Eat in New York City but don't let New York City eat you!

Overview

Eat in New York City but don't let New York City eat you!

I live in New York City and I eat, eat, eat my heart out. My city is the best place to be adventurous with food; name it and you can have it.

This guide is made up of many different listings, from the least to the most expensive, from the most local to the most exciting meal you'll ever eat.

Quick Tips:

My mantra (it should be yours, too): Try it at least once and see for yourself before you say no (and that doesn't go with just food).

Best Way To Get Around:

Always take the subway to get around New York City and walk around to skip to different places.

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Joe's Ginger

Restaurant | "Notable Chinese Restaurant #2: Joe's Ginger"

Joe's Ginger
113 Mott Street on Hester
New York, NY 10013
Phone: 212/966-6613

From the Joe's Shanghai team (see other entry) comes Joe's Ginger, which is mainly Shanghainese food with a little bit of Hong Kong dishes. I run to this place now when I see a long line at Joe's Shanghai. It's a lot smaller and less noisy, plus the waiters have time to talk to you about their own suggestions.

Recommended dishes: pork and crab steamed dumplings, deep-fried whole quail, fish with yellow chives, and sauteed kang kong in garlic.

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by ext212 on December 17, 2003

Joe's Ginger
113 Mott Street New York, New York 10013
(212) 966-6613

Joe's Shanghai

Restaurant | "Notable Chinese Restaurant #3: Joe's Shanghai"

Joe's Shanghai
9 Pell Street between Bowery and Mott
New York, NY 10013-5134
Phone: 212/233-8888

Before Joe's Ginger came into the scene in the summer of 2003, I was always at Joe's Shanghai. Today, more and more people eat here (maybe because of journals like mine!) and it's more difficult to get a table, especially during prime-time dinner hours on weekends. But this place has some of the best Shanghainese food to offer.

Recommended dishes: pork and crab dumplings, steamed flounder, and string beans Shanghainese style.

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by ext212 on December 17, 2003

Joe's Shanghai
9 Pell Street New York, New York 10013
(212) 233-8888

Bar Jamon

Restaurant | "Best Tapas: Bar Jamon"

Bar Jamon
125 East 17th Street on Irving Place
New York, NY 10003
212/253-2773

Jamon is Spanish for ham and Bar Jamon is the most recent translation for the New York City scene. Mario Batali's latest digs is right next to Casa Mono, his new restaurant (and fifth in New York City). We squeezed ourselves in to eat tapas and drink Spanish wine. The space is good for ten people at most, but more than thirty are always inside, even on a Tuesday night. People are ready to jump to the next stool that frees up. A little jazz and a little Wilco were playing when we were there, but it was so faint compared to the collective noise of those who had the same idea as we did.

With two bottles of Tempranillo, we shared two plates of ham cured for fourteen months. We also got the sardines en escabeche and marinated anchovies with migas de chorizo (sausage crumbs). We snacked on a plate of two kinds of cheeses and enjoyed the bread with some good olive oil. We didn't think we'd stay past 9pm, but as soon as we snatched the stools in the back, we ended up staying until 11.

It's a scene all right, but it's a New York City scene and that you can't pass up.

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by ext212 on January 21, 2004

Bar Jamon
125 East 17th Street New York, New York
(212) 253-2773

Nha Trang Central

Restaurant | "Best Vietnamese Meal: Nha Trang Centre"

Nha Trang Centre
148 Centre St.
New York, NY 10013
212/941-9292

One of the best phos in NYC is under the code L1 with raw thinly-sliced beef strips for less than $5. The hot broth will cook the beef. Make sure you add all the bean sprouts, basil leaves, and squirt the lime juice in there! Add some hot sauce for a kick--they have a Vietnamese red hot sauce bottle on your table with a rooster logo that I call Flaming Cock. Yum!

If you're not into pho but still want a nice big bowl of hot soup, check out their vegetable soup under code D5. You'll get a nice clear soup with mixed vegetables like broccoli and carrots, tofu, and bean sprouts.

For rice meals, check out the barbecued pork with rice under code L11. It comes with a sweet and sour dip that I always use to drown my rice on my plate.

There's also the usual Vietnamese spring and summer rolls. They're excellent at Nha Trang. The spring rolls are the ones deep-fried and the summer are the fresh ones with raw skins. Both are filled with vermicelli rice noodles and vegetables.

For dessert or for something to drink while you walk off all the Vietnamese food in your tummy, ask for the Vietnamese iced coffee. You'll get a small coffee drip strainer and a glass filled with ice. Once all the coffee is "brewed," stir in the condensed milk at the bottom and pour into your glass. Remember, stir before you pour or else you're gonna get a mass of condensed milk in your glass that would be too difficult to mix.

When you get your table, no reservations needed, you will be given a red menu and a green menu--the red menu has the least expensive choices that you should go through every time you visit; the green menu, I say, is for the tourists.

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by ext212 on December 17, 2003

Nha Trang Central
148 Centre Street New York, New York 10013
(212) 941-9292

Banh MI So

Restaurant | "Best Vietnamese Sandwich: Viet-Nam Banh Mi So"

Viet-Nam Banh Mi So 1
369 Broome St.
New York, NY, 10013
212/219-8341

It's a hole-in-the-wall type of place, but that's a good sign, telling you they have really good food for sale. A Vietnamese sandwich is with fresh French bread that's slightly toasted, pork, and potted meat with carrots, cucumbers, and cilantro. There's a paste in there that brings all the flavors together, and I would tell you what it is but then I'd be betraying the Banh Mi's secret (Banh Mi, by the way, is Vietnamese for sandwich).

You can order the House Special Pork Sandwich, but make sure you ask for the pork to be "medium-spicy." It's almost a foot-long sandwich, priced at $2.75.

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by ext212 on December 17, 2003

Banh MI So
369 Broome Street New York, New York 10013
(212) 219-8341

Snack Taverna

Restaurant | "Best New Greek: Taverna"

Snack Taverna
63 Bedford Street on Morton
New York, NY 10014
212/929-3499

I always write about eating at Snack, my favorite Greek place [see my review on Best Greek], but tonight, I finally made it to its new sister restaurant, Snack Taverna on Bedford and it was gooooooood. It has a more grown-up menu than its counterpart, and I later learned that its chef, John Fraser, cooked at French Laundry in Napa for almost three years. Actually, if you don't know about Snack serving Greek food, you might think Taverna is French because it's a little more elegant and less rustic than the Thompson Street hole in the wall.

I'm gonna have to say that it's my first excellent dinner of 2004. I started with veal cheeks and hostas. This was a difficult choice because there was also crisp lamb's tongue in the menu. My friend picked the loukaniko, hot sausage with oh-so-savory fennel and diced pear. For our meal, he had the super soft braised lamb shoulder with dandelions, and I went for the monkfish. We had a mix of Cabernet and Merlot from Greece, which was excellent with all our dishes. For dessert, I couldn't resist the chocolate soufflé with raspberry sauce--we were warned it was going to take another fifteen minutes for it to rise so they served us baklava on the house while we waited.

Snack will always be a big favorite Greek spot of mine but now that Taverna is open, I'm gonna have to name it Best "New" Greek.

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by ext212 on January 21, 2004

Snack Taverna
63 Bedford Street New York, New York 10014
(212) 929-3499

Daniel

Restaurant | "Best French Dining Experience: Daniel"

Daniel is one of Daniel Boulud's New York City restaurants and has been rated by Michelin and The New York Times with four stars more than once. It's that kind of restaurant with those kind of people, so my boyfriend and I needed a big event to celebrate for us to have an excuse to eat here. We're not getting married anytime soon so the best we can do is to celebrate finishing my boyfriend's first year of med school.

A few weeks before, I had spoken to chef Alex Lee when he was interviewed for an online magazine, generationrice. We talked about his becoming-a-chef story and his history with Daniel Boulud. We were also given a tour of the Daniel kitchen that counts as one of my most amazing experiences in New York City. He let us in before dinner time and we saw the production kitchen, the coffee kitchen, the French and the American kitchens, plus the dessert room where we tasted chocolates made in-house from layers and layers of trays in the fridge.

Of course, all that only added to the real dining experience. We returned a few weeks later for dinner and Alex Lee did not forget us. Our waiter kept serving us different dishes from the head chef himself even though we'd already ordered our appetizers and main dishes. Wine was brought out to match each course and in between meals, there were cheeses, chocolates and soups.

We were just delirious with the whole experience and when the bill came out THREE hours later, we could have detached our arms and legs to pay for it (or promised our future children to sell) but then read the note that said, "70% complimentary" on it.

You see? It's all about WHO you know!

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by ext212 on January 28, 2004

Daniel
60 East 65th St. New York, New York 10021
(212) 288-0033

Sushiden

Restaurant | "Best Expensive Sushi: Sushiden"

Sushiden Madison Avenue
19 East 49th Street
New York, NY, 10017
212/758-2700

There are two Sushidens in New York City, one on Sixth Avenue and this one on Madison. Whichever branch you pick, make sure you ask to be seated at the bar so you can talk to your chef and get the chance to eat sushi that's not on the menu.

Whenever I go to a sushi restaurant, I always start off with the uni, sea urchin--if it's excellent, then I know the place will have more of the good stuff coming.

At Sushiden, after the uni, the chef always asks me what I want next, and this is when I tell them, "whatever you want me to taste." They'll only ask you if you're allergic to anything, and after I say no, I will sit for the next hour eating sushi after sushi that melts in my mouth like butter.

One of the most memorable experiences was when our chef brought out some fresh shrimp, disassembled the heads, and used tweezers to pick the brain. He put all the gray and orange matter on top of Japanese mackerel, together with the shrimp body itself. When we were done bowing in appreciation and glee, the chef deep-fried the shrimp head shells and offered it to us to snack on. No part of the shrimp was wasted.

Check out some of my photos below.

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by ext212 on December 17, 2003

Sushiden
19 East 49th Street New York, New York 10017
(212) 758-2700

Snack

Restaurant | "Best Greek: Snack"

Snack
105 Thompson St.
New York, NY 10012
212/925-1040

The best Greek food in Manhattan is at Snack. I'm not kidding. I eat at this place every week, no fail, until feta is almost coming out of my nose.

Fortunately, they have a slightly different lunch menu from dinner, so even if I come back for dinner after an already full lunch, I'm not sick of their Greek food.

When it's warm out, I order my lunch to go and sit outside on one of their benches, or else at the park right on the corner. For dinner, I avoid the peak dining hours from 7pm to 8pm because I don't like waiting for one of the four tiny tables inside. But if you wait, it's worth it. Some of my favorites...

Lunch:
1. artichoke chicken salad - If there is food that WILL come out of my nose, it will be this. The potatoes, the butter beans, and the string beans mixed with arugula is one of the best salads in the city. I sometimes ask for tuna instead of chicken just so I don't feel too fat after devouring a healthy serving.
2. roasted 1.0 - A nice sandwich of portobello mushrooms, red peppers, and arugula with feta on stirato bread. What more can I say?
3. Greek salad - No matter how good I can make my own Greek salad at home, it has no say to how Snack makes it. It's like I have a Greek grandma right next to me.

Dinner:
1. keftedakia - Don't worry, you can just point to it on the menu without pronouncing it. It's veal meatballs with almonds, pine nuts, and prunes served in red wine reduction. Heavenly.
2. boneless lamb rib - Oh man, just writing about this dish makes my mouth water. It's one of the best-smelling dishes you'll ever have because of the cumin. The tomato sauce balances out the flavors.
3. braised lamb stifado - It's this or the previous lamb dish that compete for my appetite. This is cooked with apricot and you will wonder how they can make the lamb so soft it melts in your mouth.
4. vegetarian mousaka - A classic Greek dish. Eggplants, mushrooms, potatoes in a bechamel sauce. Even if the world is ending, I will never be a vegetarian, but this dish will make it easy for me.

I think I'm heading over there right now. My stomach is grumbling just after writing all this!

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by ext212 on December 17, 2003

Snack
105 Thompson Street New York, New York 10012
(212) 925-1040

Babbo

Restaurant | "Best Expensive Italian Meal: Babbo"

Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca
110 Waverly Place
New York, NY
212/777-0303

At Babbo, we went all out, asked questions about never-heard words (Braciole! Francobolli! Scottadita!), and picked out red wine to match. I started with spicy lamb tartare with mint crostini and a quail egg in the middle. It killed me.

The boy chose the grilled octopus with borlotti marinati and spicy limoncello vinaigrette. You know how octopus can be chewy sometimes, even in the best Japanese restaurants? This chewed like meat.

For primi, I had the one pound lobster with spicy budding chives, sweet garlic, and what seemed to be four pounds of spaghettini.

The boy opted for beef cheek ravioli with crushed squab liver and black truffles.

I was so full after all that, sharing the secondi became a good call: Guinea hen braciole with favas and pecorino. I hate beans, but this dish made me change my mind about fava.

Unfortunately, we had to draw the line on desserts. There was just no way I could have squeezed in another bite. But our waiter gave us complimentary cookies anyway.

After that fall night, I resurrected and let myself die again six months later for their spring menu.

Check out some of my photos below.

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by ext212 on December 17, 2003

Babbo
110 Waverly Place New York, New York 10014
+1 212 777 0303

Otto Restaurant Enoteca Pizzeria

Restaurant | "Best Italian Pizza: Otto"

Otto Enoteca and Pizzeria
1 Fifth Avenue on 8th Street
New York, NY, 10003
212/995-9559

Mario Batali's latest effort is with pizza--real Italian pizza, not baked but "grilled"; super thin crust, not cheese-filled (gross!). Otto means 'eight' in Italian and all the pizza is divided into two groups, Otto and Classica. Otto for those who want toppings that are on the adventurous side like shaved fennel, porcini mushrooms, and smelly Taleggio cheese. Classica, obviously, has the classics like marinara and pepperoni.

The wine list is loooong, so this place deserves to be called an enoteca. You can always ask your server for the perfect wine to match. If you're not a wine drinker (why?!) opt for New York's finest--no, not a man in uniform, but their cute nickname for tap water.

When you arrive, (no reservations needed unless you're a party of six or more) the maitre d' gives you a small piece of paper with the name of an Italian town. Sit at the bar and wait for your town name to be placed on the board, just like a romantic train station. Try not to order the sumptious prosciutto or the excellent eggplant caponatina--leave room for the Otto pizzas and come back at your next visit and order all the antipasti you skipped the first time!

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by ext212 on December 17, 2003

Otto Restaurant Enoteca Pizzeria
1 Fifth Avenue New York, New York 10003
(212) 995-9559

Joe's Pizza

Restaurant | "Best New York City Pizza: Joe's"

Joe's Pizza
7 Carmine Street near Bleecker
New York, NY 10014-4441
212/255-3946

If you ask a real New Yorker for the best pizza in the city, no doubt they'll say Joe's on Carmine. The crust is toasty and crispy and done just right. No fancy stuff here. Straight up cheese pizza, straight up pepperoni pizza. Buy two slices, stand at one of the chairless bar-height tables, fold your slice, and eat it the true New Yorker way.

Grimaldi's Pizzeria
19 Old Fulton Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201-1322
Phone: 718/858-4300

If you're actually in Brooklyn near DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) and want a thicker-crust pizza, Grimaldi's is your best choice. I hope you have time and you brought your empty stomach with you, because you will stand in line outside during peak hours, and you can't buy a single slice, only a whole pie. You can order "to go" even though, admit it, you can eat the whole pie by yourself. The mozzarella here is in thick slices, not grated, so I usually order the fancy ones here with the good mushrooms and the good veggies on top. Thankfully, you can have half of your pie different from the other half, giving you a chance to taste two different types in one whole pie.

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by ext212 on December 17, 2003

Joe's Pizza
7 Carmine St New York, New York 10014
+1 212 255 3946

Honmura An

Restaurant | "Best Expensive Soba: Honmura An"

Honmura An
170 Mercer Street
New York, NY, 10012-3244
212/334-5253

When it's cold outside, all I want is a hot bowl of soba, and when I have money, Honmura An is always my first pick. It's one of the few places in New York City that still makes its own soba--they have the Japanese guy playing with the buckwheat in the back a few times a week and he cuts it by hand--each noodle! It's an amazing sight!

I usually go for Saturday brunch and the place is packed with upper-crust Japanese people--if you're Asian like me, you know that seeing Asian people inside an Asian restaurant is a good sign. I've also eaten at Honmura An for dinner and although they have the more expensive menu out, it's still excellent. They have the tasting menu available for dinner, but it's a minimum of two orders, so if there's only two of you, then you two have the same meal! This is not a favorite of mine because I always like getting something different from my company's so we can taste each other's food. Plus it costs $50 per person.

So I usually go a la carte and choose the nameko mushroom hot soba, but start with an avocado salad, salmon salad, or a serving of the seaweed. Whatever I order, I always end my meal with their homemade green tea ice cream.

All of Honmura An's offerings are very Japanese: intricate, delicate, and delicious. Check out a photo of my nameko mushroom soba below.

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by ext212 on December 17, 2003

Honmura An
170 Mercer St New York, New York 10012
+1 212 334 5253

Cafe Mogador

Restaurant | "Best Moroccan: Mogador Cafe"

Mogador Cafe
101 St Marks Place
New York, NY 10009-5146
212/677-2226

Whenever I'm craving for a lamb dinner but don't necessarily want Indian food, I go to Cafe Mogador. Their tagines are excellent here and my favorite is the lamb tagine with couscous in saffron sauce. The staff is not the friendliest -- every time I have gone there, I am always waiting outside for at least 20 minutes to be seated even though there are empty tables inside. So I've learned to bug them, and after a lot of insisting that my friends and I can take that table "over there," they'll give in and seat us. I have no clue why they always want the place to look like it's empty. Maybe they like having people wait outside so passers-by get curious about the restaurant. But shady service or not, you can't say no to a comforting tagine.

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by ext212 on December 17, 2003

Cafe Mogador
101 Saint Marks Place New York, New York 10009
(212) 677-2226

Sparks Steak House

Restaurant | "Best Steak: Sparks"

Sparks Steakhouse
210 E 46th Street
New York, NY 10017
212-687-4855

Forget Peter Luger in Brooklyn. They don't take credit cards anyway. Sparks will always be the best steakhouse for me in New York City. Their sirloin steak is the best -- cooked just right (medium rare, of course!) and so succulent you wonder why some people are vegetarians. A bottle of Bordeaux or a bottle of Cabernet will make you and your sirloin steak happy.

When you go, try making reservations after the rush dinnertimes from 7pm to 8pm and you'll wait less at the bar. The place is full of suits dining with business accounts and it's better to have your dinner without the loud group of ten next to you talking about finance.

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by ext212 on December 17, 2003

Sparks Steak House
210 East 46th St New York, New York 10017
+1 212 687 4855

Jing Fong

Restaurant | "Notable Chinese Restaurant #1: Jing Fong"

Jing Fong
20 Elizabeth Street between Canal and Bayard
New York, NY 10013-4802
212/964-5256

You can't miss Jing Fong with its shopping mall-style escalators. Sunday is the best day for dim sum, so try to go by 10am so you can experience "China" in the middle of Elizabeth Street. The lady at the bottom of the escalators screams into a microphone to call your number and it's like a madhouse bingo-hall environment. Once you're upstairs, you'll see the gaudy red and gold decor: a true Chinese banquet hall. You share a round table with other people if your own group has less than eight people. If you're lucky, there will be a wedding on one side of the hall and you can witness how Chinese parties are done! Waiters push food carts around and you order your food by stopping any of them to get a peek of what they're offering. They speak a small dose of English and sometimes, they will be annoyed if you can't make up your mind. If it looks interesting, go for it! You have nothing to lose! A billion Chinese people can't be wrong! There's also a buffet table up front so you can pick up your own food if you don't feel like eating the ones that come from the food carts.

Recommended dishes: snails, chicken feet, congee, taro balls, and all the different kinds of dumplings you see. Skip the oily fried rice and leave some room in your tummy for the things you don't normally eat.

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by ext212 on December 17, 2003

Jing Fong
20 Elizabeth Street New York, New York
(212) 964-5256

Mr. Tang

Restaurant | "Notable Chinese Restaurant #4: Mr. Tang"

Mr. Tang of 50 Mott Street
50 Mott Street
New York, NY 10013-5023
Phone: 212/233-8898

I like Mr. Tang when I don't want to deal with other loud diners. You're not going to share tables with anyone here and you're not going to be elbowed by other people, so it's a safe bet to take a group of your friends to--especially your group of friends who get intimidated easily by a crowd of Asian people.

Recommended dishes: steamed flounder (they de-bone your flounder here better than anyone at Joe's Shanghai; see my review) and any other fresh fish swimming in their tanks.

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by ext212 on December 17, 2003

Mr. Tang
50 Mott Street New York, New York 10013
(212) 233-8898

Great NY Noodle Town Inc

Restaurant | "Notable Chinese Restaurant #5: Noodletown"

Noodletown
28 1/2 Bowery on Bayard
New York, NY 10002
Phone: 212/349-0923

Noodletown is not only a restaurant, it's an institution. When Chinatown finally closes its stores by 11pm, Noodletown is still hanging in there up to 4 or 5am. You come eat here around that time and you will see a lot of kids dressed up because they're coming from a long night of drinking and dancing. Noodletown is their last stop before they head home in order to skip the hangover feeling the next day. It's loud and they've got the hanging roasted pig and duck at the window--it's a true Chinatown experience.

Recommended dishes: pork over rice, duck over rice, congee with slivers of duck, soft-shell crabs (seasonal), calamari, and just ask what kind of vegetable is in season and say YES to whatever they recommend.

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by ext212 on December 17, 2003

Great NY Noodle Town Inc
28 Bowery New York, New York 10013
(212) 349-0923

Peking Duck House

Restaurant | "Notable Chinese Restaurant #6: Peking Duck House"

Peking Duck House
28 Mott Street, South of Pell
New York, NY 10013-5036
212/227-1810

Peking Duck House is unlike any other place in Chinatown because they actually have decent lighting and they tried hard with the interior design of the place (mostly to attract tourists who refuse to go to the hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurants), at least the floor-level space. When you go downstairs, it's like going to another restaurant, because it's obvious they stopped trying to decorate the place. But I like my Peking duck, and this is the place to get it, although it's more expensive than the other Peking duck houses in Chinatown.

Recommended dish: Hello! Peking duck. Get your other Chinese dishes somewhere else to avoid the steep prices here.

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by ext212 on December 17, 2003

Peking Duck House
28 Mott Street New York, New York 10013
(212) 227-1810

Sparky's American Food

Restaurant | "Best All-American Hot Dog: Sparky's"

Sparky's American Food
135 N 5th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211-3214
718/302-5151

Brooklyn is part of New York City, right? It is! Don't call yourself a New Yorker if you can't make yourself cross the Brooklyn Bridge. Sparky's is a very good reason to. My friend opened up this joint after extensive research on the best buns, the best hot dogs, the best relish, the best chili, the best ketchup, the best mustard... he put everything together so naturally, everything on their menu, from hot dog to veggie burger to cheese fries, is so good, it might just change your life.

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by ext212 on December 17, 2003

Sparky's American Food
135A North 5th Street New York, New York 11211
(718) 302-5151

Shabu - Tatsu East Village

Restaurant | "Best Shabu-shabu: Shabu Tatsu"

Shabu Tatsu Downtown
216 East 10th Street btwn 1st and 2nd
New York, NY 10003
212/477-2972

"Shabu" in Japanese means "to swish", and when you're at shabu-shabu, swishing your chopsticks in the broth is exactly what you do to mix in fresh minced ginger and scallions together with the cabbage, mushrooms, and of course the thinly-sliced ribeye beef.

After you swish the raw beef in the broth for a few seconds, you pick it up and dip it in the sesame-based sauce and enjoy it with white rice. At the end of the meal, after you've cooked and eaten all the beef and vegetables in the hot pot, you are given small cups with a little salt and pepper so you can finish up your meal with the broth that now tastes like beef extract.

I crave eating at Shabu Tatsu in the summer even if it's too hot to slurp hot broth, but I especially look for it during the cold winter months of New York City.

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by ext212 on January 21, 2004

Shabu - Tatsu East Village
216 East 10th Street New York, New York 10003
(212) 477-2972

Han Bat

Restaurant | "Notable Korean Restaurant #2: Hanbat"

Hanbat Restaurant
53 W 35th St.
New York, NY 10001-2219
212/629-5588

If you tell any New Yorker Korean that you like Hanbat, they'll say, "Oh, that's peasant food," because the vegetables at Hanbat are traditionally from the mountains of Korea. So? I order the bibimbap here, which is a large bowl of rice full of different kinds of root vegetables and shredded beef. Put a little hot sauce and mix it with a big spoon and you're set for the day. And as for every Korean sit-down meal you have, it comes with several side dishes you can pick on while waiting for your dish. This place is also one of my favorite places to get kimchi, Korean pickled cabbage.

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by ext212 on December 17, 2003

Han Bat
53 West 35th St New York, New York 10001
+1 212 629 5588

Gam Mee OK Restaurant

Restaurant | "Notable Korean Restaurant #1: Gam Mee Ok"

Gam Mee Ok
43 W 32nd St.
New York, NY 10001
212/695-4113

Honestly, you should go to Los Angeles if you want excellent Korean food outside Korea, but as a New Yorker, I make do with Gam Mee Ok. Our Koreatown in midtown Manhattan is so small it's referred to as Koreablock, but at least you can find really good solontang after a night of drinking and partying. Solontang is bone marrow soup and it's Gam Mee Ok's specialty. They have vats in the kitchen where they slow-cook bone marrow to ensure the most flavorful broth. It's the best hangover cure. Just sprinkle a little salt and scallions and enjoy the rice and noodles floating in there.

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by ext212 on December 17, 2003

Gam Mee OK Restaurant
43 West 32nd Street New York, New York
(212) 695-4113

Aquavit

Restaurant | "Best Eclectic Meal: Aquavit"

Aquavit
13 West 54th Street
New York City, NY
212/307-7311

I had one of my most surreal dining experiences at Aquavit with two of my friends. It was herring week in New York City, so we had the best table in the house -- facing their cascading waterfalls -- at the right time.

The service was extraordinary; two waiters were looking after our needs and another one always made sure we were having a good time. Our reservation was at 8pm, which is prime dining time, but we were never rushed -- we stayed until 11:30pm.

The chef and co-owner, Marcus Samuelsson, is the youngest chef ever to receive a three-star restaurant review from food critic Ruth Reichl. The James Beard Foundation has also awarded him "Rising Star Chef" in 1999 and "Best New Chef in New York City" in 2003.

With a bottle of Gigondas, we each went for the three-course prix fixe. Between the three of us tasting each other's food, it was like having nine courses, plus the three other tasting plates the chef sent up. Check out some of the photos below but here's a run-down of our meal:
1. Lobster roll with pistachio and lemon yogurt, salmon roe, and homemade ginger ale
2. Herring Plate served with Aquavit and Carlsberg beer
3. Squab with potato purée and pearl onions
4. Konbu cured duck and braised leg with nut salad, kasha, bok choy, water chestnuts, and coconut-red beet sauce
5. Smoked dry-aged New York Strip with Kobe tongue, lily bulb salad, and Japanese potato in bone marrow emulsion
6. Trio: sweetbreads, pork sausage, and lobster -- and odd combination but talk about decadence! I love sweetbreads!
7.Peanut butter parfait, sautéed banana, and kalamansi sorbet (Kalamansi is the lime from my country, the Philippines, so I was very impressed the chef used it.)
8. Arctic Circle: goat cheese parfait, blueberry sorbet, and honey tuile
9. Warm chocolate with orange creamsicle and citrus salad

Just like his eclectic food creations for the Scandinavian-owned restaurant, the chef also has a very interesting background: he's Ethiopian and was adopted by a Swedish couple. He has apprenticed in Sweden, Switzerland, and Austria.

Cheer
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by ext212 on June 10, 2004

Aquavit
13 West 54th St New York, New York 10019
+1 212 307 7311

Lure Fishbar

Restaurant | "Best New Raw Bar: Lure"

Lure
142 Mercer Street
New York, NY 10012
212/431-7676

There are nights in New York City when you become thankful of the people you know. I was very thankful this one summer night when the manager and sommelier of Lure invited me to a menu tasting before their grand opening. Lure is the latest restaurant to occupy the coveted space under the Prada store in SoHo, replacing the mediocre, orange-themed Canteen.

The yacht setting of the restaurant is new and very sleek, even people peeked and waved at us through the portholes from street-level.

There are booths with white leather seats and separate tables for smaller groups. The floor is immaculately shiny to mimic a ship's deck. In the back are the raw bar and the shellfish bar with the freshest of the fresh creatures from the sea. The design of the space is so well done that, even if you do not like maritime décor, you'll fall in love with Lure. Separate rooms are available to rent if you want to throw a private party.

I did not spend a dime that night, but, after experiencing the test run, I know I will definitely be back to pay for my next meal.

Below is the list of food I was able to feast on with a bottle of Burgundy.

From the raw bar:
1. Arctic Char, Trout Roe, Creamy Horseradish and Dill
2. Coho Salmon, Pickled Japanese Cucumbers and Basil-Soy Tea
3. Toro, Fresh Wasabi, and Black Olive Oil
4. Sea Scallops, Grated Scallion, Radish and Ginger Marinade
5. Black Sea Bass, Plum Wine Vinegar Gelee, Julienned Ginger and Jicama
6. Fluke, Cherry Tomatoes, Shallot
7. Yellowfin Tuna, Pickled Chilis, Olive Oil Brulee

From the shellfish bar:
1. Six pieces of Blue Point Oysters
2. Six pieces of Malpeque Oysters

From the kitchen:
1. Clam Chowder with Smoked Bacon
2. Grilled Swordfish, Soy-Ginger Marinade, Tomato Salad
3. Steamed Black Cod, Sake, Miso, Mushrooms
4. Crab Cakes with Mango, Yuzu and Fennel
5. Tempura Shrimp, Preserved Blackbean Mayonnaise and Lime
6. Warm Chocolate Cake
7. Peach Crisp

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by ext212 on October 6, 2004

Lure Fishbar
142 Mercer Street New York, New York 10012
(212) 431-7676

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