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Lucky Sunday

Saturday, August 29th, 2009 by virginia

After our last peking duck debacle, Josh was still craving the crispy/fatty goodness of properly prepared peking duck so we went through the pile of menus that have been slipped underneath our door and found the one for Lucky Sunday. We placed our standard Chinese food order over the phone and our food arrived a short while later.

The peking duck visibly just looked better than the one from Empire Szechuan Kyoto. It didn’t look like it had been deep fried, and the skin was crispy and glistening. The pancakes they brought us were still warm and pliable, and they also provided a big pile of scallions and cucumbers to wrap with the duck. The duck itself was moist and fatty in a good way. The only thing I didn’t really like was the hoisin sauce, which tasted more bbq-y than what I’m used to.

Peking duck and accessories

We also got two egg rolls that were still warm and crispy, though the filling was kind of bland. I had to use a lot of duck sauce to get any kind of flavor, which was pretty disappointing. I probably wouldn’t order egg rolls from there again.

Bland egg rolls

The cold sesame noodles were also lacking in flavor and seasoning. They didn’t put enough sesame sauce on it so the whole thing was really dry and bland. There was also a weird hint of coffee taste to the sauce, which I found kind of unpleasant. I was not a fan of this dish.

Bland sesame noodles

On the positive side, the sesame chicken was much more enjoyable. The chicken was a bit fattier than normal but that helped keep the pieces more moist and tender. Usually sesame chicken is made with all white meat chicken and it tends to get too dry. The breading ended up being a bit soggy but the sauce was sticky and gooey without being overly sweet, and was perfect for spooning over rice. They also included pieces of broccoli with the chicken, which were a nice crunchy addition.

Sesame chicken with broccoli

Overall the food from Lucky Sunday was kind of a mixed bag but they fared better in the items that mattered more to us – the peking duck and the sesame chicken. While they weren’t the best versions that we’ve ever had, they were pretty good, especially since these dishes don’t usually hold up well when factoring in delivery time. I would probably order in from here again, though next time I would stay away from the appetizers.

Lucky Sunday
858 8^th Ave. between 51^st and 52^nd St.
New York, NY

Tags: Chinese, Delivery, Midtown, Peking Duck
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Gossip Bar & Restaurant

Saturday, August 29th, 2009 by virginia

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On this warm Saturday morning, Josh and I ventured along 9^th Ave. in search of a good brunch. I had read about Robert Passon’s all you can drink brunch on Wined and Dined where it said that an additional $8 can get you a variety of unlimited alcoholic brunch drinks such as bloody marys, bellinis, mimosas, and more. When we passed the restaurant, however, we saw that the price for the drink add-on had risen to $13. Boo. With entrees averaging around $8, $21 is not outrageously expensive for all you can drink brunch, but $5 is still a pretty hefty increase percentage-wise.

Nevertheless, we were still prepared to go in but we overheard the hostess telling the couple in front of us that the credit card machine was broken so they were only accepting cash. Not having cash on hand, we left the restaurant and continued down the street looking for another place to brunch.

We walked by Gossip Bar, which from the outside looked like a fairly standard bar/grill. It didn’t seem like a typical brunch place but they had a sign out front advertising their brunch specials, including $4 bloody marys. Sold!

The bar was pretty empty so Josh and I snagged a comfy leather booth in the front and promptly ordered two bloody marys while we perused the menu. Their brunch offerings aren’t extensive but they also have burgers/sandwiches/salads available from their lunch menu. Our drinks arrived shortly and we placed our food order with the bartender who was also functioning as the waitress. The bloody marys were terrific – well seasoned, spicy, and packing a nice alcoholic punch. I liked that there were visible pieces of grated horseradish floating around, as that is my favorite part of a bloody mary.

Spicy and strong bloody marys

While we waited for our food we watched some of the Little League World Series and parts of Ted Kennedy’s funeral procession on the big screen TVs behind the bar. A runner brought by a basket of mini corn muffins that we nibbled on. They were sweet and warm but fairly standard. It was more of a nice gesture than anything else, since you usually don’t expect to get any kind of bread basket at a bar.

Warm mini corn muffins

Our food arrived a short while later and we got another round of bloody marys. I opted for the Gossip Eggs, which were smoked salmon eggs benedict with spinach on english muffins topped with hollandaise sauce. The smoked salmon was delicious, not too salty or oily, and the spinach was a nice addition that worked well with both the salmon and the hollandaise, and pulled everything together. The eggs were perfectly poached and the english muffins were toasted and crunchy. There were also roasted potato home fries on the side that were nicely seasoned but a bit too mushy in texture.

Gossip Eggs with smoked salmon and spinach

Josh had two eggs over easy with grilled tomato, bacon, sausage, home fries, and white toast. It was a huge plate of food and all very tasty and well cooked, though his home fries had the same texture issues as mine. Maybe next time we’ll ask if they’ll let us substitute French fries instead.

Eggs over easy with bacon, sausage, toast, and home fries

The Gossip Bar really was a surprisingly good find. Like I said, it doesn’t look like much from the outside but inside it’s open and airy and elegantly decorated. It’s definitely a more upscale bar than the standard dives and pubs that we’re used to. The food was really delicious and the drinks were strong and tasty. I’ll definitely be back here for brunch, and maybe lunch or dinner. I saw a few sandwiches passing by us with huge piles of freshly cut skin-on fries that I’m eager to try out. The atmosphere was just really mellow and I could absolutely see myself hanging out here in the future.

Gossip Bar & Restaurant
733 9^th Ave. between 49^th and 50^th St.
New York, NY

Tags: Bars, Brunch, Eggs Benedict, Midtown West, Smoked Salmon
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Lansdowne Road

Friday, August 28th, 2009 by virginia

Josh and I both got out of work early on this rainy summer Friday. Our original plan was to meet up with his coworkers at The Frying Pan but the weather refused to cooperate. We headed instead to Lansdowne Road, a bar that we’ve been to several times but mostly for drinks. They have a lot of good beers on tap, including my personal favorite, Magic Hat #9. Since my office is further away, I arrived later than everyone else. Josh had already started on an order of buffalo wings by the time I got there.

Tomato-y tasting buffalo wings

Buffalo wings are one of the few things that I’ve eaten at Lansdowne Road before but for some reason I thought they were very different this time. The sauce was sweeter and more tomato-y than I remembered. It also tasted like the spice came from a garlic chili sauce rather than from a vinegary hot sauce. Though the wings were hot and meaty, I really didn’t enjoy this version of buffalo sauce.

Also different than what I remembered was the burger, which I ordered medium rare with swiss cheese.

Burger with swiss cheese

The burger was cooked medium rare to order but it was ground very finely so that it had a mushy texture, and oddly, it was very sweet. It tasted like they mixed some spices and seasoning with the meat that detracted from the beefy flavor. I’m sad to say that I did not enjoy this burger very much. It really just didn’t taste like a burger to me.

Autopsy shot

Josh didn’t fare much better with his French dip, also with swiss cheese. The roast beef was sliced very thin and way too dry. Dipping it into the au jus helped a little, but even the flavor of that was off. Basically the only thing I really enjoyed from both of our plates was the French fries.

French dip with swiss cheese

Overall I was really disappointed with the food at Lansdowne Road. It was just strange because I’ve definitely eaten there before but didn’t remember the food being bad. Maybe I was just drunk at the time? I do remember having a burger on a previous visit, as well as sharing the Tailgate starter that included sliders, wings, and fries. Nevertheless, I’ll still come back here because of the beer selection, and because they have pool and darts in the back room. The atmosphere is relaxed and there are plenty of seats and big TV screens, which are very important to me. Next time though I’ll stick with the basic fried appetizers – chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, fries, etc. I still think it’s a great place to have a good beer, watch a game, and just hang out with your friends.

Lansdowne Road
599 10^th Ave. between 43^rd and 44^th St.
New York, NY

Tags: Bars, Burgers, Midtown West, Sandwiches
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Revisiting Margon

Thursday, August 27th, 2009 by virginia

I was a bit disappointed with my last visit to Margon but like I said in my review, I know their Cuban sandwiches can be inconsistent depending on how busy they are. So when Josh told me he was meeting up with his cousin at the restaurant for lunch, I invited myself along because I was eager to give them a chance to redeem themselves.

This was my first time actually eating in the restaurant but luckily they weren’t super full so we were able to snag a table. We started out with an order of tostones while we were waiting for the sandwiches to be prepared. These did come topped with mojo this time, much to my relief and delight. And they were better than usual because we were eating them fresh at the restaurant instead of carrying them out in a tinfoil container where they tend to get cold and soggy. These tostones were still warm, a little bit crunchy on the outside, and doused with the deliciously tangy and garlicky mojo. Yum!

Tostones topped with mojo

After we worked our way through half of the tostones, Josh went back to the sandwich counter to pick up our Cubans. At first glance these sandwiches just looked so much better than the ones I got last time. The bread was pressed flat and had toasted marks on top, and the melted cheese was oozing out.

Crispy and hot pressed Cuban sandwich

The verdict? Perfection. The bread was crispy on the outside and the sandwich was still warm enough to burn my tongue a little. The flavors of the meat, cheese, garlic, and pickles just all work so well together. The sandwich guy asked Josh if he wanted hot sauce on the sandwich, to which Josh replied yes, but I didn’t taste any hot sauce. Not a problem, I didn’t miss anything. The sandwich was absolutely wonderful as is.

Autopsy shot

I don’t know if eating at the restaurant was the difference, but maybe now we’ll start eating in more often rather than taking it out! I hope every trip I make to Margon will be as good as it was on this day.

Margon
36 West 46th St. between 6^th and 7^th Ave.
New York, NY

Tags: Cuban, Lunch, Midtown, Sandwiches
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The Greek Kitchen

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 by virginia

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The Greek Kitchen is Greek restaurant (duh!) near our apartment that we’ve passed by many times. I’ve been craving mediterranean food a lot recently so I was eager to try it out. The restaurant is much bigger than it looks from the outside and is kind of rustically decorated like an actual taverna in Greece. The dining room wasn’t very crowded on this rainy evening so we were able to snag a table in the corner next to the window.

We started off with a bottle of Greek red wine, a cabernet-merlot mix from Dimitra wines. We’re not the hugest fan of Greek wines but this bottle was pretty drinkable. We also ordered an appetizer platter to share, the pikilia, which is a choice of any four cold appetizers. We opted for tzatziki (yogurt, cucumber, garlic, dill), skordalia (potato, garlic), melitzanosalata (eggplant, garlic, olive oil, lemon), and dolmades (stuffed grape leaves).

Tzatziki, skordalia, melitzanosalata, and dolmades

The three dips were all nicely seasoned and packed good garlic punch. I also really liked the warm pieces of pita bread they brought us to eat the dips with. After we ran out of bread, they gladly brought us more. The stuffed grape leaves were also pretty tasty and not too greasy, which is a problem I often find with grape leaves at other Greek restaurants.

Warm pieces of pita bread

Josh and I decided to split two entrees, lamb shish kebab and a combination platter with gyro, bifteki, and pork souvlaki. Both of our entrees came with a big plate of salad, which they brought out to us first. The salad was mostly lettuce but had a few pieces of cucumber, tomato, and onion on top. It was also covered in feta crumbles, which I liked because it was mild and added a nice saltiness to the otherwise ordinary salad. The dressing was also pretty light and not too vinegary.

Salad topped with pieces of crumbled feta

We ordered the lamb shish kebab rare but it was totally overcooked. The pieces were tough and rubbery, which was very disappointing. It had a nice gamey flavor but I couldn’t get over the poor meat. The shish kebab came with a side of Greek fries, which were thin slices of potato seasoned with lemon and oregano and topped with a sprinkling of cheese. These were just ok. They had decent flavor but weren’t really very crispy and were kind of cold.

Lamb shish kebab and Greek fries

We opted for rice pilaf with our combination platter. The rice was ok, but it was topped with tomato sauce that tasted like it came straight from a jar. Not great. We kind of scraped that off to the side. The gyro though in the combination platter was my favorite meat of the evening. It had a nice char on the outside and the thin slices of meat were really tender. I liked the seasoning in the meat a lot, and made my own gyro sandwiches by wrapping some meat in slice of pita bread and adding a dollop of tzatziki sauce on top. The bifteki was ground beef mixed with onions and tasted like a hamburger patty. Not bad, but not great. The pork souvlaki, however, was really a mixed bag. Most pieces were tough and overcooked, except for one, which was completely raw. Unfortunately, I was the one who ate a bite of the raw piece. Josh had been complaining that the meat was too tough, so I took a piece and had a bite. My piece was surprisingly mushy, and I couldn’t understand why until I flipped it over and it was completely undercooked. Like it was still pink and fleshy. Yikes.

Combination platter with gyro, bifteki, and pork souvlaki

At that point we were both full and didn’t really want anything except the check, so we didn’t say anything. It was clearly an honest mistake, as the rest of the meats were all cooked to a point of overdone-ness, and it was only one piece out of many pieces of meat we had that evening.

A little taste of everything

Overall I wasn’t a big fan of The Greek Kitchen. The appetizer platter was good but it was pretty standard stuff that I can get at any decent Greek restaurant. And I was really disappointed with all of the grilled meats except for the gyro. I’m sorry to say that I’ve had better Greek food from a diner. Plus there are too many other Greek restaurants in this area to settle for mediocre food. I don’t think we’ll be coming back here again.

The Greek Kitchen
889 10^th Ave. at 58^th St.
New York, NY

Tags: Greek, Midtown West
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Amy’s Bread, Di Palo’s, Sullivan St. Bakery

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009 by virginia

A lot of people have been wondering why we haven’t posted that many recipes on our blog, even though we claim that we love to cook so much. The reason is simply because the weather has been so hot lately that neither Josh nor I have had much desire to slave away in our tiny kitchen with poor ventilation. We don’t have an overhead fan above our stove, and there is no switch to turn on the tiny vent next to the burners that is supposed to automatically come on when it senses smoke. And by supposedly, I mean the fan rarely kicks in, and so whenever we cook our apartment inevitably fills up with smoke.

As a result, on nights that we don’t go out or order in, we’ll just throw together something simple like Caesar salad with homemade dressing and grilled chicken or arugula salad with lemon and parmesan. Tasty, but nothing exciting to blog about. Our favorite simple supper, however, is prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil, and a nice baguette, all arranged on a cutting board for easy noshing. We slice the baguette into little rounds and just pile on whatever toppings we choose. It’s fun, easy, and requires absolutely no cooking.

On truly lazy nights, we’ll get by with supermarket mozzarella, prosciutto, and baguettes. They’re not the greatest but they’re passable in a pinch. However, when Josh took our friend from Singapore to Chinatown for some banh mis, and he very thoughtfully picked up some fresh mozzarella and burrata from Di Palo’s.

One night I convinced Josh to stop at Amy’s Bread and Sullivan Street Bakery after work for some baguettes, so we could do a side-by-side comparison. Unfortunately, by the time he got to Amy’s bread they had run out of regular baguettes so we had to settle for whole wheat. Not a big deal. He did manage to get a regular baguette from Sullivan Street, so while we couldn’t do an exact comparison, we did have a nice variety for dinner that evening.

Whole wheat baguette from Amy's Bread on top, regular baguette from Sullivan St. on the bottom

We rounded out the meal with some decent Citterio prosciutto that we picked up for cheap at Costco, basil from our windowsill, a nice ripe cantaloupe, also from Costco, and some super sweet cherries.

A simple yet tasty dinner

The last time we had burrata from Di Palo’s, it was imported burrata. This time Josh got the domestic burrata, which still had great flavor but it wasn’t as milky or creamy on the inside as the imported variety.

Burrata innards

Both baguettes were delicious. Fortunately the whole wheat one from Amy’s Bread wasn’t too wheaty in flavor, since I usually don’t like whole wheat bread. It had a subtle nuttiness to it, and a slightly firmer chew, but otherwise it was just as good as a regular baguette. The one from Sullivan Street Bakery had a nice airy and chewy interior, though I wished the crust was a bit more crispy. Not a big deal, we can just pop it in the oven for a quick toast next time. I really liked both baguettes, and while the location of Amy’s Bread is much more convenient, I’d happily make the trek down to Sullivan Street Bakery once in a while for some delicious bread.

Baguette cross sections

The addition of the cantaloupe was a nice change of pace for us. It’s no wonder that prosciutto and melon is a classic pairing. The super sweet melon and the salty sweet prosciutto were simply divine together.

A classic pairing of prosciutto and melon

I’m sick of the hot weather but I’ll be sad when the summer is over and my excuse for not cooking will no longer be valid. But even though we won’t have super sweet ripe summer tomatoes and fruit available when the weather gets cooler, I’m sure we’ll still have many lazy nights when we’ll have a simple feast of prosciutto, mozzarella, and tasty fresh baguettes.

It just doesn't get better than this

Amy’s Bread (multiple locations)
672 9^th Ave. between 46^th and 47^th St.
New York, NY

Sullivan Street Bakery
533 West 47^th St. between 10^th and 11^th Ave.
New York, NY

Di Palo’s Fine Foods
200 Grand St. between Mulberry and Mott St.
New York, NY

Tags: Bread, Midtown West
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Nisi Estiatorio

Monday, August 24th, 2009 by virginia

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Josh’s parents have been raving about Nisi Estiatorio, a Greek restaurant in Englewood, for a long time now so when we found ourselves in NJ on a random weekday night, they decided to take us there for a nice treat. The restaurant features fresh seafood that is simply prepared. The fish are displayed on ice and you can choose which one you want; the fish you pick is priced by the pound.

The fish are displayed on ice and you can pick the one you want

The fish are displayed on ice - you can pick the one you want and they'll weigh it for you

Our waitress took Josh and me up to the fish display to select our fish. We decided to try a fish we’ve never had before, a fagri, which is a pink sea bass. The fagri they had on hand that day were big enough for two so we decided to split one. Josh’s mom chose a dover sole, and Josh’s dad decided to go for a special of the evening, a red snapper. We also decided to share some appetizers and side dishes. After placing our order, they brought out the bread basket which had pieces of warm bread brushed with olive oil, as well as a little dish of kalamata olives. The bread had a sturdy and crispy crust and I thought the olive oil was a nice touch.

Crusty bread brushed with olive oil

Our first appetizer was diced beets topped with a whipped feta skordalia. The beets were marinated in vinegar so they had a bit of a tang to them. The whipped feta skordalia was light and fluffy and very garlicky (skordalia is usually a dip made with potatoes and garlic). I didn’t taste much feta, but I thought the combination of the tangy beets and the creamy skordalia was wonderful together. I’ll definitely have to experiment with making this at home.

Diced beets topped with feta skordalia

Next we had a greek salad with huge chunks of cucumber and tomatoes in it, as well as olives, peppers, and onions. There was a big block of feta cheese on top that was creamy, not crumbly, and had a mellow gamey flavor to it. Josh doesn’t normally like feta but he enjoyed this one. The salad was lightly dressed with some oil and vinegar and was very refreshing.

Greek salad with delicious feta

For our last appetizer we had Nisi chips, which were thinly sliced vegetables lightly battered and deep fried. There were thin strips of eggplant, onion, beets, and some other vegetables that I don’t remember. The chips were crispy and not at all greasy. It came with some tzatziki sauce for dipping, but unfortunately the tzatziki was pretty disappointing. It’s usually my favorite dip but this one tasted only like plain yogurt; it lacked both flavor and seasoning.

Nisi chips with tzatziki sauce for dipping

For our main course, the fish that Josh and I chose was brought to us fileted and served with a little drizzle of oil and lots of capers and herbs. We squeezed some lemon juice over the top and it was just perfect – light and simple. The fagri was a meatier fish than I thought it would be, but still had a nice delicate texture to it. My only complaint was that it was served to us at room temperature, not warm. But I still enjoyed it a lot and would absolutely order it again.

The fagri (pink sea bass) we selected

Josh’s mom had a dover sole that appeared to have been floured and pan fried. It had a crust on it that was a bit tough, and the fish was overcooked. I don’t think she was too pleased with her dish.

Disappointing dover sole

Josh’s dad had a red snapper special that was served with roasted vegetables. I only took one bite of it but it was cooked perfectly and nicely seasoned.

Red snapper with roasted vegetables

For our sides, we had a bowl of three cheese smashed potatoes, which were super rich. The potatoes still had a bit of texture to them, which I liked. It was a heavy dish but I thought it went well with the fish.

Three cheese smashed potatoes

Our other side was roasted vegetables, which was a colorful mix of peppers, zucchini, asparagus, tomatoes, and other vegetables. They were lightly seasoned and still retained their crunch.

Colorful medley of roasted vegetables

Overall I really enjoyed Nisi Estiatorio. One bad dover sole aside, the fish for the most part is super fresh and well prepared. All the appetizers were great, and the sides were delicious as well. There were lots of other things on the menu that I’d like to try, such as the grilled lamb chops. My only issue with this restaurant is that it’s pretty pricey, and most entrees are served a la carte so sides cost extra, which means that it’s not somewhere we can go often. The atmosphere is really nice though, and the restaurant is big and airy and nicely decorated, which means it would be perfect for a special occasion. I hope that we will be back here again soon.

Nisi Estiatorio
90 Grand Ave.
Englewood, NJ

Tags: Englewood, Greek, NJ, Seafood
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Takahachi

Sunday, August 23rd, 2009 by virginia

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Francois requested Japanese food for Sunday night dinner, and we happily obliged. After debating a few restaurants, we ended up going to Takahachi on Duane St., a place that we’ve been to a few times previously. They also have a branch on the lower east side that is slightly cheaper but the atmosphere is much nicer at the Tribeca location.

We decided to order lots of different items and share everything. We started with some boiled edamame that was topped with an ample sprinkling of coarse salt.

Edamame topped with coarse salt

Next we had soba salad, which is buckwheat noodles topped with shiitake mushrooms, avocado, onion, daikon, and seaweed with sesame dressing. The ingredients sounded promising but the noodles and dressing were a bit gloppy in texture. The dressing also lacked enough seasoning, and the avocado in the salad was seriously unripe. So unripe that it was crunchy and bitter, and definitely unpalatable. I was very disappointed with this dish.

Soba salad with very unripe avocado slices

I also wasn’t a huge fan of the rock shrimp and broccoli tempura. They were too heavily breaded and completely drenched in the spicy mayo, which made them really soggy. The mayo also didn’t have enough of a spicy kick to it. Overall the dish just tasted heavy and greasy.

Shrimp and broccoli tempura with spicy mayo

That tatsuta age, which is deep fried pieces of chicken, was another disappointment. It’s supposed to be soy marinated chicken with ginger flavor, but I didn’t taste any of those flavors. Plus the chicken was over fried and way too dry.

Tatsuta age (fried chicken pieces)

Fortunately we had better luck with some of our other appetizers. The age gyoza, which are fried dumplings with Chilean sea bass and shrimp, were absolutely delicious. The thin skins on the gyoza were fried to a perfect crisp, and the filling was really tasty. I’ve never had Chilean sea bass in a dumpling before and it added a nice delicate fish flavor to the standard shrimp filling.

Fried gyoza filled with shrimp and chilean sea bass

The shumai, which are steamed shrimp dumplings, were also not like what I’m used to having. These were like shrimp balls rolled in shredded dumpling skin. They had tons of shrimp flavor and were deliciously meaty, kind of like eating a shrimp meatball.

Shrimp shumai

The agedashi tofu is fried tofu served in a broth. While the tofu doesn’t stay crispy being soaked in the broth, it develops a nice skin and the insides stay really soft and tender. This dish is one that we always order at Japanese restaurants.

Agedashi tofu

The best appetizers of all, however, involved some of Takahachi’s fresh raw fish. Yellowtail is my favorite sushi fish, so I requested an order of the hamachi tartare, which was chopped yellowtail and sea urchin marinated in tabasco. Unfortunately, they ran out of sea urchin. Darn! I love sea urchin (uni) and was looking forward to pairing it with the yellowtail. Nevertheless, the dish was beautifully presented and the yellowtail was mixed with tobiko. I don’t know if the tobiko was in place of the uni but it added a nice salty textural contrast to the chopped yellowtail.

Hamachi tartare

My favorite appetizer of the night also featured yellowtail. The hamachi carpaccio with jalapeno sauce was absolutely delicious. The yellowtail was sliced super thin and basically melted in my mouth. The jalapeno wasn’t too spicy and complemented the fish perfectly. The dish just tasted so clean and fresh.

Hamachi carpaccio with jalapeno sauce

For our main course, we opted to share a bunch of different sushi rolls and pieces of sushi. The special rolls at Takahachi all have names that are related to movies for some reason. The “Anaconda” roll, which is featured under the Special Big Maki section, was a shrimp tempura roll topped with broiled eel.

Anaconda roll (with shrimp tempura and eel)

The “Year of the Dragon” roll included eel, cucumber, avocado, and flying fish roe. Fortunately the avocado used in this roll was riper than the avocado we had in our soba salad. The “Kiss of the Spider Woman” roll had deep fried soft shell crab, avocado, lettuce, smelt roe, radish, and mayo. We also had a rainbow roll, which was pretty standard but the freshness of the fish really stood out in this roll.

Rainbow roll in the back, Kiss of the Spider Woman on the left, and Year of the Dragon on the right

The problem with the Special Big Maki rolls was that they were humongous. We couldn’t pick them up with our chopsticks because they would fall apart. I ended up using my hands and could still barely hold a piece, let alone eat it properly. Sushi should be eaten in one bite, and even with my big mouth there was no way I could fit it in. One piece was the same diameter as the palm of my hand and almost as long as my fingers.

A piece of the Kiss of the Spider Woman roll barely fits in my hand

I can barely get my hand around a piece of the Kiss of the Spider Woman roll

We followed up the maki rolls with some individual pieces of sushi. First we had some tuna and fluke sushi…

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Followed by some salmon and yellowtail…

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And finally, some tamago, octopus, and mackeral sushi.

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Whew it was a lot of food! But don’t worry, there were eight of us partaking in this meal so we weren’t huge pigs. And we still saved room for dessert, because we can never pass up dessert at Takahachi. They sell slices of green tea mille crepe cake that they get from Lady M Confections. These cakes are made out of over 20 thin crepes layered with green tea pastry cream. It’s absolutely awesome, not too sweet or too rich, and a must-have for any green tea lover. One day I will try to make one of these cakes, if I’m feeling adventurous. It’s seriously one of my most favorite desserts ever.

Green tea mille crepe cake

Overall the food at Takahachi is decent, but not spectacular. Most of the appetizers were hit or miss, without much consistency in between. And while their fish is pretty fresh, I think the flavors kind of get lost in the specialty rolls because there is just too much going on. You’re probably better off sticking with the plainer regular rolls and getting individual pieces of sushi or sashimi. The only thing that I can say for sure is that if you do go, get the green tea mille crepe!

Takahachi (multiple locations)
145 Duane St. between West Broadway and Church St.
New York, NY

Tags: Japanese, Sushi, Tribeca
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Louie’s Charcoal Pit

Sunday, August 23rd, 2009 by virginia

Our Singaporean friend Francois wanted to go shopping at the Woodbury Common outlets so we first headed off to NJ to borrow a car from Josh’s parents. We had enough time to grab a quick breakfast with Josh’s mom and ended up at Louie’s Charcoal Pit, of course.

I had my usual breakfast order of two eggs over easy with bacon, french fries, and toast. The eggs were perfectly runny and the bacon was nicely crispy. We always make sure to ask for our bacon well done so it’s never soggy or greasy. The fries were freshly fried and golden brown.

Two eggs over easy, bacon, french fries, and toast

Josh had bacon and egg on a roll, and contented himself with stealing some of my fries.

Fried egg sandwich with bacon

Josh’s mom had a bagel and lox platter, which comes with smoked salmon, lettuce, tomato, and onion. Though the bagel and cream cheese are nothing special (for truly great bagels, just head up the block to Three Star Bagels), they give you a huge portion of lox that is really delicious. The lox is a slightly thicker cut and not too oily. You can really pile it onto your bagel and it makes a filling and satisfying breakfast.

Bagel and lox platter

Louie’s is still and probably always will be my favorite diner. It’s just so familiar and comforting. It’s the kind of place where people greet you by name when you walk in, and the waiters know what your usual order is. The food comes quickly but you never feel rushed; we can sit for hours just chatting and they’ll always keep coming by to refill our coffee cups. I can guarantee that we’ll be back here, and often.

Louie’s Charcoal Pit
510 Cedar Lane
Teaneck, NJ

Tags: Diner, NJ, Sandwiches, Smoked Salmon
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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

Tags: BYO, Midtown West, Noodles, Thai
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