta was super rich and had mascarpone cheese mixed in to give it its creaminess. It paired perfectly with the hearty shortribs. The balsamic roasted brussels sprouts & roasted asparagus were both above average sides that paired better with some of the lighter dishes on the table.

Would I get the shortribs again? Probably not. Even though they were cooked very well, it was still a bit too fatty for me, and just not my thing. Next time around I want to see what their pasta dishes have to offer..

I (Jess) went a little lighter and ordered the grilled scallops:


There was an arugala pesto on top and it was a lovely flavor match for the scallops. Since it's been almost a week, I don't remember what went along with them, but it was a delicious dish that I would order again if I went there.

For dessert, the table shared two dishes: a brown sugar cheesecake & a pecan praline ice cream sandwich. The latter was held together by two pecan meringue cookies and filled with vanilla ice cream. The former was a slice of cheesecake heaven to top off an already rich meal. This was one of the stronger pieces of cheesecake we've had in some time with a great, crumbly crust and sweet, creamy filling. Won the award for the dessert MVP! Please make sure you save some room for it!

Also worth mentioning was that Gonzo had a great wine list, with lots of good reds & whites to choose from. All in all, Gonzo is a solid spot worth venturing to for a quality Italian meal. We hope to return soon to sample some more of their menu.