Saturday, December 23, 2006

Lonesome Dove Western Bistro
29 West 21st Street (between 5th & 6th)

I was meeting with a friend for dinner before he left town over the Christmas holidays and he had suggested this place. I've never been big with southwestern flavours, but the menu of this place convinced me. It had much of a "from nose-to-tail" Fergus Henderson-like menu -- so that intrigued me.

After enjoying a nice scotch, we sat down in the relatively quiet restaurant -- although the drunks on the next table knocking over glasses of wine was quite annoying. Nevertheless, the food was excellent, and it compensated for the mess.

I enjoyed the lamb cheeks starter -- a very nice bit, with the most tender lamb out there. It was juicy and moist, the best piece of lamb I've had in months. That got dinner off to a great start!

The venison main course was excellent, cooked excellent and to the right temperature. I love venison, and it is always a treat to have a good piece. The side mac & cheese with truffle was pretty interesting too. I enjoyed the meal very much.

We enjoyed some nice scotch before taking off. This was a good choice. It's a great relaxing place, with country music and a nice mood. I like this place, it feels a bit like Virginia where I used to live. This is a good find, even if the neighbourhood is messy...excellent!

Food: A-
Atmosphere: A-
For Lone Diners: B (*)

Bolo
23 East 22nd Street (between Park & Broadway)

As I have said many times in the past, New York is a great repository for Spanish restaurants. Overall, Italian restaurants play too much by the formula and are so "Italian-American" and not genuine. But Spanish places tend to be more adventurous, and Bolo is one of them. I recently had a private Christmas celebration with my girlfriend and the restaurant did not disappoint.

It was a quiet Sunday evening and the restaurant was not too crowded, which made it easier to talk. The environment is nice, not overdone but not simple either. Pleasing to the eye and condusive to all sorts of moods. We enjoyed some sangria to start and a wonderful time ensued.

I enjoyed grilled octopus for a starter. I must say it was a bit sour (almost like a ceviche) and the piece of tentacle was quite rubbery...but that's the joys of eating seafood on a Sunday. My girlfriend's salad was apparently quite good. That was the only hiccup to the entire meal, and rather minor.

The main course was a very nicely done black squid ink risotto with seafood. It was magical, with an excellent mixture of ink with lobster, shrimp and other seafood. The flavours all combined well, and it was one of the better arroz negro I've had in New York. My girlfriend's sea bass was also apparently quite delicious.

For dessert we split a "tapas" selection of various desserts, from the flan to the baklava. It was a nice combination, not too sweet, but perfect. With a bit of espresso, this topped of an excellent meal.

It was a wonderful evening, with good food (despite the rubbery octopus) in a nice restaurant environment. I would recommend Bolo to all enthusiasts of Spanish food and good seafood.

Food: A-
Atmosphere: B+
For Lone Diners: B+ (*)

Monday, December 11, 2006

Japonais
111 East 18th Street (between Park and Irving)

I am always sceptical of any fusion of Asian cuisines, but was talked into Japonais by some friends I've not seen in months. The three of us gathered there on a Sunday evening and the entire experience turned out to be a major surprise -- a pleasant one.

The place was relatively empty except for a few loud groups, but it was pretty nice. The darkness and openness made it useful for both romantic outings and group dining, and the service was extremely efficient (perhaps helped by it being not very busy). The chairs were a bit awkward, however...it was like from a bad 70's movie...

The concept is interesting, with two separate kitchens -- one for sushi, one for cooked foods. They worked independently of each other and that allowed for the enjoyment of both styles. I am very much from the old school when it comes to Japanese food -- I like my sushi nigiri, not rolls at all, and I would never order using a piece of paper. But this place was a nice surprise.

For a starter we shared a few things. The sushi came out first. The chu-toro was nice and tasty, as was the uni. Nice start, much better than the shambolic fish I get at "top" places like Haru (I remember the hamachi having bone!). I could eat here all day. We also split some cooked starters. The lobster egg rolls were okay (too much batter and roll) and the crab cakes okay (too loose), nothing special.

For the main course I had the seafood hotpot, which was nice and flavourful. It had oysters, cockles, king crab and scallop -- but so little of it! The starters had more food! It was good but way too lacking. My dining companions' seafood dishes were good, but they said was a bit heavy.

We shared two desserts -- the sorbet and cheesecake. Not bad both of them. Overall it was a pretty good dining experience, nothing extraordinary, but it was nice. I think the creativity is excellent, not encroaching on the standards. But they need to work out some kinks. I'm sure its Chicago (original) location is superb, and this New York spin-off will rise to the challenge soon.

Food: B+
Atmosphere: B+
For Lone Diners: B (*)

Cinqueterre
22 East 38th Street (at Madison, at the Jolly Hotel Madison Towers)

Oh, what a dreadful mistake! We had left our Saturday evening plans late and this was the only place I could find a table for that evening. What a dreadful mistake to pick this place! I had read a few nice reviews and the menu looked okay, but there were many bad reviews too. Now I know why. What a disaster!

The service at this restaurant is a total joke. The lethargic staff, despite a nearly empty restaurant (that is telling too), made a bad experience even worse. I asked for a romantic, quiet table -- and was promptly put next to two loud groups. It took 10 minutes for the water to come -- even though the two waiters only had 3 tables to serve! Ridiculous! If it wasn't for my girlfriend calming me down, I would have stormed out by now (not that I didn't suggest it).

The atmosphere was horrible. The acoustics were just awful; I could barely hear my girlfriend while the adjacent tables' noises were extremely loud -- as was the music and shouting from the kitchen! The decor was boring and we were put in a lighted area -- next to the noisy bar section. Total joke.

The food was nothing special -- way too oily. This is not an Italian kitchen at all, the methods are wrong. It was oily and heavy and missed the real quality of the Ligurian coast villages that are the namesakes of this 'restaurant'. My starter of grilled octopus was okay, but nearly burnt. The pappardelle was okay, but it was extremely oily and the 'wild boar ragu' was so rigid and flavourless I wonder if it was from 2004's hunting season... My girlfriend's "grilled" salmon was so oily it looked as if it was pan fried in lard!

Ugh...at least the panna cotta was acceptable. But it took another 10 minutes to get the bill (by then there were just 2 tables for the 2 waiters!). After I got home I saw the food we took with us...wrapped in a thin clear wrap, leaking into each other! What a total joke!

If there's a worse restaurant in New York, I don't know it. Jolly is an Italian hotel chain, and I should have known better when no Italians actually dined there. This is totally shambolic!!!

Food: D
Atmosphere: F
For Lone Diners: D (*)

Monday, December 04, 2006

BLT Prime
111 East 22nd Street (between Lexington & Park)

I have always heard wonderful things about this Bistro Laurent Tourondel, that it is always lively and fun, accented by excellent steaks. I was dying for a good steak one Sunday evening, and found that they had a late 8.45pm opening, so I took a table and made the 20 block walk to get in the mood.

The place was packed certainly, and many people were being turned away as I walked in. My table wasn't exactly ready but I opted to sit in the area near the bar -- the section before you reach the main dining room. Bad mistake. I was so eager to eat I forgot that if you are seated outside of the main dining area, your service goes down significantly. Sadly, it ran true once again.

I was hungry and none of the starters looked very complementary, so I went for the wagyu skirt steak, with sides of grilled asparagus and hen-of-the-woods mushrooms. I had high hopes for this place at first when the bread came with pate -- very meaty way of doing things. Nice.

The steak came out and I once again regretted ordering wagyu -- this I'll explain later. The steak was nice, and medium-rare/medium (perhaps just the time it took to come out that cooked it a half level more). A little too cooked, but still nice. The steak was nice and flavourful. I don't know why they try to push sauces on people, but good steaks do NOT need sauce. Sauces are made to cover or masque, spices accentuate. Big difference.

The mushrooms were very nice as were the asparagus. I thought it was a completely satisfactory meal. The service slowed dramatically after I was finished, and it took nearly as long to get my bill as to get my food. That was very annoying, and it damaged the experience. I can see how this place would not cater well to lone diners by atmosphere, but the nature of steaks make it good since it is fast.

As with why not wagyu, it is pretty obvious. Every restaurant serves wagyu now like some kind of super cow. It is a select breed and good, but definitely not worth the hype. What makes kobe beef in Japan so good is not just the breed, but what they do with the animal -- the 'massages' and the beer amongst other pamperings. Do you think ranchers in Oregon do that with their wagyu at all? I don't think so. Frankly, a good Angus is probably better than a poor wagyu from Oregon. And remembering good kobe from Japan, this was not worth it.

The steak was okay, but not one of the best I've had in the city. In fact, the best skirt steak I have had in New York was not at a specialty steakhouse, but at the all-you-can-eat Brazilian churrascaria Porcão -- the home of the most delicious and decadent skirt steak. Go there instead of BLT if you want good skirt steak.

I think BLT Prime is a good restaurant and popular for many good reasons, but it really doesn't live up to the hype. A good steak has to be done with love and served with care, and sadly, bad service could easily ruin the experience, not to mention the steak's cooking. I'd still recommend this place, but don't bother with the wagyu. You won't be able to tell the difference especially with the slow service and if they force all that sauce on you.

Food: B
Atmosphere: B
For Lone Diners: B+

Cafe Frida
386 Columbus Avenue (between 77th & 78th)

I am usually not a person who like Mexican food, but I was talked into it by a few friends who were meeting up one Saturday evening. I am the "phantom" bass player amongst them (a keyboardist, guitarist and lead vocalist), so I guess they dictated the pace once again! But joking aside, it has been a long time since I had Mexican, and the menu for Cafe Frida looked quite nice, so why not?

As readers may know, the UWS is usually not this lone diner's hangout because it is such a headache to get there. And this evening that proved to be so much more accurate, as nearly every uptown train went down. After 30 minutes waiting for a B/D train it shows up...then another 30 minutes waiting at Columbus Circle with hundreds of irate riders for local trains, they never showed. Hopped onto a cab after nearly jumping in front of one in the mad struggle with scores of others having quit the Subway at that point. So I got to the restaurant like 45 minutes late...horrible, as I am usually always early.

The place was lively and packed, which was nice. The music was a very annoying and continuous dance-beat loop -- very "un-Mexican" in a traditional way, but quite "Mexican" in a modern way. I think it's a bit too up-tempo if I was a lone diner, but since I was with a group, it was okay -- though it was a bit dark and loud. The paper-wrapped candle was a complete brain-puzzler...why would such a hazardous and flammable item be placed in a table in the upstairs area where there's little room for smoke to build before we're all asphyxiated if it goes up?

We had split some varied fandango de salsas for a starter, which was nothing very special. The amounts were tiny and I wasn't too impressed. The main course I ordered was a special for the day, the rack of lamb. The meat was nice, but nothing special. The sides were a little boring, a bit too sour for my taste. Not enough to help work the flavour of the lamb. The rice and beans were nice though -- I thought I'd never say that...

Overall it was an okay experience, but definitely not a place I would frequent...or even return. I'm not a Mexican food fan, so it was probably just an anomaly in my dining experience. Even if I was, it's too far away and offers nothing too special. If I really want good Mexican food, I'll eat it in one of my trips to New Mexico or Texas or California.

Food: C+
Atmosphere: B
For Lone Diners: C (*)

Friday, December 01, 2006

Alto
11 East 53rd Street (between Madison and 5th Avenue)

As a big fan of Italian food (and not nouveau Italian food), I wondered how good this place will be. As a sister restaurant of L'Impero -- a place I thought was good but not spectacular -- I went into this place with some caution. I like creativity, but not over-creativity that loses the flavour of the ingredients. Was I right or wrong about Alto this evening?

The place has the usual, trendy appearance of many eateries in Manhattan. The walls were glass compartments with hundreds of "bottles of wine" which was a strange mix of old and modern. It didn't do much for me, too many strange reflections all around. But it was pleasant -- and the place sure is popular.

I chose the chanterelle and lumache ravioli (for those of you not familiar with Italian, lumache is just escargots). It was nice, but it really diminished the taste of the lumache. It was supposed to be the star flavour here, but it was drowned out. Even the chanterelle mushrooms felt a bit hidden. If anything, it didn't taste too different from pelmeni I can get at a cheap Russian eatery... Nice, but not excellent -- I had expected more from the description.

My girlfriend had a simple salad and the striped bass for dinner. For main course I chose the porchetta -- the slice of suckling pig. It was okay, but rather bland. The caramelised cabbage was nothing special; if it was set on sauerkraut it would have been better. This was a pretty bland dish here, and it sure didn't impress me.

We shared a dessert, which was very rich and chocolat-y. I'm usually not a dessert person, but it was quite good. Sad, as it was the best part of the meal.

Alto falls into the trap of a place that is popular for reasons other than its food -- the reputation and decor does most of it. The menu helps, but it comes short on delivery. If you want to use fancy ingredients like lumache and porchetta, please accentuate their flavours -- not hide it. That's why we go to places with good menus and not places with the typical boilerplate Italian menus. And this horrible use of foams (same at wd~50; see my earlier review) is annoying -- it does little to accentuate the taste, the texture of it is annoying, and it is another one of these culinary trends that is annoying and unnecessary. It shows me the chef is more interested in flash and trend rather than the flavour of the chief ingredients.

Alto is not a bad place, but again, my old saying, there are so many excellent places in New York, why settle for something that's just good?

Food: B-
Atmosphere: B
For Lone Diners: B+ (*)