Winter Rundown

Sorry, sorry, sorry.. Instead of a dedicated blog entry for some of these restaurants, we're giving you another rundown of our restaurant experiences over the past month or so. What can we say? We're busy...

Mesa Grill

We came here for brunch with Jess' family and absolutely loved it. From the top notch bread basket to the Bloody Marys to our shared appetizers to each of our entrees, we thoroughly enjoyed our meal at Bobby Flay's southwest joint. For starters, we shared the Caramelized Gala Apple Salad and the Crispy Bacon & Hash Brown Quesadilla. Both had tons of flavor and were perfect to share. I had read great things about the Spicy Chicken & Sweet Potato Hash, so I got that as my entree. I wasn't disappointed in the slightest as the large portion did a wonderful job of balancing heat from the chicken & sweetness from the potatoes. Yum. Jess got the Ranch Style Eggs Tostada with Crispy Flour Tortilla, Ancho Chile Tomato Sauce, White Cheddar Cheese & Creme Fraiche. Again, top notch and the experience as a whole definitely will inspire a trip back in the near future.

Market Table

After getting denied for brunch on the morning after Christmas (they were closed), we made it our mission to come here the following weekend. On 1/2/11 we enjoyed one of the better brunches we've had in recent memory. The vibe inside is rustic & cozy, but in a very upscale way. The main star of the show is the food, though...obviously. Each bite of the Poached Eggs was heavenly: ham that's grilled to perfection on a light, fluffy biscuit topped with an egg that's nice & runny and a tasty hollandaise sauce. Throw in a side of brussels sprouts homefries and you have one heck of a meal. Jess got the roasted vegetable "falalel" with tzatziki, feta, cucumber and chili oil and she enjoyed each bite as much as I did. The "falafel" ball was baked to crispy perfection and doused in a delicious sauce with a side salad - a light and delicious way to start the day. We're already excited to come back here to try the pancakes & burger, which both looked great as well.

Dove Bar > Tomoe

With a happy hour until 8 PM, a wide range of unique cocktails on the menu, scrumptious sea-salted almonds, and a vibe straight out of the 1920's, The Dove Parlour has quickly become a neighborhood favorite of ours. Check it out.

Tomoe Sushi had been hyped as the best sushi in NYC and Jess was itching to come here ever since we moved in around the block. Tonight was her night. We waited in the cold for about 10 minutes, which apparently is nothing for Tomoe. Everyone we spoke to in line seemed to be a regular and upon hearing that we were popping our Tomoe cherry, they told us we were in for a special sushi experience. Well, what do ya know, Tomoe was out of this world. The fatty tuna & salmon sashimi were some of the best raw fish that either of us had ever eaten. The tuna avocado roll we got was also among the best we've ever had - simple yet terrific. We weren't crazy about the Spider Roll and would replace that with another roll or more sashimi the next time we're back. I have a feeling that will happen very soon...

Blue Ribbon Bakery

After walking by Blue Ribbon Bar and Bakery just about every day, we knew we needed to get involved. We had heard positive things about their homemade bread so we came for lunch and each had ourselves a sandwich. Despite not coming out at the same time (don't you just hate when that happens?), we both gave our respective dishes high marks. The Blue Ruben was filled with Chorizo, Cole Slaw, and Cheddar on a Baguette. The Grilled Eggplant was filled with Cacio de Roma Cheese, Tomato, and Watercress on Ciabatta bread - kind of like a gourmet eggplant parm sub. I'll let you guess who got which one. Each sandwich comes with salad or potato (sweet potatoes, french fries, shoestring fries, etc). They weren't lying about the bread - it was crusty and fresh. We'll be back for brunch and lunch again soon.

Hecho En Dumbo

A cute, dark and cozy Mexican spot on Bowery. We pretty much had no idea what anything on the menu was (yo hablo espanol?), so we asked our server for help. The freshly fried chips were crunchy & delicious and the guac was fresh & flavorful. Even better than the guac was the queso fundido de chorizo. I would recommend getting each dip for the table to start. Despite coming out 10 minutes later than the rest of the entrees, the Mole Coloradito de Pato (duck with mole sauce) was well cooked and placed on top of creamy rice & squash and surrounded by an ocean of mole sauce. I thought this mole sauce was particularly good so I had no problem with the generous amount placed on my plate. The server felt so bad about the dish coming out late that he comped the duck AND a dessert (chocolate lava cake that wasn't quite lava-y enough for us). Jess went with the Burritas de Champinones - basically a burrito with all different types of mushrooms stuffed inside. Everyone enjoyed their food - it tasted more authentically Mexican than many other spots out there. Hecho En Dumbo also has a nice drink list - we got the Michelada, which tasted like a Bloody Mary with beer. A bit too heavy on the worcestershire sauce though.

Baoguette

When you can't figure out where to go out to eat before a movie, what do you do? We decided to do drinks & delivery at our apt. This NYC "chain" had been on my list for a couple of years and I was finally able to cross it off after getting it delivered. I don't know when Vietnamese sandwiches became popular but between this spot & Num Pang (which, I love), it seems like they've blown up a bit. The Classic Banh Mi sandwich seemed like a logical choice for a first time order since it was reviewed positively on Yelp and is their signature sandwich. At roughly 9" this sandwich is more than enough for lunch or dinner. Generously stuffed with pate, pork, pickled daikon, carrots, cucumbers & cilantro, this sandwich is loaded with flavor in every bite. The bread they served it on was also quite good (not as good as Blue Ribbon, but damn close). Jess was a bit healthier and got the Veguette sandwich, which came with tofu and pickled veggies and was delicious. Since this place is pretty cheap our eyes were bigger than stomachs, we also got sticky rice & shrimp summer rolls to complement the sandwiches. Neither were necessary or particularly great, but hit this spot up for their super yummy and filling sandwiches. Their ramen is also supposed to be great and will be on our order list for next time.

Fall > Winter Round Up

The Resto Hoppers have been busy eating, but not very busy writing. That's about to change. Here's a rundown on some of the spots we've checked out as Fall turns to Winter in New York City:

Sarabeth's East - This UES establishment is better known for its brunch, but don't rule it out for dinner. Their bread basket is tremendous and the $30 3-course price fixe option is a steal. The portions here were surprisingly large and Jess & I really enjoyed our dishes - cod & steak. The only complaint was that the pumpkin tortelloni was overpowered by the balsamic sauce it was cooked in.

(Following Sarabeth's, Jess & I went to hear Matthew Weiner speak at the 92nd Street Y. He's the creator of Mad Men and it was an absolute treat getting to hear such a brilliant guy speak about the show. I would recommend everyone watch Mad Men & seek out interviews with Matthew Weiner.)

The Palm West - We came here with my family to celebrate my parents 36th wedding anniversary!! Despite getting seated a bit late because the other Farks were stuck in an elevator, we had a truly unbelievable meal. Now we know why this place is a classic NYC establishment. From the apple & pecan salad to the cream of broccoli soup to the tuna entree to the filet mignon to the half & half side to the cheesecake, EVERY BITE was amazing. I won't go into the nitty gritty details, but just know that if you are looking for a top notch steakhouse experience, look no further than The Palm. What a fantastic meal!

Flex Mussels - Our dear friend & avid reader, Jason Morman, recommended this spot to us after having one of the better meals of his life here. Couple this enthusiasm with a 30% off deal through Village Vines, and we had to check out what the hype was about. It's all about the thai mussels - they come in a huge pot with plenty of broth to slurp along with the mussels. We also got the pesto mussels, but they could not stand up to the thai goodness. If you're a mussels person, you need to check this spot out. Their donuts are supposed to be ridiculous as well.

These thai mussels taste much better than they look. Trust us.

Pizza Box - Their pizza is great. Their $6 chicken parm hero is not. After 3.5 years of eating Muzzarella's delicious, as-big-as-your-arm chicken parm, I was spoiled. This version doesn't come close Muzzarella's and I guess I was a bit greedy thinking that it would. I'll keep coming back for pizza and may even try a meatball or eggplant parm hero but no way will I be going back to the chicken parm hero. I'll have to head up to 14th St & Ave A for that.

MaMoun's - $5 falafel plate FTW! Plate is a salad with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, lemon juice (secret ingredient), 6 falafel balls, tahini sauce, and 2 warm pitas. It's phenomenal - tasty & filling and a quick pick-up for dinner.

Lines out the door are the norm at MaMoun's.

Grey Dog - Major bummer that they moved away from their old home fries (shredded potato sauteed with onions to crispy perfection) that we loved so much to a more traditional style of home fries (potato cubes sauteed with peppers & onions and then oversalted). I'm sure we'll be back here for brunch, but not as often as we would be if they hadn't messed with something that wasn't broken.

The old GD hash browns. We'll miss you.

Five Points

Last night, Jess & I went to Five Points with her parents, Ed & Val. Once again, BlackBoard Eats came through for us. This time with a 30% off coupon.. cha ching!

The restaurant reeks of Fall and as soon as you walk in, you feel like you're home. The mix of wood, exposed brick and pumpkins evokes a ski lodge vibe and warms your soul.

We got prime seating in the back of the restaurant right by the kitchen. We even got a few strong whiffs of truffle oil, which is always welcome.

The drink menu was both seasonally appropriate (hot spiked cider & Smuttynoses's winter ale) and unique (lavender gimlet & the unknown Flight of Martinis). Everyone was happy with the drinks that started our meal.

The appetizers were also all top notch - panchetta pizza (possibly the highlight of the meal), salad (dates + blue cheese + walnuts = yes sir!), and mezze (squash dip, wild rice, beets, & some other tasty dips served with warm pita-like bread). We all agreed that the pizza was phenomenal - caramelized onions FTW.

After a longer-than-normal break in between courses, we got served wreckfish (Jess), pasta (Val), steak (Ed), & chicken (Eric). If we are keeping score at home, we went .500. Val & I loved our main courses & didn't leave a trail on the plate. Ed & Jess... not so much. Ed felt the steak was too chewy and Jess thought her fish didn't have enough flavor. I thought the pumpkin chutney was delish but can't speak about the fish (somewhere between cod & trout?).

On the positive side, my portion of chicken was hearty (2 pieces - I think breast & thigh/wing), super moist, and juicy. Served alongside a handful of parsnips & a cooked-to-perfection potato gratin, this dish hit the spot. Dipping the chicken & parsnips in the juices made every bite flavorful. The only complaint I have is that the skin wasn't very crispy. A crunchy exterior would have texturally balanced the dish quite well & taken it/me to an even higher level.

For dessert, we decided on the honey apple cobbler with whipped cream. It was good, not great, and the four of us didn't even finish it. We all agreed that it was lacking that something something - cinnamon? more butter? vanilla ice cream? better "crumble"? Who knows... it just wasn't there.

What we all did agree on was that we had a fabulous night out and while some of the food wasn't out of this world, I think we'd all be happy to come back and try out some of the other cocktails and dishes (pizza as an entree, anyone?) on the menu.

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.”

10 Downing

We've gotten some comments from a few of our loyal readers that all of our posts are positive. For the most part, this is true. There are a few reasons: 1) we do research before deciding where to eat; 2) we do research on the best dishes at the places we choose to eat at; 3) our friends recommended good places; and 4) who wants to read us complain about some meal we had?

Well, well, well... Y'all got your wish! We had a less-than-stellar brunch experience with my parents at 10 Downing in the West Village. The omelet lacked any real flavor and fell completely flat in the cheddar cheese department. A major no-no. The Open-Faced Curry Chicken Salad sounded great on the menu but neither Jess nor my dad particularly loved it. For both dishes, my dad mentioned that my mom's versions was far superior. He wasn't just being nice... it was the truth. And, you never want to spend your money eating out when you think you can be doing it better at home.

On the positive side, the pumpkin bisque was delicious - even though the bowl was only filled up half-way - and the bloody mary's were just right.

Jess was here for dinner recently and had a good experience so maybe brunch just isn't their thing. In any case, we won't be back here for brunch. There ya go... not every meal we eat is the "best meal ever." Bummer.

For Dinner:

My dinner here came before the brunch experience tainted our perspective on this local spot.  One positive is that their bread basket comes with chunky tahini that is a nice departure from plain old butter.  

My mom and I split the butter lettuce salad with a warm goat cheese crostini and it was tasty!  I had a huge craving the day after for another butter lettuce salad - it's so superior to every other type of lettuce.  I got the scallops as well, which were great - flavorful and accompanied by brussels sprouts and spaghetti squash.  My mom went with the herb-lemon half chicken and it was quite tasty as well, and a large portion.  We split a side of the brussels sprouts, since they were raved about in reviews and they really didn't live up to the hype.  They weren't cooked enough so they were harder than I like my sprouts - the pieces of bacon did not redeem this dish.

To sum up, after eating dinner and brunch at 10 Downing in the same week, I would definitely use it as a fall-back dinner option going forward and will not be going back for brunch any time soon. 

Hopper'd. 

L'Artusi is for Lovers

This past weekend, Eric and I hit up L'Artusi, which I had been wanting to try for a while now. We were lucky enough to get a 9 pm reservation, because it's definitely one of those places that's always packed. For a quieter, more intimate meal, try to be seated upstairs, where they have a wine room and less going on. We sat on the first floor in the back by the kitchen, where it was loud and crowded. However, even though I felt like I was in the middle of our neighbors' conversation, they couldn't distract me from the fact that their food rules.

We started out with the mushroom appetizer with fried egg, pancetta and ricotta salata. Each bite was full of flavor - maybe a little salty - but definitely one of the best mushroom dishes I've tasted. Complete flavortown. 

Mushrooms covered with a fried egg

Next up was the butter lettuce with lemon crema, gorgonzola, hazelnuts and olives. We both agreed that in our meal's setlist, this was the slow song that you need to catch a breather in between non-stop rock and roll jamming. Not a bad slow song - this dish was great. The lettuce was soft, the cheese was creamy and the hazelnuts added a nice crunch. This dish completely did it's part and did us well.


A heaping pile of butter lettuce

The ricotta ravioli with pecorino and black pepper came next and was recommended by our waitress because they make their ricotta in house. Perhaps aided by the buttery sauce, this pasta was deliciously rich and savory. I'm happy we decided to split everything because each dish was rich enough that you were fine having just half....well, maybe we could have each had a serving of this ravioli.

Our entree was the chicken, which was another recommendation by the waitress, after acknowledging, "I know it's chicken, but it's delicious." She was correct - they serve it in their own type of marsala sauce and every bit was tasty and savory - not dry and plain like chicken can be. This was the rocking set closer of our meal.

Encore: enter olive oil cake with a side of cappuccino gelato. This satisfied our sweet tooth and was a great capper to the evening.

We'll definitely be back here - it's a great place to go with a group and share plates. Or you may just want to go and get the ricotta ravioli for yourself. I know Eric does. http://lartusi.com/index.html

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…