Quick hits: Quantum Leap, Corner Bistro, & Cowgirl

A few meals that may or may not deserve their own write-up will get the quick-hits treatment.

Quantum Leap

On a hot afternoon, we were looking for a hearty meal to satisfy our appetites, but nothing too heavy that would weigh us down for the rest of the day. Enter Quantum Leap. This vegetarian restaurant in the heart of Greenwich Village was hoppin' and delivered exactly what we wanted. We each got a salad that perfectly straddled the line between healthy & hearty. I think Jess would recommend the veggie & tofu combo salad, while I would direct you towards the cobb salad. This ain't an ordinary cobb salad.. it's topped with soy bacon & veggie chik'n. No meat, no problem.

Corner Bistro

Corner Bistro almost definitely deserves its own blog entry. It has been one of my favorite bars & burger joints for many, many years and a place I used to frequent often with my friends from home. On this night, I met a group of 5 friends here for some beers, burgers, and fries. For some in the gang, it was their first corner bistro experience, so I was trying not to raise expectations too high. The truth is that it probably didn't matter. Corner Bistro absolutely rocks and everyone loved it. From waiting in line with a McSorley's beer (ale or dark) in hand at an unassuming hole-in-the-wall, to the cramped quarters in the back "dining room" to the bartender we call "Smitty" that seems like he has worked there for 145 years, you can't help but fall in love with the bistro. It helps that the food is no slouch. The bistro burger comes with cheese & bacon and costs a mere $6.75. It's my favorite burger in the city... at almost a half pound of meat after cooking, it's loaded with flavor and always cooked to order. I could sing its praises for a few more paragraphs but there's no need.. it's exactly what you want in a bacon cheeseburger. Throw in an order of fries that I'm fairly confident are cooked in bacon fat and you are enjoying the finest bar food this city has to offer. If you haven't been yet, please do yourself a favor and go.

Cowgirl

Come for the sweet potato fries, stay for the sighting of Elton from Clueless. Not to take anything away from Clueless, as it's one of the better movies of our generation, but it doesn't say much about Cowgirl when spotting Elton was the highlight of the meal. Personally, I really enjoyed my buffalo chicken sandwich (fried chicken smothered in buffalo sauce & topped with blue cheese) as well as the sweet potato fries served with maple pecan dipping sauce. However, Jess and our friend Craig, found the mahi mahi fish tacos to be rather awful. It was one of their August specials. Not that special. If you check out Cowgirl, make sure to get something off the regular menu as both my dish and the dishes of Jess & Lauren, our other friends, were much better than the fish tacos. We decided the place is very New Mexican -- half Texas and half Mexico. Check it out, but don't go in with any expectations.

The Spotted Pig (burger, burger!)

I recently re-visited The Spotted Pig in the West Village to sample their burger. Coming off of the disappointment of the Minetta Tavern burger, I was really looking forward to the chance to be wowed. Despite a 30-minute wait for a table, my buddy and I were able to sit down right away at 2 stools at the upstairs bar.

Two beers and fifteen minutes later, our burgers arrived:

Served alongside a heaping pile of shoestring fries that were properly dusted with rosemary and sea salt, this burger delivered in all of the right ways. It was juicy -- but not too juicy -- and packed with flavor. It was cooked just the way we asked (medium/med rare) and all of the burger components worked really well together. I'm not normally a big fan of buns because I think they take away from a burger, but this bun had taste to it (almost like a potato bun) and added to the mix. Taboot, the roquefort cheese was tasty and worked perfectly on this hunking 1/2 pound (post-cook) burger.

All in all, the burger from The Spotted Pig delivered in a BIG way. I would highly recommend heading over there and checking it out... everything I've ever eaten there has been delicious.

Minetta Tavern (Black Label Burger)

We had been holding off on hitting up Minetta Tavern since it's such a far trek from our apartment...a four minute walk, just too strenuous. We decided to make the journey last night and our expectations were sky high after all the things we've heard and the responses to our RestoHoppers tweet...."This calls 4 a day of fasting so u can eat ALL u WANT...Congrats & have fun 4 the rest of us!"

We started off the night by indulging in their cocktail menu by getting the Blood & Sand and the Rhubarb Sophie...both delicious and strong.

Now...on to the food. We debated about the appetizer - Eric wanted to try the beef tartar but we ultimately went with the hamachi, which came with scallions and a citrus dressing. It was good but nothing to write home about. We were aiming for something lighter to prepare us both for our Black Label burgers....

We were very excited to have these plopped in front of us, both ordered medium because Minetta says that they "undercook." The burgers aren't huge, which we weren't complaining about, because the meat is supposed to be top notch. It's a dry-aged 70/30 rib eye, blended with skirt, brisket, and short rib. The burger is topped with melt-in-your-mouth caramelized onions (and a ton of clarified butter and salt) and sitting in between a brioche bun, which is just the right thickness so as to support the burger but not detract from it.

Our followers know that we usually like all of our meals, so it may come as a surprise to find out that we weren't obsessed with Minetta's Black Label burger. Yeah, it's a good burger, but did we appreciate the $26 worth of beef? Not really. Maybe it's the hype, maybe it's that we can't taste the difference between good beef & great beef, or maybe it's the hefty price tag for a burger. Whatever it was, we weren't blown away with "the best burger in the city." We're still partial to the bacon cheeseburger at Corner Bistro...maybe a little less high class, but it's equally as flavorful & half the price.

Good times at Minetta Tavern, but we won't be rushing back here any time soon. Check it out for yourself and let us know if we're blogging crazy talk.

Holy last weekend! Bianca, The Palm, Home, and Colicchio & Sons!

Thursday night

After a long day at the office, we headed out for a meal at Bianca...a spot we had last hit up about 3-4 years ago and needed our fix again. Bianca is owned by the same person who owns Celeste (a Farkas family favorite) and Teodora - both of which serve authentic, delicious and affordable Italian food. The constant wait is partially a result of Bianca's cramped quarters but also indicative of the fact that the food there is awesome & everyone wants a piece.

When you're told that there's a wait, you can go to the bar next door and they'll come find you when your table is ready. Or you can just hang out on Bleecker Street. Either way, you're a winner when you get seated. Bianca feels very New York. You are practically seated on top of your dining neighbors and the pace of the wait staff can best be described as hustle & bustle. They start you off with some bread & fantastic olive oil. Rumor has it that the owners bring in their ingredients fresh from Italy.

They have a limited selection of vino by the glass but what they do have is good (and affordable). A pot of mussels to start was a great way to kick things off. In typical fashion, Eric was slurping down the leftover mussel broth at the bottom of the bowl. Jess is a HUGE fan of their balsamic chicken and she ordered that. It didn't disappoint. The balsamic sauce is thick and sweet with just enough acidity, and alongside a bed of mixed greens, this dish is filling and fantastic. Eric went with their lasagna bolognese. It was as good as the reviews made it out to be.

By the end of our entrees, we were stuffed & pleased to see a $50 bill... Two glasses of wine, a bowl of mussels, and two entrees. This place is a steal and we'll be back prior to 3-4 years down the road. In typical NYC fashion, by the time we were out of the restaurant, another couple was promptly seated at our table. The hustle & bustle never stops....

Friday night

April 8th... Eric's mom's birthday! We celebrated with a meal at The Palm West. We had previously eaten there for Eric's parents anniversary in December and his father liked it so much that he wanted us to go back. Sure thing! You can check out our initial review of The Palm here.

The only thing we would add is that the waiter we had was a bit sour and the steak was overcooked by one notch: medium rare was medium, medium was medium-medium well. While the steak was still delicious and we finished every last bite, we made a note of this to the manager and they brought out a tray of desserts for us on the house. A very nice gesture.

Saturday brunch

For brunch we headed over to Home, a cute spot in Greenwich Village. Our friends who live nearby steered us here and we were looking forward to some home cooking in a beautiful outdoor garden.

We were both slightly underwhelmed. The duck confit & butternut squash hash with sunny side up eggs was good, but it sounded better than it tasted. Jess' chopped salad was OK but nothing to rave about. I don't think we'll be back for brunch in the near future. Oh well.

Saturday night

That night, we met our friends at the Tap Room at Colicchio & Sons. This was preceded by Tom Colicchio (@tom_colicchio) tweeting us (@restohoppers) his recommendations on what to order. Unfortunately for us his 3 recos (pork belly, cod, & duck) were not on the Tap Room menu. The Tap Room is the dining area by the bar, and has a different menu than the dining room.

For starters, we got adventurous & shared the bone marrow, which was raved about by all the reviewers. It was spread on some toast with an onion relish. We all liked it but didn't love it. We tasted more of the onion relish than the marrow. We also shared the taleggio & sopressata pizza and the cavatelli...a great way to start the meal off.

For our main course, Eric got the burger and Jess went with the tilefish. The burger with onions & pecorino cheese was really juicy and flavorful and a hit at the table. Jess was so enthralled with Eric's burger that she came back for a 2nd bite! Eric was dubious at first, but the bbq potato chips served on the side were a great compliment.

We topped things off with a duo of desserts. The ice cream parfait outshined the cookie jar by a mile.

All in all, the food, the company, & the atmosphere were top notch! If you want to get a little bit of Tom Colicchio goodness without breaking the bank at Craft or the main dining room, then Tap Room is a great place for you.

So, there you have it... a helluva weekend for the resto hoppers!

Neighborhood Eats - Greenwich Village Edition - Part II

This is another series of mini-blogs about places around our apartment that we’ve sampled over the past few weeks:

Pinché Taqueria – I’ve always found it difficult to find really good, inexpensive Mexican food in the city, so when this spot was recommended to me by “Web,” I was pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty excited (anyone else excited for Curb to come back?!). I read good things online about the fish tacos so I went with the Taco de Pescado (Fish) & Taco de Camaron (Shrimp). While both were OK (not good, not bad, just OK), they were not filling at all and they each cost $4.

Side ramble: I felt like they should have been $2 each so I could have four. You might be thinking, “Stop being such a cheapskate & get 3 tacos for $12!” Well, if I’m going to spend $12 + tax on 3 tacos, I might as well go to Rosa Mexicano and spend $20 to eat their Budín de Pollo dish that I love so much. Like I said, I’m looking for good, cheap Mexican food. I want to be able to get a burrito the size of my head with fresh ingredients from a non-fast food Mexican spot, and I want it for under $10! Anyhow, I digress…

They taste worse than they look.

What made the tacos worse was that next to me, Jess was sitting PRETTY with a Pinché taco salad that looked somewhere between 10,000 & 1 million times better than my dish! The taco salad comes in a tortilla shell, which means you can add as little or as much crunch as you want. It’s also a heaping pile of lettuce, tomatoes, chicken, guacamole and comes with a delicious cilantro dressing (they have other options too).

In short, epic fail.

However, I wasn’t ready to give up on Pinché for good. Not me! I went back just the other night & got another dish that was recommended to me… nachos w/ carnitas (braised pork). Bing bang boom! Just like that, Pinché was in my good graces! The nachos were loaded with cheese, topped with tasty, fresh guacamole, and the beans & pork were mixed into each layer of nachos!

They taste better than they look. You'll have to trust me.

Pinché redeemed itself and while I’m not ready to anoint them “my Mexican spot,” I’m pretty, pretty, pretty excited for my next experience.

(There are two Pinché locations. I went to the Lafayette Street location for both meals but the “eb” in “Web” claims that the Mott Street location is better. I don’t buy it.)

Pizza Box – This place was recommended to Jess & I by her cousin’s fiancé, Jordan, and we were anxious to find a good pizza-by-the-slice spot near our apartment. Jordan claimed it to be his favorite pizza place in NYC. Do I trust his pizza opinion? Not that much, to be honest, as he’s from Cleveland. But, I gave it a shot and was proven wrong... Clevelanders can know good pizza! I got a cheese slice & a ‘roni slice and both were on the money. As Jess said, “this is what you expect when you think of good New York pizza.”

We’re both pumped to have found our local pizza joint. We will probably be stopping by there after a night out drinking. Taboot, there’s a chill garden in the back that’s perfect for dining in.

Quantum Leap – Yet another recommendation - this one was by my sister’s friend, Julie K. Quantum Leap is a vegan, natural food spot with locations in the E & W Village. We ordered in from here and really, really enjoyed our meal. I got the Portobello Pesto Burger with a side of sweet yam fries. It’s a grilled veggie burger topped with roasted sweet peppers, grilled onions, Portobello mushrooms, & pesto sauce, and it absolutely rules! Along with the sweet potato fries, it’s a hearty, healthy meal that hit the spot! We’ll definitely be coming back here to sample the rest of their menu.

Silver Spurs Diner/Restaurant – Sweet potato fries were MONEY!! Turkey burger with swiss and avocado grew on me as the meal moved along and I ended up enjoying it. Similar to Quantum Leap, this meal was hearty, and felt healthy (even though it probably wasn’t). I want to come back here to get a beef burger (which I hear is huge) and to eat more of those tasty fries! Jess went with a salad and wasn’t disappointed – their salads are big and there are so many different options. This is a good spot to have right around the corner.

NoHo Star – For a recent catch-up session over dinner, I headed to NoHo Star with a friend. The menu is a little odd – they have salads, sandwiches, omelets and then a side Chinese section that seems out of place. We both went for the American food there and I ordered the chicken burger that came with fontina, pickles that almost tasted like they had been marinated in soy sauce and some coleslaw. The burger was pretty tasty when paired along with the coleslaw but the pickles seemed a little out of place – in keeping with the random Asian aspect of this restaurant. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a solid place with lots of food options and a good place to catch up over food and drinks…but the food is by no means amazing. It did the trick and I would come back for another low-key weeknight meal.

PS – We’ve got a big weekend coming up with dinners planned at L’Artusi (cross it off the list!) & Nonya! Stay tuned…

Neighborhood Eats - Greenwich Village Edition

Last week, Jess & I moved into our new apartment in the heart of Greenwich Village. Naturally, our first move was to explore the food in the neighborhood.

Greenwich Village Bistro was the first local joint we checked out, and it was a cool spot. Originally, we sat inside but the live music was a bit too loud & we couldn't hear each other speak. I think the manager told the trumpet player to chill out, but the decibel level still wasn't conducive to having a conversation. This was probably our fault for coming here for dinner around 9:30.

We parked ourselves outside & had the best of both worlds- live music, people watching on Carmine Street, and a nice end-of-summer breeze. The food was stellar (burger for me & shrimp with rice for Jess). The beer & wine were up to par, and the bill didn't set us back too much. Is this the kind of place we'll go to for a mind-blowing meal? Definitely not - but if we're looking for some good eats, a solid atmosphere, and some drinks, then GVB satisfies.

Suzie, Suzie...Suzie, Suzie! Suzie's chinese food! We had been told by numerous people that we NEEDED to try Suzie's ASAP! We got delivery one night and it was better than your average Chinese food for sure. We each got a "healthy dish" (Jess got chicken & shrimp and I went with chicken & mixed veggies) sautéed with their brown sauce. It’s nice to know that we have good Chinese food right across the street from our apt - some places can be seedy & gross, but Suzie's is the real deal.

Saving the best for last? You bet I am! Cafe Habana on Prince Street in SoHo was another spot recommended to us. We ordered take-out, took the 10 minute walk over there, and ate our sandwiches on one of the benches outside. They also have a sit down restaurant next door, but waits are usually long. Per my friends' reco, I went with their famous Cuban sandwich. Was it the best ever? No, but I'm not a Cuban connoisseur either. Was it damn good? Yes, definitely. Each bite had a nice amount of pork/ham and loads of flavor. It was the kind of sandwich I was sad to see end. Jess got the portobello and goat cheese torta with spinach, jalapenos, lettuce and tomato. An enjoyable sandwich, although the jalapenos dominate instead of adding some spice to each bite. Another highlight of this meal was the ridiculously tasty Mexican corn ($2) that they serve on the side. We each had a husk & loved every buttery, creamy bite. We'll definitely be back here for many meals.

We'll continue to explore our new neighborhood & update you on local eats we think you should check out....stay tuned.

Back Forty

We were going to head to Dumont Burger in BK to meet our friend & start our night out with some burgers & beer. However, he bailed, and since I had my heart set on a burger and had wanted to try Back Forty in the East Village (12th & B) for quite some time, we headed there.

Despite having wanted to check out the cute little garden area in the back, the hostess was expecting rain, so we got seated at the bar. There, we each had a drink (full bar w/ solid beer options), and started off with the mushroom croquettes. Five croquette balls served over a bed of well-dressed spinach and ramp pesto with a slab of crispy bacon. Crunchy on the outside, and soft, creamy, & flavorful on the inside... delicioso! It was the perfect bar snack to get things started.

The dining room in the back has a handful of wooden tables, and is quite cozy. I consumed their grass-fed burger with cheddar and the rosemary fries, accompanied by delicious spicy, house-made ketchup. The burger was cooked perfectly and was super juicy & flavorful with a nicely-toasted sesame seed bun. Overall, I would grade this a solid B+/A- burger ($16). The only thing missing was any sort of "wow" factor.

Jess got the stuffed Japanese eggplant with quinoa, goat cheese, black olives and a swiss chard puree. The dish was delicious but not so hearty. The goat cheese melted into the soft baby eggplant and the quinoa added some texture, but overall I was expecting more.

We hope this review doesn't sound too sour, because it really was a lovely dining experience! If you're ever in the East Village, and are looking for a quality meal at a cool spot that's not too expensive ($92 for 4 drinks, 1 app, & 2 entrees + tip/tax), head over to Back Forty.

Flip Burger - Atlanta

Since learning about Flip Burger and trying it out for the first time almost a year ago, I’ve returned to Atlanta 3 times and made sure to stop by Flip Burger each time. Two of those times, I opened the restaurant up at 11 AM to make sure I could get a burger before an early afternoon flight.

When I learned that I was going back to Atlanta for work, I was ecstatic. More Flip Burger!

Three of the four times I’ve been to Flip I’ve gotten the Chorizo Burger:

It’s spicy pork sausage, romesco ketchup (a fancy way to say spicy ketchup), hash browns, fried egg, manchego cheese, & smoked mayo between two lightly toasted buns. Basically, it’s the most delicious burger you’ve ever had :-) But seriously, this is a burger packed with flavor and one of the finer ones I’ve ever chomped down on (and I’m a burger guy). With every bite, you discover something new. Whether it be the ketchup “sauce” that has the perfect amount of kick (not too hot for those who are heat-averse) or yolk dripping out of the egg & on to the patty (and those ARE the best bites), each bite is a new adventure and is more tasty than the next. It’s one of those burgers that you never want to end. So, rationally, you prolong the life of your burger by taking a lot of breaks to eat something else.

Like what? How about something fried? At Flip, my favorite fried veggies are the onion rings. I’ve also had the okre & French fries, but they don’t stack up to the rings. The onion rings are vodka battered and served with a beer honey mustard dipping sauce. I'd be lying if I said I could taste the vodka. I can't, though it doesn't matter. The rings are fried to perfection, salted just right, and the dipping sauce pairs oh-so-well with it. I'm a big fan of the sweet & salty combo so the honey in the sauce pushes this over the edge for me. In my mind, all other onion rings will be measured up against these. Unfortunately, most will fall short.

Now, we're 2/3 of the way there. We got the burger & the fried veggie. What's missing you ask? Just a nutella + burnt marshmallow milkshake!! Yes, you read that correctly.

And it tastes as good as it looks. I'm not a chocolate guy but this is a campfire s'more in a milkshake in your mouth! And who doesn't love that? They use liquid nitrogen to "roast" the mini marshmallows on the top of the shake and they taste like you just pulled them from a fire. I slurped this down to the last drop and highly recommend you wash down your burger & rings with this shake.

None of the portions are too big so you don't walk away feeling like you are in a food coma. Don't get me wrong, you are plenty full, but you're not "ugh, get me a couch, I can't move FULL!"

As you can see, I absolutely adore Flip Burger and will continue to come back here any time I'm in or around Atlanta. I suggest next time you are in the ATL and want a burger (or onion ring or milkshake) fix, you check it out and let me know if I steered you in the right direction. Enjoy!