Craft
43 East 19th Street (between Park and Broadway)

After last week's fine meal at craftbar, I decided to give the "mother" restaurant a shot. Not easy to get a table there, but the conspiracy of the Oscars and a snowstorm got me in for a late supper. Turns out lots cancelled, and I was given a nice, big end table for myself.

The decor of Craft is a lighter version of craftbar, and rather relaxing -- I guess that's needed once you see the prices on the menu. This must be one of the most expensive restaurants in New York, and that's saying a lot. I don't mind if it's worth it, but...

The service was top-notch this evening, but that didn't help. I had skipped the starter because I had been told the main dishes are of a nice portion -- especially if I order vegetable sides. So I did that. Sadly, there was no venison (the main reason I wanted to dine there), so I chose the rack of Berkshire pork -- which was highly recommended.

As I waited the nearly half hour for the roast, I enjoyed a nice bottle of Tyrolean red and waited in anticipation. When it arrived, I was not very pleased. The meat was dry and bland. Roasting pork is never easy, as I've commented before, and it is a telling sign of how good the kitchen is. And sadly, Craft totally failed this test. The meat may also have been somewhat undercooked (I couldn't really tell then, due to the low lights). But it was boring. Something you get at a family get-together when everyone's asking for double gravy...ugh...

The 2 sides were mixed. The hen-of-the-woods mushroom was excellent, probably the highlight of the evening (sad as that may be, but still shocking at 16 dollars for a dollar's worth). The baby carrots was ridiculous -- half were way overcooked, and half were undercooked (and 12 bucks for this insult). With the pork being nearly 50 bucks, this was turning into a major rip-off... Again, I don't mind paying if it is good, but...

I voiced my concerns to the waiter, who was very helpful. I then ordered a dessert of roasted pears (boring), tangerine sorbet (not bad), and coconut sorbet (uh...this was totally an ice cream...how can they mislabel this is beyond me...). With some tokaji and coffee I was ready to leave, unhappily, of course.

I can't believe this place gets so much praise. Its sister restaurant craftbar is easily 10 times better. These prices does not justify this poor quality of food. I am very disappointed in this experience. I was even more disappointed when I felt signs of food poisoning after my 25 block walk home in the storm...my stomach was killing me. That damn undercooked (but dry) pork. Ugh...avoid, avoid, avoid...

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

E.U.
235 East 4th Street (between A & B)

I had been excited to hear of a restaurant that pursued the theme of the European Union; it was an idea I had many years ago, one to features cuisines from all parts of Europe -- especially the lesser-known cuisines. So when I arrived at E.U. I was excited -- which was dashed pretty quickly upon seeing the menu...

At first I thought the decor was nice, trendy but not overbearing. But there was little "EU" there at all... I had expected more European themes, but this looked much like the same as many New York restaurants -- especially the last few I had frequented (such as Dani and craftbar).

I had started with the grilled octopus, which was excellent. That was a nice start in a menu that's more "Old Europe" than "EU" per se. However, soon my positive dining experience collapsed...I had just noticed I was seated FACING THE TOILET.

You must be thinking I was joking, but no...the design of the place essentially was like me facing the toilet! It was utterly disgusting and I nearly vomited...who the hell designed this place to have something so putrid? Ugh!!!

I asked for a seating change to the understanding staff...at least they realised what was wrong with that section! Ugh!!!! I do have to admit the service was pretty good, but the restaurant at 7pm was rather empty...

The main course was the braised veal cheeks, which was absolutely delicious. However, I should have ordered a vegetable side, as it was a bit lacking (not the chef's fault, the waiters should have mentioned it). But it was excellent.

I had a rare dessert and had the semifreddo, which was not bad. With some tokaji (finally, something from the rest of the EU!), I left the restaurant puzzled -- satisfied but disgusted. The food was excellent. The design was just awful. I also noticed the plethora of newsprint rolls used as part of the decor...but they have a resemblance to toilet rolls! Goodness, the designer has a toilet fetish! Ugh... So I left the dodgy neighbourhood less than happy...

Food: A-
Atmosphere: B/D-
For Lone Diners: B+

Dani
333 Hudson Street (at Charlton)

It's a hike for me to go to the West Village, but I thought once again, why not? It's a Tuesday night, and I had little to do. I've heard interesting things about Dani, so I decided to trek down after making a reservation. I was surprised in many ways when I got there.

The converted warehouse design is quite funky and nice. I really like the old support columns juxtaposing the modern and stylish design. The use of space really impressed me, and I'm usually not one for the decor and fluff. But this was good. However, one thing was odd -- the restaurant was nearly empty. What the heck?

I sat down and had a glorious meal -- the only problem was the constant internal query: why is this restaurant empty? The starter was fritto misto -- a good way to test how good an Italian kitchen is (easy to mess up this simple frying gig). The flavours were excellent even without the accompanying sauce (it's always a testament of the chef's flavouring philosophy if the fritto misto is dependent on the sauce or is a good stand-alone). The plentiful supply of calamari, fish and shrimp made this a treat -- as was the chickpeas strewn within the dish. Excellent.

The main dish was a huge loin of pork...wow, this was big and filling. I felt like I was in Bavaria for a second (like at the fabulous Haxnbauer im Scholastikahaus). Not quite that big, but this slow-cooked marvel was tender, juicy and delicious. Pork is notoriously difficult to do well, and I applaud the chefs here for doing a great job. I somehow ate the whole thing!

I had some grappa and coffee but also chose a small dessert. The gelati/sorbet mix (dark chocolate and hazelnut for the former, pear for the latter) was a great complement. I was incredibly happy leaving the restaurant, however, still puzzled on why it's empty. What is going on? Such good food and nice place and it's empty????

I am totally puzzled...

Food: A-
Atmosphere: A-
For Lone Diners: A-

craftbar
900 Broadway (between 19th & 20th)

As readers of my blog knows, I tend to avoid places that have some form of "super chef" persona, especially those with multiple restaurants. Many of them (such as the ones of Jean-Georges Vongerichten -- see my previous review of Perry St.) are disappointing across the board. But nevertheless, I went into craftbar last night quite happily with a friend of mine for a late supper.

The place is quite relaxed, which was the ultimate design of the restaurant -- maybe a bit too lax for my taste (one guy walked up to me as I was waiting to be seated thinking I was the coat-check guy...). The music selection is a little too "Ruby Tuesday" for my taste while eating (though classic rock is certainly my favourite genre, just not while dining in a nice place!); it made me feel like a beer rather than the nice bottle of Beckman syrah we had ordered. But the relaxed nature of the place kept everything loose, which has its advantages.

Decor is pretty minimal, with a bar-centric style -- which I do like for a small, relaxed place. We were given one of the larger seats, which was nice. I like places that can accommodate romantic couples, lone diners, and groups. That is a sign of a good restaurant set-up.

For starters we split two dishes. The grilled octopus with chorizo was quite nice, as were the salted cod fritters. Done well and without too much intrusiveness (no foam!), they complemented the experience perfectly. The main course I enjoyed was the braised pork belly...I know not the healthiest thing, but it's worth it when done well. And this time it was done well. Fantastic, without too much intrusivness. I like this philosophy of using the flavours of the main ingredients, not the Jean-Georges method of masking and adulterating. Sorry, just venting for that horrible meal the other day...

We ended up having some cheese to end the meal, and that did complement things to near perfection. I was very impressed with the food and atmosphere of this place (even if the music made me want to grab a beer after we finished the syrah). Maybe a little lax, but the food certainly made up for any shortcomings. I'm sold on this place.

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

Perry St.
176 Perry Street (between Washington & West)

A good friend of mine had asked me to brunch to discuss some interesting business ventures, which is the only reason I agreed to drag myself down to the West Village on a Sunday morning. With the Subway weekend mess, my hangover and the fact this was one of Jean-Georges Vongerichten's spots, I was very hesitant. But nevertheless I went. The business side of it was totally worthwhile, but the restaurant experience was worse than I could have imagined -- and that's saying a lot (if you know how I feel about Jean-Georges restaurants).

The decor of the restaurant is minimalist, which is nice. Lots of windows and light, so that was good. However, whoever designed for the doors to be facing the Hudson River must have been a fool, because with gusts over 25mph coming in from Jersey (like today), the doors are nearly impossible to open and the middle area becomes a horrible vacuum. This is just lack of foresight... But nevertheless, I like minimalism and light -- especially for brunch. So at least the blazing sun was good.

The service started out really mixed. There seems to be 1 waitress working very hard, 1 waiter working very hard, and then there's 1 waitress working dourly and another waiter who was barely there. Unfortunately that really made this entire brunch experience drag and drag... They got orders wrong and took over 25 minutes to bring the bill. Not acceptable. That one waitress that worked hard did most of the work for the entire restaurant...poor girl...

I also do not like prix fixe situations, where we have little option. I do not enjoy dessert, but was forced into it. For the first of two dishes (it was 2 dishes and dessert for the prix fixe) it was the chicken soup. Awful... There was so much lime juice in it within seconds my teeth were feeling the acid. I remember Jean-Georges's love for Asian tastes, but this sourness was way beyond any Thai tom yum soup. This was just bad. If it wasn't for the pieces of avocado and chicken, I would have just dumped it. Yuck...

The second dish was the beef tenderloin. It was not bad at all, but boring. Plus, I had ordered it medium rare. They were so slow in their service that by the time it came out, it was medium well or close to well-done. This is unacceptable for a restaurant of this supposed stature. I was not feeling well at all by now, exacerbating my hangover...

The dessert was a crème brûlée with (ugh!!!) foam on top. This must be the MOST MISUSED culinary technique of the last decade...it ruined the flavour. It was horrendously sour and did nothing to match the over-flamed crust. Someone had fun with the blowtorch back there. I ate less than a quarter of it and dumped it. Ugh...

When you dump 2 of the 3 dishes of the day, I know it's been a bad meal. The flavours don't do anything, the creativity is nil. Just bad fusion once again, the trademark of Jean-Georges Vongerichten. He's had so much turnover in his restaurants and the scores of bad reviews in recent months...he really needs to take some responsibility and fix things before things collapse in his "empire". Shambolic to say the least...

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

Eight Mile Creek
240 Mulberry Street (between Spring & Prince)

Sometimes I don't understand our brethren from Down Under...there are things about them that annoy me to death, but there are things I absolutely love from that crazy land. So on a pretty ugly evening before the storm, I chose to run downtown to Eight Mile Creek, the best (according to most people) Aussie restaurant in New York.

The place was packed with large groups, so service was a little shaky in the rather cramped and dark dining area. I didn't mind, as I was dining alone. They told me to order quickly to not get stuck with the group, so I did so.

Enjoying some good Australian red, I ripped into the emu carpaccio. Perhaps too much green on top, but the meat tasted quite good. After another glass of wine I enjoyed the rare kangaroo fillet. That was quite good as well, but perhaps a little bland without the mushroom sauce. Still, not bad at all.

A few more glasses of wine later, I headed out before the large group ticked me off with their brain-dead conversation. Pushed into the storm, which was just starting, I felt pretty happy with the experience.

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

Philippe
33 East 60th Street (between Park and Central Park East)

Always suspicious of "upscale" Chinese food, I agreed to dine at Philippe with some suspicion. The best Chinese foods are made in simple places; if places need to jazz things up with these gimmicks (and with prices that are utterly ridiculous), then the food must be suspect. Knowing the reputation of the proprietor and his other (and former) venues, I figured this place was all superficial...

My dining companion was late by half hour and I had a scotch to soothe the waiting time. We were seated in the increasingly busy dining area, which was rather pleasant. The environment was pretty nice and it seemed more like a "normal" restaurant rather than a Chinese place.

We had split two starters. The shrimp dumplings were okay, nothing special -- except for the ridiculous price. The house salad was actually quite good, and it was a nice change to eat salad in a Chinese restaurant.

We had two mains split as well. The pan-fried salmon was nice, in a semi-sweet-and-sour sauce. The chicken and broccoli was also not bad, with way too much chicken and too little vegetable (odd complaint for a Chinese restaurant, as it's usually the other way around). The food was nice, but nothing special -- again, the ridiculous prices, of course.

Overall, Philippe is a pretty average place, and definitely not worth the price. It's topped by so many other Chinese places around town, such as Phoenix Garden. Don't fall for the gimmick, go to a real place.

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

My Commentary about Friday...

Again, I really did not intend to make any commentaries like this in this particular blog, but I feel I must. Friday night's dining experience at Kishmish was pretty much ruined by circumstances not in control by the restaurant, and that is always a shame. And what upset me more is that the worst stereotypes of groups were realised in this shameful display of modern day London.

I was contemplating this while waiting for my train at Fulham Broadway. There was a large group of drunken and aggressive Korean males attempting to indimidate a few rough looking Londoners...now that was sheer irony. And that got me to think, why was tonight's experience so marred?

First of all, the Americans, my fellow Americans. Why do they behave like that whenever they are out of their hometowns? They are loud and obnoxious, and seem to enjoy being loud and obnoxious. They always introduce their American-ness (like people can't tell already) for no reason, and often come up with the most stupid and inane thoughts while talking. And they ask the most ridiculous questions that could be answered if they just used their brains for 2 seconds. And they care little about others sitting adjacent from them, like they are the crown princes of the town. Ridiculous. I remember once in Toronto at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse where a family of non-beef eaters from Cleveland (yes, that's how they greeted their puzzled waiter) chose that restaurant over the 100+ that were within a block to say they hated beef? And another time when two Americans sat and continually badmouthed Canada, causing my irate Canadian dining partner to let them have it verbally?

I sometimes think Americans need to think twice before travelling abroad. They are not kings of this world. They really need to do more thinking and understanding before thinking everyone on this planet bends down to them. They will enjoy their travelling -- and dining -- more then, and look less like idiotic stereotypes. Now you know why they call us "bloody Yanks" and "ugly Americans" when we travel???

Then there were my fellow Londoners...ugh. A pack of 20+ around a series of tables, drunk and loud, argumentative and out-of-control. It was a Friday evening at 9pm, and already pissed beyond belief. The waiters could not cope as they kept moving and insisting they did not order certain dishes (well, if you move 8 places down, do you think they would have known?). And seats kept appearing and disappearing, and they continued to winge and argue. Is this modern London, the drunken, elitism shown this evening? Is it because it is a curry that they choose this method of behaviour? Would they dare do this in a "proper" restaurant? Kishmish is easly a proper restaurant, not some £3-a-curry hole near Earl's Court or Stratford.

This drink culture in London is just so out of hand that it is seriously close to making even London restaurants unpleasant. Don't get me wrong, I had several nights out last week that resulted in over 8 pints consumed, but there's a place for certain things. And just because it's a curry doesn't mean the staff can be treated so badly -- much like you can do certain things in a Pizza Hut and not in a 5-star Italian restaurant. Just common sense and decorum, of which modern England is losing -- very quickly.

This whole night was draining, and I chose to not go out for a few pints due to this hideous display. I wandered back to my room and turned on the TV, not wanting to hear any voices of an American or English origin. Then I turned on RaiUno and was greeted with the emergency headline, "sangue sul calcio". And as I watched the riots in Catania, I frowned. Maybe it's the world that's in the crapper, or maybe it's me...

Kishmish
448-450 Fulham Road (SW6; near Fulham Broadway Tube)

I have often said Sarkhel's is the best Indian restaurant in London, if not the world outside the sub-continent, but Kishmish often runs a close second in London. I discovered the restaurant a few years ago by accident, and I have managed to frequent this wonderful find several times a year -- but only when there's no football. You see, this restaurant is right next to Stamford Bridge... (to those of you who don't know, that's where Chelsea FC plays...).

I went there on the Friday evening, my last night back here in London. Sigh, that is always disappointing, but I was intent on having a good meal. I have to say this was not an overall pleasant experience, but most of this was due to other circumstances than the meal.

I arrived at a medium late hour and was sat in a nice table -- until a pack of loud, rude and annoying Americans were placed next to me. Why do Americans always behave like this when they travel??? Ugh... And their persistent smoking annoyed me seriously. The waiters could see my annoyance and discomforture so they moved me to another section -- this is a rare quality in London amongst waiters, so this shows some real good observation by the staff. Excellence in challenging situations.

Sadly, the other section had a very large party table with drunken Londoners having a nearly out-of-control dinner party. That severely damaged service to all other tables, as this crowd of 20+ drunks kept arguing with staff, moving seats, shifting to "new" places and making a mockery of restaurant dining. Ugh...another beer for me.

The monkfish tikka was quite excellent as a starter -- I always love how fish works with Indian cuisine. The main course was the duck khade masala, a difficult dish to make (with the duck's consistency problem) but done well -- as always -- here at Kishmish. I had a sag aloo (spinach and potato curry) on the side and it was the best sag aloo I've ever had...and I've had quite many of them. I was so impressed and full at the end of the meal the chaos of the dinner party (if we can still call it that) was all but drowned out.

I somehow managed to get a double espresso down with the rest of the bottle of Cobra and stumbled out for the Tube to head back. This entire experience would have been wonderful if it wasn't by the horrible stereotypes of American tourists and English louts...ugh...

Overall, Kishmish is a wonderful restaurant with excellent cuisine and one of the best staff of any restaurant in London. The atmosphere is relaxing and also romantic, so it fits any occasion. Definitely worth checking out, even if heading out of Central London is a burden.

Food: A-
Atmosphere: C/B+
For Lone Diners: A-

* I usually don't do this, but I have written wee commentary about this evening's experience on another post...

Matsuri -- St James's
15 Bury Street (SW1Y; off Jermyn Streen between Green Park and Pic Circus Tube)

I didn't know why I fancied Japanese food my last afternoon in London, so as I was already in the Green Park area, I wandered into one of the best teppanyaki restaurants in Europe, Matsuri. I usually frequent the location in Holborn, and this is the first time I have tried this location (which my friends tell me is "better"), and my expectations of a good meal was indeed achieved.

In a not-too-busy late afternoon, I was given a seat at the teppanyaki area and enjoyed a quick and good meal. Sometimes it's odd to eat teppanyaki solo, but it was a very nice experience indeed. The "stage-show" wasn't too fancy, but the cooking was done well, fast and smoothly (no flying vegetables or exploding rice a la Benihana). I enjoyed the sirloin steak, which was cooked nicely. The pieces of cooked fat made it quite delicious, as did the flavourful vegetables on the side. As this was lunch, I opted for a simple meal (I've had wonderful eel and lobster at the sister restaurant...).

The place is a good option for a group of single diner -- if there is room, that is. This could get very crowded and busy, but teppanyaki is always condusive to conversation. The decor is pretty nice inside as you go into the basement restaurant. The sushi area is also quite nice, and on another day I would have thoroughlly enjoyed that experience. So overall for a good, fast and not-too-expensive option, Matsuri is just excellent.

By the way, this location has the teppanyaki and sushi areas; the Holborn location has a normal dining area upstairs in addition to the large teppanyaki and sushi areas in the basement. A wonderful restaurant!

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

Rules Restaurant
35 Maiden Lane (WC2E; near The Strand, close to Covent Garden Tube)

One evening after a few pints with two old friends we decided to drop into the venerable Rules Restaurant near Covent Garden. It was not a terribly busy evening, but we still had a considerable wait -- tempered by gin & tonic...

I've not been back to this most classic of London restaurants in awhile, and I must say it was a little disappointing. The atmosphere is still of Olde London certainly, the stiffness there with all its production. But the food has not kept up to standards, sadly.

For starters I enjoyed native oysters, which was quite nice -- but not shucked too well. For the main course I ordered the loin of venison, which was the disappointing part. The meat was mediocre, and its accompaniments if anything detracted from the natural flavours of venison. I would have imagined a restaurant like this would have refined this type of combination by now. Oh well.

Instead of dessert we all enjoyed a nice glass of single malt, which ended the evening quite brilliantly. Rules is a London institution, and excellent for game meats (especially game birds, which I do not enjoy much, sadly). I guess if you are always full due to old-timers and tourists, you're bound to do fine...

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

Wódka
12 St Albans Grove (W8, near High Street Kensington and Gloucester Road Tubes)

Having spent most of my professional life dealing with Central and East Europe, I always have a soft spot for foods from that region. Often it has had a bad reputation, perhaps by travellers who experienced poor experiences in the "bad old days" -- but in reality they are all treats. I love Polish food, and I still remember when I first discovered this wonderful restaurant in Kensington.

I had been running late, so I dropped into Wódka for a quick lunch. Though the opportunities are frequent now in London, I enjoyed switching back to speaking Polish. I enjoyed an excellent zupa grzybowa -- mushroom soup for a starter. The main course was the excellent gołąbki (stuffed cabbage). Excellent and quick.

I love Polish food, and this is one of the best place outside of Poland to really do this kind of food. So if you are either curious or have the same love as me, you'll enjoy this place. And if you love vodka -- especially flavoured ones (the choices are amazing here, from horseradish to honey flavoured). It's a quiet and nice place, dim and nice for groups, romatic nights or solo. I highly recommend this place.

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