Restaurants »La Superior

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

Restaurants »Rye

rye brooklynRye has the speakeasy trend down pat, right down to the omission of a sign to indicate the dark space as an unusually located dining destination. Chef and owner Cal Elliot comes off the success of Dumont, Dumont Burger and Dressler with this oaky restored restaurant.

The bar is well staffed and (as you'll read more about in this weeks drink category) they pour a mean old fashioned with, what else but rye. The menu offered many intriguing options. We shared oysters, house smoked sturgeon, and a meatloaf sandwich. All were very good, though the sturgeon felt a little light on the amount of fish and the sandwich (which I highly recommend as a shared dish with it's piles of crispy onion rings) was a bit too much on the sweet side.

The staff is extremely friendly and they are also open for a yummy sounding brunch which I would like to try soon.

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Posted on September 28, 2009

Restaurants »Sui Ren

sui ren yakitoriWhen you go to the Renaissance Fair, you can find almost everything to eat on a stick, but undercooked chicken, pickles, and frozen chocolate covered cheesecake are no competition with the skewers you can find at the izakaya yakitori restaurant, Sui Ren, recently opened in Williamsburg.

While there everyday menu is mouthwateringly intriguing, we could not say no to the day's specials and opted to try them all: duck confit buns, fatty tuna skewer, and deep fried pickled radishes with an egg salad dipping sauce. We also shared the thinly sliced beef Gyu Tataki and the lightly salted grilled octopus. See my collection of photos here.

The food was great, and I am excited to try more of the menu on future visits. Drinks were equally note worthy, and I enjoyed sipping an oolong tea and soju combination. The staff is friendly, the back yard is pleasant, and the price is right for the quality of the food.

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Posted on September 14, 2009

Desserts »Van Leeuwen

early grey ice creamWhile I have loudly extolled the virtues of Van Leeuwen artisanal ice cream here already, it's absolutely worth revisiting to tell you about their new flavor: Earl Grey Tea! It's wonderful and perfect with their excellent whipped cream.

The truck can now be found on weekends outside the Bedford Avenue L stop, which just made my summer a whole lot sweeter.

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Posted on July 6, 2009

Desserts »Ralph’s Italian Ices

ralph's italian icesRalph's Italian Ices are a treat I always cherish anytime I'm in Oyster Bay, preferably after a meal of steamer clams served by teenage girls at the seafood place that sits next to the Ralph's drive-thru. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would ever be able to simply walk to a Ralph's this summer any day I pleased, but news that a Ralph's set up shop just past the BQE is going to make my summer a whole lot better.

There are just so many flavors I have yet to try (I tend to stick to vanilla chip) but I started with the toasted marshmallow which was excellent. The small is big enough to share, and I can't even imagine what kind of mad man would attempt the “small bucket” size.

For true connoisseurs of the Italian ice, you'll be happy to know that Ralph's rival, Uncle Louie G's is just down the street on the same block. Rivalry never tasted so good.

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Posted on June 8, 2009

Drinks »The Richardson

the richardson brooklynCountless times I have strolled past The Richardson and said to myself, I really have to try a drink there sometime. We finally made it on Cinco de Mayo, and it was blissfully free of party antics and the crowds that perpetrate them.

It's spacious and bright and the d?cor is as you would expect from a modern cocktail lounge in Brooklyn: dark woods, damask wall paper, chandeliers… even the mixologists don old timey bar keep outfits, complete with stiff white shirts and vests with pocket watches. It fits the mold to a tee, but I like the mold, so bless them.

All the cocktails are $9 here, which make quite a difference at the end of the night compared to the neighborhoods other swanky shrine to booze – Hotel Delmano (which in all I have to say delivers a bit more sophistication in their drinks).

On the plus side the Scottish Dew was a refreshing cucumber dream, perfect for the sunny day I wished I was experiencing while drinking it. A nice and very strong concoction called the Brooklyn followed which will please fans of Old Fashions.

On the down side, their Old Fashion may not. My very discerning friend was disappointed to find his had granulated sugar at the bottom which had not been mixed in well with the rest of the drink. A minor faux pas, but still, you do, I assume, call yourself a mixologist.

I will happily return, it seems pretty quiet on week days, though it quickly filled up with dudes, dudes and more dudes as the night progressed; if you're looking to meet a man with a taste for rye, there are worse places. Service was friendly if not a bit distracted, and it offers several good beers on tap for your friends that are like that.

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Posted on May 11, 2009

Restaurants »Peter Luger

peter luger burger brooklynPeter Luger is an institution, the take your dad who loves meat there place forever. I've had a few amazingly satisfying steaks in my time when family's been in town, but I'd never tried their more affordable and highly praised lunch time burger until a recent day off.

The place is a bit more calm on a weekday, but it had gotten pretty full by the time we left the crisp white shirts, dark wood, and nautical dishes behind us. While we didn't need a reservation on a Friday afternoon, on a weekend it probably wouldn't hurt.

The burger is nice and fat and, unsurprisingly, the meat itself is to die for. Cooked perfectly medium rare, which is not the easiest for some restaurants, (other bloggers have even complained about Luger's as such a culprit) I found it fresh, salty and beautifully pink inside.

The huge pile of ribbon thin onion rings were also worth writing home about, the kind of snack that's terrible for you but so good it pops up afterwards in dreams. While I've adored their famous steak sauce on steaks in the past (we even have a bottle in the fridge), it's a perfect topping for a beef burger as well.

My only complaint was the bun, and it's really just a personal thing. I know a substantial bun is necessary for just the basic operations of a hulking burger, but I happen to prefer mine a bit squishier, the kind of bun that does its job but bows down in submission to the all mighty innards. But still, it's a great meal to be had in classic settings – worth the trip during the day (it's only available for lunch) and the comparatively cheap (in this expensive burger crazed city) $9.

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Posted on April 27, 2009

Restaurants »Foodswings

foodswings brooklyn fake philly cheeseteakI had it on good authority from two reliable friends that Souen was the place to try macrobiotic hippy food that is actually yummy, but it was just too steep a learning curve for someone who gets crushes on their local butcher and is dreaming of ways to make cow hearts and bone marrow. Everything had that earthy, kind of dirty after-taste and it cost a fortune; but people love it, so I don't want to knock it too much.

I found Foodswings, a vegan spot in Williamsburg with a “fast food” bent to be a much easier sell. I'd recommend getting a couple things to share, since the flavors can be monotonous, but overall we were surprised by how much we enjoyed it. The menu is huge and overwhelming, and my only advice is to steer clear of the mac and cheese (mac and cheese sans butter and cheese is just a sad thing no matter how hard you try), otherwise, it seems like you can't go too wrong here.

I had the fake beef Philly cheese-steak which had nice, almost teriyaki-ish flavor and Jim was pretty impressed with the fake chicken drumsticks that came with a dill ranch that I personally loved. Desserts are tasty too. We split a pistachio shake (forgetting while ordering that I was putting my life in my hands) that, despite salmonella paranoia, was absolutely delicious.

This is a spot I'd take a veggie friend coming for a visit, and who knows, with their uncharacteristically helpful service and chicken wings that even Sam Champion loves, I might be back on my own too.

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Posted on April 20, 2009

Spend a Couple Hours »Hot Stone Massage

Hot Stone Massage I received this unbelievable massage as a gift last year and it cured me of some shoulder problems I was having. One of the most worth-while indulgences ever.

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Posted on December 26, 2005

Spend a Couple Hours »Getting a hair cut at Public

Public 101 Metropolitan Ave, Williamsburg, Broooklyn You might as well spruce yourself up for all the Holiday parties, and this is the place to do it. All of the haridressers are excellent. As you can tell from my current photo, they just cut off fifteen inches for me.

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Posted on December 18, 2005