Wendy L.'s Profile

wanted to give a shout out to my daily coffee spot. it's possible that my entire office goes to blue spoon-- it is THE starbucks alternative in a block with few places to yelp about. blue spoon is cramped and lines (especially during the morning and lunchtime rush) can seem overwhelming at times...but their coffee is made with a smile and their soups and sandwiches (especially their pressed sandwiches-- delicious!) are extremely tasty and well-priced. i also love the "daily question tip jar"-- which often gives insights to both the personalities of the patrons and blue spoon's owner. what would i do without this place? i love it so.

extra virgin sits on one of the most charming sections of the west village and is an obvious local favorite. weekend nights here are packed with diners who nearly sit on top of each other, smushed around wooden tables drinking wine like there's no tomorrow.

but for me, a serious pork lover, the kicker here was the roasted pork loin wrapped in pancetta. i CANNOT believe i nearly opted for the chicken entree (which was tasty) but holy hell, there is nothing better than pork times two. the pork loin was cooked to succulent perfection and lay on top of a creamy, crispy potato croquetta goodness that made me hate myself even as I ate every last bite. i had to be rolled home shortly after the meal.

where do i begin?  first with the celebrity sighting: sarah jessica parker and matthew broderick sitting two tables next to us...dining and laughing and eating like NORMAL PEOPLE. except the fact that they are not normal...everyone stared at them from a respectable distance when not distracted by the incredible dining experience that is perilla.

i cannot lie. i was lured here through my addiction to Bravo TV's "Top Chef." Harold was not my favorite from season 1 (that honor goes to Lee Anne) but i couldn't resist tasting a bit of reality-tv fame.  and i was not disappointed. for starters, we tried harold's signature duck meatballs, which are served with a  yam gnocchi and wrapped in a delicate quail egg. words cannot adequately describe how delicious these were except to say that we all needed a cigarette afterwards. and we don't smoke. heh. after we recovered from the meatballs, we also dug in a berkshire pork belly appetizer that literally melted into our mouths. entrees were solid all around-- but the clear winner was my friend's skatefish. it was the most rich and flavorful of the fish entrees (the others, including my red snapper ,offered lighter, cleaner textures), and sat over a generous mound of pastrami and cabbage.

what made our meal even more pleasant was the extremely attentive waitstaff. we never went without bread or lacked a full glass of water. our waiter was extremely helpful in suggesting good wine pairings for  our meals. harold (the Top Chef) did come out to say hello...but only to the celebrities in our midst.  sigh. a near perfect meal.

Suba is trendy, hip, crowded, and loud. some of those not-so-pleasant adjectives can be done away with if you're willing to sit in one of the three or four sidewalk tables. how can you turn down the view of a dark, industrial streetscape lined with cars with jersey plates who have no clue how to parallel park? it's quite lovely. and better yet-- you get faster access to a lovely glass (or three) of wine and a taste of suba's disgustingly delicious small plates. yes, you miss out on the scene-y inside atmosphere...but hell, sometimes you just want to EAT!

and speaking of the food-- holy! suba's menu is divided into three parts-- tapas (smallest portions), medium plates (smallish portions)and entree items that are mostly filled with rich rice dishes. the best of the best: a barely poached egg (think runny) over grilled eel; a trio of croquettas--especially the cheese and bacon one that makes your taste buds do crazy somersaults; and the grilled octopus-- which is so perfectly flavored it was as if i was eating octopus for the very first time. all in all, i loved it. and another reason to go back--the very very cute waiters. yum.

i did not like this place. yea, i know. way to mince words. but it just wasn't all that great. the food is cheap and the menu is cute (they label the food items in cute, tongue-in-cheek ways). but i've definitely had better thai before. pad see ew was decent. but decent doesn't mean it's good. and if  you want a kick with your curry-- ask them to pump up the spice factor because even the "double chili pepper" labeled dishes barely left me sweating.

what did make me sweat? the stifling hot "outdoor" dining area in the back. it is not truly open air but enclosed in some weird tent slash atrium set-up that was nice comfortable. and the service was well below par-- the staff was disinterested and took their precious time to re-fill water glasses or bring spicy sauce. i hate to be a hater, but i really kinda hate jeeb.

okay, so i didn't go here during a "typical" sunday. i went during brooklyn's bastille day celebration. well, j'adore paris and j'adore provence en boite even if the service n'est pas tres manifique. the cafe was holding it's first annual bastille day celebration-- they had musicians, a special outdoor menu, and bien sur! petanque!  it was my goal to play and the owner was sweet enough to show me the way even though he half spoke to me in french and half yelled at his chefs to get the food on the grill.

it was a bit chaotic because the staff seemed unsure of themselves at first. the cafe had a special tent set-up but luckily, the owners got smart and allowed celebrants under the tent access to wait service and the cafe's delicieux brunch menu. i indulged in one of my favorite french breakfasts: le croque monsier. what's the word for awesome in french? well, that's what it was. the bread was crusty, the ham and cheese were thinly sliced, and the bechamel sauce was...well, there are no words...and from the look at my friend's face while she downed her crepe du chocolat-- i think she felt the same way. oh, and their fries? crazy good. perfectly seasoned without a need for ketchup (and i love ketchup). all of the bread here is made fresh every day and the dessert case would cause even a diabetic to salivate. although the staff was momentarily bewildered, this place had the charm of paris and was the ideal place to spend a sunny sunday afternoon.

most importantly: the sushi here is fresh and yummy with good size portions and unique roll choices (including a very tasting pairing of spicy tuna and papaya).

not-so-importantly (cuz the food is good): the service is a bit flaky and slow. they mean well (everyone is perfectly nice) but they are sometimes a bit oblivious to the raised hand. and look, when i want extra ginger...i just want my extra ginger!

my friend tempted me to zombie hut with the promise of board games...possibly clue. but after 2 drinks, i didn't even check to see if clue was a part of their large stack of games in the corner because i was Tipsy! don't let the kitsch or the fruitiness of the drinks fool you, they mix these drinks are strong. my mai tai was made me wish for a beach and a hammock; my zombie-- the bar's signature drink-- was killer. it's frozen and pink and comes with a sugar rim but the first sip nearly knocked me out of my flip flops. also: this bar serves up tiki shots on fire!

i'm not a brooklynite but if i were one, zombie hut would be my go-to neighborhood place. the place packs up on saturday nights but sundays, you can find a seat, play connect four or watch a movie on one of their two tv screens.

here's a secret: there's no line if you go at the height of dinner hour (~7pm) on a weekday. but even if you do come when the line stretches down broadway, do not fear. it moves fast enough and the wait is SO WORTH IT.  my reaction to tasting the hazelnut: HOLY SH*T THIS IS GOOD!  i think i scared a few small children...but i couldn't help it...it was so rich and creamy and nutty. it's like i was tasting gelato for the first time.  also try their nougat (crunchy and nutty) and pistachio (not bright green, but a natural brownish color) which would also elicit the aforementioned reaction.

fyi, GROM is not cheap. a small is roughly $5 but is quite filling. for those of you who are indecisive, ask for two flavors in your order and the staff will happily oblige.

yes, it's cute. but in a very precious way. yes, the decor is warm and comfy. but only to make up for the cold and disaffected waitstaff. what restaurant promotes a "drink coffee while you wait!" policy and then RUNS OUT OF COFFEE?!?! this is a friggin brunch place people, purchase some extra coffee for your inventory!

the food is decent but nothing to write home about. but my friend's fries (which came with some but not all the egg dishes) were tastily crisp and dashed with a mixture of herbs. the best part of my meal was the company-- we laughed our way out the restaurant, dismissing the sourpuss look on our waitress' face by blaming it on the lack of caffeine.