Restaurant Forte Baden Baden
28 West 32nd Street, 2nd floor, between Broadway and 5th Avenue
New York, NY 10001
(212) 744-2266
Subway: B/D/F/N/Q/R/V to 34th Street
Bus: M2/3/4/5/6/7 to 34th Street


I’ve walked down the busiest block of Koreatown many many times, and I’ve never noticed Restaurant Forte Baden Baden, even when I was looking for it! I’d read an article about “Korean fried chicken” in the New York Times a while back, and although I’m not the biggest fan of chicken, I love Korean and I love fried. A friend and I had made plans to check it out, and before we found a free day for both of us, New York magazine recognized it as 2007’s best fried chicken.

We climbed up a slightly dingy set of stairs to a bustling bar filled with tables as close together as possible borderline being a fire hazard. A host catered to all of the different patrons walking in, including us, surveying the room to see where he could squeeze each new party. Waitstaff buzzed quickly around the room serving drinks and food. It was exactly how you’d find it in Seoul.

We were told there would be a 20-minute wait for a group of 6, but we were ushered to a cozy corner table with a great view of the flat screen TVs within minutes. Although the crowd was majority Korean, I’m sure the recent publicity has brought in its fair-share of foreigners, and on that night, there were a few scattered throughout, including our table. We ordered drinks and anju (Korean word for dishes consumed with alcohol) and got settled and excited.

Everything was served incredibly quickly. The touted fried chicken really was quite delicious. Exactly as described, deep-fried rotisserie chicken is imbued with garlic and is incredibly moist yet crisp on the outside and plated with a huge portion of super crispy French fries.

If you’re looking for a more Southern-style fried chicken, go with the hot wings. Super spicy, but dry, these wings are battered to a golden crisp and are spiced HOT and paired with a blue cheese sauce, celery and a yummy salad. These will be my go-to wings from this point forward.

We also included a very typical anju to round out our meal: dubu kimchi (tofu with kimchi and pork). The tofu was very fresh and tasted delicious with the stewed kimchi and pork. This is not for the faint-of-heart; the kimchi stew is very strong, and I advise eating it with the tofu to balance out the flavors.

We didn’t drink as much as we should’ve (since I’d been drinking for 4 hours prior), but these 3 dishes were plenty for the 5 of us. With drinks, tip and tax, the total per person was only $30 – much cheaper than flying to Seoul for this very Korean experience.

Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House
1221 6th Avenue at 49th Street
New York, NY 10020
(212) 575-5129
Subway: B/D/F/V to 47-50th Street/Rockefeller Center
Bus: M5/6/7 to 49th Street; M27/50 to 6th Avenue


There’s always much debate as to the best steak in Manhattan (and Brooklyn, if you include Peter Luger’s), and with steakhouses popping up all over town, it’s hard to even keep up. Some go to such great lengths to have a favorite steakhouse for each cut of steak (yes, I really know this person)! As for me, I’m partial to ribeye and porterhouse, and when I’m eating out, I enjoy these most at MarkJoseph downtown. When one of my girlfriends suggested dinner at her favorite steakhouse, Del Frisco’s, somewhere I’ve never been, I happily agreed.

Housed on the ground floor of a corporate building in Midtown, Del Frisco’s doesn’t wow you on the outside. However, upon entering, you are greeted by a grand staircase, incredibly high ceilings and a vast open dining area surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows. Upon my arrival, the hostesses were overwhelmed, disorganized and less than friendly. No one offered to take my coat, and I had to ask multiple times about my reservation before I was assisted.

There are two bars for drinking and waiting (one on the ground floor, one on the balcony), and the former, the large main bar, was bustling. I headed upstairs to the smaller balcony bar, which was completely occupied, yet not overwhelming, and had a bird’s eye view of the dining space below as well as of touristy Sixth Avenue through the soaring windows. I’ve also heard that the upstairs bar offers a Bloomberg terminal to accommodate their typical clientele (I didn’t notice it).

I was disappointed that neither bartender knew how to make my favorite aperitif, the Negroni, but neither quibbled when I corrected them. I liked the small-bar, almost café-like feel that the upstairs bar gave, which is a difficult feat at a massive steakhouse. After our party was complete, we barely waited or barely felt like we had waited at all when we were ushered by an attractive hostess to a table in a small nook on the balcony level next to a private enclosed cigar lounge. Our server, Anna, was attentive and friendly, and service was excellent.

Immediately upon sitting, we received a small loaf of bread sprinkled with sesame seeds that was steaming hot, and absolutely delicious. Have you ever noticed that warm bread always tastes better? I don’t understand why all restaurants don’t freshly bake or even heat up their bread. Del Frisco’s bread would only have been improved had the butter served with it been even slightly softened or at room temperature.

Appetizers were served incredibly quickly, almost too much so. I’d read everywhere that the crab cake was the not-to-be missed starter, and I understand why: this single crab cake has no filler and is basically a seasoned mound of lump crabmeat served with a delicious Cajun lobster sauce. The marinated shrimp, similar to a shrimp cocktail except laid out on a platter, consisted of five ginormous shrimp in an herby marinade and were tasty, although unmemorable. The fried oysters were also good, but they wouldn’t hold a candle to those from Pearl Oyster Bar.

Our appetizers were barely cleared when our entrees began to arrive. A friend and I chose to share the signature 22 oz. bone-in ribeye which was a “special” – I learned later that although this cut cannot be found on the menu, it is always available, which I think is a strange practice. Well-marbled, incredibly tender and perfectly cooked, this was a good, large steak, which was definitely enough food for two fairly hungry people with appetizers and sides. After the fact, I was slightly offended that the waitress tried to sell us on the $89.95 Tomahawk chop because she felt the ribeye would not be enough food. This gargantuan cut of meat, which the table next to us did order, could have easily served all four of us and had a HUGE bone that almost ran the length of the table.

The porterhouse was not good and lacked the flavor and depth that you expect from a top steakhouse. We went with three sides, which was probably excessive, but it was hard to narrow it down as they all sounded delicious. The macaroni and cheese was incredible. Even when I was full, I couldn’t help but take another scoopful. The creamed spinach was one of the best I’ve ever had, and I’m positive it’s cooked with bacon (and let’s face it, bacon makes everything better). The only disappointing side was the potatoes au gratin, which were large cubes of potato covered with cheese. It didn’t work.

On a service note, I overheard a conversation that the table behind me was having with their waiter (not Anna). The couple had ordered a bottle of wine and asked him how the wine was. The waiter, rather than offering to bring a sommelier or someone knowledgeable, responded with “I’ve never tried it, but the label looks really nice” and proudly showed off the bottle to the couple. Obviously Del Frisco’s could train this guy a bit more.

We went with lemon cake for dessert for the table, which was a nice light finish to a heavy dinner, but it too disappointed. The cake itself was moist and lemony, but it didn’t really impress.

With a couple cocktails, a glass of wine and two bottles of Gloria Ferrer sparkling wine (the least expensive bottle of sparkling wine or champagne – $50), the damage was $130 per person including tax and gratuity, which sounds pricey, but I think Del Frisco’s was well-worth it.