neta: now a little less excited to try masa

if you haven't noticed, i really like to eat.  therefore, it makes sense that i've surrounded myself with a group of like-minded friends.  last month, urbandaddy published a blip about neta, a new sushi restaurant in the village manned by former masa chefs, and my japanese feasting group (ironically, none of us are japanese) started throwing dates out.  our schedules are all a little bit crazy so i took matters into my own hands and just picked my next available date and made a reservation for four.  this date only worked for two of us (it should have been three, but one passed for a backgammon tournament...huh???), and i also included my friend julie (perfect, since her husband was out of town).

the space is cozy with a large extended sushi bar similar to soto down the street.  we were seated at a table (i had requested the sushi bar, but i guess there was a miscommunication) and had a chance to peruse both the menu and the wine list.  they have a concise cocktail and wine list and a bit more thorough sake selection (don't expect sakagura).  we started with the sparkling sake which was a fine aperitif, and maneuvered through the rest of the sake menu (with carafes, 300ml and 720ml size bottles, it gives an opportunity to taste a number).  

as for food, we went with the higher-priced omakase menu; we thought this would give us the most fitting representation of the best the chefs had to offer.  the meal began on an incredibly amazing note - toro tartare with a large dollop of caviar.  served with little toasts - this was KILLER. 

toro tartare & caviar

next up, cooked slices of scallop served in the scallop shell in a gingery, buttery, briney sauce with a big lobe of uni (sea urchin) on top.  this was visually impressive, and the buttery sauce was wonderful (i confess: i drank it from the shell), but the scallop was overcooked.  and the uni...my favorite uni... it just didn't measure up to the quality of sushi yasuda's uni.  

grilled whole scallop

our next course was the fried blowfish (aka fugu), which was another notch down.  first it was really greasy.  i'm generally not one to complain about greasiness, but i expected it to be light.  then there was that giant bone in the middle, off of which i had to gnaw the fish... it was a very... authentic asian experience.  and i'm alive to speak of it!

battered & fried blowfish

the next course went in an interesting direction: a small dish of fried rice with shaved black truffles.  since we'd be eating rice with the sushi, i was surprised that the omakase would include rice.  now, i heart black truffles AND fried rice, but perhaps it was the quality of the truffles, or just the combination of it all... it just didn't work.  the black truffles were too mellow... the fried rice, a little bland.  it just didn't work.

rice with black truffles

at this point, we were ready for the main event: the SUSHI.  full disclosure: ive never been to masa (the meal is $450 before drinks, tax & tip... we live comfortably but close to $750pp for dinner is more than i can stomach, literally).  with former masa chefs at the helm, you better believe i am expecting some amazing quality fish.

we received a number of nigiri: toro (this was really quite good... and it was o-toro, if you're wondering).  kanpachi, scottish salmon, sea bream, uni, grilled toro... other than the toro, they just werent that flavorful.  were they fresh?  sure.... but did they have the same briney bite that the fish at my favorite sushi yasuda does?  no.  also, the omakase was odd - there didn't seem to be an order to it in any way.

o-toro nigiri

kanpachi, scottish salmon, sea bream nigiri

uni and seared toro nigiri

after the nigiri, we moved onto maki... they brought us unagi & cucumber and toro scallion.  the seaweed wrapping these rolls didn't have the deep aroma that you find at other high end sushi spots.  i hate to keep comparing this to yasuda, but you can smell that distinct almost smoky seaweed aroma from when they open the box that holds the seaweed all the way until the roll touches your tongue.  the other problem with these maki were how loosely they were rolled.  very noticeable in the photo.  it felt like they were going to fall apart as you lifted them.

unagi-cucumber maki

close-up of unagi-cucumber

close-up of toro-scallion maki

we finished the savory portion with a vegetarian nigiri - ume, jicama wrapped in shiso.  we actually received this twice because the service was haphazard and confused.  i wish we had received the toro tartare with caviar twice!!  our final course, which was actually quite a palate cleanser, was a grapefruit granita, and it was very tasty (sorry no photo - we'd had a lot of sake at this point!).

ume shiso "nigiri"

our real problem with neta was the service.  the food didn't measure up to my expectations, but the service really ruined the experience.  it is very important for anyone who deals with sushi to know the source of the fish being served, e.g.,  uni is usually santa barbara, sometimes maine and then even more rarely, hokkaido - and i'd like to know which.  when i asked, the server told me SAN DIEGO... never in my life have i heard san diego until my evening at neta.  salmon is also a concern for me... i did some research on chilean salmon farms for work and learned that salmon are nicknamed the "hogs of the sea", and therefore, it's vital that you know salmon's source (whether raw or cooked), so when i asked, yet again, it took some effort to find out the source of the salmon.  on top of the lack of knowledge, there were lulls between courses to the point where we asked a few times if there were any courses remaining because we'd just be sitting around for a while.  since we went during their first two weeks, i hope they'll work the kinks out with time.

the bill was pretty stiff - about $275 after drinks, tax & tip, and considering the price, for my next sushi dinner, i will be returning to my friend mitsu at sushi yasuda and have the omakase dinner with wonderful classically prepared sushi served in a timely, well thought out order.

neta

61 w. 8th street btwn 5/6th aves (closer to 6th)

new york, ny 10011

212/505.2610

reservations available on opentable

date night: colicchio & sons

my girlfriend julie & i decided it was high time for a double date... our list of restaurants to try keeps getting longer (so easy in NYC), so colicchio & sons, which has been on our list for a while, had been forgotten.  we remedied that.

after meeting at del posto for a drink or three, we arrived on time (we like to be prompt) and were seated in their spacious dining room.  tables are well-spaced so that you hear little to none of adjacent tables' conversations.  it has a definite gramercy tavern feel but with loftier ceilings - which isn't really surprising.

we started our meal with champagne - the NV Vouette et Sorbée Champagne Blanc d'Argile Extra Brut - which was recommended by the sommelier.  when im out, i like to try champagnes that ive never had/heard of (still in love with the multi-vintage gaston chiquet that we had at eleven madison park).  i was very pleased with this bottle - it was dry with depth and toasty notes.

we chose the a la carte route for a few reasons - the primary being that the tasting menus require participation by the entire table, and both husbands are picky eaters.

i won't go into details of our entire menu but here's what you need to know about the food:
- pastrami-cured duck from tom's classics menu: we asked if we could do it as a starter, but the waiter returned that it could only be done entree size. no problem - and it was definitely one of the best dishes we had so it was worth it.
- butter-poached oysters: served with celery root tagliatelle and a big dollop of caviar, it was a very rich dish (but too few oysters), and i went home and bought celery root the next day because i loved it so.
- roasted octopus: perfectly tender and the chorizo vinaigrette was an unbelievable pairing with it.
- pork entree: get this. pork two ways, one loin, one belly.  i love pork belly.

i had the pancetta-wrapped monkfish which was meaty and good, but not memorable.  julie had the sirloin which was also well-prepared, but not very exciting.  the worst dish, however, was the potato gnocchi with suckling pig ragout - not only was it boring to the eye, it was bland on the tongue.  sigh.

after our champagne, we ordered a red wine suggested by one of our lovely servers, daniel: the chateau la vieille cure fronsac 2001 - a MAGNUM.  we love to go big, so this was so fitting.  it was the perfect bottle, a medium-bodied red with high drinkability, low tannic structure, dry, not too fruity.  it worked so well, we could even drink it with our cheese course at the end.

the label from the MAGNUM at dinner - dan & chase saved us the label and attached it to a note for us - adorable!

i would like to note that the service at colicchio & sons was really quite extraordinary - daniel & chase really did their best to make us feel comfortable with everything without ever being intrusive or annoying.  we look forward to returning to try out the tap room, where they have a more casual menu - another nod to the gramercy tavern mold.

colicchio & sons
85 10th avenue btwn 15/16th sts
new york, ny 10011
212/400.6699

numero 28: the best lasagna in nyc?

after back-to-back flywheel rides yesterday (presidents day monday - no work!!), i was famished... then i remembered that i had a scoop st (nka buy with me/gilt city) certificate for numero 28... WIN.

we headed over around 330PM for a late lunch/early dinner, and the restaurant was relatively empty. we chose a seat close to the bar so i could take in the warm rustic decor (and the warmth from the pizza oven & kitchen).

let's just get to business & talk food...

APPETIZERS
-meatballs - first, the tomato sauce with the meatballs was fantastic. very fresh, clean, not too stewed. as for the meatballs, they were just ok. they tasted fine, but the texture was a bit on the rubbery side. texture is such a vital component of the meatball. (we took 1/2 home and i ate them for breakfast this morning, and one literally BOUNCED off my plate.)
-buffalo mozzarella & prosciutto di parma - a simple appetizer with very good tangy mozzarella and fresh prosciutto drizzled lightly with olive oil.

PIZZA
-18" bianca del diavolo - note, this is the pizza we ordered, but we received what basically amounted to a margherita with pepperoni. there was no ricotta. we didn't say anything bc we were hungry, but i was disappointed. that said, this pizza was a solid pizza - very thin crust, quality ingredients, nice meaty pepperoni and blotches of that delicious tomato sauce (same as the sauce with the meatballs).

PASTA
-lasagna - this might just be the best lasagna ive had in nyc. creamy meat sauce layered between thin sheets of fresh pasta. WOW. again WOW. i hate to write about this last for the savory courses, but it came out a good 5-10 minutes after our pizza even though we asked that they be served together.  on the bright side, we brought most of it home, so i got to eat it for breakfast this morning!

DESSERT
-tiramisu - this was just good. nothing special. there were some bites of ladyfinger that hadnt soaked in enough espresso and the cream was a tad thin, but it tasted fine.

numero 28 has a comfortable vibe, with wood tables a bit off balance, sunlight streaming in from the glass doors in front. a good place to go for brunch, and i could see it being annoyingly crowded for dinner, especially on weekends.  despite being "on the wagon" (sober february *sigh*), we noticed that they served lambrusco (a fave) and another table had a bottle of veuve (my least favorite every day champagne, but at least they have champers!). 

before using the scoop st certificate, the bill was $77 (including tax but not tip - remember, no booze, but we brought a lot of food home). oh, and they only take cash. that was a bummer. there's an ATM on-site but still... cash only is annoying.

my last word - and this is a good one: our waiter... the service was fine, he was friendly, a bit absent-minded (note service-related comments in pizza/pasta sections above). but he was HOT... in that euro-y hot way. i'd go back just to stare at him. yummy.

numero 28 pizzeria napoletana

176 2nd ave btwn 10/11th sts

new york, ny 10003

212/777.1555

(they also have west village & soho locations - i don't know if the menus are the same.)

review: the beagle - 1/16/2012

as a cocktail enthusiast, the beagle has been on my "must-try" list for a bit so it was the perfect go-to for an unplanned chilly saturday evening. the restaurant is small, but when we arrived at 8P (MLK wknd saturday), it was almost empty... however, by 830PM, all of the tables were full and the restaurant was loud but not annoyingly so. the tables are well-spaced/positioned, but close enough that you can see what's being served. there's a bar with about 7-8 seats and little standing room if the restaurant is full.

we started with cocktails (east side fix, heresy highball and liberal cocktail), each was well made, very balanced and most importantly, tasty!

onto the food - we decided to go family-style with the following:
pairing boards
-burrata & gin: i actually thought this was magical...burrata was delicious, and i adored the braised celery AND the perfect mini martini - which i continued to order (in full-size) for the rest of the evening.
-mackerel & aquavit: i am not a giant fan of aquavit, but it is the perfect match for the flavor combo of pickled mackerel with the creamy pickled onions on the cracker.

appetizers/salads
-frito pie: the chili on this is rather good, and altho it's small (for sharing), it's a tasty little first bite.
-golden beet salad: great mix of flavors with the greek yogurt, shaved fennel and marcona almonds.
-peekytoe crab salad: served abed leaves of radicchio w hazelnuts & a lemon cream vinaigrette, i liked this salad, but there was an overpowering taste/nose of tarragon, which i wish had been mentioned in the description as it is my least favorite herb
-housemade: a vague plate of what's "housemade" that night - we had cured scallops, a cured shrimp, cured sable, gravlax, pork rillettes, cured lamb belly, housemade sauerkraut and apple butter. some parts were REALLY salty, but the rillettes & lamb belly were awesome.

entrees
-salt-roasted pork belly: this had a whiff of korean bo ssam (boiled pork belly, kimchi, raw oysters) which made me very happy. the sauce was yummy - we asked for some bread to soak it up.
-half chicken: i mean, it's chicken (my least favorite meat), well made (flattened, under-the-brick style with crispy skin), but that chorizo bread pudding topped with a disc of foie butter - WOW, smooth creamy foie mousse and chunks of chorizo - happy day. the liver sauce was good, livery but yummy with the bread pudding and roasted chicken.

dessert
-bonito cheesecake: obviously we were intrigued by this, i mean fish flakes in cheesecake?  by process of elimination (the cranachan had a peety scotch flavor - i dislike, and we're not chocolate fans), we went with the cheesecake because we obviously needed dessert. plus the weird factor...we were in. and i'm glad we did. not too sweet, with a hint of fishiness here & there, but not in a bad way...love the ginger powder sprinkled all over and the nilla wafer crust. it was a good finish.

service was great... very attentive, but not annoying. cocktails were a little slow, which was understandable considering the great attention they take to making them. wines were priced in a good affordable range with a nice selection. overall, i think a worthwhile place to eat and definitely for cocktails, and while i would return for drinks and perhaps nibbles, i probably wouldn't go back until they updated their menu with new items.

one thing of note: reservations are taken on their website, but i had technical difficulties with the site. and when i called, it was a message that reservations by phone were only allowed for groups of 6 or more.

the beagle

162 avenue a btwn 10th/11th sts

new york, ny 10009

212/228.6900

review: ciano - 8/7/2011

i really wanted to like ciano and its warm rustic feel. i loved our table right under the skylight. our server was very friendly (but not the most helpful/knowledgeable... maybe because it was a summer sat night?)

the bread basket is delicious (two kinds of bread, both tasty), but i was more excited when it was served with (pause for effect) WHIPPED TRUFFLE BUTTER! *gasp* i adore butter, and i imagine truffles are the only thing that can make butter more delicious... but then you taste it, and it doesn't taste like butter, it almost tastes oily, and the truffle flavor is so muted... such a waste of a good idea.

we were on a double date with one of my favorite eating couples - they eat family style (i'm korean, family style is normal), so we ordered a number of things to share.

first out:
-veal meatballs with polenta, which was as good as they say...and paired with the polenta, yum!
-rock shrimp polpette... in theory, a good idea with great flavor, but an unfortunate rubbery texture.

next up, the crostini:
-one with whipped chicken liver, which weren't as good as ABC kitchen's, but ok, very smooth
-one with spicy burrata & pesto... this was just a bad dish where the pesto got lost under the spicy burrata which doesnt taste like burrata (more like polly-o mozzarella)

we also ordered the arancini bc i love rice balls, and i appreciated the creamy interior while the rice kept a bite, but it was the lack of crispy outside that made this dish mediocre.

then the pastas... i love pasta!
-spaghetti alla chitarra... this was good, and the texture of this spaghetti was amazing, but i had higher expectations since frank bruni tweeted that this pasta was on par with scarpetta's famous spaghetti... my table mates who went to scarpetta recently (and even made the scarpetta spaghetti at home) disagreed.
-pappardelle with duck bolognese... this was my husband's favorite dish, with its chunky sauce... it was good, but it didn't blow me away.
-cortecce pasta with baby octopus and bread crumbs... on their summer menu, mmm baby octopus... i liked the spicy kick, but the seafood flavor was very mellow, and the pasta just didn't have enough texture... and i wish there had been more octopus!

we went with just one entree... winner - crisp duck breast (also on their summer menu). this was perfectly cooked, served with wonderful jus and wild mushrooms... i think this was the best dish of the night. it was the perfect size to share with four ppl (after all the dishes we'd already shared) and a great way to end the savory portion of the meal.

desserts... the girls went cheese, the boys went sweets. the most exciting cheese was the tete de moine (a strong swiss cheese) and of course, our fave, epoisses. lots of fruity accompaniments as well. we also had two dessert specials: a farmer cheese cheesecake with blueberry compote and a sweet cookie dough crust served with peach gelato - i liked the lightness and seasonality of this cheesecake - well done! and the apple strudel (we were debating btwn the peach napoleon and the strudel, but when our server told us the pastry chef is german, obviously the strudel won)... i only had a bite, so i can tell you the crust was flaky, and it tasted fine... not special.

wines... the sommelier was pretty helpful... since we were celebrating the other couple's recent engagement, we started with a bottle of the gaston chiquet brut 2002... YUM (note: we had a multi-vintage version of the chiquet at eleven madison in the spring which was even better). we moved onto a very light red (i don't know which since my S.O. ordered it) and finished with a wonderful fruity/spicy red - the valpolicella d'ora 2008 - i asked our sommelier to surprise us... not expensive and a really nice finish to our meal.

here's the thing about ciano... despite some "hits", there are some phenomenal italian restaurants in nyc right now (marea, ai fiori, locanda verde)... i feel like you have to be extraordinary in order to standout, and unfortunately, ciano wasn't extraordinary by any means.

ciano
45 e 22nd st btwn park ave south/bway
new york, ny 10010
212/982.8422

review: abc kitchen - 8/3/2011

i will probably be vilified for saying this, but i was turned off by abc kitchen bc of the whole "organic", "healthy", "vegetarian-friendly" reputation it garnered by my friends.

and i fully admit it: I WAS WRONG.

abc kitchen is really very tasty.  i went twice within one week so that i could try as many things on the current menu (which has already changed) as possible.  i also love small plates to share, which are plentiful here.

more often than not, it was the simplicity of the high-quality, fresh ingredients (locally sourced!) that really made the dishes shine.

my faves:
-chicken liver toast - smooth, flavorful, wow
-crab toast - my S.O., who doesn't like crab, ate every bit of these
-warm mozzarella - this got mixed reviews at our table, but i loved the soft, warm cloud of cheese
-carrot salad - it doesnt sound that exciting, but it actually is
-roasted squash - so simple, so good
-spinach, goat cheese pizza - wasn't that excited for it but was REALLY WOWED
-corn (side dish) - the sweetness popped in your mouth
-the market strawberry dessert - we were stuffed but wanted something sweet - this was perfect!

the spaghettini w shrimp and the pretzel calamari were also good, but i dont know if i would order them again.

there were a few dishes that i thought were less memorable (so much so that i can't even remember the details) - the ricotta toasts, a pizza special w bacon & arugula (i LOVE bacon, but this wasnt well-balanced) and a sashimi dish...

i must note that both times, we didnt order entrees. i'll get there at some point!

in terms of service, both times they were attentive, but nothing special.  the restaurant is pretty loud.  difficult to get reservations, but if you go early, it's a free-for-all in the bar area, where there is also table seating.  that said, if you don't go early, you could end up waiting a LOOOOONG time.

since they use seasonal ingredients, i suggest going back...ALL. THE. TIME.

 

abc kitchen

35 e 18th st btwn park ave south/bway

new york, ny 10003

212/475.5829

review: the dutch - 6/23/2011

what a treat! we went for drinks & nibbles in the bar at the dutch last night (2nd time), and it was fantastic. it was crowded (good bar scene) when we arrived, but we found some space and settled in.


the cocktails:
their cocktail menu was designed by their bartender naren, and the combinations are interesting and work so well together. the boys behind the bar put so much care into making the drinks - it's fun to watch.
- dutch courage - a touch sweet for my taste but i appreciated the tart/sweet flavors with the salted rim!
- sullivan street fix up - LOVE! especially the thyme garnish... leave it in the drink and as you sip, take in the yummy thyme smell - it really works.

the food: everything we ordered was delicious, and added bonus, andrew carmellini was in the house!
- seafood ceviche - fantastic... it has a slight spicy kick, so good.
- melon arugula salad - dressed perfectly, so yummy
- shrimp & fried green tomatoes - the shrimp was so perfectly cooked and the pepper sauce... mmm
- hiramasa - very simple, raw slices of yellowtail, clean...

(on my previous visit we also had the fried oyster sandwiches, they're bite size and amazing; i could probably eat 20 of them. we also had the asian white boy ribs, but the boys devoured them so quickly, i didnt even have a taste.)

some boys at a table in the bar room were eating the fried chicken, and it looked & smelled so good, i almost sat down with them to take a bite. it was late... i dont think they wouldve minded... next time!

the dutch
131 sullivan street btwn prince/houston
new york, ny 10012
212/677.6200

review: beef 7 ways at ma peche - 6/16/2011

we went with a group of 8 on a tues night for the $450 beef 7 ways dinner. our server dominick (so cute, my friends say he looks like adam levine from maroon 5) advised we supplement since it's meant for 4-6. i'm a good eater, and i think two sides or apps would be a fine supplement - not too much more.


we started with 2 small SEAFOOD PLATEAUS (mostly bc i adore the squid salad), crispy pig's head, 2 orders of asparagus and the bread & cow's butter (you have to pay for this).

the squid salad was as usual delish, the raw fluke was good (it's not the same fluke as the menu item) but some ppl didn't enjoy the sauce on the bottom (i cant remember offhand). the oysters (mix of east/west) were quite good, very cleanly shucked too.

the CRISPY PIGS HEAD on a lentil salad was AMAZING. so good i can say it again, amazing! my picky-eating S.O. licked it clean. oh wait, that was me.

the ASPARAGUS has a poached egg that bursts and you stir it together... it really blends well w the king crab, but i think it's too saucy. tastes good, looks not so much.

on to dinner:
the courses came two at a time -
WAGYU (imperial beef, ne) - ginger, scallion, radish: this is a delicious carpaccio. reminded me a bit of korean yook hwe. this was my fave.
TENDON (creekstone farm, ks) - basil, tatsoi, plum vinaigrette: this is a salad. i love tendon, and usually the tendon i have isnt so tender. a couple ppl said this was the best dish of the bunch.

MEAT PIE (creekstone farm, ks) - tongue, potato, caramelized onions: my S.O. loved the crust. i thought it was very dense/heavy. it was tasty, but...
RIBS (niman ranch, ia) - fried garlic, kunz ketchup: this came with ssam (butter lettuce, crudite-type veggies, fish sauce, etc.), and i liked them, but they werent amazing. i also am not a fan of the ribs on the ma peche a la carte menu.

RIBEYE (4 story hills farm, pa): this is their cote de boeuf, which was very good, but i've had better at a steakhouse. also i was expecting this to be flintstones size... it wasnt.
BRISKET (niman ranch, ia) - marrow, shallot, chili jam: this was really good, but by this point, we were all getting really full. maybe i shouldnt have gnawed all of the meat off the ribeye bone. i wrapped this to-go, and i think this make delish tacos tmrw night.

OXTAIL SOUP (pineland farm, me) - tamarind, mint, cilantro: i was expecting a pho type of finish. the soup was poured from a teapot into teacups/saucers. there was some oxtail meat on the bottom (which i ate), but the soup was SWEET (from the tamarind). BIG NO.

we also had the CARROTS (couldnt resist that they were cooked in bone marrow) and the SUGAR SNAP PEAS (bc i love xo sauce). the carrots were mushy. the snap peas were awesome.

some of the boys started with cocktails, which were well-made. for wine, we started w the less expensive gruner on the menu, which was fantastic with the seafood. we moved on to the domaine de la butte cab franc, which also was great. i dont recall her name, but the sommelier who helped us was awesome.

we ended with EPOISSES, which is my fave cheese, and i ordered the only glass of champagne by the glass w it. epoisses & champagne is fun.

my S.O. ran upstairs as soon as dinner was over to get some cereal milk soft serve from milk bar on the ground floor. i refrained from cookies/truffles bc i stocked up on them when i was at ma peche for lunch a couple weeks ago. they keep in the freezer!

overall it was good meal, but i don't know if i'd go back for the beef 7 ways again. i think the a la carte items are MUCH BETTER.

on a non-food related note, we saw jj abrams dining there (my gf recognized him, no idea how...), and i introduced myself and told him that 'felicity' is my all-time favorite show. i even watch 'fringe'! that was a super highlight!

ma peche
15 w. 56th st btwn 5/6th aves
new york, ny 10019
212/757.5878

review: gravy - 6/15/2011

i really wanted to like gravy... but i didn't.

i went on a monday night with 6 friends. we ordered most of the appetizers and sides, plus a few entrees. i searched high & low for the biscuits mentioned on yelp (no sign of them). i also looked for gravy - only found on the mashed potatoes.

FOOD
appetizers:
-chopped salad - good size, but overly dressed in a runny dressing
-king crab legs - 4 small pieces, overcooked
-peel & eat shrimp - the tastiest of the bunch even though the FOUR pieces of shrimp were dry and overcooked (the comments from the table were "i like chewy overcooked shrimp")
-hummus - interesting but the focaccia served with it was stale (they brought us some grilled whole-wheat sourdough bread once we told them, but sorry, too late)
-crawfish fritters - these tasted good, but they were more like rice balls w crawfish in them. and there were only 4 small-ish fritters (seems like 4 is a theme)

entrees:
-sullivan bog - SMALL. overcooked seafood. in theory it was good.
-scallops & honey grits - i didn't try this, but my friend who ordered this said it was inedible
-corn flake crusted chicken - terrible... all white meat, completely DRY, i didnt see any cheese stuffed inside

sides (the best part of the meal - not saying much):
gravy fries - this was overly old bay'd fries w ranch dressing on the side. the name was VERY MISLEADING.
mashed potatoes & gravy - standard, nothing special
braised collards/kale - standard
roasted mushrooms - nothing special but tasty
crackling creamed corn - i liked this but no one else did. it tasted a lot like roasted peppers, which i like.
grits 3 ways: the pork & cheese were quite tasty. the honey was very sweet.

we did not have dessert bc this dinner took FOREVER as it was.

DRINKS
decent wine options although no one really knew much about the wine to help make a choice. i had the garden of good &evil cocktail - it was quite good and well-balanced.

SERVICE
the restaurant was pretty empty, so i understand there being only one waitress, but there were a few other people who worked there around, and NO ONE was helpful. the service was flat-out bad. the food took forever. we ordered peel & eat shrimp while having drinks at the bar BEFORE, and we never received them, yet they tried to charge us for 2 orders of the shrimp (we obviously caught and had them correct). the slooooowness of the South in new york does not work.

add to that, the bill ended up being $82pp even tho 4 of us shared 2 entrees.

overall, every aspect of this restaurant (and we tried a lot of things) was a major disappointment.

gravy
32 east 21st st btwn broadway/park ave s
new york, ny 10010
212/600.2105

review: old town hot pot - 6/14/2011

i love hot pot so i was super excited when this place opened by the owners of grand sichuan close by (yummy). they have individual pots (like quickly in chinatown) which some ppl prefer (not me).

pros:
1) the soup (i got medium spicy) is good and not that spicy.  not MSG tasting.  the chicken soup sounded very soothing, would love to have next time i'm sick.
2) the appetizers are AWESOME.  especially the spinach with hot mustard sauce.  but we tried them all and they're all good, even the hawthorn with the jelly stuff.
3) the fish balls were excellent.  this is an easy dish to do badly.
4) the service is pleasant.
5) it's super inexpensive ($22 per person w tax/tip, and some ppl had beer).

cons:
1) no sauce bar!  this really takes away from the hot pot experience.  making your own custom dipping sauce is awesome.  here, they give you 3 options - none of them are soy sauce with raw garlic, red chili powder, ginger and cilantro.  (that said, you can get the hot mustard sauce on the side and the bean paste and spicy sauce are tasty).
2) NO NOODLES (besides rice stick type noodles). at the end of hot pot, it's awesome to get noodles (ideally hand-pulled, or even handmade) to end the meal.  next time i'm going to bring my own.
3) they need more boilable items.  in china, you can order all different plates of meats, seafood, fish.  you get a bowl of veggies w tofu and tofu skin, but... they should have specials - live shrimp! scallops!

i prefer shared hotpot (next stop: QUEENS!), but this was pretty tasty and easily accessible.  i miss china!

old town hot pot
70 7th ave south btwn commerce/bleecker street
new york, ny 10014
212/929.2188

qingdao, china... again!

my hotel, hanyuan hotel in the chengyang area of qingdao, isn't 5-star by any means, but they have wired internet, working phones, AC/heat, and hot water.  and every hotel i've ever stayed at in china offers a breakfast buffet.  this one isn't that tasty (the days inn in jiaozuo city has an AMAZING breakfast buffet), but a girls gotta eat.  they always have (and i always eat) dumplings, congee, tofu skin and some sauteed veggies.  beggars can't be choosers.  that said, there's a market across the street, and i stock up on water, bread and yogurt.  for a country of lactose-intolerant folk, the yogurt is mad good. 

breakfast buffet

 market across from my hotel

yummy yogurt!

if we have some downtime during the day, my factory agent suggests going for a massage.  we tried a new place the other day that looked as though it would fit in perfectly in singapore's geylang (red-light) district.  the masseuse manhandled me pretty intensely, and i'm confident that i left feeling worse than when i went in.  30min = 38rmb (today=US$5.57), which i think is somewhat expensive by china standards, considering my go-to massage place in SHANGHAI (a real city) is 50rmb (US$7.32) for an hour, it's antiseptically clean and they have a "buy 10" card which gives you a discount.

ghetto massage place

the best part of these trips is dinner - we eat and drink well every night.  not great for my "diet" but certainly the highlight of my trip.  so far we've dined out on korean kalbi, hot pot (communal style with a spicy and non-spicy soup), lamb grill and tuna head sashimi.  tuna head sashimi was the coolest - a sushi chef tears apart that tuna head right at your table and slices up the cheek, nose, neck, etc - but also the most repulsive.  i'm still nauseated thinking about him chopping up the RAW eye goo and the eyeball and serving it up.  i'm quite adventurous when it comes to food, plus last night i drank an entire bottle of baijiu myself, but even i couldn't go there.

meat for our hot pot

the hot pot 1/2 & 1/2

mmm lamb grill

sashimi platter

sushi chef + tuna head

sushi chef + tuna eye goo

now that my factory agent GC has hired an ayi (basically the most comprehensive houskeeper/cook/nanny available on earth), we also eat at the office sometimes.  i think living away from home, GC likes some home cooked food; he even likes to get in the kitchen himself.  one night GC and his buddies bought a mountain chicken (from a chicken herder(?) at the mountain nearby), and they made chicken soup with ginseng; last night we visited the market (intense!) and got 3 live fish, sea cucumbers, super fresh sesame leaves and the most delicious fresh tofu ever, and they sliced up a sashimi feast.

seafood market

not sure what's on deck for tonight, but it's my last night here... i'm sure it'll be another doozy!

35 hours in seoul

i travel a lot, especially to china for work, and i don't write about any of it nearly enough.  i left nyc 4/14 and stopped in seoul, korea for a night to visit some family (my adorable grandparents and my aunt/cousins).  on my last trip to seoul in january, i'd left my wedding ring behind, because i'm braindead sometimes, so my S.O. will be happy that it's back on my finger.  the trip had fortuitous timing because my cousin jeesun had a baby the day that i left (he was 10 days early - i think it was so he could meet me, but who's to say...) so i even got to see the new addition! 

my ring!

my cousin's new baby boy: jihyo

my aunt with her 1st grandchild

we stopped at a post office near my aunt's apartment to send a wedding gift (you can send cash from the post office directly from your bank account - you even receive a text notification once it's been processed!), and i noticed the 2010 stamp schedule... i'm a total stamp nerd, i wish they would do this in the US!

nerdy stamp calendar

it's very korean typical that you eat certain foods when you have a baby.  my aunt wanted to make my cousin soup with lots of collagen so we stopped at street stall butcher (this is obviously NOT regulated by any FDA) and picked up some cow leg and other meats.  i love that my aunt haggled with the guy, and he even threw in extra meat as a gift.

outdoor meat shop

cow leg

dinner with my grandparents, and a short morning later, i was on the express bus to incheon airport.  i love ICN because they have two of my fave stores, duty-free - CHANEL & CARTIER!  whenever i walk into chanel, a wave of tranquility washes over me; it's very soothing.  however, i don't think my S.O. will want me going through ICN anymore - i'm 2 for 2 with purchases at ICN's chanel in 2010!  my S.O. says it's fine as long as it makes me happy... i think i have the best S.O. EVER!

my new chanel!

next stop - QINGDAO.

today's meals are booked

i've finally faced the reality that my work isn't going to get done on its own, so thursday, i went for a quick gym (more like a warm-up) before my pilates mat class at movements afoot.  very stiff from class, i rushed to lunch at alto in midtown to meet my girlfriend choi for lunch with her adorable baby boy.  i've been wanting to try alto for quite a while - i swear, i was italian in a former life - but i wasn't expecting it to be as "all-business" as it was.

the restaurant is set back from the street, which is nice. it's architecture is modern and very square.  i was expecting it to be open and airy (for no reason), but the dining room is a level below with lowish ceilings; it seemed like a modern townhouse layout.  the maitre d' rudely stated that we wouldn't be allowed in the dining room if my friend's son continued to fuss, and they didn't have highchairs available.  the waitstaff was much more friendly, and the service was pretty much impeccable.

i started with the mushroom soup, which burst with mushroom flavor.  it was a touch salty (i've been salt-sensitive lately), but i still licked my bowl clean.  choi started with the gnocchi (she was planning to share with julian), which tasted a little gummy - a touch undercooked, even!  the tomato sauce was good, chunky, tasty, but the gnocchi should have been the star of the show.

for our 2nd course i had the garganelli amatriciana - i'm a huge pasta fan, but i'm not sure if this pasta is for me.  it didn't have enough mouthfeel for me.  the sauce was a seafoody sauce with smoked cod tripe and baby calamari; it was delicious, but i wished it had another noodle with the dish.  i should have gone with my ever-fattening gut and had the tagliatelle with veal ragu, which is more up my alley.  choi had the meat tortellini, which she also proclaimed as salty.  the tortellini were probably the best meat tortellini i've ever had, but i'll agree, the sauce was too salty.  but i still lapped it up with the extra bread that i requested (the olive bread was wonderful).

we shared the zabaglione-filled donuts for dessert, which i thought was just ok - the texture was a little crumby, the filling fell out of the donut, and the chocolate sauce it was served with was pasty instead of smooth and runny like a sauce.  the long lingering lunch was nice to catch up with choi, but i think they were thrilled for us to leave.

i rushed home to change to return to the gym (i have a mini-crush on a squash player at the club, and there was a squash match that evening that i thought he'd be playing in), but was delayed by jetlag tiredness and a call from my younger sister.  then i realized i'd left my favorite sneakers (asics) at the pilates studio earlier!  fortunately, when i arrived the squash match was just getting underway, but then it turned out my mini-crush wasn't playing after all.  all signs pointed to "workout unnecessary" so i rinsed and changed, and hurried to get a cab downtown to meet more friends for dinner!

while i was in china, my friend sent an email about a new sushi spot downtown, sushi uo, whose sushi bar was manned by a young, non-japanese chef david boudahana, and it was getting talked about all over town.  additionally, on tuesday evenings, they were doing live tastings where the sushi chef would serve all sorts of live seafood, and there may twitching and such going on.  originally, i made the reservation for tuesday, but when i called to change the number in our party, they told me they were closed for the week due to a change in sushi chef.  HUH?!  then i received a follow-up call to notify me that they were actually reopening on thursday, and they were going to do the live tasting on thursday this week.  i'm jetlagged and easily confused, so i changed the reservation to thursday.

sushi uo is a cute small space, and everything we tasted, including the live sampler (octopus, giant clam, torigai, orange clam, scallop and uni) was quite delicious.  you could tell the fish was good.  the new sushi chef, john, was friendly.  the staff was less knowledgeable.  the toro collar was amazing.  we did an uni flight (which is not on the menu, and we requested as such) of the santa barbara, hokkaido and maine uni (i think the hokkaido was best), which is a nice different thing for a sushi restaurant to offer.  the sushi rice wasn't as tasty as yasuda's and it was a touch hard like kuruma zushi.  they have a diverse selection of good sakes to drink, also right up our alley.

the real problem was that the service was just SLOW.  i mean, if we'd ordered more food, we would've been there until the next day.  we were there for almost three hours, and i ate as much as i would have in 15 minutes at yasuda.  and because it was slow, they brought us a number of complimentary dishes.  the fish was good enough that i'd go back, but i recommend sitting at the sushi bar, either alone or with one other person, and doing an omakase.

after our meal, we had to double-down at barrio chino a few blocks away.  we had an appetizer sampler, and three entrees (yes, we did just have dinner at sushi uo, and there were only 5 of us, but we're piglets), plus margaritas.  the appetizer platter was quite good, filled with grilled steak, beans, chorizo and queso fresco, served with warm tortillas.  for the entrees, we had lamb barbacoa (i didn't love, but the boys really enjoyed), enchiladas mole (i didn't like, but i don't like the sweetness of mole), and enchiladas verdes (i liked the sauce but i thought the chicken was dry).  i loved the tanginess of my fresh lime margarita, and i forgot how much i loved the buzz of NYC at night since this was my first night out since i've been home from china.

all i do is eat

in an effort to be recession-friendly and healthier, i'm cooking more. after spending 2+ months in a hotel, i also really missed cooking/having a kitchen. after our eating bonanza monday afternoon, i planned shrimp scampi dinner tuesday and osso buco yesterday.

i chose to serve the shrimp scampi with spaghetti & broccoli; my S.O. only likes a few veggies, so there aren't many choices. i added the broccoli to the pasta cooking water about four minutes before the pasta was a touch undercooked, and i doubled the sauce for the shrimp scampi (plus some additional olive oil) in order to finish cooking the spaghetti & broccoli in the yummy scampi sauce. i tossed it all together and served with grated pecorino romano. the S.O. loved - hooray!

i woke up yesterday at 4:08a (ugh), so i started prepping my osso buco in the morning. i took a recipe from cook's illustrated, but i adapted because i only had two veal shanks. i decided to serve with polenta and either asparagus or cauliflower, and i thought i'd make a little extra sauce for the polenta to soak it up. i threw it into a low oven, then went to the gym (1h 15m alternating walk/jog - about 775 calories) before i rushed to meet my new mandarin tutor!

i arrived home starving, and perfect timing - my friend bunnard asked me to lunch! he wanted asian, and ramen sounded quite appealing. we went with ippudo because in my quick research, it's been deemed a top spot in manhattan AND neither of us had been. it's also convenient to both of us, located right near union square. we started with shishito, and the yuzu salt that comes with it is fantastical. i chose the akamaru ramen with extra pork lunch set (with grilled eel rice) PLUS a topping of kakuni (because who can resist pork belly); bunny chose the tori ramen lunch set (with mentaiko - spicy cod roe - rice). this was probably the best ramen i've had in new york (the best i've had is in LA, but i'll keep trying!). my only concern is the salt content. i was dehydrated the ENTIRE afternoon and evening, and i drink A LOT of water.

ippudo akamaru ramen

the jetlag was so horrendous last night (and my leg hurt from being exhausted AND overdoing it) that i decided to forego the afternoon pick-me-up workout and started to make dinner an hour before the S.O. said he was coming home. i made polenta with water, added a touch of salt, butter and grated aged provolone. the osso buco was very tender (i pureed the sauce because it was too veggie-chunky, and my S.O. wouldn't eat it if he saw the veggies). and i went with roasted cauliflower with prosciutto, garlic, lemon and a touch of grated pecorino romano. so the verdict: since i only used two veal shanks, i think the sauce lacked a lot of the meaty flavor. the polenta was a good base, but i think my cornmeal is too fine for polenta. but the star of the show was the cauliflower - it was yummy caramelized from the roasting (i tossed in garlic & tiny diced prosciutto during the last 5 minutes), and the squeeze of lemon juice gave it a fresh/clean taste while the cheese, mmmm, cheese makes everything better. my S.O. deemed the osso buco just eh.

today is another food-filled day. lunch at alto and dinner at sushi uo!

my first weekend home

i had total crap internet access in korea, and work in china became too busy to blog, so i'll post a recap of my week in korea and my final three weeks in china later, but i want to focus on HOME now that i've returned to new york, the greatest city in the world!

on the way back from the airport thursday evening (2/11), we picked up lombardi's, which may not be the best pizza in the WORLD, but it's pretty delicious, especially after 9 weeks of asia traveling. our favorite is the white pizza with meatballs (lombardi's meatballs are fantastic).

my jetlag has been fierce since i returned, so wakeups have generally been between 4-5am. i desperately wanted to cook veal parmagiana for dinner friday, so after gymming in the morning, i hopped in the car to my favorite italian grocery store, dipalo's, in little italy, to pick up some aged provolone and fresh mozzarella. lou dipalo is the face of the store, and he's usually around, but his brother sal is my hidden gym - he's always smiling, super friendly, and he always gives me a taste of what he's slicing. mmm, this time mortadella. after picking up my intended groceries, plus an additional provolone, fresh ricotta, a baguette, cacciatore sausage and a chunk of the butt of the prosciutto, i headed home.

i decided to serve stuffed artichoke with my veal parm since my S.O. loves gino's stuffed artichoke, and i found an easy recipe on saveur. my problem was that my best hours are the first 10 hours after i wake, so by dinnertime, i was becoming zombie-like, even though i went back to the gym for a pick-me-up (i'd already have been on the floor without the shorty afternoon workout).

we started with the baguette & fresh ricotta, simple yet amazing. the veal turned out perfectly - crispy crust (panko/breadcrumb mix, with the addition of grated pecorino romano), topped with grated aurecchio provolone/fresh mozzarella mix. and the artichoke tasted good, but i forgot to add the boiling water so it was a little dry/tough. sad.

the next morning, i hit the gym, then pilates tower/reformer class (i said i was rededicating!) in anticipation of a delicious brunch at artisanal. it's my favorite restaurant to hit once i'm back from china, since there's no cheese in china. although the service was spotty, and it was crowded, even at 130pm, the food was solid. we started with gougeres (i like eleven madison's FREE gougeres better, but these are denser, cheesier) and risotto croquettes (would have been good if they were warm/gooey in the center). then the petite artisanal blend fondue with air-dried beef (good), kielbasa (undercooked) and french fries. THEN (yes another course), we shared the croque monsieur and macaroni & cheese. the croque monsieur was quite creamy & rich; the S.O. liked that, but it was falling apart, which it shouldn't do. we had to take the mac & cheese home, which was the perfect snack for dinner later! we were pretty pooped after all that food, so we couched it the rest of the afternoon, until around 530p when i decided banana bread was in order! i change the recipe up to include some almond flour in place of AP flour, but i think i went overboard this time, because it was a little too coarse. still yummy, very banana-y and quite moist; next time i'll work on better proportions.

sunday morning (valentine's day) i woke up early (again) and was HUNGRY. i started making veal parm again since i had leftover breading and veal and cheese. over the course of three hours, i ate 4 pieces! i was very sore from pilates, so i did a really light crappy workout in the late afternoon, and then my S.O. and i went to big daddy's in gramercy for dinner because a) i really wanted a big salad, b) i had a groupon and c) it was the most non-valentine's-y like restaurant on opentable. it's amazing that i was hungry at all, considering all the food i ate during the day, but i amaze myself daily on that front.

we started with the half & half (half fries, half onion rings), which i thought was very greasy, and the onion rings were skinny & limp, and the macaroni & cheese, which lacked a lot of flavor. my S.O. had the bacon cheeseburger which was pretty terrible (dense, dry burger), but i had a really delicious salad - a family affair - but i opted for feta instead of mozzarella. it was exactly what i wanted, chock full of artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, roasted red peppers, cucumbers, chickpeas... i could've done without the carrots.

monday (presidents' day), i gymmed in the am, and i made my S.O. egg whites with prosciutto and more leftover provolone/mozzarella before he left for work. i did some work (i had been boycotting work all weekend), then went to pilates reformer at noon, which was better than the last one, jeesh, was i sore from saturday! but the real coup de grace was the afternoon. i wanted to hit luke's lobster, which i think has the most tasty lobster rolls of right now in NYC, so after my S.O.'s conference calls, i went to pick him up. since he was running late and since i haven't seen any of my friends after my return, i cast a line to some of my favorite eaters to join us. two bit, so the four of us started off at luke's with two large lobster rolls, 1 large shrimp, 1 large crab - 3 of 4 schoonered (with soda/water & potato chips) plus a large new england clam chowder. it totally hit the spot. but then i realized, i wasn't full.

next up motorino (we tried to hit this little piggy had roast beef, but the place is so small, 4 fatties like us couldn't even fit in the joint!). 3 of 4 of us hadn't been, so we were excited. we started with two pizzas: soppressata and brussels sprouts. i think the brussels sprout one was tasty, but a little too smoky for me. we then ordered a THIRD (the margherita). my fave was definitely the soppresata, mmm. the boys also drank 2 bottles of wine, so they were ready for more. when we realized it was 5pm, there was no debate: terroir, hearth's little wine bar, down the block. although the boys were there to drink, no one would pass on more food (!!), obviously, so we ordered marinated olives, fried sage leaves with lamb sausage, red wine risotto balls with oxtail and duck ham panini with hen of the woods mushrooms & taleggio cheese. seriously, it was like we hadn't eaten twice before. i had been contemplating the bruschetta with whipped lardo (whipped lardo is like food of the gods), but opted out since this was our third meal, but our server could obviously see how much i wanted them because she brought a plate out anyway. after all of this food, i started to get sleepy and zombie-like so i forced my S.O. to leave with me.

although the entire weekend was unbelievably perfect (i gymmed every day, i pilates'd twice, and i ate everything i wanted AND MORE. plus i got to spend some QT with my S.O.), the best moment was leaving my building friday morning on my way to the gym (around 6am), walking down the street, breathing in the cold cleanish air, knowing that bustle is soon to happen, taking in the sounds of new york. it's always that moment that puts a huge smile on my face.

beggars can't be choosers

i skipped breakfast again this morning in an effort to get to the gym early (i took my gummy vitamins), and i had a decent workout in my new asics - yay!  it turns out an asics factory is nearby, and my old asics had been shredded, so my agent made some calls, and poof, a new pair of asics appeared in my size yesterday.  i still miss my old gym, total impulse fitness, but at least i'm gymming.  today's workout: 45m elliptical, 25m arm workout, 40m walking uphill on treadmill = 900calories.  i'm still doing the tracy anderson workout every other day; my goal is to do for six weeks to see the improvement... i'm at about three weeks now... i should've taken a 'before' photo!!  recently i started to run a bit again (i haven't run since my accident in 2003), and i wanted to do a mini-run (3km-ish) today, but i've been having some issues with my knee, and it hurt too much today to run.  it hurt to walk as well, but not as badly as running.  maybe tomorrow.

for lunch, we went to this local korean restaurant, oasis, AGAIN.  i think i've eaten here about 30x since i got to china in december.  if we have lunch here, we always have doenjang jjigae, a soybean paste soup with tofu, which upon request is made not spicy for me.  i must be the only korean in the world that can't eat spicy food.  it's not the taste; it's the effect.  they still overload it with garlic, hot peppers, onions, but i can manage that; plus i was hungry.  it's not bad, but... they also have a pretty lacking variety of banchan... it's not my fave.

today, one of my agent's colleagues brought me for lunch because the rest of the office peeps had already eaten.  he only speaks korean and chinese (and he's from busan, so i'm about 50% lost when he speaks due to accent comprehension issues that i have), so it was an awkwardly silent lunch.  when he asked me if i'd eaten enough, i feigned fullness because i just wanted lunch to be over and done with!  but to be honest, i was hungry enough that i could've housed a steak.  or an entire grilled pork belly, mmmm.  now i'm eyeing these cookies on my desk, but the colleague is still hanging in the office, and i think it'll be too confrontational to nibble on them in front of him.  just my luck!

i'm heading to seoul tomorrow to visit my family, and i'm going to BEG for no doenjang jjigae.  i've totally OD'd.

duck fat, mmmm

we traveled to another area of qingdao for dinner tonight - my factory agent says it's not healthy to eat at the same four restaurants every night, and i wholeheartedly agree!  the restaurant was called grandma's house (in korean), and it smelled like pork kalbi when we walked in.  mmmm.  the table next to us was eating this duck soup - it looked so warming, and in these freezing times, warming is what you want; decision made!  the owner served us a plate of japchae (stir-fried clear noodles with beef and veggies) as a service while we waited for the duck soup (which takes minimum 30 minutes), and to cushion our stomachs a bit for the bai jiu.

the beautiful duck soup (skin-on obviously) arrived looking marvelous.  and it tasted just as good.  but the real joy was the jook (korean porridge) served afterwards that they made with the fat-laden duck broth (not skimmed at all).  rich, unctuous, hearty... it warmed my belly.  artery-clogging personified.

my only sadness was that my three dining companions stopped eating well before i did, so i felt compelled to stop... our assistant has already told me i'm fat (i guess it's not an insult to state the obvious in china?), and i nibbled on cookies the entire afternoon.  hmmm... does that cancel out my morning workout?  new gym: 40m elliptical, 40m treadmill walk (6-7kph, no incline) + november 2008 self magazine arm workout by tracy anderson + a one-sided competition of 5 minutes of ab work (i was competing against the dude next to me, but he wasn't aware that the race was on) = 756 calories.