Category: American

Reviews of New American Restaurants in New York City

Chubo

6 Clinton Street off Houston
212/674.6300
about $80 for two, with two drinks, without tip
♥
Update, 2007: The space is for sale

Chubo’s offerings are familiar but the combination of all of them makes the menu a little confused. The hamachi was served two ways: tartare and the other, glazed with teriyaki. They had foie gras but unfortunately in shumai form. Their steak sits on wasabi-truffle sauce. Our soft-shell crabs were excellent, but I was a bit surprised they came with duck. Perhaps the chef just wanted to offer a little bit of everything, or maybe he just couldn’t make up his mind about which cuisine to concentrate on.

egg

135A North 5th Street off Bedford Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
718/302.5151
about $50 for two, without drinks, with tip
♥ ♥ ♥

My only complaint about egg is that it stops serving breakfast at noon. That doesn’t give me enough time to wake up in Harlem and trudge all the way to Brooklyn to eat breakfast. I’m sure the hipsters who live in the neighborhood feel the same way. But if any of us need a good reason to wake up, it’s breakfast via the L train to Williamsburg. The menu is short, southern-inspired and most especially, organic. There’s the delicious ham and the orgasmic bacon, the fresh and warm homemade biscuits with sausage gravy, the grits made with love, the fig jam and the oh-so-real potato hash.

If you’ve never made a big deal of breakfast, you’ve never had a meal at egg. One bite and you’d forget that you’d otherwise still be sleeping. The best part of it all is still feeling pretty good after your big meal. Every ingredient was selected by its chef, George Weld, to make sure that you’re not putting anything bad in your mouth. This is important because, hey, you still have seven hours to go before the sun goes down.

Related post/s:
Sparkys All-American Food

Lure Fish and Raw Bar

142 Mercer Street on Prince
212/431.7676
about $150 for two, with two drinks, with tip
♥ ♥ ♥

There are nights in New York City when you become thankful for the people you know. I was very thankful this one summer night when the manager and sommelier of Lure invited a friend of mine to a menu tasting before their grand opening. I was even more thankful when my friend asked me to tag along. Lure is the latest restaurant to occupy the coveted space under the Prada store in SoHo, replacing the mediocre, orange-themed Canteen.

The yacht setting of the restaurant is new and very sleek, even people peeked and waved at us through the portholes from street-level. There are intimate booths with white leather seats and less private tables for smaller groups. The floor is immaculately shiny to mimic a ship’s deck. In the back is the raw and shellfish bar with the freshest sea creatures waiting to be eaten. The design of the space is so well done that even if you do not like maritime decor, you’ll fall in love with Lure. Separate rooms are available to rent if you want to throw a private party.

With a bottle of Burgundy, we had the following:

1. Arctic Char, Trout Roe, Creamy Horseradish and Dill

2. Coho Salmon, Pickled Japanese Cucumbers and Basil-Soy Tea
3. Toro, Fresh Wasabi and Black Olive Oil

4. Sea Scallops, Grated Scallion, Radish and Ginger Marinade

5. Black Sea Bass, Plum Wine Vinegar Gelee, Julienned Ginger and Jicama
6. Fluke, Cherry Tomatoes, Shallot

7. Yellowfin Tuna, Pickled Chilis, Olive Oil Brulee

8. six pieces of Blue Point Oysters
9. six pieces of Malpeque Oysters
10. Clam Chowder with Smoked Bacon
11. Grilled Swordfish, Soy-Ginger Marinade, Tomato Salad

12. Steamed Black Cod, Sake, Miso, Mushrooms

13. Crab Cakes with Mango, Yuzu and Fennel
14. Tempura Shrimp, Preserved Blackbean Mayonnaise and Lime
15. Peach Crisp
16. Warm Chocolate Cake

Sparky’s All-American Food

135 North 5th Street off Bedford Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
718/302.5151
about $15 for two, with two drinks, without tip
♥ ♥ ♥

Updated, 2005: Sparky’s has opened a branch in Manhattan, 333 Lafayette Street off Bleecker, 212/334.3035

You can’t call yourself a New Yorker if you can’t make yourself cross the Brooklyn Bridge. Brooklyn is part of New York City, too. Sparky’s is a very good reason to visit the borough because it offers the best hot dogs, the best relish, the best chili, the best ketchup, the best mustard and the best buns. Don’t let the other organic hot dog stands that have sprouted all over the city fool you. Everything on Sparky’s menu is so good, it might just change the way you feel about Brooklyn.

Sparks Steak House

210 East 46th Street between Second and Third
212/687.4855
$200 for two, with a bottle of wine, without tip
♥ ♥ ♥

My older brother lives in Manila and whenever he visits New York City, he has one request: eat a nice slab of steak at Sparks Steak House. When mafia boss Paul Castellano and mobster Thomas Bilotti were gunned down in front of the restaurant in 1985 under the orders of John Gotti, it forever put it on the map as one of New York City’s institutions. It’s less violent today because the crowd is mostly made up of the younger finance bunch who want to splurge before signing a business deal, but commoners like me can still enjoy a juicy sirloin steak with a bold glass of red wine.

Avoid peak dinner times and reserve a table for 9pm or later, especially on weekends, because you’ll spend less money at the bar while you wait. (We once waited an hour drinking at the bar even with an 8pm table.) You might not be related to any one in the Gambino family, but you’ll feel like royalty after you treat yourself to one of the Ceetta Brothers’ cuts of meat.