Hibachi Heaven

A major hole has been filled.  If you wanted hibachi in NYC your only option was Benihana.  Yummy, but it's a whole sit down process and definitely on the more expensive side.  And if you wanted takeout style hibachi (like my beloved Hiawa's in Savannah or Inoko Express in Athens), you were completely out of luck.  Thankfully a food truck has arrived on the scene to save us all.

Hibachi Heaven makes perfect fried rice, veggie, and protein bowls in about two minutes for an average of about $9.  And while they have the typical ginger and pink sauces (sometimes referred to as steak sauce and shrimp sauce), they also have a creamy wasabi sauce and sriracha on hand.

It's hard to believe Hibachi Heaven is the first (and at this point the only one) to recognize that NYC was in need of a speedy hibachi meal.  I'm just glad somebody finally gets it!

Han Dynasty

New Yorkers rejoiced upon hearing Han Dynasty would be coming to NYC.  Everyone in Philly goes nuts for the Sichuan Chinese chainlet and New Yorkers just won't stand for Phily having something they don't.  However there's one thing that always comes with a much awaited restaurant opening and that's lines.  Even a year later the wait is still at least an hour.  That the food comes nice and cheap is certainly not a deterrent.

The wait was enough to keep me away for a while, but when Matt, Karina, and I wanted Chinese on a Friday night we decided we had waited long enough.  We weren't too hungry and in a relaxed "whatever" mood so the wait didn't seem like a big deal.  The hostess took our number and said she would text when our table was ready so it was no problem to go right across the street for a drink.

By the time we actually sat down we had built up an appetite so we attacked the menu.  We started with the dan dan noodles because they've popped up in enough blogs as a house specialty.  If you like cold peanut/sesame noodles, you'll love these.  They are served warm and have the same slightly sweet taste from the sesame paste, but they've also got a nice kick from the chiles oil that's been added to the dish.  All three of us were loudly slurping, exactly like our mothers told us we shouldn't.  Our next dish was easy to overlook.  The spicy crispy cucumbers look like the least exciting item on the menu, but they were by far my favorite item of the night.  There's garlic and sugar and other stuff that just make me pop them one after the other into my mouth slowed only by my lack of chopstick prowess.  Our third and final appetizer, the scallion pancake, was the only thing I forgot to photograph which is an indication that it was less thrilling than the other items we tried.  I liked that it was thin and used a phyllo type dough making it crispier than a typical pancake, but it was a little lacking in scallion flavor and a bit oily.

Onto the main courses.  I love the way the menu is divided.  I am used to seeing Chinese menus organized by protein (here's a list of all the chicken dishes, then the pork, beef, seafood, and veggie dishes).  It gets repetitive.  Here, the dishes are organized by sauce style, each with a number to indicate spice level.  We ordered the lo mein with Taiwanese sausage, the chicken crispy rice style (basically a sweet and sour sauce), and the beef hot sauce style.  Overall, Han Dynasty is very similar to the place where you likely order takeout.  Most of the dishes are similar, they're just prepared better here.  The vegetables are fresher and the beef is nice and tender (just one reason why the hot sauce style was my favorite of the entrees).  And they have those freakin cucumbers and dan dan noodles.  That alone makes this place better than your average take out spot even though the prices really aren't much different.

One note of warning: they seem to be liberal with the MSG.  My tummy was less than ecstatic at 2:30 in the morning...but it was worth it.

Kumo Sushi

After drinking all day we picked dinner on Saturday based on...more drinking.  We stumbled into Kumo Sushi in the West Village for all you can eat sushi + all you can drink sake and beer.  The price came to just over $40/person and the food and drinks kept flowing.  I thought the giant pitchers they placed on our table were filled with water.  I was wrong.  It was sake.  Giant pitchers of sake and beer means sake bombs are a given.  $40 + tax and tip may sound steep, but when you consider how full and tipsy you'll be by the time you leave I would say it's quite the deal.

  

Citrus

Sarah was always my ultimate Broadway buddy so we take in a show every time she's back in town.  After seeing Aladdin (fun for the whole family!) we wanted to grab a bite to eat but didn't want to be hemmed into the overpriced and underflavored restaurants of Times Square.  We hopped the 2 one stop to 72nd Street and suddenly had tons of UWS restaurants to choose from.

We settled on Citrus, sister to nearby standby Josies for some Asian/Mexican fusion.  Though it's billed as fusion, the menu items were either Mexican or Asian, with a few continental classics like roast chicken thrown in for good measure.  I got my Mexican fill with the complimentary chips and salsa.  The salsa was creamy and addictive.  I veered Asian for my entrée of mesclun salad with seaweed, avocado, edamame, seared tuna, and miso carrot sesame vinaigrette.  My salad was filling with ample amounts of the ingredients you really care about (avocado and seared tuna, obvi).  I made sure to mix in the wasabi mayo garnish and thought it worked well to spice up the sweetness of the dressing.  

I know those Times Square restaurants try to lure you in with prix fixe theater menus that guarantee you'll get in and out in time for the show, but I highly recommend dining in the Upper West pre or post theater.  You'll have a larger variety of cuisines to choose from and won't be bombarded by tourists.

B Flat

B Flat calls itself an "authentic bar".  If a bar serves alcohol, I would consider it authentic...but that's just semantics.  I suppose they consider themselves legitimate because they have a whiskey on the menu that is $28 for 2 oz.  I am not the kind of person that would order that but still found the rest of the drinks "authentic" enough for my liking.

It didn't take long to figure out this was a Japanese bar.  All the bartenders and patrons were Asian and the menu had strong Japanese influences, like green tea and in the case of my cocktail, yuzu and shiso leaf.  If they meant this was an authentic Japanese bar, they have probably earned the title.

It is very easy to walk right past the bar as it is basement level in TriBeCa, but if you're in the mood for a sophisticated evening (and by that I mean low voices and Jazz music playing) this is a great spot.

Macao

When I say I'm going to eat downtown, I usually mean East Village, Lower East Side, SoHo, or West Village.  Rarely does "downtown" mean anything lower than that.  But when two of your friends live basically at the bottom tip of the city, you may have to travel a bit.  This time, a dinner date with Andrew and Lee took us to the relatively unexplored area of TriBeCa.  We met at Macao, a dark restaurant with a mysterious vibe that brings together Chinese and Portuguese cuisine (Macao is a former Portuguese colony in China).  Dark and mysterious also manifests itself in the artwork.  If you happen to eat downstairs, pay attention to the artwork lining the wall and in the curio - it's all Chinese people having sex.  If that doesn't get you excited for supper, I don't know what will.

I recommend appetizers as your meal here - whether it's done tapas style for the group or just as a two apps instead of an entrée for your dinner thing.  The only dish that didn't get a thumbs up for the evening was, indeed, an entrée - the hake, to be exact.  We started by sharing the squid salad, the lamb meatballs, and the shrimp mozambique.  The shrimp was the table favorite because the sauce was great for bread sopping.  It had a strong black pepper flavor without being spicy.  I wasn't too hungry so I just ordered the red kale salad for my entrée.  It had very thinly sliced crispy potatoes instead of croutons, sheep's milk cheese, and a paprika vinaigrette.  It was actually very satisfying since kale requires lots of chewing.  I also had quite a few bites of Albert's bacon and shrimp fried rice.  It was great.  It came with an over easy egg on top which added lots of flavor.  Considering it's only $9 as a side, this gives you the most bang for your buck.  Just because the restaurant lists it on the bottom of the page as a side dish, don't overlook it.  They may consider it an afterthought, but you shouldn't....kinda like traveling downtown for dinner.

 

Talde

I know I just wrote about a Top Chef restaurant, but I'm doing it again just a week later.  I probably shouldn't be surprised when a restaurant by a Top Chef alum is actually good.  They made it onto the show by being at the top of their game, but after 11 seasons of the show, it has begun to feel less authentic.  I have begun assuming that all hype surrounding a restaurant venture by a former Top Chef contestant is related more to the glitz and glamour of the show rather than the food itself.  Tsk tsk for being so cynical because at Talde the raves are about the food, not the fantasy.

Dale Talde does whatever he wants.  Based on the menu, he has kind of a "screw it" attitude and cooks the food he wants to eat, while playing the music he wants to hear.  There's no Beethoven in the dining room, but you will hear some hard rock playing softly.  The more energetic music matches the food, which is packed with flavor and a bit rebellious.  Want a selection of desserts?  Tough luck.  Talde prepares just one dessert and if you like it, great.  If not, grab a candy bar from the bodega around the corner.  Incidentally, the dessert - caramelized apples in a hot pot with pickled raisins, a crème anglaise, and a spun rice cake crust - was lovely.

The food is heavily influenced by two things: Asian cuisine and marijuana.  Talde has mentioned his recreational use of weed and I'm pretty sure that some of the more inventive flavor combinations on the menu are his refined take on stoner food.  Most were probably inspired by his own late night escapades in the kitchen while under the influence.  Take, for instance, the Hawaiian bread buns.  They're a new take on sliders, reminiscent of steamed pork buns but use Hawaiian bread instead of rice cakes.  The same Hawaiian bread my mom bought in plastic bags at the grocery store and that I would love to devour drunk.  Here, they're filled with pork sausage, fried fish, or mushroom.

We pretty much tried everything on the menu so I'll just run through the list: The pretzel pork and chive dumplings were perfectly crisped and quite meaty.  The yuzu guacamole was tart and spicy with crispy rice stack to satisfy the need for crunch usually achieved with a tortilla chip.  Both noodle dishes we chose were superb.  The Southerner in me loved the fried oysters and thick cut bacon that were in the pad thai.  The short rib fell apart into a pull of peanut noodles that was far more nuanced than the sesame noodles of my usual takeout order (which is pretty much spaghetti with peanut butter).  We had a fried fish that seemed intimidating by the look of the head and tail but once we chipped away at the flesh, we were rewarded with a nice, slightly salty treat.  No complaints on the Filipino beef skewers but they were not as exciting as the Korean fried chicken.  A good crunch into the skin leads you to juicy meat.  The kimchi yogurt sauce is spicy but then cooled by the sweet pop of grapes.  For the sides we got the sticky rice, which is a great equalizer in the meal.  Finally, we got the market vegetable.  If you're lucky, it will still be in season when you're there because - bold statement alert - they may have been the best Brussels sprouts I've had.  I love love love a good roasted Brussels sprout with bacon.  And thankfully, they have become very popular so I can find them on the menus of most restaurants nowadays.  I have not yet come close to sprout fatigue, but it was so refreshing to see them prepared differently.  This time, with kafir lime.

If you don't live in Park Slope you'll probably say you'll pass because it's a little too far.  But don't do that.  It would make you stupid.  And I don't like stupid people.    

Thainy

There's something to be said about breaking from the routine.  Something good.  I have my go-to Thai spot for delivery (don't we all?), but while I was walking home last Sunday night I stopped in Thainy for something new.

I ordered the chicken dumplings and the street noodles.  The dumplings only come four to an order, but they're large so don't stress.  They definitely needed the flavor of the sauce, but once they got a good dunking I liked them.  Not the best ever, but definitely satisfying.  I was a big fan of the street noodles.  Crispy bean sprouts and lettuce gave it a nice crunch and there was the perfect amount of bean sauce.  This is a great dish for someone with an aversion to spice.  I enjoyed it as a replacement for my typical pad see ew.  I'm not saying I plan to stray from my regular spot altogether, but it looks like Thainy made the case for a Sunday night deliver alternation.

      

Pig and Khao

My brother set the bar extraordinarily high before his annual NYC visit.  He told me I needed to find us a restaurant 1) with food he can't get in Savannah (that's not Chinese or Korean), 2) is not in an outer borough, 3) is reasonably priced, 4) would knock his socks off.  They said it couldn't be done, but that's just the kind of challenge I live for so I made it happen.

I was able to satisfy every requirement on my brother's list with Pig and Khao.  Located in the Lower East Side, Pig and Khao serves Thai and Filipino influenced cuisine that is incredibly inventive for a price that is more than simple.  By simple, I mean low.  The dishes labeled as small plates may seem expensive at around $13-$15, but they are not typical tapas size as we expected.  We ordered four of them along with an order or two of coconut rice (a mere $3) for five people and it was plenty of food.  We also ordered two drinks a person and our total bill came to $150.  Food and alcohol for 5 people for that price is a pretty good deal, but not as ridiculous of a deal as the $15 bottomless PBR, done self-serve style in the back patio area.

So I made good on the price condition but the real concern was getting my brother and sister in law unique food.  I did even better in this category.  We ate pork head served with a slippery, saucy egg.  It was fatty, sweet, and salty.  Definitely can't get pork head in Savannah - it's not like it's on tons of menus in New York either.  It was gone moments after it was placed on the table.  We debated getting another order immediately but decided to wait until after we tried the other dishes that were on their way from the kitchen.  It's a good thing we did because the following dishes were also spectacular.  The pork jowl was served with cilantro, mint, watermelon, and chicharron.  When all elements were eaten together the sweet and cool watermelon did something with the spicy pork jowl that got me all sorts of confused and excited.  I know it sounds like a lot of pork, but you haven't even heard about the pork belly yet.  It was served with a poached egg in a salty broth that didn't mushify the crispy skin.  Finally, we ordered the curry fried chicken special that was served with a pickled watermelon rind salad.  The sauce was sweet and unlike the curry flavor I was expecting and the skin was crispy enough to satisfy our whole table of Southerners.

Don't go to Pig and Khao because you heard a former Top Chef contestant is running the kitchen.  Don't even go because you read the 2-star review in the New York Times.  Go because I'm telling you the food is exciting and non-traditional, the price is right, and though they have great $11 cocktails on the menu, they're not above kegs and beers in cans.

String lights, solo cups, and a keg on the patio...just like college...

Danji

What?  Huh? *Nervous Giggle* *Nervous Giggle*.  That was my response when I walked into my birthday dinner with Albert to discover that the whole time I thought he had planned nothing beyond the idea of us doing dinner together on my bday, he was really plotting to arrange something with a group of my closest friends.  Not only did he want me to be surrounded by my besties as I turned 28, he wanted me to be able to hit up a blog-worthy restaurant since those are pretty much the two things that make me the happiest.  Check and check.

I had been to Danji once before for lunch, but they have a very different menu for dinner, and I have been dying to try it after hearing rave reviews.  Unfortunately, it has been tough convincing a group to go there for a fun weekend dinner since it's not in the area of town we either live or go out in and would therefore requires a little extra planning.  We usually don't have time or patience for extra planning.  I guess my Grandma's right: we are a lazy generation.

The dinner menu lived up to my expectations.  We started with a kim chi trio and kept ordering from there.  Dinner is served tapas style and we steadily worked our way through both the traditional and modern sides of the Korean menu.  We ordered the scallion and pepper pancake (tons of filling - not all egg), vermicielli noodles (sweet and delicate), crispy tofu (far more satisfying than I could have imagined), spicy honey chicken wings, bulgogi beef sliders, rice cakes, and short ribs.  All the dishes were good but there was no debate about the best dish of the night: bossam.  This crispy yet tender pork belly was served with dehydrated daikon kim chi and paper thin cabbage for wrapping.  There was one extra left on the plate and I didn't even bother going through the "no, you take it" routine.  I just grabbed it.

I'm a big fan of K-Town, but it's nice to see Korean food go beyond they speedy KBBQ setup.  This was sophisticated without abandoning traditional Korean flavors.  Birthday success!

Bulgogi Bowl

I had taken a package of Trader Joe's Korean marinated beef strips out of the freezer knowing I wasn't going to have time to cook a full meal.  As I got close to home, I decided to pick up a few ingredients to turn the prepared food into a somewhat home-cooked meal so I ducked into the nearest grocery store to pick up some vegetables to build a bulgogi bowl.  

Rice and beef - that's the foundation.  Then put on whatever's fresh.  I had some edamame leftover from a recent sushi dinner so that went in the bowl.  Steamed broccoli seemed like a good fit as well.  Finally, I put on some scallions and sriracha.  I always have rice in the pantry and I'll probably keep this Trader Joe's meat in the freezer from now on because it makes for a quick, well rounded supper.  Just about any veggie works so buy whatever is easiest to grab at the grocery store.  Bean sprouts, julienned carrots, and a fried egg would all work as well.  

Kunjip

Kunjip, you elusive K Town restaurant, you evade me no longer!  I finally arrived for dinner early enough to avoid the 45 minute (minimum) line and was seated a mere 15 or 20 minutes after arrival.  Contributing to the line is the fact that it is smaller than most K Town restaurants, but the food is also great.  

My bibimbop was slightly lacking in salt but was filled with tons of flavorful beef and veggies that I wasn't concerned.  Jill went to town on her stew and the octopus and noodle dish we shared was a great mix of sweet and spicy.  Yes, we did order three full entrees for two people.  If you're judging us, you should have come to the conclusion that we're awesome.

They have the order system down and get you in an out quickly.  Another major selling point is that it's open 24 hours.  If you don't think that's a selling point, wait til you're leaving the bars at 4 AM and I'll whisper the words gobdol bimbimbop in your ear.  You'll be singing a different tune.  If the wait is too long to bear, however, just head two doors down to my other fave: Wonjo.

Bite Size Kitchen

When I hit up Smorgasburg for the first [but obviously not the last] time this season, I was determined to try at least one thing I had not eaten there before.  The winner was Bite Size Kitchen, a catering company that specializes in Asian inspired apps.  On their Smorgasburg menu were four different types of steamed buns.  Though I was tempted by that naughty siren, pork belly, I decided to go with the duck.  It was so tender that it became one with the soft bun.  But then those sesame seeds, fried garlic, and shallots jump out with a little texture because nobody likes a one-note bun.

  

Mission: Accomplished

At about 1:30 AM on Friday night, I received a text from Karina that she was in the mood for Chinese food and a facial.  Thankfully I was still awake to make plans and set my alarm so we could make sure to arrive at Mission Chinese early enough to beat the crowds.

If you Google Mission Chinese, you'll find article after article about how long you have to wait to get into this place.  That tells me one thing: the food is probably worth it.  The restaurant opens at noon for lunch and I arrived at 11:35 to be the first in line.  Within 10-15 minutes, 20 people had lined up behind me.  I figured if the food is as good as people claimed (there was practically a parade thrown in chef Danny Bowien's honor when they announced that the famous San Fran restaurant was opening a place in NYC), a 20 minute wait is a small price to pay.

When they opened the doors, everyone in line stood at attention waiting for the hostess to give them the nod.  Most people looked confused.  Where were we going to go?  From the outside, Mission Chinese is the size of a takeout counter and looks like the type of skeezy Chinese place where you get wings instead of actual Chinese food.  The hostess led us through a thin hallway that opened up into the dining room.  The room is small but seems like a banquet hall compared to the teeny takeout spot that the confused diners thought was the whole restaurant.

Right as Karina and I sat down, the music clicked on.  It was a mix of rap and rock that let you know this chef doesn't take himself too seriously.  He's out to make Chinese food a little fun.  It's not fusion, but it's not your authentic dim sum.  Karina and I started with two small plates, the spicy carrot pickles and the Beijing vinegar peanuts.  These are the kind of snacks that I could never keep around my apartment because I wouldn't be able to stop eating them.  The carrots were certainly spicy, but were still so crunchy that I couldn't help myself.  I cooled off my tongue with a slurp of Karina's entree choice, rice porridge.  I usually find these porridges to be a little bland, but the cabbage made the texture not so boring and there was more flavor than what I've tasted in most Chinese restaurants.  Rice porridge will never be my first choice, but this was by far my best experience with it.  I was pretty much obsessed with my choice of entree, the stir fried pork jowl with radishes that had a fermented black bean and sesame sauce and was more than garnished with mint.  Many of Mission Chinese's most lauded dishes are spicy, but if you're not a heat person, I highly recommend this dish.  Actually, even if you're a spicy fan, I would recommend taking a detour with this dish of silky pork jowl, crunchy radishes, and fresh mint.

The food is already cheap (our total bill for two apps, two entrees, and tea was $38 without tip) and yet they're still donating $.75 from each entree to the NYC food bank.  How do they do that?  They're charging less for better food and then still being altruistic with a portion of the proceeds.

Yunnan Kitchen

With a fussy 21 month old, you don't get the luxury of long dinners, but that doesn't make the food any less good.  Yunnan Kitchen is a relatively new trendy Chinese spot in the LES that has proven tough to get into during prime dining time.  The New York Times quickly learned of it's growing popularity and reviewed it, giving one star to it's "farmers' market approach" to Chinese.

I must admit, this is not like any Chinese I've ever had.  Perhaps that's because the Yunnan Province of China, which borders Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam, pulls flavors from it's neighboring regions.  Whatever the reason, the pickled green papaya salad with warm chicken was crunchy, tart, and spicy - unlike anything I've ever been served in a Chinese restaurant.  We also tried the mushroom rice cakes (I love those gummy rice cakes but make sure you really like mushrooms - like I do - before ordering this) and the Chinese sausage fried rice (perfect sliced sausage with greens that made this different from typical fried rice) - both winners.  I was not a fan of the pork ribs, which were dry and didn't have any sort of sauce that would have allowed all the herbs to adhere to them.  That misstep was redeemed by a chicken dish (a special, I believe) that had the most unique spice I've ever had.  It didn't last like a hot pepper, nor did it clear out your sinuses like wasabi.  Instead, it made my entire tongue tingle.  I couldn't quite place it, but that "whatsit" is what will make Yunnan Kitchen stick out in my mind as a Chinese destination in NYC.

Chinese sausage fried rice

Papaya Salad

v{iv}

A new Thai place opened in my neighborhood and I thought I was going to get Rebekah to come to my side of town to try it.  When we stayed near her West Side apartment, I thought all was lost...until we walked by the restaurant on 9th Ave.  Apparently, my restaurant has a sister so I got to try it after all.

I have no idea if V{IV} is pronounced Viv (like the nickname for Vivienne) or 5-4.  It's not located on 54th so, really, it could be either and I'll probably switch up the name depending on my mood.  Whatever it's called, they make good food.  The waiter recommended the avocado massaman curry and the creamy potato and peanut sauce did not disappoint.  I was also happy to see real chicken in my bowl.  Usually, Thai restaurants have cut up the chicken in those thin slices in advance (just like in Chinese takeout).  It tastes fine, but it doesn't taste like home cooking.  This chicken seemed to have been simmering for hours and fell off the bone (which, if you're keeping up, means they actually served it on the bone instead of as those pre-cut slices).  At $12 it was right in line with typical Thai takeout prices but the quality was better.

Now, not only did I find a new Thai spot, I don't have to go Hell's Kitchen to eat it again.  I don't even have to get out of my pajamas since the East Side location is in convenient delivery distance.

Didn't get any pics of the food, but did capture the porthole on the bathroom door (that was next to some groovy, not-pictured tropical wallpaper) and a huge brass lady lamp that was sitting on a console table (also next to great wallpaper) right outside the bathroom.  

Arang

I can't help but say the name of this restaurant, Arang, in anything but the voice of an old butler going "You raaaang, sir?"  It's not like that makes the food taste any better, but it elicits a giggle from me every time and giggles do seem to make a meal more enjoyable.

Matt and I stumbled into Arang after jumping ship from Kunjip when we saw how long the line was.  We were in the middle of K-town and starving.  Any restaurant was bound to be good at that point, especially one that was directly upstairs from where we were standing.  We walked upstairs and attacked the menu.

Matt picked out bulgogi jungol (beef and glass noodles in a sweet broth), while I chose the seafood pancake, and spicy calamari with pork.  The beef soup was definitely the kind of thing I would want to eat if I was sick.  It makes me wonder why people still eat chicken noodle.  The seafood pancake was tasty, but lacked the quantity of seafood we were expecting.  The calamari was by far our favorite.  It's a plate full of squid, pork, and a sweet and spicy sauce - no filler.  It's exactly what you want when you order this dish.  Next time I'll have to try the rice cake with cheese since we were told by the guys at the table next to us that it is the house specialty...and it did smell amazing.

My only complaint is that they clearly toned down the spice for us white kids.  I prefer not to have my tongue on fire but if I order something that is listed on the menu as spicy, I expect some heat.  When there are so many restaurants on the K-town block, I found this one slightly overpriced, but I enjoyed everything I ate.  It's definitely worth another go, especially if I can convince them that I can handle a little more spice.

  

Buford Highway: Queens in Atlanta

I know Jen was upset to leave New York, but she, Matt, and Avery have made themselves a beautiful life in Atlanta.  They told me one thing that eased the transition was seeing how close they were to Buford Highway.  Buford Highway is a sketchy area, but one that's worth visiting if you want authentic ethnic cuisine.  Matt and Jen are adventurous eaters and often ventured all over the city (usually in Queens) to find the most legit food so this felt like home to them.  It is a loooong strip of restaurants (mostly Chinese, Vietnamese, and Mexican) so we ended up eating both lunch and dinner there on Sunday.

Our first meal was dim sum at Oriental Pearl.  It was just as good as the New York Chinatown restaurants, and nearly as busy.  For supper, we went to El Rey Del Taco for Mexican that went beyond the chicken/beef options.  We tried to get in as many different meats as possible (one taco each of tongue, cheek, and steak, a pork burrito, a chorizo quesadilla, and a mixed grill dish that had three meats including [most notably] bacon - that last one was pure hangover food in the best way possible.)  The food was greasy and delicious and came with an amazing green sauce that we poured over everything.

Atlanta has emerged as a premier dining city with all sorts of nouveau cuisine.  While it's nice that there is no shortage of unique restaurants for date night, girls night, or a birthday, I highly recommend you trek to Buford Highway when you're in the mood for something cheap and different.

Starting Avery out on chopsticks early

Spinach Tofu Quesadilla

Over the Summer, I was at Blockheads when a friend ordered a spinach and tofu quesadilla.  This friend wasn't a vegetarian but after a taste, I understood how she was satisfied with the meat-free lunch.  This weekend, I was looking for an excuse to try out my brand new grill pan, and the spinach tofu quesadilla was just the ticket.

I couldn't have made it easier on myself.  I covered a tortilla with mozarella cheese, tofu, fresh spinach, and Asian chili sauce.  Slap one more tortilla on top and you're good to go.

What a sneaky (read: amazing) contraption that grill pan is!  Though I gained a gorgeous roof deck when I moved, I lost my huge private patio.  All in all, this was step up in the outdoor space department, considering  my old patio got zero sun and tanning space is at a premium in New York.  However, the one thing I miss about the former patio is my huge [not so legal] grill.  Grilling is verboten on my new roof deck so I have had to settle for using it only for sun exposure and non-flame broiled food.  Poor me.  

My Mom suggested a grill pan might ease the pain and - like always - my Mom was right.  The pan got hot right away and even made those perfect grill marks which are a huge part of why I like grilling in the first place.  As long as you have a vent in your kitchen, invest in one of these.  Why oh why would you ever use a George Foreman?  Those things require you to pour out the fat when we all know that's where the flavor comes from.  This is the much smarter choice for your urban grilling needs. 

And by the way, my quesadilla was great.  I may make some adjustments next time by grilling the tofu separately first for additional flavor and by using a mix of mozzarella and goat cheese instead of just mozz.  Tofu...who knew?! 

Dainobu

I recently stumbled upon Dainobu while I was walking home from work.  This Japanese grocery store and deli is packed with the kinds of products you usually need to go to Canal Street to find.  I finally made the time to go in but made the mistake of going on a Sunday evening when the prepared foods are not at there best.  From what was left in the deli case, I could tell there were once a lot of delicacies including stuffed squid, udon salad, mochi, and unidentified syrupy sweets.

I figured I would go back when I wasn't dealing with such picked-over goods, but still walked away with the chocolate filled cookies and aloe drink pictured below.  The drink was good but a little sweet for my taste, which means it would go over very well in America and makes me wonder why it's not a thing here.  I picked the cookies based solely on the picture on the box and hoped for the best.  I was wowed to see they were actually mini chocolate filled pastries.  The pastry was far flakier than you would expect from a pre-packaged snack.  If I didn't know better, I would have thought this was a French goodie instead of Japanese one.  I love my Oreos and Vitamin Water, but this was a nice way to mix up my snackies this week.