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.

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.

Merkato 55

4/28/2008
Meatpacking District: 55 Gansevoort (and Greenwhich) - (212) 255-8555
Price: High End
Rating (1-10): 7

The quick and dirty:
Merkato 55 is a solid restaurant and a welcome infusion of African cuisine to NYC. I would absolutely go back, maybe for a date or with people visiting town or with friends before a night out. That's not something I'd say about many restaurants here. It's a fun atmosphere in a hip neighborhood and makes you feel like you're exploring when you read the menu. Although the space doesn't seem to match the comfort-food type style of cuisine - hip, cold, Meatpackingly impersonal - it's nice to see an underrepresented cuisine showcased with flare in a new, stylish light.

The food is full of deep, rich, biting flavors and the key here is spice - spices you can't name, spices that are bold, spices that make you anxious to get another bite. The dishes overall demonstrate strong command of flavors with, again, a particularly impressive integration of spices which make a statement. Because Chef Samuelsson utilizes spices so well, Merkato 55 offers a refreshing alternative to the heavy feeling you get at many restaurants whose food is most heavily enriched by butter, fat, and marrow. Best dishes I tasted were the guinea hen and the fried chickpea dumplings. Desserts were ok and the ice creams were good but the strength is in the savory items.

Biggest weakness was the clumsy and seemingly inexperienced service; they need to focus on training and especially on the timing when they bus plates so that it doesn't feel rushed or like it's interrupting the dining experience.

There's plenty of reason to go here - it's different food and usually well-executed. Can be the beginning of a fun night or simply a fun night on its own.


Full Review:
Tonight's visit was to Merkato 55, the much celebrated Chef Macus Samuelsson's newest venture in the Meatpacking District. Chef Samuelsson greeted us with a broad smile and warm handshake shortly after we were seated at our table - and it appears that his friendly and genuine demeanor have found expression, at least in part, in this restaurant. At Merkato 55, the food is full of deep, rich, biting flavor and the key here is spice - spices you can't name, spices that are bold, spices that make you anxious to get another bite.

Some might be confused by the pan-African theme or laugh at the idea of trying to combine all in one. Yes, it's a little confusing when you try to define what makes up the cuisine at this restaurant. But to me the point is not to create a single pan-African palate but rather to pull out various elements from around the continent. So at the end of the day, who cares about cohesion if it's delicious and exposes you to fun combinations you might not tasted before. The guinea hen was best - the bird is served in a reddish jus and covered in a dry spice rub - the seasoning was delicious, not overly salted, and fit deliciously with a tart mix of carmelized onions, roasted cherry tomatoes, lemon rind, and bitter greens. It's been a while since I've tasted a dish with such strong, harmonious flavors that lit up in your mouth. The dish demonstrated a strong command of flavors and an ability to dance on the adventurous and unexpected without being gimmicky/pretentious.

Also good was the fried chickpea dumplings served as spicy nuggets mixed in with various differently textured garnish. The taste of the garnish paled next to the fried chickpeas, which melt in your mouth and, as one of the people at our table remarked, a spicy saag. I'd get it again.

The chicken doro wat dish came recommended by the server but oddly, her warning that it was very spicy turned out not to be true - in fact, the flavor was flat and the meat portion was lacking. The slightly sour injera bread was nice though, and when used to scoop the sauce and chicken, made for much better bites. The rack of lamb entree was beautifully cooked but perhaps also not that different taste-wise, from a lot of racks of lamb - after tasting the guinea hen, the lamb was less exciting and not as hard hitting as the hen.


Desserts were tasty as well, and again spiced in interesting ways. The creamy ice creams were quite nice and generally melded well with the rest of the dessert - in my case, the pineapple tart which was too sweet but had a nice, thin, crunchy crust. The chocolate samosas were the most original that I saw, with melting, hot, spicy, bitter chocolate flowing out of pockets of chocolate dough (kind of like an empanada). It's actually only mildly sweet and more spicy than anything so it's not for everyone, but if you're looking for the unique, this would be your selection.

Service at the restaurant was definitely clumsy and a bit disorganized, though polite. One of my pet peeves is when a server takes or tries to take a dish prematurely - there's a timing to taking bussing tables and if done wrong, it can make you feel rushed or even feel bad about wanting to keep your plate a bit longer. In this case a server interrupted our conversation mid-sentence to take two of four plates, try to take my dish, which I still wanted, and leave only one that clearly wasn't finished. If only one person is left eating, I think it makes that person feel awkward and maybe embarassed to be the only one with food. Being watched while eating isn't that fun. There should have been no hurry especially given that it was a slow night at the restaurant. Other gripes: we requested tap water but bottled water was served; 3 of the 4 entrees were presented first and then the 4th came trailing afterwards; my water glass had a sharp chip on the rim; despite being a slow night, I saw a couple patries arrive to no one at the host desk. Additionally, I like it when the server can give some suggestions or opinions with some authority, when solicited. I find it helpful to hear a couple words to gauge the kinds of foods that are strengths on the menu or the server's knowledge of it. After all, they are there a lot more than I am and should know. That isn't to say I want someone telling me what to get right off the bat, but if I'm asking for it, I want it. The server we had was fine - knew the menu, ingredients, and descriptions - but had few assertive suggestions. That's a let down - take a stand; sure there's a risk of suggesting something I won't like but I'll take responsibility for that, if that happens. The food was surprisingly good - but the service was surprisingly amateur.

Decor and atmosphere are generally fun at Merkato 55 but there's a soul to this restaurant and its food that I think is betrayed by its somewhat cold, impersonal surroundings. It seems better suited to a cozy or warmer feeling place but then again, it is the Meatpacking District, and moreover, I can appreciate Merkato 55's effort to present African cuisine in a new way, at a new level. All in all, it's a stylish, fun place to hang out without the crazy prices - and it's not uncomfortable like so many exclusive places. I would go back to this place, maybe for a date or with people visiting town or with friends before a night out.

It'll be interesting to see if this restaurant sticks around given the challenges of operating such a large space in a chique area. They'll need to shore up their service and tweak a couple dishes but it's hard not to root for this one to succeed.

The Palm

4/26/2008
Midtown East: 837 Second Ave (btwn 44th and 45th) - (212) 255-8555
Price: High End
Rating (1- 10): 2

The quick and dirty:
The Palm is a silly use of your money and a restaurant I would never recommend. Be prepared to spend a lot on mediocre to standard food, accompanied by decent but ordinary service that is typical of a chain-restaurant. I walked out thinking about a number of steakhouses that I would have rather tried or how many non-steak meals I could have had that would have been as fulfilling. The food is so ordinary and uncreative that there's really no need to describe it in detail: steak, creamy spinach, baked clams, etc etc...I couldn't help but think, "this is bar food." The Palm is probably more "New York" feel than a Smith and Wollensky's, Capital Grill, Morton's, or other chain steakhouse, but it's as predictable and boring nonetheless.

This is a place that might have been good back in the day - and had some genuine charm about it - but it's now nothing but a nationwide chain that rests on its laurels like a crutch and absolutely juices every shred of whatever history it had. The decor, the food, and the service is all so self-aware and gimmicky; there's no soul here anymore. Leave it to the conservative old timers, the old boys clubs, and the tourists, and find a truly great steakhouse among the many that you have in NYC.


Full Review:
The Palm is a dining experience that is unsurprising, unoriginal, overpriced, and justified all of my apprehension going into the place. Put simply, there are way too many better steaks or meals of any kind to be had for your money. The Palm is a steakhouse that might have been good back in the day - and had some genuine charm about it - but it's now nothing but a nationwide chain that rests on its laurels like a crutch and absolutely juices every shred of whatever history it had. It's got cutesy drawings on the walls of famous past patrons with little quotes - as if to make you feel like you're steeped in tradition, a NY institution. But the sincerity is as thin as the paint. The decor, the food, and the service is all so self-aware and gimmicky; there's no soul here anymore.

My NY strip steak was decent - not bad - but not worth $43. Let me buy the same cut for $15 and cook it better at home. All the steaks at the table were cooked fine but nothing special was done with them - so it's actually work that any home cook could do. It's seared and cooked to a certain temp, and if you've been around as long as this restaurant, you damn well better be able to do a simple preparation like this. Our appetizers were akin to bar food - simple, overbattered fried onions; ordinary creamy spinach; baked clams heaped with (a tasty) bread crumb topping; seared tuna which was completely cooked thru and resembled imitation Asian fast-food; and a puzzling dish of sliced tomato and raw onion topped with salt, pepper and olive oil - literally a 6 year-old could have bought these veggies at Gristedes and prepared this. At the end of the meal you're left with a hefty steakhouse-esque bill that just isn't worth what you get, not even close.

The service is courteous and friendly enough but not particularly warm or hospitable; I got the feeling they were just trying to drive up the bill. The menu had a selection of four types of sauces that I could get with my steak but I wasn't ever asked which one I'd want. So when my steak came out with no flavor, I asked the waiter if I could get the classic bearnaise sauce. His reponse was that if I don't ask for the sauce when I order, I don't get it. This type of entitled service and "this is the way it's done in a steakhouse" attitude may be what they call tradition and it's something The Palm sticks to. I wasn't impressed.

I'm sure there are some who still consider this a great restaurant but I'm convinced it's the pomp and circumstance that they're into. They've made up their mind that its their Cheers of steakhouses, the place where they will return and feel at home, feel like a man. It's this feeling, not the food, that they like and that they pay a premium for. (I'd love to see a blind taste test of The Palm's food, because I'm certain that it would be indistinguishable at best.) I say: to each his own, but if you haven't made The Palm a personal tradition yet, then there's no reason to start now. Leave it to the conservative old timers, the old boys clubs, and the tourists, and find a truly great steakhouse among the many that you have in NYC.

Market Table

2/17/2008
West Village: 54 Carmine (and Bedford) - (212) 255-2100
Price: Mid-Range
Rating (1-10): 7

The quick and dirty:
Market Table offers a sophisticated yet comfy and unstuffy atmosphere with the food to match. The point of this place isn’t to hit you over the head with dazzlingly complicated cooking, décor, or service; instead Market Table makes small twists on the food here and there, but stays simple and refined – and the return is high quality. It’s not food to impress; it’s food done right, and that should impress.

The menu is small and the dishes are straightforward – a carefully selected handful of ingredients in each dish, cooked to maximize their own essence. This is a sophisticated and challenging kind of cooking that lets food be itself.

I had the seared halibut on a bed of home fries and rock shrimp (interesting combo – despite what I say in the paragraph above, I’m not sure yet how they tie) and caramelized onion. It tasted good - crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside - but as fish at restaurants often does, it left me feeling like I could have prepared the dish at home. There was no special sauce, no special spice, just good salt and pepper seasoning. The bed it sat on was oversalted and the peculiar rock shrimp/potato combo was in the end not much different from good home fries at brunch. But in retrospect, I blame my selection, not the restaurant. It’s just not what I wanted but it’s exactly what I ordered, save the extra salt. If I had to do it again, I’d get the blood orange salad appetizer and the burger, the strip steak or the braised lamb shank.

The service was fine and friendly, but nothing extraordinary. At the same time, this is meant to be a casual atmosphere, so as long as the plates are cleared, the cups are filled, the bread is there, and the server can answer some questions on the menu, I’m cool with that.


Full Review:
Market Table, a combo effort of chefs of the Mermaid Inn and the Little Owl, offers a sophisticated yet comfy and unstuffy atmosphere with the food to match. The place isn’t woefully original – the interior feels familiar, feels like it has been done before. The theme is a small grocery/deli connected to the restaurant, I suppose, so that you can see and buy what they use. Big deal. I think Blue Hill, in the same neighborhood, sourcing from a farm upstate is a much cooler concept.

But there’s something to be said of a place that doesn’t try too hard to be something it’s not, and likewise to make its food something it’s not. The point of this place isn’t to hit you over the head with dazzlingly complicated cooking, décor, or service; instead Market Table makes small twists on the food here and there, but stays simple and refined, close to the style of its owners – and the return is high quality. It’s not food to impress; it’s food done right, and that should impress.

The menu is small (7 entrees) and I had no problem with that – the last thing I want is a place that claims to do steak, sushi, burritos, and falafel. Besides, if the menu was any longer, it would only have made it more stressful to choose from all the delicious sounding plates.

The dishes are similar to the Little Owl’s in their simplicity – a carefully selected handful of ingredients in each dish, cooked to maximize their own essence. In my mind, this is the most sophisticated and challenging kind of cooking – the kind that lets food be itself. It shows discipline and a real understanding of taste. It’s often easier to mask the core ingredients of a dish with 12 additional vegetables, some bright yellow mango and 47 spicy spices – think Emeril Live. If you make the food sufficiently unrecognizable and the flavors sufficiently confusing, then you might get the benefit of the doubt that it’s actually good. Thankfully, Market Table does not lean on that crutch.

I had the seared halibut. Below it sat home fries and rock shrimp (interesting combo – despite what I say in the paragraph above, I’m not sure yet how they tie) and caramelized onion. It tasted good - crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside - but as fish at restaurants often does, it left me feeling like I could have prepared the dish at home. There was no special sauce, no special spice, just good salt and pepper seasoning. The bed it sat on was oversalted and the peculiar rock shrimp/potato combo was in the end not much different from good home fries at brunch. But in retrospect, I blame my selection, not the restaurant. It’s just not what I wanted but it’s exactly what I ordered, save the extra salt.

I have no doubt that given another chance, I’d do a better job ordering something I really want and that Market Table would deliver a very nice meal. Based on my surveillance of other tables, I would get the blood orange salad appetizer and the burger, the strip steak or the braised lamb shank. Maybe I’ll just get all of them.

The service was fine and friendly, but nothing extraordinary. It’s a missed opportunity for a restaurant when its service doesn’t add a little character to the place. At the same time, this is meant to be a casual atmosphere, so as long as the plates are cleared, the cups are filled, the bread is there, and the server can answer some questions on the menu, well I’m cool with that.

The West Village has become riddled with a slew of regrettable, cheap restaurants and bars of the tourist-trap, Caliente Cab Co variety. Of course, there’s still a laundry list of great places, from low to high price. But it never hurts to see one more for the good guys.

Franny's

2/16/2008
Prospect Heights: 295 Flatbush Ave (btwn 6th Ave and 7th Ave) - (718) 230-0221
Price: Mid-Range
Rating (1-10): 7

Full Review:
New York is known for good pizza but there's actually also a lot of pizza here that kind of sucks. Franny's does not suck, at all. All around, it's one of the best pizza joints I've visited in New York. It's casual, fun, cozy, a little chic, and hip without being hipster. There’s something real about the restaurant, genuine about the people, tasteful about the interior. The smallish joint has contemporary but un-glitzy features and simple light wood furniture. Printed on the window is the restaurant’s name in orange, and that’s it. But somehow there’s nice character to the place. Its medley of rock music, exposed brick walls, and consciously but unpretentiously casual waitstaff all help to make this a friendly, welcoming spot.

The pizza is a notch above in price, but still affordable ($8-16 for a personal pie) and worth it. I had the tomato, anchovy, and parmesan on a simple thin crust. Not all of the choice have tomato sauce and none that I saw were doused with cheese USA-style. As the bartender told me, all of the pies are light. When I was about 13, I had pizza at a place called Sal’s in New Haven, CT, which I understood to be something of an institution there. It might have been the best pizza I’ve ever had and definitely the most memorable. The two things I remember about the cheese-less pizza were: 1) a very thin, soft, and not-rock-hard-but-still-pleasantly crispy crust, and 2) a delicious, garlicky and light tomato sauce with clams. Franny’s is the closest thing I’ve had to both of those things (save the clam).

The pizza was charred black in a few too many places, but that was the probably the only thing that felt unhealthy about the pie. This was refined pizza. It seems that countries with food-rich cultures like Italy have gone thru an evolution - and are particularly remarkable because they have figured out how to make things healthy without sacrificing taste. They've had time to develop a cuisine that can sustain a nation over centuries while still delighting the taste buds. I like to think that a pizza like Franny’s is an emblem of that. What might have started as something that looked like say, Domino’s – a good idea with some elements appealing to the gluttonous side – improved itself over time in both taste and sustainability to become Franny’s. It’s not a fried chicken, it’s healthier than that. And it’s not a turkey burger, it actually tastes good.

Service was laid back, not in your face, not rushed, attentive but laissez-faire. But one thing that didn't impress me was that the server didn’t know what kind of tomato they used for the sauce. (They were San Marzano tomatoes.) For a small menu that specializes in pizza – and a small number of pizzas at that – it’s an elementary piece of knowledge. This kind of thing only matters. to some but service, whether casual or formal, should know the food inside and out, and at least as well as the customer.

I see no reason to keep you from frequenting Franny's and support what they're doing – something both genuine and well-balanced in pretty much every way. Drop in, and expect to find healthy, reasonably priced, tasty food in a very comfortable but cool setting. I'm sure Franny's would kill in the East Village - it's a big win for Park Slope/Prospect Heights community.