What to Eat | Goodies First

Jun 11

Mooncake Foods

Nice as can be, fun food, good prices…oddball location. I'd been meaning
to try Mooncake Foods for some time, but I'm just not ever in that weirdo
area above Tribeca, right near the Holland Tunnel. But it occurred to me
when I was trying to think of somewhere to eat that was walking distance to
M1-5 where I had to go for this Sweet
Action party. I don't know…hipsters and what passes for porn these
days. The food was definitely sexier than the party. The Thai beef salad,
spicy wings and summer rolls I tried were all perfectly tasty-it's the kind
of food I'd be inclined to grab on the way home from work. But seeing as how
I live in Brooklyn, that's not going to happen. I guess what I'm saying is
that Mooncake Foods isn't necessarily someplace you'd go out of your way
for, but if you were ten blocks in either direction it'd be a must-do.

Mooncake Foods28 Watts St., New York, NY

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May 21

La Rosa and Son

1/2 I don't care what anyone says, this is the best pizza I've had in the area (whatever the heck you want to call that area…Cobble Hill? Boerum Hill? Carroll Gardens North?). For such a scary Italian-American neighborhood, they don't do so well with the pizza. But La Rosa? They're alright. The staff is friendly and the wine is cheap (it even says so on the menu). (4/31/04)

Not bad, not bad at all. Maybe I've grown overly skeptical over new neighborhood restaurants. I don't know what it is with areas where professionals and families congregate begetting mediocre eats. La Rosa and Son has that readymade, built new to look old vibe, but compared to the blah pizza churned out at practically every legitimate old school Italian-American joint in the immediate region (and believe you me, there's more than plenty), I'm not complaining. Purists might say the pies are a little heavy on the cheese, but I'm no stickler, having grown up on the west coast loving gooey Hawaiian toppings (you could get killed trying to order ham and pineapple here). (5/21/04)

La Rosa and Son * 98 Smith St., Brooklyn, NY

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May 13

Wogie’s

New York City isn't a cheesesteak kind of town. They always want to spruce
things up, sometimes ruining items that are best in their basest forms. A
proper cheesesteak comes with cheese whiz (and onions, if you ask me). "Wiz
wit," you know? And so Wogies' sandwich did. The buffalo wings were a nice
balance of heat (quite heaty) and buttery richness. Let's not think about
our cholesterol for a moment, alright? The place is a little sports bar-ish
and odd for the area, but it's worth trying if you're into unhealthy
delicacies. I would rate it higher than the other newish Philly place,
Carl's.

Wogies 39 Greenwich Ave., New
York, NY

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Apr 28

Vegetarian Dim Sum

1/2

You can eat well here for $20. And that's for three big-appetited adults. No
it's not as full of greasy, porky goodness as traditional dim sum, but it is
tasty and you don't feel so gross after over-ordering. I know baby-ish
carnivores that eat here because they claim Chinatown food is full of
gristle and weird unidentifiable bits. That's so not true. I mean, that's
only one step away from saying they cook stray cats and dogs (I'm not saying
they don't eat "pets" in Asia, but I don't think it's common NYC practice.
And if dog meat turned out to be the secret ingredient in yummy dim sum,
then I'd be all for it). Anyway, fill up on meat-free renditions of turnip
cakes, shrimp dumplings and pork buns and rest easy about the gnarly bits.

Vegetarian Dim Sum
House* 24 Pell St., New York, NY

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Apr 24

Delhi Gardens

*This is still an Indian restaurant, though I'm fairly certain that it's changed names (2007)

Though I don't do it all that frequently, I love the occasional trek out to New Jersey for a Trader Joes and kick-ass Hong Kong Supermarket run. And that's just the tip of the iceberg, every chain store known to man populates these parts. I shop, but I rarely eat. Not because I don't want to, I'm just not familiar with the terrain. So, I on my latest excursion we decided to rectify this by a pit stop at Delhi Gardens, a Hyderabadi restaurant I'd heard good things about.

I've been a little Indian shy since becoming crazy ill after eating at Mina a few months back. But there wasn't any trouble. With only two of us, we didn't really get to sample much of the menu, and maybe missed some hits. We started with vegetable samosas, a safe choice, but giant, flaky, very homemade and fresh. For mains we had chicken biryani since biryani is a Hyderabad thing. I'm not an expert on the rice dish, so I can't compare, but the layers of herbs and spices struck me. We also had lamb curry, rogan gosht, I think that was nicely hot. Indian cuisine is one that I honestly need to learn more about to speak knowledgeably. I'm like one of those annoying (to me) people who talks about Thai food and only ever eats pad thai and green curry. Or even worse, someone who raves about a restaurant, but is vegetarian. Nothing against vegetarians, but how can I trust the opinion of someone who hadn't even tried most of the things I would order?

Delhi Gardens * 691 Route 1, Edison, NJ

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Apr 23

Sonny’s

* It's now Union Smith Cafe, and I'm still steering clear. (10/05)

Hideous, hideous, hideous. I'm so not on the Alan Harding bashing bandwagon. But this place just bothered me with its faux old-timey look, run-of-the-mill food and its filled to the rafters with precocious children and the free-thinking parents who made them that way. It's dining experiences like this that strain a relationship. James had a conniption after being seated between two tables crammed with kids, I wasn't any happier, but didn't feel like making an issue. One must be very, very careful when dining in Carroll Gardens. Eat too early and you're subject to a daycare atmosphere, but wait till 10pm and nothing is open.

Sonny's Bar and Grill * 305 Smith St., Brooklyn, NY

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Apr 20

Remi

I normally wouldn’t eat at someplace like this. But it was assigned to and it was one block from my internship. Who could argue? The food was better than I’d anticipated, too. See my Time Out NY Eating & Drinking Guide review.

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Apr 18

Panino’teca

I'm crazy for a pressed sandwich, and who isn't these days? All the delis in town now have those glossy mass produced signs advertising them. Bye bye wraps. So, it's weird that I've been in Carroll Gardens for a while and hadn't visited Panino'teca yet. I took the opportunity on a rare visit from a friend and Williamsburger (you know how hard it is to convince them to leave "the shire" She's only branching out because she's in a mini-spat with a mutual friend who also lives in her nabe. Yes, I just said nabe.) to check this little cafe out.

James ordered a glorified BLT (hardwood smoked bacon, tomato, red onion, arugula and mayonnaise), and I opted for the capacolla, peperanota, provolone with red chili mustard. Sweet, meaty, spicy and tangy at the same time. Nice. The bruschetta, salads, and cheese and meat plates all sounded worth trying. So many of the family-filled restaurants in the neighborhood just plain depress me, but not this one.

Panino'teca * 275 Smith St., Brooklyn, NY

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Apr 14

Basta Pasta

1/2 This is a crazy Japanese Japanese-Italian place that you could walk by a million times and not really notice. Ingredients tend towards luxe (lobster and foie gras) and portions are small (definitely a nod to the Japanese rather than Italian side). Normally, I might shy away but it wasn't on my dime. I will admit dining is much more enjoyable when cost isnt a major issue. See my Time Out NY Eating & Drinking Guide review.

Basta Pasta * 37 W 17th St., New York, NY

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Apr 4

Dock’s Oyster Bar

Ick. Overpriced blah seafood with bizarre midtown clientele. Everyone who got seated next to us (like three separate parties) asked for another table. Then the guy who decided braving being adjacent to me wouldnt stop staring, he was totally boring a hole in the side of my head with his inexplicable, relentless gaze. I'm not joking. And the service was horrible too. An all around scarring dining experience. See my nicer Time Out NY Eating & Drinking Guide review.

Docks Oyster Bar * 633 Third Ave., New York, NY

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