Monthly Archives: July 2011

Jul11

EATS on Lexington: 1055 Lexington Ave. NY, NY

Posted on by
Standard

Another ‘Scoop St.’ deal bought, and this one was a real winner! This is in a location that had been empty for a long time and I’d walked past a few times since it opened a couple of months ago. It’s right near the 77th st. subway which makes it a super convenient meeting spot. Although we had reservations, it was fairly quiet for a Saturday night and we got the best table in the place with no problem. I suppose that opening a restaurant on the Upper East Side (where a lot of the locals vanish to the Hamptons) in the middle of the summer makes it very tough to gain a new following, and they were really smart to use Scoop St. to try to bring new people in.

I have to take a second to rave about our server. Laisla (I’m probably spelling that wrong) was truly outstanding and seriously enhanced our experience. She clearly likes working here and had no problem getting genuinely excited telling us about her favorite dishes. Super friendly and charismatic, even if the food HADN’T been great, I’d almost consider going back just to be entertained by her again…but the bonus is, the food WAS great!

We had a deal where we got a martini, a burger, fries, and 6 oysters each for $22. SCORE. (normally double that price) The oysters were our choice of 2 east coast selections and they were freshly shucked and fantastic. The only thing I didn’t love was that each one sat on a bed of salt instead of the usual bed of ice. This added a salty slurp to each one that was unnecessary and a bit overpowering. The burger was AWESOME with caramelized onions and american cheese. I would have liked some other fancier cheese options- maybe gruyere or blue, but it was really excellent just the way it was…except maybe a little closer to medium-well than the medium I’d ordered. The fries, which were perfectly crispy when they came out well-done as requested, were impossible to not finish. The martini pretty much got me drunkity drunk drunk after 3 sips and the extra olives were super enjoyable once they’d soaked up the vodka.

The only disappoint was our dessert, the homemade marshmallow s’mores. Although the marshmallow looked beautiful, it was not hot and melty. The chocolate component was really more of a liquidy sauce than a melted chocolate bar. The one piece of graham cracker was store-bought, not made fresh. I would have been happier with a hershey bar and jet puffs…In her defense though, Laisla had not recommended this one- she gushed about the tres leches cheesecake, and had we not already been stuffed, we would have listened to her. Next time Laisla, next time.

 

*photos courtesy of Gabriel Sanders. http://www.magicsandbox.com/enter/Magic_Sandbox.html

Jul11

Maui Tacos: 330 5th ave. NY NY

Posted on by
Standard

This was a pretty good choice for a snack for my boyfriend and I in a touristy, crowded area. It was empty, air conditioned, and relatively cheap, which at the time was pretty much enough to make me happy. When we saw the salsa bar with tons of choices (including a pineapple one that I especially liked) AND fresh cilantro (my favorite herb) I was sold. I ordered the marinated fish tacos and I have to say, they were better than I expected. This is a order-at-the-counter place, but it was a nice touch that they actually bring your tray of food over when it’s ready. I went over to the salsa bar and enjoyed filling many little cups with the various sauces and toppings. The white fish was grilled, not fried and shared the soft taco shell with fresh cabbage, cilantro and a mayo-y sauce that I could have gone without. It sat on top of some soggy yellow rice (not worth it) and black beans (a little salty but okay). This ended up being a lot more filling than a little snack, and was actually a pretty decent lunch. If I’m in the area, I ‘d probably return there.

 

*photos courtesy of Gabriel Sanders. http://www.magicsandbox.com/enter/Magic_Sandbox.html

Jul6

Vermicelli: 1492 2nd Ave. New York, NY

Posted on by
Standard

This restaurant is literally 2 blocks from my apartment and yet, for some reason, it’s taken me 4+ years of living here to try it out. Last night was a great opportunity for it, out with a friend in super hot weather and we wanted something on the lighter/healthier side than Italian, Mexican or burgers- which is what else is close by.

Although there was plenty of outdoor seating available, we opted for the air-conditioned inside and were seated immediately. The decor is warm with maroons and burgundies, rich fabrics and golden lights.

The waiter immediately brought out menus, yummy, crunchy, rice crackers thingys with a sweet dipping sauce and filled our water glasses. The service remained fast, polite and attentive throughout our meal.

We decided to share a watercress salad with papaya and ginger dressing that was a perfect starter. Light, refreshing and not drowned in dressing.

Next we shared 2 entrees. One was the chicken with mango, cashew nuts and mushrooms and the other was the shrimp vermicelli with basil, mushrooms, ginger, snow peas, onions, chilies and peanuts. The chicken dish was pretty good- not amazing, but fine. The shrimp dish was WAY too spicy, we had specifically asked for it mild, and we had to send it back. They promptly re-made it and brought out a new one for us and we really enjoyed this dish. The flavors all went together very nicely, the ingredients were fresh and fragrant, and the shrimp were perfectly cooked. One thing I really love about Vietnamese food is that it’s really not greasy at all and there aren’t any super heavy sauces. You can really taste the clean flavor of each ingredient and on a really hot day, that’s exactly what I wanted.

Overall, I’d say this place is pretty good. Not fantastic, but for a local place it’s a good option. I don’t know if I’d really consider it to be authentic Vietnamese, I think it’s more the Upper East Side watered-down version, but again, worth a visit if you live up here.