Malaise

Have you ever eaten stingray? I have.

Before this meal, I didn’t even know stingray was something people ate. But according to my Wikipedia research, it’s actually a relatively popular dish in Malaysia. And Malaysian cuisine was what I was there to celebrate, at the New Malaysian Restaurant, for Malaysian Restaurant Week.

I’ve actually had Malaysian food before, at Nyonya, near where I used to live*, but most of the things there had names like Pad Thai and Singapore Rice Noodles. From what I’ve heard, New Malaysian Restaurant is much more authentic, and also quite good. Now I’m not of the school of thought that just because something is unique, it’s authentic. You can’t just put bizarre shit on a menu and say it’s “authentic.” I guess you’d have to ask someone from a specific area if the food we’re eating at a restaurant halfway across the world approximates the cuisine back home. My point is, I am in no position to say that what I ate is any more authentic than takeout Chinese, but I will certainly say that it was good, and definitely one of the more unique meals I’ve ever had.

To celebrate Malaysian Restaurant Week (only in NYC would you get that fucking specific), a bunch of restaurants were offering a “taste of Malaysia” with a 3-course tasting meal. For appetizers my friend and I split coconut shrimp and a roti dish. The shrimp was phenomenal. I’m a sucker for anything coconut, but they really cooked these shrimp perfectly. And you can’t go wrong with roti (basically a flaky pancake with dipping sauce), so the meal was off to a promising start.

Our waiter was both surprised and impressed to see us order the stingray for one entree, although we hedged our bets by getting a relatively more normal beef brisket curry dish as the other entree. The stingray came out covered in a stinky, spicy sauce. The waiter cautioned that it might be a little sour, but that’s not the impression that I got. The sauce was almost like a heavy tomato sauce that was both spicy and a little sweet. Luckily it was good, because it tended to overwhelm the stingray itself. The stingray to me seemed like a mix between crab, scallops, and fish. It had the stringy consistency of crab, tasted a little like scallops, and was served almost like a filet of fish. The stingray is truly the platypus of the sea.** The meat had cartilage or bone going in streaks down the length of the fish, which made eating it a little bit tricky, but once you pulled the meat out, it was a surprisingly good meal.

Dessert was where things got really weird. My friend and I both ordered ice dishes, which seemed like a safe bet, but Malaysians apparently like throwing a lot of weird shit in their ices. Mine was the more normal of the two, and featured hard ices topped with a butterscotch sauce sitting in a pool of coconut milk and red beans. It was incredibly sweet, but actually pretty good. My friend got Singapore ices, which started off looking really pretty and then degenerated into chaos. It was certainly a colorful dish. In the center were the ices, dyed purple with some sort of fruit sauce and covered with what looked like dark blue translucent fish eyes. Going around the ices were corn, red beans, some sort of bright blue jelly, some clear jelly, and possibly fish guts (that last part I made up). After picking at it for awhile and deciding it was too sweet, my friend was told by the waiter to mix it all up to combine the flavors. Miraculously this worked…if you could get past the fact that it looked like purple vomit, complete with chunks of corn (I couldn’t). Next time I'll just go with the soft serve ice cream.


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*I no longer live on Broome Street, this blog’s namesake and winner of Smelliest Block in NYC. I’m keeping the blog name, because it borders on being clever, and that distinction is about as far as I get when naming things. Despite being in bands for about 10 years now, I have never come up with a good band name. Not once.

**Now THERE’S a good band name!

Is this thing on?

Let's try and pretend the last time I updated wasn't 6 months ago. OK? OK. This is mostly going to be catchup. I follow this guy on Twitter, 1000 Times Yes, who does whole album reviews in one tweet (140 characters or less). Because I sure do love a good gimmick, I'm going to copy that for some recent restaurants I've been to. And by recent I mean in the last 6 months. And by last 6 months I mean last 2 months, because that's all I can really remember at this point.

The Essex: Duck dish reminded me of Chinese takeout. Good pork sliders. Service sucked and waitress didn't know what vegan meant.

The Commodore: Best fried chicken I've ever had. Dipping sauce=butter. Arteries=clogged.

Pure Food and Wine: Everything vegan, everything raw. "Cheese" actually looks/tastes like cheese. Ran into Alec Baldwin.

ABC Kitchen: Small portions, but some of the best food I've had in NYC. Definitely the best I've had in a restaurant adjacent to a carpet store.

Fette Sau: MEAT!!!!!!

Kin Shop: Awesome Thai food, especially the duck. Top Chef season 1 winner is the cook, but the place is in no way gimmicky.

Bare Burger: Get your Ron Swanson on and eat some exotic meat.

Five Points: Classy establishment for a meal with the family. Very classy. Classy.

I promise, I will update this more often. Really.

Accompaniments: The Antlers "Hospice", Vessels "Helioscope", Baroness "Blue Album", Young Widows "Old Wounds".

Meat, Metal, & Chocolate

This weekend was a gut-buster, to say the least. Despite spending the majority of my time with my vegan friend, I probably ate a good metric ton of meat. My journey began at Big Daddy's, a shitty diner in the UES. The reason for attending: burgers from the geniuses behind Grill Em All. After winning a contest on the Food Network, the guys decided to do a victory lap of sorts and cook their signature burgers at some restaurants around the city.

I went with a little monster called The Behemoth, and it did not disappointment. A solid beef patty topped with pickles, beer-soaked onions, and bacon, it had a great taste combination and was cooked very nicely. The kicker, though, was the buns. Because each "bun" was in fact a full grilled cheese sandwich. Ever since I tangoed with the Luther burger, I can handle anything as a bun substitution, but this proved to be a formidable foe. Much to my shame, I was not able to finish the entire burger (by about 2 bites!), and my dining companions gave me a lot of shit for that. It's ok, I deserved it.

Saturday, after missing dinner by about 6 hours (thank you MTA!), I wolfed down a spicy pork meatball hero much to the envy (I assume it was envy) of my vegan friend at The Meatball Shop. While I do think this place is a bit overhyped, you can't deny that they make awesome meatball sandwiches and amazing sides. Their ice cream sandwiches are also some of the best in the city, although this time it was too late in the night to justify eating one. My friend's roasted brussel sprouts were great as well.

I also had some great desserts this weekend. Despite living about 2 blocks away from it, I had never actually eat at famed vegan bakery Babycakes...probably because I'm not, you know, a vegan. Look, I respect vegans and everything they stand for, and like my veggies as much as the next guy, but when it comes down to it, I'm choosing ice cream over soy ice cream and a burger over a veggie burger 100 out of 100 times. Imitation things aren't necessarily bad, but moral reasons aside, I'm going with the better tasting item.

Anyway, I tried a mint brownie cupcake and a cookie sandwich. They were both great, although the mint frosting had a bit of a funky aftertaste. I would say I can tell the difference when it comes to baked goods, but put me in a blind taste test and I'd probably fail. I talk a big game, but just give me a cupcake and I'll shut up.

My final food destination of the weekend was the New Amsterdam Market. I had been here a few times last year when it was a monthly event. Luckily it's now weekly (and a great place for free samples). Unfortunately we arrived at the tail end of the market, and most of the places had already closed shop. We decided to get some chocolate, and we absolutely made the right choice by purchasing a sea salt & almond dark chocolate bar from Mast Brothers. It's probably the best chocolate bar I've ever had. I don't know why, but sea salt goes great with dark chocolate.

In conclusion, meat trumps not meat, and chocolate trumps not chocolate.

Sandwiches 15-24

I've been steadily making progress on the list...but have been way too lazy to post it. Here is the next batch:


#15: 2nd Ave Deli, Chopped Liver
I like chopped liver. Even as a kid I liked it. I think at the time I didn't really know what it is, but even now that I do, it's something I enjoy eating. And by enjoy eating, I mean as a spread. On a cracker. Putting this on a sandwich (especially Jewish deli style) is overkill. I got about 4 bites into this before I got liver overload. That left about 3/4 of the sandwich left. Don't get me wrong, it tasted great...there was just way too much of it.

#16: La Superior, Torta Ahogada
This was basically an inside out pulled pork sandwich, with tomato sauce instead of BBQ sauce. The sandwich sat in a bowl of tomato sauce, and even though I usually hate soggy bread, this worked really well, as the bread still held some texture. The pork was tasty and well cooked, and the combination of the hot sauce and tomato sauce made for a very satisfying meal.

#17: Luke's Lobster, Shrimp Roll
I had tried the lobster roll at their Hester Street Market outpost a few months ago and left pretty unsatisfied. The shrimp roll, however, put the lobster to shame. For half the price, and twice the flavor, this is definitely the better bet.

#18: Banh Mi Saigon, Chicken Banh Mi
I'm usually skeptical of getting chicken in Vietnamese sandwiches. It's often composed of shitty dark meat, with a texture like that of pork belly, but not nearly as good. The meat in this sandwich had a much better consistency, and the tastes were all A+. I don't think at this point I need to go into what's in a Vietnamese sandwich, as they're pretty standard. What sets them apart is the meat that's put in and how well it's executed. This was a winning sandwich on both fronts.

#19: Prime Meats, Egg & Cheese
I was pretty disappointed in this. It was basically just a sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich on a biscuit. Alexa liked the biscuit, I did not; I liked the sausage, Alexa did not. I wanted to get the pretzel braid, but they were actually sold out when we tried to order it.

#20: Xi'An Famous Foods, Pork 'Burger'
This was basically a really good pulled pork sandwich in a long bun. It tasted great. Better than that, though, was the rest of the food there. They make great spicy noodle dishes. This place has become my go-to Chinese food place near my apartment.

#21: Bouchon Bakery, Tuna
I ate this sandwich so long ago, so I don't remember much about it. It was really good, and had a nice combination of tuna and veggies. I remember I also got some sliders that were great, and that the cafe was run by the guy who cooks at Per Se. So there's that. Also, it was on the 3rd floor of the Time Warner building and had a great view of Columbus Circle (if you're into that sort of thing). (I was.)

#22: Salumeria Rosi Parmacotto, Porchetta Calabrese
Another one that I don't remember much about (I REALLY should update this more often). This place was notable for letting Alexa and me in with our hockey sticks and sweaty clothes on. And almost giving us a free plate of deli meat accidentally.

#23: Keste, Saltimbocca
A calzone-like concoction of prosciutto and cheese baked in an airy, crispy bread, this was a great meal. It was nothing fancy, but it was cooked just right, and was really a case where simplicity was exactly what was called for.

#24: Milk Truck, Grilled Cheese
Despite the fancy cheese used, this was really just a grilled cheese sandwich. It was ok, but not worth the $6 or $7 I paid for it. What was really good here, though, was the dark chocolate milkshakes. If you find yourself at the Brooklyn Fleak Market, skip this and go to Asia Dog instead.

LUCIFER BURGER

I've been a supporter of the Luther Burger ever since I heard about it. A bacon cheeseburger surrounded by a doughnut??? Yes please! Obtaining one, however, has been a little difficult. Of course I could always buy a Krispy Kreme and cook up a burger, but I felt that just wouldn't be right.

For the longest time, I kept hearing that the only Luther burger being served in NYC was at the Google cafeteria. I actually got to first sample the burger at this location about a year ago, but I left pretty disappointed. The doughnut was fine, but the burger was basically an overcooked hockey puck sitting in a heating plate all afternoon. I called a mulligan on that one and decided to seek it elsewhere.

Finally, last week I heard about a place in Chelsea that served the elusive Luther burger, and decided I needed to go there as soon as possible. Tipsy Parson advertised on their door that they served "belly-filling goodness" and they did not disappoint. That is to stay, they served up tasty food fit for a fatty. I am a fan.

I had an initial moment of panic when I didn't see the Luther burger on the menu, but when I inquired about it, the waiter said they would cook me one up. Shortly after the beast arrived, and it was really quite a sight. There was no side dishes or garnishes, just a fat piece of shit on a white plate. It was if to say, "We don't want you to have any doubts about what you're eating - this is a BURGER covered in BACON wrapped in a DOUGHNUT. You fat fuck."

I looked past these judgments however and dove right in. And......it was great! Well at first it was at least. The burger itself was actually a nice piece of meat - juicy beef and cooked just right. The doughnut was sugary and well textured, and the bacon was just crispy enough. One initial problem was that grease from the burger had seeped into the doughnut, making it a little soggy, but I was able to overlook this for the most part. The flavors managed to work really well, with the saltiness of the bacon nicely playing off of the sweetness of the doughnut. The first two-thirds of the burger went down really well, but I got a little queasy towards the end. I stopped short of finishing it to spare my stomach any future agony, and instead picked at my date's mac n cheese, which was actually really good as well.

Would I do it all again? Probably. Just give me a few months.

Sandwiches 11-14 + Bonus Sandwich

I've started to realize my standards for sandwiches have steadily been going up as this process goes along. What I normally would've thought to be really good, now has to be compared alongside the other, better sandwiches on the list.

#11: Barros Luco, Chacarero Completo
If I had eaten this sandwich 2 months ago I think I would've really liked it. But now compare it to the P.H.O. Real and it hardly holds up. Part of the problem was with the preparation, not the ingredients themselves. The steak was at times too tough, and the bread was in places too soggy. Take that out of the equation, and it was a solid sandwich.

#12 Cheeky Sandwiches, Oyster Po' Boy
I sadly don't remember this sandwich that well. If I were a real blogger I would write about each of these as I ate them. If only someone would pay me to do this...
Anyway, I do remember that I liked this sandwich - it was well seasoned, the appropriate amount of crunch, good bread, and the right amount of spicy. It was, however, a little small. The price wasn't outrageous, but I could've used a bigger sandwich.

#13 Saltie, Scuttlebutt
Saltie was one of my favorite sandwich shops before this list, and that was after only one visit. They somehow manage to make insanely delicious vegetarian sandwiches out of a mess of ingredients that should in no way work together. I've previously had the clean slate, which I think is slightly better in the taste department. However, the Scuttlebutt isn't quite as heavy, and goes down a little smoother. It's hard to tell where the hard boiled eggs end and the feta begins, and it's similarly difficult to keep the damn thing together. The best part might however be the fluffy bread it's served on.

#14 Nun Pang Sandwich Shop, Mackerel with Leeks
This spicy Vietnamese sandwich did a good job of minimizing the fishiness of the mackerel and instead emphasized the sauce and flavorings. Like most Vietnamese sandwiches, it contained some combination of carrots, cucumbers, and cilantro (I can't remember which exactly), but it was balanced just right. Everything looked good on this menu - I definitely plan on going back.

BONUS SANDWICH
Pies 'n' Thighs, Chicken Biscuit
I'm not sure how this was not put on NY Mag's list (hooray double negatives!). Literally dripping with butter in all the right ways, this heart attack in sandwich form was one of the best sandwiches I've had in New York City. The biscuit was liberally smothered with butter, and then a touch of honey and hot sauce gave it a nice sweet/spicy aftertaste. The chicken was nothing special, but it didn't need to be, as the stuff around it is really what made this great. The side dishes were actually pretty bad (a bland mac n cheese and deep fried cornbread with tartar sauce, aka hushpuppies, were mostly left uneaten), but the meal ended nicely with some delicious banana cream pie. Stick to the chicken sandwiches and deserts and you really can't go wrong at this place.

101 Sandwich Project (Sandwiches 1-10)

I sure do love a good gimmick. And if it involves lists, even better! After seeing New York Magazine's list of the city's 101 best sandwiches, Alexa and I decided we needed to try every one of them. Will we actually do it? Probably not. But we shall certainly try.

These will mostly be brief reviews...for better descriptions read the actual list from NY Mag. We've tried a few of the sandwiches in the past, so I've lazily decided to grandfather them in. These include:

#1: Porchetta, Porchetta Sandwich
A delicious porchetta sandwich with some herbs and spices. Nothing complicated, but with some high quality pork. Best part is the crunchy skin pieces mixed in-these provided some good texture.

#2: The Meatball Shop, Pork Meatball Hero
A good but not great meatball sandwich. Points for the bread not being soggy and the spicy sauce, but otherwise nothing extraordinary.

#3: Katz's Deli, Pastrami Sandwich
A mountain of pastrami on two pieces of rye bread. Jewish meat sandwich incarnate.


New sandwiches we've done so far:

#4: Vanessa's Dumplings, Sesame Pancake with Beef
I live around the corner from this place, so I've enjoyed their insanely cheap and delicious food before. Their vegetable sesame pancake is a staple of my diet, but I had never tried it before with beef. Deli quality roast beef adds a lot to it, and for $2.50 is a great value.

#5: Sunny & Annie Deli, P.H.O. Real
An unassuming corner store in Alphabet City, this place serves some serious sandwiches. The P.H.O. Real is basically a roast beef sandwich with some veggies and some heat, but it is done really well. I'm usually not a huge fan of very spicy food, but this worked well. I'm excited to try some more of their constantly rotating sandwich options soon.

#6: Bark Hot Dogs, Crispy Pork Sandwich
It felt weird to get a sandwich at a hot dog place, but this selection was keeping in line with the basic idea of a hot dog. Case in point, when I bit into this concoction, I was greeted by pink meat and a squirt of grease onto my plate. The texture of the patty was a little weird, but there was a good balance of flavors, with some jalapeno peppers providing some needed crunch and kick.

#7: Russ and Daughters, Super Heebster
This is one of the oddest sandwiches on the list. On paper it sounded a little chaotic and intimidating, but in practice it worked just fine. The sandwich consisted of dill cream cheese, white fish salad, and wasabi-infused roe on a bagel, and yes I know, that sounds ridiculous. You're either someone who likes the crunch of fish eggs or someone who doesn't, and luckily I am the former. I don't know how, but all these tastes managed to go together really well, and made for a very satisfying breakfast option. Having said that (Curb reference!), Russ should invest in some better bagels, and the sandwich was actually upstaged by a second bagel we got, this one with vegetable cream cheese and baked salmon.

#8: Georgia's East Side BBQ, Fried Chicken Sandwich
This was a really solid sandwich. The chicken was incredibly moist, and the batter was tasty and not overly crispy. The pulled pork sandwich we got was kinda dry, though, and the service left a little to be desired.

#9: Fatty Crab, Tea Sandwiches
This was the first major disappointment we've experienced. To be fair, the tea sandwiches on the list were with pork, while these had lobster salad. Still, at $13 a pop, I would expect much more than a so-so tiny lobster sandwich on white bread. Luckily our main course of mussels saved the meal.

#10: 99 Miles to Philly, Cheesesteak
The second major disappointment. I should've known better though. Getting a cheesesteak outside of Philadelphia once you've had one there is never a good idea. It just never lives up to the quality you expect. This was no different. The meat was good, and there was the appropriate amount of grease, but they skimped on the whiz and produced yet another average NYC cheesesteak. And yes, I know I am a cheesesteak snob.

That's all I got for now. More to come as I consume more bread, meat, and veggies.

Some Housecleaning

Alexa and I have a big project coming up that we've already started (will start posting about it soon, maybe even tonight), but in the meantime there have been a few meals that I've found noteworthy over the past few months.

I've been checking out the Hester Street Fair almost every weekend since it's opened, trying a new vendor each time. No perfect meals, but a nice sampling of some of the good, low-concept food from the area.

Mile End: I actually had my best meal at this simple deli. I got a Brooklyn sesame bagel, with the works, which was basically cream cheese, lox, and capers. Although a little pricey ($8 for a small bagel) it was very delicious. I can't honestly say the Montreal bagel tasted any different than a regular bagel (maybe a little sweeter and softer), but the very fresh lox was what really set it apart. A great breakfast meal.

Luke's Lobster: This was somewhat of a disappointment. Again, somewhat pricey for a street fair and a small portion. I got a pretty basic lobster roll, and it was in no way life changing. Not that I particularly expected a lobster roll to change my life, but I've consistently been hearing great stuff about this place. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt that I got my roll away from the main store, and towards the end of the day, but for a better roll, stick with the Blue Plate Special at Mermaid Inn.

Malbon Brothers BBQ: A tasty, but dry, pulled pork sandwich. Another place I had high hopes for, but was pretty let down. Their baked beans were pretty good though.

Sigmund Pretzelshop: Had a great cheddar cheese and truffle pretzel dipped in real mustard. Not much to say about this really, other than it was good. I tried my friend's blue cheese pretzel at a later date...wasn't as much a fan of that one, but mostly because I've had some traumatizing experiences with blue cheese (I guess that's what happens when food smells like a foot).

Last week I also tried Eddie Huang's of Baohaus sample from his upcoming restaurant. It was a really good cold noodle dish. I'm sure I'll do a full review when the restaurant opens.

Let's see, what else...

Had some great avocado fries at El Almacen in Williamsburg last week...a tasty mango and peanut covered hot dog at Asiadog at the Brooklyn Flea Market...some good free vanilla ice cream courtesy of Blue Marble Ice Cream at the same market...and a few more things I'll get to in my next post.

Accompaniments (idea stolen from Aaron Turner of the (soon to be late,) great Isis...plus you knew I'd find a way to include music into this thing anyway): Helms Alee "Night Terror", Isis "Wavering Radiant", How to Destroy Angels "s/t", The Black Keys "Brothers"

Fatty Cue

Restaurant: Fatty Cue
Meal: Red Curry Rubbed Duck, American Wagyu Brisket, Ikan Bakar

I recently read an article about the whole foodie phenomenon and why it's bad (and sometimes good) in Eddie Huang's (of BauHaus fame) blog. (Sidenote: BaoHaus is really fucking good-I need to get myself back there soon) He detailed the different types of food appreciators-essentially it's people who grew up in a food culture and always appreciated food; those who didn't grow up in that culture, but grew to enjoy food; and sort of the gatekeepers of taste: the culinary school, sometimes snobby type.

The first and third groups are pretty well established, but it's the second group that is important to how we consume and appreciate food, especially in a place like New York City. I definitely belong in this category, as I did not grow up in a household that appreciated or celebrated good food. That's not to say I didn't have plenty of fine meals growing up, nor did I fail to appreciate them, but food was always seen as more as a means to an end, and my family wasn't particularly adventurous.

It's only been in the past few years, and really only since I moved to Manhattan that I've really started to "get" food. I know this basically makes me a poseur, and I know I'm late to the party, but I think that's ok as long as I consume good food for the right reasons. And those are basically that it tastes good and I enjoy it. I know I tend to flock to the places Yelp and Grub Street tell me to, but I would never say I liked (or disliked) any of that food simply to comply with popular opinion. I don't have a very refined palette, or proper context for almost any ethnic dish, but that doesn't make my opinion any less valid.

I won't lie-I think I started writing this blog with vague aspirations of becoming some sort of tastemaker; I almost instantly regretted that notion. I do this now (however infrequently that may be) because I enjoy the act of writing, and I think it's good for me (and my friends) to have some record of the good restaurants I've visited, for posterity's sake or whatever. I'm embarrassed that I embraced the idea of being a foodie-I humbly rescind that claim. I'm a newbie for sure-but getting better.

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So what does this all have to do with Fatty Cue? On the surface this is exactly the type of place a hipster foodie goes to. It has all the staples of the current fads in NYC: fusion (but not called fusion-just a "modern take" on traditional food), location in hipster-friendly Williamsburg, tons of meat (especially pork), and gimmicks (fried fish bones!). The restaurant itself was small, cozy, and smelled like a fireplace. They served PBR tallboys.

And yes, I partially went here because the Internet told me I would like it. But the bottom line is none of this shit mattered once I started eating. Why? Because the food was good. Period.

We started with some curry duck, which was packed with flavor. There wasn't much meat on each bone, but the taste was so dense and meaty, we didn't need much. It also had a nice kick to it, which I usually don't see paired with duck. It was served with pickled daikon, which was a nice contrast, but I can't say I'm a big fan of pickled vegetables (other than the normal deli pickle).

The brisket was tender and delicious. It was eaten in buns, with some toppings that I can't remember off the top of my head, but the whole package together was great.

The final dish was probably not the best but certainly the most interesting. My friends and I struggled to get the meat off the bone of our smoked fish (some sort of mackarel I think?), and despite being cooked well and with a nice kick, the fish itself was a little too fishy. It wasn't a bad piece of fish or anything, I just tend to prefer milder fish. The best part though happened when we finished, as our waiter took away the bones, only to return a few minutes later with the same bones, deep fried. I'm proud to say I ate a fish's spine, and it was actually quite delicious.

So anyway, fuck foodies, enjoy your food, and definitely check out Fatty Cue if you find yourself in South Williamsburg.

Yogee Noodle

Hello all,

Making my first appearance here on Broome's Belly... Dan Schwartz. Glad to be here.

Last week my dad and I tried this Chinese place on Chyrstie Street called Yogee Noodle. I knew nothing about it besides the fact that it was nearby, but was pleasantly surprised at the quality of our meal. The restaurant was clean and neat (no small consideration when eating in Chinatown), and the enormous menu was filled with affordable, intriguing options. We started with soup, my dad getting the hot and sour while I ordered Egg Drop. I've never ordered egg drop soup before, despite having spent an inordinant amount of time in Chinese restaurants. It was a delicious success, not too eggy, and my dad really seemed to enjoy his soup too.

For entrees, we shared chicken and chinese mushrooms with black bean sauce and shrimp with Chinese vegetables. The chicken dish was absolutely the highlight. The sauce was phenomenal, and I couldn't get enough of the perfectly cooked mushrooms. The shrimp with veggies didn't have a particularly noteable flavor, but tasted so fresh it was enjoyable nonetheless. Overall, a great meal and I look forward to working my way through the menu in the future.

2 Quick Hits

Restaurant: The Elephant
Meal: duck with cinnamon glaze, shrimp dumplings, crab cake

I went for a quick dinner with my sister at the Elephant in the east village. We weren't expecting much, but we were pleasantly surprised. Although quite empty for a Saturday night, it was still an inviting atmosphere, with dim lighting, colorful surroundings, and very friendly service. We started off with shrimp dumplings and crab cake. The dumplings were nothing special, but the crab cake was very tasty due to the spicy, slightly citrus-y sauce put on top of it. The duck I ordered was incredibly tender and full of flavor. Served with papaya and some mixed greens, it was a well put together meal. Duck for me tends to be very hit or miss, and I'm happy to say they really cooked this duck well.


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Restaurant: Peep Soho
Meal: Asian beef spring rolls, Massaman curry dish with shrimp

We went out for my roommate's birthday at Peep Soho this past weekend. It was an interesting space-very modern looking with "see thru" bathrooms. The meal itself was ok, although most of the other people I went with seemed to really enjoy theirs. The beef rolls were a little clunky, and were a little under-flavored. The curry was good in theory, but suffered from some over-salting. The shrimps were very plentiful, and had good texture, but the curry was sometimes overwhelming salty, which detracted from the rest of the dish.

Peter Luger Steakhouse

Restaurant: Peter Luger Steakhouse
Meal: steak for 4, tomato slices, creamed spinach, potatoes, and pecan pie

If you live in New York City (or anywhere really) you've heard of Peter Luger Steakhouse. Known for their top notch steaks and old school charm, this place has been around forever and is the go to place for a high end steak. I had tried their burgers before, which were great, but I figured it would be a good idea to use my birthday as an excuse for my parents to pay for a steak for me.

After arriving half an hour late for our reservation (thank you very much Chinese New Year), and a celebrity sighting (Judge Judy) we took our seats. We started off with tomato and onion slices and a Caesar salad, which were both good but not great. The obvious attraction though was the steak for 4 (my sister got the salmon for some reason). Although we asked for medium rare, the steak was basically rare, which was fine with me. It was just as juicy and tasty as I had expected. Along with some creamed spinach (basically butter in the form of spinach) and some potatoes, it was really an excellent main course. I of course ate more steak than necessary, but there was still some leftover for a steak sandwich the next day.

For desert we got a pecan pie, which was scalding hot, but very tasty once feeling came back in my tongue. They also put some candles in a humongous mound of whipped cream for some reason too.

Unlike certain Ninja restaurants (review possibly forthcoming), Peter Luger's truly lived up to the hype, and I'm glad I finally got to go. Although I can't really afford to be a regular steak eater there, I'll certainly be back for some burgers in the near future.

Frank Restaurant

Restaurant: Frank
Meal: vegetable salad and roast chicken sandwich


I went to Frank restaurant for lunch last week with my aunt. After having a little difficulty getting in (ignoring the "Please use other door" sign, etc.), I waited for my aunt in the barroom, a small, cozy space with dim lights. Eventually my aunt showed up and the host brought us around to the dining room, which included a walk through the edge of the kitchen. The main room was small but inviting, and featured mostly young couples and groups of older people.

Even though it was still somewhat early, I decided to forego the prix fixe brunch menu (I was a little under the weather and anything with eggs seemed a little risky). Instead I went with a pretty basic meal of the vegetable salad and roasted chicken sandwich. The salad was nicely presented, but not very cohesive-big pieces of broccoli and beets and large string beans made it hard to combine anything. All the vegetables were fresh and tasty, but it ended up being more of a sampling plate than a salad. Certainly not bad-just not what I was expecting.

The sandwich however was very nicely put together. The goat cheese tended to overwhelm the taste a little, but this was a good thing, as the cheese had great texture and flavor. The chicken was well cooked and the tomatoes added a nice contrast. Overall everything was great, and based on the strong recommendations I've gotten from other friends, I hope to go back sometime on a settled stomach and try some of their more interesting fare.

The Meatball Shop

Last night, my roomates and I ventured through a massive snow storm to "The Meatball Shop," a new restaurant that opened in the Lower East Side only two days ago. The atmosphere was perfect for such a cold night - it was cozy and romantic with old photos hanging on the dark red walls. When we walked in, we were greeted by the owner, Micheal, who led us to a long communal table where he explained the menu.

The menu is barely one page but offers diners a wide variety of options. There are four different meatballs which can be served as heroes, sliders, or in a platter with different sides (pasta, polenta, veggies or white beans). You can also mix and match different meatballs with any of their unique and original sauces.

My roommates, Andrew and Dan, both had pork meatball heroes with spicy meat sauce. I tried the salmon and pork meatball sliders. The pork meatballs were definitely the best - they were juicy and their spicy sauce complemented them well. The salmon meatball slider was okay, perhaps a little too fishy for my taste.

We all inhaled our dishes very quickly and eagerly awaited dessert. The owner had explained to us that his wife makes the ice cream herself so we felt compelled to order two different ice cream sandwiches. We shared a vanilla ice cream and peanut butter cookie sandwich, and also the brownie and espresso ice cream sandwich. While eating our dessert, the chef came out of the kitchen and asked us for our feedback. We told him the cookies and ice cream were probably among the best we ever had.

I imagine "The Meatball Shop" will become a local haunt among all of my friends. The service, food, and affordability definitely make it a place worth visiting often.

Momofuku Noodle Bar

Restaurant: Momofuku Noodle Bar
Meal: Pork bun, fried chicken, veggie wraps

I went with a group of friends to Momofuku's special fried chicken dinner the other day. The reservation was recommended for groups of 4-8, but despite having a group of 8, there was more than enough food.

The meal started off with a round of pork buns, which were fatty and delicious. The waiters then brought out a bowl of veggies and some sauces, which we weren't quite sure what to do with. The carrots could be dipped into the (mostly spicy) sauces, but it was unclear how to handle the rest of the mostly lettuce-like other vegetables.

This was soon forgotten as the main course was brought out: a giant plate of 2 full fried chickens. One was fried Southern style-basically KFC but much better quality. The other was done Korean style, which had a more tangy, spicy sauce on it. I preferred the Korean style, but they were both good, and the opinion of which one was better was split pretty evenly across the table. The chicken itself was very juicy and tasty, and the extra crispy skin added a nice texture.

My only complaint with the meal was the lack of variety. I had been here previously and had a nice sampling of smaller plates. This time beyond the chicken and pork bun I didn't really have anything else. There were pancakes for use with the vegetables, but that was a little messy and it was unclear exactly how to combine everything. Thankfully the chicken itself was delicious, and more than made up for the lack of variety.

Welcome

Welcome to my site! I decided recently that I was on the verge of becoming a foodie** and wanted to document some of the places I've dined at in NYC. I've always enjoyed food but only recently have gotten into the whole culture of it. If that sounds pretentious, then good!...I truly am becoming a foodie. Feel free to leave comments, recommend new places, and hopefully visit the places I recommend.

Coming up will be reviews of The Meatball Shop and Momofuku Noodle Bar.

**[UPDATE 3/20/11]: I want to delete this but I won't. Foodie is a dumb term, but I guess a year ago I thought it was cool. Let the record show I am an idiot.