Posts from the ‘Manhattan’ Category

Jan 14

Odessa

Oh…Odessa. This place has been a bright star on my map since I first
stepped foot in this godforsaken city. Open 24 hours, it's always there to
serve fried, heavy, greasy food when you need it most. When I first opened
the gigantic menu to page one and was faced with a concotion called Disco
Fries (covered in cheese and gravy), I knew I was onto something good.

I've rarely ventured beyond the pirogies and powerhouse combo plate (1
blintz, 4 pirogies, and a potato pancake). My foray into monte cristo
sampling was a bit of a let down, but that just may be a west coast/east
coast misunderstanding.

I had the opportunity to dine there recently since friends were visiting
from out of town. It's not every day your stomach can handle Odessa, you
have to pick your moments. My latest excursion brought up the question I've
always pondered–what's the difference between the two next door locations?
The one on the left is dark and one on the right is newer and bright. I've
always eaten at the light since the early days when I tried the wood paneled
version only to discover the monte cristo was absent from the menu (though
on this visit it appeared to be back). One is more like a bar and the
other…I'm not sure. I guess the choice depends on whether you want to show
off your haggard, drunk self or hide in the shadows.

Odessa * 119 (or 117) Ave. A, New York, NY

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Jan 13

Irving on Irving

I'm not sure what the heck this new restaurant's name is. I've seen it
called Irving Irving, Irving and Irving, but I'm sticking with what's
written on the menu. This confusing place peaked my curiosity when I heard
they did some new take on the Philly cheesesteak. That's a sandwich near and
dear to my heart. And since Irving on Irving happened to be right on the way
to where I was meeting acquaintances, it seemed like a good opportunity to
sniff it out.

Unfortunately, the cheesesteak is on the lunch menu so we had to opt for
dinner fare. There was absolutely nothing wrong with anything, but I
couldn't choose an entree for the life of me. Nothing jumped out at me. The
appetizers were appealing, the pizzas sounded good, but the entrees lacked a
pizzazz I craved. To start, I had sangria and a nice antipasti with a
generous selection of cured meats (do I ever love cured meat), olives and
cheese.

I ended up choosing the salmon with a vegetable ragout over something
that could've been beans or a thick round grain (I was tired and didn't
scrutinize before I ordered). It was perfectly edible, even good, but my
socks weren't knocked off. James's kielbasa with potatoes and red sauerkraut
in an extremely sweet sauce (honey? maple?) didn't seem like a bad choice
either.

The vibe is small, cozy, agreeable and possibly better suited to lunch.
It's a neighborhood type of place, and I'm often nearby so it's not
inconceivable that I'll be back.

Closed: It's Casa Mono now.

Irving on Irving * 52 Irving Pl., New York, NY

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Jan 7

Dim Sum Go-Go

Dim Sum Go-Go is one of those new-school Chinatown restaurants that's hard
to pin down. Modern, cute, boldly color-schemed. Eschewing the tendency
towards garishness while hanging on to the requisite fish tank. The red and
white design almost evokes a fast food joint, but the table cloths and
non-generic dishes imply something else altogether.

I'll admit that I was a little baffled as how to order. There's a
regular menu and a dim sum one (it's not the sort of place with carts
wheeling by) and I wasn't sure which to pay attention to. I was really
hankering for a turnip cake, but all the dim sum appeared to be dumplings,
which didn't make sense since you'd think with dim sum in the name, there'd
be more variety. (And then there's Excellent Dumpling House, with barely a
dumpling to speak of.)

However, the dumplings they offered weren't run of the mill. Fillings
included shark fin, crisp duck skin, jicama and pink dough made from beets.
ordered a combo with one of each (10 total) and then realized that didn't
make sense since wouldn't get to taste everything, so ordered a second. It
was tricky because you had no idea which one you were getting, though you
could narrow choices down through a process of elimination. The freakiest
one looked liked a frizzy ball of fried bean curd, but had a crunchy gritty
bite. My guess was shark fin because what else would have that
cartilage-like quality? The four dipping sauces were a nice change from the
usual soy sauce. They had a ginger scallion, garlic, "Chef Guy's," and
vinegar with pickled ginger. It was tough deciding which to dip into.

We also tried soups, which were simple, came in cute clean-lined
crockery and had names like Song of the Sea and Wise Man's Broth. But I but
I was most excited by the tiny airplane portioned piece of Shanghai bread
that comes with each bowl. Akin to a bland, greaseless donut–I could eat a
whole plate of that stuff.

Upon leaving, I couldn't help but notice a plate of turnip cakes on a
table by the door. What?! How could that be? I also picked up a menu and
there was a whole section of fried dim sum that I swear I didn't see on the
real menu, but then, it was early for me and my deduction skills weren't up
to snuff. They also had a Chinese New Year menu at the register, which put
all sorts of ideas in my head. $365 for ten seemed like a good value,
unfortunately I don't even know ten people and the ones I do know are a
bunch of babies who wouldn't want to do it anyway. Bastards. But me? I'm
definitely going back to get my turnip cakes and try out the entrees. I
suspect that on second visit, I'll be forced to give up their two shovel
rating for three.

Dim Sum Go-Go * 5 E. Broadway, New York, NY

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Jan 6

Lansky Lounge

I'd never felt inclined to visit Lansky Lounge, but somehow I ended up at
their new restaurant and felt o.k. about it. Supposedly the former personal
chef for the King of Norway is the chef. That could be, but you'd be hard
pressed to find a single Norwegian item on the menu. This is old-fashioned
American classic territory, which fits in nicely with the gangster hideout
theme.

A friend who never gets asked out on proper dates was trying to find a
way to get to the traditional dinner-and-movie-where-the-guy-pays stage
after sleeping with her new suitor on the first date. In my head I was
thinking, "yeah, good luck" but my mouth suggested Lansky as a cool, classy,
get-to-know-you joint. But the girl doesn't eat meat (that's the least of
her problems), and this is no place for a vegetarian. She's on her own here.

A large part of the menu is devoted to steak, with quite a selection of
cuts. These guys are obviously hip to the steakhouse trend. We started out
with Caesar salad and calamari in a light cornmeal batter with a tangy
(tamarind?) gingery dipping sauce. Neither of us could resist the filet
mignon. The waiter suggested it, saying that the sirloin was bigger, but the
filet was the best. I expected a puny, albeit succulent, speck of meat, but
the juicy hunk that came out was an unexpected surprise. Perfectly rare.

There's a list of sides (and befores and afters) from which we chose
sauteed spinach (though I wanted it creamed to up the cholesterol quotient
even further) and extremely rich and pungent gorgonzola mashed potatoes. I
thought they were a hit, but James insisted he could still taste them the
next day and I'm not sure if that's exactly a compliment.

There's an airy, roomy, swank '40s feel to the place. I don't think I've
ever dined with that much elbow room in Manhattan. It was filled, but not
crowded, which is the dead opposite of the bar just beyond the swinging
doors. We'd had a quiet 9:00 drink at the bar before dinner and by the time
headed back that direction, quite a party had developed. I was always under
the impression that Lansky was annoying and hip, but the folks grooving on
the funky 70's tunes (courtesy of a DJ that happened to be James's
downstairs neighbor) were lacking the hip part. Unless you're talking twin
sets and polos in a hip to be square sort of way, which they most definitely
weren't.

The evening was fun and satisfying. But where usually it's wise to stick
with drinks when bars get the notion to serve food, in this case I'd opt for
the dining experience and imbibe elsewhere.

LanskyLounge and Grill * 104 Norfolk St., New York,NY

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Dec 16

Excellent Dumpling House

After a hectic day of Christmas shopping, a nice warm bowl of soup seemed to
be in order. I was on the fringes of Chinatown and not in the mood for major
walking so popped into this place that seemed to have a tourist vibe. Like
people had travel guides out and none of the clientele were Asian. That's
not usually a good sign, but I wasn't scared.

I tried to find something outside of the hot and sour, egg drop soup
vein and chose a beef stew. It was actually pretty good, similar to a dish
I'd had at Sweet 'n' Tart Cafe before, very home-style with big chunks of
meat and lots of preserved vegetables and thick noodles. Like something
you'd expect someone to make for their family. also ordered dumplings since
they were in the name of the place. I wouldn't necessarily say they were
excellent, but there wasn't anything wrong with them either.

The only disturbing part of the meal concerned the group of people in
the corner who ordered fish and obviously didn't expect it to come whole
with the head on. That wasn't the disturbing part. It was later when I had
to use the bathroom and waited for a good 15 minutes for the disgruntled
fish-head lady to get out. I couldn't stand it anymore and jumped into the
men's room. One probably would do well to steer clear of a bathroom that's
been occupied for that length of time anyway. For some reason, I kept
envisioning a giant fish being in the toilet. There's nothing excellent
about that.

Excellent Dumpling House * 111 Lafayette St., New York, NY

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Dec 9

Passage to India

I was under the impression that when someone got a new job they were
supposed to be taken out to dinner. When James got one I took him out. When
I got one, he claimed I was supposed to treat him. He had it all wrong and
so he conceded. However, on a Sat. night when I said I felt like Indian
food, I didn't mean that I wanted that to be my celebration dinner. But
that's what happened. Oh well, he pays for meals 75% of the time anyhow so I
can't really be too disgruntled.

Anyway, it was typical Sixth St. Indian food. Some curry, some naan,
some samosas. I needn't elaborate further.

Passageto India * 308 E. Sixth St., New York, NY

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Dec 8

Bennie Thai Cafe

I just found out that's its real name. James always referred to it as
Benny's and all I could think of was Benny's Burritos, and that's one place
I could do without. It's been said this is the best Thai place around Wall
St., but I think that's because it's the only Thai place near Wall
St. Not to imply that it's bad, because it isn't at all.

I only tried two pretty standard dishes, pad thai and beef with basil.
Both were very eatable. It's the sort of pad thai that's sweet. I don't know
if that's authentic or Americanized, but I do like that flavor. It's not one
of those deals where you specify the filling you want, it automatically
comes with tofu, chicken, shrimp and those unidentifiable crispy, rich bits
of meat that I've had in Malaysian noodles. Pork would be a good guess.

An interesting feature is the open kitchen that looks like it was
directly transported from a '70's suburban home. Wood cabinets, earth-toned
formica counters, and a regular no-frills stove are always a welcome sight.
(12/8/00)

Stopped in for a little basil chicken and red curry after guiltily
peeking at the World Trade Center wreckage while trying to not seem like a
gawker. Enjoying Thai with the smell of burnt who-knows-what in the air may
seem like a challenge, but it's not impossible. (10/9/01)

Take out green curry and E3 (basil chicken that James insists is the
best) made for good casual Fri. night dining. (2/15/02)

I hadn't been here in a million years, but it was 5pm Friday and I thought
I'd meet James near his office. Les Halles was bandied about initially, yet
somehow we settled on Bennie's even though we'd already eaten toned down
Thai two nights before (and 9D didn't serve pork
either–what gives? Thais eat pork). I'm not crazy about Bennie's, though
James has a sick fondness for E3, gai pad krapao, chile and basil
chicken, because it was the first version he ever had. Gai pad krapao
has become known as E3 ever since, even at other restaurants, and even in
other countries such as Thailand where they don't know much about E's or 3s,
but still whip up a mean version (usually served a lunch dish with a fried
egg on top).

I decided to try something other than a curry and ended up with an oddball
called rama dish, described as "sauted beef or chicken topped with peanut
sauce on the green." What arrived was a slew of vegetables like carrots,
Chinese broccoli, and baby corn mixed with beef strips and caked in peanut
sauce, served with a steak knife. Not thinned down nutty curry like penang,
which was what I'd anticipated, but the thick stuff used for satay dip. A
little goes a long way, you don't necessarily want mouthful after mouthful
of the sweet ochre condiment. It was weird, though not hideous, to say the
least.

I felt unsettled by the fact that nearly every diner that evening was huge
(and that they were playing an all Christmas music station). I'm not tiny,
myself, and maybe that's why I don't want to be associated with a room full
of obese people eating fried rice and pad thai with chopsticks (I think we
were the only ones not eating pad thai or using chopsticks, including our
waitress). It's my own insecurity and I shouldn't fault Bennie's for drawing
inexplicably hefty patrons. (11/18/05)

Bennie Thai Cafe * 88 Fulton St., New York, NY

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Dec 1

Funky Broome

Broome due to its Broome Street location and funky…well, because it's sort
of funky, I suppose. From the glowing pink and green plexiglass to the
marinated goose intestines–that is Funky Broome.

There are some Chinese restaurant standards on the menu, but I was more
intrigued by the mini woks, hot pots and their liberal use of lychees and
macadamia nuts. I also couldn't take my eyes off the tank of eels and
craggy, warty looking fish–especially since I was sitting right next to it,
up close and personal.

We got a hot pot of taro and chicken, which was rich, casserole-like and
included the title items, but was also spiked with cilantro, the
aforementioned macadamia nuts and meaty mushrooms. If that wasn't hearty
enough, I also picked the duck liver and pork sausage with rice in a fake
bamboo serving dish (even though I knew I'd be the only one eating it). How
can you not like Chinese sausage? A nice light addition were the salt and
pepper prawns that came with a sprinkling of jalepeno, which is always a
welcome touch.

I don't know if the planets were aligning in a peculiar way, but that
evening Funky Broome was a magnet for friends of James's that I only know in
passing. On the approach he spied some guy he went to college with who I'd
met once at a party. Then after getting seated and ordering he noticed a
coworker, Chris, sitting across the room and it turned into one of those do
I go over and say hi or make conversation when I pay the bill sorts of
dilemmas. And then next thing I knew, a different coworker, Alan, was
standing next to our table. He'd seen us in the window, which is easy to
imagine since the place is lit up like a beacon.

If you're into eclectic Hong Kong cooking and are prepared to run into
people you may or may not want to converse with, you might want to add Funky
Broome to your Chinatown repertoire.

Funky Broome * 176 Mott St., New York, NY

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Nov 23

Cowgirl Hall of Fame

Somehow this restaurant has become the place where friends go whenever it's
a celebration or parents are in town. And accordingly, it was the
Thanksgiving choice of two individuals I know–one whom I like and the other
who's a different story altogether. This made for some tricky
reservation-making, but all was well in the end.

I was feeling sort of Scrooge-ish, but got into the holiday spirit while
waiting outside. I was sitting on a bench when I heard Van Morrison's
"Dancing in the Moonlight" (at least I think that's what it's called)
blasting from a car to my right. There was this guy in a Celica with New
Jersey plates singing hi s heart out with the window rolled down in the
freezing cold and it warmed the cockles of my heart. Truly.

Cowgirl Hall of Fame is sort of kitschy and serves things like barbecue
and Frito pie, complete with chili piled over a slit open bag of chips.I
thought it was a mildly odd Thanksgiving choice, but I couldn't come up with
anything better so Cowgirl it was. They had holiday menu with entree choices
ranging from turkey, ham, salmon, pot pie and roast beef accompanied with
deviled eggs, biscuits and honey butter, sweet potato soup, a goat cheese
salad, and pie for dessert. I wanted the roast beef, but chose the turkey
just for the stuffing.

Everything hit the spot, but I was most thankful for our harried
waitress accidentally charging us for Pepsis instead of wine.

Cowgirl Hall of Fame * 519 Thompson St., New York, NY

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Nov 18

Spanish American Food

Saturday afternoon the urge for a Cuban sandwich struck me and fortunately I knew there was a take out joint just two blocks from James's apartment. I got a little nervous when we placed our order and everyone in line behind us seemed to be getting their food in rapid succession. After the previous evening's torturous wait at Lupa, I started wondering if maybe we had become invisible or repulsive to waitstaff without even realizing it.

At least the wait allowed me to check out the menu on the wall. I was intrigued by the soup variations–there was a chicken, yet also an old hen and a beef in addition to a cow. Not to mention the feet soup. We eventually got our Cubanos, and though large, I managed to eat mine in no time while James stashed his away for later.

Luckily, his bird-like appetite benefited me. I'm staying at his place while he's away for the holidays and about two hours ago I was poking around the refrigerator for something tasty (it's too cold to go out and I don't feel like buying groceries anyway) when I spied that half Cubano. I debated over the ethics of eating someone's leftovers, but it wouldn't be any good by the time he got back anyway. My only regret is that there wasn't more left.

Spanish American Food 351 E. 13th, New York, NY

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