Meskerem Ethiopian Restaurant

6/21/2008
Washington DC: Adams Morgan - (202) 462-4100
Price: Mid-Range
Rating (1-10): 4

The quick and dirty:
Meskerem is decent. While it might be fun to come here and eat Ethiopian cuisine in a traditional way, sitting around a circular table and eating with hands and injera - the spongy Ethiopian bread, my recommendation is guarded: the food isn't that good, the service is mostly indifferent, and it can feel cramped and uncomfortable. The ball could roll either way - maybe good, maybe not.

To be frank, I'd forgo the authenticity of the experience for a more comfortable arrangement. It was more uncomfortable than fun, and the crowded room was noisy, making it difficult to carry on conversation across the table - which cuts down on the group experience that you're there for. The food is not bad but it all blends together - similar in flavor, color, texture, look. The menu is large but many of the selections have the same sauces only on different vegetables or meats. It's not bad but it's not somethng that I have a yearning to go back for. The service felt like they were just doing a job - seating you, getting you stuff, bringing you food, bringing you the check.

Like the food, our service was passsable but definitely unispired. If you're looking to eat Ethiopian food, I'd recommend trying some lesser priced fare elsewhere, sample around, and see what kind of Ethiopian food you like.


Full review:
Meskerem is decent. With a group of friends, it might be fun to come here and eat Ethiopian cuisine in a traditional way, sitting around a circular table and eating with hands and injera - the spongy Ethiopian bread on which the food is served. But my recommendation is guarded: the food isn't that good, the service is there but indifferent, and it can feel cramped and uncomfortable. The ball could roll either way - maybe good, maybe not.

While I appreciate an effort to create authenticity in the experience, given a choice, I'd forgo the realness of the experience for a more comfortable arrangement. I sat essentially knee to knee with the people sitting next to me, huddling over the table - on a fairly hot night with only decent air conditioning. And because I was eating with my hands, I sat unsure of what to do with them once they got messy, not wanting to touch anything. The crowded room was noisy and it was difficult to carry on conversation across the table, which cuts down on the group experience that you're there for. Call me conservative but the fun-vs-uncomfortable/inconvenient balance tipped in the direction of the latter.

The food is not bad but in my memory, it all blends together - similar in flavor, color, texture, look. The menu is large but many of the selections have the same sauces only on different vegetables or meats. We tried a sampler platter for the group and two shrimp dishes a la carte. A shrimp and vegetable dish was the best thanks to a strong shrimp flavor, but in both, the small shrimp were way overcooked. Chicken comes served on the bone - which, if shared, is a bit awkward when you go digging your fingers into the meat to rip off a chunk. But it's tasty with the sauce. At the end of the day though, it's not food that I have a yearning to go back for.

Though I found the manager of the restaurant to be friendly, his staff did not carry the same aura. Instead, it felt like they were just doing a job - seating you, getting you stuff, bringing you food, bringing you the check. While there was nothing offensive about the service, there was little done to make you feel like more than just another customer. Like the food, our service was passsable but definitely unispired.

I think people go here to eat Ethiopian food, not so much for this particular restaurant itself. If you're in that boat, then try some lesser priced fare elsewhere, sample around, and see what kind of Ethiopian food you like.

Cafe Gray

6/19/2008
Midtown: Columbus Circle, Time Warner Center
Price: Break the Bank
Rating (1-10): 9

A few thoughts, since this restaurant no longer exists. I went here with a friend during its last week before close to try the spring tasting menu, Gray Kunz's "greatest hits." For some restaurant go-ers, upper upper end, white tablecloth dining is unappealing as it stinks of elitism, discomfort, stuffiness, and severe cash loss. But when you enter a restaurant like this, with such warm and detailed-oriented service, it's hard not to appreciate the level of effort that goes into running an ambitious restaurant: this is great hospitality. As in any line of work, there should be people working this hard, investing as much effort, and trying to be as good as possible at what they do.

There are of course some more rigid etiquette rules in a place like this, but I'm very impressed with places that are classy yet comfortable. This is what Cafe Gray was. Multiple people are at your beck and call, making it seem as if there are no inconveniences at all. You're made to feel ok asking for anything, and they'll try very hard to find a way to accommodate you. The cooks personally deliver the plates to your table from the open kitchen. It's partly service, partly show and you're the priority. At the end of the night, one of the managers gave us a tour of the restaurant and kitchen, which overlooks Columbus Circle and Central Park - a restaurant view that's hard to top. It's expensive no doubt, so you should almost expect these things for the price tag, but it's nice to see when the restaurant delivers, because such meals can last a lifetime - and the memory can be of a value that cannot be captured in monetary terms.

The decor was actually a bit strange and seemed to be from a bygone decade; glitzy but too much brown, and in need of a refresher. But hey, it's a small gripe - I am no interior decorator, after all - and more to the point: the food, which was generally French-based but with lots of Asian twists (particularly Southeast Asian) was declicious and interesting. Not all of it was great but most, if not all, were memorable.

The mushroom fricasse risotto was the top dish - al dente risotto with incredibly deep mushroom flavor, garlic, and truffle oil. The essence of mushroom in this dish was awesome. One of Kunz's signature dishes is a coconut encrusted red snapper atop crab and green papaya, surrounded by a green curry sauce. It's good but overhyped - the meat was very juicy and tender but lacked dynamic seasoning and the crust was neither crusty nor coconutty. The best part, however, was the crab and papaya - which complement each others' sweetness and freshness surprisingly well. The braised short ribs course was a generous portion, served with delicious soft grits (and I usually can't stand grits) and mustard sauce. The meat was tangy and softened to a no-knife-needed consistency. It hits the spot for a slow cooked meat glutton like me, but I'd prefer if there were fewer flavors and more muted tanginess/sweetness (also, the presentation was a bit bizarre, not all that subtle or good looking). This was followed by a chilled lemongrass soup with yogurt lime sorbet and candied pistachios: refreshing, sweet and light after a lot of hot food, and the crunchy pistachios worked great with the flavor of the cold soup. The dessert, a hazelnut souffle and cardamom ice cream, was well-crafted but too sweet. But by that point, I was already at a level of happiness where I just didn't care and ate it anyway. Sometimes you just gotta be decadent.

It's unfortunate that Cafe Gray has closed. There were talented cooks and dedicated people working there and I hope that they find a good next step in their careers.

Go! Go! Curry

6/4/2008
Penn Station Area: 273 W. 38th Street (and 8th Ave) - (212) 730-5555
Price: Cheap Eats
Rating (1-10): 5

Full review:
Go! Go! Curry is a fun little joint, which serves fairly good value food for the price, and would be a great lunch break spot or quick and cheap meal to grab for dinner, by yourself or with a couple friends. Be careful though because you'll be really full and might not feel apt to work or do any kind of exercise afterwards.

People who have eaten Japanese curry tend to associate it with comfort and happiness. Mention Japanese curry and faces will light up, and empassioned discussion on the topic quickly ensues. For that reason, Go! Go! Curry, a small, simple joint inspires a good deal of excitement, at least with me.

Japanese curry actually came by way of England, which got it from its former colony, India. The Japanese variety has different spices and less heat than Indian curry, it's a bit sweeter, and usually contains a wider variety of rough cut vegetables (carrots, potatoes, onion, are common) - and of course, the rice is Japanese style, not basmati. Meets are sometimes stewed in it, or the sauce can be accompanied by breaded, deep-fried meat of some kind; it's flexible.

The Go! Go! Curry menu offers only 6 plates and several small sides, and it's all cheap by NY standards. The curry is rich in flavor, and certainly passable as Japanese curry. For less than $15, you'll be able to pick any of the entrees, which are sized as "Singles," "Doubles, and Triples," and get the appropriate fixins (cabbage, pickled veggies, etc.) This isn't the easily congealed-when-cooled Golden Curry variety - it's better than that, with better texture and more marrow flavor. It is a bit too thick however, and comes atop a pile of rice that is a soggy and overcooked. You'd do yourself well to chose one of the plates that comes with a serving of friend pork or chicken cutlet and/or fried shrimp atop your dish as well. (If you're gonna go...go.) Although the deep fried cutlets are very crispy, they're cut too thin and end up being dry and chewy. There's still plenty of reason to get it, but a slightly thicker cut would prevent this overdoneness.

The friendly, quirky, courteous young Japanese staff will take your order and call out your number when your food is up. For a place in this price range, don't forget how indifferent, disconnected, and outright rude cheap eats places tend to be. This is Japanese food with Japanese feel ("Birthday Happy Matsui" sign on the wall). They make an effort to make this place inviting and playful - and it all centers around Hideki Matsui whose number 55, which is everywhere, including in the phone number and name of the restaurant ("go" = 5 in Japanese). Most of the decor is homemade whether newspaper clippings of Matsui and other Japanese athletes or different construction paper cutouts/signs. The restaurant is about as fanatical about Matsui as Matsui is about porn - and both are a little strange. They're trying to provide atmosphere and character on a budget, and it's far more enjoyable than some kind of faux-nice but strangely ornate and obviously cheap decor.

You shouldn't come here expecting high-end cuisine or even the best curry you've evre had, but you'll get your Japanese curry on and leave very full, definitely satiated, and most likely sedated.