Posts from the ‘NYC’ Category

Oct 31

Zaytoons

This was just a quick, light pre-Halloween dinner, so I only have a cursory
sense of the place. I had a chicken schwarma pitza, which was nice and
grilled just right, but I always wonder if it's OK to say "pitza" without
sounding silly. I almost don't want to order it, but it's nothing compared
to the inexplicable embarrassment I'd have as a teen ordering The Super Bird
(a glorified club sandwich) at Denny's. I'd always crack up while saying it,
though I never had a problem with Denny's Moons Over My Hammy (ham and
scrambled egg sandwich with Swiss and American cheese on grilled sourdough,
as per their website). Funny.

Zaytoons * 283 Smith St., Brooklyn, NY

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Oct 23

Schnack

1/2

I'm getting to know the new neighborhood, and trying my darndest to avoid
all the red sauce and meatballs. Being new to the whole Smith St. scene I
don't have major prejudices against Alan Harding ventures. I'm just happy to
live in a neighborhood with restaurants other than KFC and Taco Bell — and
where one might argue that Schnack is but a mere notch above fast food —
you won't hear me complaining.

I had a not terribly authentic, though still tasty cubano, and James had
the quint, which is five slider patties on one giant bun. We shared fries.
The menu is what I'd call "grubbin'" even though hate to use stoner lingo.
But you know the kind of food I'm talking about. I would go back and I would
eat the banana and chocolate bread pudding, no doubt about it. (10/23/03)

Schnack is a hit. We don't go there a lot, but we're always happy when
we do. It works for burger lover, visiting vegans, and me who always orders
the same damn cubano.

My sister's boyfriend was impressed when the day after we went to
Schnack, it was the focus of Cookin'
in Brooklyn on TV. But then, it doesn't always take much to wow
British folks. (4/30/04)

Schnack* 122 Union St.,
Brooklyn, NY

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Oct 17

Khao Sarn

OK, so I professed the wonders of using green apple in
lieu of green papaya in a som tam, but that was a bad Brooklyn produce,
last minute desperate measure. I don't want to see actual restaurants
pulling this off, and especially not without warning you first.

I wouldn't expect mind-blowing Thai food in Williamsburg in the first
place, but being in the neighborhood on a hungry Friday night, I thought I'd
give Khao Sarn a shot. And it was all very adequate, which apparently is
fine for all the locals wielding chopsticks and downing their BYOB Corona
six-packs. But I would've liked a little more oomph. I'm swear not a snobby
fussbudget (well, sometimes), but Thai cuisine is one of those things where
I'm pretty particular. If I don't see lime leaves, if I do see chopsticks,
and particularly if I'm given green apple passed off as papaya, it's
curtains for a restaurant. Khao Sarn Rd. is totally the Bedford Ave. of
Bangkok so in some way it all makes senses really.

Khao Sarn * 311 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn, NY

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Oct 12

Carl’s Steaks

1/2 It was a perfect post-cat show treat. Not that cheesesteaks have anything to do with fancy cats. It's just that Madison Square Gardens and Carl's are both on 34th St. Though not a super close straight line, and that's what inspired my first Manhattan public bus ride. I ride in Brooklyn all the time, but Manhattan…I don't know, that's for subways. It was all very exciting and surprisingly efficient (at least compared to the B63). James thought the meat on his cheesesteak was skimpy. I didn't think mine was paltry though the meat was loaded heavier on one side like how Taco Bell always seems to accidentally compile their seven-layer burritos vertically as opposed to the preferred horizontal method. As you work your way through the burrito you get separate mouthfuls of rice, then sour cream, then beans, and so on. The cheesesteak was much more balanced than that. Definitely sufficient. And besides, the MTA doesn't go to Philly.

Carl's Steaks * 507 Third Ave., New York, NY

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Oct 3

Max

1/2

This was my way of easing into the new neighborhood. Not a huge fan of
Italian food, I figured I'd venture Max since I was familiar with the East
Village outpost, and it's pretty darn close to the apt. I'm mixing all my
tenses here. It's because we ate at Max before actually moving into the apt.
proper, it's been a month since and I haven't had time to write up mini
review capsules and now the restaurant has already gone out of business,
replaced by something called Fragole (which reminds me too much of Fraggle
as in Fraggle Rock. That's not appetizing). I hope this isn't a curse. Since
moving into the new apt. I also noticed that Red Rail up the street has gone
belly up.

So, now it seems pointless to talk about Max's food, as the menu now
belongs to Fragole, which is Italian but not quite the same. I would've
preferred the space to have turned into a good Vietnamese (for banh mi) or
Mexican (for tacos and tortas) place, but then that would be my neighborhood
and what would be the point of a new neighborhood environment?

MaxCourt * 394 Court
St., Brooklyn, NY

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Sep 21

Krystal’s

Troublesome. I wouldn't go back to this location, not that I really have
ties to the East Village any more. I guessed the prices would be a little
more than in Queens, but they were markedly more. $4.95 bbq skewers were
re-priced $7.95 for Manhattan. I could even deal with the increases if the
service wasn't so nutty. I waited over 30 minutes for a not large take out
order. Waiting always makes me really nervous, that they've forgotten
me–maybe I have abandonment issues. (I've had the same jumpy feeling at
DiFara's, but they're famous for taking their sweet time.) And only did so
because it was Sunday night and I was dying for lechon, but it wasn't the
crispy, yummy lechon I was expecting (kawali, I've since figured out), but
the liver-stewy lechon (paksiw, which I've also since figured out), which
wasn't bad but it wasn't the fried treat I was looking for. Back to
Woodside.

Krystal'sCafe * 171 First Ave., New York, NY

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Sep 13

Jefferson

Jefferson seemed fitting for a fourth dating anniversary dinner. Special and
creative, but not stuffy or scary. Actually, Craft was the original choice,
but after having to cancel reservations twice (visiting sister in town and
emergency wisdom tooth extraction) it felt like we were being told
something.

We split sesame-crusted big eye tuna appetizer, which was completely
rich and amazing. I think it must've been the brown butter (I could've sworn
the waitress said there was rum in it, which sounds crazy, I don't know if I
imagined it or not). For mains I had the snapper with caramelized mango,
primarily to try the candlenut foam (and baby leeks) it came with. I'm all
about the sides, and have a S.E. Asian ingredient fixation, so foams being
played out or whatever, didn't faze me. James had the crispy lobster with a
kaffir nage (I did not know what that was, but it certainly sounded
highbrow) fingerling potatoes and sweet potato shoots. And to continue
feeding my fetish, we ended with a calamansi gelee. I've become obsessed
with declaring calamansi a hot new ingredient for 2004. I'm even thinking
about buying a tree. You heard it here first. (9/13/03)

Closed: At least for the time being. Simpson Wong, the owner, had a
heart attack, I think. (7/05)

Has reopened as Jefferson Grill with a new menu. (9/05)

Jefferson * W. 10th St., New York, NY

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Aug 2

Goody’s

I knew the name, I was aware of the place, but I'd never been inspired to
pay a visit. But for some reason James was bitten by the Goody's bug (it's
one of those deals where he reads about or sees something on TV about a
restaurant and freaks me out by out of the blue telling me that's where
we're going). He'd heard about some Sichuan shrimp dish. I thought they were
known for soup dumplings. To cover all bases we ordered both. The garlic
might have been a bit charred on the shrimp, though I still liked them (they
were sort of orangey, clovey and spicy). The dumplings were properly soupy,
and an impulse order of sesame noodles was the perfect antidote to the
sub-tropical NYC summer heat.

Goody's * 1 E. Broadway, New York, NY

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Aug 2

Nar

I'm always wary of those little restaurant write-ups in Time Out NY
or New York Magazine. Not of their validity–whatever–they're trend
fueled, but that they'll create artificially huge crowds the week they
appear. Such was my fear at Nar. Showing up prime-time on a Friday night
posed little problem, however. The place was empty. Absolutely patronless.
That makes me even more wary. No matter how much one hates crowds, facing an
empty restaurant is even more unnerving.

We only ordered a couple things, an eggplant puree not unlike baba
ganouj, fried calamari and a special of meat dumplings in a sour cream-esque
sauce. Nothing was hideous, nothing was amazing either. I like Allioli and
it's the same owners, so I thought I'd give it a try.

I was heartened by little touches like how they used a Turkish(?)
newspaper to serve the calamari in, fish and chips style. That's the sort of
tiny flourish I'd employ at a party, and no one would notice, and I'd come
away feeling like I'd really, really wasted my time. (8/2/03)

* Swiftly gone and probably already forgotten. Now it's Zipe Zape.
(8/23/04)

Nar * 152 Metropolitan Ave., Brooklyn, NY

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Jul 19

Gabriela’s

The Upper West Side scares me. It always weirded me out how Seinfeld
made it seem like the UWS (ew, look at me making gross acronyms) was the NYC
norm, when that's so not true. I only know one person (and I don't mean out
of friend friends, I mean acquaintances, coworkers, friends of
friends, etc.) who lives up there. Amusingly, that one person would probably
love Gabriela's, as she will only eat things like Italian or Mexican (pretty
much a middle-American palate circa 1976) and likes blender drinks.

Gabriela's was fine. The portions were huge, the drinks were strong, the
tortillas even seemed homemade. We just needed someplace to eat near James's
parking lot that was open past 10:30pm. No easy feat, and Gabriela's fit the
bill. If I ever find myself on the UWS after 10:30 I might consider a return
visit. Maybe. (7/19/03)

Maybe the UWS tired of mediocre Mexican–Gabriela's is a goner. (2005)

Gabriela's * 685 Amsterdam Ave., New York, NY

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Posts from the ‘NYC’ Category

Zaytoons

Schnack

Khao Sarn

Carl’s Steaks

Max

Krystal’s

Jefferson

Goody’s

Nar

Gabriela’s

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