April 28, 2009 at 1:18 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged 8.5, 9, Bread Pudding, Creme Caramel, Dessert, Grapes, Lamb, Melon, Profiteroles, Raoul's, SoHo, Tuna
Raoul’s
180 Prince Street
(212) 966-3518
Classic and chic
Raoul’s is basically an institution in SoHo, and I learned why last night. The food is delicious, the space is tight, you can walk right through the kitchen to get to your seat, and the tiny spiral staircase that leads up to the bathroom together create an atmosphere of intrigue and adventure. On a Tuesday night, by 9 o’clock, the place was packed – every table taken, every stool at the bar occupied. Amazing ambience. But how was the food?
Appetizer
- Seared Big-Eye Tuna with Cucumber Pousse Pied and Melon – beautifully presented with quite a surprise combination of tastes. The sliced grapes that were carefully placed on the sides were seasoned with a cumin (curry) powder. The spice mixed magnificently well with the sweetness of the red grape and provided a surprising sensation in my mouth. The tuna was topped with some greens and three very thin slices of cucumber. The juxtaposition of the spiced pepper-encrusted tuna with the sweet fresh fruits was very pleasant and palatable.
Seared Big Eye Tuna at Raoul's
Main Course
- Rack of Lamb with roasted asparagus, spinach and olive – I love lamb. Almost anytime I see lamb on a menu, I will go for it. The lamb entrée was good, but to be very frank, was not among my most favorite lamb experiences. The lamb was accompanied by an olive sauce and some asparagus. The asparagus was good, but a little overcooked and soggy. The lamb was a little overwhelmed by the sauce, and cooked a little to much for “medium rare”. I also tend to like my lamb with a slight crispy texture on the outside, but that wasn’t the case. I actually didn’t even finish the third chop even though I was still slightly hungry. But in hindsight, I’m glad I saved room for dessert anyway.
Rack of Lamb at Raoul's
Dessert
- Profiteroles with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce – absolutely delicious. The server drizzles the chocolate sauce on the tiny morsels of delight right in front of you at the table. The perfect combination of cream, pastry and chocolate.
- Coconut creme caramel – another spectacular dessert. Creme caramel resembles the Spanish dessert, flan. The creme caramel here at Raoul’s was a perfect texture, enticingly coupled with coconut mousse, pineapple and blackberries.
- Banana Coconut Bread Pudding with banana creme fraiche – by far the favorite dessert at my table. The texture of the still-warm bread pudding was divine. Slightly crispy on the outside, moist and decadent within. Just the right hint of banana, not too overwhelming.
Kudos to the dessert/pastry chef.
Out of 10: if you are talking only the food, I would give it a 8.5. Taking the atmosphere into consideration, I’d bring it up to a 9.
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April 8, 2009 at 10:37 am · Filed under Uncategorized
A quick side-step into technology… create very cool word clouds about your blog on Wordle. I did it for this blog, and it looks pretty amazing. Click on thumbnail to enlarge.
© 2009 Jonathan Feinberg Terms of Use
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April 3, 2009 at 10:44 am · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged 7.5, Bread, Bruschetta, Calamari, Cheese, Healthy, Mozzarella, Pizza, Prosciutto, Service, Tribeca
Fresh and Somewhat Unfriendly
Bread Tribeca buzzes with the liveliness of a popular hotspot. With amazing natural lighting and an open kitchen, the bistro is upbeat with a wholesome take on lunch. Definitely a go-to if you’re looking for a healthy yet satisfying meal. But if you’re expecting a down-to-earth atmosphere, then maybe head somewhere else.
Bread Tribeca
www.breadtribeca.com
301 Church Street
(212) 334-8282
Appetizers
- Fresh Fried Calamari with Rocket, Lemon & Marinara – it seems that almost everywhere I go, we always end up ordeing calamari. At Bread, the calamari was well seasoned and the batter wasn’t too heavy. It was good, but definitely still resembled your typical calamari dish.
- Pesto bruschetta – the bruschetta surely wasn’t so ordinary. Served on a thicker slice french bread was a spread of pesto paste and fresh mozzarella. The pesto was quite extraordinary in that it was very fresh – tasted as if they had just made it in the kitchen. Great pairing with the fresh mozzarella.
Main Course
- Prosciutto di Parma Pizza with Tomato, Fresh Mozzarella, Wild Arugula and Parmigiano – absolutely delicious! The crust was very thin and crispy, but adds to the flavor and texture of the whole dish. The arugula was fresh an not too bitter. In fact, it perfectly balanced the savory prosciutto. By far the healthiest pizza I’ve eaten in a long time. Looks huge when they first bring it out, but since the crust was so thin, it was more like eating a salad with some flatbread on the side. Great pick.
Prosciutto di Parma Pizza at Bread Tribeca
Side note: The only thing I was slightly disappointed with was the inconsistent service. Our server was warm and friendly at first, but as the restaurant filled up, soon became inconsiserate an unattentive. We didn’t even get bread for the table until we asked! The worst part however was that at the end of our lunch, as we were chatting about some work-related topics, the hostess actually came to give us our check and ask us to leave as another party of rather pretentious women were fed up with waiting for a table for more than 5 minutes. That left a somewhat of a bad taste in my mouth.
Out of 10: 7.5 for light, satisfying and healthy food but inconsistent service.
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April 2, 2009 at 9:53 am · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged 7.5, Bruschetta, Craftbar, Flatiron, Meatballs, Mushroom, New York, Service, Tom Colicchio, Top Chef, Veal
A Non-Experience
Craftbar
www.craftrestaurant.com/craftbar.html
900 Broadway
(212) 461-4300
I was truly looking forward to trying out Craftbar for lunch as I had loved Tom Colicchio on Top Chef. Knowing that his flagship restaurant, Craft (only open for dinner service), had won a James Beard award, I had very high expectations for his more casual dining experience. Perhaps my expectations were unfair, but unfortunately, I don’t feel that my lunch at Craftbar met the desired outcome I had been anticipating.
Don’t get me wrong – it was not a bad experience, I’m not a hater who just likes to complain. For example, one of the most notable parts of my lunch was the décor and atmosphere of the restaurant. Chic and tasteful – the way I’d imagine it would be. The service was also impeccable. Our waiter was not only attentive, but also witty. But when it came to the food, it was good – but I dont think I can use many adjectives beyond that level. Perhaps I didn’t try enough items on the menu, but please note that I didn’t hear any cries of pleasure from my companions about their dishes either. Let me explain mine…
Starter
- Mushroom bruschetta – when I ordered the bruschetta, I envisioned small crostinis. When my dish came out, it actually looked more like a 16 oz steak! Fine by me – I do love a good hearty portion. The mushrooms were delicious and fresh, but goodness, the bruschetta was salty! In fact, I had to guzzle water for the rest of the day to quench that dryness in my throat from saltiness.
Mushroom Bruschetta at CraftBar
Main course
- Veal meatballs – the waiter recommended the meatballs, commenting that it would have a similar feeling to eating clouds (if that were possible). When the food came out, in my dish sat before me were three large meatballs (maybe a little smaller than tennis balls) in a shallow bowl of marinara-type sauce. I took a bite, and yes, the waiter was rather accurate – the meat was surprising light tasting. However, after my first meatball, I was rather satisfied. The dish was too much of the same. If I had known it would really just be the meatballs, I’d have ordered something else – perhaps a pasta or the skate.
Veal Meatballs at CraftBar
Maybe I was just hoping for more of a culinary adventure – such as an eclectic yet appealing choice of spices and flavors. But I was slightly disappointed in the lack of extraordinary tastes and textures that I encountered today at Craftbar. I wonder what Tom Colicchio would have thought if those dishes were presented to him in a Top Chef competition.
Out of 10: 7.5 for being nice, but rather uninspiring.
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March 27, 2009 at 9:48 am · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged 8, Calamari, Comfort Food, Ditch Dogs, Ditch Plains, Garlic, Hot Dogs, Macaroni and Cheese, Oysters, Salad, Seafood, SoHo, Steak, Surf
Surf in Soho
Ditch Plains
www.ditch-plains.com
29 Bedford Street
(212) 633-0202
Tucked in a little corner of SoHo is Ditch Plains – a surfer-casual inspired restaurant that serves up some delicious seafood and interesting hot dogs.
Appetizer
- Fried Calamari with spicy tomato sauce – delicious, lightly breaded. The squid was fresh so not too chewy. Just plain, good calamari
Fried Calamari at Ditch Plains
- Roasted oysters with garlic and parsley butter – usually I don’t like to eat cooked oysters (much prefer the raw ones), but the roasted oysters were quite good. The garlic and parsley took away the fishy taste usually associated with oysters. Definitely a good choice for appetizer.
Roasted Oysters at Ditch Plains
Main Course
- Grilled Skirt Steak Salad with frisee, radicchio & roasted pepper red wine vinaigrette – the salad was good, the skirt steak was a little tough. Pretty standard steak salad
- Ditch dogs with side of French Fries- now this is where it gets interesting. Ditch Plains is famous for their special hot dogs. These came with macaroni and cheese as the topping. Yes you heard me right – mac and cheese on top of your hot dog. And it comes in twos. When my ditch dogs first came out, I can easily say I was overwhelmed. I didn’t even know where to start. Surprisingly, after my first bite, I found the hot dogs to be delicious and not in the least bit overwhelming. The mac and cheese was light and the cheese wasn’t too pungent to take away from the hot dog. I would highly highly recommend trying the Ditch Dogs out if you’re a fan of interesting yet delicious combinations.
Ditch Dogs at Ditch Plains - Mac and Cheese on Hot Dogs
Side note: Ditch Plains also serves up special Sloppy Dogs (chili dogs), but the Ditch Dogs are the favorite.
Out of 10: 8 for a great twist to your average hot dog.
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March 9, 2009 at 1:05 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged 9, Chocolate, Crabcake, Dessert, Fondue, Garlic, Ribeye, Scallops, Steak, Strip House, Union Square
Oh Steak Divine!
When placed in charge of finding a place for a work dinner, I knew immediately that I wanted to try one of the many famous steakhouses in the city (New York City – for those of you non-locals). The actual challenging part as actually choosing which one. After much debate, where names such as BLT Prime, Sparks, Wolfgang Puck, etc., came up, it was decided that Strip House would be the place where I started my quest of discovering New York steakhouses.
Strip House
www.striphouse.com
13 E 12th St
(212) 328-0000
Walking into Strip House, I was immediately struck with the down-to-earth atmosphere. No feelings of snobbishness – especially since the place was decorated (tastefully) according to the theme of the name of the restaurant. Staff was very friendly and the large room where all diners sat was comforting.
Starters:
- Lump Crab cake – the crab cake was rather good, and well paired on top of the bed of green beans.
- New England Sea Scallops – savory and drenched in a creamy sauce.
- Warm Garlic Bread with Gorgonzola ondue – a delicious and creative combination. The rectangular cubes of garlic bread were buttery and slightly crispy. Fondue was creamy and the cheese was quite delicious
New England Sea Scallops at Strip House
Sides:
- Asparagus – made sauteed with garlic. Very good accompaniment to the steak.
- Black Truffle Creamed spinach – claimed to be “the best creamed spinach she’s ever had” by one of my fellow diners.
- Crisp Goose Fat Potatoes – good, but definitely not my favorite side
- Steamed Broccoli – standard
The Meat:
- 22 oz. Bone-in Rib Eye (cooked medium rare) – absolutely beautiful cut of meat with just the right marbling of fat to bring out the juiciness of the steak. Grilled to perfection – crispy and seasoned on the outside, juicy and tender within
My steak - cooked to perfection.
Medium rare
Dessert:
- Chocolate brownie with ice cream – the brownie was good, but would’ve been better if it had been heated up. It was more room temperature, which took away from the normal pleasure of ordering a brownie sundae.
Out of 10: 9 for the spectacular steak and great atmosphere.
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February 19, 2009 at 4:27 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
SALT
www.saltnyc.com
58 Macdougal Street
(212) 674-4968
SALT is a small, cozy bistro situated near the NYU campus. A few large family-style tables, a bar, and an open view of the kitchen added to the warmth of the restaurant. The service was a bit slow – we had basically finished our appetizers before the one person working the front remembered to come and take our orders for the main course. But it was a cold Friday, so lingering for a while longer indoors was pleasant and not so obtrusive.
Starters:
- Cream of cauliflower soup, mushroom, truffle essence – This creamy soup was the perfect for a winter day. You can order it by the cup or by the bowl, I only ordered a cup, but did wish I had gotten the larger size when I finished it. The mushrooms were tender and the truffle oil added just the right amount of fragrance and flavor to the soup.
- Carmelized Onion Risotto, red wine reduction, lamb’s lettuce – The risotto could have been a main course for one person, but was easily shared among four of us as a starter. Great flavor, not too salty, and the risotto was cooked well – but I’m not sure what the red wine reduction really added to the mix.
- Honey glazed dates wrapped in bacon – By far the must-order appetizer on the menu. Only comes with six dates, but each were delicious. The honey and date juice mixed together acted as the perfect glaze to a salty and sweet delight.
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January 29, 2009 at 3:53 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged 9.5, Burgers, Cheese, Chocolate, Cod, Comfort, Comfort Food, Country-style, Fish, Green Beans, Homestyle, Ice Cream, Macaroni and Cheese, New York City, Restaurants, Seafood, Shorty's, SoHo, Soup
Home-style Food, Home-style Fun
It was a freezing winter day – the snowfall had turned into rain, the streets of New York with filled with brown slush and puddles – all in all, a don’t-leave-the-house kind of day. There couldn’t have been a better time for some hot, rich, comfort food and a friendly, cozy atmosphere.
Shorty’s .32
www.shortys32.com
199 Prince Street
(212) 375 – 8275
Shorty’s .32 is named for it having only 32 seats in the restaurant. A cozy little spot in SoHo, the humble front of the restaurant gives no indication of the delicious tastes within. The decor inside is cozy – the room draped with many different ceiling lamps, a bar to the side, and a one walled booth seating on the other end. The staff are extraordinarily friendly – our host dished out many little treats on the house, and we even met Chef “Shorty” at the end of our lunch (he hadn’t been the one cooking, but was just coming in for his evening service).
Starters
- Jerusalem Artichoke Soup – a divine, creamy artichoke soup with homemade potato chips and other spices sprinkled on top. The soup was served to us in little mugs (since it was a complimentary tasting) and was the perfect thing to warm up to after coming in out of the cold winter chill
On the Side
- Macaroni and Cheese – a must-order from Shorty’s, and don’t ask them to make it any other way (i.e. don’t ask them to add bacon to it). Shorty’s is famous for its Mac and Cheese – it comes in a shallow plate and it baked to be super crispy on top. Absolutely fantastic.
- Chilled Green Bean Salad – my second favorite side that we ordered. Our host explained that they make the Green Beans in a special way – first they stick it in the deep fryer for 5 seconds, then immediately put it on ice to stop the cooking. When ordered, the chef will toss it with some olive oil and garlic to give it the flavor, and serve. The Green Beans were so crispy and tender, yet flavorful – definitely a great take on a plain vegetable.
- Asparagus – the asparagus was very good, but didn’t stick out like the other sides. Served like normal asparagus with some cheese on top.
Main Dish
- Roasted Codfish with Gruyere Broth, Camarelized Onions and Swiss Chard – when my plate came out, our host took the time to describe my dish. As he was pouring the broth over the fish, he explained that the chef’s vision behind this dish was for it to resemble french onion soup. The cod is so tender, almost creamy, served on top of the caramelized onions, which sits on top of some bread. With the Gruyere Broth poured on top, the taste of all the components combined left a rich and creamy, french onion soup-like taste in my mouth. Truly a treat.
- Open-faced Reuben with a fried egg – not on the menu, but a favorite at Shorty’s, my co-worker ordered this dish, and was greeted by a very large sandwich. I tried a bite and found it very good, but I still preferred my Cod.
- Burger, 8oz Grilled with homemade pickles and french fries – three of my lunch companions ordered the burger, cooked to their liking with their choice of cheese and other toppings. Actually, the thing to note from this dish were the homemade pickle slices – made right at the restaurant, has a kick (they said it was cumin). So good that one person asked for seconds.
Dessert
- Chocolate cake with Passionfruit Sorbet – Molten chocolate cake, comes out hot from the oven. The sweet and tarty passionfruit sorbet made a nice contrast to the thick, creamy chocolate cake.
- Homemade ice cream – vanilla and chocolate flavors. The homemade ice cream was very good as well, I personally prefered the vanilla to the chocolate. Possibly because the chocolate was slightly bitter (probably dark chocolate).
Overall on a scale of 1-10: 9.5 For both the spectacular food, and the spectacular service. Would definitely recommend for dates, dinner with family, lunches – and apparently, they also have late night dim sum on Friday and Saturday nights (12 AM – 2 AM)
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January 13, 2009 at 7:33 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged 8, Asian, Chicken, Chili, Chinese, Coconut, Crab, Dessert, Duck, Ethnic, Fatty Crab, Flavor, Noodles, Restaurants, Sandwiches, Seafood, Short Rib, Soup, Spice, Steamed Buns, West Village
Asian Invasion
Dear Readers,
Sorry for my major flaking out of writing posts on eat for work. Partially to blame is the extreme cold wintry weather that has settled in to the New York area and prevented both reps and us from trekking out of our offices to grab lunch. Mostly, we’ve been inundated with lunch meetings catered in the office, which hasn’t been all that bad either.
First entry of 2009 – Fatty Crab.
Fatty Crab
www.fattycrab.com
643 Hudson Street
(212) 352-3590
Chinese and South East Asian food – Do not go to Fatty Crab if you are into bland tastes, or if you can’t handle spices. On the other hand, if you’re looking for explosions of taste in your mouth, exotic and authentic cusine, and are ready to try anything, then this would be a great place for you to check out. Also, I’d recommend ordering family style (where everyone shares dishes) to truly get a taste of all the different flavors in the menu. Plus, it’s more traditional.
Snacks (Appetizers):
- Quail Egg Shooters – not for the faint of heart. I personally enjoyed them, but my fellow lunchers were not fond of its strange consistency and pungent tastes. Still an experience, nonetheless.
- Jalan Alor Chicken Wings – “similar to a barbecue-style – tangy, sweet, tender, delicious” as commented by my co-worker.
- Steamed Buns (Pork or Veggie, we got both) – Similar to the steamed bun sandwiches that are all the craze from Momofuku, I thoroughly enjoyed the pork buns because of the fattiness of the pork. The meat was almost creamy, melt-in-your mouth, and perfectly paired with the greens that you add in yourself.
- Fatty tea sandwiches with pork belly and sambal aioli – Forgot to ask what sambal is, but there was definitely a taste of seaweed salad in the sandwiches. The tea sandwiches were a good appetizer because it prepared my palette by blasting it with a mix of spicy and sweet tastes.
Main Dishes
- Assam Laksa with traditional spicy fish soup, laifun – a noodle soup that is large enough to share with three people. As much as I was looking forward to the Laksa (I have yet to find good Laksa outside of Hong Kong), I was not impressed with this dish. For me, it was too fishy (with mini dried sardines and anchovies floating around the soup), and there wasn’t enough of a curry flavor to it as I’m used to. The noodles were good – thick rice noodles – and there were lots of spices and even pineapple slices in the soup.
- Wonton Mee with shrimp and pork wontons, fried noodles – I didn’t get to try this dish, but I would say it is a safer decision than the Laksa. Not spicy, and the crispy noodles were a good contrast to the soup.
- Fatty Duck steamed, fried, toasted tamake – Absolutely divine. By far my favorite dish on the menu. The duck was perfectly season, with this great crispy textured skin yet tender and juicy meat. If you get nothing else on the menu – get this.
- Chili Crab, a dungeoness crab with chili sauce and white toast – Although the restaurant is called “Fatty Crab”, I wouldn’t necessarily order the crab. It comes in the shell, steamed and covered in sauce, but the meat inside is not especially different from regular steamed crabs. Especially after all the work you do to get to the meat, what you get is not rewarding enough to justify the work.
- Short Rib Rendang braised with Kaffir lime, coconut, chili – This is the second favorite dish of mine. It may have been the first if I hadn’t been too full to do anything but have a quick taste. The sauce that the braised ribs were smothered in was tangy, spicy and sweet. My favorite part was the coconut rice that it covered – mixed with rib sauce, was absolutely delightful.
Dessert
- Complimentary Coconut pastry for all customers – I truly enjoyed this asian-style coconut pastry. It was like mochi – sticky – yet the top was crispy. Even though I was ridiculously full, I still managed to gobble up two squares of this dessert. A great way to end an ethnic meal.
Overall on a scale of 1-10: 8 – While some of the dishes were truly extraordinary (the duck and the rib), I wouldn’t say all of it was at the same level. However, if you are looking for an ethnic food experience, then definitely check it out.
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October 27, 2008 at 5:27 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged 8, Appetizer, Carpaccio, Cheese, Dessert, Fish, French Culinary Institute, L'Ecole, Lamb, Prix Fixe, Scallops, Seafood, SoHo, Soup, Students, Training, Tuna, Yelp
Eat for School
To try something a little bit different than the usual work lunch, we decided to hit up L’Ecole – the hands-on practice/training restaurant for the French Culinary Institute. Feeling adventurous and slightly nervous at the prospect of getting a “failing student’s” work, we arrived at L’Ecole.
A side note: From now on, I’ll be posting a little differently – instead of simply talking about what I ordered, I’ll elaborate a little on what my companions ordered, and their own feedback.
L’Ecole
http://www.frenchculinary.com/lecole.htm
462 Broadway
(212) 219-3300
Definitely go for the Prix Fixe Menu – $28 for Appetizer, Main Course and Dessert. It’s absolutely worth it! Since this is “experimental” many of the choices have interesting combinations of ingredients and flavors, but most of our dishes were delicious, only a few being average.
Appetizers
- Warm Potato and Goat Cheese Salad with Thyme and Nicoise Olives – A co-worker ordered this and commented that it was “good”, and had “rich” flavors.
- Squab Consommé with Caramelized Butternut Squash – Our rep who kindly took us out for lunch ordered the consommé (a squab is a young pigeon and consommé is a type of soup) after coming off a 16 hour flight. He wasn’t too impressed with the broth-like soup, and said it “wasn’t the best choice”
- Butternut and Spaghetti Squash Terrine with Arugula Pesto and Spiced Marscapone – “delightfully elegant” were the only words that my other co-worker used to described this dish
- Fluke Carpaccio – I ordered the fluke carpaccio, and found it rather delicious, with sashimi-like qualities. The fluke was drizzled in a sauce and sprinkled with salmon roe, giving it an even more Japanese taste.
Main Course
- Bass with Celery Root and Apple Purée –
- Seared Tuna and Scallops with Squid Sauce and Spicy Vegetable Compote – after being slightly disappointed by the consommé, our rep happily devoured the tuna and scallops, claiming it was “excellent – great presentation, perfectly cooked.”
- Mustard Crusted Lamb Loin with Cabbage-Mushroom Ragout – The lamb was declared so-so, “mediocre”. Although the meat itself was cooked well, there really wasn’t much flavor.
- Salmon Tournedos with Bone Marrow, Pommes Anna and Bordelais Sauce – I ordered the salmon, and was delightfully surprised when asked how I would like it cooked. I usually find salmon at restaurants to be on the dry side, so I asked for it medium rare. I am glad I did so because the salmon came out perfectly cooked, not at all dry, with a delicious side of spinach and a crispy disc shaped of slices of potato. The sauces reminded me of a sweet teriyaki, and was not too heavy as to drown out the other flavors.
Dessert:
- We ended up ordering one of each dessert available and sharing them around the table. I was unable to get the names of the desserts, but they were all fantastic. The favorites of mine that I can generally remember were a goat cheese tart with pomegranate and raspberries, and a gingerbread cake with ice cream.
Side notes: The atmosphere of L’Ecole is bright, upbeat, and fresh – this really is a great place to take for a date or for a work lunch, especially since what you can experience from the meal is worth much more than the price. Also, the service is great – our waitress was extremely attentive. Only downside – the food took a while to come out, which, our waitress explained, was due to some educational mishap in the kitchen.
Overall on a scale of 1-10: 8 – You can tell that some of the cooking is still “in training,” but it truly was a fun experience, beautiful presentation of the dishes. It almost makes you feel like you’re part of some sort of cooking show like Top Chef or Hell’s Kitchen.
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eat for work 