127 2nd Avenue

If I had to name a least favorite type of food, I’d be quick to come up with diner food followed by vegetarian food, so imagine my surprise when B&H Dairy (which serves both) was so utterly delicious that I can’t wait to go back. Both diner food and vegetarian food get a bad rap because so much of it is terrible – ever tried an omelette at one of those indistinguishable diners on Long Island, or eaten at a veggie place that insists that bland is the only option?.

Of course, there are exceptions and B&H is surely one of them. The food here has heart and guts, the potato pancakes are incredibly crispy with a soft, pillowy center. The borscht is piping hot, flavorful and belly warming. The challah bread is slathered in butter and arrives handed to your table from the counter like a formidable tower of carbs. Definitely arrive hungry.

In a city that seems to be losing its Jewish storefront history, B&H has stood as a kosher mecca serving affordable and filling comfort food for over 60 years. While you may mix up the name with the giant photo/video mega store, you’d never mix up this tiny sliver of a place (about 4 two tops and a counter) and its genuine old world charms with anything so high tech and huge. It would be hard to find a place this quintessentially New York still standing in the neighborhood.

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Posted on November 29, 2009

11315 Queens Blvd, Flushing

We’ve quickly gone from dim sum newbies to the type of people that get up early on a Sunday, run to the car, and drive to the next place to try, even with a slight hangover. East Ocean Palace is a bit outside the epicenter of dim sum cuisine in Flushing, on the border of Forest Hills and Rego Park (easy to get to from the Van Wyck). For this reason, perhaps, or because we were there by 10 am, the place was less crowded than Jade Asia and slightly more pristine.

Our first lady was very helpful with explaining her dumplings and we enjoyed the typical fare of an array of shrimp, pork and chives as well as wide rice noodles with shrimp. We also tried things we didn’t have at our previous dim sum experience including a great meat speckled and leaf wrapped patty of sticky rice, minced shrimp tempura in pepper, and the best surprise of the meal – a gooey egg custard dumpling with a slightly crunchy outside. It got a thumbs up from the server and she was right.

Overall, the food was a bit fresher tasting than Jade Asian though, maybe it was the early hour, but it seemed to offer less variety. I’ve heard they have a great dinner menu that I’d like to revisit and try.

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Posted on November 15, 2009

Here's what I said then (on January 5th)

I have always wanted to eat at one of the big ones, New York's best eating establishments like Le Bernardin, Daniel, Per Se, or Jean Georges, but they were simply too expensive… Enter Jean Georges' phenomenal $28 lunch, a comparatively economic way to enjoy the finest foods in a refined environment. It was the perfect spot to celebrate my sister's engagement and with much excitement we all headed over to Trump Tower one Saturday afternoon.

We decided to each get three dishes and a dessert and of course had to try their cocktails, especially when one contains Makers, seltzer, passionfruit juice, and chili – yum. I'll tell you now, with drinks and additional dishes, the bill will balloon before you know it, but I will also tell you know that it is completely worth it – and if you don't believe me, listen to this phrase “Foie Gras Brulee“.

But I am getting ahead of myself, lets begin with the setting: a large airy room with giant ceilings, tall windows, gleaming whites, the greatest two seater chairs I have ever seen, and attentive service. A classy, clean and simple yet elegant backdrop for the delicious food to come.

It all began with an amuse bouche of smoked salmon, warm cauliflower soup, and tangerine. Next Meghan and I opted for the Sea Trout Sashimi that came displayed like abstract art with trout eggs, lemon, dill and horseradish. It was wonderful and fresh tasting. Adam was thrilled with his brussel sprouts with avocado, pistachios and mustard vinaigrette.

My sister and I agreed again on second courses, along with the rest of the table, with the delectable Foie Gras Brulee. One of the single best dishes I have ever had. The crisp sugar shell with the creamy richness of the liver atop the toast was balanced perfect with just a bit of tartness from the Pineapple-Meyer Lemon Jam. Truly heavenly. Jim had gulf shrimp with silky pumpkin, ginger and basil – a dish clearly so good, it was gone within seconds of this photo.

For mains, we ordered (Meghan) sweetbreads with licorice, grilled pear and lemon, (Jim) veal with quince-pineapple compote and roquefort, and (Adam and myself) Black Cod with Honshimehi Mushrooms and Lemongrass Consomme. All were truly excellent. These items are currently still available on the autumn menu, but the dishes changes seasonally, so you may find a whole new world of flavors available pretty soon.

Already the lunch dessert menu has changed slightly, so my apologies if my recollection of the exact ingredients is a bit shaky from here on without the menu to guide me. My sister and I had a taste of Autumn dessert which included a berry mousse with meringue and a cinnamon doughnut. Jim had the “caramel” which included a chocolate pop, coffee-cardamom ice cream, caramel curd, dehydrated sponge, and roasted pineapple sorbet while Adam went chocolate crazy with chocolate cake, vanilla bean ice cream, warm chocolate gnocchi, grapefruit and basil. To top it all of we were given tasty chocolates, tiny cookies, and hand cut vanilla, banana, and berry marshmallows.

Some other Jean Georges restaurants have begun a Winter promotion due to the economy where lunch is $24 and dinner $35. Call the restaurant to make sure they are participating.

RUNNERS UP:
Chick-Fil-A
London Roundup
Aquavit
Spicy and Tasty
Anella
Hiroko's Place

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Posted on November 2, 2009

It's a rare thing when you can feast and graze for three hours at a restaurant and still enjoy full, helpful and cheery cooperation from the staff. Mercat in the city has always been a favorite spot with myself and friends for such a purpose on birthdays and other special occasions, and the new Mercat Negre Williamsburg location was ideal to celebrate a dear friend's recent visit to the city since moving to LA several months ago. Everything from the drinks to the dessert was great – you can't go wrong ordering – but I'll help?you out with some absolute must haves.

Begin with an array of empanadas, croquettes, and bombas, follow with the fried potatoes with alioli (which are far better than the ones we tried when the Manhattan location first opened), make sure to get the?cod entr?e, the sardines on bread, and please – for your own sake and happiness, do not skip the paella with duck and sausage. It is indescribably delicious – we were scraping the bottom of the dish like starving children.

As for drinks, Death in Spain and Ward Eight were table favorites and we were split on deciding the best dessert – I was crazy about the lemon frappe, that was like the top of a lemon meringue pie but frothier, but there was a lot of support for the toasted bread with chocolate, olive oil & salt.

The location is fairly new, and it works in your favor to get a reservation. It was pretty quiet, even on a Saturday. I hope it stays in business with word of mouth, but I'd hate to forfeit the relative calm of the place and the ease of getting a reservation.

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Posted on October 19, 2009

La Superior is a fairly new neighborhood cantina that offers an array of flavorful and delicious Mexican small plates – and believe it or not, the brain empandas we devoured were not the craziest thing on the menu. That honor goes to the bowl full of cheese and chorizo, which is meant to be smothered on chips. Absolutely great tasting, to be sure, but I'd share it among the table and enjoy a small fraction of the dish if you have the will power and/or foresight of what it might mean to your tummy later.

We split the ceviche trio and found it delightful, each flavor was distinct and it's a great lighter sharing item. I also highly recommend the tacos with poblano peppers and chicken chiptole. Don't pass up the aqua frescas either – they don't hold a candle to the ones I flipped over in California, but they wash the spices down nicely.

The space is artfully grungy in order to transport you to a hole in the wall beach side Mexican spot you might stumble across if you dared to venture off the beaten path on vacation. There are only a few tables, so there might be waits on more popular dining nights.

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Posted on October 5, 2009