Gramercy Tavern

There aren’t too many restaurants in the city that are overhyped and furthermore come to meet that expectation. I can say that there are three places in my lifetime I’ve gone to that have exceeded such expectation: Minetta Tavern (NYC), Tsukiji Fish Market (Tokyo), and introducing to you Gramercy Tavern (NYC). Gramercy Tavern exceeded my expectation not solely on the basis of their taste but the overall experience, so much that, dining at Gramercy Tavern almost defines what a perfect dining experience should embody. Two of our parties were at least 45 minutes late, our dinner lasted three hours long with lots to chat it up here and there, questioned items on the menu, and with all of these factors plus more, we were greeted constantly with pleasant smiles and pamper for all three hours. It confirms the notion that you really get what you pay for.

The best decision that our party of four made was probably going with the Dinner menu and choosing two different dishes per person, following the running theme of the night: 1-2-3 Rotate! For every dish that we ate, we rotated it around the table so that we can taste everything, and in total twelve different dishes all together. Glorious. We had everything from beef tartare, lamb pappardelle, sea bass, rack & shoulder of lamb, pork loin & belly, and duck breast & confit. I can’t particular comment on one dish that stood out because what made it all the more fascinating was that each dish complemented one another in a peculiar way so that the entire menu just seemed like a winter festival that we were lucky to be a part of. Each dish was perfect in size, taste, and combination and because it was perfect as is, if we were to have given more of any of their dish, it would almost ruin its perfection. It was just enough in heaviness, taste, and portion that more would have ruined its divinity.

Between each interim between the courses, we were treated with presents of tastings that cleansed our palate and prepared for what’s next to come. Dessert menu followed the dinner menu and again, we were able to pick one dish per person ranging from sticky toffee fig cake, peanut butter semifreddo, dried cherry cheesecake, with macchiatos and French pressed coffee all around.

I felt awkward and rude to even dare to take pictures of the dish when we were dining so none to show. But the experience that Gramercy Tavern offered is like an amazing vacation; you really don’t have anything to show for it but the satisfaction of knowing how perfect it was in your memory was completely worthwhile.

Cheers to my dining partners of the night, Angela, Yong and Eunice!

Bruschetteria

When one asks me what my last meal would be if given the choice, I say that it would be endless amount of raw oysters, a great assortment of antipasto, and white wine. Last night for dinner, I had just that, minus the oysters. For my cousin’s birthday, I took her to Bruschetteria and we were a bit shocked at just how tiny the place was but became pleasantly surprised at also how good the food was. Their happy hour deal is fantastic: $12 for any of their bruschetta and a carafe of red or white wine. Their carafe is about 2 full glasses of wine, extremely generous in portion so two orders of the happy hour was more than enough. They also ask if you’d like more bread which helps the bruschetta to not go to waste. We tried their ricotta cheese & truffle oil as well as the smoked salmon tartar. We ended up combining both as we were eating and they were excellent! The toasted bread definitely enhanced the experience, which is freshly sliced upon order.

We also order their Mixed Antipasti, which was served with a great assortment of prosciutto, soppressata, cheese, and olives. Though I do feel that we were a bit greedy with our portion, I had to order the dish just to try even if we had so much leftovers at the end. While we were eating, I couldn’t ignore the delicious aroma of their steak which is for their Panini. It looked so amazing and I wish we tried but we couldn’t possibly consume anymore food thereafter.

Prior to going, remember that this place is CASH ONLY and extremely tiny so going earlier would help (we got there at 6:30pm). I do feel that this place is better for drinks and small bites vs. dinner because you do get tired of eating the same kind of food the whole night. But other than that, it was a great experience!

Fish

David bought me my birthday dinner to another oyster fest, but this time, at Fish. I picked this place based on Yelp reviews of oyster happy hours in ny and it was more than what we could’ve asked for, especially after dining: 6 blue point oysters (or littleneck clams) + wine/beer for $8. What’s even better about this deal is that it’s not for limited amount of hours; it’s all day, every day. Amazing much? They don’t have a huge oyster selection in terms of variety but every one of them that we tried, it was perfect. What I loved about Fish’s oysters was that all 48 of the oysters were prepared with absolute perfection. Meaning, each and every oysters’ juice were filled to the brim of the shell, no remainder residue on the shell after each consumption, chilled and refreshing beyond my heart can desire. We also ordered dozen Kumamoto’s and they were, of course, amazing and beyond our expectation. Each table has a tin can of old bay seasoning which complements their variety of entrees and especially the fries!

I highly highly recommend Fish and I, myself, will be going there many many more times! I’m already craving them and it hasn’t been a week yet!

Kanoyama & Rocco's

It's been awhile since Foodies got together for our ritual and for the first time, we decided to finally try out sushi. I don't know why we haven't done this sooner but given all the options that we're always pondering over, it's no surprise that sushi isn't usually on the top of our to-eat list.

I had a hard time picking a place because the number of people joining us was confirmed last minute. However, Kanoyama was top of the list and luckily, we were able to score a reservation the day of for 6. Prior to going, I read the NYTimes review by Frank Bruni and was reassured to go based on his review and rating. Moreover, my ultimate convincing factor was their oyster uni ikura (see below) because hey, I die for oysters and uni. What better way to put it all together in one bite?!

We ordered dozen kumamoto oysters as well as dozen oyster uni ikura to start off and to my extremely disappointment, the oyster uni ikura was not what I had expected. The ikura overpowered both the taste of the uni and the oyster that the only thing you tasted was the ikura, which left the oyster and uni to simply remain as textures. Sad. Moving on. We also ordered spicy tuna tartar for appetizer, which was served in a cone stuffed with spicy tuna tartar, avocado, topped with masago. It was good, tasty, but nothing worth remembering.

I must say, the quality for their pricing is excellent. Perhaps, what we wanted in sushi was more adventurous, eclectic, if not, simply more variety. We ordered two orders of sushi & sashimi for 3 and each piece of the fish was extremely fresh and each bite was promising. However, the variety of the fish (sashimi & sushi) comprised of tuna, yellowtail, salmon, clam, and mackerel with two rolls of california rolls on the side. The portion was generous, leaving all of us full and content. I don't know if I'd necessarily go back but if I were to, I would not order their platters but rather experiment different pieces and of course, sit at the bar and order the omakase. Their sparkling sake was excellent, but very pricey!

We went to Rocco's in the West Village for their cannolis, which is to be one of the best in the city. What is so special about their cannolis is that they are stuffed with their amazing cream filling on the spot. You have the option of topping the sides off with pistachio or chocolate chip. I hear the pistachio is better (I had the chocolate chip) but the cream in itself is to die for. Highly highly recommend, especially for you dessert lovers!

Few pics below from both Kanoyama and Rocco's:

Pio Pio - Peruvian Cuisine

A new gem!

I remember from visiting Peru years back for a missions trip that one of the best things we ate was their chicken and their dulce de leche. For Maureen’s birthday dinner, Esther suggested Pio Pio and I immediately agreed because they were rated to have one of the best Sangrias in the city. We devoured not only multiple pitchers of their sangria (perfect combination of fruit, juice, and wine!) but their food as well. We ordered the Peruvian Combo (Chicken Pio served with large french fries and avocado salad), Mero con Salsa de Porto (Baked Chilean Sea Bass served on a mushrooms and spinach bedding sautéed in olive oil), and Picante de Camarones (Shrimp sauté in garlic, onions, and white wine in a creamy spicy sauce served with quinoa cake stuffed with spinach and goat cheese). Both the sea bass and shrimp were good, but nothing compared to their chicken. The avocado salad includes generous portion of avocados and their chicken (rotisserie) is extremely juicy and moist, flavored with perfection. However, it’s their spicy green sauce that tops the flavor which was good with almost anything we were eating including the fries. As a side, we ordered fried plantains. It was good but not much credit can be given considering how wrong can you go with fried plantains.

They brought out a dessert sampler for Maureen’s birthday and I must say, each dessert was fantastic, especially their pumpkin ice cream.

Well-priced, excellent food and drinks, and it would be even better if the location was more convenient (we went to the location in Hell’s Kitchen – 43^rd& 10^th ave) and they had outdoor seating, especially on a nice day like last night!

Must go again!

Bagels, bagels, bagels!

How do you like your bagels? Here are few of my favorite ways:

• Plain bagel toasted with cream cheese, tomato, and onion: for those “I’m bored this morning and I want to spice it up a bit” mornings.
• Everything bagel toasted with cream cheese: bringing back the all-time classic, with Snapple Peach Iced Tea. Familiar memories anyone?
• Bacon, egg, and cheese on an everything bagel with salt, pepper, ketchup, and tabasco sauce: you know … those mornings.
• Toasted plain bagel topped layered with cream cheese, lox, capers, and sweet onion: the “brunchy” mornings where you want to sit outside in a nice café with a giant platter of this combination while sipping on iced coffee with a paper at hand. Amazing.
• Plain bagel toasted with butter: “I want something hearty and warm” mornings
• Everything bagel toasted with vegetable cream cheese: key here is that the cream cheese has to be filled with a generous lump sum of chopped vegetables and the vegetables have to be a good size bites. No bits of stupid carrot and chives.

What inspired this entry?

I woke up to my spoiled brother telling Mommy that he wants bagel for breakfast. To be specific, he wanted a bagel from Bergen Boulevard Bagels. My dad, of course, drives there to get bagels for Charlie and my mom, of course, makes breakfast for him. I was lucky enough to score one also and when I bit into the bagel, I stopped to check what was inside because it was taste of heaven. It was an untoasted bagel with cream cheese and topped off with strips of BACON! Who would’ve thought that would actually taste amazing? What they say is true: everything tastes better with bacon. Go try it. I promise you, you’ll thank me.

Macaron Cafe - Part II

After my disappointing experience first time around yesterday morning, I made a pit stop on my way back home. The owner (I think) happened to be at the café when I stopped by and I explained my unpleasant experience with the macarons from the morning. He ended up being such a sweet man who gave me an education on the creation of macarons along with a tasting of all the available flavors! For fruit-flavored macarons, most often, the essence and the aroma are used to make them rather than the actual fruit itself because of the amount of water that the fruit produces, which in turn affects the texture of the macaron. For non-fruit flavors such as pistachio, chocolate, vanilla, and alike, actual ingredients are used which makes the taste of the macaron more authentic and flavorful. Also, macarons are made fresh daily, however, it tastes the best around 3-4 days later because of the humidity that the macarons absorb, says the sweet man. I tried the following macarons yesterday with the sweet man:

• Pistachio – nutty, sweet, and “goh so hae” (I don’t know the translation in English)
• Lemon – tangy and not too sweet
• Chestnut Matcha Tea – my favorite! You get both the sweet and warm flavor of both the chestnut and the matcha tea
• Chocolate Caramel (with sea salt) – it’s the perfect combination of sea salt and sweetness from the chocolate and the caramel
• Cassis Lavender – beautifully colored macaron with a touch of the cassis flavor

Food is not solely about the taste; it’s an experience. Had the sweet man not have been as generous and helpful, maybe the macarons would’ve tasted good even on my second time around and if I had chosen different flavors than my first time visiting. However, because of him going out of his way to explain the baking steps and the tasting that he offered to me at his own cost, it made the experience that much better. I still say Madeleine Patisserie was far better but because of the sweet man, I will definitely make more regular visits to try out their other flavors.

Macaron Cafe

This is what happens when you no longer have a blackberry. I ended up walking in zigzag between Broadway and 7^th ave between the streets of 40^th to 36^th only to finally find the stupid café on 36^th. Angela said that I set myself up for what’s to come later because I was so excited to try it. Eunice had also mentioned Macaron Café as well so I had such high hopes. It’s a cute cozy café and perhaps because the place is so small that it’s inviting. I bought two: chocolate passion fruit and kiwi. I hurried back to my office as soon as I possibly can work (I work on 27^th so it still took good 15 minutes), sat with my cup of morning coffee, and finally took a bite out of the macarons. As Angela had mentioned, I did set myself up by going to Madeleine Patisserie to try macarons for the very first time because this was not what I had expected. It was not chewy, the crust sort of crumbled each time I took a bite, and the flavor was not up to par by any means. I was so disappointed and more so because I ended up throwing the kiwi out because it tasted so bad. But based on all the reviews in other blogs of this place, I am also blaming on the poor flavors I chose and also the time of the day I happened to stop by (9am!). I will give it one more try and see about trying different flavors before coming to a final judgement of this place. It really was cute and cozy nonetheless!

With that said, I don’t know how successful my macaron hunt will be. Then again, I am glad that the first time I tried it was not in Paris.

Happy Hour + Macarons = Happy Me.

Our plans did not exactly go the way we expected this past Friday night. We wanted to try a cheap eatery within close approximation to the two birthday parties we needed to attend. After parking our car near what would be our last stop of the evening, we decided to “venture out” and walk around. That didn’t last too long due to hunger and we ended up going to the nearest place we could find to eat, and we were allured by the welcoming happy hour deal: buy one get one free. Well, not only was the deal fantastic, the food and drinks were both amazing! Agozar is a Cuban Bistro Bar and it’s a small joint that is vibrant with Latin flavor. We ordered several tapas, few of our favorites being escabeche de pescado (crispy mahi mahi strips with a sweet pepper ragu, green banana tostone) and jibarro en canoa (picadillo, weet plantains, picillo). The tapas are served in about 4-5 pieces per plate and because of the fantastic price, you don’t feel burdened to order lots of different dishes. We both had the sangria, which was decent, and the mojitos. I must say the food was far better than the drinks but hey, buy one get one free, you get what you pay for.

On a different note, please do not judge me when I say this, but I tried macarons for the first time this Saturday with my beloved long-time friend Jihee who happened to be visiting from Chicago. My justification for not trying macarons is this: 1. I hate dessert; 2. I hate sweets; 3. I hate dessert. But my best friend Angela is currently on a hunt for the best macarons in NYC so upon researching, I decided to try out Madeleine Patisserie. It is a small, cute café that welcomes you with an assortment of colorful macarons and fruit tarts. Filled in glass jars above the counter are madeleines, another delicacy I don’t pay particular attention to as well. We ordered two macarons each, mine being Passion Fruit and Lemon. We also ordered a fruit tart and cappuccinos. Macarons were definitely not what I expected to taste: it was soft at first bite, chewy on the second bite, and tart-like cream on the third bite. I loved it! But because of the rich taste, I could not get myself to eat more than two. The cappuccinos were generously filled with foam way above the brim and the foam complemented the richness of the macarons perfectly. The fruit tart was exactly what I was hoping for it to be: lightly glazed, filled with an assortment of berries, and filling being a perfect blend of tart and sweet.

I will now gladly join Angela on a macaron hunt. Stay tuned.

Blessing in Disguise

There are many blessings in life and I do believe that it’s all about perspective. Ever have a cup of cappuccino that made you smile after each and every sip? Well, I did. Thanks to my wonderful friend, Andy, who introduced me to this tiny but beautiful joint, I received a blessing in a cup. It was one of those delightful moments where you casually carry on a conversation with a friend, pay for the cup of cappuccino, put in your fixings (mine is splenda), as you’re still happily conversing, take a sip of your drink, and the world comes to a halt. That was exactly what La Colombe offered plus more. Because they also have another treat: olive oil loaf. Sounds gross? Tastes delicious. Also featured in today's Serious Eats NY!

I came back from Korea recently and this was one of my favorite New York moment since I’ve been back: Soho, coffee, beauty, and culture. Loves it.

La Colombe - 270 Lafayette Street, New York NY 10012

Ink for Your Mouth!

For my beloved cousin Jennifer’s birthday, us ladies ventured out to Bacaro, a complete hole-in-the-wall joint; so much that there isn’t even a sign outside to indicate that we arrived to the correct location. We were led to their downstairs portion of the place and to all of our surprises, it felt as if we were entering into a mystical cave as confirmed by their rock and wood interior. Since reservations are not accepted, we were lucky to be seated right away, however at a communal table. It wasn’t as intimate as we would have liked for it to be but seat and table nonetheless.

I initially read about this place on Serious Eats NY and was immediately intrigued by their cuttlefish ink pasta (see image below). My first experience with ink pasta was Soccarat’s Arroz Negro and it was fantastic. We ordered the stuffed artichoke, fried rice balls, spicy fried meatballs, creamed codfish over polenta, and the pasta with cuttlefish ink. The stuffed artichoke, fried rice balls, and the pasta were excellent! The spicy fried meatballs and the codfish were whatever: the meatballs were too small, hence the portion was practically nonexistent, and the codfish dish was confusing because it didn’t really have an identity as to what it is supposed to be. The stuffed artichoke is great if you like artichoke, like me, because I ended up practically eating the whole thing and using the bread to wipe the bowl also. The fried rice balls (see image below) was to perfection as it is filled with cheese that is oozing out with bits and pieces of vegetables and rice. The pasta is definitely not a dish you should order if you’re on a date because not only is the dish literally ink black but so will your teeth, your lips, and the napkin you use to wipe your black lips and teeth. What helps a bit is that the place itself is dark so that the blackness would be as visible in comparison to one eating at a brightly lit place. The taste itself is full of warmth. Prior to us going, my friend asked how cuttlefish ink tasted like and the only adjectives that I can use to describe it is that it’s warm, comforting, smooth, and hearty. If you can imagine anything to taste warm and comforting rather than the texture feeling warm or comfortable, this is it.

Would I go back? Definitely! The price point is excellent, averaging around $13-$15 entrée. Good luck finding the place!

Bacaro

136 Division St. NYC

212-941-5060

www.bacaronyc.com

*images courtesy of meetnowlive.com and Serious Eats NY.

Best Oyster Bar. Ever.

I think I have been fairly vocal about my love and sick obsession for oysters. I originally had planned to attend the Oyster Fest held annually in Oyster Bay, NY for the first time this year in place of NY Wine & Food Festival since I went last year but due to conflict of scheduling and the precedence of flag football, I didn't end up going. However, my wonderful coach and fellow foodie offered to take me and the guest I invited (Yena Joo!) out for oysters and we set the date to check out Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar. Best decision ever.

Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar is the latest venture of the owners of Jewel Bako. It is extremely small, similar to Jewel Bako, and came highly recommended by other oyster lovers. Based on my experience of eating oysters, the taste and the experience of truly enjoying oysters is definitely heightened when dining with a connoisseur, i.e. Reggie Kim. We started off with oysters from both East and West coasts, to discover again that we all unanimously loved West coast oysters far better than the East. It is smaller and more rich in flavor, distinguished by the unique patterned of the oyster shell.

We tried their six oysters in two ways combo, where the chef tops fresh oysters with different garnishes to enhance the flavor of the oysters. The two kinds we tried were oysters with grapefruit and cilantro and oysters with watermelon.

I can't possibly put into words how deliciously amazing the watermelon oysters were.

We ordered another dozen of the watermelon oysters (see above). While we were eating regular oysters, Reggie kept describing the taste of the oyster to be like a melon. When they are paired with watermelon, it brings out the melon-like taste of the oyster with a touch of sweetness, which is what made this just simply amazing. No other garnish needed; we loved you just the way you were.

Aside from the oysters, I think we tried almost all the small plates on the menu and they were great but nothing in comparison to the watermelon oysters. It's a must try!

Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar

101 Second Ave. NYC

Corn - Cafe Habana

Can we talk about how amazing the corn is at Café Habana?

I always ask for suggestions on where I should go to eat and I think 90% of the time, I don’t take upon it. It’s never because I don’t value the suggestor’s opinion but it’s really just because I’m a) not in the mood for the specific cuisine; b) it’s out of the price range I was aiming at; c) it’s not inspiring enough at that moment. I’m sure you can all agree on this.

Café Habana has been one place that my foodie friend, Dekae, has suggested about five times in a row and I’ve just never gone. I also happened to read about it on my other foodie friend, Cat’s food blog so I had to give it a try. It’s one of those places I walk into, sit down, finally take a bite out of the ever-so-famous item on the menu, and think angrily to myself WHY THE HECK DID I NOT COME HERE ALREADY AND HOW COULD I HAVE MISSED OUT ON THIS FOR SO LONG?!?! So yes. That was my reaction to their infamous corn. Unfortunately, that’s about the only thing that’s worth the 30-45 minute wait from the menu. I’ve had similar Cuban-style corn at La Esquina (my first time trying the corn) and at Havana Central. Both places are excellent: La Esquina is more cheese-crusted and Havana Central more smothered with the cheesy sauce in a creamy way. What makes Café Habana’s corn even more excellent is the perfect combination of all the warmth, the light crust, the sauce, and the chili powder. It’s absolutely fantastic and I highly recommend for you to go give it a try. I’ve gone back again recently for the corn and it never fails. However, I did discover their to-go store adjacent to the restaurant where you don’t have to wait for 30+ minutes and just get the corn to go. It’s the best $3 you will ever spend, guaranteed!

Cafe Habana - 17 Prince St. NYC

Pizza

I love pizza. Do you? I don’t know many people who don't. While I especially love your everyday NY-style thinly crusted pizza with mozzarella oozing out with the magical first bite of the triangle, I do appreciate specialty and creative pizzas. I’ve been making it a point to explore my new office area and trying out different places every day. Yesterday, I discovered Waldy's Wood-Fired Pizza & Penne (800 Ave. of the Americas NYC) which happens to be just around the corner from my office. I’ve heard bits and pieces about this place from my coworkers and the moment I walked in, I noticed people eating their share of food that were all thin-crust pizza with various toppings. I asked about their most popular pizza (Margherita) and I was pleasantly surprised by the price ($8 for small) and size (a personal sized pizza portion; very filling; could not finish and I eat a lot).

The crust was definitely the key to their pizza: extremely crisp and thin, as if you’re eating pizza on crispy cracker. I loved that each order was freshly made and the wide array of available ingredients allows infinite amount of combinations. The Margherita was served with fresh basil and they also have on the side several herbs for you to garnish your pizza as well as different oil. I asked what it was for and they said it was for salads but I’d use it for bread to go with the pasta. Waldy’s is cheap, quick, and different. You also feel “healthier” eating the pizza because it’s not so greasy. The only comparison I can make are the pizzas from Whole Foods, which is decent but definitely too greasy for your own good. They also have pasta, which I am very excited about trying soon! From what I hear, they’re oven baked, similar to baked mac & cheese.

I am currently writing this as I’m waiting for my lunch delivery order from THAINY. Apparently, their pad thai is “to die for” by NYC Official City Guide and other excellent reviews from Time Out New York, NYT, Zagat, and alike. Quite frankly, I was sold by their $6.95 super lunch special deals, which comes with appetizer and entrée. To be continued.

Midtown Deli

New York City is well known for different types of food, specifically lunch places, throughout the city. The category of food that one eats for lunch is almost designated by the region that your office is located in, and in midtown, it is defined by delis. My old office was located on Union Square and our choice in lunch places ranged from Café Medina, Pita Joe, Toasties, Pret a Manger, and unfortunately Whole Foods. Going to and finding a midtown-esque deli was completely out of the norm, if not non-existent. My current office is located on 27^th and Broadway and aside from all the array of food places to venture out on 23^rd and on 7^th Avenue, I decided to make the best of a “midtown deli,” Café 28. Before I began my new job, I was excited to spend less than $10 on lunch because of these delis since everywhere on Union Square (with the exception of VERY few places), minimum $10 was somewhat of a norm so you can imagine how much money was thrown to lunch every day. Well, I am definitely a failure because I have not been able to spend less than $10 on lunch at Café 28 … when I walk in, I feel as if every part of the deli is calling my name: the salad bar, the hot food bar, the wrap station, the udon station and I just can’t say no to trying few things here and there … and I end up with a receipt for $13. How do you possibly manage to a. control how much food you put on your stupid weighted tray; b. make a decision when it’s beyond overwhelming to make a choice on what you want; c. not add a drink to your meal when every single flavor and brand of any drink seems to be so readily available?

So much for cheap lunches. Now I get stressed when it’s nearing lunchtime. And it doesn’t help that I’m totally the new kid in school.

Pita Joe - Union Square Crack

I must begin with an apology for not having shared this place with the very few of you who follow this blog. I have used up at least 3 stamp cards at this location (buy 10, get 1 free) which means I’ve gone there for lunch more than 30 times, given the fact that I didn’t necessarily use my card every single time. This magical joint is called Pita Joe and unfortunately, there is only one location in the entire city of New York, which is baffling … let me tell you about this place. 1. it’s cheap; 2. it’s fantastic; 3. it’s healthy; 4. it’s to die for; 5. all of the above.

Pita Joe is an organic and kosher fast food joint with the menu consisting of Middle Eastern and European staples with a unique twist. Their meat options include falafels, grilled chicken, schnitzel (fried chicken cutlet), and kebabs, and they also have an array assortment of vegetables with some that change daily. They also have different lemonade flavors and few dessert options for you to take it on-the-go.

I always order their salads. Their salad allows you to pick one meat and three vegetable toppings. My usual order looks like this: salad with grilled chicken, hummus, grilled eggplant, and beets. You have a choice in dressing: Tahini Vinaigrette or Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette. I always get lemon. I also pick up their hot sauce they have at the side of the restaurant and it’s a different kind of a hot sauce in that it’s fairly spicy and the kind of spice that resonates internally rather than in the mouth. You also have a choice of whole wheat or white pita and I get the whole wheat, which are served warm, most of the time. All of this for about $8-$9 – if you have your student card, it’s 20% off your entire order!

There are and have been so many lunch places I would rave about for maybe about a month or so and I get so sick of it that I never go back but Pita Joe’s, it’s been over six months now and I still go back at least twice a week. Below are pictures I finally took of my lunch as listed above!!!

Pita Joe

2 West 14th St
New York, NY 10011
(212) 627-7877

http://www.pitajoe.com/

Morimoto + Extra Virgin

Over the years and lots of $$$ later, I’ve come to lose faith in fine dining but rather develop a heartwarming passion for hole-in-the-walls with fantastic food. Essentially, this is what Foodies are all about; hole-in-the-wall findings. However, this past weekend for Connie’s birthday, my girlfriends and I went to Morimoto for dinner and Extra Virgin for brunch. It’s been a long time since I raved on about a trendy and top new restaurant but Morimoto especially surprised me and I ended up leaving happy, full, and satisfied.

Morimoto

The décor is fantastic, very chic and modern, including the ceramic chopsticks and mini wooden box used as a hot towel holder. Immediately upon sitting, a hot towel is brought to you by the server and we were served a complimentary tasting of a tomato dish topped with pickled onions. Fantastic and a great start. Instead of ordering entrees, we opted for several appetizers to share amongst us four. As for drinks, we each ordered a cocktail – mine being Orange Blossom. It wasn’t amazing but I also decided to not order wine during dinners especially when specialty cocktails are available, so there’s that. Here are the appetizers we ordered:

Toro Tartar

The presentation alone was enough to make us gasp and stare at the beauty in amazement. Each person is given a mini flat scooper of sort to scrape the toro from the flat pan it is served in. Alongside, it is served with five different garnishes to complement the toro, which included wasabi, chopped scallions, sour cream (we think), melted seaweed paste, and little crunchy things (we have no idea). You can choose to mix it all together along with toro or use each garnish per bite. The first turned out to be better. As for the wasabi, we’ve noticed that it wasn’t as spicy as the normal wasabi that you might be used to but the texture and the taste is smoother, still with a kick. I’m sure there’s an explanation to this, though I did hear that the natural wasabi tends to be less spicy than the more commercial ones.

Spicy King Crabs

They are served pre-cut (obviously. Can you imagine sitting there trying to peel off each leg and then scraping the meat out of it?! HAH) and the crabmeat is coated with a delicious spicy sauce (tobanjan aioli), which seemed to be a fabrication of the spicy mayo served in your sushi restaurants. It was mixed with masago and layered just enough to enjoy the spice, however, not overwhelming to the point where it seemed mayo-filled. It was topped with cilantro, which Connie and I scraped off prior to eating. Connie = allergic; Jasmine = hates. I think this was one of my favorite appetizers out of the ones we’ve tried!

Tuna Pizza

We couldn’t figure out what the crust is made of but it tasted like a mixture of crackers and matzo. It was layered with fresh cut tuna sashimi and topped with white mayo-like mystery sauce (anchovy aioli), cilantro, olives, and jalapeno. Gihee and Angela loved it but I thought it was mediocre. I appreciated the concept more than the taste itself or maybe it was because the cilantro seemed a bit overpowering for me to fully enjoy the taste.

Wagyu Beef Carpaccio & Steamed Scallop

Wagyu Beef Carpaccio is thinly sliced beef with yuzu soy, ginger, and sweet garlic sauce that seemed to just melt in your mouth upon entering. It was delicious, however, in comparison to all the other dishes’ creative presentation, there wasn’t anything amazing about the dish other than the quality of the meat itself, which for some people would be the ultimate reason why they’d enjoy this dish. Steamed Scallop is self-explanatory and the meat itself was super tender and juicy but again, there wasn’t anything special about this dish; so much that we actually forgot about it until I looked up the menu to write this entry and realized we had it too.

Tempura Calamari Salad

Given the high quality and profile of the restaurant, this salad surprised me because there was absolutely nothing special about it. The taste was average, the dressing was your everyday white miso dressing, and the insertion of the tempura calamari into a fresh green salad seemed a bit like an oxymoron, only because the greens and the dressing tasted too fresh and the calamari tasted too not. I hope I’m making sense? We ate it for the sake of eating it and it was good at the time but thinking back on it and reevaluating all the other dishes, this wasn’t nearly up to par.

Morimoto Sashimi

By far my favorite dish at Morimoto. The concept, the presentation, the quality, and even the portion is simply excellent The sashimi is served in blocks as you can see at the image below and each layer of the block is of a different fish: seared toro, salmon, eel, tuna, and hamachi. Five different sauces are served on the site using a pipette tube and you squirt the sauces onto a plate and dip the sashimi into it. I can’t remember what each sauce was sadly but eel sauce was definitely one of them. I can’t possibly describe the freshness of the fish because we felt like we literally went fishing and ate it immediately. Excellent Chef Morimoto, Excellent.

Because Angela & Connie’s cousin knew the manager, we received complimentary entrée and desserts. Entrée was a beef dish that tasted similar to galbi jjim and underneath the meat was candied sweet potatoes. It was such a peculiar and amazing combination! For dessert, we had the Warm Chocolate Cake with whiskey caramel, tobacco crème, and popcorn ice cream and Coconut Panna Cotta, which was a passion fruit kuzukiri (they’re similar to lychee jelly, only long like a worm) served with basil sorbet.

Will I go again? Most definitely

Anytime soon? Most definitely not

Why? I have no money.

Extra Virgin

One of my favorite brunch spots in the city, though I hardly end up going due to inconvenient location especially when it involves weekend parking. Weekend parking in SoHo on Saturday = death. This is where I first fell in love with Bloody Mary’s which ‘till this day serves as a staple for all of my brunches. Their Bloddy Mary is chunkier than others with lots of horseradish bits and spice, but because it is, it’s my absolute favorite. We ordered the Roasted Artichoke Provencal, Baked Eggs, Pistachio Crusted Goat Cheese Salad, Omelette of the Day, and Fries with Gorgonzola Fondue. They were all so excellent with such richness in flavor and generous portions! I can’t go into all the detailed description as I did with Morimoto but it’s definitely a place you must try, especially their French Fries!! Enjoy the pics y’all!

Yet Another Entry on Benedicts ....

You know, I really can't help myself. I love Eggs Benedict.

It was a combination of exhilaration and annoyance when I went to Angelo's (1100 E. Catherine Ann Arbor, MI) this past weekend on my visit back to Ann Arbor, MI. Amongst all other great food I was able to wholeheartedly experience again (i.e. A.C. roll from Sadako, Potato Curry from No Thai, and Pancheros), the highlight food from my visit to Ann Arbor was, hands down, the Crab Cake Benedict. It was interesting to see a form of an eggs benedict dish on a thick homemade toast rather than an English muffin. I thought at first that the thickness of the bread will make the experience unwholly but it surprisingly wasn't an issue. The crabmeat itself? Different. Scrumptiously different. I asked the waitress prior to ordering whether the dish is good or not and all she said was "omg. the best. it's homemade by our chef for years!" The crabmeat almost tasted as if it was marinated for a quite a time being and perhaps this is their secret? It wasn't the fresh, lump, white, and juicy taste of a fresh crabmeat but a rather smoky and deep taste followed by each bite into their Crab Cake Benedict. The balance between the crabmeat and the hollandaise sauce was perfect, in that neither overpowered one another, which actually is difficult than it seems (crabmeat can easily be too fishy; hollandaise can easily be too creamy).

And you think this is over.

The BEST part of this meal was their secret Ann Arbor hot sauce that seemed available at each table: Clancy's Fancy Gourmet Hot Sauce. It has a deep and smoky spicyness unlike Tabasco, in which the spicyness tend to linger only at your taste buds. I think it's the smokiness of the sauce that complemented the Crab Cake Benedict so well because it really brought out the smoky taste of the crabmeat! We tried it with their ham (super thick and perfectly roasted) as well and it tasted just as fabulous.




Exhilaration = yet another great discovery!

Annoyance =

1. I lived in Ann Arbor for four consecutive years and my first time trying after two years being OUT of Ann Arbor.
   
2. I don't know when I will try this again.
3. The stupid sauce website is not working, therefore, preventing me from purchasing it (www.clancysfancy.com)
   

Defining BITTERSWEET,
Jasmine

Ennju

It's hard to come across a good Japanese restaurant in the city that doesn't hurt your wallet significantly and that also delivers. Though I feel very unpatriotic writing this especially after last night's unfortunate game (be gone Ichiro and pil sung korea!), I must give the deserved credit to one of my top favorite lunch delivery places in Union Square: Ennju.

Located on 17th between Broadway and 5th, it is an unimpressive hole of a place serving Japanese food in cafeteria-style. I can't say many great things about their sushi except that it's cheap ... I mean, you get your money's worth for sure: average quality fish, greatly priced, fairly generous in portion. I always order their steamed vegetable udon for delivery especially in those rainy or brick cold days when you want nothing but a warm broth and chicken noodle soup just will never cut it. I am particular about udon because a great bowl of udon has to have an amazing chewy texture of the udon, powderless taste of the broth, and no fried flakes or tempura in the broth because it takes away from the clean taste and just makes it greasy, as if you're drinking oil. Ennju meets all of these qualities, surprisingly. The steamed veggie udon consists of steamed broccoli, carrots, string beans, and portobello mushrooms and when delivered, the broth is (obviously) packaged separately from the noodle and veggies to avoid any soggy-ness. It comes piping hot and perfect. Oh and it costs about $8 so after tip and tax, you've only just spent $10 for a hearty and warm meal rather than getting a sandwich/soup combo which is usually more than $10 if you want to be full but you find yourself opting for the lesser value option only to leave you a) wanting more of the stupid sandwich/salad; or b) wishing you had more soup. Yep. Been there and definitely done that many times.

I've only found out last week that Ennju also has sensei udon, which is my absolutely favorite kind because of those deliciously textured Japanese vegetables and I'm excited to try it! But I'm trying to save money so I've been resorting to cup noodles for lunch, which by the way is so fabulously delicious AT work because you feel super daring, especially eating something you're "not supposed to eat" because it's neither salad nor sandwich. Perhaps this is all in my head because few of my coworkers commented on my cup udon yesterday saying it smells delicious, which always makes your meal taste even better. Today is cup pho. You gotta love Koreans and their creative everything. Go pil sung Korea!

Ennju is located at 20 East 17th Street NYC - 646-336-7004

Jalapeno Fries and Benedict Restaurant

Dallas, I gotta say, has endless options of food. Driving down Bell Line Road, we were overwhelmed with the amount of different restaurants there were, and hardly any were franchises which peaked our interest even more. It saddens me that I wasn't able to try out more restaurants but the ones I did were simply amazing.

Thanks to Hannah and Andrew, a bunch of us had the opportunity to venture out to Dallas to celebrate their wedding. There was a gap between the ceremony and the reception so we decided to go to an outdoor bar (Ozone bar?)  to take advantage of the 78 degree weather. Not to mention the $6 pitcher specials they were having, we ended up ordering chip and dip as well as a magnificent find: jalapeno fries. I expected them to be fries with jalapeno seasoning but lo and behold, they were literally deep-fried jalapenos served with ranch dressing for dipping. I died. It was definitely spicy but I can withstand a tremendous amount of spicyness so it was delectable upon every bite. I can't even imagine just how unhealthy it must have been but hey, it's Dallas and calorie-filled meals seemed surely permissible down there.

Upon looking for a bar to meet everyone on our first night, we happened to drive past this restaurant called Benedict Restaurant. Seul and I absolutely adore egg benedicts. We decided to go here Sunday morning before heading out to the airport. The ambiance of the restaurant was exactly what we were looking for: homey, southern, and comfortable. I ordered now what I rate as the best eggs benedict dish I've ever had: Egg's Oscar - poached eggs with lumps of crabmeat and hollandaise sauce to top with asparagus spears on the side. I can't even put into words the juicyness of the crabmeat, not to mention the very generous portion of the crabmeat itself. The ratio of crabmeat to bite was equivalent each time, which is hardly the case when your dish is served with a "specialty" item and they end up skimping out so you have to almost save those pieces for the end (you know exactly what I'm talking about... this is almost true for every single shrimp dish that exists). Did I mention, that the dish was only $12? I smile at the thought of Egg's Oscar.

It's always very painful to come across these amazing places because the chances of you going back is slim to none because of the location i.e. Tacos Tumbras in Acapulco. Now I'm back to reality. It's almost breakfast time and I have to unfortunately resort to a near deli eggs sandwich and cry about it while thinking of Egg's Oscar.

Jasmine