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Posts Tagged ‘BYO’

Cafe Panache

Wednesday, January 12th, 2011 by virginia

This meal took place in September so I apologize if my details are a bit fuzzy. We had heard that Cafe Panache was one of the best restaurants in Bergen County, NJ and I had read several positive reviews about the food so we decided to try it out one weekend with Josh’s parents. We called for a reservation earlier in the day and were happy to find out that they would be able to seat us that night. The restaurant is located in Ramsey and is on Main St. so it was pretty easy to find.

When we walked into the restaurant, we were seated pretty much immediately. Unfortunately, I think we had the worst table in the house. We were in an alcove away from the main dining room, and we were seated at the very last table, right in front of the kitchen. There were servers and busboys constantly coming in and out of the kitchen, and it was sort of disruptive. We probably should have asked for a new table but we didn’t realize we would be in the middle of the hustle and bustle until after we had already settled in and had started drinking our wine (the restaurant is BYO).

We figured that we got the bad table because we had made a same day reservation so we tried to brush it off. After all, we were here for the food. We made our dinner selections and snacked on the olives and bread they brought us. The olives were covered in some oil and chili flakes, which gave them a nice little kick. The bread was white dinner rolls that had a decent crust but were pretty standard.

Assorted olives

Dinner roll

Josh and I went halfsies on our meal, per usual. For our appetizers, Josh selected the filet mignon ravioli with truffle butter while I chose the crostini of foie gras mousse. We were drawn in by the truffle butter advertised with the raviolis, but also because we had never seen filet mignon as a filling before. The filling had an intensely beefy flavor, though it was sort of mushy. As for the truffle butter, we couldn’t detect much truffle flavor at all, which was kind of disappointing since we’re both huge truffle fans. Nevertheless, it was a decent dish, and rich enough that the three ravioli portion was still satisfying.

Filet mignon ravioli

The crostini of foie gras mousse was also a pretty rich appetizer. The mousse was spread on top of three fairly large pieces of toasted bread and served with a small salad and apple slices. The mousse was creamy and thick but it didn’t have the subtle foie gras flavor that I was expecting. It had a pretty strong liver taste and if I didn’t know it was supposed to be foie gras mousse, I would have thought it was chicken liver pate. The salad helped cut through the richness of the mousse, and I liked the crispy apple slices that balanced out the creaminess of the liver.

Crostini of foie gras mousse

For the main course, Josh chose a duck dish while I opted for a steak dish. To be honest, I don’t remember how the duck was prepared. All I remember was that the duck was really, really rare. We like rare meat, even for duck, but this was beyond rare. The duck had a gelatinous texture and was pretty chewy. We probably should have sent it back but just didn’t think it was worth waiting for. That would have thrown off the flow of the meal, and we weren’t so thrilled with the overall dish to begin with.

Super rare duck breast

I was intrigued by the steak dish because the menu called it a sirloin steak confit. I’ve never had a steak that was confited before, and I was curious as to how it would turn out. From my understanding, confit is usually duck cooked in its own fat. So I thought the steak would be poached in beef fat and have a soft, falling apart kind of texture to it. Maybe the steak was just pan fried in beef fat, because to me, it just had the texture of regular steak. There was nothing really different about it, and while it was a fine piece of meat, the accompanying garlic soy reduction just completely overpowered the beef. The steak was absolutely covered in the sauce, which made the meat extremely salty. My mouth was puckering after a few bites, and I ended up trying to cut the meat so that I avoided the sauce completely. It was really too bad because the steak was cooked nicely to a beautiful rare, as ordered, but the sauce pretty much ruined the meat.

Sirloin steak confit with garlic and soy reduction

Steak autopsy shot

For dessert, we all decided to share a creme brulee. It was perfectly fine, with a crackly sugar crust on top and good vanilla flavor.

Creme brulee

Our waiter brought us an additional dessert on the house, which was very nice of him. I think it was some sort of peach cake with whipped cream on the side. The cake was very moist and not too sweet. It had great peach flavor, and I actually liked the cake more than the creme brulee, though both were very well prepared.

Peach cake dessert

Overall I think we were all pretty disappointed with our food at Cafe Panache. We had high expectations for it because we had heard/read some very nice things about the restaurant but it didn’t measure up for us in the end. There were definite missteps with our meal, like the undercooked duck and the overly salty steak. While our appetizers were passable, they just don’t wow us. Desserts were the highlight of the meal, and since neither Josh nor I have much a sweet tooth, that’s not really a good thing. It wasn’t only just me and Josh who were displeased. Alice ordered a homemade pasta with lobster for her entree, a special of the evening, and while the pasta was beautifully cooked and there was massive amounts of lobster mixed in, the dish was completely flavorless. Even the lobster was bland. We were pretty flabbergasted by that. Service was fine, and we appreciated the extra dessert our waiter brought. Maybe he noticed that none of us seemed thrilled with our food but whatever the reason, it was a nice gesture. Still, I don’t think that we’ll be coming back anytime soon. I did like the fact that the restaurant is BYO but it’s still pretty expensive, and I’m not sure that it was really worth it.

Cafe Panache
130 East Main St.
Ramsey, NJ

Tags: BYO, Duck, Foie Gras, NJ, Ravioli, Steak
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Brown’s Lobster Pound (Seabrook, NH)

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 by virginia

The day after our nephew Alexander’s first birthday party in Massachusetts, we had half a day to spend with the family before we had to make the drive back home to NJ. Instead of staying around my sister’s house, we decided to head across the border into New Hampshire and try out the lobster at Brown’s Lobster Pound in Seabrook. According to my sister, this place has been featured on the Travel Channel and is famous for its lobster rolls.

It was about a 45 minute drive but the restaurant is just past the border so it wasn’t bad. We pulled into the packed parking lot and there was a huge line of people waiting at the windows where you can order fried foods.

People lined up to place their orders

Since we were getting lobster, we headed straight inside to place our order. If you’re ordering lobster and fried food, you can order inside where the line was much shorter. However, if you’re only ordering fried food, you have to do it outside. We got a few 1 1/4 lb lobsters, a few lobster rolls, a fried oyster plate for my dad, and a fried chicken plate for Adam, who hates seafood (seriously, what kind of New Englander is he? I guess you can’t expect much from a Red Sox/Patriots fan… haha j/k! Or am I?) We also wanted some steamers, which we had to order from a different counter inside.

The menu behind the lobster tanks

They gave us numbers for our orders, and we settled down at some picnic tables in the corner. The restaurant is pretty big, and even though the parking lot was full there were many picnic tables still available. The restaurant serves soda, coffee, tea, etc., but you can bring your own beer and wine. Most tables had coolers of beer, and one couple behind us was tucking into huge lobsters while drinking champagne from flutes. Pretty neat idea!

Rows of picnic tables

Our orders of steamers came up first, and we eagerly dug into the piles of clams. To eat a steamer, you pull off the skin around the neck, swirl it around in a cup of hot water to clean off any grit, dip it in melted butter, and eat.

Piles of steamers

These steamers were fresh and briney, with a pleasing texture that wasn’t too chewy. We swirled, dipped, and ate them until the rest of our food was ready.

Swirling a steamer in hot water

I opted for a lobster roll instead of a whole steamed lobster. Although value-wise whole lobsters are a better deal (they were about $12/lb while one lobster roll was $12), I wasn’t in the mood to get all messy. The lobster rolls weren’t huge, but they weren’t tiny either. There were big chunks of meat, and just enough mayo to keep everything moist and together but not overpowering. The bun was the New England style top loading hot dog bun that I love, and the outside was buttered and toasted so that it was slightly crisp but still delightfully chewy. It was only the second lobster roll that I’ve had in my life, and it was pretty good.

Lobster roll

Josh opted for a whole lobster, which was just steamed and came with melted butter on the side for dipping. It was approximately 1 1/4 lbs, and the meat was sweet and fresh.

Steamed lobster

Some of the lobsters had roe and tomalley, which my mom and I both love. They have a complex flavor that turn a lot of people off so I guess it’s an acquired taste, but we consider finding roe to be like hitting the jackpot.

Lobster roe and tomalley

Josh and I also split a cup of New England clam chowder. The chowder had great flavor and lots of clams but it was surprisingly thin. When I think of New England style chowder, I think of thick, velvety, rich soup. This soup had buttery and creamy flavor, but it was watery in texture. I didn’t really mind because it was a hot summer day, but if it were wintertime, I prefer something with more body to it so that it sticks to your ribs.

New England clam chowder

My dad isn’t as into lobster so he opted for a fried oyster plate. The oysters were decently big but they weren’t as briney in flavor as I would have liked. They were also pretty heavily breaded, and while the coating was nicely fried and crunchy, it kind of made the oysters feel overly dry in my mouth. We dipped them in lots of tasty tartar sauce but I felt like that defeated the whole purpose of having oysters. We could have dipped anything into the sauce and it would have been the same. At least the fries were good.

Fried oysters and french fries

Overall I liked Brown’s Lobster Pound but I think the appeal is the kitschiness of the atmosphere. You’re basically eating in an oversized shack, and the food is simple, hearty, and straightforward. Price-wise it’s probably comparable to other similar seafood joints, but if you’re going just for steamed lobster then it’s overpriced. Lobster at the supermarket is definitely cheaper than $12/lb (we actually stopped somewhere on the way back to my sister’s house to buy lobsters that were only $3.99/lb). Lobster rolls, however, cost $15 and up in NYC, so $12 is a relative bargain. If I lived nearby this probably wouldn’t be a place we would go to regularly, but as a tourist, I thoroughly enjoyed it. While the oysters weren’t great, the steamers and lobsters were very good, and it was a fun experience. The BYO aspect is also another huge plus.

Brown’s Lobster Pound
407 NH Highway 286
Seabrook, NH

Tags: BYO, Chowder, Clams, Lobster, New Hampshire, Oysters, Seafood
Posted in Restaurants, Travel | 1 Comment »

BYO Brunch at Nook

Saturday, August 28th, 2010 by virginia

I’ve written about Nook twice already, first about brunch and then about dinner, but it’s such a great little place that I couldn’t resist writing about it a third time. We went for a late brunch one weekend with our bottle of champagne in tow and got some of their tasty freshly squeezed orange juice to make mimosas. Josh was in the mood for something sweet to start, so we split an order of Nutella on a baguette with strawberries and bananas. It’s such a simple combination, but oh so delicious. The strawberries were juicy and sweet, and they went perfectly with our champagne.

Baguettes spread with Nutella and topped with strawberries and bananas

For our entrees, Josh and I split two sandwiches, the turkey sandwich and the croque monsieur. We ordered the croque monsieur last time as well, but it’s such a great sandwich that we can’t resist ordering it time and time again. It’s not the typical Parisian style of sandwich, with ham, gruyere, and bechamel. Rather, it’s a ham, cheddar, and tomato sandwich on thick, buttered bread that’s grilled until the cheese is melted. It’s salty and gooey, though the tomato helps cut the richness a bit. The sandwich comes with a big pile of rosemary fries and a small mixed greens salad.

Croque monsieur autopsy shot, and fries

The turkey sandwich was smoked turkey, tomato, cucumbers, and a spicy beet relish on a baguette. The turkey was sliced thickly and moist, while the spicy beet relish was actually horseradish with beets, the kind that Josh’s family serves with gefilte fish. I thought the cucumber was an unusual addition to the sandwich, but it added a nice crunch. The sandwich also came with a big pile of rosemary fries.

Turkey sandwich autopsy shot, with fries

The brunch at Nook is definitely one of my favorites. The restaurant is just very low key, and service is super friendly. It’s not the typical brunch scene, but the food is good and it’s a cozy place to chat. Don’t forget to bring a bottle of champagne (or two!), and I’m sure that you’ll have a great experience as well.

Nook
746 9th Ave. between 50th and 51st St.
New York, NY

Tags: Brunch, BYO, Fries, Midtown West, Sandwiches
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Fontana di Trevi

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010 by virginia

Josh’s parents had heard good things about a new Italian restaurant in Leonia called Fontana di Trevi so we decided to try it out for dinner one Saturday night. When Josh tried to call to see if there was a wait, he got an answering machine message that said no tables were available until after 8:45 PM. So we waited until after the specified time and tried to call again but it was the same message. We decided to head over to the restaurant and check out the situation in person.

Josh went inside first and he said that they told him it would only be a 10 minute wait, which didn’t seem so bad. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of room to stand in the restaurant so we hovered by the doorway, feeling very conspicuous and bad that we were pretty much right next to the first table in the front. But we figured it would only be a short wait so we just tried to be as unobtrusive as possible. The restaurant is split into two rooms, separated by a short hallway, and the hostess stand is in the smaller room.

So we waited. And waited. And waited some more. Meanwhile, they never did fix the phone message because while we were standing there waiting, Josh called the number again and he got the same message. The phone by the hostess stand didn’t even ring. How do you operate a restaurant like that? How do people make reservations if they never pick up the phone? But we continued to wait, getting increasingly more agitated. We had been waiting for over half an hour, and no one came by to check on us. The hostess basically ignored our imploring looks and carried on a conversation with a table that had already paid for over 10 minutes. We were seriously annoyed by the time she finally came by and said that they were getting our table ready, and she kind of jerked her head towards the other room.

Another 10 minutes later (by now we had been waiting for almost an hour), they finally did get our table ready – the same one where the hostess had been chatting with the previous patrons. It was not in the other room, as she had indicated, and we were pretty much disgusted with the level of service (or lack thereof) that we had received. An hour wait is certainly unacceptable when you’re told that a wait would only be 10 minutes. The only reason we stayed was because we were starving, and because the restaurant was packed. Surely the food had to be fantastic, right?

They started us off with pieces of focaccia bread that was crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. It had good texture with a nice olive oil flavor, and things started to look up for the meal.

Focaccia bread

Alice and I both opted to have the Caesar salad for our appetizers. The salad is prepared tableside – always a nice touch. Anchovies, egg yolk, garlic, breadcrumbs, mustard, worcestershire sauce, and a few other ingredients were combined in a bowl to form a thick paste, which was then loosened with olive oil. The dressing was tossed with bite-sized pieces of fresh romaine. The flavor was great but the dressing was a tad too thick and clumped on some of the leaves, leaving some bites overwhelming with dressing while others totally bare. Dressing dispersion issues aside, they do top it with lots of grated cheese, which I liked.

Caesar salad made tableside

Josh had the spinach salad with cremini mushrooms and pancetta. It was tossed with a warm white vinegar dressing, and Josh seemed to enjoy it a lot. He thought the pancetta wasn’t too salty or overwhelming, and it was a light and refreshing salad.

Spinach salad with cremini mushrooms and pancetta

For his main course, Josh had the linguine with clams. The pasta was nicely cooked to al dente and the sauce packed a nice garlicky punch. There were lots of whole clams on top and was definitely the best dish of the evening.

Linguine con vogole

I had to go with the chicken parmesan, of course, which is always my test of a new Italian restaurant. Unfortunately, this one wasn’t that good. The chicken itself was fine but the “famous” marinara sauce (as it says on their menu) was overly sour and too acidic. The cheese was melted but runny, not browned and bubbly like I prefer. Instead of a side of pasta, it came with some mushy, buttery vegetables and mashed potatoes. Those reminded me of bad hotel food. Harsh, maybe, but I expected better.

Chicken parmesan

Since we ended up eating later than we expected, especially with the super long wait, we just wanted to get home and decided to forgo dessert. Overall we weren’t all that wowed by the food we had at Fontana di Trevi, and we were less than thrilled with the service. Maybe because they were new was why they had so many issues, but I still don’t understand why they don’t even answer their phone. It doesn’t seem to hurt business though, as the restaurant was packed the entire time we were there. Nevertheless, the food was not so impressive to overcome the problems we had, and I don’t think we’ll be going back. Sad, because we’re still looking for a good Italian restaurant near our home in NJ, and this one was also a BYO.

Fontana di Trevi
248 Fort Lee Rd.
Leonia, NJ

Tags: BYO, Chicken, Italian, NJ, Pasta, Seafood
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Greek Taverna

Tuesday, April 13th, 2010 by virginia

We were visiting our parents in NJ one weekend and decided to try out a Greek restaurant in Edgewater that Josh’s parents have been raving about, appropriately called Greek Taverna. From the outside it looks like a tiny storefront restaurant but inside it’s large and spacious, with tall ceilings and a casual, slightly rustic feel. It actually did look a bit like some of the tavernas that we ate in while we were on our honeymoon in Greece. The menu was quite extensive and there were lots of things I wanted to try, but because it was a Friday during Lent, I was limited to only seafood and vegetarian options.

The restaurant is BYO and they brought us wine glasses right away and opened up our bottle of red wine. They also brought us a basket of grilled pita bread to nibble on while we looked over the menu. The bread was served warm and had a nice soft and chewy texture to it.

Grilled pita bread

We shared a few different appetizers, including a special of the night, which was a huge platter of grilled octopus, calamari, and seppie (cuttlefish). All of these have the potential to be tough, chewy, and rubbery, but they were all perfectly prepared and very tender. They had a nice smoky flavor and slight charring from the grill. My favorite pieces were the tiny seppie, which I popped into my mouth whole and they just burst with the fresh taste of the sea.

Grilled octopus, calamari, and seppie

We also got a beet salad topped with skordalia, a garlic and potato dip with lemon juice and Greek olive oil. Again, the serving was huge and the salad was fantastic. The beets were tender and flavorful, nicely dressed with red onions, pickled garlic cloves, and a tangy vinaigrette. The skordalia packed another tangy, garlicky punch, and the combination was just delicious. This was my favorite dish of the evening.

Delicious beet salad topped with skordalia

Our last appetizer was the Greek Taverna chips, which are fried zucchini and eggplant chips served with a ramekin of skordalia for dipping. The chips were cut super thin, lightly breaded, and fried to a nice crisp. The coating was not greasy at all, and never got soggy even after the chips sat for a while on the plate. I didn’t realize that the dip on the side was skordalia until it was too late; otherwise, I might have asked to change it to tzatziki (shredded cucumbers, yogurt, dill, and garlic dip), as we already had skordalia with the beet salad. I also think the lighter tzatziki would have been a better match for the fried chips. Nevertheless, it was a great appetizer to munch on, and we kept the plate on the side to snack on throughout our meal.

Crispy vegetable chips with skordalia dip

I really wanted some of the grilled meats that were giving off tempting smells from tables nearby but I had to stick with seafood. The restaurant offers fresh whole fish at market price, which they serve grilled with olive oil, lemon, and herbs drizzled on top. I wasn’t so familiar with most of the fishes offered so I opted for the Royal Dorado, which is a Mediterranean fish with a mild flavor. It was a flaky but meaty fish, and definitely wasn’t too fishy in flavor. I liked the flavor of the olive oil/lemon/herb mixture, but the fish just needed a bit more seasoning in general.

Grilled royal dorado

For my side dish, I selected the Greek Taverna fries, which were thin slices of fried potato topped with oregano and Kefalo tyri cheese. The fries weren’t as crispy as I would have liked but they were well seasoned and flavorful.

Greek fries

Josh also opted for a whole fish and greek fries, except he chose a special of the day, the branzino. His fish was prepared the same way and had similar flavor. I’m not a fish connoisseur so I probably wouldn’t have been able to tell our dishes apart.

Grilled branzino

Overall I really liked all the food that we had at Greek Taverna. All of the ingredients were clearly fresh, and everything was well prepared. The menu is similar to that of Nisi Estiatorio in Englewood, except everything is priced much lower. Nisi is more of a fine dining experience though, and you get to pick out exactly which fish you want, which I think affects the pricing. Greek Taverna is more low key and casual, but the food is just as good. Portions are huge and everything can be shared, making it a better deal in my opinion and good for large groups. The BYO aspect is another bonus. I can’t wait for our next visit to the restaurant, and now that Lent is over, I definitely plan on trying some of the grilled meats that smelled so irresistible.

Greek Taverna (multiple locations)
55 Promenade, City Place Shopping Center
Edgewater, NJ

Tags: BYO, Edgewater, Greek, NJ, Seafood
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Great Service and Great Food at Nook

Saturday, March 13th, 2010 by virginia

In my first post about Nook, I mentioned that we hadn’t been there in years because the service was bad, but after a long hiatus, Josh and I went to brunch and thought both the service and the food were fantastic. We decided to go back there for dinner to see if the service was consistently much improved, or if our brunch experience was merely a fluke. Even though it was quite late for dinner when we arrived, the tiny restaurant was completely full, probably because it was Saturday night. The hostess/waitress told us the wait would be about half an hour and suggested we go across the street to a bar, saying she would call us when a table was available. Since neither of us were starving, and there really is nowhere to wait in the restaurant, it seemed like a good solution so that’s exactly what we did.

We headed across the street to The Snug, which, like Nook, is aptly named. It’s a long narrow bar with limited seating but we managed to snag a small table all the way in the back. Josh got a beer and we chatted for a while. After half an hour, no call. We had left Josh’s phone on the table so that we would see it ring, in case we couldn’t hear it in the noisy bar. Forty-five minutes later, still nothing. At this point we were getting a little peeved, and after almost an hour we decided cross back over to the restaurant and see what the situation was. As soon as we walked in, we saw an empty two top right by the door, and were a bit miffed that we hadn’t received a call.

The waitress came over to us and said she was wondering what happened to us because she called us twice and left a message when we didn’t answer. She then offered us the empty two top and said we could sit right away if we wanted. Josh and I looked at each other, perplexed, because we definitely didn’t see or hear the phone ringing, but we shrugged it off, gave her the benefit of the doubt, and sat down for dinner. Indeed, halfway through the meal, Josh got the beep that he had two missed calls and a voicemail from the waitress telling us that our table was ready. So she really was telling the truth, and we blame AT&T for our frustrations.

We were glad we stayed because not only was the waitress very gracious about the whole mix up, the food was great as well. She opened up our bottle of wine right away (the restaurant is a BYO) and brought us glasses as well as a basket of the same kind of bread that we received at brunch, a rustic and crusty sourdough.

Basket of rustic bread

We ordered two appetizers that we had remembered enjoying the very first time we ate at the restaurant in 2006. First was a tuna tartare served with avocado and flavored with soy and ginger. The tuna was very fresh and nicely cut into small cubes, which I like better than the mashed up tuna that we sometimes receive from other restaurants. The tuna paired perfectly with the creamy avocado, and the whole dish was well seasoned and very flavorful.

Tuna tartare

The second appetizer was mushroom cigars, which was filo dough wrapped around a filling of ground mushrooms, goat cheese, sage, and truffle oil. The pastry was lightly browned and perfectly flaky while the filling was really delicious. I love mushrooms, I love goat cheese, and I love truffle oil. The three together were simply divine. We only wished that the portion was larger, as it’s really only one small cigar cut in half. Josh and I just couldn’t get enough of it.

Mushroom cigars

For our main courses we also opted to order dishes that we’ve tried previously, and both were just as good as we had remembered. The first was tuscan chicken, which features a large boneless chicken breast stuffed with spinach and ricotta, topped with a light parmesan sauce. The chicken was tender and juicy, not at all dried out, and the filling was nicely seasoned and garlicky. The parmesan sauce bound everything together, and it was a very homey and comforting dish. The chicken came with a side salad that was tossed with a tasty vinaigrette, and it was supposed to come with chive mash potatoes but I requested the rosemary fries instead, which they gladly accommodated. The fries were slightly limp but well seasoned, and we could really taste the pleasant rosemary flavor.

Tuscan chicken

Our other entree was the Thai marinated grilled rack of lamb. The serving came with four perfectly grilled chops that were tender, juicy, and flavorful. The Thai marinade was slightly sweet, which worked well with the slightly bitter braised cabbage that came on the side. There were also chive mashed potatoes that came with the dish, which was why I had requested the fries with the chicken dish instead. Despite the casual presentation, the food was well prepared and the flavors were very refined.

Thai marinated grilled rack of lamb

Josh and I weren’t in a rush and were lingering over our meal, finishing up our wine and debating dessert when we got a call from his parents who happened to be in the city that night for a party. It turned out that they were just around the corner from where we were, so they met us at the restaurant for dessert. Our waitress had no problem letting us move over to an empty four top, and we ordered a round of coffee drinks. Unfortunately, the coffee was terrible. The espresso was weak, as was the cappuccino. Both Josh and his mom ordered extra shots of espresso to try and bolster their drinks, but even those were super weak.

Fortunately dessert was much better. Lloyd ordered the cheese and fruit plate, which turned out to be quite a large serving of assorted cheeses (I’m not a cheese person so I only recognized brie but there were others) and various fruits, including grapes, blackberries, and slices of apples, pears, and strawberries. There was plenty to share, and the waitress brought extra bread to pair with the cheeses.

Cheese and fruit plate

We also got a slice of the apple pie, which was served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The pie was more like a cobbler, with tasty, buttery, crumbly bits on top, but it was no less delicious. It wasn’t overly sweet or too cinnamony, and we all enjoyed it immensely.

Apple pie with vanilla ice cream

I have to say, I’m thrilled that the service at Nook truly has improved, as we now have a neighborhood spot that serves up good food at reasonable prices, and is a BYO to boot. Nook really is teeny tiny though so it does get a bit cramped inside, but I find the atmosphere to be homey and welcoming. If you want to dine during pre-theater or prime hours, however, it’s probably best to make a reservation. While the menu hasn’t changed all that much since the first time we were there in 2006, it’s nice to know that we have a place that we can rely on, where the dishes are familiar, tasty, and always well prepared. We’ll be back, and often, I hope.

Nook
746 9th Ave. between 50th and 51st St.
New York, NY

Tags: BYO, Chicken, Lamb, Midtown West
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Nook

Thursday, January 28th, 2010 by virginia

The last time that Josh and I were at Nook was in 2006, when we went with two of our friends, Shiraz and Nicole. While the food was terrific, the service was not. I went back there with Shiraz a few months after that, and it was the same thing – great food, terrible service. We’ve been avoiding it ever since, because even though it’s a BYO and a great value, I just can’t support poor service.

Now that we live in the same neighborhood as the restaurant, we pass by it often and it’s always packed inside. We figured that maybe it was time to give it another shot so a few weeks ago, when Josh and I couldn’t decide on a place for brunch, I suggested picking up a bottle of champagne and heading over to Nook. It has an interesting and reasonably priced lunch/brunch menu that I’ve been wanting to try, and I was hoping that it would have improved service-wise in the last 3.5 years.

The restaurant, as the name implies, is super tiny and seats maybe 24 people at most. Tables are basically on top of each other and there isn’t much elbowroom or space to maneuver to get in and out of your seat. It was early afternoon by the time we set out, which was late for the brunch crowd, so I wasn’t worried about not getting a table. Decor-wise, it looked pretty much the same as the last time we were there. There are nice pictures on the walls and Christmas lights were strung up, giving it a festive atmosphere. What we noticed immediately, however, was the difference in service. The waiter/host was super friendly and greeted us as soon as we walked in. He sat us immediately and brought us flutes for our champagne (cava really). The last time we were here, our waitress was surly and indifferent, leaving us to open our own wine while she chatted on the phone with her friend.

We opted to get orange juice for our champagne, which was $3 for a small pitcher that we used to make our own mimosas. The juice was very obviously freshly squeezed and not overly sweet. The pitcher was plenty of juice for our purposes, even though the waiter offered to refill it halfway through.

Mimosas with cava and freshly squeezed OJ

We were given a basket of bread while we looked over the menu. The bread had a nice crispy crust and a chewy interior, with a slight sourdough flavor. And, we were given bread plates; the last time, we had to put our bread down directly on the table. Again, another sign that things have improved.

Crusty/chewy bread

Josh and I decided to split a brunch item and a lunch item for some variety. From the brunch menu, we selected eggs benedict with smoked salmon. The eggs were perfectly poached, with runny yolks and delicate whites. The hollandaise sauce wasn’t too rich or buttery, and the smoked salmon had good flavor to it. My only complaint was that the english muffin wasn’t toasted, so that it ended up being kind of cold and mushy. My favorite part of the whole plate, however, was the house home fries, which was kind of like lumpy mashed potatoes mixed with paprika, garlic, onions, and I think red peppers. It was unusual and completely not what you would think of as home fries, but it was flavorful and delicious.

Eggs benedict with smoked salmon and house home fries

From the lunch menu, we went with the croque monsieur. Based on the description, we knew not to expect a true French version of the sandwich, since the cheese was listed as cheddar, not gruyere. It ended up being a huge ham, cheddar, and tomato sandwich on toasted thick bread. While not traditional, it was still very tasty.

Croque monsieur with rosemary fries

The slices of ham were thick and not too salty, the cheddar mild and melted, and the tomatoes helped cut through the fat of the cheese and buttery bread. I just wish that the bread had been toasted a bit more evenly, as it was a bit soggy towards the middle. The sandwich came with a side of fries that had a nice rosemary flavor but were also a bit limp and not too crispy. Lastly, both entrees came with a little side salad that was lightly dressed with a tasty vinaigrette.

Autopsy shot

Overall we both really enjoyed our brunch/lunch at Nook and I’m glad that we decided to give it another chance. I understand that because the restaurant is so small, there’s only one person to cater the entire room, but they seemed to have worked out their service issues. Many of the people who came in while we were eating were obviously regulars, as they were greeted with hugs and questions about how their trips were, if they wanted their usual orders, etc. This was exactly the kind of atmosphere I was looking for in a neighborhood restaurant, and I would happily come back here again. Prices are very reasonable to begin with, and the BYO really makes it an even better deal. Since it is so tiny, I’d definitely recommend making reservations, especially during prime dining times. Just don’t forget to bring a bottle of wine with you!

Nook
746 9th Ave. between 50th and 51st St.
New York, NY

Tags: BYO, Eggs Benedict, Midtown West, Sandwiches, Smoked Salmon
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Roman Pizza & Restaurant

Monday, January 25th, 2010 by virginia

From the outside and in the front, Roman Pizza & Restaurant looks like a regular takeout pizzeria joint located in a strip mall. In the back, however, there is a dining room with lots of seating and waiter service. While the dining room itself isn’t really much to look at, the restaurant serves up tasty, classic Italian food in a casual setting.

We went for a Sunday night dinner with the family and our meal started off with a basket of light wheat bread. The loaves were soft and spongy without the crispy crust that I like, but they were good to nibble on while we waited for our food.

Soft loaves of wheat bread

Since there were eight of us altogether, we decided to share a large cheese pizza (so everyone got a slice) and a few salads as our appetizer. The advantage of eating at a pizzeria instead of getting delivery or taking out is that the pizza is served piping hot right out of the oven.

Large cheese pizza fresh from the oven

The pizza had a good sauce to cheese ratio, though it was a bit oily on top. Flavor-wise, the sauce was pretty tasty, a little tangy and not too sweet.

Good cheese and sauce, slightly oily

The crust was very nicely browned on the bottom and had good flavor but it was a bit soggy. Even though it was on the thinner side, it didn’t have any crispiness to it.

Underside shot

For the salads, we decided to share two large house salads, which the kitchen very nicely split into eight generous individual portions for us. The salad was a nice mix of iceberg lettuce, slices of tomato and cucumber, red onion, spicy pepperoncini, and olives. The house dressing was a light red wine vinaigrette. It wasn’t a fancy salad but hearty and refreshing.

House salad with a red wine vinaigrette

For his entree, Josh got the chicken parmesan. It was a huge portion, covering a large dinner plate, and covered in lots of sauce and cheese. The chicken was pounded thin but was cooked perfectly so that it was tender and the breading was still a little bit crispy. It’s one of the better versions of chicken parm that I’ve had in recent memory.

Chicken parmesan topped with lots of sauce and cheese

The chicken parm came with a side of pasta (Josh opted for spaghetti with marinara sauce) that was also an enormous portion, enough for a separate meal altogether.

Spaghetti with marinara sauce

Josh’s pasta side was as big as my pasta entree, which was also spaghetti and marinara sauce. The pasta was nicely al dente but could have been drained a bit more carefully, as there was a lot of liquid on the plate. I added a side of meatballs, which came two to the order. The meatballs were tender but had a strange, dense texture, similar to Chinese fish balls (if you’ve ever had those before). It was basically like the meat was ground finely into almost a puree and then formed into balls, so that it had no real discerning texture in the grind. Flavor-wise it was pretty standard, not very meaty but had a good amount of seasoning. While the marinara sauce wasn’t as garlicky as I would have liked, it was also well seasoned, not too sweet, with a nice tanginess.

Spaghetti with meatballs and marinara sauce

Overall I think the food at Roman Pizza & Restaurant is actually really good and far surpasses expectations. The fare is simple and straightforward red sauce Italian food. Portions are huge and prices are very reasonable. To top it off, the service is attentive and very thoughtful; not only did they split our salads very generously, they also comped all of the sodas that we had during our meal. It was really nice of them, and not something that we were expecting. Even though it’s not fancy restaurant and the décor is modest, it’s a great place for families or large groups. The food is tasty, well prepared, and very homey and comforting. It’s also a BYO, which makes it an even better bargain. You’ll definitely walk out happy and full, and with lots of doggy bags.

Roman Pizza & Restaurant
858 River Rd.
New Milford, NJ

Tags: BYO, Italian, NJ
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A Tale of Two Wondees

Sunday, December 13th, 2009 by virginia

As I mentioned in my post about Wondee Siam II, there are several Wondee Siams in the neighborhood but only one is BYO. We were planning on meeting up with some friends from high school (coincidentally on the night of our 10 year high school reunion, which none of us had an interest in attending) for a late dinner. Some of them had requested an economical option so Josh called the branch of Wondee Siam that offers BYO to make a reservation for 8 people. He was informed by whoever answered the phone that we all needed to be there on time before they would seat us. That was fine by us, as it’s not an unusual restaurant policy.

Josh and I arrived at the tiny restaurant first and looked inside the window, a bit shocked to see just how tiny the restaurant is, and that it was completely full. There wasn’t even a free two-top in sight, let alone a table for 8. Four of our friends arrived a minute later so Josh went inside to check in with the host while the rest of us stood outside in the freezing cold, as there is no room to wait inside the restaurant. We watched through the window as the guy who seemed to be in charge looked startled that we had the nerve to show up on time for our reservation and that we expected to be seated.

To be fair, the last two in our party were about 5 minutes late, but it didn’t really matter. Clearly the restaurant was full, and they had not set aside a table for us. The guy told Josh that a few tables were ready for their checks and it should only be a short wait. So we stood outside, shivering, clutching our bottles of beer and wine. Another fairly large group showed up after us without a reservation (not that it made a difference) and we told them we were waiting for a table. Since they didn’t know about the BYO policy anyway, we sent them across the street to Wondee Siam II where the space is larger and there would probably be more tables available.

And then we waited. And waited some more. All the while trying to peek through the window to get the host’s attention so that he would know we were still waiting. He saw us standing outside and didn’t say or do anything. We did see that checks were handed out to a few tables, but they didn’t seem to be in any sort of rush. So we kept waiting, hoping that someone might notice us still standing outside and take pity. After 45 minutes, we were cold, hungry, and furious.

Debating what to do next, we looked around at the other offerings on 9th Ave. but had our hearts set on Thai food. So we called Wondee Siam II across the street to make sure they had a table available for 8 people, which they did. They don’t have a BYO policy though, and the corking fee is $15. At this point, we didn’t care about BYO anymore. Sure, it’s a money saver and gives us the opportunity to drink whatever we want, but it wasn’t worth the aggravation we were dealing with. We just wanted to sit down and eat, so we headed across the street.

Right before we walked away from the original Wondee Siam, Josh opened the door and gave the host a sarcastic wave and indicated that we were leaving. The guy then had the nerve to run out after us and ask us how many people were in our party. Was he serious??? WE HAD A FREAKIN’ RESERVATION!! It was just so ridiculous, and all the more infuriating that we waited so long for basically nothing. They never intended to honor that reservation and only showed interest in us when we were about to leave. We could have ended up standing out there for hours.

After we arrived at Wondee Siam II, we were a bit hesitant because we didn’t want to give a restaurant that had just treated us so poorly business, but we figured that based on all indications, the two restaurants might share the same name and some sort of association but the actual owners were different. Had the two been more closely related, the guy from the first restaurant would have told us that there was the same restaurant across the street, and might have possibly tried to waive the corking fee for us. That would have been the right thing to do. But him running after us while we were leaving indicated that he wanted to keep our business for himself. And when we got to the second restaurant, we told them that we had a reservation at the branch across the street and they didn’t honor it so we had been waiting forever, and all we got from the hostess was an “Oh really?” but nothing more.

A bit perplexed and still a bit annoyed by the whole situation, we settled down and tried to salvage the rest of our evening. Everyone wanted to order their own entrees but we decided to share a few appetizers. First up were the Thai spring rolls, which are deep fried and filled with shredded vegetables. These are simple and standard but always tasty. Everyone was so hungry that they grabbed at the rolls before I could take a picture.

Thai spring rolls

Next we had basil rolls, which are like summer rolls (unfried spring rolls). They were thin noodles, basil leaves, and shrimp wrapped up in soft rice paper. These were refreshing and light, a nice contrast to our other fried appetizers.

Basil rolls

Someone requested the kanom jeeb, which were ground pork and shrimp dumplings, similar to shu mai at Chinese dim sum. They were pretty tasty but the filling was a bit dense and the dumpling was a little soggy.

Steamed pork and shrimp dumplings

Last was the fried tofu, an ample portion that I couldn’t stop eating. The tofu was perfect – light and crispy on the outside and soft and tender in the middle. It was almost like the fried tofu I had in Taiwan that my mom and I still obsess over. Even the people in our group who don’t normally like tofu loved this dish.

Awesome fried tofu

Josh and I decided to share our entrees though we debated for a long time about what to order. As I’ve said before, I’m not a fan of Thai curries, so our options were a bit limited. We finally settled on tofu with eggplant in basil sauce and the pad thai with beef. The tofu was similar to the fried tofu appetizer we had, except that was soaking in the sauce so it didn’t retain any crispiness. They ended up being a bit too chewy and tough though, so I actually preferred the pieces of eggplant instead. The basil sauce was a teensy bit spicy but not terribly so. I’m sure they could adjust the heat accordingly if you request it to be spicier or milder.

Tofu and eggplant in basil sauce

I really liked the pad thai the last time we were at this restaurant, which is why I pushed for it even though Josh wanted to order something else. I was really disappointed though, as it seemed like a totally different dish. This time the noodles were mushy and greasy, and the sauce binding the dish tasted like it might have had ketchup in it. It was just way too sweet, and none of the tanginess or seasonings that I praised the last time we were here.

Beef pad thai

Overall I had mixed feelings about this meal. The appetizers were pretty good, especially the fried tofu, but the entrees were kind of lackluster. Service was excellent, despite the initial indifference to our experience at the first Wondee Siam. Our water glasses were constantly filled, and when the waitress saw what a hard time I was having taking pictures with everyone attacking the food, she made sure to place each new appetizer directly in front of me first. So while they did their best to try to salvage our evening, it was still kind of hard to recover from the level of aggravation we had after our experience with the first restaurant. I think for now we’re going to explore the dozens of other Thai restaurants in our neighborhood, but I would still recommend Wondee Siam II to anyone looking for good, cheap Thai food.

However, avoid Wondee Siam at 792 9th Ave. at all costs!!!

Wondee Siam II (multiple locations)
813 9^th Ave. between 53^rd and 54^th St.
New York, NY

Tags: BYO, Midtown West, Noodles, Thai
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Wondee Siam II

Saturday, August 22nd, 2009 by virginia

Josh and I had a friend visiting from Singapore, Francois, who was basically our host and food guide when we had the incredible opportunity to live in that wonderful little country for a month back in 2007. I still drool when I think about all the great food we ate while we were there. We definitely wanted to return the favor and show our friend a good time and some of the great food that NYC has to offer. We knew that he likes Thai food, since he took us to a Thai restaurant on our first night in Singapore.

I looked in the Zagat guide for Thai restaurants in our neighborhood and Wondee Siam came up with the highest rating, an impressive 23. The Zagat guide said it was BYO, and that there were three branches in our neck of the woods. We headed for the closest one, which turned out to be Wondee Siam II.

Josh stopped off at a deli to pick up some Chang beers but we realized too late that this particular branch of Wondee Siam did indeed have a liquor license. No biggie; we put our Changs away and ordered a round of Singha instead. Just FYI, the Wondee Siam that is BYO is at 792 9^th Ave., between 52^nd and 53^rd St.

We started out with the Wondee Sampler, which came with two chicken sates, two beef sates, two thai spring rolls, two curry puffs, and two steamed vegetable dumplings. The sates were ok by NYC standards but they were nothing compared to the sates we had at Lau Pa Sat Festival Market in Singapore. The chicken and beef were both a little tough and chewy, though I did like the thick peanut dipping sauce that came with the sampler. I didn’t get to try the thai spring rolls but they looked like the standard fried rolls with a nice thin crackly outer shell. The curry puffs were good (though not as good as the ones from Old Chang Kee) but the filling could have used a heavier hand with the curry powder. The vegetable dumplings were a bit odd. They had a thick gelatinous skin and were filled with some sort of minced vegetable and peanuts. They were much sweeter than I thought they would be. Overall I probably wouldn’t order this dish again, but for a first visit, it’s a good way to get a feel of the appetizers available and figure out what you like.

Wondee Sampler with two chicken sates, two beef sates, two thai spring rolls, two curry puffs, and two steamed vegetable dumplings

Our second appetizer, the papaya salad (som tum), was shredded pieces of fresh papaya tossed with dry shrimp, peanut, string bean, chili, and lime juice. We asked for it to be spicy but it didn’t have too much of a kick to it. Still, the dish was refreshingly crunchy and tangy. It’s a great starter for waking up your taste buds.

Tangy and refreshing papaya salad

We also opted to share our main courses family style. First up was a special of the evening, grilled lamb chops served with vegetables and curry rice. The order came with only three chops so we had to divide them up among the six of us dining that evening, but everyone couldn’t get enough of the dish. There were chunks of peppers, onions, and pineapple mixed in with the curry (I think it was a red curry), which everyone spooned over their rice. I, however, am still not a fan of Thai curry, but I could taste that this was a very good version. People have told me that it must be coconut milk that I dislike, but I enjoy coconut ice cream and pina coladas. There’s also a Chinese dessert made with coconut milk and tapioca pearls that I like, so I’m not sure if that’s really the problem. After eating this particular curry though, I’ve grown to appreciate some Thai curries, though I still don’t like them, if that makes any sense.

Lamb chop curry

The lamb dish came with a pile of curry rice, which tasted like short grain rice flavored with curry powder. It was an interesting twist, but most of us preferred spooning the curry from the lamb over regular white rice.

A cone of curry rice and a cone of white rice

We ordered another special of the evening, soft shell crab with thai herbs. It was crispy deep fried soft shell crab served under a pile of onions and peppers with a brown sauce flavored with thai basil. The crab was cooked perfectly and it was pretty meaty on the inside for soft shell crab. Thai basil sauce is one of the few sauces that I like, so I really enjoyed this dish.

Soft shell crab covered in vegetables and herbs

The person who I assumed to be the manager or owner of the restaurant was really pushing the red snapper that night, saying they just got it in fresh. We were looking forward to a whole fish entrée so we went for his suggestion and got a whole fried red snapper topped with fresh garlic and spicy chili sauce. Again, the dish didn’t have as much kick as we would have liked, but it was incredibly flavorful. The fish was fried perfectly and had a nice crispy crust on the outside. I’m usually not a fan of red snapper but I loved this version. The wonderful and complex mix of spices in the crust and in the sauce just made it taste authentically Thai.

Fried whole red snapper with garlic and chili sauce

And of course I had to get an order of pad thai, which is my standard for all Thai restaurants. This was also a really good version of the dish, as it was not too sweet or overly peanutty. Again, I felt the flavors here were more authentic, and I could taste the tanginess of the fish sauce coming through. The noodles were well cooked and it wasn’t gloppy or mushy. This was one of the best pad thais that I’ve had recently.

Pad thai, of course

Overall I really liked Wondee Siam II a lot. The food is nicely spiced and seasoned, and it just tastes more authentic to me than other Thai restaurants I’ve been to in this neighborhood. Prices aren’t as dirt cheap as some other places in the area but the food is still pretty reasonably priced. We had a lot of food that fed six people easily plus a round of drinks, and it came out to about $25/person after tax and tip. I would definitely recommend this place to someone who is a bit more adventurous when it comes to Thai cuisine and is looking for something more than just the standard Americanized dishes. I don’t know how all the Wondee Siams are related but I hope the food is as good at the BYO branch, which I plan on trying next.

Wondee Siam II (multiple locations)
813 9^th Ave. between 53^rd and 54^th St.
New York, NY