Restaurants »Shang

187 Orchard Street

As far as I’m concerned, any place that boasts excellent hot and sour soup is worth visiting and Shang, which I tried out during restaurant week, serves up a spectacular version. While it’s easy to imagine the dissent among local foodies (“There’s nothing here that you can’t get for a fraction of the price in Chinatown!!” they’ll whine) but hey, this soup is really, really excellent and I have to say that I also loved the thick Cantonese Wok Fried Pearl Noodles – both of which were on the tasting menu.

We were less taken with the other items on the menu. The sushi was good, but not amazing, and the shrimp dumplings were a tad bland. For cocktails, I recommend the Diablo for its spicy tequila kick, though it was a touch too sweet.

The ambiance is similar to that of fancy dark hotel, which is not quite my thing, but the staff was not snotty, as one might expect, but really friendly and seemed happy to have us – and I’d be more than happy to return for another bowl of that hot and sour soup.

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Posted on February 14, 2010

Restaurants »Moto

394 Broadway, Brooklyn

More romance can be found among the trash-stuffed-pillars, fried chickenries and noisy dollar shops underneath the roaring JMZ track than one might ever expect at the cozy, Europeanesque Moto. It’s been ages since I headed down there for their impressive menu, jazz and hand cobbled together ambiance, and delicious desserts (years ago I praised their grilled donuts).

We ordered cappuccinos, despite a strong curiosity (particularly on my part) of the breakfast beer listed on the menu (Guinness plus espresso) which, unlike angry reports on Yelp, did not take forever to arrive at our table. Moto’s weekend brunch offers much to choose from and we were both very happy with our entrees: ham and cheese baked eggs for Jim and a fresh Turkish breakfast with olives, figs, tomatoes, cucumber, feta, and soppressata for me.

The real highlight of our meal was the warm date cake with toffee sauce and whipped cream; it was absolutely heavenly and is one of the restaurant’s signature dishes (it’s even on the menu at all meal times). Order it!

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Posted on February 7, 2010

Restaurants »Heidelberg

1648 2nd Avenue

As you’ll soon read on this week’s website pick, Bier Hall Crawl, my dear friend Mike has taken on the challenge of eating in every German beer hall in the five boroughs. This little endeavor means all sorts of schnitzel and pretzels for me! We began with a reservation at the seventy four year old Yorkville stalwart, Heidelberg, where the beer flows freely (and sometimes in giant glass boots) and the staff dons traditional costumes.

The menu is full of traditional dishes including Schnitzel a la Holstein – which my favorite way to take a schnitzel: with a fried egg, anchovies, and capers. It was the most impressive looking dish of the night (as you can see from the photo) and it was delicious despite the egg being far too set for my taste.

I got try a less familiar German favorite (and one that my friend Astrid enjoyed as a kid with her Oompah in Austria), Liver Dumpling Soup, a belly warming treat that I doubt can be found in many restaurants today. The dumplings are essentially like a matzo ball, but with veal.

Friends enjoyed bratwurst, meatballs in mustard sauce, and fluffy giant potato pancakes. How we managed dessert is almost beyond me, but I really wouldn’t pass on the refreshing Rote Gruetze, a raspberry, cherry, strawberry compote with vanilla sauce.

If you are extra lucky, Werner will play you a tune or two on his polka-ready accordion. Great place for a group.

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Posted on January 31, 2010

Restaurants »Shanghai Cafe

100 Mott St

The service at Shanghai Café was so hostilely brisk and gruff that I almost felt honored to be seated in our tough little lady’s section. The place isn’t much for ambiance either, unless you feel comforted by the fact that your Formica table is lined (and protected?) with duct tape, but really what does ambiance matter when the perfected delicacy of a soup dumpling is there for the eating? Joe’s Shanghai is probably the better known purveyor of the messy dumplings of deliciousness, but I’d really have to eat the two side by side to decide which is better. Both are crave worthy (read: I want them right now!).

We inhaled two orders of the soup dumpling both crab and crab-less – which had the table divided – I prefer the crab, but its flavor is very pronounced and others, who may not have a palette for the briny sea, liked the all-pork incarnation better. We also ordered won-tons in spicy schezuan sauce (peanuty and spicy), eggplant with garlic sauce, and bean curb schezuan style. Unlike some hole in the wall spots, all the dishes had a distinct flavor.

Pair it all with good friends and a couple of cold Tsingtaos and you get one of those meals that can make you so happy to live in a city that hides so much good food in its quiet corners.

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Posted on January 24, 2010

Restaurants »Sarabeth’s

75 Ninth Avenue

Sarabeth’s original uptown location is a breakfast institution for some, but aside from her super yummy spreadable fruit that I’ve picked up from grocery stores, I had never partaken in a Sarabeth Levine meal. A recent visit to the Chelsea Market, a spot I always wonder why I don’t visit more often, changed all that.

The market location is small, with a couple small tables and some stools, but the flavors were big. I opted for the “Green and White”, scrambled eggs with scallions and cream cheese. It may seem like an odd combo, but trust me, drop some cream cheese and fresh scallions in your next batch of morning eggs and then try to tell me it’s not fantastic. There are several Sarabeth’s locations throughout the city.

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Posted on January 17, 2010

Restaurants »Barcelona Round Up

Buttery Ham, Anchovies, and Squid

We traveled to Barcelona primarily for the spectacular food and we were not disappointed. Our first night in town we went to Tapac 24, a bright and bustling tapas spot in the L’eixample, where we actually had the best meal of the entire trip. An menu filled with the letter ‘x’ only confused me and left me realizing that I really didn’t know Spanish at all, so we took suggestions from the moderately patient waiter and pointed to words that looked promising. We started with ink dyed fried calimari, it was delectably tender and crunchy, like fresh onion rings of the sea. Really incredible. Wonderful lightly salted and fried artichokes came next followed by flavorful chicken croquettes and a daringly ordered bull tail. The latter was a rich, meaty dish much like a fragrant oxtail. A nice bottle of cava accompanied our fully satisfying meal and I’d strongly recommend you make your way to this underground spot if you visit the city.

Breakfast brought more adventure and deliciousness with Mantequeria Ravell, a bodega store front which hides a secret breakfast dining room that you access by walking through the kitchen and then up a flight of stairs. It feels like a well kept secret (even though we found it in a tour guide) and the complete lack of English spoken only adds to the exotic experience. And exotic it is, for where else have I been faced with a menu containing a foie gras and eggs dish? Oh, this is decadent living, friends and I savored every bite, except for the ones I gave over to Jim in order to make it through the day without going into a foie gras induced nap. Fresh squeezed orange juice and a large window overlooking apartment gardens were lovely accompaniments.

After a day of uphill walking we deserved to indulge again and did so at one of the city’s most popular tapas and cerveza meccas, Ciudad Condal. You can expect a long line of locals and tourists, but it moves quickly and is worth waiting in. Here we had what seemed to my American sensibility like the most typical tapas: the Iberian ham was like butter and came with the traditional bread with a slight smattering of tomatoes. My boss highly recommended I take the opportunity to eat fried small peppers, and here they were excellent. Creamy manchego, fried anchovies, crisp asparagus, and tuna stuffed red peppers (all great) rounded out the mini feast and cold cervezas washed it all down…

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Posted on January 10, 2010

Restaurants »JoJo

160 East 64th Street

In Jean Georges’s mini gourmet empire, Jojo is perhaps the coziest spot, nestled in a narrow brownstone in the east sixties. While a nice meal out above 14th street can occasionally be quite treacherous for a long-haired couple that, through rich people glasses, look like a pair of dangerous hipster hillbillies hell-bent on taking the family jewels, if fellow diners made side comments and gave us horrified looks, we were so engrossed in great company and good food, we certainly didn’t notice.

If you recall my raving about at the namesake restaurant, you’ll understand that it was simply impossible for us to pass up the heavenly foie gras brulee, which, served with a spiced fig compote, was every bit as amazing as I remembered. For entrees Jim and I split a venison special with pomegranate seeds and pears topped with a flavorful reduction sauce and the truffle-tastic salmon featuring brussel sprouts so good even Jim finished his, truffle mashed potatoes (with real, honest to goodness chunks of black truffle) and an incredible truffle vinaigrette… both were the kind of dishes that induce people to roll their eyes in incredulity. A lovely spritzer passion fruit and chili bourbon drink was the perfect accompaniment. For dessert, there’s nothing better than high class pavlova, one of my favorite and one of the most hard to find desserts.

Jojo was the famous Vongerichten’s first venture on his own and when it opened 18 years ago it stunned restaurant goers and critics. It’s been gussied up with a makeover since then (including velvet and candle sconces) but it’s still a go-to bistro for reliably awe inspiring dishes without too much fussiness.

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Posted on December 26, 2009

Restaurants »Totonno’s

462 2nd Ave

Totonno’s is one of those weird New York restaurants in a weird New York block that makes you feel like you could be almost anywhere in the United States – it’s generic, but kind of comforting too. The table cloths are checkered and a wee bit worn, the TVs are glowing (oddly with ads for their own restaurant), and the Bud Light is flowing.

The pizza, a large margarita, was simple and yummy. While pizza has had somewhat of another renaissance with more sophisticated pies in the past few years, Totonno’s still has a place in the list of ones to try with its crunchy crust and chewy, minimal middle. Now you can enjoy the fresh mozzarella and cheesy goodness in the glow of Christmas and Hanukkah lights that adorn the walls.

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Posted on December 20, 2009

Restaurants »Miranda

80 Berry Street, Brooklyn

Miranda has been around for a while now, but until recently I had steered clear. Not for any real reason, though I do recall the initial menu may have been too much on the pricey side to lure me in. That’s all changed, however, with the big bang for your buck pre-fixe menu which fills you up with three courses for a mere $25. I opted for a fresh beet and cheese salad, a spicy chicken chipotle gnocchi – which most pleasantly illustrates the restaurant’s seemingly strange but in actuality yummy Italian and Latin fusion flavor – and the coconut flan. The atmosphere is dark (so forgive the less than stellar photography) but inviting and the staff is accommodating.

I was certainly won over and plan to return during the colder nights to come as well as to try their intriguing brunch menu; creamy Polenta and Poached Eggs: wild mushrooms, tomato fonduta and Mangu and Fried Eggs: smashed sweet plantains, crumbled chorizo, pickled shallot being just a few items.

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Posted on December 13, 2009

Restaurants »Baoguette Cafe

37 St Mark’s Place (between 2nd Ave & 1st Ave)

While sitting down to write an essay about my favorite sandwich has me feeling a smidge like Liz Lemon, banh mi (a French/Vietnamese sandwich served on a baguette stuffed with pickled carrots, cucumbers, cilantro, chile peppers, pate, mayonnaise and more) is something I love so much that I honestly don’t care if I’m betraying a deal-breaking character quality (I’ve already written about Phish – twice this week…).

I’ve long been a fan of Vietnam Banh Mi So 1 on Broome Street and Nicky’s on 2nd Avenue, so when Silent H opened its doors on Berry Street and banh mi became available locally, I was totally psyched. Sadly, the price, service and hours they chose to serve sandwiches during (weekdays noon to 4), made me less than happy…

Recently, An Nhau’s banh mi shop on Bedford and North 7th has changed my life (I must eat at least one meatball sandwich a week). The sandwiches are cheap, delicious and prepared in about three minutes, but when Brittany and I were out in the EV a few nights ago, we grabbed dinner at Baoguette Cafe.

I automatically ordered the classic #1 banh mi sandwich (pork terine, pate, pulled pork, fresh herbs) and it was amazing – but totally heavy duty, I was actually having a hard time finishing (the pulled pork is no joke) – and Brittany totally scored with beef vermicelli noodles (the waitress recommended the beef over the chicken bun dish).

We got to the restaurant at around 6:45 and it was gloriously devoid of any other diners, but by 7:15 dudes were beginning to pack the tiny interior – so go early!