229 S 4th St. Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Absolutely delicious! If Traif is to be my last nice meal out for some time, there wasn’t better company or food for the occasion. Located in a strange hidden corner of Brooklyn, off the BQE and Williamsburg Bridge, the months old small plates restaurant is a (somewhat) secret gem in the borough landscape of high end, interesting eating.

Two small plates per person was recommended by our waitress which works out perfectly as long as you come hungry.The website calls the cuisine “celebrating pork, shellfish, and globally inspired soul food” so, appropriately the seafood and meat dishes: spicy tuna tartare (a table favorite, though I couldn’t try it myself), chorizo and lamb meatballs, bacon wrapped dates, spicy sweet glazed calamari (my favorite dish if absolutely forced to choose), duck confit lettuce wraps, razor clams, seared scallops, and bacon donuts (yes, bacon donuts!) were truly outstanding. But don’t ignore a balance of veggie plates too – starting with a rich, creamy amuse buche of onion soup we also ordered a fresh brussel sprout salad and a citrusy beet and cheese dish.

Amazingly, all this was lovingly prepared in the smallest of open kitchens, just on the other side of the slightly cramped bar. I am always in awe of chefs that can work with so little space, and these guys were working wonders.

While I couldn’t partake, I did take a delirious sniff of Mike’s cocktail that included rye, chocolate bitters, ginger liqueur and a flame roasted lemon rind (could anything make me miss cocktails more?). A unique selection of beers and good priced wines are also available (as well as iced tea for those of us nine months pregnant and eliciting looks of horror at my big belly from neighboring eaters). From their incredibly positive yelp reviews, it’s fair to say that Traif has found the exact perfect balance between tastiness, price (about 40 a person with drinks and a very satisfying meal) and dim lit ambiance. It is certainly worth seeking out (even if the recommendation makes it impossibly crowded) and while you can, take advantage of what looked like a lovely lush backyard. One of the best meals we’ve had in a long time, so excited to have it near by for future special occasions.

Click here for the rest of Traif

See more: Restaurants Eclectic Williamsburg

Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on October 8, 2010

13613 37th Ave, Flushing, Brooklyn

Imperial Palace has a more upscale atmosphere than some Flushing spots (not that that takes away one bit from the quality of Little Pepper and Spicy and Tasty’s food), so much so that the cleanliness and brightly lit tablecloths could even satisfy some of my more germaphobic friends if I dare take them to the neighborhood. Cantonese is a cuisine that is most similar to the “Americanized” Chinese food that took hold of our nation decades ago, though to compare your local Panda ___ with the southern regional food done right and traditionally is ludicrous.

Cantonese food values quality of ingredients, has a focus on fresh seafood, and is much milder than Schezuan. American Cantonese, due to immigrants having to substitute and improvise with unfamiliar and often less fresh ingredients is masked in gloppy sauces. Imperial Palace is considered to be the area’s best of the former type of Cantonese and as some other, wiser tables knew, freshness reigns supreme – they got to choose their fish from an aquarium. It was then brought to the table for inspection before being prepared.

With less insight into the menu, we sampled a couple things that sounded good. A solid, mild orange beef which managed to be neither greasy or too heavy, a plate of salt and pepper crispy prawns with chilies that only suffered from a messy backwards method to eat it: the shell on prawn was battered and fried, so you had to teeth the crisp off before getting to the meat under the shell. I tried eating the shell but it was a bit too tough and seemed like it could get caught in my throat. Both were very good, though milder than my usual taste so I’d choose some more daring dishes next time round (perhaps the oysters and fajita plate mentioned in this Times review).

But, I am really teasing you with all this talk of ambiance and history, because there is one major reason to go to Imperial Palace. All the reviews, blogs and word of mouth will name it: Dungeness crab over sticky rice!! A huge, steaming dish of hard shelled crabs which are tasty enough, but the delicate, indescribable rice that has cooked in the crustacean’s juices…. incredible. The huge menu might be overwhelming, and require a sort of point to what looks good experimentation, but this dish is an absolute a must.

Click here for the rest of Imperial Palace

See more: Restaurants Chinese Flushing Seafood

Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on September 18, 2010

278 Bleecker St

Don’t get me wrong, I am a fervent lover of the high end pizza craze that’s given us the likes of Fornino, L’asso and Paulie Gee’s but lately – let’s just blame pregnancy hormones like I do for everything else – I’ve been craving the classic, greasy, thin crust type that one can count on finding in nearly any NYC neighborhood.

John’s Pizzeria of Bleecker Street fit the bill perfectly. One of many that claim to be famous and considered the ultimate in classic New York Style pizza, it’s probably the only one that has Louie Anderson on its wall (when I saw that in our booth, I knew things were going to be great) and has its praises sung by pizza connoisseur, Vanilla Ice (“Keep makin the ‘dope’ pizza”).

The ambiance is wood paneled family style perfection and the serve one really, really satisfying pie – just greasy enough, with the perfect balance of sauce to cheese and a slightly charred but never crunchy crust. There are no slices here, just full pies, so bring your appetite like we did when we split a medium – half sausage for Jim, half anchovy for me. Such an excellent way to indulge on a budget when you are ravenous. Plus, you don’t have to compromise on toppings.

See more: Restaurants Italian Pizza West Village

Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on September 5, 2010

325 5th Ave and Various Locations

Korean fried chicken has been on my to eat list for ages and I finally managed to meet up with a friend for lunch at the newly opened Bonchon on 5th ave st only just days ago. While this particular location still seemed to be working out some kinks (three irate to-go men where fuming for over 30 minutes before their orders arrived) we fared better seated in the unfashionable black leather booths. The timelessness of the ambiance –  in a karaoke joint kind of way – was further enhanced by a large screen that played videos from the past few decades from solo Nick Lashay to Lady Gaga to Sarah McLaughlan. All of this matters not to the food though, and who goes out for fried chicken to be surrounded in sophisticated elegance anyway?

The chicken is great – must be that “secret taste” they brag about on their site. We split a medium (plenty for two people with normal appetites, small for those that want to pig out) platter, white meat, half and half soy garlic and sweet spicy glaze. The difference to KFC or similar is significant. This is crispy, almost light (at least by fried food standards), with non of that face shining greasiness. This is because they remove the fatty skin before frying.

The glazes, which I worried would be sticky and overwhelming are sparingly applied and quite good – not gooey or too saccharine. I preferred what we believe was the garlic glaze and the kimchee coleslaw makes for a nice side – and that’s coming from someone who does not count herself a fan of the  cold (usually bland) picnic staple.

I plan to try and compare with Kyochon, the space agey place up the street which I’ve been told does Korean fried chicken in a totally different way. While I may be very late to this culinary trend, I am happily won over by it.

See more: Restaurants Asian Chicken Fast Food Midtown East

Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on August 22, 2010

620 Lorimer St

If Italian manly testosterone could be harnessed into energy, Lorimer Meat Market could not only be the greenest restaurant in Williamsburg, but probably light the entire neighborhood. Both staff and patrons bellow with wise cracks and ayes! and it is very little surprise that they really, really know how to make a big beautiful meatball sandwich. It’s curious how some small spots make the radar of “must eats”, and if it were any way up to me I’d add this one to this list.

The photo almost does it justice. The meatballs are soft, clearly made with quality meat and huge surrounded by just enough sauce to partially soak the bread, but not overwhelm. The cheese is gooey and there’s enough that it’s presence is noticeable and key to the deliciousness.

The corner shop which has been in the neighborhood for many years (though this was my first visit) and has a huge menu of sandwiches if meatballs aren’t your thing as well as meats, salads, pastas, and more.

See more: Restaurants Italian Sandwiches Williamsburg

Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on August 8, 2010