Lone Diner in NYC

2008-01-04T09:59:00.000-05:00

Too Good...
...for More Reviews!

At this point of my reviewing career, I have seen some awesome places and some scary places, some tasty places and some disgusting places. The New York culinary scene is just fantastic, and there are some places I cannot review anymore for various reasons -- such as it has become a "regular" it would be improper for me to keep reviewing. And here I will list restaurants I 101% recommend, ones I will quit reviewing (unless something truly extraordinary or horrible happens). And they are in alphabetical order...

Benjamin Steakhouse: My long quest to find a good steakhouse in Manhattan ended here. This place has the best cuts of meat, and its lamb chop is just heavenly. Solid environment and location, by far the best steakhouse in the city! (previous review 1) (previous review 2)

Esca: This Mario Batali wonder of Italian seafood is the best seafood place in New York. The freshness of the crudo is just wonderful, and it whips most sushi places. The spaghetti with urchin and crab is one of the best dishes, and the wine selection is just fantastic. Best fish, ever! (previous review 1) (previous review 2) (previous review 3)

Insieme: This amazing wonder of master chef Marco Canora is just perfect. Best wines and drinks in town, excellent staff, most attentive chef. Just the safest Italian place in town, never a bad meal or experience. Marco is the chef of the year 2007 in my book! (previous review 1) (previous review 2) (previous review 3)

Villa Berulia: This awesome place is close to where I live and is my "hiding place" really. Always assured of a fantastic Italian/Croatian meal and wines, the best veal chop in town. The menu is fantastically long and the specials even longer. Engaging and friendly staff. It's like a home away from home! (previous review 1) (previous review 2) (previous review 3)

2008-01-04T09:50:00.000-05:00

Irving Mill
116 East 16th Street (between Irving & Union Square East)

We have been trying to get a booking at Irving Mill for weeks, as this new restaurant has been receiving good press. As the chef/owner is an alum of the Gramercy/Collicchio empire, I had high hopes for the place.

The space is larger than one may think, but the layout of tables is not very smart. This place seem to be designed for corporate events instead of being a true restaurant, with bad use of space for middle tables. And they squeezed us into a very small middle table next to 2 other parties in a rather empty dining room...a practice I despise. Not a good start.

The service was utterly confused. I counted about 7 major mistakes the service staff made, from wrong utensils to taking away things prematurely, from forgetting orders to suggesting items not on the day's menu (which they have no power to create). Very bad sign. After the poor service in London, I didn't need this for the new year...

The starters were quite good, and me and my friend shared two. The scallops were very tasty, while the baby octopus (nearly in whole) was a pleasant surprise. The portions were a little unbalanced, as the scallops had a small set while there were 5 baby octopi.

The main course I enjoyed the braised lamb shoulder. This was a small piece, but very tender and flavourful. The mushroom and cabbage base was also very good. Excellent, though the piece of meat was too heavily sculpted (they told me the pork chop was like a medallion...so there's too much trimming and extracurriculars done to the food for my taste). But it was excellent.

I passed on the dessert and had a pretty lame grappa and espresso. It was hard to talk as the adjacent tables were so close and the acoustics were dreadful. So we left. I left with a mixed feeling...good food, but mediocre restaurant. I wish this excellent chef and his team would find a more appropriate space...and front room team...

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

2008-01-04T09:39:00.000-05:00

Theo Randall
1 Hamilton Place, Park Lane (at the InterContinental Park Lane Hotel)

I treated myself a stay at the InterContinental Park Lane in London for 2 nights around Christmas. I figured a big place would be better than a small place for the holidays to get food and drink. I managed a booking at the hotel's top restaurant for the evening of Christmas Eve. Theo Randall is a rather celebrated chef in the UK, and his namesake restaurant has a good reputation, so I was more than eager to see what they can do -- even during this holiday period.

The restaurant is like a hotel restaurant with a big space, but it has a feel of a very modern and trendy location. I wasn't too impressed, but you have to do with what you have in a hotel. My corner table was fine and I had to cope with a dodgy-tasting bottle of lagrein...my usual favourite red, but perhaps too much scotch during the afternoon!

The service was excellent, which is rather rare in London -- even in posh places. That's the shocking thing about London these days, the poor service -- whether it is just indifference or lack of training/knowledge, this city is just poor on service all around.

The starter I chose the squid, which was not bad. Nothing exciting. The main was a rather indifferent lamb chop. I'm giving little description because there's little to add. Very bland, something that I could have received from any hotel's room service it seems, cooking school stuff.

I was very disappointed. The food had little real Italian vigour to it, despite Mr Randall's pronouncements. Perhaps it was the holiday season, but I left this place rather disappointed... I honestly think a lot of London's top chefs are overrated. Despite having such a wonderful selection of fresh ingredients (it's easier to get stuff from Italy to London than to New York), chefs like Theo Randall chose not to use the best of Italy -- instead, they use what they think is best for Italian food. And that is a huge mistake.

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

2008-01-04T09:28:00.000-05:00

Royal China
13 Queensway (W2; between Queensway and Bayswater Tube)

As many of my readers know, I am not a great fan of Chinese food -- and when I eat Chinese food, I am horribly critical and always seek out the very best or unique. And there is only one Chinese restaurant I seek whenever I can, and that's Royal China at its busy Queensway location. It is by far the best Chinese restaurant in the Western world.

I wandered in on a very long evening, not feeling too well due to excessive lager intake... And this meal was supposed to ready me for more? Nope...I quit after the meal, but the food was fantastic!

The huge place with millions of diners is always an adventure...but it is a terrible reminder of how tourist-invaded Bayswater is. The amount of stupidity uttered from adjacent tables is just dreadful sometimes. But the one change is the clean air...thank goodness for the smoking ban, as that was one of the worst aspects of this restaurant in the past.

I chose the preserved egg as the starter. Most people find the taste of this funny, but it's something I've not had for over a decade so it was rather enjoyable. I wish there was more, but it's not healthy to eat more of this...and it's best not to think how it is preserved traditionally (I'm sure these weren't, or else Health & Safety would interfere!). Finishing a glass of red wine, I was ready for the main.

The hotpot came out with spectacular display...oh, before I forget, the starter came out in an elaborate dish display as well. This restaurant always makes a good job in dish presentation, showing it as a top-class location rather than your local ch***ie (I'm not allowed to use that word in publication, it seems...). This hotpot was a combination of minced pork and dried abalone with tofu. Absolutely rich and excellent, and I polished it off very quickly with zeal. Fantastic, from the base to the mushrooms. They know how to make these hotpots.

As I finished, I knew I would be hungry, so I took the roasted pork and roasted duck with jellyfish away with me. And hours later, after a scotch-drinking session, I finished the night with the roasted meats and jellyfish. Excellent...still enjoying the food from Royal China hours after... This place is always a must.

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

2008-01-04T09:21:00.000-05:00

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

It was Christmas Eve and everything was shut. I tried several places around Green Park but had little luck...why am I here during the holidays? Anyway, I lucked out to find that one of my favourites, Matsuri, was open. I quickly wandered into this excellent Japanese eatery.

As I wrote in my previous review of Matsuri, it is a good place to eat for lunch or dinner -- and the teppanyaki is exceptional. This time it was quite empty, with the holiday and the late hour. I nevertheless enjoyed a very nice meal.

The downstairs area is a large, teppanyaki room -- itself bigger than most restaurants. This place can be manic when it's full, with all the grills on and active... Today was a great way to relax. I chose the winter lunch special, and it was an inspired choice.

The starter was a tempura soft-shell crab. Excellent flavour...I almost wished for more! I love this dish, the delicate flavours needing no dipping sauce. The main course came as the chef prepared the teppanyaki grill -- the steak. I opted for the garlic fried rice, and that was aromatic and tasty. The chef did a quick but excellent job with the meat, serving it at correct temperature (medium rare).

The food was tasty and the vegetables done well. I was very impressed -- and I wasn't hit by any flying food! And it being Christmas Eve, I left more than happy...this was more I could have expected on this day!

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

2008-01-04T09:13:00.000-05:00

Myung Ga
1 Kingly Street (in SoHo; near Piccadilly Circus Tube)

On Boxing Day (that's the day after Christmas to many of you), me and the friend from the previous review wandered around looking for places to eat and drink. Despite the amount of shoppers devastating the area (it was a zoo!), many pubs shut by 6pm. We were disturbed until we found a safe place for a few. Then it was food...everything was shut!

We had a good meal at a Korean BBQ in the area, and we found it again -- Myung Ga. A very inspired choice, a place good even if everything else was open. With a bottle of red plonk, we embarked on our very wonderful and meaty journey...

We split two starters -- the mandoo (beef-filled dumplings) and the fried oysters. Excellent both of them, and that got us excited for the main BBQ session. We also had a side of kimchee to savour. My friend ordered the peppered sliced tenderloin while I got my usual kalbi (beef ribs) for the BBQ session. Smelled great, and it was very tasty.

With a second bottle of wine moving and the night still young-ish, we added a pork BBQ to it and enjoyed more. That was a good choice, and both of us were stuffed as we finished the second bottle of wine.

Myung Ga is an unpretentious place in the middle of SoHo, very popular with Koreans and non-Koreans alike. You will smell like BBQ as you find your way home by Tube (and hungry drunks may sniff at you with a smile!), but it is good fun and solid food. Not bad for Boxing Day!

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

2008-01-04T08:47:00.000-05:00

Le Café Anglais
8 Porchester Gardens (W2; near Bayswater Tube; at Whiteley's)

I headed back to my old stomping grounds of London between Christmas and the new year, but was aghast that most of my favourite restaurants were closed for the holidays. So me and a good friend had to do some advanced planning, and the one we booked was for Café Anglais. I was shocked to find that they created this much-hyped place in Whiteley's -- an awful shopping centre around the corner from where I used to live...

However, going there it reminded me of New York's Time-Warner Center -- and when I stepped into the restaurant the familiarity continued. This place has so many similar touches to the aforementioned centre's Cafe Gray it was uncanny...or deliberate. So how did it compare to the similar-named, similar-themed, similar-looking place across the pond?

Well, the food was certainly better, though that is little praise (read my review of Cafe Gray if you are wondering). The service was borderline shambolic with the staff confused and falling over each other, obviously untrained on items on the food or the drinks menus. We were squeezed into a small table next to various bits of pompous and self-important people that have made Café Anglais one of the most popular places in town in a short time...does it live up to the hype?

This place is pretty big (having been a fast-food joint before its transformation) and the space is rather nice for a restaurant; the old decor of Whiteley's from a bygone age adds a nice touch. The semi-open prep area (like Cafe Gray) and the visible roasting area is the trend these days, but it looks way, way too much like Cafe Gray.

After being completely confused by questions of gin and vermouth, the waiter finally brought us our drinks. After awhile the food came. We split several hors d'oeuvres from across the spectrum. They were pretty good, and I like the variety and ability to share many items. But to be honest, it wasn't good enough for me to remember the specifics so long after dining there...so it wasn't particularly memorable...

The main course I opted for the roast veal. It was done well, but rather bland -- something I can find in better quality at a good pub on Sunday. The chicken legs that my friend enjoyed was a bit better, but I suddenly miss Bavaria...

As the service was shambolic and the crowds thinning out, we decided to pass on the dessert and headed on out. Overall it is a good place -- but perhaps overrated and overhyped. But for that part of town, it is certainly about time a place like this appeared. With the Notting Hill set so close, this place can only get better -- if they train the staff better!!!

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

2007-12-13T13:18:00.001-05:00

Chanterelle
2 Harrison Street (at Hudson)

It wasn't easy getting a booking here, but me and a friend managed this one evening and went for it. I had always wanted to eat here, and the menus here always looked both adventurious but solid. So I went into this place with extremely high expectations. Unfortunately, a good amount of it wasn't met...

The place is beautiful and would be great for a romantic evening. It has the obligatory high ceilings and open spacing, the look of a classic restaurant's dining room. Very posh and polished. But that was it really...

We had a good table, but it was annoying as the waiters kept bumping into me due to bad placement of tables and chairs in the middle vein of the space. Plus, the floorboards seemed weak, so my chair was rocking a bit when people walked. It's like an old house's dining room...

But all that could be forgiven for a good menu and good food...and that's what I hoped for. For the starter I had the seafood sausage. Interesting, but the middle was cold. Cooking mistake? My friend had the assortment of raw seafood. Looks nice and he said it was nice, but I passed because of the boring selection. Can people get away from salmon and tuna? They've been done to death, and tuna is bloody endangered because of this overuse...

This was not a great start. And for a pricey bottle of red that turned out a bit "table-ish" I was getting disappointed. I usually would go with venison if I see it on a menu, but I was not a big fan of the saddle -- so I went with the roast sturgeon for the main. Mistake. It was sliced and cooked in a way not condusive for sturgeon. This is an oily fish, and nothing here accentuated it. And it seemed it was roasted in a low temperature oven, so it tasted like bland whitefish. My friend had the scallops...which looked like the little ones you buy at...ugh...Gristedes or D'Agostino... Plus the sauce was like a cheap, wannabe fra diavolo. Pathetic.

The desserts were nice, as we both had big ones. The "maple tasting" was not bad, but did not save the meal. Plus, they didn't bring our after dinner drinks for nearly 10 minutes. Unacceptable in a restaurant of this class.

I left Chanterelle very disappointed. It was all talk, no substance. And the service failed too, as did the menu. Every aspect failed. Plus, they didn't feature their namesake! How can you name a restaurant Chanterelle when there was hardly a mushroom to be found on the menu? Ugh...

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

2007-12-13T13:11:00.000-05:00

Bamiyan
358 3rd Avenue (at 26th Street)

After a long day of meetings and more post-meeting wine consumption, me and a friend stumbled into Bamiyan for a quick dinner. I've walked past this place so many times but never tried it. I remember having good Afghan food in the DC area, so why not? Plus, having not had lunch and drinking tons of wine, I was hungry.

The place is bigger than you think, with an interesting design -- almost faux exotic. We were in the back room and it was a chilled environment -- which we needed. We ordered quickly and the food came pretty quickly, a plus.

We split two starters -- the kadu (pumpkin-filled turnovers) and the kachaloo (pea-filled turnovers). Not bad, especially the sweeter one. The main course I went with a safe bet, the koobideh (minced meat skewers grilled). It's as good as any other Persian restaurant, although the portion was smaller than most.

It was a good meal, but we were both wiped so we got out of there. I took an order of mantoo (dumplings) to go and had it later in the night. It wasn't that great, and the sauce didn't work. Oh well...it was cold anyway...

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

2007-12-13T13:00:00.000-05:00

Amma
246 East 51st Street (between 2nd & 3rd)

I do apologise for the lack of updates, but it's been a pretty nutty time recently. Anyway, I'm here to catch up on a few reviews. The first is a quick weekend lunch at the relatively new Indian place of Amma. As you know I've been critical of most Indian places in Manhattan (especially Devi).

The place was nearly empty which worried me. But we had an okay meal -- nothing special, but it was satisfactory. The place had a fusion-y feel, non-traditional -- which always concerned me. The decor was nothing special either, but as you know, I'm not big on that. What annoyed me was that it was an empty restaurant, and when another diner came in, they put him right next to us. Why????? Ugh...

The starters we shared -- one was a the saffron chicken (pretty bland) and the other Goan shrimp (pretty boring too). The spices were under-emphasised, as I feared. But it was okay. The main course I had the "Parsi halibut" -- which was a bit undercooked and under-spiced. I wonder why they "dumb down" the flavours so much.

We dragged out the meal for awhile but it was out of momentum. It was just a bit too boring after awhile. The only amusing thing was the nice background music (of which the waiters could give us no useful info...). Satisfactory, but I doubt I'll return.

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

2007-11-29T10:50:00.000-05:00

Hill Country
30 West 26th Street (between Broadway & 6th)

It's been awhile since I've had good barbeque, and when my friend suggested this place I thought why not. It is a busy, raucous place with live country music -- and they don't take reservations. It was packed and I was having a crap day, so was not thrilled about the wait. I had the first of many double Jack's then...

The music, albeit not bad, reminding me of those odd nights in Virginia when I used to escape the refinement of DC for the hills, was way too loud during dining hours. No one can hear each other downstairs, too loud. Plus, we shared a table with an unnamed former cast member of that horrible TV show "Saved By The Bell" if you can believe our bad luck.

The barbeque was actually pretty bad. I had 2 pieces of beef ribs, which had a heavy, smoky flavour -- not a natural smoky flavour, but a "processed" one. It reminded me of the "barbeque" I used to buy back in Eastern Europe. How very unlike Texas!!! And they had the worst selection of sides.

Maybe it's just me, but when I eat ribs I want it with a side of greens. I guess they kept bringing me triple Jack's was a compensation. So that's that.

Good for music, and maybe a fun night out, but not good barbeque food. If you miss certain elements of live away from NYC, great. But if not, you'll cringe at the atmosphere and grumble about the food.

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

2007-11-29T10:42:00.000-05:00

Benjamin Steakhouse
52 East 41st Street (between Madison & Park; at the Dylan Hotel)

After a really bad day, I needed a good, solid meal. And once in awhile, I get this itching for a big piece of meat, so... Having found Benjamin Steakhouse a few months ago, it has become a "safe" bet for me, a local regular that I can depend on. Sadly, those are few and far in between here in New York...

This, again, will be my last review of this place -- just like my "other" regular Villa Berulia -- because they are places I frequent it would take up most of these pages. So for this last time, I have to applaud this place. Service is always a bit shaky and slow, but it's compensated by the food.

I once again ordered the huge lamb chops, which is a major treat. A side of broccoli and a nice bottle of Sicilian red, the night was perfect (albeit alone). The meat is cooked expertly and the cut is excellent. It is a place to really go fully into a meatfest, if you are inclined to have one.

Although it is a hotel restaurant, it is a popular place for all clientele. This time it was packed but the food was still excellent -- something that fails many busy steakhouses. Sad this is my last review of this wonderful steakhouse -- the best in New York -- but happy that I have this as a safety!

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

2007-11-19T14:47:00.000-05:00

Eatery NYC
798 9th Avenue (at 53rd Street)

Sorry for going out of order, as I had lunch with another friend at Eatery a week earlier. Again, as my friend works in the area and I had to drop papers off at my lawyer's around Columbus Circle, so I said sure to this West Side eatery.

It was blazing hot inside the restaurant...why is it New Yorkers react so badly to cooler weather with this onslaught of heating? I barely survived, but it was a nice time. The place is obviously a popular lunch place, and it was relatively packed.

We had a simple lunch there. I had the steak wrap, which was rather good -- the meat cooked right, and the mix perfect. The plate was overrun by fries, which I can't stand, but I kept picking off at it.

It's a fast and simple lunch, so this place is good for that. A safe Midtown West place with quick turnaround.

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

2007-11-19T14:29:00.000-05:00

Insieme
777 7th Avenue (at 51st Street; at the Michelangelo Hotel)

Just like that wonderful dining experience at the always-reliable Esca, I needed another sure bet. One of my closest friends is moving across the country, and I wanted to give him one last great taste of New York dining. So I chose the other always-reliable place, Insieme.

The last time I needed this when my friends from London visited, and it was spectacular. And this time it was spectacular as well. We had an early booking as everyone was tired, so we went in before 6pm. With a nice bottle of Sicilian red, we embarked on a wonderful tasting journey.

The place was relatively empty when we came in but it filled up through the evening. We both started with a nice starter; he enjoyed the fish crudo (a sampler ranging from oyster to yellowtail, from scallop to branzino), I had the smoked back cod...oh, that was just fantastic in taste and texture. Mmm...even better than the previous night's Esca crudo feast!

The mains were as awesome as usual. I had my usual lesso misto, which had some excellent cuts of meat once more. Delicate and wonderful. It was so good I honestly don't remember what my friend was eating...mmm...

We were both spent, so we bypassed dessert. As we headed out, we ran into the chef and had a nice long chat with him. What a nice way for the evening to end... And as I said, Insieme is always a sure bet in New York -- as long as you can get a table at this ultra-popular place! Two in a row, wow!

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

2007-11-19T14:17:00.000-05:00

Esca
402 West 43rd Street (at 9th Avenue)

My readers know how highly I rate Esca as a dining experience. The food is fantastic, the wine is amazing, and it is just a fun place for a night out. A bit loud and crazy at times, but all in good fun. My previous visit encompassed all that...plus a nightmare of a hangover...

This time I went with a friend of mine, hoping to break a trend of several bad meals (such as Five Points, Cafe Gray, Euzkadi and so forth...), and Esca was about as safe as it goes. We enjoyed a nice bottle of Lagrein, one of my favourite reds, and enjoyed a wonderful meal.

My friend went with the crudo tasting of various raw seafoods, from sea urchin to yellowtail. I chose two a la carte -- the razor clams (delicious) and the swordfish (absolutely dreamy). We were more than happy by then with the excellent starters, the definition of fresh and tasty.

My main was the usual maccheroni alla chittara -- with sea urchin and crab. Fabulous as usual, with ample crabmeat. It could have been a bit saltier (sea salt would have been great), but it was excellent I shared half of it with my friend as he gave me half his spaghetti neri -- with ink and cuttlefish. Excellent.

We were both happy and spent, but went with a dessert -- he had the gelati and I had the sorbetti. All very creative, from a cheese-based sorbetto to exotic fruits. Fantastic. And with a wine-glass of grappa (!!!) and espresso, we left this place full, happy and finally satisfied from this string of bad luck!

This place is always safe for a great meal. I always recommend this place. If you can get a table, do it. You won't regret it. The awesome selection of crudo is enough to bring anyone into this place. It does get noisy and boisterous (like the table next to us), but it's all in good fun.

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

2007-11-11T18:45:00.000-05:00

Five Points
31 Great Jones [3rd] Street (between Lafayette & Bowery)

I was curious when my friend told me Five Points, a place he knows as a great weekend brunch place, didn't have a table until quite late. I looked at the menu and it was not very inspiring. But I went with it as I wanted a nice walk down there.

We had to wait quite a long time as we were early, but were finally seated. The service was confused and the waiter was completely lost when I asked him questions...not a good sign. There just seems to be utter staff confusion and sheer lack of staff...which made a busy brunch period rather annoying.

The menu was pretty lame and I ended up going for the burger...a total cop-out. But nothing really jumped out. The burger came and it was not very good, quite bland. Sad to say, McDonalds is better... My friend looked like he enjoyed his eggs and smoked salmon, but it looked like a mess to me.

It took ages to get coffee and they kept trying to take things away...it was just annoying. I was not a happy camper as I left this place. Why is it popular? It sucked, badly. Just to show you how gullible diners can be...

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

2007-11-11T18:38:00.001-05:00

Villa Berulia
107 East 34th Street (between Lexington & Park)

Again, when I need a good meal, I have a few choices within a 10-minute walking radius. One sure bet is always Villa Berulia, the excellent Italian-Croatian place in Murray Hill. I always have good meals here, and feel totally comfortable chatting with the staff. It is probably a place I can call one of my "regulars" -- so this will be the last time I review it. After all, it'll always be a good review...

I had a terrible day and I needed this. After listening to the long list of specials, I went with my usual, the double veal chop. A nice bottle of Croatian red with it, a side of broccoli, I was in heaven. I dragged out a meal with nice chats with various waiters who know me, and it really felt like a home away from home.

I couldn't finish so had to take the extra large chop. This means no dessert, so a nice home-made after-dinner drink from the "specialty" part of the bar made this a wonderful dining experience...one that I truly needed.

If you need a good, solid meal in a friendly and happy atmosphere, Villa Berulia is your best choice. Even if you don't live nearby, this is perfect.

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

2007-11-07T11:42:00.000-05:00

Megu - Midtown
845 UN Plaza (on 1st Avenue off 47th Street)

It was a Friday night and I wanted a good meal out with my girlfriend (yes, thank goodness we are happily back together, better than ever), and for safety reasons I chose Megu. It has a good reputation and I had a great meal here before (even if I was a bit inebriated...). Though I usually don't like going to busy restaurants on Friday evenings, we went for it.

She liked the interior, and so do I. The high ceilings and modern design is nice, though what made things bad was the length of the 2-seat tables...it was so narrow (people adjacent were nearly on top of you) and long it was hard to talk. The high ceilings, although aesthetically nice, also made it horrible acoustically.

The night started badly as the hostess argued in Japanese with someone for several minutes while we waited. We were seated and out coats were not taken -- and I had to pull the heavy table out for my date (they didn't bother). That was really ridiculous. And of course, it took 10 minutes and much prodding for them to give us menus and take a drinks order. This was not starting off good at all.

It just got worse. The starters we split. The "special" asparagus looked good on skewer presentation, but was a cheap fry and pretty ridiculous. The spicy unagi (eel) was not bad, but nothing special.

At this point they also brought out my date's main course, her sushi roll, off-time. They are so confused. Then they bring out my wagyu chateaubriand...and it was a total insult. At a $180 they should know how to make it. I ordered it rare rare, and it came out medium well. I nearly vomited...I argued with them and they said they'll do another one.

If you know about wagyu, it is so marbled it really cannot be cooked much. It melts at such a low temperature it melts in your mouth. If you cook it beyond a very tiny sear, it turns into a crust and eventually sawdust. Disgusting. And they screwed up such a wonderful item. How can a place that specialises in this fare screw up so badly? Friday, of course. They had 1 waitress working an entire section (explaining the poor service) and the sommelier was just going around chatting and not doing his job. Then the busboys dump tap water into our glasses full of bottled water. This was just horrible.

My girlfriend told me to calm down. The new steak came and it was done really badly. One side was raw and the other side medium. I ate half of it and bitched them out. The adjacent tables were complaining too. This was turning ugly.

We shared a dessert and it was extensive, so that was nice. But we left pretty unhappily with this place, but happy we were with each other...that was the saving grace. But I will never come back to this sham of a restaurant again. Friday night or not, this is just unacceptable. Shameful.

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

2007-11-07T11:33:00.000-05:00

Devi
8 East 18th Street (between 5th and Broadway)

I don't know what is going on, maybe it is an autumn funk, but I have been having really, really bad meals out. I was with a friend (the same one as the bad Cafe Gray meal and the horrible Euzkadi disaster) Sunday evening and we decided on Devi. As you know I have commented on the lack of a good Indian place in New York (being a London transplant, of course I complain...the only good one is Tamarind), so we risked this place.

I did not know this place was in the middle of a very odd transition...otherwise I would not have agreed. It was not a good meal. Mediocre at best. The staff was confused and really didn't know what they were doing. The place was dark and nicely decorated, but that's about it...

For starters we split two things -- the mushroom toast (boring) and seafood croquettes (also boring). When the complementary canapes came earlier, its blandness should have given some clue to this place...oh well.

The menu is too odd to have a good, normal Indian meal that can be shared. It just seemed so mixed up, and confused. I chose the tandoori venison...and goodness was it cooked badly. I think it wasn't a real tandoor in the back, but probably microwaved or badly broiled. It was cooked very unevenly, nearly raw at points. At least it was a good piece of venison...

We passed on the dessert as the adjacent table had some real odd characters...so we got the hell out of there. Transition or not, this was rubbish...

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

2007-10-30T11:24:00.000-04:00

Euzkadi
108 East 4th Street (between 1st & 2nd)

I had to apologise to my friend when we left this restaurant...this was how strange of an experience it was. I had found this place by accident online, and with my love of Basque cuisine, I thought -- why not? Wow, was this wrong...

From the really annoying (and hard to use) website to the strange atmosphere, this place was not a winner from the first moment. It was nearly empty and it seems like a one-man shop. The sangria was okay as was the house wine, but that's the best part of the evening.

We had some starters and they were mixed. The cheeses were pretty boring, but the spicy olives were nice (although they could have come from any deli...read on to see why this is significant).

We chose to go with the paella for two for the main. It looked nice and tasted nice, with mussels and calamari and shrimps, but the pan was very shallow. There really wasn't much food there. This is like a personal sized one. That was disappointing. So we both went with a dessert...which was a complete disaster...

After 20 minutes they said they are still working on it. We notice one of the kitchen staff sneak out and back into the restaurant with a brown bag...and in a few minutes we had "almond cake" on our table. It was disgusting. It was half frozen. They had so obviously bought it from a corner store! We walked out pretty pissed off!

Sorry, sorry, sorry! This is just a shambolic restaurant! Avoid!!!

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

2007-10-30T11:18:00.000-04:00

Porcão
360 Park Avenue South (at 26th Street)

When my London friend made it back to New York for a few days and looked for a good night out, I went through a lot of different options. Nothing looked perfect -- the good places booked, others were just inconvenient on a rainy evening. So we went with the safety of Porcão -- the volume and the volume...

I've explained in a previous post why I like Porcão so much more than other Brazilian places, partly because they have a more reckless abandon method to this already extreme eating process. And we ended up with 2 bottles of wine, a lot of meat, and a wonderful evening.

Some of the cuts of meat were wonderful, such as the bacon-wrapped filet mignon, as well as the sirloin and the lamb. I was a little disappointed with the limited sides, but the meats were fantastic. They were fatty, flavourful and dreamy...

After a few hours, a lot of food and wine, some more dessert wine and coffee, we wandered into the rain happy and extremely full...this place is always wonderful for a feast!

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

2007-10-30T10:04:00.000-04:00

Ammos
52 Vanderbilt Avenue (at 45th)

It's odd how I always end up at Ammos for lunch -- even though they boast a much, much better dinner menu. Perhaps it's the convenience as it is adjacent to Grand Central. Me and my friend wandered there as our first choice, the Grand Central Oyster Bar, was full and besieged by a crazy woman demanding a table...

I've described Ammos before, and it is night and day comparing lunch to dinner -- the lunch crowd is very much a "long office lunch" type of place. The movements are a lot faster, and the menu reflects the velocity. But the one thing that is less usual is the huge portions...and we were floored by it, frankly.

We both ordered a starter -- he had the grilled octopus, I had the smoked trout salad. It was quite good, with plenty of smoked fish and nice quail eggs. It was a healthy portion, and that worried me about the main...

The mains arrived and they were huge. The rib-eye sandwich was gigantic with a side of fries and salad...and I couldn't finish them. It was quite good and the entire lunch was actually quite nice. I can see why this place is popular for a long, liquid lunch by the business set in this area...

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

2007-10-30T09:53:00.000-04:00

L'Impero
45 Tudor City Place (between 42nd & 43rd)

I had eated at L'Impero a few years ago and thought it was a very nice place -- unusual dishes with a flare. As this is my friend's last meal in New York before heading back to Blighty, I thought, why not this place. Tudor City, for those who have never been up to this oasis in the middle of Manhattan, is a lovely if not odd place -- great views are aplenty.

They took awhile to set the table up, as this restaurant is busy on a bad day. After a drink, we moved over into the dining room. With a nice bottle of red, we embarked on a nice dinner. I enjoyed the grilled octopus for a starter. It was done very well, and the uncut tentacles give it more texture than others who do it chopped. My friend enjoyed his order of sweetbreads.

For the main course, I stuck to a pasta -- the malloreddus with crab, tomatoes and sea urchin. I wanted a lighter dinner as I've been eating too much with my mate's visit, and this was lighter than I expected. It was not bad, but it was rather lacking in the main ingredients -- especially compared to how my Mario Batali personally lobbed into my dish at Esca once. My friend enjoyed the roast guinea hen, and from all indications it was nice.

We ended up ordering all the cheese for a long after-dinner session, as we had to polish off the second bottle of wine anyway. So a good evening ended up a nice note. By now, the restaurant was nearly empty -- so we took that as a sign to head out.

L'Impero is a nicely-designed restaurant using space quite effectively, with divisions that almost created separate rooms within the main dining area. The bar has a different feel as well, and it really created the feeling of an oasis within the oasis that is Tudor City. I like this place, it's safe and interesting in every aspect. L'Impero is certainly a better bet than their other Midtown offer, Alto.

And don't go directly there by cab, you lazy gits. Take the walk up the stairs, it's a refreshing way to get there and get the sense of how isolating this place is.

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

2007-10-22T17:59:00.000-04:00

Insieme
777 7th Avenue (at 51st Street, at the Michelangelo Hotel)

When I dined at Insieme many months ago soon after it opened, I was rather impressed by the place. So when two good friends flew into town -- one from London, the other from Texas -- I had to pick a sure bet. So I went with Insieme, knowing how good it is.

The place has become ultra-trendy and I'm glad to see that. The service is fantastic, ranging from the attentiveness to the between-course treats. The canapes to start was great, as was the pumpkin risotto between courses. Excellent. With a wonderful bottle of Lagrein -- one of my favourite reds (from what the Austrians call Südtirol -- now in Italy). Wonderful.

My friend was dying for a martini, and I think they made one for him that satisfied him and made the flight and delay from London worthwhile. I had a scotch before switching to wine. It was all fantastic, up to the grappa after the meal...

Oh, the meal... For a starter I enjoyed the elk carpaccio. Very nicely done, I really enjoyed it. My friends also enjoyed their starters -- the octopus carpaccio and the fritto misto alla Luchese (a wonderful, meaty version of the staple). Excellent. And after a nice risotto that I mentioned earlier, we had the main course. I once again enjoyed the lesso misto -- the boiled meats. Wonderful flavour and texture, amazing! My friends enjoyed their main courses too: gnocchi with seafood and the shortribs. It was a fantastic meal all around.

I skipped dessert as I was too full, though my friends shared a cheesecake. We were amongst the last to leave this wonderful restaurant, savouring how nice the entire evening was. Only sad thing for me was my girlfriend was not able to join us... But still, excellent!

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

2007-10-22T17:52:00.000-04:00

Plataforma
316 West 49th Street (betwen 8th & 9th)

The last time I was at this churrascaria was before I began this blog; it was a very good experience. I had enjoyed Porcão a bit more, but this time Plataforma was just awesome. Me and a friend had both been under a lot of stress, so we really had a long and liquid meal to get it all out of the system -- and it was much needed.

The meats at this place is awesome, from the various cuts of amazing beef to the succulent lamb and flavourful chicken...it was all excellent. There was a good balance, and despite it being a very busy evening, the service was quick.

Due to how busy it was, they asked if we were willing to move tables -- and we got a better table and a free bottle of wine. How nice it turned out. We enjoyed a lot of excellent Croatian red, which was one of their specials. Excellent. We didn't have the stomach to try the red from Ensenada, Mexico...

They also, as usual, offer plenty of sides. With the bananas and vegetables, it was a great balance. Forget the bloody salad bar!

Plataforma is a wonderful place for a long, liquid meal with people, laced with awesome food and good conversation. They know how to do meats right!

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

2007-10-22T17:46:00.000-04:00

Cafe Gray
The Time Warner Center, Columbus Circle

All of the restaurants in the Time Warner Center have reputations that few can live up to, and sadly, I think Cafe Gray is the furthest from its target amongst them all. I had a Sunday night meal with a friend there and I was rather disappointed.

The space is big and the open kitchen is a nice touch, but when the chefs look like they are goofing off and running into each other, it's really like a bad episode of some bloody Gordon Ramsay show. It just didn't look very professional; although the service staff was excellent for the most part.

For starters we both had the risotto with mushrooms. It was nice, but nothing very special. The presentation was nice, but there was not much substance to it. The main course we both had the special trout, which was tremendously disappointing. The fish was bland, and it was done like something from cooking school. The whole place looked more like a training area for chefs than one with a serious eye for foodies.

After a dessert of sorbets, which wasn't bad, we left disappointed. If it wasn't for the plentiful wine, it would have been a total disappointment.

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

2007-10-10T10:01:00.000-04:00

Hatsuhana - Park
237 Park Avenue (in the elevated pedestrian path between 45th & 46th)

I had a really, really bad day and just needed a quick and solid meal. I had walked near this place a few times but never went in. I heard good things about this sushi bar (hard to find if you don't know how to find this "237 Park" on this elevated alley), so I went into it.

It's a cosy little place that caters to both lone diners needing a quickie or a party that wants to lavish. I sat at the sushi bar and had a good sake with my meal. I had some sushi that was generally okay -- nothing special, but decent. The toro was nothing to write home about, though the tako was better than usual. The hamachi was also a bit bland, but the uni was okay.

But what made my meal was the anago tempura (eel tempura), which was fantastic. With a bit of lemon and sea salt, it was just wonderful. This was what I wanted to have for months, and I found it just next to Grand Central...how convenient.

This is a good place I think, with quick and attentive staff. Maybe the main location of this restaurant, on 48th, is better, so I should check it out. The only annoying thing is that when the commuter trains leave Grand Central, the entire place rumbles... Still, a good place.

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

2007-10-10T09:51:00.001-04:00

Villa Berulia
107 East 34th Street (between Lexington & Park)

From my previous review I'm sure you can see that this is one of my favourite places in the area and all of New York. I've not gone out to eat at night in ages, so one night me and a friend headed out to this safe and grand eatery and once again had a wonderful time.

The busy and lively restaurant was once again full, and we took a seat far in the back. Despite some drunk patrons making a scene at the end, it was a fabulous time. The family-run place has a charm that many top restaurants in Manhattan has lost -- its personal touch.

One joy about this Italian-Croatian restaurant is the availability of excellent Croatian wines -- one of the few places in Manhattan you can really enjoy them. We chose a wonderful red from that paradise vine-laden Adriatic island of Hvar, which complemented our meal delightfully.

As the portions here are large, we skipped the starters. This restaurant, already boasting a lengthy and excellent menu, is famous for having tons of different specials each day. However, I went with my typical -- the double veal chop (their specialty). It was wonderful, with a side of broccoli, and I was very content as I ate the last bit of the very large dish.

After a very nice dessert, some coffee and a little bit of šljivovica, we left this place very happy and full. Villa Berulia is like that down-home trattoria you earn for when you just need a guaranteed solid meal in a wonderful atmosphere. What a wonderful place...that's why it's always popular. One of the best bets in Manhattan.

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

2007-10-10T09:44:00.001-04:00

Pigalle
790 8th Avenue (at 48th Street)

I do apologise for the lack of entries in recent weeks. To tell you it has been stressful is not even an apt description of what I've been enduring. But hopefully the fog is being lifted...anyway, here's a few catch-ups.

First of all was lunch at the schizophrenic Midtown West eatery Pigalle. I trekked across town to meet a friend for a delayed lunch, and we decided on this staple of the area. I've had a few bad experiences here before, but usually service-oriented rather than food. This time, sadly, was both.

The service was, as usual, lacking and unattentive -- for instance, it took longer to get the check than for the food to arrive. Liquids spilled on my friend's glasses amongst other problems, they just seem to fit the local diner description better, not a popular Midtown eatery. Bit minus here.

The food came lightning fast. The fact it was Columbus Day, a nominal holiday in the grander scheme of New York, the menu was an unexpected weekend brunch menu. So I chose an omelette with mushrooms, chorizo and goat cheese...awful. First, the food came out in like 2 minutes and it looked like one of those omelettes made by one of those George Foreman machines he peddles on TV. There was nearly no chorizo, and the goat cheese was isolated to one blop on one side. And the entire omelette was very bland.

Simply put, we should have gone to a diner.

The location of this place makes it easy to use and somewhat popular, but I think I've learned my lesson. If the rubbish service can't be backed up by adequate food, this place should just be avoided from now on.

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

2007-09-17T20:38:00.000-04:00

Borough Food and Drink
12 East 22nd Street (between Park & Broadway)

I was invited to lunch by a friend and he suggested Borough Food and Drink. I've not heard of the place, but walked down anyway. The place was half empty for brunch on a Sunday and we took an outside table.

It took ages to get service and the waitress just seemed hyper and confused...can anyone say meth? Ugh...that was a bad start. Took them 15 minutes to bring coffee -- and the restaurant was half empty! They gave us each a hard-boiled egg as a freebie...great...

After 45 minutes of waiting for our food, we started to get impatient. Every 5 minutes we got the "it'll be 2 more minutes" line from various members of the useless staff. Others who were seated near us -- who came 10-30 minutes after us -- were already being served. Ridiculous!

After another 10 minutes, I said screw this. I'm not waiting an hour. The manager rushed after us saying they are just about to serve. Yeah, right. We walked out rather upset...and had to look for another place.

AVOID!!!!!!!!!!!

Food: ???
Atmosphere: F
For Lone Diners: F

2007-09-17T20:29:00.000-04:00

Tamarind
41-43 East 22nd Street (between Park & Broadway)

After that debacle at Borough Food and Drink, we walked down 22nd and ended up at Tamarind -- and it was an inspired choice that turned out for the better. I've not been here for awhile, and was looking forward to a good meal. And I must say, this was the best Indian meal I've had in New York since moving here a year ago -- almost London good. That's saying a lot!

We had a nice back booth, which was a nice touch in the open-spaced restaurant. The staff was very friendly and helpful, a great change from 20 minutes earlier. We ordered two mains to share, and both were absolutely excellent. The shrimp moiley, served in a faux coconut shell, featured some wonderful flavours. It worked wonders with the selection of naan we ordered, with full and bright flavours. The other dish was the murg lazeez -- the minced chicken and spinach with spices. This was plentiful and skillfully mixed, and also worked brilliantly with the naan.

After all this, we went for a dessert. We split a mango cheesecake, which was perfect -- not sweet but just right. It was well worth the meal after the earlier fiasco...so at the end, it worked out. I've found my Indian solution in New York, finally!

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

2007-09-11T21:07:00.000-04:00

Benjamin Steakhouse
52 East 41st Street (between Madison & Park; at the Dylan Hotel)

I had almost given up my search for a good steakhouse in Manhattan. With so many bad experiences (La Carne Grill, Old Homestead, etc...), the only ones that came close to being okay were Blair Perrone and Wolfgang's Steakhouse. So when I headed to Benjamin Steakhouse Sunday evening, I didn't expect much.

I was actually surprised by the experience. Less stiff than many other places, less corporate than other places, it helped by being the restaurant for the Dylan Hotel. It was rather empty when I began my meal, but it slowly filled up. Nevertheless, it was a comfortable experience.

Asking for the size of the dishes, I decided to skip the starter and go straight for the lamb chops (which was described as being large). I was happy to hear that, as I've not had good lamb for awhile. And also, a side of broccoli.

It took awhile, but when it came I was surprised. The two chops were quite large, double thickness, and cooked well (maybe a little more than the medium rare I wanted). It was flavourful and nice, and rather rich too -- as it was somewhat untrimmed. That was a great combination, especially from the broiler. I just wish the lamb in this country had more flavour (instead of the bland taste that is marketed to those who do not like lamb's "gaminess").

I had to take one of the chops home with half the vegetables. It was a good late night snack later on. Overall this was a good experience, and I think I found my steakhouse in Manhattan! And the added bonus, it's close and in walking distance! Not a bad way to end a really horrible week...

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

2007-09-11T20:53:00.000-04:00

Alcala
342 East 46th Street (between 1st & 2nd)

I had always praised this place the previous times I've dined here (read my previous review here). I had chosen to drop by this place this horrible and stormy evening. I wandered up to the usually safe place and had a rather mediocre meal...unfortunately.

The usually nice and cosy place was as usual, except for one table with a rather drunken middle aged woman who had to loudly laugh, clap, and offer opinions of various things (racially ridiculing a Latino waiter, talking about "low-class" Brits with their cockney accents, and how she was still okay to drive home...). It seriously really marred the experience...

The starter, despite it being a simple set of Spanish charcuterie, took longer than usual -- and left me to listen to that drivel coming from the nearby table. The meats were good, so I tried to relax.

The main course was the cochinillo -- suckling pig. This, alas, was a disappointment. The pieces were not roasted well; parts were burnt and hard to eat, parts were like it was boiled. It was just very uneven cooking. Plus, the salad had such an extreme amount of balsamic that it was nearly inedible. It was just not a good dish, especially compared to the excellent versions of the special at E.U. or the roast pig at Victor's Cafe.

I didn't want any more of that noisy table so I took my leave. I was rather disappointed...I hope this was an anomaly...

Food: C
Atmosphere: D
For Lone Diners: C-

2007-09-11T20:46:00.000-04:00

Texas Smokehouse
637 2nd Avenue (between 34th & 35th)

As I explained in the previous entry, it has been a long and difficult few weeks. I've dined out less than usual, and opted on takeaways a bit more (I usually avoid delivery since everything in a delivery range is walkable). So this time I went down to a place I go to once every few months, the rather good Texas Smokehouse a few blocks away.

The place is great for a casual feast, as the food is voluminous and good. Solid BBQ, especially if you -- like me -- love ribs. One of their specialties is the giant beef ribs, which was what I opted for. I hate eating ribs (and lobsters) in public, so I took it home instead. Too bad, I like the place...

The beef ribs were huge and very meaty, and cooked so nicely that the meat just falls off the giant bones. This really is a guilty pleasure... After the feast (which was actually 2-meals-in-1 due to the size of the rack), I was so full it was pleasurable... Not easy to eat this much in Manhattan for this price!

If you live in the area, it's a great takeaway. If you don't, it's still a good place for a feast. And the service is very fast. With Stella Artois on tap and plenty of liquor, this is a fun place! Just prepare your stomach!

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

2007-09-11T20:38:00.000-04:00

Vice Versa
325 West 51st Street (between 8th & 9th)

I do have to apologise for the lack of posting recently. but it has been a very difficult few weeks. Nevertheless I have a few entries to catch up with, starting with this one. I was invited for lunch last week at Vice Versa. As I had a few errands to run, the location -- Midtown West -- worked out well.

The restaurant was empty when we arrived but the lunch crowd soon made it a bit more lively. The larger-than-I-thought restaurant was a good place for lunch, and I did enjoy the meal. With a glass of wine and good conversation, it was a nice way to relax during a very difficult day and week.

The starter was a tart of calamari and artichoke. It was a strange fried dish, but it worked pretty well. It was filling but not stuffy, and the radicchio balanced things out. The main course was the restaurant's best-known dish, the veal ravioli. The portion was rather big and filling, which was a surprise. The ravioli was rather rich, but not excessive. Excellent.

I was beyond full by this point -- especially for lunch -- so I just enjoyed a coffee and we headed out soon. I'm beginning to like these Midtown West places for lunch...they have been pretty good the last few times.

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

2007-08-27T11:37:00.000-04:00

BLT Fish Shack
21 West 17th Street (between 5th & 6th)

The main restaurant was shut...seafood on a Sunday...the BLT chain...all requisites for a disappointing meal. But I was talked into it and made the long trek on foot down. Nearly got lynched at the Pakistani Day Parade chaos...ugh...

The seating is ridiculous -- it's like they can't make any more money for squeezing us in like, well, sardines? The tables were so tight there was literally no room. It was just ridiculous. It was like a pretentious, overpriced diner that had some seafood. And plus, it being Sunday evening, no way I was going to touch the raw bar...

Me and my friend both passed on starters and I had the seared flounder. It was okay, nothing special. Totally overpriced. I can do better easily. A quick dessert of carrot cake and the bill came out to be as high as most of the top places in town. Ridiculous.

The place is a glorified diner and they charge this, just because of the bloody BLT brand? I'm going to boycott these people from now on. Ridiculous. Shambolic.

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

2007-08-25T11:40:00.000-04:00

Daniel
60 East 65th Street (at Park)

I had been looking forward to this evening for a long time -- not really for the food (for once), but it was a key moment in my personal life as things with my girlfriend finally re-connected (hopefully, for good this time). And this night, helped by the ambience at Daniel, helped re-forge the magic.

This wonderful spot in the UES is fabulous for a special evening out -- definitely not one for lone dining, mind you. The service is extremely wonderful and attentive, extremely courteous without being intrusive. The space is wonderfully used, and the seating uses the interior design wisely to give both space to larger parties and cosiness to romantic couples. Rarely I do speak so highly about a restaurant's designs, but this place wins the battle easily.

From the first bits of house canapés to the complementary freshly-baked madeleine at the end of the meal, it was top notch all the way. Now I see what this place is always booked solid. The food portion, for such a restaurant, is quite good, and the extras are just overwhelming.

For a starter I enjoyed the scallops, which was done quite well. And at 3 healthy servings, it was a good start. My girlfriend enjoyed the crab salad, which was quite interesting too. My main course was the salmon -- a fish I rarely have out (partly because I tend to always like my own kitchen creations with this, one of my favourites to cook). A little overcooked, but it was quite good. It was a good portion too.

By now, with a few glasses of wine, we were both in a great mood. The dessert -- which is her section -- was extremely good and rich. The chocolate soufflé was excellent (she deemed it the best she's had), as was the other bits on our plates. It was absolutely overwhelming actually...

By the time we strolled out hand-in-hand past 11pm on a cool evening (to be terrorised by yet another maltempered taxi driver), we were both full and very happy. This was an extremely good experience, and the perfect place to go for a bit of magic.

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

2007-08-23T10:39:00.000-04:00

Wolfgang's Steakhouse
409 Greenwich Street (at Hubert)

My hunt for a solid steakhouse in Manhattan contined last night, and this time was Wolfgang's Steakhouse in TriBeCa. I have searched in vain in the past, with some horrible experiences (Old Homestead and La Carne Grill), some pretty awful ones (Dylan Prime and Bull & Bear), a pretentious one (BLT Prime), and a pretty okay one (Blair Perrone). However, there was not one good place -- odd, considering this is New York. Why can't they do it nicely like Orlando's Vito's Chop House or even the bloody Fleming's chain?

It didn't start well as I had to wait for the maitre'D for like 2 minutes, and he promptly placed me at an awful table next to a large group (in a rather empty restaurant). Bad start. I ended up skipping the starter and had a nice ribeye. It was a little overcooked, but it was good and solid. The side of broccoli was just huge, and thankfully very garlic-laden.

The place filled up with larger groups of Wall Street types as I dined, and that killed any ambience...but I was just looking for a good steak, not frills. I got one, despite the strange service level. After a grappa, I headed out...but had to run back to get my mobile. I took my leftovers and briefcase and forgot this...

So in conclusion, it's a good place, but I won't travel across town for it. It's just easier to walk to Blair Perrone -- and the meat's about as good. And by the way, their website is just annoying...

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

2007-08-23T10:29:00.000-04:00

Mediterraneo
1260 2nd Avenue (at 66th)

This UES eatery always seem to get bad reviews, and I can see what could drive people crazy at this über-busy place (especially its coveted outdoor tables). Nevertheless, me and my returning girlfriend (it's been months!) finally managed to meet and catch up. Surprisingly, despite the crowd, we managed to get a nice outside table and had a pretty good meal.

We had a nice chat and despite the noise on 2nd Avenue (especially when the damn trucks use their horns and air brakes, it's bloody loud!), it was a nice environment for conversation. The staff, at first stiff, was very good as the evening went along.

For a starter I enjoyed the grilled calamari, which was pretty good -- more like a salad though. The portion was rather large, which was good. My girlfriend enjoyed one of the specials, the goat cheese ravioli (which wasn't bad either).

The main courses were actually too large! The grilled lamb chops were huge, and I could barely finish half of it. It was a bit overcooked, but they were good pieces of meat. We skipped dessert as it was late and headed out soon.

Mediterraneo may be maligned by its rush and lack of a reservations policy, but when it works out, it's a good place to be -- especially on a warm evening outside.

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

2007-08-12T14:37:00.000-04:00

Cendrillon
45 Mercer Street (between Broome and Grand)

I am usually not a big fan of Asian cuisine, but once in awhile I get in the mood. And Filipino food is a rare commodity here in New York. Nevertheless, I managed a very solid lunch at Cendrillon downtown between two meetings.

I've not had Filipino food in ages. I spent several years in a Californian town that had the biggest settlement of Filipinos outside of the islands, so I've had my fill of lumpia and adobo amongst others. But still, I checked out this place and it was an interesting lunch.

The place is decorated nicely in an Asian restaurant way, nothing too excessive. The booths are a nice touch, and it was comfortable eating here. After a nice, icy drink made with lambanog, the interesting coconut-based booze, I felt ready.

I thought the portions were typical New York lunch ones, but when my starter arrived, I knew I was in trouble. The ukoy (shrimp and vegetable fritters) was huge...a large plate of it! I was nearly dead when I finished all the pieces! It was quite nice, but too much for one person. I couldn't believe that I ate it and went after the main with gusto still...

The main was the typical chicken adobo -- chicken cooked in a vinegar-heavy sauce. Usually I'm not a big fan of this most-popular Filipino dish, but this was cooked well. Again the portion was extremely large and I almost died finishing it. I barely touched the rice on this one...

After a coffee I somehow managed to get up and make my next meeting...this was a little too much. Nice to get some nostalgic food, and it's a good place to drop back into. It's good and safe.

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

2007-08-12T14:30:00.000-04:00

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

I am a little biased when it comes to eating at E.U. and I don't always write reviews when I come here for that reason -- but this time it was special, and I had to do it. My friend, chef Akhtar Nawab, put on a masterpiece for me and a friend and it was just spectacular...

It was Wednesday evening, the day of New York's subway mayhem and the day of the humidity-from-hell. Nevertheless, I walked all the way down from near Grand Central and was nearly dead as I arrived. Thank goodness for the sangria in my hands seconds later...

For starters me and my friend split two -- the pickled tongue was just excellent, with the right flavour and texture. It certainly had more content than when I was at nearby Hearth. The second starter was the Parisian gnocchi with crab. Excellent taste. All this with a very nice salad, full of beets. We were ready for the masterpiece now.

The reason we went down there was the spectacle of suckling pig. Nawab roasted several pigs and we received a sizeable portion -- from rib cuts to loins. He expertly marinated and roasted the pigs, and served wonderful portions. It was almost too much...mmm...

A few drinks later and good conversation continued to flow, but it was late, so I had to make my exit. It was a wonderful dining experience, and it just puts more confidence in me in this excellent chef. I shall elaborate in future postings...

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

2007-08-07T22:39:00.000-04:00

Victor's Cafe
236 West 52nd Street (between Broadway and 8th)

I am a big fan of Cuban food, but it has been a long time since I've had any. So when my friend suggested Victor's Cafe for lunch, I happily agreed. I have been on a health kick for the last fortnight, and have actually not eaten out since the last review. I just needed to burn off some of the excess, and it's worked well. So I felt wonderful as I walked into the well-reviewed eatery.

It's a pretty large space, and we were placed in the back under the sunroof. On a day like this, it was pretty nice. I love the mechanical fan paddles on the ceiling -- a nice touch. There's a real relaxing feel to the place, which I like.

I ordered a glass of white -- my first glass of wine in awhile too. The food was excellent, of course -- my friend went with the prix fixe but I wanted a bigger choice, so went for the main menu. My starter was a nice order of las croqueticas con jamon (croquettes with ham), which was nice with a tangy salsa.

But the main course was the awesome el lechon asado (roast pork). I always love the Cuban version of this classic, from the juicy and soft meat to the slab of roasted skin...I've been good for 2 weeks, I can enjoy this! The accompanying rice with beans was excellent. I have to say the balance was just excellent.

After a coffee, I was more than happy to venture back into the horrible heat and humidity. I had already walked quite a bit in this sticky mess, but ended up walking all the way back to the home office all the way across the island. I'm sure I sweated out more than I consumed...

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

2007-07-20T12:15:00.000-04:00

Blair Perrone Steakhouse
885 2nd Avenue (at 47th Street)

I had a totally miserable day on Thursday, ranging from being stuck in the 1st Avenue tunnel due to all the post-explosion road closures to walking home from the UWS in the downpour. Plus, I had not eaten by then, so I wanted a solid, big steak for dinner. Surprisingly, every one of my steakhouse reviews has been of poor quality food and service, such as La Carne Grill, Dylan Prime, Old Homestead, Bull & Bear, and so forth. I was hoping for a lot more this evening at a place I've walked past many times.

It was early but I needed a nice double scotch to start with. The bread for once was excellent, especially the onion ones. Most places have shoddy bread, so tasting nice ones is always nice -- especially when it's the first thing I've eaten all day. For a starter I had some fresh oysters -- 7 to be exact. Not bad.

The service was quite good and attentive, and I enjoyed a few glasses of red alongside my bone-in ribeye. It was cooked a little too much but it was quite good. Nothing fancy, but a good steak. A side of mushrooms done right (especially in light of the mess at Dylan Prime) made it much better.

I left the restaurant happy -- with a doggy-bag with that huge piece of meat. I think if anything, Blair Perrone will be a good fallback steakhouse for me in the future, a good safe bet.

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

2007-07-17T22:14:00.000-04:00

15 East
15 East 15th Street (between Union Square & 5th)

I have always had issues with fusion cuisine, but a friend of mine sent me a very interesting review of 15 East, so I decided to try it.

It was an early evening on a Summer Tuesday, so it was pretty empty. Nevertheless, I wanted a good meal. The service was excellent -- maybe due to the place being empty. But still, that was much appreciated. A few glasses of wine and sake made the entire process quite nice.

I chose to "fusionise" my dinner by having a sushi start and a kitchen main course. For the starter, I chose a few pieces of sushi. Having grown up in Hawai'i, this is like second nature to me; frankly, I hate this "mainland" invention of the "sushi order paper" since we used to just order at the sushi bar like "normal" people do! So I am overly judgemental when it comes to sushi...

I have to say this place, like many in Manhatten, are overpriced and not very good. The hamachi (yellowtail) was bland, and nothing special. The aoyagi (orange clam) actually tasted a little funky...the fact I'm alive writing this now means it was not dodgy. But still... The kamasu(Japanese "barracuda") was okay. What really failed was the chu-toro (fatty tuna), which was pretty bland, and the expensive o-toro (very fatty tuna) that was small and also semi-bland. I've had better in most places. The presentation was nice, but the fact it came with no wasabi shows this place was not serious when it came to the Japanse stuff...sad.

The main course improved things so much. Maybe they need to keep to the kitchen stuff for most of their service. The black ink risotto was very nice, with a touch of bonito flakes in the flavour. A side of grilled squid was nice, but it was not the advertised item. It seems they are trying to cut corners. It was a good dish nevertheless, but still...

I had a strange panna cotta for dessert and ended up swallowing a lot of papaya seeds...ugh...so I didn't leave the place very happy. Too bad, this place could have been much better. What really killed it (and from what the waitress told me, a frequent complaint) was the lack of coffee at the end... Even with their sister restaurant Tocqueville next door, they didn't have the stuff. I thought, this was a fusion restaurant, with Brazilian music in the background, and no coffee?

Ugh...they gotta do better for me to come back...very disapponting...

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

2007-07-17T00:23:00.000-04:00

Hearth
403 East 12th Avenue (at 1st)

It was the start of "Restaurant Week" in New York for the summer...which means sub-standard prix fixe food for most of the city's restaurants. So for me to find a place to eat, it has to be a place not participating in this shambolic promotion...if you like me to elaborate, let me know.

I went to Hearth, as I had a recent good meal at its new sister restaurant Insieme. Me and a friend went on a Monday evening and had a wonderful night in the East Village restaurant, despite a few blunders.

The space was nice and open in the busy East Village, where few good restaurants are. But it was full and happy on a Monday night, rare for the summer in the city -- many restaurants in the West Village and TriBeCa were half-empty...

We enjoyed a beautiful Lagrein red for our dinner, which complemented nearly everything (my favourite). The "veal tongue" was a disappointment -- in the fact that there was just 3 pieces of thinly-sliced tongue over a ton of greens. This was not what I expected, so that started poorly.

After a rather long wait, we were informed that my friend's scallops were ruined for some reason -- so we were given a special mid-course -- the crab and pea soup. It was okay, as a mid-course I guess. After my friend gave an alternate, we were soon presented with the main course. I had the sturgeon, which was actually very nice -- cooked very well, with much flavour. I was not too thrilled with the excessive use of beans, but everything balanced out well. The main course made me happy. My friend liked his replacement dish too.

For dessert I enjoyed the ice cream selection, which was nice -- especially with the unique douglas fir eau de vie -- a little bit of "Christmas spirit" in the summer I guess! I had this earlier at Insieme and loved the uniqueness. I also had a few grappe afterwards to enjoy the night. One thing about this place and its sister restaurant, the winelist and post-dinner drinks list is just amazing...always fantastic, just a treat in itself.

Despite the problems, the staff was incredibly smooth and covered up any problems. This is how a good restaurant is operated, and kudos to them for dealing with any problems quickly and efficiently. Food was okay, but the service was excellent. Always a good choice.

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

2007-07-11T11:23:00.000-04:00

Dylan Prime
62 Laight Street (between Greenwich and Collister)

After a really long subway ride to TriBeCa (thank goodness the AC worked!) through this horribly hot and humid day, I made my way to Dylan Prime. I was craving a good meaty night, so looked at this place as a possibility. It's a hike to this place from Midtown East, having already run back-and-forth from the Financial District, but I did it anyway.

I dined last week at its sister restaurant, Devin Tavern, and had a lukewarm experience, so wondered if this place would be better or not. Sadly, it was not...

The place was rather dark, and it is difficult to read the menu and winelist in that darkness. I like the decor -- from what I could see. However, they should have put more barriers up with the men's restroom. Sorry to be so graphic, but when I am at the urinal, I really don't like seeing my table when someone opens the door... Big minus here.

My first choice of wine was not available -- they had taken many things out from the list online. Oh well. The second choice, a sangiovese from Tuscany, was quite nice. The service was pretty fast and efficient, though the busboy has a bad habit of spilling water everywhere.

The starter was a rather salty gnocchi with lobster and prosciutto. It wasn't bad, but nothing special. The broth was a bit lacking and really didn't fit the context of the dish. So it was a bad mixture I think, not the flavours but the texture. This is like eating dumpling with a hard muck of a sauce. Just didn't work.

Drinking more of the wine, I was hoping for an improvement for the main course -- the "very rich" (as my waitress said) smoked bacon chop. I was hoping for something really nice, maybe something akin to the German Rippchen -- but I was totally wrong. What came out was a charred mess, covered in crusty and burnt barbeque sauce! A good piece of meat ruined! And the side of mushrooms was basically burnt and dry -- much like in Devin Tavern the other night. This is a kitchen problem!

I hoped the sorbets would ease my disappointment, but it didn't. One of them came out like an iceball, with chunks of white ice. Ridiculous. This is just a bad kitchen, from the top down. The only thing that was interesting was the "dessert cocktails" -- of which I had the "peach cobbler". This was actually quite good...the only good thing all night.

The thing that really ticks me off as I left is that this is clearly a failure in the kitchen, the fault of the entire chef hierarchy. The menu items were damaged, the mushrooms at both restaurants were a shambles, and it was just horrible. I would recommend staying away from both of these places until they re-think the whole thing. But if the problem is so high up, it may not be salvageable...

Ugh...

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

2007-07-07T11:17:00.000-04:00

Index...Summer Version...

The list of reviews have grown quickly over the last index, so it's more than time to do another one for the summer...enjoy! I've removed the "top" and "bottom" list and replaced it with another format...let me know what you think!

The recent "hot trio" are:

1) Insieme (7th & 51st)
2) Dani (Hudson & Charlton)
3) Mercat (Bond btwn Lafayette/Bowery)

And the recent "stomach aches" are:

-1) Old Homestead (9th & 14th/15th)
-2) Parea (E20th & Park/B'way)
-3) Cinqueterre (E38th at Madison) [this is not recent, but it's a "hall of shame" winner]

Nevertheless, here's the whole list alphabetically...

212 (E65th at Lexington)
Abboccato (W55th between 6th/7th)
Alcala (E46th & 1st/2nd)
Alfama (Hudson & Perry)
Alto (E53rd between Madison & 5th)
Ammos (Vanderbilt at 45th)
Artisanal Bistro (Park & 32nd)
Avra (E48th between 3rd & Lexington)
Bann (50th & 8th/9th)
Bar Americain (52nd & 6th/7th)
BLT Prime (E22nd between Lexington & Park)
Bolo (E22nd between Park & Broadway)
Bull & Bear Steakhouse (Park & 49th)
Byblos (39th & 3rd)
Cafe Frida (Columbia between 77th & 78th)
Cayuga Room (E44th & Madison/Park)
Cinqueterre (E38th at Madison)
Country (Madison & 28th/29th)
Craft (19th & Park/Broadway)
craftbar (Broadway & 19th/20th)
Da Ciro (Lexington & 33rd/34th)
Dani (Hudson & Charlton)
davidburke & donatella (E61st & Park/Lex)
Devin Tavern (Greenwich between Harrison & Franklin)
Divine Bar [east] (51st between 2nd & 3rd)
Eight Mile Creek (Mulberry between Spring & Prince)
Esca (43rd & 9th)
E.U. (4th between A & B)
Geisha (61st & Park/Madison)
Gennaro (Amsterdam between 92nd & 93rd)
I Trulli (E27th & Park/Lex)
Il Campanello (W31st btwn 6th/7th)
Insieme (7th & 51st)
Japonais (E18th between Park & Irving)
Korea Palace (E54th & Park/Lexington)
Królewskie Jadło (Manhattan Ave in Greenpoint)
La Carne Grill (Lexington & 39th/40th)
La Grenouille (52nd & Madison/5th)
Landmarc (W Broadway between Leonard/Worth)
Les Halles (Park & 28th/29th)
Lonesome Dove Bistro (W21st between 5th & 6th)
Madiba (DeKalb between Carlton & Adelphi in Brooklyn)
Mai House (Franklin & Hudson/Greenwich)
Megu - midtown (1st and 46th)
Mercat (Bond btwn Lafayette/Bowery)
Milos (55th & 6th/7th)
Molyvos (7th & 56th/57th)
Nice Matin (79th & Amsterdam)
Old Homestead (9th & 14th/15th)
Parea (E20th & Park/B'way)
Perry Street (Perry & West)
Philippe (60th & Park/CPE)
Phoenix Garden (E40th & 2nd/3rd)
Porcão (Park & 26th)
Public (Elizabeth between Spring and Prince)
Regional (Broadway between 98th & 99th)
Ruby Foo's (Broadway & 49th)
Tabla (Madison & 26th)
Taksim (2nd & 54th/55th)
Thalia (8th & 50th)
Tintol (W46th & Americas/Broadway)
Tocqueville (15th & USW/5th)
Town (W56th & 5th/6th)
Turkish Kitchen (3rd & 27th/28th)
Ureña (E28th & Park/Madison)
Villa Berulia (34th & Lexington/Park)
wd~50 (Clinton between Stanton & Rivington)

And here are those places not in New York...but still in the US...

Back Home in Lahaina (PCH, Manhattan Beach, CA)
City Tavern (centre, Philadelphia, PA)
Drago (Santa Monica, CA)
Georgia Brown's (downtown, Washington, DC)
Jino's Pars (LAX, Westchester, CA)
Lacroix (Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA)
Nikolai's Roof (downtown, Atlanta, GA)
Pittypat's Porch (downtown, Atlanta, GA)
Sansui Tei (PCH, Redondo Beach, CA)
Sweet Lowdown (midtown, Atlanta, GA)
Tinto (Rittenhouse Square area, Philadelphia, PA)

Here's the Europe list...

Aux Armes de Bruxelles (centre, Brussels)
Barrafina (SoHo, London)
Chez Kristof (Hammersmith, London)
Kishmish (Chelsea, London)
Magdalen (London Bridge, London)
Matsuri [St James's] (Jermyn Street, London)
Royal China [Queensway] (Bayswater, London)
Rules (Covent Garden, London)
Salmu krogs (Riga, Latvia)
Sarkhel's (Wimbledon, London)
Shehrezade (Olympia, London)
St John (Farringdon, London)
Wódka (Kensington, London)

2007-07-07T11:11:00.000-04:00

Molyvos
871 7th Avenue (between 55th & 56th)

I've not had Greek food for several weeks since my Brussels journey (long story), but I love Greek food -- even before my college days living above the wonderful kitchen of the Souvlaki House in Ithaca... So when my friend suggested Molyvos for lunch, I was rather keen.

However, after the previous night's dinner at its sister restaurant Abboccato, I was a bit worried about another fit of blandness. But when I got to Molyvos, I felt comfortable. The space was large and decorated minimally, and it was obviously a bigger production. While I waited for my friend I had a nice glass of wine from Santorini.

We ended up sharing a grilled octopus starter, which was rather good -- very flavourful, thank goodness. Service was rather quick too, which was appreciated.

For the main course I had the lamb sandwich. This turned out to be excellent and flavourful. It was nothing like the poor rendition I had at brunch at Parea a week earlier, this was nice. My friend had the lamb chops, and he said it was quite good (compared to my dining partner's lamb from Abboccato that was a relief).

We had split a baklava for dessert with some espresso before taking off. This was a good experience, and maybe this also shows what Abboccato can do on a good day. Well, we'll see...

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

2007-07-06T11:02:00.000-04:00

Abboccato
136 West 55th Street (between 6th & 7th)

I had big expectations for Abboccato -- from the interesting menu to the approach to Italian food from the chefs, I wanted a good, solid meal this Thursday evening. A friend and I went there on a Thursday evening for a late dining slot. The place was relatively empty, normal for this particular week and the hour, but I had hoped it wouldn't compromise the food. Sadly, it did.

At first, we were very impressed. The design was very calming and soothing, using very earth colours and somewhat of what I called "dolomite-y" feel to the entire place. The spacing was excellent, compared to some disasters I've been to recently like Town and Mai House. But sadly, things didn't carry on that well through the night.

Service was good and helpful, and the menu looked interesting. I ordered the fritto misto -- a great test of the kitchen for a relatively simple dish. It came out horrible. The baby squid were nearly all batter and was like eating the scraps of the fryer. From the shrimp to the fish, it was extremely bland and boring -- like one of the line cooks forgot to season. Nope, as the dipping sauce was also extremely bland. Turns out this is the problem with the kitchen here, they have no taste buds -- or extremely sensitive ones. This place was blander than bland!

My dining companion enjoyed the spaghetti neri, which was pretty good. I should have gone pasta. Oh well. My main course was the veal cheeks. The three pieces of veal was nice and tender, but it was accompanied by very, very bitter vegetables and a horrible pile of flavourless polenta. Here we go again, they forgot to season! There has to be one line cook that was totally asleep!

My friend had the lamb chops -- which she said was tough and bland. I tried one, and I agreed. In fact, it was way overcooked, charred beyond belief, and just boring. I could easily do this while half drunk and distracted.

The saving grace was a tasting of grappe after dinner in lieu of dessert. I was not thrilled and was somewhat full anyway, so gave up on this place. Sad, it had so much promise. I wonder if it is a seasonal thing. I may try this place again in the autumn, but for now, avoid, avoid, avoid!

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

2007-07-05T15:35:00.000-04:00

Town
15 West 56th Street (between 5th & 6th, at the Chambers Hotel)

I had to run into the tourism area this Thursday afternoon, so I figured, I should reward myself with a fine lunch in putting up with the human traffic. So I chose Town, the "flip-side" to Country -- the other hotel-based eatery of chef Geoffrey Zakarian. With how much I like Country, I expected a lot from this place.

Tucked away in the boutique Chambers Hotel, this was an interesting basement restaurant. Nothing too fancy decor-wise, but the high, multi-level ceiling into the hotel proper was nice. The spacing of the tables, however, was suspect, and it was not condusive to human traffic, no matter how thin!

I read a few reviews about this place. Usually reviews do not prejudice my expectations, but this set did. I heard this place had good food, but the service was atrocious. Those assertions were nearly perfectly on the mark. The waiters were extremely friendly, but absolutely inefficient -- despite the restaurant being less than half empty during a late lunch shift. They were more "foodies" than servers, and -- especially for "foodies" themselves -- rather inefficient. I saw an adjacent table's patrons pour their own wine from a bottle at least 4 steps away from the table! Unacceptable!

Despite the slow service, the experience was not all bad. The starter was a over-flavoured grilled quail salad. The quail was nice but the fruit flavours overwhelmed the fowl and the greens to such an extent I felt I was eating fruit jam raw. Way, way too sweet. Not a good start.

The main course was the risotto with escargots. This was quite nice, a mesh of creamy risotto and a good portion of escargots. The snails were a bit bland, but the overall dish was good -- despite the tiny portion.

I took an espresso and headed out, to avoid the ever-slowing service. It got worse during the meal, which is a shame. This place can be so much better, but it needs tons of work -- and perhaps a serious lecture to the wait staff...

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

2007-07-04T13:37:00.000-04:00

Devin Tavern
363 Greenwich Street (between Franklin & Harrison)

Once summer rolls around, New York is overrun by tourists, and many locals take off for the Hamptons or elsewhere. And during holiday periods, such as 4th of July week, the foot traffic is even less. So it is actually a great time to check out restaurants that are otherwise half empty.

So on the eve of Independence Day, I headed to Devin Tavern in TriBeCa. I had a meeting downtown anyway, so drifted into the rather empty restaurant at 6pm or so -- and it remained nearly empty the entire time I was there.

I must say that's a shame, because Devin Tavern was quite good. The place is pretty big, looking more like a restaurant in other cities where space is less of a premium. It has a "hotel restaurant" look about it, pretty simple with lots of rooms and tables. Service was quick, but maybe that was due to me being the only patron...

The pepper and basil caipirinha was a nice starting cocktail, with a wee bite of crushed white pepper. Nice. With some grenache I embarked on a rather nice dinner. The oysters, a choice from both coasts, turned out pretty nice. The main course was a nice wild boar chop -- at medium. It wasn't very big, but the accompanying spinach spätzle was excellent. I had a side of mushrooms, which was a bit dry.

Overall it was okay. The boar was nice but it tasted very bland -- like it was actually farm-raised or just plain ol' pork. Not quite like the ones I hunted years ago. Nevertheless, it was an okay meal. I skipped out on dessert and headed out to meet up with some other people, but left satisfied. This place can do pretty well if given a chance.

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

2007-07-01T10:27:00.000-04:00

The Cayuga Room
6 East 44th Street (at the Cornell Club, between Madison & Park)

A good friend of mine had suggested dining at the Cornell Club last weekend, as three of my former alumni friends are all celebrating birthdays. I was not very keen on going to a club of my former university, but nevertheless, agreed -- as it was three-birthdays-in-one.

The bar downstairs seems to be chaotic with the bartender not understanding much. After moving to the dining room upstairs -- which has the feel of a hotel restaurant (this is a hotel too) -- it was strange for awhile. The place, on a Friday evening, was totally empty. And the waiter did not know some of the basic single malt scotches...bad start...

By the time everyone arrived through traffic it was running late. Nevertheless, after my oversized scotch (after they figured things out, my "double" order came as a quadruple!), we ordered. The wine list was pretty lame for a club, but doable. The food looked standard hotell-ish, but turned out to be better than most hotels.

For a starter I had the oysters amagansett, which was pretty standard. Nice presentation with the 3 shells, but the taste was pretty ordinary. The main course was the duck breast, which was done medium. It was excellent, one of the better duck breasts I've had in New York. I was rather surprised and it was a good experience.

My table shared a few desserts, but I didn't add too much to this meal. We parted soon as it was a humid and hot evening and we all had very busy Saturdays, so...

I rather not be nostalgic about my uni days, so I doubt this is a place I would go unless prodded. But it's not too bad, considering how easy it would be to get a table here...

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

2007-06-24T14:50:00.000-04:00

Parea
36 East 20th Street (between Park and Broadway)

Many people rave about this place, but many foodies also cast negative statements about this place. I've heard people call this place "unbalanced" and "inconsistent" amongst many other comments. But my friend suggested brunch at this Greek eatery, so why not. I trekked on foot all the way down to Parea, trying to avoid the crowds and more bloody street fairs...

A live band playing Greek and jazz added to the nice ambience, but the decor was pretty boring -- a lot of white and cheap too, by the looks of it. Faux haute, as they call it I think... We chose to sit in the back as the music was just too loud (they tuned it down later).

The brunch menu was rather limited and looked confused. It was as if they didn't know how to approach the fusion of Greek and traditional American brunch foods. It turned out to be pretty poor. For a starter I had the saganaki with egg. This was just a mess in a pot that tasted neither Greek or good. It looked like something a 6-year-old would cook, frankly...

The main course was the breakfast gyros. It was basically veal (?!) and spinach and feta with egg in a pita. Terrible, as the combination did not work at all. Adding feta to everything does not make dishes Greek! It was an awful mess. I barely finished it. I noticed my friend barely finishing his dishes, looking disappointed too.

We passed on dessert (the menu looked very limited) and got a bit of attitude from the waiter. What the? The complementary mimosa was the only thing good about the meal. I took a bit of it to test if my ulcer has healed (happily it seems to be). We left dissatisfied.

Parea is all fluff and no substance. I really think this is a shame, and it takes Greek dining in New York down another step. High-class Greek cuisine could be excellent, such as at Ammos, but this certainly is not. Pretentious, that's all it is. Avoid.

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

2007-06-24T14:41:00.000-04:00

Mai House
186 Franklin Street (between Hudson and Greenwich)

I read about Mai House in an in-flight magazine during my many flights in the past months and -- as I love Vietnamese food -- I thought to give it a go this past Friday evening when my friend suggested dinner. I don't particularly like going down to TriBeCa on a Friday evening, but still, why not, eh?

With my ulcer, albeit healing, I didn't risk any alcohol again. Ended up having lots and lots of water with a very good meal. Mai House was decorated minimally as many of the area's restaurants tend to be, with little reminding one of being in a Vietnamese eatery. That's both good and bad... My only gripe -- the spacing of the tables and use of space is just ridiculous. So much empty space unused and wasted, with many round, 4-person table being stacked too close together. Who thought of this?

We enjoyed two starters and shared them. The shrimp rolls, in the clear, raw vegetable Vietnamese style, was refreshing to start. The fried salt and pepper cuttlefish was wonderful and tasty, and worked well with the previous. That was a nice combination.

For a main course, we also split two items. As my friend does not usually eat red meat, we stuck with chicken and seafood. The clay pot chicken was a Vietnamese tradition, and it was done well with very tangy flavours. Perhaps less rich than in more "down-scale" places, it was nevertheless good. The steamed sole was done in a very pretty roll style. It was a little bland, but the accompanying mushroom sauce and sea cucumbers compensated for it.

For dessert, I enjoyed a black rice pudding with mango. I did not appreciate the foam used, so quickly dissipated and rid of them... The pudding was mediocre, but okay. With a nice, slow-dripping Vietnamese coffee, the night ended -- aside from the walk from TriBeCa back to Midtown East (that food burned off quickly).

Overall it was a pretty good experience. The food was tasty and I'm glad to see upmarket Vietnamese, as there is a time for that and a time for the "down-scale" version. Nice place.

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

2007-06-19T10:24:00.001-04:00

Lacroix
210 West Rittenhouse Square (at the Rittenhouse Hotel in Philadelphia)

I have been told about Lacroix for ages by people convinced it was the best restaurant in Philadelphia -- easily near the top for the entire country. I was not convinced, as I never believed Philly was a solid place for high-up dining (it had wonderful ethnic and lower-end dining, but...). The last two meals, especially Tinto the evening before, got me to think -- maybe Philly can do high-up stuff. And Lacroix more than proved it.

The restaurant is based in the boutique Rittenhouse Hotel off the square of the same name. It is a nicely decorated space on the second floor, with panoramic views of the square and wonderful seating placements -- including a cozy private dining room. The staff, working like sprinters, were quick, attentive, and incredibly courteous. This was nearly European style wait service, and that was wonderful. The front room staff at this place deserve major kudos.

Despite the ongoing ulcer problem, which required me to skip any wine (ugh!!!), I chose the 5-course tasting menu. It was hard to do all this without pairing and sitting alone, but nevertheless I made the glass of Evian look enjoyable between courses. However, they did come fast, and they did service me quicker as a lone diner (it was very noticeable compared to other tables that had multiple diners). That is much appreciated, as well as always referring to me by name. And they even offered me various reading materials while I waited for the food -- something NO restaurants have ever offered this lone diner. Fabulous service.

The creations at this restaurant are absolutely fantastic. Usually I don't like over-the-top creations, but this time it worked. The aesthetics of the dishes were impressive, as was the taste. The fact they came out in large dishes (small portions, but it delivers a different mental feel than those tiny plates most restaurants use for tasting menus) gave the kitchen much more room to explore each ingredient.

The first dish I enjoyed (of 5!) was the abalone -- a delicacy I seldom get the chance to enjoy. The portion was small, but it was tasty. BTW, did I mention that for the tasting menu one can choose from around 15 dishes at any order. I did mine with a purpose, to keep some balance. Too bad about the wine though!

The second dish I went to vegetarian (despite most people wanting to "pig out" with the most meats when paying so much!) and had a wonderful tasting of asparagus. This dish was a collection of some fantastic creations, ranging from asparagus ice cream (!) to a jellied combination of white and green asparagus amongst others. Fantastic, I never enjoyed vegetarian fare so much!

Now back to the water for the third dish, I enjoyed the scallops ravioli. There were several pieces of the tasty pasta with strong flavours. This went down well, though I was a little critical of the squid ink that had hardened on the edge -- rendering it useless for the diner. That was the only lapse of the night.

Round four I went back to the veggie side of the fence with a tasting of beets. I love beets, people think I'm nuts. There was raw and marinated beets (the garlic one was fantastic!). The strong flavours really helped, and this progressively stronger-flavoured meal was working itself towards a crescendo...I really wish I had wine!!!

The final dish of the quintet was the roast pork. Done spectacularly and medium (you know only good restaurants -- that know the source of the pork -- would risk doing pork anything less than well-done), the flavours were strong and striking. Oh, how I wish I had some wine paired with this one!

I was nearly exhausted after that dish and I threw down a double espresso then. But then I was told that with the tasting menu, the desserts were free...so I had to go for it! I'm not really into sweets, so I enjoyed the selection of sorbets. The combination of sweet, tangy, spicy and sour really helped after a night of near excess (it would have been if it was paired!).

I left the place incredibly happy despite the lack of wines, knowing that I had one of the best dining experiences of the year. Lacroix is a spectacular experience, and it really shows the strength of dining outside of New York. The place is pricey, but it is well worth it. Absolutely fabulous.

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

2007-06-19T10:11:00.000-04:00

City Tavern
138 South 2nd Street (at Walnut, in Philadelphia; near 2nd Street SEPTA)

I've not been to City Tavern since I was rather young, so never really experienced what this venerable eatery could produce. I have read much on how Walter Steib fused modern and historic cuisine and turned what could have easily been the kitschiest tourist trap in the country into a place that could stand on its own culinary strengths. After being stuck in a tourist trap in Atlanta days earlier -- which exacerbated an already nasty ulcer -- I was entering with a cautious step.

The place was a tourist trap, as it was a tourist attraction for one. It was featured heavily in all the tourism rags and is in the centre of all the major Philly attractions. And with the staff garbed in clothing from the revolutionary period, and the place decorated like a multi-room tavern that conjured up images of that same period, you could fear the worst -- obese men in baseball caps and shorts from Cleveland with their non-comprehending and loud children, asking questions that would make failing contestants on Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader laugh...

This is why I chose, albeit a weekend, a late lunch. The restaurant was rather empty, so that worked fine. I had to bypass alcohol due to the aforementioned ulcer (damn, no old-style beer), but had a wonderful meal. The starter was a very nice duck and pork sausage, which was hearty and delicious -- a pleasant surprise. With some breads made with "old" recipies, it was becoming interesting. I could have used a beer though, as it was rather sunny and warm (even indoors).

The main course was the turkey hash, a simple meal of turkey bits with vegetables and a fried egg. Nothing special, and it was something good for lunch. The menu had more interesting things, but I wasn't very hungry. So I give Chef Staib more than a benefit of the doubt with the menu.

I took off with a lower-than-usual bill (again, unexpected in a "tourist trap") and thought, they did a good job. This is a place worth coming back for -- the food, that is. I don't need the kitsch anymore at this age...

Oh, one extra note. Many people do not know the Swedish part of the Philadelphia region's history, but I felt so much at home looking at a very old map reproduction of Stockholm across the room. I was perhaps the only person that could recognise it from the shapes, which made me think -- ah, I miss the Baltic Sea...

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

2007-06-16T08:44:00.000-04:00

Tinto
114 South 20th Street (between Chestnut & Sansom, Philadelphia)

I've always been told that Philadelphia has some of the best restaurants in the North-east -- many better than back in New York. I've never had exceptional food in the City of Brotherly Love until last night when I dropped into the cozy and exciting Tinto.

This small and vibrant restaurant had a very New York feel about it -- quick and small plates for sharing, creative use of a thin space, an open kitchen, and quick and efficient staff. And most importantly, a fabulous menu.

If not for a recurrance of my ulcer, I would have enjoyed more wine. But I had very little, preferring to enjoy the food. I was told three dishes would be best, so I took my server's advice. It was hard to choose as all these Basque-influenced dishes look amazing, but...

The first to appear was los hongos a la plantxa -- grilled wild mushrooms. I love mushrooms and this was done extremely well, with good variety. And for one, they really piled on the mushrooms and kept the other ingredients to a minimum. Fantastic start.

The second dish to appear was el arroz con almejas -- the clam rice. This was done very well, with a tangy lemon rice. Excellent. The third was el txangurro a la donostia -- baked crab. This was fabulous, with a generous portion of crabmeat baked in a spicy sauce. I loved this one.

If my stomach wasn't going nuts from yesterday's bad meal in Atlanta, I would have stayed and had more from this awesome and creative menu. Alas, that was not to bed. I took a selection of charcuterie with me as I left this place very happy. What a wonderful find!

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

2007-06-16T08:35:00.000-04:00

Pittypat's Porch
25 Andrew Young International Blvd NW (between Spring & Peachtree, Atlanta; near Peachtree Center MARTA)

Oh, goodness, can you say "tourist trap" a thousand times loudly? I was led to believe Pittypat's Porch was a good Southern restaurant by various people, and goodness, were they bloody wrong... This was one of the worst dining experiences I've had in ages.

I didn't want to go all the way back to Midtown from where I was staying in Downtown, so I chose this place. It reeked of tourism kitsch from the entrance to the table. It looked like a bad, put-up job. It's a bad sign when no locals are there -- just tourists, annoying tourists. Why do people from Cleveland always proclaim their source and become loud and annoying?

The meal was poor as was the service (could barely understand the waiter's English, for one -- though I was polite enough not to question this poor Thai immigrant's roots like that annoying Cleveland table). The starter was a very lame gumbo that had no taste and no okra -- two elements that make a gumbo. They call it "hot and spicy" I proclaim it water.

And the "moonshiner's punch" was rather boring, so had to wash down this horrible meal with some Jack on the rocks...ugh. The main course was the mixed grill of chicken, pork and beef. The beef was a shabbily done hamburger patty-like thing; the chicken had the hallmarks of factory processing, and I couldn't even saw through the pork. I barely ate any of it before dumping it.

I left the place pretty annoyed. I don't like the restaurant's design as I don't much care for the movie that it supposed to trivialise. I find the food a joke and the entire experience a major tourist trap. Ridiculous, and I fell for it. I feel like an idiot...

Food: D-
Atmosphere: D-
For Lone Diners: C

2007-06-14T18:52:00.000-04:00

The Sweet Lowdown
942 Peachtree Street NE (between 8th and Peachtree Place; near Midtown MARTA)

It was a hot, summer day in Atlanta and I felt like enjoying some local dining. So I trekked up to midtown (from downtown, where I was staying) and checked out this local favourite. As it was a late lunch time period, it was rather empty. I sat myself at the bar and watched the US Open and enjoyed a solid lunch with a nice pint of Stella. This place had a nice mural behind the bar of a Southern picnic on the farm. An interesting and open design.

The seafood chowder came very quickly and it was a huge bowl. Filled with seafood, this was a delicious example of voluminous and generous Southern eating. Mmm, though I wish I had some Tabasco to add here.

The main dish was fried chicken, with sides of greens and mac-and-cheese. Excellent, typical cuisine. The chickens were done well, very juicy and tender. Overall, an excellent and quick experience.

I wish I had the time to enjoy dinner here as the menu and drinks look quite interesting. But nevertheless, it was lunch, and it was hot, and I wandered north afterwards to enjoy a travelling exhibition from the Louvre. I couldn't believe that after eating this rich and oily fried chicken I would be -- in 15 minutes -- standing inches in front of Nicolas Poussin's masterpiece "Et in Arcadia Ego". I was so close I could have touched it...and to think I forgot to wash my hands...

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

2007-06-12T23:44:00.000-04:00

Nikolai's Roof
255 Courtland Street NE (between Harris & Baker; at the Hilton Atlanta)

Coming to Georgia, I wasn't sure I would be able to find any really good food. I usually use Hilton hotels, and many of the hotels' restaurants were shaky at best. So I didn't think much of Nikolai's Roof despite the kudos I've seen on-line. I was wrong...

This place was fabulous. On the 29th floor of the Hilton, the view -- especially during an electrical storm -- was fabulous. It was rather empty as it was a mid-week 9pm seating. I enjoyed the meal beyond belief. The service was fantastic, with excellent service (ask for Richard Ray, the captain).

I started with two nice, home-infused pepper vodkas...excellent. Nice start. With several glasses of grenache, I embarked on a wonderful culinary journey. My starter was a nice carpaccio with a quail egg. Excellent and fresh, better than most other restaurants in presenting this simple dish that ultimately depends on freshness. Mmm.

But the main course was the excellent part. After a nice mezzo between dishes of sorbet, it was time for the main course -- the boar tenderloin with duck fois gras. Absolutely decadant and fantastic! I was loving it. One of the best dishes I've had in a long, long time. Fabulous, I must say!

Dessert was an interesting banana and rum cappuccino, which worked well. With a very nice 1927 sherry -- then more vodka and espresso, I left this rooftop restaurant very happy. If it wasn't for the drunks that wandered in from the adjacent lounge, this would have been nearly perfect. If anything changed my opinions of Atlanta, this did it. Awesome!!!!! New York can learn from this place!

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

2007-06-08T15:28:00.000-04:00

Shehrezade
346 Kensington High Street (W14, near Olympia tube)

I had walked past this place so many times over the years I wonder why I never went in. I love Persian food (as those of you remember my glowing review of Pars in Los Angeles), but always wondered about this place -- which looked more bar/club than restaurant.

So on my last day in London, as I was running to a meeting nearby, I thought, why not? The only fault of mine was to rush, as it was excellent.

The place is decorated in grandeur and exuberance, from the faux-fresco on the ceiling to the fountains. It is really over-the-top, but in a cool way. I can see why this place is such a hotspot at night. However, today it was my stomach, and not liver, that needed feeding.

Even at 1pm, they were barely getting going (again the evening theme), but they brought out a most excellent chelow kabab-e koobideh -- the wonderful grilled mince lamb. The spices used were just amazing, and the tenderness was fantastic. I hate to say this, but this place blew Pars right out of the water, no matter how good that was.

Unfortunately, I had to swallow the large portion quickly, so that marred the experience -- my fault. This is definitely a good place for food, but maybe not lunch. It's a bit slow staff-wise and they're more worried about getting ready for the evening's festivities. Nevertheless, this is an awesome place, if you ever end up near Olympia.

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

2007-06-08T15:17:00.000-04:00

Chez Kristof
111 Hammersmith Grove (W6, near Hammersmith tube)

Despite being a frequent diner at sister restaurant Wódka, I have never dined at chef Jan Woroniecki's other eateries. However, on a windy evening, me and a good friend wandered out to Hammersmith to enjoy his continental creations. I love Polish food, but a change is always great. And this turned out to be a great choice -- especially after the poor meal I had earlier in the day at the previously-reliable St John...

The dark but classy restaurant is perfect in the up-and-coming neighbourhood, and -- despite having design similarities with its sister restaurant -- it is comfortable and interesting. We enjoyed a nice martini to start before we enjoyed a fine bottle of red to celebrate various events, including the finding of this excellent eatery.

For a starter I enjoyed pork belly salad. It was done very well, with an excellent light salad over the savoury pork belly -- a generous portion, may I add. My friend thoroughly enjoyed the lamb kidneys. For a main course he enjoyed the duck, while I had a scrumptious pork chop. Knowing the love affair with pork in Polish cuisine, I had a feeling it would be good. Perfect, done not too light nor soft, not too overcooked or bland, it was nearly perfect. I've not had such good pork chop in many years.

Despite feeling full, we both opted for desserts to round up this fine meal. I enjoyed a wonderful rice pudding. Then we both splurged and enjoyed several drinks of krupnik -- the honey vodka that has caused so many unsuspecting hangovers in Poland and Lithuania and beyond...

We left Chez Kristof extremely satisfied, knowing we found a wonderful eatery. If it wasn't in Hammersmith...

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

2007-06-08T15:10:00.000-04:00

St John
26 St John Street (EC1M, near Farringdon tube)

Having missed out on this unique eatery the last few times I was in London, I was looking forward to a scrumptious and adventurous lunch the middle of the week. My previous reviews (including this one) have been quite positive of this place -- especially of its adventurous use of ingredients people find "less than attractive" on the dinner table.

However, I was severely distressed over this last experience, and it has rather shaken my belief in this place. Though it has always been weak in the service department, the service this time was just dreadful. I was shocked at the callousness of the staff, more eager to chat with each other and linger around the kitchen than to serve the nearly-empty restaurant. I was more than livid by the time I left, and I dropped an insulting 5p gratuity. No, not 5 per cent, 5 pence...

The food was also nothing special. The starter was a cold cuttlefish salad. I had anticipated excellence, and since I love cuttlefish, I was really eager to get at this dish. It turned out the shellfish tasted old, like it had spent quite a bit of time in the fridge. Very disappointing.

The main course was the grilled ox heart with beets. The portion of heart was very small, looking more like a small starter at a Korean BBQ. It tasted fine, but it was also compounded by the "leaking" of the tinned beets...which made the heart pieces swim in a sauce that looked ghastly like blood. It was just a bit too odd.

After waiting nearly 20 minutes for my bill, I was livid and left quite angrily. I can't believe this place let me down. Sadly, now with Fergus Henderson's health woes, the quality of his creation has also deteriorated. Shame, it is...

Food: C
Atmosphere: D
For Lone Diners: D

2007-06-05T03:31:00.000-04:00

Aux Armes de Bruxelles
Rue des Bouchers 13 Beenhoowersstraat (Brussels)

During a long and tiring trip to Brussels, I managed to convince my friend to dine at a fine Belgian establishment such as Aux Armes de Bruxelles in the city's bistro district. The previous evening was Greek at a cheap outside eatery, so I forced this one...after all, when in Belgium... I had found this place via the useful Belgian restaurant guide Resto -- if you're ever in Belgium, this is the most useful.

The restaurant was packed on a Sunday evening, a merger of locals, returning Eurocrats, and eager tourists. The cosmopolitan nature of the place was balanced by Gallic service and over-cosiness. It has the annoyance and charm of Parisian dining, but at least the food was better than Paris...

For a starter I enjoyed the pied du porc grillé - gegrilde varkenspoot (grilled pork trotters). It was perhaps a bit rich and a bit large for starters, it was not bad at all. Excellent stuff, hard to get outside of the Gallic-influenced world. Oh, by the way, I'm writing this with French first with difficulty, not due to any linguistic limitations, but when I'm in Brussels I almost always try to use Flemish instead...I like French and the French language, but I despise the unjustified domination of French in this ought-to-be bilingual city. Oh well, enough of my personal crusades...

For the main course I enjoyed anguilles au vert - paling in 't groen (eel in green sauce), something I've been dying for since arriving in town. It was done excellent in a rich green sauce. I love eel when cooked right. I would suggest this awesome dish for people willing to try this delicacy beyond the Japanese grill.

No dessert as I was full, and with the slow service we just took the bill and took off. Good place, crap service, but tolerable -- if I don't live here. Goodness, the life of Eurocrats...

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

2007-06-02T12:48:00.000-04:00

Magdalen
152 Tooley Street (SE1 near London Bridge tube)

I wanted to experience this well-regarded restaurant, but fate fought against me. I had to settle for a limited lunch experience (I usually like to experience the full dinner, but...), and I had just had a nasty sneezing fit...ugh...

I nevertheless had a good meal at this exciting little place south of the Thames near London Bridge (sadly, also near the horde of tourists at the Dungeon...). The starter was a nice salad of smoked trout over mustard greens...excellent mixture of flavour, and the mustard helped with my sinuses! I like the strong flavours, and it mixed very well.

The main course was a nice slow-cooked lamb, which was good and tender. I was disappointed not to be able to try some of the fantastic items on the sample menu online, but I was still happy with this meal.

This two-storey restaurant has a contemporary feel, with open spaces and minimalist decor -- which is nice. Fast and efficient service, so that's another plus in my book.

It's a short walk from The City so if I'm ever stuck at a meeting in that area, this would be a pleasant place to experience again.

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

2007-06-02T12:40:00.000-04:00

Kishmish
448-450 Fulham Road (near Fulham Broadway tube)

I was planning to meet a friend for a long-awaited Indian meal, and we had tried to go to our usual favourite haunt, Sarkhel's. But what is going on? The website is down, and they're not answering phones...so we got worried. But still hungry, I suggested the other top Indian place in the area, Kishmish. I think I have a convert here. BTW here is my previous review of this place.

We got there after a few pints in that annoying part of town called Chelsea where arrogance and fakeness is totally the trend...and how the New York version of Chelsea follows that ugly trend too... But we were given a nice table in the dark and atmospheric restaurant and had a brilliant time over 2 bottles of fine red.

For a starter we had shared the "Kishmish tiffin" -- a great mixture of starters. There was some excellent samosa, pakora and so forth. Excellent! For a main course I had the monkfish tikka, which was brilliant! My friend had the mixed grill, which was borderline excessive! Amazing selection of grilled meats, and I had to help him out with the large selection. With some rich sag paneer and rice, this turned into a fantastic dining evening.

Oh, what a great place. I miss not having Indian food while back in New York, but this is worth the wait! You must check this place out, it's definitely fantastic!

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

2007-05-28T12:50:00.000-04:00

Sansui Tei
2529 Pacific Coast Highway (between Crenshaw & Airport; in Torrance)

Ever since my first trip here by accident, I had made a pilgrimage to this amazing place each trip to Southern California. This small, Torrance-based yakiniku joint is about the best you can get. Affordable, with excellent meats and the most awesome waitresses in the area, it sure beats sitting at a stiff sushi bar with sub-par fish and the wrong ethnics behind the sushi bar…

Sansui Tei is very popular with the local Japanese population, so a lot of the clientele were Japanese families. It was a busy Sunday evening, and I felt guilty for taking up a table for 4 alone. Nevertheless I had a great time. And the waitresses, amazing as they are, managed to get my wine and meats and veggies delivered in lightning speed. For once I wished they worked slower! Sorry, I’m single again, and my eyes wander…

I enjoyed the special mix, which contained tongue, rib and sirloin. You grill it yourself, so it’s simple. I also ordered a mixed vegetable plate, so that grilled with the meat worked out well. It was a fantastic meal, and I even had a second helping of tongue to finish the evening off.

I left the restaurant again mesmerised…the waitresses, the aroma of the grill, the taste of the meat, etc. It was a fantastic time at a fantastic place. It’s a must for everyone who loves barbeque.

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

2007-05-28T12:47:00.000-04:00

Back Home in Lahaina
916 N. Sepulveda Blvd (between 9th & 10th; in Manhattan Beach)

For someone who is occasionally home-sick for Hawai’i, this is as good as getting back to Honolulu. As there is quite a nice sized Hawai’ian population in Southern California, there ought to be restaurants to cater to them. I found Back Home in Lahaina last year, and drop by for lunch often. It’s not great and not totally genuine, but I miss a good grind.

As usual, I have the kalua plate. The thing I miss about Hawai’i most is kalua and the plate lunch. I hated the weather and the way-too-relaxed attitude, I disliked the beach and sun, and I hated the distance to everything, but this I couldn’t get out of my blood.

However, today – being Memorial Day Sunday – the kalua was awful. Rare, as this place is usually totally dependable. It was stiff, like a combination of too little cooking time (they were shutting down for Monday, so maybe they had too little) and a bad piece of pork. Ugh…

Nevertheless, I miss the flavour and I totally wish there was something in NYC for my kalua cravings… This place has some Hawai’ian décor and flavours, not totally genuine, but it’s as good as it gets before getting on that 5-hour flight west…

Food: C
Atmosphere: C
For Lone Diners: B

2007-05-28T12:40:00.000-04:00

Drago
2628 Wilshire Blvd (between 26th and Princeton; in Santa Monica)

It was Memorial Day Saturday and knowing the DUI checkpoints (I miss NYC since you don’t need a car…LA is just built for DUI…), I chose to take a cab despite having a rental car. I chose Drago in Santa Monica as I had a wonderful meal there the previous year when I visited the area.

The restaurant was very busy (totally different from the mid-week experience I had last time) and the atmosphere was one of near chaos – but somewhat controlled. Drago is a typical high-class Italian restaurant tempered by the relaxed atmosphere of Southern California. So it’s not stiff at all. Celestino Drago could open this place in Manhattan and do quite well...

It took awhile, but I enjoyed my bottle of lagrein with the starter of salumi misti (mixed cured meats). Not bad, but the cuts of meat were quite poor – and the "fried bread" tasted old… Not a good start. Plus, my favourite wild boar chops were gone from the menu.

But it all caught up with my expectations when my favourite risotto nero showed up. I love ink, as readers know, but they do a spectacular huge portion here with assorted seafood. I would have loved more squid and cuttlefish, but prawns and scallops were nice indeed with the flavourful risotto.

I bypassed the dessert and enjoyed some grappa before finding a taxi (not that easy in Southern California…) to go back. Mmm, this worked out well. Drago is an excellent place, but it is a little chaotic. Something like that would never stand in Manhattan, but for SoCal, it’s not bad.

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

2007-05-28T12:36:00.000-04:00

Jino's Pars Restaurant
5844 W. Manchester Blvd (between Airport and Belford; in Westchester)

I had just jumped off a long, 6-hour flight from JFK into LAX, and already had enough of California. I personally can’t stand this place, but was stuck to come here for a few days – conveniently on Memorial Day weekend. That airport mess…ugh…

So I needed to reward myself, so I dropped into Pars, a wonderful Persian restaurant I had found on a previous trip. It’s conveniently a few blocks from LAX, so I dropped in for a solid lunch.

With a beer to calm me down, I enjoyed the lamb soltani – excellent. I have always had great grilled meats here, but their specialty is really the koobideh (which is half of the soltani combo alongside the kabob). It is juicy and tender and I literally devoured the two skewers alongside the basmati rice (topped with saffron rice) and the grilled tomato.

Excellent food. I wish I had more opportunity to really explore this place, especially their lamb shank, polo dishes and so forth. But when I'm here twice a year, I can't pass up on this amazing lamb!

Ahh…perhaps Los Angeles has some redeeming qualities – the best Persian food to be found in the country. Pars is a half-Italian and half-Persian place-in-one, but do come here for the awesome Persian cuisine. It is a typical, relaxed place near LAX, so all you need is your appetite. Fast and friendly service, what else can you ask for?

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

2007-05-25T22:02:00.000-04:00

Insieme
777 7th Avenue (at 51st, at the Michelangelo Hotel)

I had found this restaurant by accident on the Internet and thought I would try it one evening with a friend. It turns out this small, chic hotel restaurant had opened just a few weeks earlier, and it was a heck of a find. In fact, one of the best I've found in awhile.

The place has a minimalist feel to it, nothing fancy -- that I like. It shows they work on the food and service and not on just superficial things. The service, however, was speedy and attentive. Excellent. The wine list was absolutely fantastic, and the staff spent plenty of time describing the wide selection and offering advice. This place is staffed by people who really enjoy what they do, and what they serve. Perfect.

The menu had two parts -- one more traditional, old world, the other more innovative, new work. I went heretical and chose one part of the meal from each...

Both my friend and I chose the smoky sea risotto, which had a wonderful bonito flavour about it. The two lobs of urchin on top was a little limited, but it worked out well with the strongly-flavoured and perfectly-cooked risotto. This was a great start.

The main course I went traditional with the lesso misto -- the mixed boiled meats. Another simple dish that can be screwed up very easily. But this place did it with care and flavour. Each of the meats tasted wonderful, especially the tongue. I loved it. The assortment of vegetables made it acceptable to those of us who like some complementary stuff from the soil... My friend enjoyed the cacciucco -- the seafood stew. It looked amazing, and I was assured it was.

Dessert was fantastic. My friend chose the "cannoli" and I went with the sorbetto: the "buttermilk rhubarb" I thought tasted more like mango, but was excellent; the espresso was also excellent; the chocolate was just a bit too rich and decadent for me! Wow. And with a nice grappa (this place has an awesome list of post-dinner joys...) and espresso, we left at midnight more than happy. Wow, what a find...

As much as I hate to be in the middle of tourism hell, this is one place I would temper my bad temper for -- and that's saying plenty!

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

2007-05-25T21:55:00.000-04:00

Milos
125 West 55th Street (between 6th & 7th)

It was a horribly hot day, but I dropped into the airy restaurant for a well-deserved full lunch. The table was nice, and I liked the open spacing -- and the usage of the building's foundation pylons and so forth. The little above-ground alcoves are also nice. But there are a few pieces of oddly-placed art...

The meal started well. I had a nice Greek white on this horribly hot day, and the grilled octopus was excellent. I was saddened that they no longer have cuttlefish, but this was nice. Service was lightning fast, so that was great.

The main course was one I didn't care for -- but chose it over the other bland choices: swordfish. Sorry to sound arrogant, but I have never had a better swordfish than ones that come either from my own kitchen, or back in Sicily. This was overcooked and uninspiring...I should have known better...oh well...

The service then collapsed...took 15 minutes for the forced-on-me prix fixe dessert to arrive. It was a pretty boring karidopita, and it took ages to get the espresso. That left things pretty negative at the end, which is too bad, as it started out so well. It's a good place, but I think other Greek estiatoria are much better, especially Ammos (but definitely NOT Avra)...

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

2007-05-24T11:28:00.000-04:00

Landmarc
179 West Broadway (between Leonard & Worth)

My friend suggested this place down in TriBeCa -- an area of town I usually avoid due to the amount of pomposity, frivolity and shallowness that's exhibited there. However, since we would be meeting early, I thought, why not. So I trecked down on the Subway and had a pretty good time at this interesting eatery.

Looking at the menu (my friend too care of the wine, a fine pinot noir), I noticed a few things influenced by the crafty hands of London's Fergus Henderson (and his infamous St John), the doyen of the "nose-to-tail eating" trend. Some find it awful, I love it. The roasted bone marrow on the menu was a great example of this dedication.

Over a good amount of wine and interesting chat, my starter arrived. The warm snail salad was quite excellent, with ample amount of the advertised ingredient. That was a good start. For the main course I chose the boudin noir (blood sausage). It was not grilled well, but it was good nevertheless -- with a side of nicely done potato (something I usually don't enjoy).

There were of course pompous, self-important idiots all around, so we took off early after finishing off the 2nd bottle of wine. It was a good place, and around that part of TriBeCa, it's a good find -- especially for its value and high quality. Excellent place, especially if you are stuck mired in this meshy mess of pomposity...

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

2007-05-20T20:06:00.000-04:00

Il Campanello
136 West 31st Street (between 6th & 7th)

I found this "Italo-Argentinean" place by accident awhile ago, and it has never disappointed. Located near Madison Square Garden, it's an idea place to run to before an event. However, this time, I just had a desire for good grilled food, so I went there with a friend for a late dinner.

The place looks a bit like Craft inside, with the high ceiling and large window panes. The floor is equipped to be turned into a dancefloor to host many of the Latin American dancing events at this place. However, I'm not here to do anything but enjoy the cuisine this fine evening.

The staff was half asleep at one point, as it seems only one waiter was being attentive (and he can't be everywhere at the same time). Took awhile but we got a nice bottle of Argentinean malbec and I started with a nice beef carpaccio.

The main course was my favourite, parrillada argentina -- the mixed grill. This huge assortment contained the wonderful skirt steak cooked to the right medium-rare I wanted, the short ribs with much flavour, the morcilla (blood sausage) I craved, and a few other bits. I'm not a big fan of sweetbreads, but I ate them. My friend took the chicken as it was just too much.

We enjoyed a few grappa (including one on the house) with coffee, and I enjoyed also a mango sorbet -- done very well. I was more than happy as we left the restaurant as it closed. Wonderful place, though some of the staff needs to wake up a bit...

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

2007-05-14T11:30:00.000-04:00

Georgia Brown's
950 15th Street NW (between I & K, Washington DC)

I remember someone joking to me saying this revered Washington DC home of haute Southern cuisine could mesmirise patrons into thinking this chaotic capital of this country is truly an integrated city. For a brief afternoon lunch over a few drinks and escaping from the sun and the menacing summer-like humidity, my week-long trip back to my former abode on the Potomac gave me a chance to enjoy good Southern food again.

Georgia Brown's is a fantastic place, one of the happiest places you'll ever visit. The crowd is unlike most restaurants fine dining patrons are used to -- let's just be frank. A large number, if not a majority, of patrons, are from the black community. Again, looking at the crowd of wealthy, affluent, successful and fantastically-dressed crowd you would think of the successes of racial integration. Well, for an afternoon maybe...

I used to enjoy this place for the energy and the large and fine foods here. It is a place you will get very, very full. I came in on a hot late afternoon and relaxed to a rather fantastic melon-based cocktail. Mmm...sweet and cold. I ended up having another, especially enjoying the huge slice of watermelon that came with each.

For the meal I had a bit too much. The starter was the Charleston she-crab soup. This is a fantastic version of the classic, with the sherry really coming out. Fantastic. The main course was a huge plate of Carolina gumbo. I am a gumbo lover, since I cultivated that strange vegetable called the okra as a child. Amazing stuff, with very generous amounts of seafood and duck and sausages...mmm.

The atmosphere there is always happy and -- as I usually dine there during lunch -- lots of long, long lunches. There is a great amount of energy there, and the space is well-used. Diners are always happy to enjoy the foods of both their upbringing and exploration, and the staff is quick and efficient. To this day, this is still one of my favourites in DC.

Check it out if you get to DC, and you'll have a wonderful experience with the food and atmosphere. And prepare to take some food home!

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

2007-05-05T21:22:00.000-04:00

Mercat
45 Bond Street (between Lafayette and Bowery)

On a Friday me and a friend chose to chance the new Catalan-flavoured Mercat -- sans reservations, so it was risky. We were given 2 spaces at the bar, which worked out very well. Once they get their reservation system worked out, this will be a great place. It was already darn good, and we had a wonderful time.

I felt good from the first moments I saw the menu -- written in Catalan. How authentic, and that made me smile. We had a wondeful bottle of rioja and ordered an assortment of tapas -- ranging from cargols (snails grilled on a skewer) to grilled padrones peppers (nice!), from bacallá (salt cod) fritters to fideuà negra (short noodles in ink).

After that wonderful round, we chose to enjoy some cheese and jamón serrano -- lamenting the fact that we still can't get the amazing jamón iberico in the US (it's illegal?!). I dream of that meal in London's Barrafina... With another bottle of excellent wine, we wound down the evening in style.

I like this place, from the balance of trendy and traditional, to the Catalan flag near the kitchen. If it had iberico it would be nearly perfect. What an awesome addition to the New York dining scene!

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

2007-05-05T21:16:00.000-04:00

Thalia
828 Eighth Avenue (at 50th Street)

I met with a friend of mine for lunch across town last week. Again, I usually don't wander to the West Side, especially around Times Square, but it's easier for my friend -- so I was happy to tread into tourist hell for a short time.

Thalia is a pretty okay spot, and I can see how it could be extremely busy with tourism traffic. However, we met for a late lunch, so it wasn't very busy. However, the staff was nearly asleep, so that was not great.

It was an extremely hot day, so I cooled down with a glass of pinot grigio and had a pretty okay lunch. I started with the fricasee of seasonal mushrooms. This was disappointing, especially for a mushroom lover. There was barely any mushrooms, it was nearly all polenta. It was good, but it wasn't what I hoped for.

For the main course I had the scallops, which was pretty good. The accompanying items, such as the risotto and kale, was rather nice. I enjoyed this part of the meal.

We were running short of time so we passed on coffee and dessert -- not that I was interested in the latter. It was a pretty fair lunch, and I had a drink of water before heading out into the hot sunny afternoon. Where is my winter?!

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

2007-04-30T15:38:00.000-04:00

Byblos
200 East 39th Street (on 3rd)

It was by fate that I ended up at this restaurant a block from home. I was actually going to Salute! to dine a few blocks west, but it was utterly horrible there. After 10 minutes they were still not serving me -- despite me sitting at the bar. Horrific service and attitude, I won't even bother with this place again. And those prices? Yeah, right I'll try again...

So en route home I decided to drop into Byblos -- a place I walk next to every day. And it was due to good fortune I found this excellent Lebanese restaurant so close to home. With a nice bottle of Lebanese red, I enjoyed the meal. The only bothersome bit came from screaming children from a table of people who couldn't care less their kids were out of control. Goodness...

The starter of grilled goat cheese was awesome. I love this dish, and can eat it all day. I scarfed down the food with glee -- though the pita that came with it tasted like it was made a week ago...ugh...

I enjoyed the cheese and was not prepared for the sight of my main course, the stuffed lamb breast. It was the entire half of the ribcage! It was roasted and stuffed with mince and rice. It was like the Ukrainian dish holubtsy (Polish gołąbki and English stuffed cabbage) -- but it was a rack of lamb instead of cabbage that held the stuffing! Amazing stuff!

I ate about half of it and had to surrender...quite amazing! I saved enough room for dessert, and was given an extra large portion of milk pudding...mmm. I had to take half of it home. I left happily, with two strong arak to go with it. I was more than happy to find this place. It's larger than one would suspect, and they advertise belly dancing in the weekends. I rather like a quiet meal and lightning fast service -- and cheap too for Midtown standards -- so it worked out great this evening. Check it out!!!

Oh, as a side note. I was happily looking forward to eating the rest of the stuffed lamb but I saw a homeless man en route home -- so I gave him the lot. I know he'd be having the meal of the year then and there.

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

2007-04-30T15:30:00.000-04:00

davidburke & donatella
133 East 61st Street (between Park & Lexington)

I was invited to brunch by a friend last Sunday, and he picked davidburke & donatella (sorry, I hate the pretentiousness of them not capitalising, but I have to follow them...). I haven't been there in ages, and was not impressed the first time. And this time it failed to impress me again.

The place was quite full, and their spacing between tables is near record low...ridiculous how intrusive it is between tables. I hate restaurants that boast such a philosophy. And also, I hate the prix fixe experience, as my frequent readers know.

With a bloody mary in hand, I chose the pretzel-crusted crabcake. It was pretty bland to be honest, nothing fancy except the visuals. The taste was bland, and you couldn't tell if it was fresh crab or tinned crab -- or even if it is whitefish. That does not bode well for the kitchen, in my view.

With the pretty lame service (again, they pushed table crumbs on me!), the main course came. The mustard crusted tuna was sincerely boring, and overcooked (despite me asking for it to be rare). Very lame, the fact that by the time I got to the last piece it was nearly cooked through showed me that the kitchen is not functioning to deal with this type of delicate timing. Shame, really.

The dessert of coconut cake was plain boring, and you could barely taste the coconut. What a waste of a brunch! And I had to endure one of the stupidest conversations I've ever heard from two "off-the-boaters" adjacent. Ugh...what a bad way to start Sunday...

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

2007-04-26T16:35:00.000-04:00

Old Homestead Steakhouse
56 9th Avenue (between 14th/15th)

For some reason I was craving a steak Wednesday evening, and chose to hike all the way out to Old Homestead. After experiencing too many bad steakhouses in NYC (especially the previously-reliable Bull & Bear and the absolutely awful La Carne Grill), I had hoped for better. Well, I didn't get it...

The service, for one, at this venerable institution was just rubbish. The staff barely noticed what was going on, more interested in chatting with each other than to serve diners. There was also an air filtering problem, as cigarette smoke kept being pumped into the dining room. Yuck...

I skipped the starters and chose to go with the restaurant's most-celebrated dish, the gotham steak -- the bone-in 38oz rib steak. I also ordered a side of broccoli. I forgot how big these portions are (the vegetable was enough for a full meal!).

The steak took awhile to come but that's good when the meat is good. It was a good piece of meat, but certainly nowhere near 38oz. It's maybe half of that at best -- which is already too big. The meat was a good piece, but it was extremely bland. Maybe that's why there's this huge bottle of steak sauce on the tables.

I was disappointed with the food, and upset with the service. I did not leave this place happy at all. And frankly, this was one of the worst examples of a restaurant not knowing what to do with lone diners. Bad move...

Food: C
Atmosphere: C
For Lone Diners: D-

2007-04-24T11:39:00.000-04:00

Salmu krogs
3 Grenču iela (Riga, Latvia -- on road to Jurmala and airport)

I was in Latvia during my most recent European trip. I've not been back to Latvia for about 4 years, which was a long time; when I used to live in Estonia, I used to go to Latvia several times a year for a break. Riga was wonderful then, and is wonderful now -- despite the drunken Brits! I was there officially to interview the President, but it was a great chance to catch up with friends I've not seen in awhile.

One of these moments was the day I was departing. A good friend of mine drove me to the airport and we stopped for lunch at Salmu krogs on the road to the airport (and Jurmala). The farmhouse-like flagship of this small Latvian chain was the perfect place to have a nice final Latvian meal. The straw tavern (the literal translation of the restaurant's name) really boasted a wonderful exterior, matching the image the name conjures up.

The restaurant boasted an incredibly long menu, and it was hard to go through it all. But as I was a bit hungover, I didn't drink and ended up having just one course -- the special at the time, roast loin of wild boar. Wow, it was fantastic, done medium and with the most wonderful herbal touches. I was in heaven...

This just shows that Central/East European cuisines should not be scoffed at. I've been to hundred of excellent restaurants in CEE that does CEE cuisine expertly. And before you try it, don't knock it. If you get a chance to go to Latvia, enjoy Riga -- and try to drop into Salmu krogs en route to the airport. You'll love this final meal.

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

2007-04-24T11:28:00.000-04:00

Dani
333 Hudson (at Charlton)

Last time I dined at Dani it was an odd, post-holiday Tuesday -- and it was empty. However, knowing the quality of the place, I chose it as a perfect Saturday night date location with my (thank goodness) once-again girlfriend. We needed a good night out, and Dani gave us the perfect scenario.

It was a busy night there, totally packed -- which was quite different from last time. How ironic that I end up at the same table (which the staff joked about, as they actually remembered me). After a wonderful sparkling cocktail, we opted for a bottle of excellent Italian white that the operating partner recommended. Knowing his excellent reputation concerning wines, we happily went along with it -- and it was refreshing and excellent on this mild evening.

My girlfriend had her usual salad, this time with her favourite goat cheese. I chose the fritto misto. It wasn't as good as last time, but still excellent. I wish there was more fish like then. But it was good. And we also enjoyed a mid-course pasta, freshly made with wonderful vegetables and taste. Mmm, this was turning good.

They had run out of the day's special (braised shortribs), which is a good sign of how well they are doing (it's still packed). So I opted for the scallops with pork belly. My girlfriend enjoyed the grilled swordfish. Unfortunately (and fortunately) the previous courses were so big we were nearly full when the main courses arrived. We ate them partly and had to bag them...

In the meantime we were switched to a larger table -- partly because they were trying to fit a party of 8. I don't mind this, especially to a better table. I think this type of consideration is good for a restaurant. For that move, we were treated by the operating partner to an assortment of desserts -- chocolate cake, sorbet, biscotti...wow. It was nearly too much!

After a grappa and some coffee, we made our way to the door. The restaurant at 11pm was still relatively full, which shows how good this place is. It still makes me think why it was so empty that other day, but seeing this tonight justified my choice and faith. Good call!

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

2007-04-23T10:00:00.000-04:00

Index

Once again I need to create an index...this is one problem with blogs like this. But nevertheless, here it is -- updated up to last week. Again, my top five is listed -- and the disaster three. The lists have changed a little...

The top five are:

1) Esca (43rd & 9th)
2) Alfama (Hudson & Perry)
3) Megu - midtown (1st and 46th)
4) Porcão (Park & 26th)
5) Villa Berulia (34th & Lexington/Park)

And the "worst" five are...

-1) Cinqueterre (E38th at Madison)
-2) La Carne Grill (Lexington & 39th/40th)
-3) Bar Americain (52nd & 6th/7th)
-4) Perry Street (Perry & West)
-5) wd~50 (Clinton between Stanton & Rivington)

Nevertheless, here's the whole list alphabetically...

212 (E65th at Lexington)
Alcala (E46th & 1st/2nd)
Alfama (Hudson & Perry)
Alto (E53rd between Madison & 5th)
Ammos (Vanderbilt at 45th)
Artisanal Bistro (Park & 32nd)
Avra (E48th between 3rd & Lexington)
Bann (50th & 8th/9th)
Bar Americain (52nd & 6th/7th)
BLT Prime (E22nd between Lexington & Park)
Bolo (E22nd between Park & Broadway)
Bull & Bear Steakhouse (Park & 49th)
Cafe Frida (Columbia between 77th & 78th)
Cinqueterre (E38th at Madison)
Country (Madison & 28th/29th)
Craft (19th & Park/Broadway)
craftbar (Broadway & 19th/20th)
Da Ciro (Lexington & 33rd/34th)
Dani (Hudson & Charlton)
Divine Bar [east] (51st between 2nd & 3rd)
Eight Mile Creek (Mulberry between Spring & Prince)
Esca (43rd & 9th)
E.U. (4th between A & B)
Geisha (61st & Park/Madison)
Gennaro (Amsterdam between 92nd & 93rd)
I Trulli (E27th & Park/Lex)
Japonais (E18th between Park & Irving)
Korea Palace (E54th & Park/Lexington)
Królewskie Jadło (Manhattan Ave in Greenpoint)
La Carne Grill (Lexington & 39th/40th)
La Grenouille (52nd & Madison/5th)
Les Halles (Park & 28th/29th)
Lonesome Dove Bistro (W21st between 5th & 6th)
Madiba (DeKalb between Carlton & Adelphi in Brooklyn)
Megu - midtown (1st and 46th)
Nice Matin (79th & Amsterdam)
Philippe (60th & Park/CPE)
Phoenix Garden (E40th & 2nd/3rd)
Perry Street (Perry & West)
Porcão (Park & 26th)
Public (Elizabeth between Spring and Prince)
Regional (Broadway between 98th & 99th)
Ruby Foo's (Broadway & 49th)
Tabla (Madison & 26th)
Taksim (2nd & 54th/55th)
Tintol (W46th & Americas/Broadway)
Tocqueville (15th & USW/5th)
Turkish Kitchen (3rd & 27th/28th)
Ureña (E28th & Park/Madison)
Villa Berulia (34th & Lexington/Park)
wd~50 (Clinton between Stanton & Rivington)

And here are those places not in New York...

Barrafina (SoHo, London)
Kishmish (Chelsea, London)
Matsuri [St James's] (Jermyn Street, London)
Royal China [Queensway] (Bayswater, London)
Rules (Covent Garden, London)
Sarkhel's (Wimbledon, London)
St John (Farringdon, London)
Wódka (Kensington, London)

2007-04-23T09:43:00.000-04:00

Alfama
551 Hudson Street (corner of Perry Street)

I have always found it difficult to find good Portuguese food anywhere, even when there is a big Portuguese community -- such as Toronto. I have in the past praised the Portuguese tapas restaurant/bar Tintol (read my review), but have never made it down to the West Village to Alfama. But on this Thursday evening, I did manage to hike down there.

Despite being late by half hour due to massive problems on the yuck-invoking L train, I relaxed once seated into a comfortable sofa seat against the wall. The service was good, quick and friendly. Even before my white wine showed up, my chouriço had already arrived, flaming and smelling delightful. And it tasted great...usually I rather like it more grilled, but I was so hungry I devoured the sausage quickly and with delight.

By this time, I had been enjoying a beautiful bossa nova performance by master vocalist Alessandro Panicola. The beautiful, soothing sounds from his voice and guitar made the entire experience more than just a meal. He has one of the best faux-trombone I've ever heard.

I was more than happy when the mariscada (seafood stew) came in a traditional cataplana. The stew was very rich, filled with shrimp, clams, mussels, lobster and scallops, alongside the traditional potatoes. It was just wonderful, borderline mesmirising for those of us who love shellfish. Simple, but done well -- many other Portuguese places really skimp on the quality of this fantastic dish.

I was too full for dessert, but enjoyed quite a few drinks afterwards -- especially of their fantastic port selection. I also enjoyed the fantastic amarguinha, the almond liqueur...quite stunning. I stayed for a few more at the bar, taking away an order of almôndegas (meatballs of pork and shrimp). Eating it at home hours later, I had a lasting memory of this wonderful evening...

I certainly recommend this wonderful place, to experience awesome Portuguese food and drink, but just to enjoy this beautiful restaurant where there is a true love for the food of their beloved Portugal.

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

2007-04-18T10:01:00.000-04:00

Barrafina
54 Frith Street (in SoHo, near Leicester Square Tube)

During my two brief drop-ins to London the early part of April, I had three (yes, three!) opportunities to dine at this fabulous new tapas bar in London's SoHo. Quite an impressive place, I must say, blending freshness with sophistication, casualness with high quality. It was bloody expensive and always full (no reservations, use the webcam to see how busy they are!), but quite excellent.

Over the three meals with a good mate of mine, who introduced the place to me, we went through nearly the entire menu! Most of the dishes were absolutely fantastic, ranging from morcilla (blood sausage) to grilled razor clams (a special), from the baby squid (chipirones) to the lamb chops, everything was fantastic! The tortillas were a bit heavy and they help to keep the costs down!

The nicest thing is to have a generous helping of jamón ibérico as the meals wound up...that is just a spectacular treat. I think I put on about 5 pounds from the meals, but it was well worth it!

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

2007-04-18T09:48:00.000-04:00

Les Halles
411 Park Avenue South (between 28th & 29th)

I do apologise for the gap in posting -- this is due to heavy travels to both England and Latvia, as well as a stressful period relating to various projects, taxes, etc... But my stomach has rebelled, and I am once again dining out! So let the reviews flow once more! BTW as the coming days and week go on, I will add some reviews from both locales of my travels, so enjoy!

The other evening I wandered out to Les Halles in Midtown for a good meal. I've had a few bad experiences at the famous eatery (of Anthony Bourdain fame...well, in some ways...), so I wasn't expecting much -- especially my once-again-girlfriend had gone incommunicado at work.

I was sat at a corner window table, which was nice, as the place was rather empty -- both due to it being Monday evening and also from the after-effects of the nasty storm in the region (Central Park received almost 9 inches of rain that Sunday!). With a nice bottle of red from Languedoc, I had a good meal for once.

Service in this factory-like-bistro is always problematic, especially when an unordered shrimp and avocado salad showed up... After 10 minutes the grilled calamari with fennel (encornets grillés, crudité de fenouil) showed up. It was okay, nothing too special -- too little squid, way too much fennel... So I was lukewarm by then.

The main course was the grilled rib-eye (l'entrecôte du boucher), which was done rather spectacularly -- one of the best steaks I've had in months. I was suitably impressed for once, though the side of grilled green beans was a bit boring.

After some coffee and polishing off the bottle of wine, a chat with some of the staff (an excellent front-room co-ordinator named Jenna -- ask for her if you drop into Les Halles) and some patrons, I wandered out, somewhat relaxed but tired...

Not bad, I may just have to come back to this place...

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

2007-03-22T21:49:00.000-04:00

Tabla
11 Madison Avenue (at 26th Street)

I had to discuss a few business issues with a friend of mine, so I went down near his office for lunch -- and we had the opportunity to choose from several good places within a few blocks of each other. We chose Tabla -- and it was a pretty good choice.

The two-part restaurant boasts a simpler, "bread"-centric eatery downstairs and a more formal dining room upstairs; we chose to dine upstairs. The restaurant has a good and solid feel, with plenty of space -- condusive to meetings. What a brilliant idea, especially next to several financial institutions next to Madison Park.

We each chose a different prix fixe set and had a wonderful meal. I enjoyed the Goan crabcake on top of an avocado salad. The combination worked very well, and the crabcake was solid and tasty. Definitely a good start.

The main course was ravioli filled with minced rabbit. Not bad, perhaps the nuts were a little too noticeable, but it was a nice little dish. The mince was perhaps a bit overdone and too bland, but not bad. Through both courses I enjoyed a nice Indian chenin blanc from Nashik -- fruity and crisp. Never had Indian wine before (not even in India), so this was a nice surprise.

A small dessert and coffee and we got through a set of discussions that sorted a lot of stuff out, so it was a very fruitful lunch. If it wasn't so darn hot outside, that long walk back to the home office was awful and sweaty...ugh... Still, at least I had a good meal to think about on that trek. Good show.

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

2007-03-20T20:01:00.000-04:00

Królewskie Jadło
694 Manhattan Avenue (between Nassau & Norman; Greenpoint, Brooklyn)

It was gonna be a messy and wet night, so what possessed me to go all the way from Midtown to Greenpoint was beyond me. But for some reason, I was dying to have some Polish food and beer. Dlaczego?

It was a lengthy journey thanks to the unwieldy change from the 7 train to the G train in Queens. My three-borough trek ended and I found Królewskie Jadło quickly -- with the suits of armour outside, as advertised. When I walked in, I was both relaxed and dissatisfied...

For better or worse, it was like a homecoming -- back in Central/East Europe. The website would have you believe this was some elegant, mediaeval, classy place -- and from the pictures and description (in English and po polsku) that was the idea. But not really...this was really just a simple, neighbourhood eatery catering to the Polish community in Greenpoint. So it was really for better or worse.

Switching into the Polish that I've been progressively forgetting over the 10+ years since I studied the language, it was quite a nice but quick meal. They had run out of the duck, and as the place was busy I chose a faster meal -- and went with the ever-present and consistent gołąbki (cabbage rolls). It was a nice, hearty meal, with 2 large Okocim beers.

The service was fast and the clientele all Polish -- which is always a good sign for ethnic restaurants. The restaurant is a friendly and relaxing place to enjoy a meal and to have a few drinks. I wish it was in Manhattan. Anyway, I left after the filling meal and had another piwo en route to the Subway. Another 3-borough trip to get home... Potrzebuję jeszcze piwa...

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

2007-03-19T11:11:00.000-04:00

Artisanal Bistro
2 Park Avenue (on 32nd Street)

Despite having a hangover on a Sunday morning, I accepted my friend's invitation to brunch at Artisanal. Knowing the good menu it boasted and the chef's reputation (such as at the wonderful Picholine), I accepted -- as a way to clear my head too. Plus, I needed a long walk...though I didn't expect it to be so warm outside again (where is my winter?!).

The restaurant was absolutely packed, which was expected for brunch. I actually detest Sunday brunch. You have the strangest people sitting next to you talking to most ridiculous BS...it's just so bloody inane! Ugh...that brought the atmosphere down significantly...of course until a young, model-like wonder sat at the table next to us (she was like a better looking version of Lindsay Lohan). Wait, this is a restaurant review, sorry...

The crowd and the design made it horribly difficult to have a conversation without yelling, so we didn't talk as much. I enjoyed a glass of pinot gris alongside a baked skate wing. Pretty simple with a citrus zest, but the lack of vegetables made it annoying. But it was fine for its task. A few cups of coffee and we headed out.

I think Artisanal is a nice place but has that Times Square factory feel about it at some point. Reminds me of Bar Americain -- but with much better food. Maybe it's a place to watch people and be seen, but that's not me. I'm here for the food. So maybe I should come back on a Tuesday evening to really experience this place.

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

2007-03-19T10:55:00.000-04:00

Divine Bar (East)
244 East 51st Street (between 2nd & 3rd)

A good friend of mine had travelled in from Toronto for a few days and on her previous trip, she had introduced me to Divine Bar. It turned out to be a wonderful place for wine and tapas, so this time I was more than happy to join her for a good evening out there once more.

The bar is ultra-trendy, with a spectacular wine selection amongst others. The tapas list is longer than most menus -- which is quite remarkable. With not much space, we chose to start early at 5pm to ensure a seat!

The upstairs dining area is quite small, but cozy. We were sat adjacent to the stairs due to a private party taking up most of the upstairs. But nevertheless it was good. The only problem was that the pale blue light next to the faux window looked like it was still bright out -- so ended up drinking there for hours upon hours!

Divine Bar specialises in "flights" of wine selections, and I had a very nice Northern Italian quintet -- which included a wonderful lagrein (if you remember my drunken Esca night, you'll know how I love that genre...). We had enjoyed several wonderful tapas with the wine. The most incredible item is the baked brie...completely decadent but absolutely wonderful. Mmm... Along with goat-cheese bruschetti, it turned out to be a great meal. There are so many other choices, ranging from ostrich to alligator!

We enjoyed several flavoured sangrias later in the evening and had a great time catching up. Thursdays are always busy in these bars, but it was still very easy to converse -- a marked difference from other places in the area. So I would totally recommend this place for good wine, excellent tapas, and a fun but controlled atmosphere...but may be a bit lonely by oneself...

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

2007-03-19T10:45:00.000-04:00

Villa Berulia
107 East 34th Street (between Lexington & Park)

Earlier in the day last week, I had looked through a pretty bad selection at the local grocery outlet, so I decided to eat out. I had wanted to try the popular Villa Berulia for awhile now, for its simple-but-good food reputation, as well as its Croatian roots. I chose a Tuesday for the experience, and it was well worth the wait.

The restaurant is a simple trattoria, family-run and relaxing. It's the type of restaurant you feel comfortable in, one where the decor and atmosphere is homey and charming, unpretentious in every way.

I chose to enjoy the restaurant's special veal chop and to skip a starter. This turned out to be a splendid choice. Alongside a beautiful bottle of Croatian red from the dreamy island of Hvar (never tried this before, it is just fantastic), it turned out to be a wonderful (and excessive) evening.

The double broiled chop was absolutely fantastic, a juicy piece of meat cooked to perfection. The char and flavour on the outside revealed a wonderful quality chop that tasted incredible from one part to the other. I somehow managed to finish the whole thing -- and the wine. Wow...

I stayed and chatted with the proprietors, who are the nicest people in the world. They were so proud of the Croatian specialties they carried, and I enjoyed several other home-made spirits such as šljivovica amongst others before I wandered off happy. Oh, what a fun evening!

I highly recommend Villa Berulia for its relaxing atmosphere, wonderful food, and the charming people that run the restaurant. You will find it as homey as me I'm sure, but it is fabulously busy, so do make reservations!

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

2007-03-11T12:08:00.000-04:00

Tocqueville
1 East 15th Street (between Union Square West & 5th)

I had accepted a friend's offer of a Saturday lunch at the well-reviewed Tocqueville, and wandered down to the famous eatery on a way-too-warm day. What happened to winter, this heat is killing me!!!

Tocqueville was half-empty, but I supposed the heatwave is what's keeping people outdoors. Nevertheless it was a wonderful experience. We had both decided to do the prix-fixe -- albeit different ones. My friend did the day's special, and I chose the standard version.

My starter was a nice cuttlefish dish. I absolutely adore cuttlefish, and any chance I can I would take that as the option. The dish was done well, in a semi-ceviche style with grapefruit and citrucy background. Nice, though I wish there was a bit more of the wonderful cuttlefish. My friend had a very nice sea urchin and scallop mixture, which was quite delicious in tandem.

My main course was the roasted skate on bone -- and this was done fabulously. The meat was extremely juicy and tender and easy to eat. Sometimes skate is done very badly, and that makes for a difficult meal. However, this skate was nearly perfect. My only gripe is the lack of vegetables -- the skate rested on a few small pieces of onions. There was not the ability to order sides, so that was a minus. But still, it was excellent.

Dessert was something I can't quite remember -- but it looked like a melangerie of fruit creams of some sort... I'm not good at desserts, and I didn't really care much for it, so I took more attention for the coffee.

Tocqueville is a classy and safe place, good for every possible situation -- for the lone diner to the group. I saw family groups, even a "meet-the-fiancee's-family" group, and so forth, so this is a good place for all occasions -- especially if the food is done so well.

After the meal we took a long walk down to SoHo and TriBeCa near the Hudson, then back up and after getting home near Grand Central, I was pooped. Dinner was a simple egg and dill salad sandwich...too tired to do much more...

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

2007-03-11T11:42:00.000-04:00

Bann
350 West 50th Street (between 8th & 9th)

I have always wondered why Korean food hasn't been a success like other Asian cuisines, and why they didn't cash in on the "lo-carb" craze with the awesome barbeques.
Nevertheless, I always find a meal in a good Korean restaurant a treat. I enjoyed eating in Seoul when I was there, even if there was an "odd" item on this menu poster...

Off my sidetrack, I had lunch the other day with a good friend at Bann -- the off-shoot restaurant of the Woo Lae Oak chain. The restaurant had a very calm but trendy atmosphere, and the smoke-free grills and other ventilation tools made the decor quite interesting. I immediately liked the restaurant. BTW this picture, again, is from Seoul, not from Bann.

As my friend chose the lunch prix-fixe, I chose a barbeque and asked them to do it in the kitchen. Why? 1) It's rude to barbeque when your dining companions are not, and 2) I had meetings later and rather not smell (as wonderful that smell is) like grilled meat. It was a Friday, after all...

We split a starter of ga ri bi gui -- a very innovative baked scallops and mushroom dish, presented in the shells over a chemical fire. Good presentation, and it tasted wonderful too. This was a nice special. I wish I had taken a picture of it...

My main course was hyaw mit -- barbequed tongue. I love tongue, especially done well. The best tongue dishes I've had had been at London's wonderful St John and Tallinn's amazing South American grill Argentiina. But here, done in a Korean barbeque style, was quite nice. With the accompanying side-dishes, I really downed the kimchee alongside the meat. Excellent, perhaps a little too filling!

A good coffee later and I was more than happy. This was an excellent lunch. I wish there was a Korean place closer to where I live!

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

2007-03-02T12:33:00.000-05:00

A Personal Note...

Dear readers, I hope I have been of some help (and entertainment) to your culinary choices here in New York and elsewhere. It has been a pleasure to taste the great (and not-so-great) restaurants and to write about it in this loose, bloggy format (rather than thick reviews using tasting or "review" menus).

However, there will be a dearth of posting in the coming weeks for various reasons. One of them is an unfortunate and acute bout of hypertension that's affecting my health rather negatively (and somewhat alarmingly). Second, I will be on the road a bit too much in the coming weeks, ranging from Washington DC to Riga to elsewhere (which certainly won't help that blood pressure).

Anyway, this blog will continue, so keep checking back. Hopefully my health will recover soon and allow me to fully pursue this blog again!

2007-03-02T12:17:00.000-05:00

Geisha
33 East 61st Street (between Park and Madison)

On what proved to be a wet and messy Thursday evening, me and a dear friend decided on a later-than-usual dinner in this uptown trendy locale. I had been a little hesitant, as I'm not into Asian-fusion, and Thursday evenings in trendy UES places tend to be of drunken investment bankers either trying to out machismo each other or to get a bit of flesh before heading out of town for the weekend. But nevertheless, we went for it.

At first impression it was awful, as the management just had no control over the guest arrival situation. It was total chaos, and any good restaurant manager would be aghast to see this much chaos. Plus with the limited front-room area and the overflowing bar with aggressive drunks, it began the evening very poorly. Bad design, as usual. It reminded me of 212 (which was also a late Thursday evening, come to think of it...).

We took the internal lift to the 2nd floor and was seated in a room with some of the most ridiculous people I've seen in New York yet: a table full of drunken and loud young investment bankers, two Russian trophies taking the most inane stuff (боже...), and an assortment of other loud louts and people whose self-importance is about as pronounced as their ignorance and idiocy...ugh... But we tried to enjoy ourself in the rather odd environment. The environment was pretty bland but the seating was comfortable, so that was a mild plus.

The menu didn't excite me and looking at the chaos, I chose not to have the special imported wagyu (like the one I enjoyed at Megu). I ended up with a very boring and bland lobster dumpling starter (foam, damn it!!!). I was worried about this meal...

However, the grilled lamb turned out to be spectacular, one of the best lambs I've had in awhile. I personally do a great rack of lamb so am über-critical on this, but they did a fantastic job. Good quality meat done right, it's a joy.

We split a bread pudding for dessert that was okay, nothing too special. By now most of the annoying people around had moved on (probably to other drinking dens) and we relaxed and took our time finishing our drinks. This is much more civilised...

Overall it's not a bad place, but the external conditions make this place a trial I think. I would so much rather go to Megu (if they'll ever have me back after my idiocy last time!) as they have a better menu and better concept. This place is just a trendy UES place -- good for what it is, but that's it.

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

2007-02-26T21:24:00.000-05:00

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-

2007-02-22T19:30:00.000-05:00

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+

2007-02-21T13:13:00.000-05:00

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-

2007-02-20T12:33:00.000-05:00

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+ (*)

2007-02-19T13:53:00.000-05:00

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 (*)