Nina C.'s Profile
DateNew York, NY 10003
(212) 228-2787
Financier Patisserie
Category:
Bakeries
Neighborhoods: Greenwich Village, NoHo
New York, NY 10009
(212) 533-9333
Big Gay Ice Cream Shop
Categories:
Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt,
Desserts
Neighborhoods: East Village, Alphabet City
What?! I'm talking about ICE CREAM here!
The American Globs vanilla cone with crunchy, salty pretzels covered in chocolate dip was soooo good. So much so that I might have to place it at the top as my favorite, as I love the crunch the pretzels add.
Bea Arthur and the Salty Pimp are also really popular choices, especially for first-timers in the shop. And, Doug and Bryan carry melt bakery ice cream sandwiches, as well as La Newyorkina paletas - both of whom make exclusive flavors for the shop. Try the thick mint from melt bakery - one of my faves!
Manhattan, NY 10002
(212) 477-1299
Pok Pok Wing
Category:
Thai
Neighborhood: Lower East Side
When I found myself without dinner plans one night, I figured I'd swing by and pick up an order to take home for dinner. I was going to wait to try them with my spicy fried chicken loving friend, but it's siren song called too loudly...
Pok Pok is located in the small space that used to be BaoHaus, so down the stairs I went. I ordered Ike's Wings - spicy! For the non-spicy folks out there, they're normally prepared non-spicy. For those who like the heat, you need to request spicy...
Normally, I'd try them the original way first, but after a recent Szechuan dinner, I was on a bit of a spice kick. Since the space is pretty small, I'm glad i got my order to go. Luckily, I live nearby, so the wings hadn't lost any of its heat or crunch by the time I got home.
With the amount of fish sauce these chicken wings sit around in, one might expect that strong, pungent smell. But, when I opened up my container, it was a deliciously sweet, savory scent - one that got my taste buds salivating.
These wings are marinated in fish sauce, garlic and sugar and then deep fried. I loved the crunchy bits on the wings from where the sugar caramelized in the deep fryer. After frying, they tossed the wings in a caramelized Phu Quoc fish sauce with garlic - and I'm guessing some sort of chili sauce, if you asked for spicy. The spicy were SPICY, but not burn your mouth off spicy. It made me want more!
At $12.50 for an order of six whole chicken wings, these aren't cheap. But, the wings are a good size and well worth the price tag. They also come with a small salad of cucumbers, greens, pickled daikon and pickled carrots - a perfect complement to the wings.
One teeny gripe - the Som drinking vinegars are the tiniest things ever! They're really good - I ordered an apple one, but soooo small.
Regardless, I really enjoyed both the wings and the apple drinking vinegar. And, since I couldn't finish my order, my sis got to have some the next day. Not the best reheated, but still good enough that my sis wants to try them fresh - which is fine by me really. Any excuse to go back!
Manhattan, NY 10013
(212) 233-3287
Zutto Japanese American Pub
Categories:
Asian Fusion,
Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: TriBeCa
We booked an early reservation, which is a bonus if you want to take advantage of the happy hour. But, be advised that you must be sitting at the communal table or the bar in order to partake. Since we were already seated and quite cozy at our table, we stayed. Plus, their wines by the glass are quite reasonably priced and are generously poured, so no biggie.
To start, we shared a few appetizers:
Kobe Beef Hirata Buns - with hijiki, red onions and togarashi mayo. These tasted like a burger/slider. I wish they were more heavy-handed with the togarashi mayo, because I didn't taste the kick that it would've given to the bun.
Short Rib Hirata Buns - with spicy fermented cabbage and tobanjan mayo. These fared a bit better with me. The short ribs were perfectly cooked and tender. The fresh kimchi wasn't too spicy, nor was the tobanjan mayo.
Shishito Peppers - I love shishito peppers and will find any reason to order them off a menu or pick them up from the farmers market to make at home myself. These were delightfully blistered and sprinkled with a yuzu salt that went perfectly with the lemon aioli. Had I been alone, I would have eaten the entire pile myself! Loved the floral, citrus notes from the yuzu salt!
Animal Roll - Short rib, jalapeno and garlic roll with a soy glaze. As with my previous review, not very memorable on the sushi front. But the girls wanted to try it and I obliged.
I may be hanging out with too many chili-heads or something, because anything that was supposed to have an element of heat didn't. I want more heat, more spice, more kick, more punch! Don't worry, I can take it! Please add more spice!
As for the entrees, we all ordered ramen. Besides the cold night, I think my multiple raves for the ramen here were a huge factor in this. We had two seafood, a spicy miso, a miso and a wasabi shoyu ramen. At one point, everyone tried everyone else's broth, which probably made for a funny scene of flying soup spoons...
The seafood ramen is still one of my favorites and when the ladies who ordered it got served theirs, I got a little pang of food envy. Once again, the fragrant aroma of the rich broth called my name. I got to steal a sip of it and was happy! Yay!
The spicy miso wasn't too spicy, but I did enjoy the richness of it with hints of nuttiness. Definitely getting that one next time! The miso ramen was good too, but not as rich and velvety as the seafood or spicy miso broths are.
My wasabi shoyu ramen also had a thinner broth. And though I enjoyed it with the extra wasabi they send out on the side (I definitely added more!), I really wanted one of the richer broths. I must say that the addition of the onsen tamago, a slow-poached egg, was great in adding the richness I craved. Glad I got that!
All the ladies really enjoyed their ramen - especially my one friend who had never had "real" ramen... When Joshua, the chef/owner, dropped by our table to check on us and heard that, he even joked about that with her. "What? You've never had ramen before? You know that stuff in the packages? That's what we use here!" That was cute and I always appreciate chef/owners that have a sense of humor about their food.
As for dessert, Chef Joshua remembered me from my first visit and was kind enough to send out a dessert tasting. We got one of each plated dessert and a dish of green tea ice crean. The Fromage Blanc "Cheese Cake", the Brioche Bread Pudding and the "Coffee and Donuts". I loved the warm donuts and enjoyed dipped them into the foamed cream. But, I have to say that digging my spoon into the dessert to get a little bit of everything - the coffee semifreddo, the layer of caramel and the cream foam - was both fun and delicious. The brioche bread pudding with caramelized banana and vanilla ice cream was excellent as well. I liked that it wasn't too hard or soft, as bread pudding in this city runs the gamut from gooey messes to overcooked rocks. This was light, not too sweet and the brulee'd bananas are the perfect touch. Thanks Chef!
On a side note, though the ramen is different than that of Ippudo, for me, Ippudo can keep its 90 minute wait times and trendy dining rooms. I'll be making my way here more often, as Zutto is more cozy, the staff is super friendly and the ramen is just as good. Yeah, I said it. Not only that, it has at least four new fans after just one taste...
Listed in: Hot and Steamy
1 Previous Review:
-
1/3/2012
Having previously worked in TriBeCa, I was slightly surprised to hear that Zutto had come under new management. The previous incarnation was well loved in the neighborhood. But, Joshua, the new owner, has certainly done a great job with the revamp of the place. And, as the owner came by the table to check on us, I was able to find out that he has a pretty stellar pedigree, with stints at many top restaurants in NYC, including Le Bernadin.
It was a Friday evening and though there were only a few tables seated when we walked in, the place filled up quickly. We sat at the large communal table in the center of the room. I loved the look of the table, but I have to agree that it's a bit wide when you're seated across from your dining companion. And, as the noise level rises, it becomes more difficult to hear when seated across from one another. We made do, but all of the other couples that arrived after us played a bout of musical chairs and rearranged themselves in order to sit next to each other. This caused a bit of confusion when people's meals came out, but it wasn't something that wasn't easily rectified.
The menu looked great and we went a bit crazy, ordering:
Panko Eel - This was the one true disappointment of the evening for us. An avocado roll, topped with panko fried eel and dressed with yuzu creme fraiche. The eel was overly done for me and the roll was cold. After two pieces, I just didn't want to eat any more of it. Maybe if the eel was lightly fried and served a la minute so it was warm, it might've fare better.
Sushi - We ordered hotate (scallop), madai (snapper), hamachi hara (fatty yellowtail), kanpachi hara (fatty amberjack), ikura (salmon roe), and uni (sea urchin). All of the fish was fresh, and as we love sushi, we were disappointed that the hamachi hara wasn't as buttery as it should be. But, when the check came, we found out that they had given us regular yellowtail. Honest mistake, since when we ordered, the dining room had filled up and so had the noise level. The Santa Barbara uni was one of our favorites, but otherwise the sushi was good, but unmemorable.
Bara Chirashi - Assorted pieces of sashimi atop a bed of sushi rice. As we shared this, I didn't get to try all the pieces of fish in it. The chirashi was beautifully plated but, as with the sushi, good, but unmemorable, save for the raw head-on botan ebi, which was delicious. We never got the pouring sauce or the soup that came with the chirashi, but as we had ordered so much other food, we didn't bother to ask.
Seafood Ramen - Joshua spoke so highly about his ramen that it was on my must-try list. And, with the cold weather outside, it was perfect. I mean, who can resist a hot bowl of noodle soup goodness on a cold wintry night? The seafood ramen's broth was pork and seafood based and the smell of the broth alone let me know that this was going to be something special. The broth was fragrant and rich, with a hint of spice. And, it was HOT - one of my pet peeves is noodle soups with lukewarm/warm broths - ugh! The ramen was perfectly bouncy and the large head-on prawns were cooked to perfection. My only gripe was that I wished that the prawns were deveined. But, regardless this was my favorite dish of the night. Also, this smelled sooooo good that the couple next to us added an order of this to their meal based on food envy! =)
Fromage Blanc "Cheese Cake" - As soon as this dish hit the table, I was reminded of Chikalicious' signature dessert. Though it has the same look, the texture of the "cheese cake" is different. It's not as light as the Chikalicious one, but still pretty good. The pool of coconut milk adds coconut flavor and I think the graham cracker crumb beneath the cheese cake may have had toasted coconut in it as well.
We also ordered a nice bottle of reasonably priced wine that the waitress recommended. Added bonus - of the two bottles I pointed out, she didn't try to upsell us and pick the more expensive bottle. That definitely earned brownie points in my book.
As I still have lots of friends who work in this area, I'm sure this will be one of our destinations when we're looking for a restaurant that's casual, but still has great food. And, I'd definitely come back for the RAMEN. Oh, that ramen... ::drool::
P.S.
Loved the pachinko machine downstairs near the restrooms! Took me back to Tokyo...
New York, NY 10002
(212) 228-6666
New Day Radio Dispatch
Categories:
Limos,
Airport Shuttles
Neighborhood: Lower East Side
After several days of waiting for them in the cold, I'm putting these guys on my shit list. If you don't have a car nearby, please just tell me that. Don't have me waiting in the cold for over 15 minutes when I'm already running super late. To top it off, when I call back to check on my car, don't tell me 1 minute, because it's never that close. It's just so frustrating!
Ugh! Please get your act together!
Manhattan, NY 10012
(212) 219-0101
La Churreria
Category:
Sandwiches
Neighborhood: Nolita
Hot fried churros filled with hazlenut spread... GOOD GOD YES!
They've also got sandwiches too. Sorta reminds me of Rick Bayless' sandwich joint in Chi-town...
Manhattan, NY 10002
(212) 203-7197
Little Muenster
Categories:
Specialty Food,
American (New)
Neighborhood: Lower East Side
We shared the oaxaca with jalapeno corn puree & tomatillo and the gouda with muenster & pastrami. The oaxaca called to me right away because of the jalapeno corn puree. I loved the slight kick from the jalapeno, the sweetness of the corn and the hint of acidity from the tomatillos. The gouda was just okay for me. I didn't like the texture of the pastrami and there was just a touch too much cumin for my liking, but that's because I'm not a huge fan of that spice.
On a subsequent trip, I tried the gruyere with chevre, leek confit & pancetta with a side of cauliflower soup. Unfortunately, the pancetta in this grilled cheese was just too salty for me. And, the leek confit was not the melting texture that I thought it would be. But, the cauliflower soup was delicious and smooth.
One of the things I loved from all the grilled cheeses I've tried is that the bread is always grilled to the perfect doneness. It's crisp, especially around the edges, but still retains the soft chewiness of good bread.
Though I do think the prices are a bit steep for grilled cheese, I like the thoughtful combinations they've come up with. And, I don't mind splurging on a treat every so often. Especially as the days get colder - it's perfect grilled cheese weather!
Also, I love the chandelier fashioned from cheese graters and the slate cheese boards cobbled together to make up their menu board. Very cute!
Note that if you do stay in to eat in their tiny dining room (it probably only seats about a dozen or so), you'll come out smelling a bit greasy. Fine if you're visiting in the wee hours or on your way home , but not so great if you're heading out somewhere afterwards.
Flushing, NY 11354
(718) 358-6667
Happy Family Little Lamb Restaurant
Category:
Chinese
Neighborhoods: Downtown Flushing, Flushing
We're fans of hotpot. We do it at home a lot once the weather gets cooler - sometimes even in the heat of summer! Lately, we just can't get enough of it. So, off we trekked to Flushing on an unseasonably warm fall night.
My sister and cousin have been fawning over this place and I expected it to emit a golden-hued glow akin to open treasure chests in cartoons when approaching this place. As it was a Monday, the place wasn't packed, but there were a good number of tables already seated.
We waited to get our order in and then waited yet some more for them to bring out our pot of soup and all the meats and veg we'd ordered. It probably took 20 minutes to even get the soup. And, when they put it down, they didn't even turn the heat on. I had to crouch down below the tabletop and shine my phone's flashlight to see where the buttons were. Oh, and they're in Chinese, so I was just pushing random buttons to figure out how to turn the heat up...
Then, we waited over 30 minutes more before our first few plates of food started trickling to our table. It took so long to get any of our food that I dumped in some dumplings I had bought on my way to dinner. Thank goodness for those dumplings or else we would've just been having soup!
Considering the amount of waiters running around, I was really pretty peeved at how slow service was. Hoptpot is usually quite fast. You order, the broth arrives right away and then 5 minutes later, your table is overflowing with all the stuff you ordered to cook in your broth. I mean, I wasn't the only irate customer. All around us, you could hear the grumblings about how long everything was taking. Midway through our dinner, an older gentleman was so fed up that he started screaming at a waiter. After which, he stormed into the kitchen and screamed some more. A few of the other customers applauded his outburst, as they too were ticked off with service.
They also forgot my cousin's drink. And, when we asked for a refill of hot tea, they took our pot and never came back with it. Water glasses were asked for refills at least three times before they were actually filled. A request for a spoon was reiterated over 5 times before we even got it. Ugh! I'm a huge fan of restaurants with good service. You know how foul service can leave the worst taste in your mouth and conversely, great service can uplift even the most mediocre meal.
In addition to the bad service, the meats were indistinguishable. In their forgetful haze, they only served us beef, when we ordered both beef and lamb. Also, just weeks before I had the most tasty fish paste at a hotpot place in Brooklyn. With that in mind, I ordered the fish paste here and it was disgusting. It was fishy and chaulky - just gross. The rest of the items we ordered were on-par with other places.
Given that the main reason we came was because of my fam's claim that their broth was delicious, I will give them that. The herbal broth had great body and flavor and the ma lah (mouth-numbing) spicy broth was spicy, but given the terrible service, I can't give this place more stars.
I'm sure I'll be dragged back here again. And, if and when that happens, I'll update accordingly.
The other thing I get from here is fresh soy milk. They have it either hot or cold, sweetened or not. I always opt for the sweetened, hot soy milk because luckily, they don't overdo it with the sugar.
You can also buy ho fun (wide, flat rice noodles) or tofu here as well...
(646) 543-2443
Big D's Grub Truck
Categories:
Asian Fusion,
Food Stands,
Sandwiches
Neighborhood: Midtown East
Now, I've had my fair share of Korean BBQ and been privvy to the yummy goodness of West Coast tacos, so I have high standards on both. A short wait for my order of a bulgogi taco, a spicy pork taco and fried yuca later, I plopped down on a bench to eat my lunch.
First, the box my order was in was covered in Big D's secret sauce. Greeeeat! Thankfully, the sauce had missed the napkins they tossed in the bag.
Second, my tacos were cold. They couldn't have cooled down after two blocks. C'mon! My spicy pork taco was not spicy at all. And, my bulgogi taco was bland. Both were forgettable.
Third, the fried yuca was undercooked. Blech! On top of that, they weren't even salted! Who doesn't salt fries? And, you know that pretty picture of yuca spears you see in the pictures on Yelp? Mine weren't like that. They were lil' bite size pieces. I mean, I can understand undercooking long spears of yuca, but tiny nubs of yuca? Boo!
I knew I should have hit up the Cuban truck I saw on my way over instead... BAH! Next time, I'll know better.
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1203 Useful, 539 Funny, and 993 Cool
New York, NY
Yelping SinceApril 2005
Things I Lovemy friends, cooking, baking, traveling, tattoos, batting cages...
Find Me Indubious situations...
My HometownNYC baby!
When I'm Not Yelping...I'm pimpin' my fellow Yelpers for charity!
Why You Should Read My Reviewshave you seen the belly? 'nuff said!
The Last Great Book I Readwhat's a book?
My First ConcertThe Fugees
My Favorite Movieboondock saints, a bronx tale, dead poets society, so many more
My Last Meal On EarthSUSHI, sakagura and mint chip from baskin robbins
Don't Tell Anyone Else But...I'm a dork...
Most Recent DiscoveryI almost always cook/bake in the wee hours of the night.
Current Crushfull sleeves (ink)
The macaron had the perfect balance of crackly shell and chewy interior with just the right amount of banana caramel filling. What I really liked was that the caramel wasn't too sweet, which is something I find with most macaron fillings. It was perfection! I only wished I had bought another one, because I shared it with my sis...
On the other hand, I was tempted by the flan dessert and decided to get it too, which is why I only picked up one macaron... That was atrocious. It was hard, gummy and flavorless. What a waste!
I'd definitely come back here for more macarons. But, as for pastries, I'm on the fence...