Apr 1
This is one of those places near Jamess apartment I'd always meant to try,
but never got around to before he moved. It was very likeable, but I hardly
ever go out in the East Village anymore. See my Time Out NY Eating
& Drinking Guide review.
Cyclo * 203 First Ave., New York, NY
Ah, the yearly birthday dinner. Over the past four years a pattern has
certainly emerged. James always chooses Nuevo Latino and/or meat heavy, and
I always pick Asian and/or the dreaded fusion. So, when Spice Market, and
its Southeast Asian street food shtick, opened a month or so before his
birthday, it was crying out for a try. Being new and disturbingly sceney, I
was afraid reservations might pose a problem. And they did, we were posed
the 6 or 10:30pm dilemma. Like it or not, 10:30pm it was (which worked out
well since I had class, mere blocks away until 9pm anyway).
They've captured the dark, teaky, temple quality well. Arches and
carvings that make you wonder if they're pre-fab or authentic (they're true
blue imports). It could be construed as Pier One or ABC Carpet and Home
depending on your point of reference. And despite our late reservation, we
were still made to wait what seemed like an unusually long time at the front
bar. I didn't immediately notice time passing because I was busy consuming
the abnormally fat wasabi peanuts set before me. Unlike the more typical
peas, these are thick with spicy spring green crust, fiery, addictive and
tooth-shattering as it turned out. (Part of James's tooth chipped off hours
later as he caught an early morning cab to JFK. He blames the wasabi
peanuts. I say bullshit. I also recently read how Nicole Kidman began
choking in the bar at Spice Market and had to be Heimliched. Wasabi peanuts
as culprit?) I assumed they were either made in-house or by some exclusive
purveyor, but on a recent New Jersey trek, I noticed them at Trader Joe's.
Definitely more Pier One.
Two things pleased and surprised me. No, not the clientele, they were
about as ick as expected (though no sightings despite all the reports of
Martha Stewart, Howard Stern and Tom Cruise making appearances that same
week). It's not outrageously expensive and the food is actually quite good.
There's a high-end vibe at work, perhaps it's in knowing that the restaurant
is a Jean-George creation, but the overall feeling is breezy and casual.
Some might say too casual, considering how they bring dishes to the table
all higgledy-piggledy with no regard for the appetizer first, entre second
convention. They make it sound like a conscious decision where it would be
easily interpreted as lack of coordination.
The oft-mentioned shaved tuna and chili tapioca balls in a coconut
kaffir lime broth was fresh, chewy and intriguing. (I know Amanda Hesser got
a lot of flack for using the phrase "the dish is eaten with a spoon" in her
review, but that is what the waiters tell you when the bowl arrives.)
Another talked about dish, the Ovaltine kulfi, also was more than a one-hit
wonder. The malty frozen rectangle was firmer and more pliable than ice
cream, almost like a dense, iced candy bar. Blah sounding ginger rice, which
I ordered just for the heck of it, was one of the more flavorful and light
fried rice renditions I've sampled. Pork vindaloo wasn't scorching (as I
might've liked it) nor the red curry duck, but both were equal or better
than what you'd get at many Indian and Thai restaurants around Manhattan,
and hardly priced higher.
It's hard to feel cheated by the prices, portions, quality or flavor,
which is important when you're a silly library student and splurges are few
and far between. Once the crowds have moved on to other Meatpacking
hotspots, Spice Market will probably be even more enjoyable.
SpiceMarket 403 W. 13th St., New York, NY
Once again James dipped into his special occasion canon of Latin and/or
meaty restaurants. I always like to play guessing games about where he's
going to take me, and I never would've picked this place in a million years
if I hadn't noticed a business card and press release earlier in the month
on his desk. I assumed it had something to do with his mom since she's
always in town for Hispanic-related events and conferences, which kind of
weirded me out because his mom is a source of contention and the idea of her
influencing his Valentine's dining choice was a bit odd.
I rarely eat upscale Mexican, and it was quite nice. There was a starter
of ceviche and guacamole with a few artfully arranged chips (there was way
too much guacamole for the amount of chips). I had a duck taco appetizer,
and stuffed quail in a mole sauce with rose petals for an entre. I'm
incredibly averse to eating flowers, it borders on being a phobia, but I was
sold on the little game bird and mole aspect. Eating around the petals was
no problem.
I asked James how he chose the restaurant, and he wouldn't tell me,
which was just plain weird. He insisted it had nothing to do with his
mother, but that he'd been there before (it had only been open about one
month, and there was all that controversy about Alex Garcia, who was
supposed to be the chef, being arrested on drug charges) and then refused to
tell me who he'd been there with or why. It was totally bizarre, and cast a
weird mood to the meal. I mean, on one hand, who cares why or who he'd been
there with, but on the other hand being all mysterioso just gets on my
nerves. Oh, I fear that with each progressive Valentine's Day, the farther
you become removed from the original sentiment of the holiday.
ZonaRosa * 40 W. 56th, New York, NY
1/2 I don't care how many Seinfeld reruns I see, the Upper West Side scares me. I know that's not a fair assessment of this restaurant. In fact, my cubano was perfectly fine. It's just that I feel out of sorts when I'm in this neck of the woods, and even numerous bottles of Negro Modelo won't help. But if I'm ever attending a Christmas performance in the west 80s by my boyfriend's coworker's choir, I wouldn't be averse to popping in for some pernil.
Caf Con Leche * 424 Amsterdam Ave., New York, NY
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
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
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
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
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
The most direct route from James's to my place involves a straight, but
treacherous shot down Bowery to the Manhattan Bridge. It's a total obstacle
course, but at least mini traffic jams allow me to take note of new
restaurants like Big Eat. The name alone sold me. Big Eats would've been ho
hum, but Big Eat…now that's got flair. I vowed to check it out the
very next day, and for once, I actually did what I said I was going to.
It was a big, flashy, two-level, Hong Kong-style (not that I've ever
been to HK, but it's the look that I imagine they're going for) affair. We
were the only non-Asians in the place (which could be good or bad, who's to
say) which proved to be a tiny problem when it became apparent that the
waiter couldn't really understand or read English (though he seemed able to
speak it). Not a big deal, after I figured out that pointing to the Chinese
(Sorry, I don't know my Cantonese from Mandarin, though I will start a
Mandarin class next month) characters worked like a charm.
We ordered crazy east-west things like crab wrapped in Canadian bacon
(it was fake crab and regular bacon) and honey-garlic chicken. There was
also a scallop in XO sauce dish in there somewhere. The overall impression
was that Big Eat was akin to Sweet and Tart in mood, though in menu less dim
sum-y. I'd go back.
Big Eat * 97 Bowery, New York, NY
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