Tag Archives: concepts

Oct23

Heidi’s House: 308 E. 78th st. New York, NY

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I’d been meaning to try Heidi’s for a long time, especially since it’s only a couple of blocks from my apartment. To call it tiny would be an understatement, and every time I walked by it was totally packed solid. Even though Heidi had graciously offered to take my cell phone number and call when a table was ready, I was always too hungry to wait for one and kept putting it off for a time when luck would have me walk by to find an empty table.

When Gabriel and I found a 50% off deal on Scoutmob, we just couldn’t resist anymore…crowded or not, how could we pass up such a great offer? On Yelp.com, people were raving about Heidi’s since it opened, with every review even better than the last. We called from my place, asked if she’d put us on the list and she obliged, telling us to come by in about half an hour. When we arrived, we’d apparently missed our name being called. We were told that they did in fact try to call us on my cell phone but when they got no answer they skipped us. When I asked to see the number they called and found they’d written it down wrong, they apologized and immediately found us the perfect little table for two. This was a great start indeed.

Although it’s small, it’s rather cozy, especially on a chilly night. The local crowd , clearly built of quite a few loyal regulars, was totally down-to-earth, mostly in jeans and T’s. I loved the comfortable atmosphere and immediately felt at home. Before I even tried the food, I proclaimed “this is my new favorite local!” excitedly. Gabriel laughed and reminded me we hadn’t even ordered yet. Well, I guess I just had that much faith that it would be awesome.

I’m very happy to say that my jumping-the-gun announcement was well deserved. The food was totally outstanding. We shared 3 small plates; the shrimp tacos which were made simply and perfectly cooked, the fresh guacamole with warm, homemade tortilla chips and the special gnocchi of the day; which was served with parmesan, white truffle oil and shiitake mushrooms. WOW. That last one was seriously noteworthy. The gnocchi were basically little heaps of mashed potatoes and the meaty mushrooms made this dish more than filling enough for the two of us to share. We would probably have licked the plate clean if no one had been watching. Seriously scrumptious. We had struggled in choosing it over the lobster mac and cheese which is one of their classics, but decided since that one is always on the menu we’d be able to try the much-talked-about mac next time. We also had 2 delicious glasses of wine- which were generously filled to the top in large glasses, more than reasonable at $7 each.

We left Heidi’s full and very pleased with our experience. The wait staff is awesome. The clientele is awesome. The overall vibe is exactly what you’d hope to find in your neighborhood local spot. We will most certainly go back soon, this time perhaps to try that famous lobster mac, the incredible looking chocolate souffle and to play one of the many board games piled high near the front door. I worry that it’s often so crowded and yet another rave review will only keep adding to the number of people who have discovered this treasure, but alas, it is my culinary duty to keep you all well-informed of the gems like this one. Enjoy!

Oct15

Raul’s Empanadas Town: 63 Morris Street, Morristown, NJ

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Gabriel and I were in Morristown, NJ to go horseback riding today and we arrived back at the train station a little bit early. We were pretty thankful about that since we were starving and the little town had lots of cute options. The owner of the stable had mentioned Raul’s as a great choice since it was near the train station, super reasonably priced, fast and tasty.

We glanced over the menu on the wall and quickly decided on the $8.00 (!!!!!) combo for 2 which included 2 beef empanadas, 2 chicken empanadas and 2 sodas. The prices alone were enough to impress us. Clearly we weren’t in Manhattan anymore, Toto.

We got our food to go and took it to eat outside on a bench at the train station. It stayed nice and hot despite the chill in the air, and we welcomed the warmth. Overall, the empanadas were tasty, but not what I think of as authentic at all. The crust tasted a lot like crunchy corn bread- pretty good, but not very empanada-y. The fillings were flavorful and tender. We had also picked up 2 of their sauces: a mango cilantro one and a mildly spicy chipotle salsa, which were a little lacking in flavor, but added the perfect amount of moisture to the semi-dry meat fillings. The pockets o’ meat were pretty small and 2 of them was the perfect size for a small dinner.

If you’re in the area, I would recommend this as a convenient and interesting choice for a meal…especially if you want to spend less than what it costs to feed one person in NYC.

Oct1

Veselka: 114 2nd ave. New York, NY

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A made-at-home dinner a few nights ago including overcooked frozen pierogies inspired a visit to one of Gabriel’s old standbys, Veselka. A NYC East Village staple with almost 800 reviews on Yelp.com, it was a clear choice to go get our craving satisfied with ‘real’ pierogies.

When we arrived, we were seated right away in the obviously popular Ukrainian restaurant. A casual, diner-like setting with a bustling wait staff ensured an efficient dinner service. Menus and ice water were brought out right away as we were given a few minutes to look over the choices. I decided on the vegetarian plate, and Gabriel got the deluxe vegetarian plate. Both came with bread, soup and salad, and ended up being PLENTY of food even though we opted to round out our carb-laden meals with a side of steamed vegetables and a side of kielbasa.

I had never had hot borscht made with meat before and it totally changed my perception of the soup. As far as I can remember, the only type I’d ever tried was the cold, smooth, in-a-jar-from-the-grocery-store type, with a dollop of sour cream on top. This was really hearty and full of flavor. Instead of being smooth and creamy, it was a thin broth with pieces of beef, carrots, onions and beets in it. It was totally belly warming and delicious, and for that alone I made a note to myself to return. The salad was simple, but had a lovely lemon-dill dressing that I really enjoyed. I am a huge fan of dill, but someone who isn’t would definitely not be pleased with this one and might want to ask for another choice.

The vegetarian plate consisted of 4 pierogies (2 cheese and 2 potato) and cabbage stuffed with rice, mushrooms and herbs and covered in a mushroom gravy. It was served with a side of sour cream and a side of delicious chopped, caramelized onions (my favorite part). The pierogies were certainly much better than the ones I’d left in the oven for too long a few days prior, but didn’t blow me away. A little bit on the oily side and very simple, I thought they kind of lacked in flavor and the fluffy filling I was hoping for. The cheese one was better than the potato, but neither were really noteworthy. The stuffed cabbage was on the tough side and filled with so much rice that I felt like I was going to pop after eating it. The gravy was rich, creamy and flavorful. Gabriel’s plate also included kasha, which I tasted. It was okay, but I didn’t feel like I was missing out on much by not ordering it. Our side of vegetables included broccoli, carrots and cauliflower and was very buttery. It helped the feeling over eating a full plate of carbs for dinner, as did the half a kielbasa that we shared. For dessert we shared a blueberry/almond tart with a scoop of vanilla ice cream that was really quite good. The almond-y cake was moist and had a great consistency, although we both would have like to see more than the speckle of blueberries on top. We were probably too full to have ordered it, but somehow we managed to find room.

Although this meal was only an ‘eh’ in my book, I DID feel warm and comforted by the heavy food, and felt that I got a sense of what Ukrainian food really is. As we got ready to leave and admired a case full of desserts, pastries and more, a sighting of a small roach crawling over the cookies left me feeling rather gross. We alerted the cashier to it and left wondering if a return visit was actually in the cards anymore. I know this is NYC and it’s hard to prevent things like rodents and bugs…but really? Crawling IN the bakery case? That’s just eww.

*Photos by Gabriel Sanders http://www.magicsandbox.com

Sep14

53rd and 6th Halal Cart, New York, NY

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I’d heard a TON about this vendor over the years and finally happened to be in the area right when my stomach started growling for lunch. The line, as always, went halfway down the block.
30 minutes later, as I wondered if this wait was really worth it, I had my $6 yellow bag full of food. I found a nice shady bench to sit on and opened my little aluminum container of WAY too much for one person to eat. I ordered the combo platter so that I could make sure to sample both the lamb and the chicken that is raved about by so many. With a ridiculous portion of yellow rice on top, a pita cut up into little wedges, and a small side salad of iceberg lettuce, green peppers and tomatoes, I wondered what all of this fuss was about. I started with little tastes of the 2 sauces I had asked for on the side: the classic white sauce and the hot sauce (by the way, ow). So, ok. Now I get it. I have NO idea why, but this food is really ridiculously good. The chicken is fresh, hot and lightly seasoned. I preferred it over the ground lamb, but that’s just my personal preference- both were really excellent. The yellow rice is sticky-licious, flavorful and plentiful. The white sauce, as everyone says, is what makes the meal what it is. Creamy and cool, kind of like tzatziki sauce but without the cucumber. I actually have no idea what is in it, but it sure is tasty.
I couldn’t even come close to eating half of my meal, but found a homeless man who was very happy to accept my 2nd half. I’m not actually sure that I’ll go back, because the too-full feeling I still had an hour later wasn’t exactly the most pleasant, but I am glad I finally tried it. Go with a friend and share one order. It’s a wisely spent $3 each for a great lunch.

Sep6

Time Cafe: 44-18 Broadway, Astoria, NY

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Not worth the time? A waste of time (and money)? A pretty unsatisfying time? Time to go?  If you want any of those options, you’ve come to the right place! Otherwise, Time Cafe should be skipped altogether.

Dinner here last night was pretty sad. Three shared dishes were all poor, and would have been much better at a generic diner. We started with a salad with feta, chickpeas and kalamata olives that came with a watery red wine vinaigrette (that seemingly was made of olive juice and vinegar. I think they forgot to add olive oil) It was fine, because we were starving, but pretty darn boring and unimpressive. Our fried calamari looked good, but had almost zero flavor. The batter tasted like junky quality that was cooked in used and re-used frying oil, and even after adding some salt still the dish tasted totally bland. The grilled chicken balsamico panini may as well have been served on toasted and buttered Wonder Bread. It was just one thin, small piece of grilled chicken with a melted slice of provolone and a slightly unripe tomato. The roasted red peppers and lemon pepper mayo that was described in the menu was no where to be seen (or tasted). For $10, I could have gotten a better version of this sandwich plus a drink, chips and a cookie at Lenny’s or another deli, and it would have been on better bread. Oh, and I’m pretty sure that the fries they served with it were from someone’s leftover McDonald’s lunch.

A ‘decaf’ cappuccino that had me wired until 1am was served with a Nutella pirouette cookie (that we asked for after seeing them served with another table’s coffees but not initially being brought out for us- maybe the fact that they were old and stale was the reason why) was fine, but not hot.

Overall, for $45 (including tip) this meal was a total bummer. It was a good thing we were so hungry or my perception of the food would have been even worse.

Next time, I’ll surely try one of the many raved-about Thai places in the neighborhood instead of taking a risk wandering into a cafe just because it looks cute from the outside. My bad.

Photos courtesy of Gabriel Sanders: http://www.magicsandbox.com

Sep5

Cake Boss Cafe (The Discovery Museum) 226 W. 44th. New York, NY

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When I heard that Buddy Valastro had opened up ‘Cake Boss Cafe’ in the Discovery Times Square Museum, I got even more excited to go see the Pompeii Exhibit that I’d been looking forward to for so long. Gabriel and I bought a ‘Living Social’ deal online for admission for 2 to the museum that conveniently came with a $10 coupon to the Cafe. Perfect!

After a couple of hours exploring the fascinating exhibit, we headed downstairs for some sweet treats. As you can see from this drool-worthy photo, we had reason to expect happy taste buds. Sadly, as you’ll soon read, looks can be deceiving. A long line of tourists wasn’t enough to stop us from our anticipated indulgence and neither were dirty tables and floors or a grumpy, unhelpful cashier. When we asked him if the desserts came in fresh every day, he simply muttered, “I don’t know, sometimes.” Umm, thanks.

$11.50 bought us 3 rainbow cakes (one of my all-time favorite baked goods) a chocolate chip cookie and a brownie. Pretty overpriced when we realized how totally gross everything was. $11.50 at the best bakery in Brooklyn can buy you a pound of amazing cookies and pastries, and would seriously have been money MUCH better spent…even when you consider that this was essentially free for us with our coupon.

I have a dear friend with outstanding taste who bought her wedding cake from Buddy’s Hoboken bakery, which is called Carlo’s Bake Shop. I do not doubt for one nanosecond that her cake was incredible. This is a woman who knows good food and definitely does her research. She would not, in a million years, buy a cake from someone other than the best.

That said, since I was going in with high expectations, this was a MAJOR disappointment. I do not think that Buddy, The ‘Cake Boss’ would want his name on this cafe at all if he knew how awfully he was being represented here.

I would have strongly preferred busting open a box of Entenmann’s, or even <shudder> Chips Ahoy, over this miserable excuse for a chocolate chip cookie. Under-cooked, and not in the good doughy way, this was just a total waste of calories. The rainbow cakes were so stale and dry that I could literally peel the ‘jelly’ layer off in one rubbery strip. I’ve had better at bad Bar Mitzvah dessert buffets. The brownie was crumbly, dry, and chemically. It honestly couldn’t hold a torch to a brownie sold at an elementary school bake sale that was made three nights before from a Duncan Hines mix by a couple of 8 year olds.

If I wasn’t so totally let down by this experience, I’d hop the next PATH train over to Hoboken just to see what Buddy’s fresh baked treats are really like. I think he does deserve a second chance given the rave reviews from my friend as well as because I really do enjoy his TLC reality show. I, however, just can’t fathom putting that much effort in. After all, it IS in New Jersey and that is quite a trek considering this pitiful experience. I worry that I’ll spend all that time on the train just for another crappy cookie and I simply can’t handle that. I am sorry to say that I take baked goods far too seriously to give the benefit of the doubt this time. Next time, I will just stick to the exhibit and take a little walk for my favorite chocolate cupcake instead at nearby Kyotofu. I highly suggest that you do the same. (Please see https://bigforkinmouth.wordpress.com/2010/04/22/kyotofu-705-9th-ave-new-york-ny/)

Photo courtesy of Gabriel Sanders: http://www.magicsandbox.com

Sep4

Ca Va Brasserie: 310 W. 44th st. New York, NY

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I had theater tickets for Friday night to go see Hair on Broadway with Gabriel, and decided to look around for a place nearby to have dinner. Since restaurant week was extended this summer, it was easy to find lots of options. As soon as I saw one of Todd English’s places within a block from the theater, the choice was made. I love all of his other restaurants and was excited to try this one.

When we got there we took in the large, open, modern setting, cool, dimly-lit, art-deco, light fixtures, a large fireplace and chic, upscale decor. We were seated right away at a small table on the side of restaurant and drink orders were taken. As we sipped our cocktails and looked over the menu, we saw that the restaurant week menu was not the same as the one posted on the website. We weren’t really thrilled about the options on it and decided instead to share 2 appetizers, 2 sides and a dessert. It was the perfect choice to make, still plenty of food, slightly less expensive and exactly what we wanted to eat.

First, a large loaf of crusty French bread and butter was brought out in a brown paper, bakery sleeve. Still warm from the oven, with a fluffy inside, it was wonderful and hard to not polish off in 10 seconds flat. When all 4 dishes came out very soon after, we were delighted with our varied choices and the fact that we’d ordered the perfect amount to make a dinner out of. My favorite dish was the grilled octopus. It was slightly caramelized and served over cannellini beans, patty pan squash and herbs. SO delicious. The texture of the octopus was a little chewy, as it should be, and the flavor really came through since it was so simply grilled. The fried oysters were prepared escargot style- and although they were drowning in a herb butter, they somehow had a lightness about them. They were served with a grilled piece of garlic bread that was so wonderful to mop the sauce up with. We decided to ask for more regular bread so that we could continue sopping it up until the plate was dry. The haricot vert with wax beans and roasted shallots was prepared simply, cooked al dente and served it’s purpose as the one vegetable on the table. Light, clean and crunchy, it was excellent alongside of the heavy other choices we’d made. The last side was the mac and cheese with truffles. This was the only one I was not impressed with, and by looking around at the tables around us, we could see it was one of the most popular items to order. The truffle flavor seemingly came from a powder, there were no slivered truffles to speak of, and the pasta itself tasted over-cooked and mushy to me. Although the cheese was gooey and stretchy, it didn’t add much flavor. Frankly, for a dish this indulgent, it simply wasn’t worth the fat and carbs to me.  It was much more impressive in it’s presentation- served in a small crock with a crusty, golden-browned top, than in it’s taste.

For dessert we ordered the milk chocolate gateau with caramel sauce and peanuts. Wow. This was amazing. Admittedly, I am a total sucker for chocolate desserts but this one was definitely a winner. With a glossy ganache, a chocolate cookie crust, a mousse-y interior, a topping of caramelized peanuts, a swirl of caramel around the outside and a scoop of the most perfect vanilla bean ice cream, this left nothing to want. I sipped my pink chamomile tea with honey and was pretty much transported to heaven.

Overall, this is another top-notch Todd English winner in my book. I would be happy to go back- especially given the hit-or-miss nature of dining options in the theater district. Bravo! Encore!

 *photos courtesy of Gabriel Sanders. http://www.magicsandbox.com
Aug23

Salumè: 330 W Broadway New York, NY

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I met my friend Betsy for lunch here today when she realized that her $40 Groupon was nearing it’s expiration date. When we arrived, we were seated right away at a table right in front of the candy apple red slicer. This is a well-loved Italian sandwich shop that boasts sliced-to-order meats and authentic Panini. This is not the  pressed and grilled ‘Panini’ that we NYers are used to, but actual real, Italian, non-squished Panini.

We ordered two to share; the Langhirano (Parma Proscuitto, Buffalo Mozzarella, tomato, Olive Oil) and the Stelvio (Bresaola, Parmesan, Arugula, Olive oil, Lemon juice and pepper)

The meats were pulled from their shelves and we could easily watch as they sliced it on the ‘Ferrari of slicers’, (as the Italians apparently refer to it) the Berkel. The other ingredients were carefully layered on and placed in perfect ratios on crunchy, warm, fresh Italian baguette and served immediately alongside of our iced teas.

There were 3 desserts offered on the menu, and we decided to share something. We ordered the tiramisu, which they were apparently out of. Then we asked about the chocolate salumi, which they were out of too. The third one didn’t really appeal, so, so much for that. No dessert for us.

The atmosphere is nothing special, just a small cafe with about 8 little tables. The service is fine, but not outstanding. There was literally nothing on the table at all- no flowers, no napkins, no placemats, no utensils, no glasses of water. I think most people probably come here and get panini to go instead of sitting and being served.

Including our tip, the total came to just under $50. Given our awesome Groupon for $20, it was a great deal…but to be honest, without that deal I’m really not sure that 2 sandwiches are really worth that much money. Delicious? Yes. But THAT much better than a baguette from elsewhere for 60% of that price? Probably not.


					


	

		


	
Aug17

	

											
Cho Cho San: 15 W. 8th st. New York, NY

					
		

			
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I had a $10 coupon for the new ‘groupon now’ (for deals that you can buy and use right away within a time limit) and found a deal online for $20 for $30 worth of food at Cho Cho San. When I checked yelp.com for reviews and found only great things, I knew this was a good place to spend my coupon. So with a $30 credit that I paid $10 for, Gabriel and I headed over for some top-notch sushi.


When we arrived, it was fairly empty and we were given our choice of the best corner booths. Our waiter immediately brought out water, carrots/celery and a soy/miso (I think) dipping sauce (by the way, what you see pictured is after we’d eaten most of them) which I thought was a nice touch given that most Japanese restaurants don’t offer any pre-meal things to munch on.


Aside from the Obama Roll (salmon, mango, black caviar, jalapeno) spicy tuna roll (which a lot of Yelp reviewers said not to miss) and scallop sushi, we were pretty open to the waiter’s suggestions and let him choose the rest for us. He added in an octopus/cilantro roll that was incredible, a perfect shrimp tempura roll and a yellowtail/toro roll that was also fantastic. All of the seafood was perfect quality, beautifully presented and deeeeeeelicious.


I don’t usually bother reviewing sushi restaurants because for the most part, most of them are basically the same, but Cho Cho San was truly above average. Oh, and I totally agree with the Yelpers, the spicy tuna roll was one of the best ones I’ve ever had, overflowing with extra tuna on top. The octopus roll was my favorite of the night, with the Obama roll a close second. If my mouth hadn’t stayed on fire for a half hour after eating it, It would surely have advanced to the best one of the meal.


Even without our groupon, this dinner was worth every penny…but paying a total of $40 for this awesome meal made it taste even better. Check it out!


 

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

					


	

		


	
Aug15

	

											
Plan B Burger Bar: 4 Railroad St. Simsbury, CT

					
		

			
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I spent last weekend up at my dear friend’s house in Simsbury, CT, a place I affectionately refer to as The Happy Place. On Sunday, a bunch of us decided to go out for lunch to Plan B Burger Bar and it was a pleasant surprise. I must admit, having lived in NYC for 4+ years now, I’ve gotten pretty spoiled by the endless and wonderful food options and am always a little skeptical of trying non-NY eateries. Plan B proved me wrong- it’s a nothing-fancy kind of place, but in a very cozy, old train station atmosphere complete with Edison lights hanging from meat hooks.


The menu was mostly pub food and great sounding burgers. We all shared the cheese fondue starter which came with loads of fried green beans, soft pretzel nuggets (YUM), tater tots and apple slices. The cheese was creamy and mild and complemented the dip-able items perfectly. For my lunch I ordered the lobster sliders with a side salad. Although the lobster itself was cooked perfectly and lightly seasoned, the little rolls it sat on were soggggggggy and pretty much falling apart. The side salad made up for that though, with some of the best blue cheese dressing I’ve ever had. I would have loved to take a bottle of that home, but it wasn’t available to go.


If I’m in the area again, I’ll be sure to try one of their awesome looking burgers and onion rings. I will now happily admit that I totally understand why the locals love this place. It’s not NYC, but that CAN be a very good thing.


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