Wildwood BBQ

5/31/2008
Gramercy: 225 Park Avenue (nr 18th St) - 212-533-2500
Price: Mid-Range
Rating (1-10): 6

The quick and dirty:
BBQ is fun and eating BBQ should be fun. That's why Wildwood BBQ is a success. The food is good, the atmosphere is lively, comfortable, and relaxed. The menu is manageable and straightforward, not too many items but all the ones that you're looking for. It's good for parties of all sizes and the menu allows for easy sharing and sampling, as bbq should.

Wildwood's food is close to on par with its neighbor, Blue Smoke, but it doesn't have quite the same level of coziness or atmosphere. The decor and feel of the place is a slightly forced faux-western with stereotypical bbq-ish things. This is very Gramercy western. But at the same time, who really cares? It's fun if you go with it.

The Memphis-style baby-back ribs are smokier than any urban bbq I've tasted, and have a good carmelized sweet-spicy glaze. The meats I had were surprisingly dry though: the ribs, the Texas smoked beef brisket and the pulled pork. The food isn't head over heels amazing but the flavors are nice and the sauces are pretty good. Luckily, you have the caddy of sauces on the table to douse your food. The chicken is not bad but it's nothin' particularly notable so you might as well go for the things that truly reak of bbq like ribs, brisket, or even a burger.

Wildwood's strength is its service. Our server was unpushy and friendly but also attentive - just what you want to go with your slow cookin'. It was clear that they cared - almost seemed like they embodied the youth of the restaurant and were working hard to establish themselves.

You've got a solid barbeque option in Wildwood. The service is fun and relaxed. The food doesn't astound but it'll satisfy your bbq fix. Hopefully they can figure out a way to retain more juiciness in their meats and add better sauces on the table but all in all, you'll get your money's worth.


Full review:
BBQ is fun and eating BBQ should be fun. If it's not, there's a problem. That's why Wildwood BBQ is a success. The food is good, the atmosphere is lively, comfortable, and relaxed. It's good for parties of all sizes and the menu allows for easy sharing and sampling, as bbq should.

But Wildwood isn't stunningly original. The most obvious comparison that comes to mind is nearby Blue Smoke, the bbq joint that has probably rooted itself most deeply in the hearts of New Yorkers. Wildwood's food is on par with Blue Smoke but doesn't have quite the same coziness or atmosphere. The decor and feel of the place is a slightly forced faux-western with stereotypical bbq-ish things: lots of exposed wood, chalkboards with menus scrawled on them, mason jar cups, iron beams, etc. This is very Gramercy western and it's a little too manufactured and new to be believable as authentic wild west environment (something that Blue Smoke is wise not to attempt). But at the same time, who really cares? You're there to have fun and as long as the food is tasty, you'll enjoy yourself if you just go with it. Blue Smoke remains the gold standard but still, the city is far from saturated with good bbq options - at least of the non-Dallas BBQ variety. As this restaurant grows and matures, people might gush about this place the way they do about its top competitor and neighbor.

The food is good and it's affordable, especially when taking into account the overall experience you get. The Memphis-style baby-back ribs are smokier than any urban bbq I've tasted, and come slathered in a delicious carmelized sweet-spicy glaze: the heat of the chipotle goes well with the raspberry, which has a nice sweet-but-not-too-sweet balance. The problem is that the ribs are surprisingly dry, as is the Texas smoked beef brisket and the pulled pork. Luckily, you have the caddy of sauces on the table to douse your food in. Of the sauces, the chipotle-raspberry doesn't taste as good out of the bottle but the tangy bbq will do the trick with any of the meats. The pulled pork isn't your usual variety - it's not dunked in sauce or shredded too finely, and it's a little firmer in texture. It was tasty but it might not be what you picture if you're used to a more conventional pulled pork. The roast chicken is ordinary. The meat is juicy but the smoke and flavor don't penetrate the meat. Sprinkle the rib dust on the meat, however, and it's really tasty. Still, this bird doesn't hold a candle to other whole chicken preparations in non-bbq restaurants like Peruvian rotisserie chicken; if you're at Wildwood, you might as well go for the things that truly reak of bbq like ribs, brisket, or even a burger.

Wildwood BBQ's strength is its service. And it's important that they nail it because it's what the atmopshere hinges on. Our server was pleasantly unpushy and friendly but also attentive - just what you want to go with your slow cookin'. The restaurant management either has done a good job recruiting or they've done a great job instilling a warm and fun culture in only a few weeks of existence, or both. Some details were missed, such as empty waters or a lack of extra plates for sharing. But they did other things to "go the extra mile": they repeatedly brought fresh new mugs of good tasting coffee and nearly ran after us when we had left a magazine at the table. It was clear that they cared; it almost seemed like they embodied the youth of the restaurant and were working hard to establish themselves. Sometimes, the food takes a back seat (or a sideseat) when the people are so pleasant.

Bottom line is, if are you looking for barbeque then you've got a solid option in Wildwood. The menu is manageable and pleasantly straightforward, not too many items but all the ones that you're looking for. The food doesn't astound but it'll satisfy your bbq fix, and the experience is versatile so you can go there for a variety of non-vegetarian occasions. The service is fun and relaxed - just what you want when you walk in the door. Hopefully they can figure out a way to retain more juiciness in their meats and add better sauces on the table but all in all, you'll get your money's worth.

Ippudo NY (Hakata Ippudo)

5/20/2008
East Village: 65 4th Ave (at 10th St) - (212) 388-0088
Price: Cheap Eats
Rating (1-10): 8

If you're looking to kick back, enjoy a long, leisurely meal and conversation, this isn't the best spot. But if you're ready for the 100 yard dash of eating, go to Ippudo because there's no better ramen in NYC. Chances are, if you're going out for ramen, you know what you're in for: leaning your face into the hot steam rising off of a bowl of noodles and broth, probably sweating, maybe nose running, eating as fast as you can, making slurping noises, and loving it. With ramen, it's important to eat fast because the taste changes by the minute and after 10 minutes, it won't be any good. In Japanese, it's called "nobiru" and it's basically like the noodles go stale.

Ippudo is a distinctly Japanese joint and seemingly everyone who works there is Japanese. At the same time, the decor and space are not traditional of a cramped and narrow countertop ramen joint. There's still that frenetic feel but it's also spacious and hip. The back opens up to a large eating area with communal tables, as well as private tables and booths - with open kitchens surrounding the window-less room. The design is truly impressive and they didn't cut any corners with their decor or furtniture. In short, it's cool and you feel cool sitting in the room.

The Tonkotsu ramen, the rich pork broth ramen featured at the top of their menu, is an intensely falvorful, buttery bowl of broth with perfectly cooked homemade noodles. These arent the curly, starchy, gelatinous, cook-it-till-you-kill-it college dorm-style noodles; these are thin, straight, firm, and delicious. Just like a great homemade Italian pasta, you don't realize what noodles can be until you taste it. The Tonkotsu is probably the best bowl I've had in NY (only RaiRaiken would rival). As my friend pointed out, the ramen is salty in a pleasing way, and not over-salty. I wasn't guzzling down my water as happens when food is too salty, even when it tastes good - instead I was just sweating and trying to eat more, faster. What's more, you can order a second helping of noodles to throw into the leftover broth for only $2, which basically doubles the portion (just be sure to have them bring the noodles when you're nearing the end of your first serving - otherwise, they'll sit and go bad).

The Miso Ramen broth - which is miso-based as the name suggests, is similarly balanced, salty and good. For pork lovers, it doesn't have the same depth of flavor and porkiness that you might crave after the Tonkotsu but on the other hand, if pork isn't your thing, this, and other bowls, are great alternatives and also have perfectly cooked noodles. The downside is that for non-Tokotsu bowls, you don't have the option for a second serving of noodles. In all honesty, one serving was filling for me.

As for weaknesses, the garnish was too sparse. Perhaps it allows the noodles and broth to be showcased but I'd consider it more balanced than a bowl of carbs, if there were more than just two thin slices of pork tenderloin and a forgettable portion of veggies. The Miso Ramen included a non-traditional garnish of red and yellow peppers - which didn't add flavor or substance - and cubed carrot - whose sweetness didn't match the rest of the dish. To boost the volume of the garnish, I added mo' pork - the braised pork belly side. For $3, it was was decent enough but surprisingly tough, almost as if it had been reheated in the microwave.

While the service is friendly, that's the one part that seems to lack a little of the Japanese touch. The pace of the service is so hurried that I couldn't help but get the impression that they wanted me out, and the next table in, as quickly as possible. Less than 1 minute after we were seated, the server came to take our order. When we received the bill, the same thing happened and two other servers asked if it was ok to take the bill after that, before we had even put anything in the bill. In the end, we dropped our credit cards at our own pace and lingered. In a train station ramen joint in the middle of Tokyo, this kind of fast-paced eat-and-go mentality might be appropriate but that's not acceptable here. Also a bit surprising was that the server told me to remind him of my request for second noodle helping later in the meal. I don't know if it's because Ippudo hasn't figured out a good system to time the delayed second noodle helping, but regardless, the onus should not be on the customer.

When you say ramen, a lot of people still envision the packs that contain the brick of noodle and mysterious packet of flavor. At Ippudo, you'll see what real ramen is all about. The overall experience feels like a cool, unique thing to do - something different from the well-trodden genres like Italian, French, sushi, burgers-and-beer pub food, etc. The prices for this ramen experience can approach close to $20 (food, tip, etc), which is expensive for ramen - so you should expect to get more than your average Asian noodle bowl joint. But they'll do it right and it'll be worth the extra couple of bucks.

City View

5/17/2008
San Francisco, Financial District/Chinatown: 662 Commercial St - (415) 398-2838
Price: Mid-Range
Rating (1-10): 7

Full Review:
The "Best Dim Sum" can be a contentious topic, like best bbq, best ramen, or best pizza. At a certain point, it's a subjective judgment that hinges on personal taste, social context, and also chance. The fact is, there are a lot of places that will send you off with a pleasantly/painfully full stomach and you'll have gotten your fix. What sets one place above another is in your mind's eye. At City View, the food was at a quality that I could not help but be pleased with - but what impressed me most was the friendly service and cleanliness; both things that I do not find often in my dim sum runs in NYC. City View had the best service I've seen in a US Chinese restaurant. As a result, I could relax, feel like I wasn't being rushed or pressured in any way, and feel like they actually wanted me there.

None of the food disappointed, save for the soup dumplings which, though tasty, actually had little if any soup. Shrimp wrapped in clear noodle was flavorful and firm texture, not leathery or tough. The pork dumplings were particularly delicious. Shumai also good. Gyoza were average. And the deep-fried sesame balls and a quenelle-shaped rice cakes with pork filling - extremely good. The chicken feet were tender with intense marrow/fat flavor of chicken. I feel confident in saying that anything you get, you'll like. I think you'll inevitably feel a bit heavy after eating a lot of dim sum, but I didn't leave City View feeling unhealthy. Best of all, I didn't get the feeling of having eaten a bag of salt, like I often do with cheap Chinese joints that kill it with msg.

To be fair, City View charges more than most dim sum restaurants in New York's Chinatown: I ate for $25/person, but you could probably eat just as much for $15/person in other places. What you pay for - and get - is a clean environment, welcoming, friendly service, and quality, tasty dim sum that tastes as good as any out there in SF or NYC. Whether it's the best I've ever had, I don't know. It's entirely possible that it tasted better in my head because I enjoyed the service and the surroundings, and so I wanted to like it. To be honest, it doesn't matter because I appreciated City View, whatever the reason.

Elementi

5/11/2008
Park Slope: 140 7th Ave (btwn Carroll and Garfield) - (718) 788-8388
Price: Mid-Range
Rating (1-10): 5

Full Review:
Elimenti is a peculiar new restaurant in Park Slope whose strength is its food and weakness is its lack of character and identity. I'd go there for its food and its chef are very good, but don't expect a particulary memorable overall dining experience. Elementi won't inspire that fondness of your favorite bbq joint, cozy neighborhood nook, or Cheers bar.

It's a fancy looking, large, and centrally located space in a hip area of the Slope that certainly catches the eye when you stroll by. The food sounds delicious and refined with interesting but not overwhelming ingredients ("Lobster meat, Prosecco wine, chives in shell consomme"). But when you peer into the place, it seems devoid of character, soul. The website bills the food as "pan-Italian" but to me that says more 'Olive Garden' than 'serious food establishment.' When you walk-in, you see a large piece of art which is nice, but features the word "Brooklyn" in different ways and has nothing to do with Italy. On the inside, there are non-descript posters on the wall that maybe vaguely recall Italy. To be frank, this could have been French or Spanish or any other type of modernish restaurant and I would have believed it. When I walked out, it left me thinking, "I don't really know what that place was going for" and it wasn't until I looked at the website afterwards that I found out.

As for decor, it's expensive, clean, and modern looking, but at the same time, everything is a dreary brownish color. When there aren't that many people there, it looks lonely. Even when they do have some tables filled, there's something about the interior layout that makes it look sparse, not cozy, with nothing in particular drawing you in. In a word, it's drab. So when I found this place a couple months back when it opened, I read the menu out front and thought - man, I bet that this food is really good but I don't really want to go in there.


For brunch, I had a frittata wth white onions and bacon. The saltiness of the bacon and sweetness of the onion make it nice and it's affordable at $9. The egg was a little overcooked and chewy but most fritattas I've had have been like that. The dish came with some home fries, which were tender but fairly standard and too greasy, and a simple salad which was fine, nothing special there either. The best plate was the endive salad appetizer, which was quite good and included delicious, crunchy, salted walnuts, a beet dressing, slices of red beet, and its usual companion, goat cheese. The endives were sliced into thin, crisp batons and presented attractively and generously on the dish. It's a refreshing, different kind of salad with great taste and texture. Overall, I don't think you'd be disappointed if you came here for brunch, but it's not a must-go brunch spot. The brunch menu isnt inspiring or fun - it's pretty ordinary.


Service at Elementi is friendly enough and we were greeted with a warm smile at the door, but at the table, the servers were uncoordinated, inattentive to details, and not personable. I cannot recall any introduction from our servers, banter, or friendly conversation. They weren't rude, but just - and this is a theme for this restaurant - lacked character. They missed details such as my missing fork or empty water glasses. A side of honey was brought out in a platic cup that you get your mustard in at Shake Shack. Immediately after we ordered drinks, a different server came to ask us our drink order. When a busser was clearing the appetizer, she asked me if I had ordered more food, and took that as a cue to leave my silverware. We difficulty flagging down passing staff for the bill (effective waitstaff should constantly scan the room like hawks for things to take care of, people who're looking for help). Amdist a busy service, I can understand a few slip-ups and generally I like to give servers a benefit of the doubt rather than criticize - but it wasn't particularly busy when all this was happening. Luckily, service can improve and as it is now, Elementi's is not a fatal weakness, but it's definitely not a selling point.

Elementi isn't a restaurant that I could fall in love with partly because it's so ambiguous. But I do like the restaurant, its menu, and its very reasonable prices. I'm rooting for it because if they can inject some life, some soul, into the place, and they can improve the service, it will allow the food to be showcased in an environment it deserves. Elementi has the potential to be a place that helps the Brooklyn food scene creep up in prestige. But even if it stays the same and its execution does not meet its ambitious goals, I consider it a positive addition to Park Slope.

Soho Park

5/7/2008
SoHo: 62 Prince (and Lafayette) - (212) 219-2129
Price Range: Cheap Eats
Rating (1-10): 3

Soho Park is a nice place to grab some beers after work or before a dinner. But only get food if the weather and your company is good, and you don't really care about the quality of the meal; on a nice night, the open air design offers atmosphere, breeziness, and people-watching that allows you to enjoy the experience and ignore the food quality.

The restaurant is situated in SoHo along a popular thoroughfare and it's a converted garage so it can open up to the outside better than most traditional restaurants. The food isn't good - I had a bratwurst sandwhich that would take second to any brat casually cooked on a summer grill - but it's also pretty cheap, with most things under $15. Still, in this price range, there are a number of other outdoor-ish/backyard summer eateries, most notably Shake Shack.

Also forgettable at Soho Park are the cocktails which, at $10, are overpriced. I had a mojito that was disappointing in size and alcohol content, and other ones that I saw seemed to be the same. It's NYC so you get NYC prices but it's also expected you get NYC creativity or quality - both were lacking.

So what's this place good for? Beers. They're normally priced and when the weather is nice, the atmosphere is great - so with the two together, it ends up being a good deal.