Boulton and Watt

After Pickle Day Albert and I wandered til we found a good brunch spot, with the goal being bottomless brunch.  Nothing jumped out at us until we got to the edge of the LES and saw Boulton and Watt, a spot we had each been to a couple times and enjoyed as a bar.  But now we were in broad daylight and unsure if it would work as a place to eat.

Not only did they have food, they had a large, thoughtfull menu and were doing a booming business.  What I thought was a bar first and restaurant second may actually be the other way around.  It also kept with the pickle theme as they feature tons of pickled veggies as snacks and a few different pickleback versions.  We'd been pickling it up all day so we decided to chill and just order normal brunch.  Albert ordered the full English breakfast, which came with two eggs, house-made pork sausage, bacon, stewed beans, wild mushrooms, and a hash brown cake.  Tons of food for $16.  I ordered the braised short rib and bone marrow benedict, which was served on a hunk of country bread instead of english muffins.  It was delicious.  Though I was feeling carnivorous that day, I was still impressed to see plenty of inventive vegetarian options on the menu like a cauliflower souffle, fried oyster omelette, and frittata with goat cheese, braised leeks, and wild mushrooms.  We didn't end up finding a bottomless brunch deal, but the cocktails were only $5.  Typically a bottomless deal may work out to $10-$15 on top of the entree price and though you may end up drinking more than two or three, they won't be as strong as the drinks here.  The mimosa, for instance, includes gin so your $5 will get you pretty far.

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!

Bartaco

While the boys were golfing before a wedding this past weekend, the girls went off to do our own thing.  We got our nails done, we did a little shopping, and we stopped at a really cute restaurant for lunch.  It was hard to choose a place to eat in the West Hartford area - everything looked so great - but Marisa had been to Bartaco and vouched for it.

We all ordered the lunch special, which came with three small tacos and salad for $10.  It was the perfect amount of food and there were still plenty of tacos to choose from so you don't feel like they're taking away your lunch freedom.  I went with the chorizo, pork belly, and baja fish varieties.  All were good, but my favorite was probably the pork belly, which had a slightly sweet glaze.  We washed it all down with some tasty (and strong) margaritas.

With white washed walls, Bartaco almost feels more like a surf lodge than a Mexican cantina.  They've also got that laid back, helpful, surfer dude mentality going for them, too.  At each table, there's a box with a few sauces, menus (to order sushi-style), and card with their logo on it.  Instead of trying to hunt down the waitress, if you need anything, you just stick that card in its holder and she'll come back to help you out.  It's sort of like the stewardess buttons on airplanes.  It worked.  Our waitress came over immediately, with a smile on her face, and nobody was stressed about not feeling special.  You know what did feel special?  My tummy, after eating these yummy tacos.

Spring

When I looked at the menu for Spring, I began to regret allowing Shawn to take the lead in setting up our pre-Yom Kippur fast meal.  Pretty much everything on the menu was tagged as either vegan or gluten free...and in some cases, both.  I don't usually actively do "healthy" food.  I think of eating healthy as a bonus.  "Oh hey!  I made a delish meal and it just happened to be good for me.  Sweet!"  But in my mind anything that tries to be healthy is bound to taste bad.  But I have seen the light.  Food that is intentionally healthy can also taste good.  I finally understand what people mean when they say a restaurant serves "clean" food.

We started with edamame, tuna tartare, and spring rolls for the table.  The menu is very fish and veggie heavy so half the people at the table ordered salmon and the other half ordered the stir fry (which included hearty veggies like cauliflower).  I ordered the poached salmon and lentil salad.  I expected a true salad, but this was served compartmentalized, as a regular entree would with beets, lentils, and salmon, each in their own areas.  The beets were perfect on their own and the lentils were seasoned with dill and a lemon vinaigrette.  I also ordered a side of wasabi mashed potatoes (huge portion - great to share).  I would not have expected potatoes without a ton of butter or cream to be so flavorful, but the wasabi added dimention without a ton of extra calories.  I left the restaurant feeling full not fat.

MexiBBQ

There is no better way to celebrate a successful race completion than by brunching.  Hardcore, bottomless brunching, to be specific.  Since we were going to be in Astoria Sunday afternoon for Karina's birthday, we decided to do brunch in that neighborhood and picked MexiBBQ since they had a $16 bottomless deal.

I would say the menu is Mexican first, BBQ second.  But that doesn't mean the BBQ is absent...it's just used with restraint, like by adding brisket and jalapeno cornbread onto the eggs benedict, which also uses chipotle in the hollandaise.  Albert couldn't pass up a chance to order brisket so that's what he went with.  Beth and I both ordered the Hangover Cure.  Though neither of us were hungover, we had both just run 6.2 miles which left us in virtually the same hazy-eyed state as if we had partied all night.  This dish was basically a breakfast version of chilequiles.  Fried corn tortilla scraps are softened after sopping up sauce and then layered with salsa, chicken, and chorizo.  Then there are two fried eggs on top to make it more brunch appropriate.  It was huge enough that we could have shared, honestly.  Carbing up is always important when it comes to running, but it's more fun to carb up with tortillas than boring bread.

Fiat Café

I don't usually think of SoHo as a place for cheap eating.  Sure, you can find plenty of cafés in the area that aren't overly expensive...but a straight up deal?  Not so much.  I am singing a different tune now that I've found Fiat Café.  Pretty much nothing on the menu costs more than $8.50.  Considering it costs a minimum of $7.99 for me to buy burrata at the grocery store, an appetizer of burrata with cherry tomatoes, basil, and olive oil for $8.50 is a steal.  Since I can't make it any cheaper myself, paying cash only does not seem like an inconvenience anymore.

In addition to the burrata, we also ordered an antipasto platter (prosciutto, sopresatta, braseola, parmesan, and olives) and two carpaccio salads (one beef, one salmon).  The portions were sizable enough that we couldn't finish all the food, especially after snacking on the bread and very flavorful olive oil.  And everything was good.  For that price I wasn't expecting too much.  Frankly, I just needed to get burrata in my stomach as soon as possible because I'd been craving it for weeks and didn't care about much else.  But all the food was fresh, simple, and seemed like what my [imaginary] old Italian grandmother would throw together for a light lunch when we come inside after a long day of playing outside.

  

Delta

Not all Southern food is created equal.  While I may know just about all there is to know about Lowcountry cuisine, creole food is a whole different story.  Of course I enjoy it.  Of course I will eat all the cajun food in sight, if possible.  Of COURSE I want to boogie to Hank Williams' "Jambalya (On the Bayou)" while I'm eating it.  But liking creole food is not the same as being an expert.  Basically, even though I'm Southern, I can't tell you how authentic The Delta Grill is, but I can tell you I really liked it and am happy to have it in NYC.

I was there with a group of eight, three of whom were college linebackers, so we ordered a lot of food.  The portions were large, even for 6'4" former football players.  So if you like creole food, you'll certainly get your fill here.  We started with the alligator and pork sausage.  My only experience with gator is on the football field, where we CRUSH those jorts wearing Floridians every year.  Just kidding - I've eaten gator plenty.  There's a place at home that serves fried alligator tail and I love it.  Seeing alligator in sausage form, however, was new to me but still delicious...though I mostly tasted pork.  My favorite app of the night was the popcorn crawfish.  I was worried they would skimp on the meat here, but this was big hunks of crawfish that are fried and served with a remoulade sauce (though this was more like ranch dressing).  It was chewy without being rubbery and the batter was nicely seasoned.  I could have eaten the entire basket on my own and was a little disappointed I had to share.

As for the entrees...I tried a bite of Albert's muffaletta and thought it was a very good version, almost as good as the one I had in New Orleans (it's all about the olive spread).  If you consider ordering the large version, I suggest you do so with two buddies because it's massive.  I ordered the chicken fried steak and loved it.  It was as good as any I've had.  Since chicken fried steak is a Southern thing and not strictly cajun, I can say with confidence I know what I'm talking about here.  The steak was still tender (a lot of people can mess up on that part) and the peppery breading stayed put.  I'm used to a thicker gravy at home, but this wasn't too shabby.  The jalapeno cheddar mashed potatoes was a nice spicy side.

Now, can a Louisiana native pleast go to this place and tell me if it's authentic?  Or do I just love it and have zero idea what I'm talking about.  Please don't put my "foodie" identity into question.

E's Bar

It's good to have friends in different neighborhoods.  It makes you feel worldly.  It's even better when those friends make a point to explore their own neighborhoods and let you know of new, fun places.  That's how we learned about E's Bar, a spot that just opened about 3 months ago in the UWS.

With stickers on the ceiling, red pintuck cushions, and neon signs they are clearly going for a grungy, East Village vibe.  They're almost there, but it's still a little too new and clean to feel truly dive-y.  The food menu looked good with some well priced specials but we had already eaten so we focused on two far more important things: drinks and games.

Drinking is fun.  Games are fun.  Put them together and you're bound to have a blast.  They have Sorry and Connect 4, but my favorites are Cards Against Humanity and Jenga.  Cards Against Humanity is an obvious choice because it gets hilarious and obscene, especially when you're imbibing.  Jenga, however, may sound like an odd choice.  What makes Jenga here particularly fun is that it's dirty Jenga.  Someone has written tasks on the blocks that must be completed before the blocks are replaced on the tower.  It's kind of like Jenga: Truth or Dare Edition.  I am a big fan of day drinking, but sitting around for hours on end can get a tad boring.  Throwing games into the mix keeps it lively.  It also means I'm likely to stick around longer - nice thinking, E's Bar.

Bobwhite Lunch and Supper Counter

The menu is small at Bobwhite Lunch and Supper Counter.  They're pretty much telling you "get the fried chicken, dummy!...but in case you're a vegetarian we got catfish, too."  So that's what Albert and I did.  We both ordered the fried chicken platter (only $11.50), which comes with three pieces of chicken, a biscuit, and some really good cole slaw (and I am picky picky about my cole slaw).  We also ordered sides (average $4) of mac and cheese and collards to split.  The mac was nice and creamy and the collards were good, though they could have used a teensy bit of vinegar (I still ate all of them).

The food is great and the prices are pretty cheap for such a large dinner.  But the best part was just a small little thing that most people probably won't notice; and if they do, they may find it strange.  Before our meals arrived, the waitress brought a bottle of hot sauce and a bottle of honey to the table.  Albert, bless his heart, is a Yankee and was very confused by the honey.  The hot sauce can go on the chicken, the collards, pretty much anywhere...but what to do with the honey?  It's great on biscuits, obviously, but that, my friends, is the condiment that will make your fried chicken better than it's ever been.  You get sticky and crispy all at once.  If you don't eat your fried chicken like this, you are missing out.  Just bringing honey to the table made Bobwhite one of the most authentic Southern spots in the city.

Rathbones

In all the times I had been to Rathbones, it was only ever for drinks.  I actually always wondered who would possibly ever eat there - the food can't be that good.  This is a place where softball teams gather after a game and fans go to watch sports on the many tvs.  It's neighborhoody, a little divey, and looks just like the local watering hole it started as 30 years ago.  Turns out, they do actually have great food.  And really amazing deals.

Tuesdays are 2 for 1, not just on the drinks but on the burgers and sandwiches as well.  Considering nothing is all that expensive to begin with, this is a steal.  Nothing was going to stop me from ordering the burger.  I didn't even need to look at the menu.  Albert has been pushing to add Rathbones' burger to the list as a contender ever since we started scoping out the best burgers in the city so it was absolutely necessary for me to try it.  That said, when someone suggested getting a large order of wings for the group to share, there was no arguing from my end of the table.

Many burgers have a gimmick, and in this case it was the bun.  Instead of a regular bun, they used an English muffin.  I thought it was a great change of pace.  It's just a bit sour and its pockmarks soak up the burger juice nicely.  The wings were also very good, especially if you request them extra crispy like we did.  The large comes with 16 wings and is only $9.95.  Can't beat that...except you can.  On Tuesday they do $0.35 wings.  Do you understand how many wings that'll get you?  All the wings.

 

22 Square

A few years ago, Savannah started doing restaurant week and, more than anything, it motivates my parents to get out of the house and spend a night out, dining at a fun place.  Since restaurant week was happening while I was home, I got to crash their date night.  When it came to choosing from the list of participating restaurants, it was a unanimous vote.  Not only had none of us been to 22 Square, it also had the most extensive restaurant week menu (six options for each of the three courses).

They call it "farm to fork," but let's not get any more pretentious than the farm to table concept already is.  There is no difference between farm to table and farm to fork.  22 Square's version just utilizes alliteration.  Cute.  I'm overlooking how hard they're trying to make themselves stand out with that phrase because the food was wonderful and, to be honest, sourcing all the ingredients locally did seem to make a difference.  That difference started with the bread basket.  Sure you can have sourdough french bread, but even better is the bread right next to it.  It looks really similar but is actually made with beer from Moon River, the brewery around the block.  Down at the bottom of the basket is a flatbread, sort of like a fluffy crust pizza without the cheese, made with heirloom tomatoes, and it is not to be missed.

For my appetizer I went with the pickled vegetables, ham, and egg.  This dish was so much more than what the menu listed.  First of all, the egg was deviled.  I didn't know what type of egg I was going to get when I ordered it and figured I would like it no matter what.  But I was only kidding myself by not admitting deviled is the best way to eat an egg.  It truly was a mixed bag of pickled veggies, including cauliflower, green beens, and cucumbers, each in different brines.  Then the ham was like a thick prosciutto and wrapped crispy greens and a piece of cheese.  Nowhere on the menu did it describe that preparation.  If it had, I wouldn't have debated between that and another app - it would have been this all the way.  For my entree I ordered the duck with zucchini hash and a peach elderflower reduction.  It wasn't overly sweet and everything from the hash to the texture of the duck breast was buttery.  We all thought three of the desserts looked particularly good so we got one of each and put them in the middle of the table to share.  I never would have thought to serve peach halves with a bit of honey, walnuts, and basil (of all things!), but it worked and was certainly refreshing.  The blackberry cobbler was not a cobbler.  At first that was disappointing, but then you realize it was just an issue of mislabeling.  Once we realized it just should have been called a bread pudding, all was good.  My father's favorite was clearly the chocolate mousse.  My Mom and I were more focused on the other two desserts and when we looked up, he had polished off the mousse on his own.  They didn't even need to wash the bowl after he was done with it.

This was the first time I have ever eaten a restaurant week menu and didn't feel like it was restaurant week.  Nothing about this menu was "less than."  Every dish was thoughtfully prepared in a way to make the local ingredients shine.  

Cohen's Retreat

My father does NOT like to eat the same thing two times in a row.  He is decidedly anti leftovers.  So I was surprised when he wanted to take me to lunch at Cohen's Retreat my first day home when he had just had supper there two nights before.  If he is not only willing to go back but is actually the one suggesting it, it must be good.

The restaurant occupies a building I have passed nearly every day of my life but never noticed.  It's on a stretch of road with little more than a church or two and lots of droopy Spanish moss.  The building never jumped out at me because it had nothing to do with my life.  Until it was converted to a restaurant, it served as an old age home for men.  Even now, there is no actual signage for the restaurant, only the original "Cohen's Retreat" letters built into the facade and the property's gate (the gate still calls it a men's home).  Not just a restaurant, Cohen's retreat uses the back buildings as artists' cottages.  These artists are producing the beautiful artwork that covers the restaurants walls and is all for sale.  The main building has about 12 rooms.  Three of these are dining rooms.  One is large and more formal, another is more like and airy café, and the third has a private feel.  Then there are about eight small rooms displaying knick knacks like picture frames and pillows (though the items are much nicer than my description as "knick knacks" would imply).  Each room is organized by color scheme.  Naturally, I gravitated towards the green and blue rooms.  The final room is an event space and I can hardly think of a better place to throw a party.

With such a unique concept for the building I am just happy to be there, but it helps that the food is delicious as well.  I ordered shrimp tacos with corn and crema.  There's a little cilantro but not too much, which means my father (anti leftovers and also anti cilantro) would try a bite...if I had let him.  Sorry, all mine.

5 Spot

5 Spot feels like a cross between a cafe and a regular restaurant.  To me that means it has the low key, neighborhood-y, artsy-ish feel of a café but with a more substantial menu.  There is definitely something for everyone here.  In addition to the large plates, the menu has 14 sandwiches, 8 burgers, 5 quesadillas, and 6 salads to choose from.  Almost all of these items are under $10 and come with a side.  I ordered the po boy with fried shirmp and spicy slaw along with a side of collards.  The sandwich was huge and the shrimp were not overbattered.  The collards had such a great smoky flavor, like they were sitting on the smoker while bbq was being prepared.

Without a ton of restaurants right next to the Ardsley Park neighborhood, 5 Spot is a nice addition, particularly since it features a bar (which, now that I think about it, hasn't really existed in the immediate neighborhood before).

Shelsky's of Brooklyn

Every NYC summer street fair looks exactly the same.  Lemonade stands, gyros, Italian sausage, and Oriental rug booths repeat one after the other for blocks on end.  But two weekends ago, the Workmen's Circle took up one block of a Madison Avenue street fair and turned it into "A Taste of Jewish Culture."  A klezmer band played, the host educated us on Yiddush, and there were about ten booths that were a great reprieve from the regular vendors.

One of my favorite booths was Shelsky's, which served latke boats.  Mine was fried in tons of fat and topped with chopped liver and apple horseradish.  (They also had a sweet potato version topped with whitefish and sriracha.)  It was a bit too much horseradish for me (though I liked that you really could taste the apple) so I scraped some off but that was mostly because I didn't want anything to come between me and the chopped liver.  It was legit.  I told the chef and owner (Shelsky himself) how similar it was to my grandmother's and he said that was the best compliment he could receive.  He's a young guy who seems to really appreciate how things used to be done in old school Jewish kitchens but wants to incorporate a few new twists to get the new generation interested, as evidenced by the hashtag he posted on his chalkboard menu: #JewishFoodRenaissance.  He's not the first Jewish chef to have a butcher-style tattoo of a pig, but given the type of food he's cooking, his may be more than just the ironic hipster Brooklyn tat; it is a nice commentary on new and old worlds colliding.

Cafe el Presidente

Usually places serving tiny and authentic tacos are tiny themselves.  Not Cafe el Presidente.  The Flatiron space feels more open than just about anything in NYC.  It's enough room to house a juice bar that I thought was for show until I tried the spiked sandia cocktail - fresh watermelon juice with tequila.  Que fresca!  (Did I use that right?  I only pretend to know espanol.)  Albert went with the spiked horchata cocktail and enjoyed it so much he had three of them, which is a lot for a guy who almost exclusively drinks beer.  It tasted like Christmas in a glass but it was thin like a caramel macchiato and served on ice so it still felt appropriate in the summer.

We tried the carne asada and the carnitas tacos.  Carnitas was my preferred taco, but when they're this small you really can order several different types and try them all which is why I recommend going with a group.  Whether it's a group dinner or date night (and we saw plenty of both), my biggest recommendation is to order the esquites.  Grilled corn with chipotle mayo and cotija cheese is a hugely popular side dish at taco restaurants but I am just not a fan of getting corn in my teeth and mayonnaise on my cheeks.  Not sexy.  This was the first time I've seen this type of corn cut off the cob and served in a cup.  You still get all the same toppings and the corn got a really spectacular char.  At $3.95 this is by far your best bet on the menu.

Isabella's

When we made plans with friends for a Monday night supper, they suggested their neighborhood since we rarely go there and restaurant week as a way to up the ante without throwing out too much money...and then we all ordered off the regular menu instead of the restaurant week one.  Best laid plans, right?

Isabella's labels itself a Mediterranean restaurant, and I can kind of see it with the artichokes and calamari starters, but I would really classify this as Continental with enough items like crab and meat hash, a cheeseburger, and cod on the menu.  I, myself, went the more Continental route by ordering a wedge salad (thankfully not drenched in dressing) and the sweet pea ravioli.  There wasn't much sauce so I felt the plate didn't quite match the menu's description, but I was still very pleased with what was in front of me.  I prefer my ravioli to have very little sauce because I actually want to taste the filling.  And don't even try to give me ravioli that's not packed with filling.  They are supposed to be like plump pillows - the kind that make you sleep like a baby, not the kind that give you a crick in the neck.  I was pleased with the amount of filling here so all was good.

The restaurant felt very Uptown.  And by that I mean we were easily the rowdiest Monday night crowd they've seen.  Most of the clientele looked established: sport coats, shift dresses, and scarves around the shoulders.  Still, it had a neighborhood vibe so we didn't feel out of place.  Also, I was wearing Lily Pulitzer so I blended right in.

Tip: don't feel like you have to do the restaurant week menu.  Sure, it sounds like a great deal: $38 for 3 courses - wow!  (nevermind that it used to be $34...) But if you're not a dessert person or if the smaller special menu doesn't really call to you, just order off the regular menu.  Two really good courses is always going to leave you more satisfied than three meh courses.  We were way happier with our selections this way and my whole meal came to $27 instead of $38.  This is a noteable difference when you're also tacking on alcohol as my group is wont to do.

Breads Bakery

I was very strategic with my run recently.  I planned it so that I would finish at Breads Bakery just in time for breakfast/brunch.  After running the 1.7 miles there, I felt confident I had earned my meal.  In fact, I felt confident I had earned three meals because I purchased a leek quiche (seemed breakfast-y), a tuna sandwich, and a bureka (how could I not?!  They're hard to find in NYC!).  

Everything was great and nothing was too dense.  Like perfect French pastry...except it's made by an Israeli.  I would NEVER normally order a tuna sandwich.  I'm scared of them unless I make it myself.  This time, however, the cashier recommended it highly and I was in the mood to go wherever the wind took me.  I'm glad I listened.  The tuna was less of a salad, more just tuna on bread (that's a good thing in my book) with tomato, sliced hard boiled egg, lettuce, and cucumber.  Not only do I now trust their tuna sandwich, I think it's better than mine.

Black Seed Bagels

A lot of people love huge fluffy bagels.  I personally prefer a thinner bagel - it's easier for me to handle.  Some people also like lox and cream cheese.  Not me.  Blame it on my Southern upbringing, but I just am not a fan.  Lox is salty and slimy; too much cream cheese is overwhelming and kinda makes me gag.  Sorry.

But so many people were talking about Black Seed Bagels that I had to see what makes them the better bagel.  I'm pretty sure these bagels were made as a way to introduce the wary Southerner to yankee bagel tradition.  The bagels are wood fired so they come out flatter and almost crispy so it's kinda like they're toasted.  (This is something many New York bagel shops refuse to do - I like mine toasted.  Sue me.)  Black Seed has all the traditional toppings but then also gives each one of them a sexy twist as well.  So basically you've got cream cheese and cream cheese plus.  Regular cream cheese is self explanatory.  Cream cheese plus would be their tobiko spread or the horseradish cream cheese.

I ordered the number 3 (tobiko spread, salmon, and butter lettuce) and added a radish.  The radish is watermelon radish, sliced thin, and almost wide enough around to cover the whole bagel.  Just two slices is enough.  If you're used to typical NYC bagel shops which pile half an inch of cream cheese onto a bagel sandwich, it looks like they skimp on the toppings.  But they understand exactly how much of each is needed for all the components to shine.  The tobiko in the cream cheese added the perfect amount of salt and a gorgeous pink color.   I know I said I hated lox (actually I just said before that it wasn't my thing but might as well put the truth out there - I'm reeeeeally not a fan) so I'm sure you're wondering why I even ordered this bagel to begin with.  It's not like I was in the mood to torture myself.  I just figured if the point of my mission to SoHo was to see what everyone was talking about, I needed to actually try the specific menu items that built up the buzz.  And the next thing you know I ate an entire bagel filled with smoked salmon.  It didn't taste like lox I've ever had.  It wasn't very salty, nor was it slick and slimy.  It was almost like sushi salmon.  It was shiny like a proud boy showing off all his Omega 3s but it wasn't an oily shine.

Not for nothing, but the bagels actually looked pretty, too.  Ingredients are nicely composed and arranged in proper proportions, not just slapped on there in a hurry to shout "next!"  When prepared like this, I not only eat but enjoy a lox and cream cheese bagel so I'm able to feel like a real New Yorker.  The prices are certainly higher than other bagel shops...but high prices also feel pretty New York, too.

  

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.

Gotham West Market

11th Avenue is a bit of a wasteland.  One of our partner agencies is over there and I've felt pretty bad for them when it came to their lunch options.  That is, until now when Gotham West Market opened.  Gotham West Market is an upscale food court on the ground floor of a luxury apartment building.  There are about 8 vendors there including Ivan Ramen, The Cannibal, and Blue Bottle Coffee.  There's also a Jeni's Splendid pop-up spot for your unique ice cream cravings.  Basically, you can hit up all the far-away restaurants the cool kids gush over in one fell swoop .  I, for one, am not going to travel to Brooklyn for coffee or Tokyo for ramen, but if their much praised brands are now a 17 minute walk from my office I am happy to check it out.

Some of the food is sold at above average lunch prices.  I don't know about you, but I'm not planning to spend $11 on a sandwich every day...but I'm not opposed to it every once in a while if it's a really good sandwich.  I gravitated toward Choza Taqueria because I was craving Mexican but also because I saw how much more convenient it would be to eat a burrito bowl with a fork in a meeting vs. slurping a bowl of soup or a getting my hands all messy with a sandwich.  Here, my bill came in at just over $9, making not much more expensive than Chipotle but with better ingredients (sorry to all the crazy Chipotle freakazoid sycophants out there).  I got the veggie version with zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and queso fresco.  All the ingredients were fresh and the plate wasn't super saucy so it didn't weigh me down.  I do recommend requesting a side of the sauce (like a chipotle aioli) that they put on their corn.  It kinda made the meal for me.

I had not really imagined a world where high end food courts were a thing.  But now that the concept is here, I don't hate it.