GOOD EATS

Highlights of last week


Ventured out of Manhattan and headed to Brooklyn Heights to Colonie off of Atlantic Ave. We scored a nice corner spot at the bar and sipped on some drinks in a relaxed atmosphere. Cheese and cured meats seemed like a no brainer as family meal wore off. I also opted for the octopus which was delicious. The octopus was tender and the dish was built with subtle, beautiful flavors.





We then ventured to Dumbo to Gran Electrica which is owned by the same people who own Colonie (and the Governor). Dangerously good cucumber margaritas go down smooth whether your chilling outside in the back space or at the bar. I really liked the vibe and the food was fantastic. Beef tongue and fish tacos were awesome. I look forward to going back and trying more things on the menu.














The Growler on Stone Street proves to be some of the best food I've eaten on Stone Street. Not that the food was AMAZING, but it was definitely good. Better than the bar grub you get some Becketts or The Dubliner. The burger was solid and the beers were going down good.

Bone Marrow!






Mission Chinese
Just go and thank me later.












My cousin's bachelor party at the W hotel. BLT bar and grill private dining room for dinner and then up to the roof lounge with an awesome outside area. Quiet, more intimate on weekends and rowdy during the week.




Alidoro (Soho)
Bangin' Italian sandwiches. Get there early.


Wife's owner is usually behind the counter and could be unwelcoming; but Walter (owner) is the man. I was sitting at one of two tables in the small sandwich shop and he asked me how I was enjoying my sandwich. He ended up sitting down and we chatted for a half hour. Super nice guy with a great operation. Definitely check it out, but get there early as they close once they run out of bread.

"Ingredients are key"



Harry's Italian
Chicken Parm sandwich--oww wee

Reppin' the EAST SIDE

Breakfast at Penelope turned out to be a nice start to the day. I went before my brunch shift around 9:30 on the Monday of Labor Day and I thought it was going to be dead--I was mistaken. People were waiting outside, but I was lucky enough to sneak in and grab a seat at the six-person bar. The staff here is friendly and welcoming. The restaurant reminds me of a New England style cafe--cozy and quaint. Good food, good vibe--definitely a spot to check out if you are looking for a solid breakfast in the Curry Hill area.







ABC KITCHEN

I haven't been to ABC Kitchen in over a year and I've been craving it. Last night I went with my friend Nadine and we had quite the elaborate lunch. This time was just as lavish minus the booze. Jared and I opted to do the pre-fixe which is a three course meal for $32 --quite the deal! We both got the same exact thing, but I'm glad we did because sharing would have been pretty hard considering everything was outstanding. Crab toast and tuna sashimi got us started. They sent us out some pretzel dusted calamari--a very fine rendition of an old favorite. The crab toast was ridiculous while the tuna melted in your mouth with amazing flavor.









For entrees we got the ricotta and farm egg raviolo, pork ragu, chilies, mint, and parm.

For dessert we both got the salted caramel sundae.








whoa! FOOD COMA!

Catchin' Up

Chi-town

Oak Street Beach

Tall Boys of dos equis and good rock music

Gino's East

Good deep dish pizza. 

Takes 45 minutes for deep dish pizza

cornbread crust--eh

Walls filled with white markers from people who have visited

golden tee

pretty good crowd

Elate--recommeded by Eater for brunch was closed. We stayed anyway and had a quiet breakfast. Decent food. Ok service. In the hotel Felix...

Back in NYC

North End Grill

Lunch at the dining counter facing the open kitchen. Heirloom tomato salad with a basil and balsamic for starters (complimentary) and rice flaked halibut with watermelon, watercress, and lime for an entree. Great space. Didn't change silver--surprising! The cappuccino I drank was delicious, but thought the $6 price tag was a bit steep. Food keeps getting better every time I go. Definitely go check out...

Amazing lunch at Gramercy Tavern. 

Oysters, burger, and chicken were the standouts but everything was delicious. They sent us out 5 desserts and all were ridiculous. Always an amazing experience at GT, 

Dinner at Ma Peche (West 56th St)

Large format feast for Chase's Birthday.

Ma Peche which means "mother peach" is David Chang's only midtown outpost. Ma Peche is part of his Momofuku empire, but has an uptown chicness. The space is a bit strange in layout, but it proves to be a pretty sweet spot. Chase, the birthday boy, arranged a large format meal so we didn't have to do anything but enjoy. Someone at the table ordered some wine which I got down with. The large format meal came with two whole fried chickens and a smoked lamb shoulder for proteins. Eggplant (with sour cream and olive oiil), chickpeas (tahini, lemon, falafel), and wheat berry with cucumber, red onion, and parsley all played supporting roles in the feast. Yellow rice and a salad of iceberg lettuce were impressive, but rounded out the meal. The feast also came with pickles, tomato chutney, pita, and white & red sauces. Not doing any research, I was shocked when everything hit the table. I went in expecting pork buns and other Momofuku dishes. Instead it seemed more Middle Eastern than Asian. Not that is was a bad thing, just different than what was expected. After glancing over the regular menu, the large format meal seemed to be its own "thing". But enough analyzing and onto the eating. The chicken was described as fried, but you might not have even noticed. The chicken was moist and delicious and I reached for seconds. The lamb shoulder was tender and had a nice char amidst a lovely smokiness. The sides were all solid, but I kept reaching back for the protein. After dinner, desserts followed and they were all pretty solid. Cake balls were sent out complimentary for the birthday boy and boy were they good. I almost hit up the Milk Bar shop upstairs before leaving! The service was solid --much better than the downtown locations. Overall, its Momufuku grown up and ready for a more mainstream crowd. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the area. 

BK BOUND

Hopped on the L to Brooklyn for a party at Whiskey Brooklyn. The place was pretty sweet. The crowd was eclectic and everyone was having a good time. It was pretty packed by we managed to post up by the shuffle board, so it was comfortable. Whiskey Brooklyn has a ton of things to keep you occupied like skee ball, buck hunter, and a photo booth. The DJ was playing everything from Gangster's Paradise to Backstreet Boys. Rihanna's "We Found Love" might seem normal while Hanson's "Um Bop" definitely surprised me. Whatever the DJ was playing, the crowd was feeling even if they don't admit it. Bro's dominated the crowd; but it was still a good time. So grab the champagne of beers or a can of tecate and cheers to finding your way back to Manhattan. 

Sunday Funday

I started my Sunday at The Cardinal with some friends for brunch. Although the "grade pending" sign had me worried, the smell of comfort food drove us in. I kept it simple with house made bacon and scrambled eggs. The bacon and eggs were accompanied by grits which were the best part. Everyone else at the table got the fried chicken sandwich, which looked pretty good. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. They were serving $5 mimosas and tallboys of Sweet Action, so the place could be dangerous. We eventually pulled ourselves out of our chairs and headed to Abraco for some coffee. 

After some olympics, we headed back out to Wahoo's Fish Tacos for some more food! It was the New York version of Surf Taco. It seemed a bit out of place on Park Ave but I guess that area is known for their fast casual eateries. Wahoo's is a chain with locations in Hawaii, California, Texas, Colorado, etc. Solid food with super friendly service. Laid back and casual--it feels like you're dining in some surf shack in Oahu.

Searching Hobo

The newly weds, Dan and Sue, and I were chatting about the Hoboken restaurant scene and we were all wondering why Hoboken didn't have more serious restaurants. In a town dominated by bars, why isn't there more destination restaurants. I was excited for our dinner that night at The Fig Tree. I thought that maybe this would be the answer to our question. 

We walked in and Suzanne's face dropped as she disclaimed, "we're not sitting in here." She was right, the front of The Fig Tree was overly bright and smelt like bleach. The room was empty and this made me nervous. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that there was a back room that was a bit more elegant. Dimly light with white tablecloths--this place was finally coming to look like the place the website had promised. Our server, who we learned also worked at David Burke's Townhouse fumbled with simple service; but is this something that Dan and Sue had noticed? Like when he presented our Pinot Noir not mentioning the producer or vintage; but letting us know "this is your bottle." Pouring the wine didn't get any better as he filled our cups like we were chugging Franzia in college. Maybe its just me; but less is more especially when it comes to wine. But it wasn't all bad--its just a few things that could have been better; especially if The Fig Tree wants to be a destination restaurant in Hoboken. Not all successful restaurants are destinations restaurants; but I find it hard to be a neighborhood spot do to their prices. Appetizers start at $12 and go up to $18 while entrees start at $28.

We started with yellowfin tuna tartar that featured edamame, avocado, mint,and crispy filo dressed with a thai chili vinaigrette. Our other starter was Hudson Valley foie gras paired with beautiful maitake mushrooms and peanuts. The tuna tartar was good; but the foie gras was the highlight of our meal. For main courses, we got the Colorado lamb duo, the Magret duck breast, and Milton's paella. I had the highest hopes for the lamb; but my expectations fell short. It was a good lamb dish; but not great. The duck came out rare, which is a bit undercooked in my opinion. The bok choy, baby turnips, and cippolini onions didn't help elevate the dish enough to remember. Dan ordered the paella which I thought was the best entree. The rice was cooked perfect and acted as the bed for well cooked seafood. Truffled mac and cheese with lobster was a nice sharing dish for the table. Good flavor, but a bit skimpy on the lobster! 

We passed on dessert and went for after dinner drinks at Oneil's, a bar down the street. Dan sipped on his remy while Sue went with a campari and soda --instantly bringing them back to their honeymoon days. Whiskey on the rocks proved to be an excellent nightcap for me. A good dinner, but a great time with friends. 

Lunch at Lure

Lure: Something that tempts or attracts with the promise of pleasure of reward. Who wouldn't be tempted by restaurant designed like a luxury yacht. Located on Mercer Street, Lure Fishbar occupies the old Canteen space. Josh Capon still runs the kitchen here bringing Soho a great selection of seafood while not forgetting about the carnivores. I've been wanting to go to Lure Fishbar for quite sometime not only because the menu was exciting; but because its been getting pretty good press. Owners Josh Pickard and John McDonald are part owners in other notable restaurants such as B&B, MercBar, The Dutch, Chinatown Brassier, and Locanda Verde; so the two definitely know what they're doing.

A block away from Kristen's office, this was a perfect spot for lunch AND they were doing restaurant week! I was pleasantly surprised that their restaurant week menu reflected the same dishes that they normally serve. It really bugs me when restaurants create dishes during restaurant week that they don't normally serve.




We both started with oysters, because we were both in a seafood state of mind even before stepping foot into this subterranean yacht. East coast oysters proved to be meaty, fresh, and exactly what we wanted. For our second course, I went with grilled Atlantic salmon that sat on a bed of ratatouille. The fish was cooked to perfection and the bell pepper ratatouille really hit the spot. Kristen got the steamed cod which was paired with oyster mushrooms,  scallions, ponzu, and cilantro. Both dishes were delicious and were a good portion size.




I ended with a warm chocolate cake that was a bit dense for my liking. The cake's strongest component was the salted caramel ice cream which sat on top of some delicious caramel popcorn. Kristen got the panna cotta, which isn't normally on their dessert menu; but she seemed to enjoy.


Left feeling good and will definitely return. Can't really critique the service because we didn't have much interaction; but I guess that could be a good thing. Overall, a very pleasant meal.