Limon
524 Valencia Street between 16th/17th Streets (Mission)
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 252-0918

After driving around and around and around on the hunt for parking remotely near the restaurant (allow some time to find a spot), we walked into the restaurant at 7:30pm on a Friday evening, and the place was packed and bustling.

We were quickly ushered to a cold corner table on the mezzanine level right by a waiters’ station. As we sat down, I eyed a delicious-looking dish at the table next to ours. My mom pointed out some food at another table. We were obviously hungry.

Let me preface this by saying that I am not an expert when it comes to Central/South American food. We chose Limon because Sister#1 (based in San Francisco) had been and highly recommended the restaurant. Plus, whenever we’re in the city, we like to bring my mom somewhere new and different.

We decided on a fairly inexpensive bottle of Grenache and some appetizers, but the waiter suggested we order everything (wines, appetizers and entrees) now, otherwise, we’d expect a long wait between courses.

We chose two ceviches, the ceviche Limon, a mixed seafood and fish ceviche served classic Peruvian style with giant Peruvian corn kernels and yam, and a crème ceviche with mixed seafood and a rocoto cream sauce. Both were good, although the shrimp in both looked limp.

Additional appetizers chosen included the fried calamari and the soup of the day (butternut squash). The soup was garnished with a savory cannoli-esque crouton filled with crème fraiche. Although a touch sweeter than I had hoped, the soup hit the spot in the cold drafty corner of the restaurant. We asked multiple times about the fried calamari and received the same answer each time: “I’ll check, I’m sure it’s on its way.”

When our entrees arrived, the fried calamari appetizer accompanied the lomo saltado (sliced sirloin with onions, tomatoes, French fries and rice) and picante de mariscos (mixed seafood in an Adresso cream sauce). I couldn’t resist the truffled macaroni and cheese that was offered as a side. Lomo saltado is a delicious Peruvian dish, but this one skimped on the meat and flavor. The seafood dish was quite good, served with a side of rice; it reminded me of Thai curry, but creamier. The fried calamari was probably the best of all, crispy, perfectly cooked and drizzled with a delicious chipotle aioli.

Unfortunately, at this point we were all stuffed. I took a couple bites of the not-so-truffled mac & cheese (perhaps Peruvian truffles are much more mild than Italian??), but I thought it best to bring it home and enjoy it the next day.

Despite the waiter’s advice and our proximity to the waiters' station, service was slow, and we obviously had a communication issue (i.e., fried calamari), but the food was decent, albeit pricey for what it was. I would stick with the ceviches and seafood dishes if I were to go back, but chances are… I won’t return.

Ideya
349 W. Broadway between Broome and Grand Sts. (Soho)
NY, NY 10013
(212) 625 1441
http://www.ideya.net/index.html
A, C, E train to Canal Street; 1, 9 to Canal Street; W, N, R, Q, 6, J, M, Z to Canal Street (it’s pretty convenient to get to via subway…)

If you like no hassle, good service, a little noise, and can accept standard Latin American cuisine, Ideya might be the place for you. Unlike many of its West Broadway neighbors, Ideya somehow manages to keep a decent mix of young professionals drinking at the bar and eating casual dinners without overcrowding. For example, I planned a Friday night dinner for 19 people at 9:30pm and was able to get the reservation on Thursday evening, as in Thursday evening, the night before my dinner. That’s pretty impressive when I’m used to such New York-ness as calling a restaurant precisely one month in advance at the exact time the restaurant opens for a reservation or waiting around the block for over an hour for a table at a good but tiny downtown restaurant. Heck, New Yorkers wait an hour in line for a cupcake.

The menu at Ideya is very straightforward. There are about 10 entrée options and very few stand out. Out of the group of 19 of us, most got the Papaya-barbecued Argentinian skirt steak, a few got the Dorado a la Veracruzana (pan roasted mahi mahi with black olives and avocado salsa), and two got the Asopao de Mariscos (stew with shrimp, snapper, and mussels). For being barbecued with papaya, the steak was not sweet at all (I was pleased). It was a good size and came with french fries (but screw the fries and eat more of the yummy plantain chips they serve at the table in lieu of bread). If you told me that I was eating a skirt steak from a bistro, I would have believed you. It was $22. The mahi mahi was basic and I hate to say this, but the olives were definitely straight out of the can. The soup was the lightest of the three entrees I tried. It wasn’t outstanding, but I have no actual complaints.

If you must get sides, the rice and black beans and tostones are decent. DO get the pitchers of mojitos if you’re in a large group. They don’t seem like a great deal because of their hefty price tag ($60), but for a group, they are pretty cost effective. The mojitos are a 7 out of 10 taste and presentation-wise (I wasn’t expecting a fancy, Milk and Honey labor of love-type drink), but each pitcher fills about 7 to 8 large tumblers. If I were to choose a meal for my next meal at Ideya, I’d go with the free plantain chips, Argentinian skirt steak, the Banana Tres Leches cake for dessert, and a pitcher of mojitos.

For the location and the convenience, Ideya has great prices. If you can’t stand to eat just decent food, you may want to skip dinner here and just opt to sit at the bar for drinks. It may be the only place on West Broadway where real estate (read: a bar stool) is relatively cheap.

Momofuku Ssäm Bar
(Korean?)
207 Second Avenue at 13th Street (East Village)
New York, NY 10003
(212) 254-3500
Subway: 4/5/6/N/Q/R/W to 14th Street (Union Square); L to 3rd Avenue or 1st Avenue
Bus: M15/101/102/103 to 14th Street; M14A/14D to 2nd Avenue


I’ve been wanting to try David Chang’s Momofuku Noodle Bar for what feels like ages, but since my husband is has an aversion to Asian food, I’ve limited my consumption since we’ve been married (coincidentally, his aversion began AFTER we were married; prior to saying “I do”, my husband would eagerly accompany me on my Asian food forays). Now that he and I are bicoastal, my goal is to eat everything that he wouldn’t eat whenever I possibly can.

That said, a girlfriend and I made plans to meet at Momofuku Noodle Bar one blustery Saturday evening; on my arrival, a crowd had already formed around the narrow front, and I was told the wait would be anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour. She and I were both famished, so when the hostess suggested the newly opened Momofuku Ssäm Bar around the corner (and also told us there would be no wait), we started walking.

Momofuku Ssäm Bar sits on a great corner, with a much more contemporary Asian feel than the rest of the block. The restaurant opens up to the street with no doors or windows, and was refreshing, perhaps slightly chilly. A long bar runs the length of the room, but it seemed no one was serving at the bar that night. It looked deserted besides a few lone diners. I looked around, hoping to be seated, but then I realized the place was entirely cafeteria-style. We walked to the steam bar kitchen, and I perused the limited menu of ssäm, which is Korean for “wrap”. The options include a flour wrap (which I’ve never seen before on a Korean menu), lettuce wrap, nori (seaweed) wrap or just a plain old rice bowl or chap chae (Korean glass noodles) bowl. A list of addable items are both written out and shown to you; as you walk down the line, you choose which items you’d like to include in your ssäm (options include a form of protein (pork, chicken, beef brisket and/or braised tofu) and a number of veggies (bacon black beans, red azuki beans, edamame, roasted onions, pickled shiitakes, marinated cucumbers, slaw, bean sprouts, red kimchee puree, white kimchee puree and whipped tofu)). Basically, it felt like a choose-your-own-adventure bibimbap (Korean rice mixed with vegetables and beef). There is one pre-planned “original” Momofuku Ssäm that is rice wrapped in a flour pancake with the pork, onions, edamame, shiitake and red kimchi puree. Also, an item from the Noodle Bar menu, the steamed buns, were also included on this menu.

I went simple with the Bibb lettuce Ssäm with beef, red kimchee puree, shiitakes, cucumbers, bean sprouts and whipped tofu. The other additions just didn’t seem to sound as though they’d mix well together. We also chose an order of the steamed pork buns, since they were carryover from Momofuku Noodle Bar.

I find it curious when a chef leaves the diners’ fate in their own hands. A wrong combination and a meal can go completely awry. In my case, it was fine, but I felt that the beef could’ve been shredded or cut smaller to be easier to wrap in the lettuce. I loved the whipped tofu, but it required a healthy dose squirt of Sriracha. The pork buns were delicious and perfectly balanced, and I know now why people rave about them. But everything else was just fine, and unfortunately, nothing was memorable.

I’ll definitely try to get into Momofuku Noodle Bar again sometime, and perhaps even stop at the Ssäm Bar again, as they have grand plans to extend their hours, and I hope change or add to their menu. But for now, I’ll stick with good ol’ Koreatown for my ssäm cravings.

Seoul Garden
34 W. 32nd Street, 2nd Floor, between 5th Ave/Broadway (Garment District/Koreatown)
New York, NY 10001
(212) 564-8200
Subway: B/D/F/N/Q/R/V/W to 34th Street
Bus: M2/3/4/5/6/7 to 34th Street; Q32 to 6th Avenue/Broadway


Although I have a favorite restaurant in Koreatown (Kunjip), I am open-minded when it comes to food, so when a good friend recommended that we try Seoul Garden, I was game. Also known as Natural Tofu, this second floor establishment has a great location amongst the Korean restaurant biggies (Kum Gang San and Kang Suh). To be honest, I’m not quite sure how she found Seoul Garden; walking down 32nd Street between Broadway and Fifth Avenue, you’d be surprised to see how many Korean restaurants can be crammed into one small block. To try each of them (and to be disappointed, mostly) is an endeavor.

As I climbed the stairs with a rickety railing to enter the restaurant, there were a number of people climbing up or down, crowding the staircase. The stairway had a damp moldy smell and was dimly lit, but this did not deter me.

A table for two was hard to come by, and similar to Chinese restaurants in Chinatown, we were asked if we would mind sharing a table. The restaurant décor was definitely lacking; tables almost looked as though they had been set up cafeteria-style, which would benefit large groups or families. We were seated at a table for six, directly across from a waiter station, and a bit too close to the bathrooms (guarded and blocked by a screen).

We were asked twice within minutes of sitting down if we knew what we’d like to order. I wasn’t expecting stellar service, but this was ridiculous… we hadn’t even received menus yet! Since this restaurant’s other identity was Natural Tofu, I thought it wise to at least try one tofu dish on the menu. My friend ordered a combination plate of soon dubu (spicy soft tofu soup) and kalbi (beef short ribs). I had a very homestyle dish of kong biji chigae (ground bean stew with pork). The menu was relatively expansive, covering a fair number of Korean dishes. After we ordered, another twosome was seated at the other end of our table.

The kalbi was unfortunate: overcooked and sliced too thin, this was obviously budget kalbi (perhaps because it came with the well-priced combination dish?). The meat also had not been trimmed well, so bites consisted of chewy fat and gristle. It also tasted as if it had been cooked earlier, reheated and then served… perhaps, their method of getting people in and out quickly.

The soon dubu soup was unnoteworthy. My friend commented that the soup tasted like instant soup with MSG. And that was exactly how my kong biji chigae tasted, very MSG-laden. It also had a very murky color, which isn’t the way it’s supposed to look. When I had kong biji in Seoul (the best I’ve ever had… in Seoul they have places dedicated to one specific dish, like kong biji), the color was bright, and the finely ground beans still maintained an even color.

The best perk of Korean food is the banchan, the small plates that are served with your meal. Almost like a meal in and of itself, banchan accompanies all Korean meals, and they’re always free (unless you go to some of these new trendy Korean spots that will charge you for them). Unfortunately, this banchan was no perk. One of ours was a leftover cold chicken cutlet sliced. It tasted old. Nothing was exciting, nothing tasted good.

Overall, this was probably the worst Korean restaurant I’ve been to in America. Although our food was brought out quickly, we didn’t receive menus upon sitting, yet were asked to order. None of our banchan was replenished. And after we finished, we immediately received our check. We let it sit, in order to continue our conversation, but the waiters hovered over us, ready to clear us out and let the next twosome in.

The only compliment I can give Seoul Garden is that their busboys are well-trained. Our dishes were cleared immediately after we finished, and they continually refilled our water throughout our meal, a less common trait amongst Asian restaurants in general. And if that was the best part of the meal, I cannot imagine why anyone would want to try Seoul Garden.

per se
(French)
Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Circle at W. 60th Street, 4th Floor (Lincoln Center)
New York, NY 10019
(212) 823-9335
Subway: A/B/C/D/1 to 59th Street-Columbus Circle
Bus: M7/10/11/20/31/57/104 to Columbus Circle


It’s a daunting experience as you approach per se, walking towards the grand blue door, knowing that you’re about to partake in the Thomas Keller experience. Thomas Keller has long been heralded as one of the greatest chefs in the world, and certainly, the greatest chef in America, and as I walked towards per se, my heart started to beat a little faster. Interestingly, the large blue door doesn’t open, and instead, sliding doors on either side of the blue door let you into the sleek, modern entryway. The hostess offered a warm and gracious greeting as we entered and immediately took our coats and ushered us to a sitting area to wait for our dining companions. Our sofa had a spectacular view, overlooking Central Park South and the bustle of Columbus Circle. While waiting for our table, we were offered a tome (their wine list) to peruse.

I gazed around the angular room in awe and wonder and thought about how lucky we were to be there. Normally, reservations are taken two months from the date of call, and when our friend offered to take us to per se, he received the same two-month response from the reservationist, that the first available reservation was December 14, 2006. This was obviously not good enough for me, especially since I could not even imagine when the next time would be that someone would offer to take us to per se. I called in a favor with a friend who works with Restaurant Gary Danko in San Francisco who somehow finagled a reservation for us for that Sunday evening.

When our friends did arrive, we were seated quickly at a window-side table overlooking the same amazing view as before. While we glanced through the different menus (I studied and memorized), we received Thomas Keller’s signature amuse-bouche: a canapé of salmon tartare with red onion crème fraiche in a savory tuile that looks just like a tiny ice cream cone, an idea inspired by a trip to Baskin-Robbins. The combination of flavors worked beautifully, and I knew it was a testament to the chef when my husband, who doesn’t like fish, particularly raw fish, gobbled the entire thing right up.

For the same price ($210 including gratuity), per se offers three different menus: the chef’s nine-course tasting menu, a nine-course vegetarian tasting menu or a seven-course menu. We all chose the chef’s nine-course tasting menu to really savor and enjoy our first Keller experience.

The first dish to appear was another Keller original “Oysters and Pearls”. This was my favorite: Island Creek oysters with Sterling white sturgeon caviar in a pearl tapioca sabayon (custard). The oysters were just barely cooked and creamy, and the caviar had that pop not common of farmed caviar. Luckily, my husband did not enjoy this dish, so it just meant more for me.

The second course gave us an option between a foie gras terrine or a Hawaiian hearts of peach palm salad. We all chose the terrine of Hudson Valley Moulard duck served with Bartlett pear marmalade, a pear chip and a balsamic glaze with frisee lettuce and toasted brioche (which my husband called Texan toast). The entire dish together was delicious, although I was surprised that a $30 supplement was charged for the foie gras. I was rather curious about the other option, because I’ve actually read amazing things about Thomas Keller’s hearts of palm source.

The third course that evening was a crispy skin fillet of barramundi served with a confit of globe artichokes, California crosnes (aka Chinese artichoke or chorogi) and piquillo peppers with a basil vinaigrette. The whitefish was delicate and light and well-balanced against the vegetables. My husband finished his before I did, and again, the chef impresses me when my husband will eat fish.

The fourth course was a sweet butter-poached Nova Scotia lobster served with a pumpkin puree, braised Cipollini onion and a toasted pumpkin seed persillade with a curry emulsion. This was my 2nd favorite dish as the lobster was succulent and tender, and I had never thought to pair lobster with a mild curry sauce, which worked incredibly well.

For our fifth course, we received a sautéed breast of quail from Cavendish Farm with a “jambonnette en crepinette” (basically a sausage shaped like a quail leg) with a fig compote, mizuna greens and red pepper-quail sauce. This was probably my least favorite dish, partly because I have never been a big fan of quail, but also because it wasn’t that interesting besides the jambonette, which I did enjoy with its burst of flavor with each bite surprising me.

The sixth course offered a choice between a beef and a veal. Despite the $75 supplement, I chose the Blackmore Ranch Australian Wagyu beef sirloin served with a small square of Wagyu beef brisket, potato-mushroom mille-feuille, carrots and bordelaise sauce. The beef was delicious, but I do not believe the taste warranted a supplement. In fact, I thought the small beef brisket served alongside the steak was better than the centerpiece itself. My husband thought the beef was phenomenal (as a Texan, he claims to know beef). The veal, on the other hand, was a masterpiece to me. A rib-eye of March Farm’s veal was the most delicious, milky, tender veal I’ve certainly ever tasted.

The seventh course was a cheese course, which was a Meadow Creek Grayson cheese, which I’d never heard of. It was not memorable at all.

The eighth and ninth courses were two dessert courses, first, a mango sorbet which acted partly as a palate cleanser to prepare the mouth for the "Snickers" dessert that followed. The Snickers dessert was a nougat ice cream with milk chocolate cream, salted caramel gelatin and a peanut nougatine, which I didn’t enjoy at all. This was the only dish that I did not finish because it didn’t work well together, particularly the salted caramel gelatin.

We thought the meal was over besides the tray of petits-fours (or mignardises... tray of small sweets) that is generally brought out at most nice restaurants, but suddenly they set another spoon in front of each of us. ANOTHER dessert course which was not on the menu was served; one was a Madagascar vanilla bean creme brulee that I thought was too sweet despite its powerful vanilla taste; the other was a yogurt, apricot and honey pot de crème that I think may have been the best dessert I have ever had in my life. It was tangy and light yet rich and exploding with flavor. It gave dessert a new meaning to me.

At this point, we had to leave because we had been sitting there for over four hours, and the couple we were with had to return to their babysitter. We were sent home with flavored meringues and interestingly-spiced chocolates.

I also have to note that we were offered four types of bread: the usual French baguette, a ciabatta roll, a wonderful pretzel bread and a potato sourdough roll; the latter two were so good and refreshing compared to the other restaurant standards. It was also a treat to receive two kinds of butters: a salted Vermont butter and an organic sweet butter.

This dinner was spectacular; however, I must note some points of contention. (1) During the entire dinner, I felt that the staff was rushing us. As my plate from one course was being cleared, I felt that the next course was already being served. Although a nine-course dinner imaginably runs long, considering the cost and experience, I was disappointed that I had the “rushed” feeling the entire night. (2) Perhaps it was because we dined on a Sunday night, but the service and staff was less than spectacular. One waiter poured the second wine into a partially-full glass of wine from the first bottle. Another described our Snickers dessert as the S’mores dessert. And she never even realized she made the mistake. These are just a couple examples, but I never felt catered to, as I should during a meal of this caliber.

As we exited per se, I was very full with an overly satiated belly and a mind full of glee; however, I can’t help but hope that Keller’s staff be more proud to work at and with an amazing restaurant like per se and truly exemplify the craftsmanship of this man.

Peasant
194 Elizabeth Street between Prince and Spring Streets (NoLIta)
New York, NY 10012
(212) 965-9511
Subway: 6 to Spring Street; N/R to Prince Street; B/D/F/V to Broadway-Lafayette Streets; J/M/Z to Bowery
Bus: M1/103 to Spring Street


After attending a birthday dinner here last month, Peasant has been fresh on our mind, so when it came time to have dinner with my husband’s friends before he leaves for the West Coast, Peasant was at the top of the list.

Coincidentally, I lived above Peasant for two years back when NoLIta was just beginning its surge in popularity. Although we had dined there once before and enjoyed it, it was slightly out of my budget for everyday eating. We would, however, enjoy drinks at the bar (and the delicious bread and fresh ricotta cheese from DiPalo’s) as regularly as we could afford. The vibe was always good, and the dimly-lit, sexy restaurant still brings in the same trendy beautiful people that is perfect for people-watching.

On our last visit, we fell in love with this inexpensive ($35) bottle of sparkling red wine (Ermete Medici Solo Lambrusco 2004), and I enjoyed it so much, that I was unable to write my review based on that meal because I wasn’t sure if it was me, or the Lambrusco, talking. We actually had the same waiter on our 2nd night there (Costantino from Australia), and after ordering two bottles of the Lambrusco, he immediately recognized me from our recent visit.

The menu is in Italian and requires a translator (aka the waiter). Do not hesitate to ask many questions or have them repeat selections. Also, everything is cooked in the wood-fire oven (basically the only electricity is the lights and music) so it takes time.

Bocconcini (mozzarella bites wrapped in prosciutto, then baked in the wood-fire oven), brought oohs and aahs to the table during translation and tasted just as good (although not mind-blowing) when ordered. Polpi in Purgatorio, octopus in a spicy red-chile, garlic oil was amazing with each perfectly-cooked tender delicious tentacle. The sardine appetizer is loved by many, just not me; three sardines cooked whole were just too bony for me to enjoy without getting my hands dirty. The black chickpea soup (zuppa di ceci nero or something like that), a special of the evening, piqued my interest, but enough food had been ordered so unfortunately, I was denied.

The pizza margherita, which we ordered for the table, had amazing crust and sauce, but there wasn’t enough mozzarella to balance the crust and sauce. Next time I will try the one I wanted: pizza speck e rucola (pizza with speck & arugula), but Costa thought it best that we try the margherita if we hadn’t tried their pizzas before.

My husband had a special for the evening, a sugar pumpkin risotto, which was perfectly cooked, but tasted nothing of pumpkin. A delicious chicken broth-flavor resounded deeply, and hints of the nutty grated Parmagiano-Reggiano cheese were obvious, but pumpkin was lacking.

As usual, I couldn’t decide (I really wanted the lamb served over polenta (agnello con polenta), but after discussing with the waiter, I chose to have the suckling pig again (porchetta arrosto). He was right: if I didn’t have the pig again, I would continue to fantasize about the dish until I had it again. Fortunately, it delivered again; it really was as good as I remembered. Under the crispy skin was deliciously juicy meat, slightly gamy, in a good way, served with creamy tender potatoes. Since I don’t feel comfortable enough with my husband’s friends to share, I was only able to try one other dish, the gnocchi, which was light, but gummy.

Peasant isn’t going anywhere, considering the high-end clientele they entertain. On our previous visit we saw Andy Rooney from 60 Minutes and Elijah Wood (he’ll always be known to me as “Frodo”). Someone thought the guy from Chumbawumba was there, although it was debated whether it was him or the guy from Smashmouth. So many dishes on the menu sound wonderful: the lamb, the arugula & speck pizza, the pasta with clams, the grilled orata… and if nothing else, the chewy bread with DiPalo’s ricotta and olive oil will bring me back to Peasant.

Pearl Oyster Bar
18 Cornelia Street between Bleecker and W. 4th Streets (West Village)
New York, NY 10014
(212) 691-8211
http://www.pearloysterbar.com/
Subway: A/C/E/B/D/F/Q to W. 4th Street; 1 to Christopher Street
Bus: M5/6/20 to Bleecker Street; M8 to 6th Avenue


On the last night my friend from Dubai was in town, we decided to gather our friends together again for a farewell dinner. We discussed options, and it came down to pizza or lobster rolls. And what made the decision was while you can get decent pizza wherever you are in the world, the lobster roll as good as Pearl Oyster Bar's is few and far between.

Pearl does not take reservations, and for our party of 10, I arrived around 7pm and put our name in for 8:15pm. We grabbed a drink down the street and waited for our perpetually-late friends to arrive. By 8:30pm, our group was complete, and we were seated just after 8:45pm. Pearl is a cozy restaurant, despite their expansion into the space next door. My favorite place to sit is at the bar, close to the open kitchen. Actually, I’d be willing to sit anywhere that isn’t the counter opposite the bar where there isn’t ample legroom which makes it quite uncomfortable.

The ambiance at Pearl feels beachy minus the squawking seagulls and lapping ocean waves. The menu is short but sweet, and I do not recommend Pearl to non-fish/seafood eaters. On the other hand, if you like seafood/fish, I recommend practically everything on the menu. Most of us had been here before, so we knew what would be good (lobster rolls, the chowder, salt-crusted shrimp, and anything from the raw bar), but there were things we had not tried. We've always considered the bouillabaisse or the crabcake; this time, we decided to go for it. The crabcake with huge chunks of lump crabmeat was really incredible, especially with the accompanying crunchy slaw. In fact, I prefer it to the highly-acclaimed salt-crusted shrimp. The bouillabaisse was also a pleasant surprise, although I can’t imagine ever ordering it instead of the lobster roll. Sharing it as a starter was an excellent idea. The lobster rolls were just as wonderful as remembered… a large meaty helping of mayo-based lobster salad served in a perfectly tender hot dog bun with a generous serving of shoestring fries. Another delicious surprise was the fried oyster roll (not on the dinner menu, but available by request) with approximately 12 fried oysters miraculously crammed into a small hot dog roll. My only change would be to request the tartar sauce on the side unless you really like tartar sauce; a large dollop is plopped atop the oyster roll which doesn't allow for even tartar sauce with each bite.

Although none of us were hungry, dessert is a given at a group dinner. The butterscotch praline parfait and Callebaut chocolate mousse were ravished by our group of 10, as well as an apple pie which was served to us by accident. It was a perfect finish to a perfect meal.

Pearl Oyster Bar is one of those places that can’t do no wrong.

Murray Hill Diner
222 Lexington Avenue at E. 33rd Street (Murray Hill)
New York, NY 10016
(212) 686-6667
Subway: 6 to 33rd Street
Bus: M1/101/102/103 to 34th Street


Everyone should have a neighborhood spot that you can rely on. On the weekends when we are tired (read: hungover), we like to order in breakfast. My husband likes blueberry muffins and bagels with butter or cream cheese from Austin’s Café, but I like to try different places. Whoever wins the argument that morning chooses where we order from.

Since I’m constantly losing the “where to order from” argument, I haven’t yet found the perfect spot. I frequently walk by the Murray Hill Diner, and it looks cute, and it always looks crowded.

I am generally indecisive, but when I’m hungry and hungover, this problem is magnified. This morning, I went with a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich; pancakes; a side of corned beef hash; and a side of French fries. Although this sounds like a lot of food, this was for both of us, and I usually just pick at each.

We waited. And waited. I called 30 minutes after placing the order, and they told me the delivery was about to leave the restaurant. We continued to wait. I called after another 15 minutes. The man told me the delivery was on its way. We waited some more. After another 15 minutes, I had my husband call (he’s sterner than I am). They told him the food had just left. I hate liars.

We received our delivery 73 minutes after placing the order. The fries were terrible: soggy, unsalted, almost uncooked. The pancakes were no better: tasteless and gritty. The corned beef hash was sour. Even the bacon, egg and cheese sandwich was piss-poor. The roll was slightly stale and there was barely an egg in the sandwich. Now how does a restaurant screw up a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich?

Some mornings are just lazy, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But if you are looking for a reliable, quick breakfast, do not order from here.

Keens Steakhouse
72 West 36th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues (Garment District)
New York, NY 10018
(212) 947-3636
Subway: B/D/F/Q/W/N/R to 34th Street
Bus: M2/3/4/5/6/7, Q32 to 34th Street


I have a friend who currently resides in Dubai, but formerly lived in Manhattan, and when he comes for a visit, I always organize a “welcome back” dinner with a large group of our friends. The restaurant we choose is almost as important as the people we invite, and for this visit, we chose Keens. Established in 1885, Keens is curiously an oft-overlooked steakhouse on the edge of the Garment District that oozes classic New York. Perhaps because it is less mainstream than a Luger’s or Smith & Wollensky, it was easy to make a reservation on OpenTable (http://www.opentable.com/), and when I called the restaurant directly to change the time and increase the number in our party from eight to 14, the hostess was incredibly accommodating (as an added bonus, I still received my 100 OpenTable points). I recommend arriving before dinner to enjoy an aperitif in their adjoined bar which boasts three trivia questions daily.

The rich history of Keens remains in and on the walls, and while the restaurant’s ceilings are low, this gives you the opportunity to wonder and amaze at the many churchwarden pipes decorating the ceiling. The lore of these pipes is that Keens had previously been the Pipe Club and housed the pipes of historical celebrities the likes of J.P. Morgan, Teddy Roosevelt, General MacArthur, Albert Einstein and Babe Ruth.

A group of 14 can be unruly and unmanageable, especially with 10 bottles of wine plus drinks at the bar beforehand, but there is one perk: many dishes are ordered, and I’m not shy about asking to taste. The lobster cocktail was a perfectly cooked half a lobster tail, claw and knuckle served with a bland Green Goddess-like dressing. My husband’s lobster bisque (a special of the evening) was delicate yet rich with hints of Cognac and sherry. The Maryland lump crabcakes were full of crabmeat with very little filler – exactly how they should be. The New Orleans oysters Rockefeller (I have never tried the original at Antoine’s, http://www.antoines.com/) were different – I was expecting an oyster-version of clams Casino (baked with a golden crusty bacon topping), but these were less golden and crusty and more herby and dense, and the oysters were just barely cooked underneath. They were fine, but when you expect to taste one thing and then taste another… it always tastes strange.

Now if you've heard of Keens, you should know that their signature dish is the mutton chop. On December 14, 2005, Frank Bruni, food critic for the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/), reviewed Keens Steakhouse and discovered that the mutton chop is actually mature lamb rather than more than one-year-old sheep. Despite our knowledge of this truth, nine of 14 of our diners ordered the famed mutton chop. The mutton chop is a daunting cut, 26 ounces, as thick as my fist and wrapped with a "tail" of thoroughly-crisped fat, yet plates were practically licked clean and enjoyed by all nine. The porterhouse for two, which my husband and I shared, was delicious. Atypical of most New York steakhouses, this porterhouse was served on a normal restaurant dish rather than a sizzling metal plate. Yet, the dry-aged steak was perfectly cooked (like every other piece of meat we ordered) and tender, with amazing taste and texture. My favorite entrée from Keens, which I did not order on this occasion, is the prime rib; it is ginormous (a bit reminiscent of a Medieval Times event) and delectable, especially with horseradish.

Our side dishes were the usual: hash browns (crusty and wonderful), mashed potatoes (unmemorable), French fries (the first to go), creamed spinach (typical steakhouse), sautéed wild mushrooms (woodsy but salty) and green beans (my favorite green). In addition we also had a request for the carrots with brown butter, which, I was told, were the best carrots ever had by a carrot-lover at our table. Personally, I felt they were a little sweet, but I’m anti-dishes like sweet potato marshmallow casserole, which many people enjoy and love.

The wine list was typical steakhouse, full of many big reds from all over (primarily France, California, Italy), and we chose two from France: a Pomerol and a Margaux in the $60-75 range. Both were fair choices, although the Margaux was preferred by the serious red wine drinkers. The Pomerol really needed to breathe.

Although there wasn’t much room left for dessert, we still ordered a few for the table (listed from bad to better): a terrible crème brulee, an average Lady M chocolate cake and a pretty good New York cheesecake. Most were not finished. I wish we had ordered the bread pudding, one of my general favorite desserts. My advice: fill up on meat and pass on dessert. I chose to pass on my own dessert and enjoy a very good port which a friend recommended.

As usual, everything was as delicious and reliably prepared as expected; the only unreliable shocker of the night was the higher than usual price tag: $145 per person including tax and tip. But with all that wine and a happy stomach, who’s counting?

Foreign Cinema
(Californian, Mediterranean)
2534 Mission Street between 21st and 22nd Sts. (Mission)
San Francisco, CA 941
415 648 7600
BART to 24th Street

Foreign Cinema seems to always creep into conversations with friends as the kind of place you have to go to at least once (film classics projected onto the wall during dinner, part outdoor-part indoor space, etc.), so I figured I’d give it a try for brunch this past Sunday while in San Francisco for the weekend.

To my surprise, there wasn’t a wait for a table for two for brunch at 12:30pm. A friend and I sat down immediately at a table inside, tucked into an area adjacent to the fireplace which is centrally located in Foreign Cinema. The menu is extensive for brunch, including an impressive raw bar with a wide selection of oysters. There are plenty of egg options, as well as heartier lunch-type options, like chicken or even carpaccio. And, they even have the light eater’s fruit options.

To start, we ordered a half dozen Kumamoto oysters and a red endive and little gem salad with buttermilk-herb dressing. The oysters were as good as the average good Kumamoto, and the salad, albeit tiny, was delicious. It was fresh, tasty, tiny, and surprisingly over $8. The dressing is lightly-tossed so if you like a zestier salad, be sure to ask for additional dressing on the side.

Afterwards, my friend enjoyed a Croque Monsieur with cornichon and salad, and I had Dungeness crab from the raw bar. The sandwich was everything a Croque Monsieur should be, nothing further, but nonetheless, a good sandwich. A Croque Monsieur is what I like to call grilled cheese with ham in my non-fancy lingo. It was a large sandwich considering what I was expecting. The salad accompanying the sandwich was obviously the younger sibling of my salad. It was basic and tasty like my own but about the size of the cornichon sitting besides it.

The Dungeness crab, I warn you, is served as-is. You crack, you search, you find your own food for this 20+ minutes of eating. If I had known that the restaurant wasn’t doing any helpful cracking beforehand, I would not have ordered such a messy and intense dish (intense = focused = no conversation with friend for all 20 minutes). Basically, it was like eating all the tiny legs of a lobster without the satisfaction of a claw or a tail. A piece of meat about the size of my pinky nail was grounds for rejoice.

Alongside our meal, we had fresh-squeezed lemonade and pink grapefruit juice. The pink grapefruit juice was stellar and the lemonade would have been, too, if it were not for the seltzer added to dumb down the tartness of the drink. The bread basket is generous and with great fortune since the bread was delicious and the portions were smaller than I had anticipated.

Overall, Foreign Cinema met my expectations. It was a reliable brunch, the menu had great options for even the fussy diner in your party, and it was a pleasant venue. Be warned: the price tag isn’t pretty for an I’m-hungry-in-an-hour brunch.

The Ethiopian Restaurant
1582 York Avenue between 83rd and 84th Streets (Upper East Side)
NY, NY 10028
(212) 717 7311
4/5/6 trains to 86th Street, Bus M15 to 86th Street

Would you like to hear a sentence that sounds more like a contradiction? The Ethiopian Restaurant serves good ethnic food on the Upper East Side.

Finding good food on the Upper East Side has been a challenge. Food is more likely to be described as overpriced, just okay, or reliable (when an expletive is not used, that is). Finding good ethnic food has been a challenge squared. So, when I found The Ethiopian Restaurant, an unpretentious gem in Yorkville, imagine my glee.

A group of friends and I went on a recent Friday night. We made a reservation ahead of time which was unnecessary. At around 8:00pm, the restaurant was about half full – young couples occupied most of the tables. The dining room upon entering is about 8 tables and there is an additional room in the back which wasn’t being used that night. The service is laid back but not in a bad way – just don’t expect a waitress doting on you because it will not happen. The décor is minimalist.

We ordered Tibs Wot (strips of beef cooked in a brown sauce in traditional spices), Yebeg Alecha (chunky lamb stew seasoned with garlic, turmeric, and ginger), and the Ethiopian vegetarian combo. The combo consisted of Shiro (chick peas in a spicy sauce), Misr Wot (lentils stewed in red pepper sauce), Yater Kik Alecha (split peas mildly flavored with garlic, ginger, and turmeric), Yabesh Gomen (collard greens cooked with green pepper and garlic), and Fossolia (string beans and carrots cooked with onion and garlic). All was presented atop injera bread (unleavened sourdough bread that is communally shared with the table).

Both meat dishes were great. If you like a seasoned, stewed meat, you will love the lamb and beef. The lentils were awesome – spicy and delicious. Although the Shiro is sold as Ethiopian hummus gone spicy, it really takes nothing like hummus. It is much more ground up and much spicier. The restaurant’s version was very good. The string beans were good but not nearly as good as the string beans at Meskerem (I’ve been to both Bleecker Street and W. 47th Street Meskerems and the food is quite good). Injera is always delicious although this time it was flimsier than I am used to. But, if you love Injera like I do (and crave it like I do), you will settle for the semi-translucent type that the restaurant was serving.

We ordered a bottle of Shiraz off the minimal wine list. It was $30 and a decent bottle.

As a huge fan of Meskerem, I will say that the food at The Ethiopian Restaurant is not as delicious, but a very deserving option on a night where you are on the Upper East Side and just don’t feel like trekking to one of Meskerem’s three Manhattan locations (the third one is on W. 67th and Amsterdam) or on a night you just want to try someone else’s take on Ethiopian.

I am very excited I found this place. You can bet I’ll be back there soon. Like I said, I have cravings for injera...

franny’s
(Pizza/Italian)
295 Flatbush Avenue between St. Mark’s Avenue and Prospect Place
Brooklyn, NY 11217
(718) 230-0221

http://www.frannysbrooklyn.com/
Subway: B/Q to 7th Avenue; 2/3 Bergen Street


My husband is moving to the Bay Area at the end of this month, so we’ve decided we’re finally going to do all of the things in NYC that we always talk about doing. After going to the Bodies exhibition in South Street Seaport, our plan was to go to Grimaldi’s (http://www.grimaldis.com/) in Brooklyn for what some claim is the best pizza in New York City; however, when we drove by the restaurant, the line was down the block (they say this is normal) and the wait was over an hour. Unfortunately, we were too hungry for this.

Plan B. I have been dying to try this other pizza restaurant in Brooklyn, franny’s, for a long time. The owners, Andrew Feinberg and Francine Stephens, met at Savoy and fell in love. And the product of their love story is franny’s.

To make matters better, on March 9, 2005, in the Dining section of the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/), Andrew Feinberg was the featured in “The Chef” section in which he made a Meyer lemon-ricotta ravioli that sounded amazing (I still have the article and recipe archived at home!). And even though they no longer serve pasta at franny’s, this was really when franny’s was added to my must-try list.

There was a 40-minute wait on a Saturday night when we got there, but fortuitously, as soon as we arrived, a group of three got up from the bar, where they also serve dinner, so we sat immediately. The bar area of the restaurant looks like a wine bar, yet the welcoming and friendly bartender made us feel like the bar is a part of the restaurant, which is adorable, cozy with an open kitchen, not too loud and well laid out.

Everything on the menu sounded delicious and as others at the bar were served their dishes, we watched, salivating. It was a difficult decision, but we began with the heirloom tomato salad with burrata, a super rich and creamy mozzarella-style cheese; house-cured cacciatorini, finnochiona and coppa; crostini with warm Tuscan kale, garlic and pecorino Rossellino; and crostini with preserved San Marzano tomatoes with olio verde. The bread they use for the crostini and as the base of the heirloom tomato salad is amazing… crusty, with a soft and chewy center, and a slightly doughy, fresh taste, which balances the unbelievable crostini – everything was so good. I think the most amazing part was the burrata, which also paired well with the delicious house-cured meats.

For the stars of the show, we chose the pizza with buffalo mozzarella, ricotta, garlic and oregano; tomato, provolone piccante and wood-roasted onions; and tomato with buffalo mozzarella, anchovies and chilies (I really wanted the clam pizza, but they had just made their last one when I placed my order). The crust was thin and crisp, and each pizza was the perfect size for one. The white pizza came out burnt in spots from their powerful wood-fired brick oven, which was disappointing. I loved the garlic slices on the pizza, but my husband found them to be overpowering and tried to pick them off as best he could. The provolone and onion pizza was delicious, with large caramelized onion slices scattered over the entire pizza, which were a perfect balance with the sharp provolone. Finally the anchovy pizza… I love anchovies, but these anchovies were too strong for the delicate mozzarella and tomato pizza.

What I really love about franny's (besides EVERYTHING... except the anchovies) is their dedication to using locally grown, seasonal ingredients, an incredibly laudable task especially in the NYC area. I’m already hoping to go back soon, even though it is in Brooklyn, and I have a hard time motivating to the boroughs; next time I’ll go earlier in the evening so I can be sure to taste their clam pie, enjoy a Negroni (my new favorite drink of Campari, gin and sweet vermouth) and bask in the love story that created franny’s.

Lonesome Dove Western Bistro
(Southwestern)
29 West 21st Street between 5th and 6th Avenue (Flatiron)
New York, NY 10010
(212) 414-3139
http://www.lonesomedovebistro.com/
Subway: N/R/W/F/V to 23rd Street
Bus: M2/3/4/5/6/7 to 23rd Street


When we were in Dallas recently, we had dinner with my husband’s brother and sister-in-law. They live in Fort Worth and told us that an amazing Fort Worth restaurant was opening a NYC outpost. They said it was their favorite and raved about its chef Tim Love and the restaurant for quite a while. I had completely forgotten about it, until I received my local Daily Candy (http://www.dailycandy.com/) a couple weeks ago which featured Lonesome Dove. With my 11-month anniversary rapidly approaching, I thought it was a perfect excuse to make a reservation.

A bearskin rug lies on the sidewalk in front of Lonesome Dove, a dimly lit, casual restaurant in the Flatiron district. As you enter, a long bar encompasses the entire front half of the restaurant, making the entrance narrow while heading into the dining area. Although the restaurant was fairly empty at 7:30pm on a Friday evening, we were seated at a small uncomfortable table right next to a vertical beam. Within minutes, a table of four was seated right beside us, so close that I was practically cheek-to-cheek with one of the diners.

The wine list wasn’t very familiar to me, so we asked for the sommelier, who suggested only one wine which, at $75, ran higher than average. I personally think it’s the sommelier’s duty to request a price range, but this one didn’t. We were, however, pleased with the suggestion: J. Wilkes Bien Nacinto Vineyards Hillside Pinot Noir 2004.

Upon reviewing the menu, I found it interesting and quite different with a lot of sweet, fruity additions like huckleberry, raspberry, wild cherry and even candied jalapenos to spicy savory dishes. The attention-grabbing main course was the entrée for two: a Tomahawk chop, lobster tails, scallops and mashed potatoes carved and served tableside by the chef for market price (that night, $125, which was more than I had in mind). We decided on two appetizers, two entrees and two side dishes and waited in anticipation.

After ordering, bread was finally served to us; it tasted fine, nothing spectacular, but I’m not sure exactly what it had to do with Urban Western food – it was similar to Middle Eastern flatbread or pita bread. The softened butter was a highlight that I appreciated.

When our appetizers arrived, I was surprised at the lack of presentation. Both the buffalo corn dogs (3 for $12) and rabbit & manchego empanadas (4 for $9, I think) were served on the same white oversized dinner plate, the corn dogs separated by being placed in a concession-stand-esque red & white paper food basket. The corn dogs were very greasy, and the State Fair sauce that accompanied them tasted like mayo mixed with relish juice which I’m still not sure is a good combination. The empanadas had potential especially when when paired with the accompanying sauce; however, barely enough sauce for one was drizzled on the plate.

After an unsuccessful round of appetizers, we hoped that entrees would have better luck. My husband’s hand-cut beef tenderloin (medium-rare, $3.40 per ounce) with Serrano-lime butter was a tasty piece of meat, but was overly seasoned with very coarse black pepper. As my husband describes it, “It was like eating a hunk of black pepper with meat.” My grilled veal chop (medium-rare, $34) was similar where the quality of the meat was actually quite good, but it was so overseasoned and salty that some pieces were impossible to eat. Also, none of the fat seemed to be trimmed and the overseasoning and oversalting extended to the sauce to the point that I was unable to eat the grilled forest mushrooms or the crispy ricotta dumplings that came with it. I actually like salty food, so for it to be salty for me, it had to be VERY SALTY. The side dishes were unremarkable: $6 French fries were limp and not crispy; $12 white truffle mac & cheese used orzo rather than standard elbow macaroni and wasn't very cheesy (although it was creamy and white truffley). That said, the mac & cheese was the only passable part of the main course. Other dishes did look interesting: the seared monkfish and spicy posole stew with fried lobster bacon, garlic-stuffed beef tenderloin and, of course, the Tomahawk chop.

To round-out our meal, we ordered the ice cream sandwich for dessert, a simple dessert of vanilla ice cream between two chocolate chip cookies, but even the simple was poorly executed: the cookies were overcooked (burnt on the bottoms) and so hard that we couldn’t even dent them with a spoon, which was a bad match for softened ice cream, because if you tried to pick up the sandwich to take a bite, the ice cream smushed right out while trying to bite into the hard-as-a-rock cookies.

Our waitress (from Oklahoma) seemed overly enthusiastic about everything at the start, but it was hard for her to access our table throughout the meal since the table next to us was basically on top of us. When we got our bill after this unsatisfying meal, we were surprised at how expensive it was, even though the prices were on the menu. Considering the size of the appetizers, the taste of the entrees and the lack of care in the dessert, prices were high. And then I noticed an error on the bill; rather than charging us $75 (the price on the wine list) for the wine, we were charged $90, which is a bad mistake for a new restaurant. When I pointed it out to our waitress, we barely received an apology; she just changed the price of the wine and returned the bill to us.

Poor execution of interesting ideas may keep this restaurant from being a success. The only saving grace of this dinner was the wine because I’ve found a new wine that I really enjoy.

Chubo
(Eclectic/Global)
6 Clinton Street between Houston and Stanton Streets
New York, NY 10002
(212) 674-6300
http://www.chubo.com
Subway: F/V to 2nd Avenue
Bus: M21 to Avenue B/Clinton Street


When we were invited to a birthday dinner at Chubo, I was surprised because I’ve walked by the restaurant a number of times, and it seemed very small (like most of the restaurants included in the Clinton Street restaurant explosion) which I thought would be difficult for a birthday dinner. Yet, when I arrived, the restaurant appeared very welcoming and cute… little but not tight at all. When only nine of 14 people ended up coming, the waiter (the only staff member I saw in the front of the restaurant) was incredibly accommodating and quickly adjusted our table to feel cozy, even with nine people.

Since I was 45 minutes late (because Clinton Street is not easy to get to, and there were NO taxis to be found when I left), I had to make quick decisions (which is not easy for me). Fortunately, I had read the New York magazine review (http://nymag.com) with their recommended dishes before going, so at least I had an idea. It was a good thing I did, because the menu is very interesting and globally influenced, and I would’ve had a difficult time.

I started with a delicious drink, a plum champagne punch (I love plum and I love champagne). I had eaten a late lunch so I wasn’t as hungry as I would’ve liked, but a foodie friend (whose cholesterol is through the roof, but thinks he can eat anything because he’s on Lipitor - he had just finished a late lunch of brisket and a number of sides at Blue Smoke) was sitting across from me so we decided to share. After divulging New York magazine’s report, we ordered the duck shumai (New York magazine pick) and four kumamoto oysters as our appetizers. The oysters were fine; however, I prefer briny Atlantic oysters to the creamy Pacific types. The duck shumai were STANDOUT. The doughy wrapper were chewy but thin and perfectly cooked. I love dumplings, and I was blown away by these wrappers. The duck confit inside was also good, tender, flavorful – a perfect balance.

Entrees chosen were beef two ways (New York magazine pick) and the seared foie gras appetizer. I also benefited from sitting next to the birthday boy (a good sharer) who ordered the roasted scallops as his entrée. The beef entrée consisted of two parts: (1) hanger steak with a coffee rub and (2) oxtail ravioli served together with steamed asparagus. The oxtail ravioli was amazing. It must have been the same “pasta” as the duck shumai, since it is the same idea. Braised oxtail stuffed in a perfectly cooked doughy yet thin and chewy wrapper. I could’ve eaten an entire plate of these. The hanger steak was fine, not memorable, but tasty enough. The foie gras appetizer consisted of a teeny piece of seared foie gras set atop a disk of corn, maybe? I had a difficult time identifying what was what because it was heavily sauced with a strong fruity component. I quickly passed this off for more oxtail ravioli. The scallops were sliced thin which is a dangerous idea. One bite of scallop was almost tough, chewy and very overcooked whereas the next (a slightly thicker slice) was cooked fine. I heard from others that the sauce on the scallops was delicious, but I had a hard time getting past the loss of the delicate scallop.

Even though we were planning to enjoy birthday cake at the party following dinner, we still indulged in dessert sharing two desserts amongst five people: green tea mousse (New York magazine pick) and the espresso-cardamom soufflé. The green tea mousse failed to deliver; it was rather bland (I was expecting a punchy green tea flavored dessert especially since it was recommended). The soufflé, however, more than made up for the mousse; the cardamom didn’t overpower the dessert like I had thought, adding a mild interesting flavor to the espresso, and the fluffiness of the souffle was perfect.

Overall, Chubo was a hit, and next time, I may try their seasonal ingredient of the day (that night’s was venison, but I didn’t think I could eat four courses). Despite its spotty service as the restaurant filled up – frequently as dinner progressed, I would see our waiter standing by the bar area chatting with people, rather than checking on our water, drinks, etc., and there were only two tables taken (our table and one other four-top) – I would return, even if only for the duck shumai.

Park Avenue Café
(Contemporary American)
100 East 63rd Street at Park Avenue
New York, NY 10021
(212) 644-1900
http://www.parkavenuecafe.com/
Public Transportation: Subway: 4/5/6 to 59th Street, N/R/W to Lexington Avenue, F to Lexington Ave/63rd St; Bus: M1/M2/M3/M4/M5 to 59th Street

Frequently, food lovers also love wine. It doesn’t always go the other way, where wine lovers also love food, but foodies love gluttony, and wine consumption can be gluttony. So transitively, an unlimited wine lunch at Park Avenue Cafe would certainly be gluttony which I love. This is where Wine Week (http://www.nationalwineweek.com/) steps in. One week each year, fifteen of Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group’s restaurants pour 10 (give or take) wines each day with lunch for only $10. Actually, it used to be free (back in the good old days), and there’s talk that it might be obliterated (something political from what I gather), but since it was on this year, and it was only $10, I immediately made a reservation at Park Avenue Café on OpenTable (http://www.opentable.com/) which I'd wanted to try for quite a while back when David Burke was at the helm, and now because he was no longer.

When we arrived for our 1:15pm reservation at 1:10pm, one of the three greeters took our name and directed us to the cute, small bar to wait where another maitre d’-esque person poured us some sparkling wine while we waited. With its cute townhousey feel, simple decor and the sparkling wine, I started to love Park Avenue Cafe immediately. But then a few other groups arrived and were seated immediately. That bothers me. Our glasses were refilled, and we continued to wait. My husband asked about our reservation but was politely shooed back to the bar for additional waiting. My opinon was quickly waning.

We were finally seated just before 2pm at a comfortable table in the back room, and since it was wine week, gentlemen immediately rushed over with four different types of wine. I examined the menu and stared at food being served to other tables while sipping on a delicious Sauvignon Blanc (Spy Valley). As always, I was torn, since everything at nice restaurants always sound delicious, and finally decided on a ½ dozen oysters on the ½ shell and the East Side lobster roll; however, I made a last second change to get a better taste of the chef's style and chose a butternut squash and lobster bisque to start and a black sea bass in a gingered coconut broth over jasmine rice. My husband ordered the signature chopped salad and signature hamburger, which was perfect since I always like to try restaurants' signature dishes.

Imagine our surprise when the SIGNATURE salad was overdressed and wilted (as though it had been prepared and sitting out)... my husband wouldn’t even eat it! The flavors were good, similar to a Greek salad, but I knew it was bad when my husband said that MY Greek salad was crisper, lighter and better than this one. The bisque was good; however, there was little hint of lobster flavor and the lobster meat in the soup was tough. I started to rethink my last minute call... maybe I should have gotten the oysters... or the foie gras.

Entrees were similar. The burger was served with nine hand-cut French fries (yes, 9) and two red pepper catsups (one spicy, one not). We both would have preferred ketchup, and I don’t even like ketchup. The actual meat in the burger was very high-quality and tasty, but for medium, it was overcooked, with not even a tinge of pink in sight. The coconut broth that the waiter poured over my fish was incredibly tasty and exploded with flavors. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough to counterbalance the rice, which immediately absorbed what broth there was, and the fish didn’t have a chance at getting any of that amazing flavor.

For dessert, we split their sundae, a fun dessert which reminded me of a sundae bar from a birthday party from my youth. Accompanied by whipped cream, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, chocolate toffee and a berry compote, it allowed you to make your own creations with your ice cream of choice.

Surprisingly for wine week, we had to hound the servers for wine, and more often than not, the wines poured did not suit our meals. Normally a fan of unlimited wine meals (for example, Cite’s wine dinner), I wouldn’t recommend the hectic wine lunch at Park Avenue Café. In fact, I wouldn’t even recommend lunch at Park Avenue Café; for the price, I could think of a dozen restaurants that I’d prefer.

Red’s Eats
On the corner of Main Street and Water Street
Wiscasset, Maine 04578
(207) 882 6128

If you’ve been following some of my previous reviews-slash-diary-entries, you know that I love lobster rolls. So, imagine my giddiness and how many circles and stars were added to my calendar when I was invited to a wedding in Damariscotta, Maine, a short drive (about 15 minutes) from a legend, Red’s Eats, in Wiscasset, Maine.

Red’s Eats stopped traffic today. There’s a crosswalk on Main Street where it meets Water Street which allows Red’s Eats’ fans to safely cross the street to its roadside trailer. Drivers, presumably from out of town, rubbernecked which added to the Sunday traffic. Perhaps they were trying to figure out why a group of summertime individuals of all ages were lined up alongside a bright red trailer. I recommend leisure reading, maybe Sudoku/a crossword puzzle, or good company while waiting in line. I walked up a little before 3pm today, surprisingly the line wasn’t terribly long (maybe 7 or 8 groups ahead of me), and I didn’t get my rolls until 3:30pm.

The menu reads “market price” and that market price was $16 today. They don’t look that dissimilar to the lobster rolls I’ve seen elsewhere except for a few outstanding features:

1. Red’s Eats takes pride in giving you all the goodness of a whole one pound lobster and then some. They ain’t joking. It looked like a whole cracked lobster was resting in a hot dog bun. (It’s kind of funny how you can rarely find a hot dog that occupies the entire length of its bun. Red’s Eats filled that bun with so much fresh lobster that it put Ball Park franks to shame.)

2. I’m not the biggest fan of the plain lobster roll bun, but Red’s was one buttery, toasty, yummy bun. It’s a winner.

3. They don’t dress the roll for you. You choose: drawn butter or mayo on the side. I’m me and I’m indecisive; therefore, I had one of each. I’m usually a fan of the mayo-dressed version, but the debate continues in the state of Maine as to whether the traditional lobster roll is served with butter or mayonnaise. I was converted today. The buttery variety was delicious. The mayo version was good too, but for some reason, dressing lobster with mayonnaise myself wasn’t as fun as I thought it would be – getting the ratio of lobster:mayo correct was a minor challenge. I was up for it and did a pretty decent job at it, but the drawn butter version undoubtedly prevailed.

If you have a chance to make it up to Maine anywhere near Wiscasset, stop at Red’s Eats for a lobster roll. You won’t be sorry plus you get the real experience free-of-charge: the line, the trailer with the single window up front where you place and receive your order, the plastic tables out back where there happens to be seat for you, and of course, the lack of a restroom.

Wicker Park
1469 Third Avenue at 83rd Street (Upper East Side)
NY, NY 10028
(212) 734 5600
4/5/6 trains to 86th Street, Buses 101, 102, 103 to 86th Street

I wish Wicker Park was even slightly good. It happens to be about 2 minutes from my new apartment and the menu has just the kind of basics you think you could eat when in a bind of indecision (the kind of indecision that comes along with being starving and outside your apartment looking around helplessly for a restaurant that motivates you or the frustration you feel when trying to satisfy a group of six who all happen to like different types of food). You know: steaks, burgers, fries, mussels, and salads.

I sat down at Wicker Park for a quick meal and ordered from both the restaurant and bar menus. I chose french onion soup with added chardonnay topped with blue cheese crouton, tomato and mozzarella salad atop baby mixed greens, and filet mignon sliders with blue cheese sauce and caramelized onions on mini onion brioche. Along with Caesar salads, I’m also on a quest to find the best french onion soups around. Think: Balthazar.

Well, back to my meal. Bread at Wicker Park means tough pretzels and creamy honey Dijon dipping sauce. I had a few bites and then pushed the basket away to save room for a hearty meal I was expecting. The french onion soup arrived and I was surprised to see no evidence of a Swiss (or Gruyere) covering. The only evidence of cheese, at all, was a blanket of little, off-white specks floating on top of the soup. I took one bite and I knew that there was nothing good about Wicker Park’s onion soup. The blue cheese was gritty and strong, the crouton was crisp and unchanged in the warmth of the soup, and the chardonnay took away from the onion flavor. Two bites and I reached for the basket of pretzel bread again.

When tomatoes in the summertime and creamy fresh mozzarella combine, little more than salt, pepper, and basil are needed. The best mozzarella and tomato salad I’ve had was at a friend’s house in Bridgehampton. Fresh mozzarella from an Italian deli on Montauk Highway (which is no longer open) and heirloom tomatoes from Beechnut Hill Farm, an organic farm in Bridgehampton. The tomatoes from Beechnut Hill Farm come in all sizes, from grape to heirloom, are always perfectly delicious, and can be found during the summer, when lucky, at City Hall restaurant in Tribeca (www.cityhallnewyork.com).

Oh yes, back to Wicker Park. The tomato and mozzarella salad tasted as though the tomatoes were marinated in balsamic vinaigrette for hours, perhaps days, and then plopped on top of naked chopped lettuce with mini fresh mozzarella and chopped basil. The tomatoes were soggy and over-flavored while the rest of the salad was lacking any flavor whatsoever. Again, I took a few bites and then pulled the pretzels closer to me.

The filet mignon sliders were supposedly dressed in blue cheese sauce; however, the blue cheese was apparently doubled in my soup and halved in my burgers. The onion brioche was so tough that it was chewy and the filet mignon had no flavor (sound familiar?).

By the end of my meal, I had not consumed much at all…except for the pretzel basket. Before my meal was cleared, my phone rang: my friends were eating at Xunta in the East Village. I paid my bill, jumped into a taxi, and headed to Xunta for tapas.

Sonny Bryan’s Smokehouse
(BBQ)
2202 Inwood Road at Redfield Street (near Harry Hines Boulevard)
Dallas, TX 75235
(214) 357-7120
http://www.sonnybryans.com/


When I think of Dallas, I think of BBQ. Since my husband is a Dallas native, I deferred to him to choose the spot, and we ended up at the original Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse. After having tried multiple spots in NYC (I think I’ve already said that my NYC favorite is Blue Smoke), I thought it was time for me to try true Texas-style BBQ... IN TEXAS.

Sonny Bryan’s has been around since 1910, and the Inwood branch is the ORIGINAL. The restaurant didn't look like much when we pulled up: a rundown wooden shack with screened windows and picnic tables outside. In fact, I felt like the Big Bad Wolf could huff, puff and blow the place down. Inside looked pretty much the same... it isn’t exactly white fabric tablecloths and sterling silverware. Plus there's no air conditioning.

The above and beyond friendly staff welcomes/accosts you as you walk in the door, requesting your order. Somehow it's not offensive since they're so cheerful about it. My husband ordered a beer on tap to enjoy while we waited, and it was so cold, steam rose from the glass in the hot air.

In order to maximize the amount of food I could taste, I ordered the two meat dinner (pork and ribs) which came with two sides (I chose French fries and cole slaw), while my husband had the beef sandwich (which came with nothing; he needed his own fries though, since I had no intention of sharing).

We couldn't resist ordering onion rings when I saw an order coming out for another patron. Thick and golden, they looked delicious. Unfortunately, they didn't deliver. The crust fell off too easily, and the delicate balance between onion and outer crust was too uneven. If you like an onion ring that's much more onion than crispy crust, then this may be for you.

But on to the good stuff: the MEAT! All of the meats were quite obviously smoked and cooked for long periods of time, since it was falling apart and tender. The pulled pork actually may have been too tender, since it was almost mushy. The flavors weren't as robust as I'd expect from TEXAS BBQ. What I did surprisingly enjoy immensely was the sauce that accompanies the meats. I'm not one for BBQ sauce, but this one was served warm, with a balanced sweet/tart/spicy taste that gave the meat the flavor it lacked. I still would've preferred a more seasoned pork.
Although there are no actual tables at this Sonny Bryan's location, you are able to eat-in (if you can stand the lack of air conditioning in the Dallas heat); the front of the restaurant holds about 14 (give or take) individual tables (similar to elementary school desks). Outside are picnic tables where you can also enjoy these grubs.

I may not try Sonny Bryan's again, but I'm glad I finally experienced true Texas BBQ. It was cheap, tasty enough and hit the spot.

Mama’s Daughters’ Diner
(American, Comfort Food)
2014 Irving Boulevard between Manufacturing Street and Turtle Creek Boulevard
Dallas, TX 75207
(214) 742-8646
http://www.mamasdaughtersdiner.com/


On my quest for the ultimate comfort food in Dallas, I found Mama’s Daughters’ Diner. Although there are a few other branches, the Irving Blvd one is the original. On a Saturday morning, we found Mama’s Daughters’ Diner in a strange, desolate area. The restaurant was already crowded, and I was so happy that we motivated early enough to get a table.

Adorned on the walls are tons of photos, particularly of Norma, the original Mama. Something about the photo felt welcoming, and then I began to take in the aromas wafting throughout the restaurant. Dishes moved quickly out of the kitchen to the tables, and maybe I was just hungry, but I couldn’t help but stare at EVERYTHING because it all looked so good.

I ordered Mama’s breakfast special (my choices in parentheses): 2 eggs (egg whites well-done), grits or hash browns (grits), biscuits or toast (biscuits) and gravy, and chicken-fried steak, breakfast steak or 2 pork chops (chicken-fried steak). My husband had a breakfast special as well: 2 eggs (sunny-side up), 2 pancakes, biscuits and bacon. My eyes were big so I also ordered a side of hash browns (crispy) and a cinnamon roll.

The cinnamon roll was served first, and it was the most delicious cinnamon roll I have ever, ever had. It was homemade, warm, not too sweet, not too cinnamony, doughy. It was perfect. I wish I had ordered another one. As we were demolishing the cinnamon roll, our food came out.

I quickly sliced into the chicken-fried steak, and it wasn’t as knife-tender as I’d hoped… nor was it as seasoned and spicy – it was just OK. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t memorable. The gravy was pretty good; I especially enjoyed the flecks of pork in the gravy. I couldn’t eat the eggs, because, despite the “well-done” request, there were wet, almost-raw areas, which I couldn’t eat.

When I asked the waitress for butter for the grits and the biscuits, she pointed to the table – more specifically, a red plastic basket filled with individual tubs of Land O’ Lakes fresh buttery taste spread. Butter… SUBSTITUTE. When I explained to the waitress that I would prefer real butter, she said there was none in the restaurant. No butter in the restaurant??? Who doesn’t use butter??? After getting over the initial shock, I added the Land O’ Lakes fresh buttery spread to my grits, but they were inedible, regardless of the fake butter. Too gritty, not cooked long enough, and I must’ve gotten the bottom of the pot… I think I got the entire stale layer that gets stuck to the bottom.

I enjoyed the biscuits; they were more flaky, less crumbly and although they weren’t perfect, they were pretty darn good… especially smothered in the pork gravy. The hash browns were the shredded potato-kind, and cooked crispy, they were a delicious addition to the meal. My husband’s pancakes were great, fluffy, almost melt-in-your-mouth. The bacon was really meaty and chewy; it tasted good, but I prefer my bacon crisp. Since bacon didn’t come with my order, I’ll have to request crispy bacon next time.

Next time, and there will DEFINITELY be a next time since I’m still wishing that I had gotten pie (we were sitting in plain view of the pies, and they looked amazing)… and another cinnamon roll… next time, we’ll have to try lunch, since Mama’s closes at 3pm on the days they’re open. Before this ends, I have to comment on the prices. Mama’s is the definition of cheap eats. I was in opposite sticker shock! A side of hash browns was 89 cents; I think that may be cheaper than McDonald’s.

Good Eats (Southern, American, Comfort Food)
3888 Oak Lawn Avenue between Blackburn Street and Irving Avenue (but the restaurant is basically on the corner of Irving)
Dallas, TX 75219
(214) 522-3287
http://www.goodeatsgrill.com/
Public Transportation: I have no idea if there even is public transport in Dallas

I didn’t grow up in Dallas, or anywhere near the South, but I think of myself as somewhat of a “comfort food” aficionado (if I do say so myself!). When my husband and I were invited down to Dallas for a long weekend (first-class tickets and a room at the Mansion on Turtle Creek), I was excited to oblige (especially when I thought of the delicious food possibilities: chicken-fried steak, authentic Mexican and Texan BBQ).

I researched restaurants and cafes before we left, but the heat and my hunger panicked me when I walked out of the hotel so I asked the valet for a suggestion for some “local” food, and he pointed me in the direction of Good Eats (when I heard the name, I immediately thought of the Food Network show “Good Eats” which I thought was a good omen).

Good Eats is a mini-chain (4 locations) wholly within Texas, and when I pulled into the strip mall parking lot, I was a bit apprehensive, but this was slightly eased when I saw people waiting outside for the restaurant to open at 11AM.

The décor of the restaurant looks like an Applebee’s hit a rodeo. This made me nervous again, and I regretted taking the advice of the hotel valet and not planning better.

My husband was at a meeting so I was alone, and the incredibly friendly maitre d’ seated me at a spacious and comfortable booth. The young waitress was sweet as well – actually, everyone, including the patrons, acted friendly and smiley… exactly what you would expect in Texas. When I asked her what was good and fresh, she responded, “Everything’s made fresh, besides the fries… and the spinach…” Before she could go on, I ordered their award-winning chicken-fried steak (it won kudos from D Magazine and the State Fair of Texas – how could I not?) which came with two sides (I chose garlic spinach – a special – and French fries).

When the bread came out and being in Texas, I instinctively reached straight for the cornbread… what a mistake! It was horrible, like crumbly sawdust. I would’ve tried to spread on the accompanying softened whipped butter, except the entire piece crumbled into my hand as I tried. Having given up on the cornbread, I warily reached for the plain wheat roll. WOW… to my surprise, it was soft, warm and delicious. It was doughy and yeasty in a homemade-sorta-way, and the smell reminded me a little of the fresh-baked bread from Subway.

Finally, as I watched every other table being served (by the way, the restaurant filled up within 30 minutes of opening!), my entrée came out, and it was exactly what I had hoped for. The chicken-fried steak looked golden brown, well-seasoned and crusty. Amazingly, it tasted even better than it looked – tender, spicy, crispy. And the gravy atop was the perfect sauce… until it congealed three minutes later perhaps due to the AC blasting (combating the 100+ degree heat outside). Strangely, the crusty chicken-fried steak still remained crusty – not soggy in the least – even underneath that layer of gravy – a scientific wonder.

The greens were waterlogged, the fries missed being crispy (maybe they needed to fry it with the same method as the chicken-fried steak), yet I would definitely return to Good Eats, and next time, maybe I’ll try the meatloaf or pot roast, but I doubt it.

Essex
(American)
120 Essex Street on the SE corner of Rivington Street
New York, NY 10002
(212) 533-9616
http://www.essexnyc.com
Subway: F to Delancey Street, J, M, Z to Essex Street
Bus: M9 or M14A to Essex & Delancey Streets


Back in 1999, when Essex was relatively new, this place was more of a lounge than a restaurant, but sometime between now and then, Essex became a full-fledged restaurant. Located in the hip Lower East Side, Essex creates its own warehouse chic feel that fits in with the neighborhood.

If you’re going for brunch, make a reservation. Here’s my personal experience with the crowds at Essex: a few months ago, a group of eight of us tried to have brunch at Essex at noon on a Sunday; I had another commitment at 1:30pm, so I was unable to partake in brunch because by 1:15pm, we still had not been seated. Fortunately, this time around, a reservation had been made, especially since we were a group of 12, celebrating a friend’s bridal shower.

Brunch is a $15 prix fixe and includes THREE (yes, 3!!) brunch-esque cocktails (bloody Marys, mimosas and screwdrivers). Sadly, I wasn’t drinking, so I had to settle for a virgin Mary. These bloodies were SPICY – definitely a wake-up call on a droopy weekend morning. And perhaps it was because we were a group, but everyone who was drinking had more than 3 drinks, and no extra charges were added to our bill.

The food: I’m not exactly sure what type of food Essex is supposed to have. I’ve read “Jewish-Latin fare” and just “Latin” but when I was there for brunch, I saw an omelet, eggs Benedict (classic plus a few variations of), biscuits & gravy, steak & eggs, chocolate-blueberry pancakes, bacon… most of which didn’t sound very Latin or Jewish (especially the bacon) or a combination thereof. I noticed a few “Jewish” dishes: potato pancakes, challah French toast, lots of cured salmon (aka gravlax) and matzo; and their “Latin” aspects: the Cuban sandwich, an egg dish with torilla chips and pico de gallo, but is this enough to classify this restaurant as “Jewish-Latin”? It sounds pretty melting pot to me, which is the definition of AMERICAN.

As for how the food tasted, it was good enough. The chocolate-blueberry pancakes (which I didn’t order) were good enough that I wanted another bite. Actually, the pancakes were delicious. Everything else was less delicious. I ordered the Southern – biscuits & gravy. I am married to a Texan so I know biscuits and gravy. This was not good. Nothing else looked good. Except the pancakes.

Still, the brunch is worth it, just for the drinks. Bring good friends (ideally one or two that doesn’t drink so you can steal their drinks) and bring 20 bucks, and you’ll be golden (or a little pink-cheeked from the mimosas).

Zabb Kitchen
(Thai)
244 E. 13th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues (East Village)
NY, NY 10003
(212) 529 8770
4/5/6 trains to 14th Street – Union Square, L train to 1st Avenue

If you’re that person who traveled through Thailand, ate the most delicious foods along your journey, then came home to be flat-out disappointed with Thai food in the States, I have a solution for you. However, you must be a) living in New York City or b) willing to trek to New York City for a meal.

Zabb Kitchen doesn’t have just one name. To be honest, I’m not sure whether to call it Zabb Kitchen, Cha Cha Tea House (as written on the door), the restaurant formerly known as Pat Pong, or G&G (as it reads on its awning). I arrived at the restaurant thinking the East Village Thai restaurant Pat Pong had changed locations. To my surprise, I found a complete gem of a restaurant. A complete gem of a BYO restaurant, that is!

For the table of 10 I hosted at Zabb, we ordered pork and vegetable dumplings, summer rolls, and grilled beef salad to start. The vegetable summer rolls were as expected and the dumplings were not special and a bit soggy. I was hardly worried though because I could tell that those stand-bys were hardly going to be the focus of the meal. The beef salad with wonderful accents of Thai basil, ever-so-slightly minty, and rice shavings, toasty and tasty, was excellent. This is a must-order on any trip to Zabb. The portions are not large, so you may be happier ordering two for a party of 6 or more.

We continued with beef Massaman curry, tofu red curry, chicken pad thai, and spicy vegetable noodles with basil. The curries were exceptional – authentically spicy with a brilliant combination of flavors with each mouthful. You cannot go wrong with ordering curries with either beef or tofu. A great spin on Zabb’s red curry includes the use of Asian cabbage which you may mistake for kimchee. It adds a great, crisp freshness to the curry while absorbing some of the intense spiciness of the dish. The chicken pad thai was fine but much too boring for the splendid dishes that Zabb creates. The spicy basil noodles were thick noodles, cooked perfectly and seasoned perfectly, as well.

Desserts at Kabb were also great. The black sticky rice with mango is not to be missed. It is served exactly as you would expect in Thailand with perfectly ripened mangoes and a luscious, creamy coconut milk. We also tried the banana sticky rice which was good but too light on the banana taste in relation to the starchiness of the rice. The homemade ice creams were good, but one we had which was entitled something on the lines of “Love” was much too fragrant. It almost tasted like perfume. I’d skip the ice cream and go with mangoes with black sticky rice, one for each person at the table. It’s so delicious, you won’t want to share.

In addition to the splendid food, the prices are reasonable – curries and noodle dishes are under $10 each while appetizers hovered in the $5-$8 range. The proprietor, who is from Northern Thailand, is extremely friendly and willing to make recommendations while not dumbing down the flavors of the dishes in an attempt to protect meek tongues. The restaurant is fully BYO and fits about 30. You will absolutely love the grilled beef salad, curries, and the mangoes with black sticky rice. This restaurant gets an A from me, my highest rating thus far, enjoy!

Yabbies Coastal Kitchen
(Seafood)
2237 Polk Street between Green and Vallejo Streets (Russian Hill)
San Francisco, CA 94109
415 474 4088
MUNI Bus: 19, 41, 45, 47, 49.

From a lobster pound in Maine to a 2 lb. lobster at Bobby Van’s in Bridgehampton, I love nothing more than seafood. Yabbies’ décor, price, and ambience fall somewhere between the aforementioned locations. It was a Monday night (fish and chips night) and Yabbies was pretty much empty at 9pm. My friend and I sat down and immediately ordered a dozen oysters: 6 Kumamotos and 6 Hama Hamas (also from Washington). The Kumamotos were everything we expected (tasty) and nothing more. The Hama Hamas were not as tasty as the Kumamotos: they were slightly larger, looked like East Coast oysters, and had a slight briney flavor like their East Coast cousins. We gobbled the dozen down in seconds. The Kumamoto oysters were $2 each and the Hama Hama oysters were $1.80 each.

We also ordered a Caesar salad “The Classic Style” – heart of romaine with parmesan, croutons, anchovies, and dressing. It was small and certainly not worth $7.50, but on my quest to find the perfect Caesar salad, I sometimes have to pay the price.

We also ordered the Maine lobster and the linguine with fresh clams, garlic, and chili in white wine broth. It was a 1.5 pound lobster, boiled, with drawn butter. It was exactly what you’d expect from a 1.5 pound lobster flown to California from Maine and then served for 20-something dollars. It was satisfying enough. The linguine with clams was a disappointment. The pasta was overcooked – what were they thinking – linguine in white clam sauce should always be al dente! The portion was miserably small for $15.95 and the clams were sparse. It was slightly spicy but the chili really just took away from the flavor of the sauce. Yabbies’ version of linguine with fresh clams was a joke compared to the “real deal” and thus far my standard – the linguine with clam sauce at Enzo’s at 1998 Williamsbridge Road in the Bronx (http://arthuravenuebronx.com/enzo_restaurant.htm).

Overall, Yabbies was just fine. The food was decent, the wines by the glass and wine list were great (we had two white wines which were both excellent), and it was empty enough on a Monday night that we were able to enjoy the background music: the entire Led Zeppelin album. The only drawback (besides the linguine and Starbucks-like light fixtures) was that it wasn’t cheap… but neither is an airline ticket to Maine.

Chez Panisse Café
(California, Mediterranean)
1517 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, California 94709
510 548 5049
BART to downtown Berkeley (but it’s still a hike from there)

On a recent Saturday afternoon, a friend and I walked 2 miles from a shop on University Avenue in Berkeley in order to dine at Chez Panisse Café for lunch. We were worn, exhausted, and hungry. Sourdough bread and butter were brought to our table promptly. The bread was tough which I’ve grown accustomed to with sourdough. The butter was tougher as it most likely traveled directly from refrigerator to our table. As you will gather from my previous and future reviews, bad bread and butter at an expensive restaurant can easily cause a restaurant’s descent.

First was the roasted peppers with sheep’s milk ricotta and olive toast. We decided on this after seeing it being served to our neighbor’s table. I am a lover of ricotta in every possible way one can dream to serve it. Sadly, this ricotta was a letdown. It wasn’t very tasty nor creamy and as a centerpiece to the dish, the dish was disjointed. The heirloom and cherry tomato salad with aioli was excellent. The cherry tomatoes were sweet, tangy, and delicious – everything I’d expect from the in-season tomato, as well as from the restaurant. The aioli was unnecessary for the olive oil and basil served with the tomatoes were more than sufficient.

The Garganelli pasta with shell beans, rapini, and hot pepper tasted as though the rapini and beans were seasoned together and then added to the pasta. Everything but the pasta was over-salty almost to the point of being inedible. There was a slight hint of hot pepper but so light that it hardly deserved mention. The pasta itself was the best part of the meal as its surface area absorbed just enough of the saltiness of the beans. The grilled chicken breast saltimbocca with sweet corn polenta and Romano beans was good. The chicken breast was more tender than I would have expected from the cut and its wrap in bacon added a hint of flavor. The polenta was outstanding and the beans that accompanied the dish were delicious.

For dessert, we shared two: the almond cake with strawberries and the kirsch custard with summer berry coulis and pain d’amandes. The cake was a great idea, but tasted like a swig of almond extract. The custard was too syrupy and fruity although the custard itself was marvelous. If I could do it again, I probably would have ordered something much more basic like the coffee-chocolate-almond ice cream.

From what I read, Alice Waters tries to achieve the essence of dining at home. That is what it was in many ways: conceptually grand but unfinished and somewhat sloppy.
Overall I was underimpressed by the meal but delighted by its highlights.

Mijita Cocina Mexicana
One Ferry Building (Embarcadero at Market Street), #44
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 399-0814
http://www.mijitasf.com/
Muni: N Judah to Embarcadero Station


If you love food, restaurants and chefs like I do, the name Traci des Jardins (best known for her San Francisco restaurant Jardiniere) is as familiar as the name Mickey Mantle is to someone who loves baseball (or, for that matter, the general population). So when we made a stop at the Ferry Building while visiting my family in San Francisco, it was a no-brainer to grab a bite at her brightly colored nook in the Ferry Building called Mijita.

The ambience at Mijita is casual and perfectly represents its location as well as its menu. Des Jardins has developed sustainable Mexican recipes reflecting her roots and her California upbringing.

Since I was with a few people, we ordered a fair number of menu items in order to get an across-the-board taste of her creations: off of the regular menu, fish taco, quesadilla Mijita, queso fundido, a side of frijoles, guacamole & chips, plus the bean burrito for my 2-year-old nephew. Off of the specials menu: carnitas sandwich and chicken taquitos. After our cashier rang up our order, I noticed that although the menu may be authentic, the prices certainly were not (about $55 including tax but not beverages).

Portions were small, but tasty. Chicken is my least favorite meat, but the taquitos were delicious – light, crispy, with no greasy taste. The fish taco was similarly tasty: flaky Mahi Mahi, lightly battered and deep-fried until perfectly golden, inside a warm corn tortilla. But the all-star of the bunch was the queso fundido – melted cheese (described as “Mexican cheese” on Mijita’s website) mixed with chorizo served with warm flour tortillas. Simple as it is, it was delicious on its own, or as an addition to each of the items we ordered, particularly the very plain bean burrito (children’s menu item), which I didn’t expect would be spectacular, but at least more interesting than Taco Bell (it wasn’t).

I wish we had ordered the carnitas tacos, which is usually my favorite anywhere (especially Mexico), because the carnitas sandwich was mostly bread, and the bread just wasn’t good. I’ve definitely had better guac (Rosa Mexicano, Dos Caminos, my own), and Mijita’s namesake quesadilla left no impression at all.

I’ve read elsewhere that Mijita uses all local, organic ingredients, hence the high price tag on its dishes. I’ve never been one for organic anything, so next time I’m in San Francisco looking for a big name chef, I may save my $55 towards a down payment for dinner at Restaurant Gary Danko.

Dim Sum GoGo
5 East Broadway btwn Catherine St/Chatham Sq (which is what Bowery becomes)
New York, NY 10038
(212) 732-0797
http://gochineserestaurant.com/DimSumGoGo/


Dim sum brunch is a NYC experience, best enjoyed with a group, and Dim Sum Go Go is the place to go if you want consistently delightful, light and tasty dim sum. If you haven't been, you should know that, besides the slightly disorganized wait, Dim Sum Go Go isn't the typical dim sum experience -- there are no carts roaming between tables, it's not a huge banquet hall filled with huge tables and diners are not hovering at the kitchen doors waiting for the next best thing to come out.

Weekends at lunchtime are usually crowded, and the wait was about 30 minutes this past Sunday at noon. Go Go has gotten a lot of good press as the "Best Dim Sum" in Manhattan, if not all of NYC, and with this press comes the crowds (while waiting, I sometimes wish that there wasn’t so many good reviews on Go Go, but it’s purely selfish so that my wait wouldn’t be as long).

Almost everything we ordered came out quickly and was amazing. Their XO sauce (a condiment offered at no charge) is bursting with flavor and is the perfect enhancement to the dim sum offered (I like a little chili paste as well). My three friends and I ordered Go Go hamburgers in steamed buns and an assortment of dim sum (fried shrimp balls, turnip cakes, pork dumplings, rice rolls with shrimp, rice rolls with parsley & scallions, spare ribs with black bean sauce, beef tripe with black pepper sauce, chicken & sticky rice in lotus leaf, chicken bun, shrimp dumplings, shumai, chives & shrimp dumplings, duck dumplings, chinese parsley dumplings, soybean dumplings and malaysian rolls).

This was the first time I’ve ordered something not on the dim sum menu… I'm sure the other dishes at Go Go are delicious, but I haven't tried them. I usually can’t make it past the dim sum. The Go Go burgers were served in steamed buns similar to what you’d get with Peking duck and served with taro fries. They tasted good (especially with a little chili paste and XO), with an herbal flavor; however, the texture was slightly gelatinous and rubbery, a bit strange for a burger. What really stood out (as usual) were dim sum, especially the chives & shrimp dumplings, duck dumplings and chinese parsley dumplings. The latter of the three was especially bright and would be the perfect final dumpling to savor as a palate cleanser before moving on to the delicious dessert Malaysian rolls. What was particularly UNextraordinary were the soybean dumplings and chicken buns; I’d definitely leave those off and get a second order of the chives & shrimp dumplings for next time.

I'm always looking for the real thing, and when it comes to authentic fare, I go to the source. I frequently go to dim sum with at least one (if not both) of two friends who are from Hong Kong, who live in Chinatown AND who speak Cantonese (Have you ever noticed that if you're with a native, you get better service (and sometimes freebies)?) Anyhow, the dim sum tastes spectacular, and if the locals think Dim Sum Go Go is the best of the best, that’s good enough for me.