Entries categorized as ‘Restaurants’
October 25, 2008 · 1 Comment
I don’t have Indian food very often. It’s just not too convenient to where I work in the city, nor to my abode in Jersey. So when I’m visiting my folks in Yonkers, and they want to order some take-out, I always request Indian.
We usually- switch it up between two places: Zafran Restaurant (off Central Avenue) and Bukhara Grill (near Cross County Mall). I think Bukhara has better traditional Indian, but Zafran is definitely more unique, with several “fusion” items on the menu. And it’s also closer to the ‘rents and therefore, a shorter ride to my stomach.
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Categories: Restaurants · To Go
Tagged: apple pie, basmati rice, Bukhara Grill, chicken tikka masala, fusion, Indian food, lamb dum biryani, new york, Westchester County, Yonkers, Zafran Restaurant
OK, it wasn’t that bad.
But when the wife and I entered Restaurant L (in nearby Allendale, NJ), I had to chuckle at the “piano man” jamming on his full-sized Casio keyboard in the corner of the bar. I wasn’t expecting that.
For some reason, we had it stuck in our head that Restaurant L was an upscale, classy dinner joint. It has its own strip-mall-free structure, nice cars in the parking lot and uses words like “rich” and “elegant” on its website.
What we found, however, was good, if unspectacular food, a kind of blah ambiance and the aforementioned keyboard crooner. But let’s start at the beginning: the Ahi Tuna Tartare. It was served in an almost sushi-like fashion, rolled up in a thin slice of cucumber. I appreciated the creative approach, though there was nothing interesting enough in the taste to write home about.
We continued with the seafood theme for our entrees. I very much enjoyed my Grilled Swordfish Steak (with a tropical fruit and avocado salsa over sauteed spinach with fried plantains) and was happy to finish every succulent bite. Again, it was nothing revolutionary, but I thought it was well prepared and flavorful.
My wife has less luck with her Mahi-Mahi special. Although I can’t quite remember the preparation (and it isn’t listed on the site’s menu), I know she was underwhelmed by the fish itself. The blandness of the fish was echoed by fairly bland grilled vegetables and unmemorable mashed potatoes. Her one-word review: “eh.”
I think it’s safe to say that we probably won’t be back to Restaurant L on our own. It strikes me as a better place to take the parents. After all, the most memorable part of the meal was the bar keyboardist’s version of Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are.”
And maybe that’s the best way to enjoy this place: just the way it is.
Categories: Restaurants · new jersey
Tagged: Allendale, bar, Casio keyboard, fish, grilled swordfish, new jersey, Restaurant L, tuna tartare
Another day, another 9th Avenue lunch.
This time it was El Centro, a quirky little Mexican joint on 54th Street in Hell’s Kitchen. My friend from work and I entered around 12:45 on a Tuesday and the place was practically empty. Not usually a good sign for a Manhattan lunch.
The place is pleasant enough in decor. We sat next to a whole wall filled with small aluminum toys jutting out on metal spokes, while our table was uniquely crafted from beer bottle tops arranged under glass. Cool.
The chips and salsa were better than average, which was surprising. The homemade chips were crispy, not greasy, and the salsa was different than any I had tasted before. It was neither chunky nor entirely smooth, but had a somewhat more creamy texture, which coated the chips better than the watery types. It also had a nice spicy flavor.
For the cheapies like us looking for under $10 meals, there’s a decent amount of stuff. Unfortunately, the cheap eats are also the least interesting. My friend got a grilled chicken taco w/ red rice & mole negro, which wasn’t as small as we expected. It included an 8″ homemade corn tortilla topped w/ lettuce, queso blanco, caramelized onion and radish. For those with healthier appetites, one taco may not be enough, but my friend was well satisfied.
As for me, I also ordered a simple dish: the roasted chicken & Monterrey jack quesadilla w/ chipotle chiles & epazote. There was nothing fancy about the preparation; it tasted just as a quesadilla should. Although I could have used a bit more meat, I was satisfied if not wholly impressed.
What makes me want to come back for more, however, is the rest of the menu. The soups (pozoles) and enchiladas both look great, but I really want to try a chilaquile: homemade corn tortilla casserole topped w/ avocado, queso blanco, crema fresca and pico de gallo. While I couldn’t quite bring myself to order a casserole for lunch during the waning days of summer, I will return to try the pork version of this concoction.
But for now, El Centro gets a big, fat “decent.”
Categories: My Lunch · NYC · Restaurants
Tagged: midtown lunch, El Centro, Hell's Kitchen, 9th Avenue, quesadillas, tacos, chilaquiles
Richard Perry/New York Times
I’m way late in posting this review, and as a result, I’m probably giving short shrift to one of the best meals my wife and I have had in New Jersey so far. My apologies to Cafe Panache.
This restaurant is a bit of an odd duckling in that:
- It’s an undeniably “fancy” French-American restaurant, but boasts no wine list (it’s BYO)
- It’s in a nice, stand-alone building, but is adjacent to a strip mall parking lot
- It attracts a strangely diverse crowd of date-night couples, business diners and older out-on-the-towners
But if the place itself is somewhat uncategorizable, the food is much easier to explain: it’s really damn tasty.
Credited with bringing NYC-caliber creations to suburban Jersey, chef and owner Kevin Kohler does exceptionally fine work with his weekly-changing menu. Not unlike some of the best “small” places in Philly, Panache excels in bringing out the best in fresh ingredients, allowing Kohler’s fantastic sense of design and presentation to take center stage.
Our particular meal began with a split order of agnoletti, delicate Italian cheese dumplings that were perfectly moist and buttery. For my entree, I ordered the red snapper which was pan-fried and served with a delicious black couscous surrounded by a red pepper coulis. My wife went for a meatier fish, ordering the grilled swordfish, which sat atop a mountain of various jullianed vegetables and a light lemon-oil dressing.
I wish I could be more descriptive with our experience, but sometimes I’m just not as fastidious a blogger as I should be. Anyway, I think you get the point - Cafe Panache creates some of the best cuisine in North Jersey.
My recommendation: go right now.
Categories: Restaurants · new jersey
Tagged: new jersey, swordfish, Ramsey, Cafe Panache, agnoletti, red snapper, red pepper coulis
Today was my second time visiting this small Thai eatery, located at 55th and 8th. In my humble opinion, it delivers on all the qualities needed for a perfect New York lunch:
- It’s good. Sure, I’ve only had a couple things from their lunch menu, but they’ve both been impressive.
- It’s fast. Not quite as fast as McDonald’s, but for sit-down service, it’s a breeze.
- It’s cheap. For $6.95 (pennies in New York lunch terms), you not only get a succulent, filling entree, but a choice of salad, soup or spring roll. Not bad.
- It’s nice. I love the asymmetrical bowls, the swizzley chop-sticks and the little floating-flower pool in the window.
If you’re looking for recommendations, you could do worse than the Pad Sea Eiw, a perfect noodly blend of salty and sweet. It’s my new obsession.
Categories: My Lunch · NYC · Restaurants
Tagged: restaurant, Pad Sea Iew, Chai, Thai, Midtown Manhattan
Now that I’ve shamelessly lifted this great pic from Jason Perlow’s in-depth review of the pizza restaurant, A Mano, I’m not sure I can add anything of value to what seems to be an extremely well-covered dining experience.
But then I read about a huge change to the eatery that occurred six months previous to my arrival in North Jersey: the original pizza pioneer left and the menu was retooled to become more America-friendly. Evidently, the well-regarded Roberto Caporuscio was let go for making pies that were a little too authentic.
What?
If you go back to that first review, which is pre-menu-change, you’ll see some pretty convincing evidence that Roberto was serving one of the most authentic (and by all accounts tasty) Neopolitan pizzas around. That the management felt this uniquely Italian food was off-putting to much of its New Jersey clientele seems to me to be completely insane. But, hey, they own a restaurant and I don’t.
So, being that I did not have the opportunity to try the original Roberto pies, I figured my little review here might provide some insight into what the A Mano experience is like to a newbie, ignorant (at the time of dining) of the menu shenanigans that took place not seven months earlier.
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Categories: Restaurants · Ridgewood
Tagged: A Mano, American, authentic, chef change, gorgonzola, Neopolitan, pizza, tricolore salad
Anybody remember this unfortunate creation?
It’s the ultra-PC, non-offensive mascot from the Atlanta Olympics of 1996. He/she is named Izzy, short for Whatizit, which is an ironically unhip version of the question everybody would be asking: What is it?
Just as confusing was my visit to the Flirt Sushi Lounge in Allendale, New Jersey. And just as people scratched their heads when Izzy made its debut, I am at a profound loss in understanding this place. Here are some of its random qualities:
- It serves sushi.
- It looks like a brothel.
- It plays Latin pop… loudly.
- The rolls have names like “Big Balls” and “Viagra.”
- The clientele is majority female.
What is the heck is going on here? Am I missing something or do none of these elements relate to each other?
I guess I just don’t get it.
The rolls were interesting and delicious. But still, they were not enough to distract me from the swirling weirdness that played out around me: slick-looking waiters, impressionable teenagers, lots of red and black.
And it’s BYOB.
Can anybody tell me what’s going on with this place? I’m dying to know.
Categories: Curiosities · Restaurants · new jersey
Tagged: new jersey, Flirt sushi lounge, Allendale, Izzy, Whatizit
There’s something to be said for a no-frills, un-supersized, plain ol’ hamburger.
And that’s exactly what they serve to perfection at P.J. Clarke’s, an old fashioned eatery with a straight-ahead style.
Being the cheapo that I am, I ordered a plain hamburger (sans blue cheese, as opposed to the picture) when a friend invited me out to lunch at the restaurant’s Lincoln Center location. It’s unfortunate that the nostalgia doesn’t apply to the prices, because the burger was the only thing on the menu under $10.
When the waiter brought it to the table, on a small plate with nothing but a pickle to accompany it, I could only stare in disbelief. How would I be satiated by such a miniature serving of meat?
Well, I’m an official convert: size DOESN’T matter.
I bit through this succulent masterpiece like it was butter. The burger was moist and juicy, and in its unadorned state, exuded a recognizable beef flavor that often gets overshadowed by meaningless toppings. Somehow, despite looking as if it would fall apart, the paddy stayed together beautifully… that is, until I finished it five minutes later.
Now THAT is one tasty burger.
Categories: My Lunch · NYC · Restaurants
Tagged: beef, hamburger, juicy, old-fashioned, PJ Clarke's
(Jennifer S. Altman for The New York Times)
I’m not sure what it has to do with Mexican food, but I love this wall-sized piece of modern art that greets you when entering the Rosa Mexicano near Lincoln Center.
On the other hand, I’m also not sure what to make of Rosa Mexicano’s cuisine, which I did not love, despite my usual passion for south of the border fare.
The special occasion (and for these lunch prices, it has to be an occasion) was my first week of work, and my boss was nice enough to take me out to a welcome lunch. Rosa was just up the street, and even though I had only been in the office for a few short days, I was already dying to try it.
We were seated outside and immediately ordered the fresh guacamole. While it wasn’t prepared table-side (is this service reserved for dinner patrons only?), the chunky green stuff was delicious; proof that when it comes to anything avocado, fresher is always better.
Having had a late breakfast and after scarfing down a bit too much of the guacamole, my eyes automatically went to the salads. I settled on the Ensalada con Atun: avocado leaf-crusted seared rare tuna served on a crispy black bean tostada over jicama, mango and cabbage slaw with papaya-habanero salsa.
Sounds great, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, it wasn’t my cup of tea.
I definitely expected the tuna to be rare, but the pieces that were served were completely raw. Still not a problem, except this wasn’t a sushi restaurant and the fish had zero flavor. The rest of the dish, however, was flavor overload. There was spice coming from every direction, but no sweet or salty flavors to balance it out. The acidity of the slaw was overwhelming, and I ended up eating around most of the fancy stuff.
Maybe it’s my fault for ordering a salad at a Mexican restaurant, even one that wears its nouveau-ness on its sleeve. Next time, I will return to the tried-and-true and order something with at least one of the following: slow-cooked meat, cheese or a tortilla.
After all, everyone deserves a second chance in America. Even a successful Mexican mini-chain location that’s probably doing well enough without one.
UPDATE - 8/18/08
Well, that second chance came sooner than I thought. I stuck with the plan and ordered the Mexican Club Torta: a pressed sandwich filled with ham, grilled chicken, bacon, avocado and chihuahua cheese with a black bean-chipotle spread and served with sweet potato fries.
It had everything that the salad didn’t: lots of meat, lots of flavor and lots of itself. Even though I still think it’s over-priced, Rosa Mexicano definitely redeemed itself today.
I will return.
Categories: My Lunch · NYC · Restaurants
Tagged: boss, ensalada con atun, guacamole, mexican club torta, Mexican food, raw tuna, Rosa Mexicano
As if there was any real doubt, New York is an Italian city.
I know it’s known as the great melting pot, and you can find cuisine from all corners of the globe there. But the standard, go-to food of choice has and always will be Italian.
It’s no surprise, then, that my first two NYC restaurant experiences since returning to the area have been at Italian restaurants. One was surprisingly good, the other… not so much.
CIBO
Located on a nondescript block on 2nd Avenue (near 41st), Cibo would like you to think they serve “contemporary American cuisine with Tuscan-inspired influences.” Really, it’s the other way around.
Not that that’s a bad thing. I love Tuscan food and culture, and appreciate when a chef at least attempts to modernize it. And when the food succeeds under the pressure of a party of more than 20 people, it’s all the more impressive.
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Categories: NYC · Restaurants
Tagged: gnocchi, italian food, Cibo, baby spinach salad, New York City, Tuscan, Thalia, "Fior de Latte" mozzarella
