Category: New York Restaurant Reviews

New York City Restaurant Reviews

Turks & Frogs

323 West 11th Street between Greenwich and Washington Streets
212/691.8875
$86 for two, with two drinks, with tip

The salad portions shocked me the most at Turks & Frogs because they’re meant for two people even though the price is more familiar for one. Our waiter didn’t say anything when we ordered two salads and one main course so my only complaint is not being advised to order less.


The owner’s antique expertise showed in the lamps

It was a warm Thursday night and I thought of walking over to TriBeCa to see if we can score a seat at the Turkish restaurant set up by Osman Cakir, the same owner of the antique store of the same name in the West Village. It turns out his antique expertise is more useful when it comes to picking more than fifty bottles of wine from around the world and small Turkish specialties like lamb kebab, cucumber salad with yogurt and mint sauce and grilled swordfish.

Naka Naka

458 West 17th Street off Tenth Avenue
212/929.8544
about $400 for six plus room fee, with a few drinks, with tip
♥

When I get slow service in a restaurant, I’m usually ticked off, but for some reason I always excuse it when it comes to a Japanese restaurant. Do you do this? They’re so polite that even when they make a mistake, I find myself apologizing for them.

The menu at Naka Naka is limited; mostly familiar rolls like spicy tuna, salmon and tuna with avocado, unagi and tempura. The uni comes in both the light and the dark yellow colors and the hamachi is excellent, but without their daily specials–written on a whiteboard presented by the waitress–you’ll end up with less than five choices. Some of the appetizer dishes are tasty but unexciting: lotus root, deep fried fish, Japanese pickles and tofu. They also serve hot and cold soba and udon soups.

They didn’t replace our bowls throughout our entire meal. We awkwardly shared small dishes meant to be for one or two people because we didn’t have too many choices. It got so busy at the restaurant, we had to remind our waitress about our lotus root and fried fish orders. Getting refills for water and beer was difficult.

I’d return to Naka Naka if all I wanted was a simple Japanese experience around the neighborhood. In Meatpacking District standards, it’s a very small restaurant but still, an extra $10 per person was added to our bill for reserving the tatami room separated from the main dining bar. It’s a refuge from the zoo that is the party district, but that’s all there is to Naka Naka.

Bread Tribeca

301 Church Street corner of Walker
212/334.8282
about $60 for two, without drinks, without tip

Craving for pasta and too far of a walk from Peppe Rosso now that I work in Chinatown, we went to Bread Tribeca.


With lamb ragout


With haricot vert and zucchini in pesto

It hit the spot but I liked their interior better than their food–mediocre at best.

Hudson Cafeteria

2nd floor of the Hudson Hotel, 356 West 58th Street off Ninth Avenue
212/554.6500
about $150 for two, with two drinks, with tip

We walked in at 4pm, way past brunch time for early risers like me, but we still enjoyed a civilized lunch with the afternoon sun seeping in at the Hudson Cafeteria. We ordered the foie gras in honor of our Chicago friends who won’t be able to enjoy it anymore. It came with country ham and pickled watermelon and black eyed peas. The Peking duck pizza hit the spot and was absolutely delicious. The scallions in the hoisin sauce was a nice kick with the fresh mozarella and tomatoes.


Mmm, mmm sautéed foie gras


Peking duck pizza

We could have stopped there but two glasses each of the Pinot Gris and the Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand made us order the Hudson burger with Niman Ranch bacon served with fries and cheese.

The space is gorgeous and perhaps the most good looking “cafeteria” you will lay your eyes on. The dark wood, high ceilings and tall windows make the space inviting that you forget you’re inside a hotel in the first place.

Bouchon Bakery

3rd floor of the Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Circle at 60th Street
212/823.9366
$64 for two, without drinks, with tip
♥ ♥ ♥

It’s in the mall, but it has Thomas Keller’s name on it, so how can anyone say no to Bouchon Bakery even though it’s just really a bunch of tables and chairs outside the Samsung store on the third floor of the Time Warner building? Bouchon Bakery is for those who can’t score a table at Per Se on the fourth floor or don’t have the $200 to feed themselves. It also serves lunch to the corporate employees around the area during the day from a take-away counter.

We started by splitting the haricot vert soup. Creamy but oh-so-light, we just couldn’t figure out how it was done. The peekytoe crab meat, poached scallops, shrimp and squid fruits de mer tasted so fresh. The sweet and sour dressing was so refreshing, you can absolutely taste the fresh herbs used. The tuna sandwich is made to look like a tartine, topped with eggs like a niçoise.

The service is Thomas Keller all the way: a waitress asking us to pardon her reach when she would offer us freshly cracked pepper, a waiter knowing what exactly was in the dessert when asked, another waitress refilling our water glasses without intruding. It’s a great place to have a simple brunch and to experience a tiny part of the Thomas Keller enterprise without paying more than $30 for a dish. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten anything good at a food court until Bouchon Bakery.