Posts from the ‘Manhattan’ Category

Mar 7

Jaya Malaysian

Urges are weird and unpredictable. Right in the middle of lifting weights, I
got the strongest craving for laksa, not even real laksa, but this odd
semi-authentic version I used to eat all the time in Portland. Laksa
thoughts continued to pop up in my head for days afterward, but it wasn't
until the following week that I was able to seek out my fix. This craving
prompted a conversation where I was asked if I had food urges even when I
wasn't hungry. Well, of course. Isn't that normal? Not that I'll always
follow through. A giant piece of cheesecake may sound good, but that doesn't
mean I'm going to go out and eat some every time it crosses my mind. I'd
like to hear from you freaky types who only crave food when you're actually
hungry.

Anyway, Nyonya is usually my first choice Malaysian, but you've got to
branch out sometimes. I've walked by Jaya enough times and not gone in that
it seemed worth a try. They didn't have the turnip cake or mee siam like I
was hoping for, but they did have a good, cheap roti canai, a whole section
separate from soups devoted exclusively to laksa and a rambutan beverage. I
always have to check for the rambutan on the menu (not that I order it, but
I've gotten a kick out of the demented fruit ever since I first laid eyes on
the prickly beasts in Toronto).

The main thing is that my laksa craving was temporarily sated. And it's
not every day that you can wolf down a bowl filled with spicy oil and
coconut milk without thinking of your arteries just a little bit. Gone are
the days of yore ('95-'97) when I could eat a bowl or two a week without
even blinking an eye. The weird thing is that I'm so used to the fake laksa
that I think I prefer it. Jaya's had thick yellow egg noodles when I'm used
to rice vermicelli (actually this is the only difference that I really
miss). Jaya's broth was much spicier and yellower–more curry or tumeric, I
guess. Now that I think about it, the fake laksa's broth was more like the
roti canai gravy, minus the potatoes. Gravy? Broth? It's all the same. I do
that I ate a bowl filled with a satisfying liquid, left stuffed (but not
ill) and in a pretty good mood.

Jaya Malaysian Restaurant * 90 Baxter St., New York,NY

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Feb 21

Lombardi’s

1/2

The oldest pizzeria in the U.S.? The oldest coal-burning oven? Something
like that. Many swear by Lombardi's. However, I just sort of ended up there.
I'd wanted to go, but on this particular evening, Raoul's was the plan.
Twice the price, triple the crowd and who knows what else. I just wasn't in
the mood for a sceney place (I mean, the "New York Times" claims it to be a
favorite of Matthew Broderick and Gwyneth Paltrow, and who needs that). It
was freezing, and even though we were supposed to be a bistro mission, but
in the back of my head I was thinking how good an old-fashioned piece of
pizza sounded (actually I was thinking how great a Hawaiian pizza sounded,
but that's blasphemous in N.Y.) so we headed east for some simpler fare on
Spring St.

It was a house salad, a large sausage and mushroom pie and root beer. I
don't know where the root beer idea came from since I never drink soda and
it's not like this is Pizza Hut. All was good and low-key, and we ended up
sitting next to the third guy from "O Brother, Where Art Thou?." Not George
Clooney and not John Turturro–the other one (who I just looked up so as not
to sound uninformed–it's Tim Blake Nelson). Who needs Gwyneth, right?

I only regret leaving the leftovers in James's fridge. I meant to bring
a piece to work for lunch and I fear it'll be gone by the time I make it
back over there. (Yep, they were gone when I checked the next night.)

Lombardi's * 32 Spring St., New York, NY

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Feb 14

Plataforma Churrascaria

Yes, it's true. Nothing says I Love You like meat, meat and more meat. I did find Churracaria Plataforma to be a mildly odd Valentine's dining choice. But I wasn't disappointed, I had wanted to try the place and I've never gone in for any of that oysters, champagne and chocolate-dipped strawberries, intimate dining nonsense. This un-subtle choice actually kind of made me feel relieved. Stuffing yourself silly on the most romantic of holidays is a brilliant idea, if you ask me.

I'd been to Riodizio, which didn't even have a salad bar so I was pretty excited about Plataforma (even though I know you're not supposed to fill up on the side dishes). This is sort of the king of NYC rodizios, at least in price and popularity. The salad bar is enormous with selections like sushi (strange for a Brazilian place, though I hear there's a large Japanese population in the country), hearts of palm, a handful of different seafood concoctions, green salad, shrimp, vegetables and loads loads more.

Then once you're done with that course, the games begin. You flip your coaster from red to the green side and the meat starts filling your plate–like five different beef preparations, chicken, sausages, salmon, pork loin, ribs, etc. On top of this, they bring side dishes to the table to accompany the meat: rice, fried plantains, polenta, asparagus, mashed potatoes and this confusing one I never figured out–it looked and tasted like a large plate of bread crumbs with bacon mixed in. What the heck do you do with that?! (I've since learned that it's farofa, toasted manioc flour that should be sprinkled over anything soupy).

Of course I couldn't resist a piece of coconut caramel cake and a glass of dessert wine (stiff caipirinhas were already sipped with dinner) to round things out.

I was interested in seeing what sort of crowd Plataforma would draw on Valentine's Day. It was a melting pot really. We had some pouty Eastern European girl on our left who shared three heaping plates of salad with her date and then not surpringly ate little else when it was time for the meat. Sheesh, what's the point.

Originally on my right, was this freaky, frumpy couple. The guy never took his stocking cap off, the girl was all stringy-haired, they barely exchanged a word. I could see them getting excited about the upcoming Lord of the Rings movie and sitting around engrossed with their Playstation or hanging out in Xena chatrooms.

They were replaced with a livelier couple, though I can barely remember the woman since I was too busy checking out the guy's sparkling diamond earring and glistening jheri curl (to be honest, it wasn't a full blown jheri curl, but that's how I like to remember it).

The couple I was most fixated on were the little hipsters sitting behind James. Didn't they have someplace cooler to go? I mean, Plataforma verges on carnival-like (and the contorting piano player was charmingly grotesque), but it's not really campy enough to go just for shits and giggles. The girl looked like she was in grade school and had the ten-year-old-boy Williamsburg body to finish the look. The guy was a bit older and was wearing a muscle tee (so hard for guys to pull of that '80s retro look) with a green Space Invaders-like character on front, had a giant funky, rectangular, flat-screened watch, compact futuristic Sony camcorder, horn rim glasses and lots of shopping bags. He was all Mr. Gadget/internet millionaire chic. So gross. What really irked me was the way the girl let her chocolate mousse just sit in front of her for like 15 minutes without touching it. I was this close to going over and eating it for her.

A night to remember? In a way. The food did me right, but I ended up having a bit of trouble with my tights falling down in Time's Square on the way home. But that's a whole other sad story.

Churrascaria Plataforma * 316 W. 49th, New York, NY

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Feb 10

Big Enchilada

I give such little thought to eating here that I've never even mentioned it
before. It's not bad, but it's not great either. My friend Jessica can't
praise it enough, but she's vegetarian and their standards are always so
askew. She insists it's comparable to west coast Mexican food, which is way
off the mark. I guess if you only eat rice and beans in your tortillas you
might not be as sensitive to regional differences. But let me tell you, it's
not the same at all. Not one bit. I will say that it's better than
San Loco or Bennies (which isn't saying much), but it's nothing to go out of
your way for. The burritos are decent, the salsa's fresh, the prices are
right and it's next door to Cinema Village. If you're catching a less than
ubiquitous movie in the neighborhood, pop in for a quick meal.

Big Enchilada * 28 E. 12th St., New York, NY

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Feb 10

7A

There's nothing inherently wrong with this restaurant. It just doesn't put much of a smile on my face. I never look forward to dining there, yet somehow I've found myself inside more times than I'd like to admit. For a city that supposedly never sleeps, it's odd that this is one of the few 24 hour options in the East Village.

This Sat. we got a late start–too late for pizza at Time Cafe or mussels at Belgo (It was a Lafayette kind of evening). We wandered, all the while knowing in the back of my head that 7A is where we'd end up. I threw a minor fit like some bratty food snob (which I'm really not) when it was suggested. This is drunk food and I've actually had some memorable 4am moments there, but it's not where you should begin the evening. 7A a last resort of blah sandwiches, burgers and nachos. At least you won't leave poor and still hungry, I suppose.

The funny thing was that on this crabby night, we ended up running into the people we were supposed to be hooking up with for drinks later on. No fancy- meeting-you-heres were even exchanged. I mean outside of Odessa (which I like) and Stingy Lulus (which I'm so-so on), where else would you be eating after midnight? No surprise at all.

7A * 7109 Ave. A, New York, NY

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Feb 9

Cafe Centosette

I've probably walked past this place a million times on the way from the 3rd
Ave. L stop to James's. Yet strangely, we've only eaten there once and that
was for brunch.

I was feeling lazy last weekend, so much so, that our fri. evening
consisted of eating at this place less than a full block away and drinks at
the (newly) Irish bar across the street. The food sort of fits that
criteria, as it's nothing you'd travel a long distance for, but a meal is
far from disappointing. The odds are anything you'd order would be better
than what you could whip up yourself–and for about the same money you'd
spend buying the ingredients at Food Emporium a block up the street. I had
fettucine alla vodka with ham and shrimp, a glass of house red wine, and a
cannoli and it while it didn't put stars in my eyes, it put more of a smile
on my face than Pizzeria Uno, or most of the other restaurants in a
two-block or less radius, would have. (2/9/01)

Not bad, but never amazing. I was feeling lazy, ordered fettucine alla
vodka and a glass of house wine, then just realized that's exactly what I
had last time. Oh well. It'll probaby happen again some time in '03.
(3/1/02)

They moved somewhere on Second Ave. (04)

Cafe Centosette * 107 Third Ave., New York, NY

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Jan 25

Penang

I'd never noticed the bar and grill addition to the name. I'm wary of food
quality in a place with a happy hour. I've also never been inclined to eat
at this outpost even though I walk by it frequently. Why bother when Nyonya
is so much better and cheaper (I've never understood the relation between
all the Penangs and the few Nyonyas)? But I was feeling lazy and it was
within walking distance.

There's a high kitsch value going on at Penang. It's a borderline tiki
lounge with fake, crumbling exposed brick walls, rock wall fountains (with
either leftover Christmas "angel hair" or fungus sprouting from it), and
plenty of bamboo. You're supposed to feel as if you're dining in the open,
but it's hard to get the east village out of your head and think Malyasia
even though it's screaming at you.

The food just didn't have any punch. The beef satay was fine, same for
the roti canai, the beef rendang was also o.k., but a basil chicken dish
tasted like gloppy Chinese take out, Now that I think about it, the only
clunker was the basil chicken. I suppose the food was non-offensive, but
just not worth it in a city with many other Malaysian choices. (1/25/01)

*This location is history. (6/11/04)

Penang Bar and Grill * 64 Third Ave, New York, NY

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Jan 24

Nem

1/2

I never venture anywhere near Grand Central Station in my daily life. And
while I find the notion of their new dining concourse mildly interesting,
it's not the sort of thing I'd go out of my way to visit. However, last week
I'd spent a freezing day in New Haven, was hungry and tired and eager to
taste test the Vietnamese sandwiches at Nem. Especially since I'd just had
an authentic version the week before and the taste was still fresh in my
mind.

The food looked fresh, as far as fast-ish food goes. It also looked
interesting. Cute, plastic, almost-real looking models of most dishes were
on display (I love that stuff). But I was there for one thing only–the
sandwich. They had all sorts of foofy versions filled with grilled shrimp or
chicken. Pork is what a banh mi is about so that's what it had to be.

Theirs was described lovingly as freshly baked bread, pate, cucumber,
carrots, daikon and cilantro. Now the sandwich looked good, it even tasted
good, but this was not a banh mi. This was really more like a large panini.
I swear the bread was ciabatta, when a good old fashioned cheap French roll
usually suffices. There was no heat to speak of, no jalepenos, no spicy
sauce. The pork was not sweet and barbecued, but grilled and sliced into
strips–the char lines were visible proof.

I think anyone new to the world of Vietnamese sandwiches would have no
complaints (except the darn thing was soggy after the hour subway ride home.
I've kept real banh mis in the fridge overnight and they're fine the next
day). And while the $6.25 ($6.77 with tax–they don't even charge tax at the
other joint) price in not ridiculous by Manhattan standards, especially in a
train station, knowing that I could have two and half authentic sandwiches
for the same price made me wonder a bit. The staff was all Asian
(Vietnamese? who knows), everything was clean and efficient, but who needs
that sterility when you can get the real deal. Having said that, if I were
to find myself in need of food in Grand Central again, I wouldn't be opposed
to trying Nem. (1/24/01)

No more Nem, and it has probably been that way for years yet I only
noticed a few months ago. (7/8/05)

Nem* 43rd & Lexington, New York, NY

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Jan 20

Vietnam Banh Mi

This place totally rules. I'd been looking for a place like this since I
first moved here. In Portland, I used to frequent this take-out shop, Cali
Sandwiches, next to a Plaid Pantry, which was along the same lines. A small
variety of offering like Vietnamese sandwiches (or Saigon Subs as they like
to call them in Toronto), packaged shrimp chips and cases of homemade
desserts in wild colors made from ingredients such as tapioca, agar agar,
coconut milk and rice. They also have fresh squeezed juices and oddities
like a basil seed beverage.

I'm used to a choice of meats, but there wasn't even a menu so I just
ordered "two sandwiches" and hoped for the best. The banh mi were advertised
on the awning and there were French rolls behind the counter so I figured
I'd get something at least vaguely related to what I was used to. I got
barbecued pork and that's just what I expected, so all was well. They ask if
you want hot sauce (and you do). Though I was accustomed to a $1.50 price
tag, the $2.50 for the New York version is a bargain. It doesn't get much
better than that. Now, Nem is a horse of a different
color.

Viet-namBanh-Mi So 1 Inc. * 329 Broome St., New New York

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Jan 19

La Palapa

I don't eat much Mexican food. It just seems like it's always so blah, and
they just don't do it right out here so I rarely bother. I mean, if you want
nachos or giant burritos you can get edible versions, but they're not the
first things that come to mind when I'm looking for a restaurant.

La Palapa isn't a refried beans oozing with melted cheese sort of place.
I wouldn't say it's super upscale either. Maybe a happy medium that seems
authentic enough, though I'm hardly an expert. They use lesser-seen
ingredients like Mexican oregano, cactus leaves and epazote, which is a
change. But then, there aren't complimentary bowls of chips and salsa or
brightly colored margaritas in sight either. I guess there must be trade
offs in the world.

I had a special of pork loin with pumpkin seed sauce over a tamale,
which was very rich and flavorful. I don't want to use the word earthy over
and over again, though that would be an apt description for most of what I
encountered. They also had selections like nopales en mole verde ajonjoli
(casserole of cactus leaves in sesame seed green mole with red rice) and
barbacoa de cordero al chile ancho estilo catalina (ancho chile bbq'd lamb
with black beans and tomato rice), which caught my eye.

The food was one thing, but I was also entertained by the couple getting
into a fight at the table next to us and witnessing an elderly woman get
water spilled on her head by a waitress–it's the little things that really
top off a dining experience. Plus, La Palapa is right next to Holiday
Cocktail Lounge, which definitely highlights the contrast of the old and the
new East village. Have a fancy Sauza drink at the restaurant, then pop in
next door for a Bud and an eyeful of smoke.

La Palapa * 77 St. Marks Pl.,
New York, NY

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Posts from the ‘Manhattan’ Category

Jaya Malaysian

Lombardi’s

Plataforma Churrascaria

Big Enchilada

7A

Cafe Centosette

Penang

Nem

Vietnam Banh Mi

La Palapa

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