New York City Restaurant Reviews
10W 32nd Street between Broadway and Fifth
212/594.4963
about $60 for two, with two drinks, without tip
I like Chung Moo Ro because there’s no queue outside when I just want to eat a bowl of yuk kae jang and skip the barbeque. They don’t have dining booths so expect to smell like kalbi because of their open space–it’s unavoidable at the other places anyway.
239 East 5th Street off 2nd Avenue
212/979.1012
$130 for two, with two drinks, with tip
♥ ♥ ♥
The latest from the Jack and Grace Lamb empire, Degustation is the replacement for Jewel Bako’s robato grill next door. They kept the same layout: an open kitchen where you can sit at the bar and watch everything unfold as you wait for your food. This time around, polite Latino chefs show their skills behind the counter instead of the more familiar Asian chefs along Second Avenue.
Head chef Wesley Genovart, fresh from Perry St., is twenty-six years old and looks it, too, but he’s adventurous enough to fry artichokes with Kumamoto oyster in mussel broth and celery leaves. He’s smart enough to recognize that a slowly poached egg can be served with Serrano ham in chicken broth and, bless his heart, stuff a squid with braised short ribs and serve it with lentils.
The lamb was perfectly grilled with hen-of-the-woods mushrooms and served with a sauce simply called “chlorophyll” which was, you guessed it, green in color. The pork belly is so crisp, the fat just screams Eat Me as soon as the plate arrives in front of you. The grapefruit in caramel water was the perfect complement to the seared foie gras and the lemon juice went well with the grilled jumbo shrimps. To end our night out, one of the chefs grilled strawberries and served it with ginger granita and basil and mint sauce. My only regret was not ordering this in between our seafood and meat courses to cleanse our palate.
Our 8pm reservation was easy to get, but we ended up waiting for forty minutes at the door to be seated. The staff never forgot us and served us complementary glasses (two each!) of champagne while we waited. A croquet amuse started us off and they still kept us in mind after six dishes and served us a wild arugula salad with ham and almonds to show their appreciation for our patience.
For a minute, I forgot that we were in New York City because of the exceptional service but, really, where else can I get this much good food for under a hundred dollars?
178 Broadway, right under the Williamsburg Bridge in Brooklyn
718/387-7400
about $400 for four, with a bottle of wine, with tip, cash only
♥ ♥ ♥
Most New Yorkers will think of Peter Luger when porterhouse is the topic of conversation. How could we not when it’s been around since, oh, 1887. Even our cab driver knew where Peter Luger was. You mean the boo-jee steak place? when we only mentioned the steakhouse by the Williamsburg Bridge.
Since some of us have eaten here before, we knew to split the porterhouse for two between four people because we ordered the fresh bacon, two salads and creamed spinach with our meat. Our waiter was obviously disappointed when we refused the steak for four but lit up when we ordered the 2002 Cakebread with it.
We were a bit dismayed when our waiter brought a 2003 bottle and told us that he had run out of the 2002. Good thing my friend was aware of the fact that the 2003 harvest wasn’t worth the 2002 price. When we tried to order a less expensive bottle instead, our waiter returned with the 2002 and told us he just “found it” in the cellar. He was this close to opening that 2003 bottle and charging us the 2002 price! Tsk to Peter Luger! It pays to know something about your wines.
203 East 10th Street off Second Avenue
212/995.9511
$104 for four, desserts only with matching drinks, with tip
♥ ♥
If you have room for dessert, Chika will whip up one of the most simple yet satisfying desserts for you at ChikaLicious, a tiny space on 10th Street. Assuming, of course, that they haven’t sold out by 11pm or that you’re not waiting to be seated for more than 20 minutes.
The prix fixe is only $19 and includes an amuse, a main dessert, petit fours and a glass of wine. Your choices for main desserts run from the creative, like kiwi in lavender soup, to the surprising, like peppercorn ice cream and red wine sauce with warm chocolate tart.
Update, 2008: They have opened ChikaLicious Puddin’ across the street that serves three kinds–at least when we visited–of “puddin'”. Light, fluffy and sweet, their puddings are the perfect end to a blistery winter night.
558 Broome Street between Sixth Avenue and Varick Street
212/226.4399
about $100 for three, BYOB, without tip
I was so happy to find another restaurant that let us bring our own wine for no corking fee. My friends from Los Angeles were in town and I had a bottle of Uruguayan red wine on my desk at work. Even though it was a rainy Friday night, we braved SoHo and waited at the bar next door to be seated at Ivo & LuLu.
Listings say the menu is French Caribbean: the rabbit and boar saucissons are truly français except for the extra kick in the spice. The grilled avocado with spinach mousse was interesting but even more so with shiitake-sesame dressing. The rain outside just made it more comfortable inside this sliver of a space off the Holland Tunnel.
I came with four other people during my second visit. We ordered the entire menu–less than 15 dishes–and shared everything with two bottles of wine. The French owners ended up closing the restaurant while we were still inside. They served us desserts on the house and sat with us to smoke and chat.
We found out that the bar next door is now part of the restaurant during a more recent visit. Three of us shared five dishes with two bottles of wine: the duck confit which was crispy outside, yet soft inside. The mussels in an addicting spicy sauce. The potato gratin and the roasted pear with blue cheese. The winter squash, roasted and served in its shell–the mushiness of the meat with carrots and peas was very comforting. I’m not sure if they will take the wall that separates the two spaces down but I hope the coziness of the place won’t change. I also hope that the food will stay the same.
