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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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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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Go Go Curry

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 by virginia

I first read about Go Go Curry on Midtown Lunch and now it’s part of our regular lunch rotation, though we can’t get it too often because I always feel incredibly full after eating it. Josh and I always share a Grand Slam order, which is a massive mound of rice covered in curry and topped with a huge chicken katsu, a pork katsu, two sausages, a shrimp tempura, a hard boiled egg, and shredded cabbage. The container it comes in weighs a ton and it’s just a crazy amount of food. We can’t even finish off one order between the two of us.

The Grand Slam

The curry, however, doesn’t look anything like any curry that I’ve ever had. It’s a super dark brown color, whereas all the other curries I’ve had previously at other Japanese restaurants have been a lighter greenish color. This curry is mixed with little bits of pork so it’s definitely not vegetarian friendly. It has a thick, rich texture and is slightly sweet tasting. It also doesn’t have the same complexity of spices that is found in other curries, so it might be a bit friendlier to people who claim they hate all curry.

The curry is a deep brown color and full of pork bits

The chicken katsu and pork katsu are always perfectly fried and still remain a little crispy even after being transported in a styrofoam container. The chicken is a bit thicker than the pork, though the pork is always a bit more moist and flavorful.

Chicken katsu up close

The shrimp tempura is a large piece but it’s heavily breaded and always comes slathered in mayo, which makes it soggy. I could do without the mayo, as this dish is rich enough.

Shrimp tempura

The sausages are pretty fatty and greasy but mild in flavor. They taste more like hot dogs than sausages, which I like, since I’m not a sausage fan. I’m not sure why the hard boiled egg is there, but it’s just another protein option for this already packed meal.

Go Go Curry is basically an homage to Hideki Matsui of the Yankees. “Go” in Japanese means “five”, and Matsui’s number is 55. When Matsui hits a home run during a game at Yankee Stadium, the restaurant gives out free topping cards the next day. They also give out free topping cards on the 5^th, 15^th, and 25^th of each month. Keep in mind that toppings at Go Go Curry are things like chicken katsu, and they give you the whole chicken cutlet; it’s a pretty good deal. While I don’t know how authentic the curry is (reviews vary), I find it pretty tasty and very filling. Grab a friend and split a Grand Slam so you can get a taste of lots of different toppings. I just don’t recommend trying to finish one off yourself, but if you can, I will be super impressed.

Go Go Curry
273 West 38^th St. between 7^th and 8^th Ave.
New York, NY

Tags: Curry, Japanese, Lunch, Midtown
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Bar Boulud

Sunday, August 16th, 2009 by virginia

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Josh has been itching to try Bar Boulud ever since we moved into the neighborhood. We pass it all the time and the tables outside on the sidewalk are always full. Plus it’s a Daniel Boulud restaurant, so how bad can it be? I reminded Josh that this restaurant’s main focus is on charcuterie, however, and not necessarily on standard french main courses and appetizers. Nevertheless, we have both been intrigued by the art of charcuterie ever since we read The Soul of a Chef by Michael Ruhlman, which chronicles the Certified Master Chef exam, of which charcuterie plays a major part.

Josh was able to get us a reservation for Sunday night dinner so off we went. We arrived early for our reservation (surprising!) but they seated us right away, even though our party was incomplete. We had a table next to the window at the front of the restaurant, so we had a nice view of the “wine cave” tunnel that makes up most of the dining area.

The main room is a tunnel built like a wine cave

However, it was unbearably hot where we were. I don’t know if the heat was an issue in the whole restaurant, but we were seated underneath a vent and nothing was coming out of it. This continued for our entire dinner, making most of us feel extremely uncomfortable. We asked our waitress about it and she said the air was on, but we definitely couldn’t feel it.

Nevertheless, we fanned ourselves with our menus as we looked at the long list of offerings. We were pleasantly surprised to see that they were offering a $35 “Endless Weekends” prix fixe dinner menu that had several tempting options. While we were perusing the menus, a runner dropped off a basket of big puffy gougeres. These were deliciously light and cheesy, and we finished them off immediately.

Puffy, crispy, and chewy gougeres

Sadly, they replaced our basket of gougeres with regular bread. I would have liked more of the cheese puffs! The bread wasn’t bad; it just didn’t have a crispy crust and was very chewy. I did enjoy the accompanying butter, which had a nice sprinkling of coarse salt on top.

Ok bread with good butter and salt

Most of us chose to order from the $35 prix fixe, except that they ran out of one of the entrees, a braised heritage berkshire pork shank. Josh was the only one who decided to order a la carte instead, since the rest of us covered all the other prix fixe options.

We decided to share some charcuterie to start before getting into our appetizers. We got an order of Pate Grand-Mere, which is made from chicken liver, pork and cognac. It was a huge piece of pate and was not too overwhelming in chicken liver flavor, which is good or bad depending on your preference. It had a nice subtle liver-ness to it but was still very rich. Josh is not a liver fan and he still enjoyed this dish.

Pate grand-mere

We also had a terrine of lamb, eggplant, and sweet potato. This had a softer, smoother texture than the Pate Grand-Mere but the flavors were more muddled. The lamb was not gamey at all, and had I not seen the menu I wouldn’t have known we were having lamb. It didn’t taste bad but there was nothing about it that stood out.

Lamb, eggplant, and sweet potato terrine

Finally, we shared a plate of prosciutto san daniele, which was sliced very thinly and deliciously fatty. The prosciutto had a nice soft texture and basically melted in your mouth.

Prosciutto san daniele

They gave us pieces of toasted brown bread to spread the pate and terrines on. The crunchiness of the toast worked well with the smoothness of the charcuterie.

A piece of crunchy brown toast and a little taste of everything

Moving on to the appetizers, we had a choice of gazpacho, gnocchi with chorizo, or rabbit and beef cheek terrines. Josh’s cousin selected the gazpacho, which was an impressive bright red color and had watermelon in it in addition to the usual gazpacho ingredients. It was pureed smooth and was perfectly seasoned. The bright flavors really popped and it had a nice tang to it. It really was a refreshing course after the heavy pate and terrine.

Bright and tasty gazpacho

Josh’s parents both selected the gnocchi with chorizo, which was an absolutely delicious dish and the winner out of all the appetizers. The gnocchi were melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the chorizo added a nice smoky background to the sauce. I ended up stealing half of Josh’s mom’s portion, as I was not so happy with my own appetizer selection.

Gnocchi with chorizo

I had originally ordered the gnocchi dish myself, but after everyone ordered I switched last minute to the terrines, since no one else had ordered that as an appetizer. I didn’t have the foresight to think that we were already getting a pate and another terrine to start. By the time we finished those pre-appetizers, I was pretty much terrined out. The beef cheek terrine was very similar to the lamb terrine, though it was a bit meatier in flavor. It was also very rich and heavy, and I didn’t feel the need to finish it. The rabbit terrine was much lighter, and had nice chunks of rabbit meat in it. I enjoyed this terrine a lot more but I still preferred the gnocchi. I must say that they did give a generous portion of each terrine, which is nice considering it was part of the prix fixe special.

Beef cheek terrine on the left and rabbit terrine on the right

Josh was the only one who didn’t order off the prix fixe menu, and he opted for steak tartare as his appetizer. The tartare tasted wonderfully fresh and was nicely seasoned. It was served with crunchy potato gaufrettes, though there weren’t enough chips to last through all the tartare. Nevertheless, it was my second favorite appetizer of the evening.

Steak tartare

For his main course, Josh selected the coq au vin. It fell cleanly off the bone but I thought the meat was still very dry. I also didn’t think it had enough seasoning or a deep enough wine flavor, but Josh seemed to enjoy the dish a lot. The hand rolled pasta that was mixed with the dish was an interesting twist though, and a nice addition I thought.

Coq au vin

Josh’s mom ordered the moules a la provencale, which were steamed mussels in a white wine broth with tomatoes and herbs. It was a pretty decently sized bowl of mussels but a bit lacking in flavor. It wasn’t that they were bad, they just didn’t have a nice garlic punch that you tend expect from mussels steamed in white wine.

Moules a la provencale

The rest of us opted for the grilled angus steak with market beans and smoked onion mashed potatoes. My steak was cooked rare to order and nicely seasoned. The market beans were sauteed but a bit boring. The mashed potatoes, however, had a nice smokiness to them, and the caper steak sauce that was drizzled on top of the meat and potatoes really added a lot to the flavor of the dish. This was my favorite entree of the group.

Steak with beans and smoked onion mashed potatoes

We also ordered some sides to share. First up was a cauliflower gratin, which was kind of like mac and cheese but made with big pieces of cauliflower. It was creamy and cheesy and totally addictive.

Cauliflower gratin

Our order of spinach didn’t come out as expected, but it was still tasty. We thought it would be sauteed spinach; instead, what we got was more like creamed spinach without cream. The spinach was chopped very finely and had a smooth texture.

Some kind of spinach

Lastly, we couldn’t go to a French restaurant and not get pommes frites. The french fries were cut very thin and were nicely seasoned but unfortunately, they were really soggy. That was kind of disappointing, even though they still tasted really good.

Pommes frites

For dessert, the prix fixe menu came with a choice of apricot clafoutis or coupe framboise, which was white chocolate mousse with fresh raspberries, pistachio crumble, and strawberry sorbet. The presentation of the coupe framboise was really nice, with everything layered in a clear glass. The white chocolate mousse was creamy and delicious, and all the ingredients just worked really well together.

Coupe framboise

The apricot clafoutis was and almond cake topped with apricots and a layer of crumble on top. While I didn’t think almond cake and apricot worked well together at Morimoto, this dessert was really scrumptious and comforting. The cake part was a bit eggy, the apricots soft and sweet, and the crumble added a nice textural contrast.

Apricot clafoutis

Josh ordered his dessert a la carte, and then traded with his cousin for the coupe framboise. She is a self-proclaimed total chocoholic and couldn’t turn down the tarte au chocolat classique, a chocolate tart with hazelnut spread and chocolate-vanilla ice cream. It was super rich and super chocolately, perfect for any chocolate-lover.

Tarte au chocolat

Overall I enjoyed certain aspects of Bar Boulud, but not everything. Apparently I’m not a huge fan of terrines and pates, but I appreciate the skill that it takes to make them. The $35 prix fixe menu was a pretty good deal, especially since the a la carte options here are pretty pricey. Though the place is always full and bustling, the atmosphere is still pretty laid back and relaxed. Our waitress was attentive but not overbearing. While I’m not sure that I would come back here for another full meal, I might stop by for a nice glass wine and some cured meats and cheeses.

Bar Boulud
1900 Broadway between 63^rd and 64^th St.
New York, NY

Tags: French, Prix Fixe, Upper West Side
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Fat Sal’s Pizza

Saturday, August 15th, 2009 by virginia

So I have a dilemma that I thought I’d put forth to you, the readers. If you had some of the best pizza you’ve ever eaten, but it showed up to your door looking like this, would you order from this pizza place again?

This is what our pizza looked like when it arrived - no joke

Thus is my experience with Fat Sal’s Pizza. In the interest of full disclosure, I may have caused our pizza to arrive looking like that, although I still don’t know if that makes it acceptable.

We were continuing our quest for our go-to pizza place and decided to try out Fat Sal’s on 10^th Ave. I placed our order on delivery.com, a website that we’ve used before, and somehow our address was messed up. I don’t really know how that happened, but I must’ve mistyped it at some point. We do have an account and I just logged into it, so I didn’t check the address before I submitted our order. We’ve ordered using that account previously without any problems so I wasn’t aware there was an issue.

Nevertheless, when the pizzeria called us up to verify our address, Josh apologized profusely about the mistake. So the deliveryman had traveled four blocks out of his way, and we honestly felt badly about it. We planned to make it up to him in the tip, and we would have completely understood if it took a long time for the delivery to come or if our food was cold. We were definitely in the wrong, and we knew that.

We didn’t open up the pizza box until after the deliveryman took his tip and left, and now we understand his haste in getting out of our apartment. Lets see that picture again, close up this time, and from a different angle.

Different angle, but still just as messed up

So what happened? Did he purposely turn our pizza box sideways in retaliation for sending him to the wrong address? But he must have realized it was an honest mistake, not a vicious sabotage to send him four blocks in the wrong direction. And why didn’t he think that we would be apologetic and try to make it up to him with a larger tip? It doesn’t make sense. I can understand that if we shafted him on the tip, then the next time we ordered he would do that to our pizza. So maybe he dropped the pizza by accident? The pizza was in such a state that there’s no way he didn’t realize he had dropped it or tilted it severely. It was completely mangled and glued together at the side of the box.

I managed to pry most of the pieces apart, but not without losing a lot of cheese in the process. Surprisingly, the pizza was still warm. The crust was pretty floppy though, and I don’t know if that was a result of the treatment or if that’s how the crust normally is. It wasn’t super thin nor was it too thick. The outer crust was actually really good, with a bit of crispiness on the outside and a nice chewy texture on the inside. It reminded me of a really good baguette. Despite the floppiness, I really did enjoy the pizza and thought it was the best that I’ve had yet on our quest.

Mangled slice with unintentional underside shot

The chicken parmesan hero was also really good. It was huge and served on a nice crispy roll. There was a lot of chicken but could have used a bit more cheese. Still, it was pretty tasty.

Chicken parm hero

The garlic knots were standard but they had a nice texture to them and good garlic coverage.

Decent garlic knots

So what’s the verdict? I don’t know. I really enjoyed the pizza and would have definitely ordered from here again had the pizza not arrived in such a disastrous state. But I do feel bad about the address mix-up, so maybe I was partially to blame. Still, do I want to order from a place that would either be so vindictive or so careless? It’s a tough call. I’m going to work my way through the other pizzerias in the area, and if I don’t find anything better, maybe I’ll consider ordering from here again. If you were in my shoes, what would you do?

Fat Sal’s Pizza (multiple locations)
730 10^th Ave. at 50^th St.
New York, NY

Tags: Delivery, Midtown West, Pizza
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New Taco Express

Friday, August 14th, 2009 by virginia

New Taco Express is one of those super cheap Mexican food joints that is neither authentic nor outstanding but offers quick and decent food at great prices. It’s almost identical to the Fresco Tortilla restaurants that are available all over the city. While the food isn’t spectacular, it’s reliable and you always know what to expect; it’s kind of like fast food in that regard.

I usually get the same order at these places – a combination plate with chicken, and tex-mex chili on a flour tortilla. The combination plates are huge and come with chicken, rice, beans (black or pinto, your choice), lettuce, tomato, and two flour tortillas. The flour tortillas are my favorite – they’re homemade and thicker and doughier than supermarket tortillas. They have a nice mild flavor and a pleasant chewy texture. The chicken that comes with the combination plate is an ample portion and more than enough to fill the two tortillas. I always mix the rest with the rice and beans and eat it with a fork.

Chicken combination plate

The tex-mex chili is pretty standard but I think of it as comfort food. It’s usually a bit oily but this version was actually not that bad. And it just gives me an excuse to eat another flour tortilla.

Chili on a flour tortilla

Josh got a combination plate with steak and chicken. Again, it’s a lot of food, and the meats are decently tender and nicely seasoned. At less than $6 a plate, you really can’t go wrong.

Chicken and steak combination plate

If you accept New Taco Express for what it is, the food really isn’t terrible. It’s not gourmet, and not even really Mexican, but the food is cheap, filling, and dependable. When it’s late at night and you’re at a loss for what to have for dinner, it fits the bill. The delivery comes super quick and the food is always hot. The two of us can eat for less than $15, and I’ll still have leftovers for lunch.

New Taco Express
857 9th Ave. between 55th and 56th St.
New York, NY

Tags: Delivery, Mexican, Midtown West
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