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.

Momofuku Noodle Bar > Milk Bar

During our recent trip to Vail, we met a chef who worked in Colorado. After telling him we were from New York, his first question was, "How is Momofuku?" Sadly, we had not tried it and made it our mission to do so when we returned. We figured this weekend was the perfect chance to try Momofuku, since it was snowy and we thought that most people would not brave the elements. Since they do not take reservations, it's inevitable that we'd have to wait. We underestimated the place. There was a 90 minute wait when we got there, but the hostess was good enough to tell us that we could leave and come back in an hour, which we did. After a martini and some arcade photo hunt, we ventured back to wait just a few more minutes before getting seated at the bar area.

I wouldn't say much about the ambiance there - it's crowded and minimalistic. But that's not why you go there. The food was great - we started with the famous pork buns, which were delicious - although, not what we were expecting:

The buns are soft, almost pita-like, and filled with two big pieces of pork with a hoison sauce. They were succulent and very satisfying. For the main dishes, we ordered both the pork ramen noodles and the scallion noodles, both of which were very enjoyable. The scallion noodles were flavorful for not having a broth - the noodles were accompanied by mushrooms and scallions and the ginger just infused the dish with goodness. The pork ramen noodles come with a super-flavorful broth, a healthy portion of noodles, pork (belly & shoulder), egg (that you break & stir into the broth), and veggies (mushrooms, scallions, etc).

After eating our faces off at the Noodle Bar, we decide to have dessert around the corner at Momofuku Milk Bar, which is a place that may be mistaken for heaven. It's crowded and there's not much place to stand, but their dessert options are mind-blowing. We got a swirl of the red velvet cake and the cream cheese icing soft-serve ice creams. It was divine. Getting ahead of ourselves, we also ordered a piece of the chocolate malt cake, which was also superb! If you're a chocaholic, come here & try this ASAP - you'll be in heaven! They had crazy options like cinnamon bun pie, pie with pretzels and potato chips, banana bread ice cream, and so much more. We highly recommend the Momofuku Noodle and Milk Bars and look forward to trying the other Momofukus soon! They are not to be missed...and worth the wait!

Brooklyn Bagel Co. - Our vote for New York City's best bagel

We learned about Brooklyn Bagel on (8th btwn 24th & 25th) from some friends of ours who swore by it. We didn't have a go-to bagel spot that we LOVED, but we did gravitate towards David's Bagels (1st & 18th) and Bagel And Shmear (28th btwn Park & Lex). After trying a BK Bagel, we quickly learned that this is what a New York bagel should taste like... soft & doughy on the inside while crunchy & well-done on the outside (when toasted). This is the type of bagel that redefines everything you think you know about bagels.
Taboot, they have a wide array of bagels to choose from (our favorite is the whole wheat everything) and an even wider array of spreads (everything from cinnamon walnut raisin tofu to strawberry cream cheese). You can be sure that you'll be able to pick out a combo that is right up your alley. Our favorite spread is the veggie tofu -- the more they put on our bagels, the better, and don't be scared to tell them not to skimp you!
We also prefer to have our bagels scooped out & toasted to give the bagel even more crunch, while not getting too full from it (don't worry, their scoop jobs are pretty half-ass so you still get to enjoy the soft doughy inside of the bagel). Most of the time, they nail it right on the head and give you a warm, toasted, crispy bagel with a healthy portion of veggie tofu inside - it's a great contrast in textures.

We've also sampled their tuna salad & chicken salad.. both are above-average. But then again, you can put just about anything on one of their bagels and you'll go home a happy camper.

We'll continue to head to Brooklyn Bagel to have a quick, cheap breakfast & satisfy our bagel cravings. Check it out, and let us know what you think...

Joe's Shanghai - Midtown West

We were very excited to try Joe Shanghai's famous soup dumplings! We went before seeing a Broadway show, so it was on the earlier side. The place was pretty much empty when we arrived but was filling up as we left.

We put in our order for soup dumplings right away - they come as a mix of crab and pork meat. We had read how you're supposed to eat them before coming, so we were somewhat prepared. We took our soup spoons, held the soup dumplings, took a bite so as to let out the soup liquid, sipped it up and then ate the rest of the dumpling. It was delicious! Our only complaint was that it was a little greasy. I'm not sure what type of broth was in the dumplings, but it was great - super flavorful - and just what you would want on a cold winter night!. For the rest of the dumpling, you are given a soy-based dipping sauce to dunk the dumpling in. Eric liked the sauce and thought it made the meat come to life, since you can't really taste the pork/crab. I wasn't as much of a fan so I ate the rest of the dumpling sans-sauce.. yummy!

The other food we ordered (chicken & broccoli/shrimp & scallops with garlic sauce/moo shoo vegetable) was just OK - standard Chinese food. The midtown west Joe's is supposedly a lot more spacious and "less authentic" than the Chinatown spot so I still wanna head down to Chinatown to check out the Pell Street restaurant.

You really should go here for the dumplings!

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!