Category: New York Restaurant Reviews

New York City Restaurant Reviews

Sushi Zen

108 West 44th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues
212/302.0707
$190 for two people with sake, without tip
♥ ♥ ♥

You have a favorite spot when you’re craving something and you just know that whenever you go, it would not disappoint. This is how I feel about Sushiden, my restaurant of choice when I crave sushi after having been away from the city. When the Dr. and I return from a vacation, the first full meal we eat the next day is sushi. It’s like a cleansing ritual for us; to rid off a lot of fried foods from Central America or decadent meals eaten in Europe. When we came back from Nicaragua, Sushiden was closed, but we found Sushi Zen a few blocks away.

And what a find it was. The fish of the day was a special kind of yellow snapper flown in from Japan. It tasted like Japan was only ten minutes away. It was so fresh and so buttery, I couldn’t help but order two pieces. (Which probably explains our bill at the end of the night.) The bowl of seared tuna with yuzu, sprouts and pea shoot leaves was a great indication of a great meal. The pea shoot was a little peppery and it gave a nice contrast to the citrusy flavor of the broth and highlighted the freshness of the tuna. We were impressed with the salmon tagine, which simmered only in Japanese scallion broth, some miso and hot peppers. It reminded me of Korean chigae, only more pure than any stew I’ve ever tasted. The giant clam was sliced to look like enoki mushrooms waving on my plate–tender with good texture. The jack mackerel wasn’t as oily as I expected and the kelp rolled with the fatty tuna helped me from rolling my eyes in superlative appreciation.

And Anthony Bourdain said sushi on Mondays is a bad thing!

Related post/s:
My favorite sushi place, Sushiden

‘cesca

164 West 75th Street on Amsterdam Avenue
212/787.6300
$280 for four people with eight glasses of drinks, without tip
♥ ♥ ♥

Ah, the upper west side, you keep surprising me. ‘cesca has been on our list of places to eat for the past year because Cameron lives around the corner. After Telepan, I’m more confident to pick a restaurant in the upper west side even if it bills itself as a family-owned Italian restaurant. (I don’t have any good experiences to write about family-owned Italian restaurants in Little Italy and the space next door has turned over more than I can count.) The ‘cesca menu looked good the first time I read it from the outside of the restaurant and it looked good the night we visited. Four of us were seated in the wine nook; a table fit for ten became our own private space for three hours. The sommelier, a giant with a short ponytail, selected for us a light red wine after our glasses of Prosecco.

The octopus sopressata, so called because it’s dried, pressed and sliced thinly, reminded me of the octopus carpaccio we ate in Prague. The pickle-ly taste offset the bitter mustard greens. I couldn’t pass up the chance to try their veal meatballs. They were served in a clear, hot broth, perfect for the harsh temperature outside. The Parmigiano gave it a beefier, fuller taste. We also shared a third appetizer, the escarole salad with tuna, fennel and pomegranates. While we waited for our two main dishes, we were served a complimentary course of faro wheat. We didn’t really understand how we became so lucky, but our waiter quietly mentioned Babbo when we asked. I think he overheard us talking out our most recent experience at Babbo and appreciated the fact that we like our authentic Italian food. (I think taking photos of food really helps.) The special of the night was a seafood risotto and we divided that with a rack of lamb chops and servings of broccoli rabe and roasted Brussel sprouts that tasted like fresh potato chips. To tell you the truth, I enjoyed my medium-rare lamb so much I don’t even remember tasting the risotto. During our espressos, we split the panna cotta with mixed fruit compote and the warm chocolate cake with créme fraiche. I really won’t make fun of the upper west side again.

Related post/s:
Upper West Side isn’t so bad with Telepan there
But it ain’t Babbo

Ushiwakamaru

136 West Houston Street off Sullivan
212/228.4181
$150 for three people with six drinks, without tip
♥ ♥

I’m always walking on Houston Street, but I have to admit that I never pay attention to the restaurants on the street. There are a few off Sullivan Street, right before you turn towards Bleecker, but I’ve never been inclined to check them out. We wanted sushi one night after a few after-work drinks in SoHo but Blue Ribbon was, as usual, packed and there was quite a wait at Nagomi. Yama or Tomoe are not good options to me so I was delighted to eat good sushi at Ushi Wakamaru. The uni was fresh and the ankimo creamy. The otoro was still the most expensive on the menu but it was still less than what Gari would charge. They accommodated my requests for salmon skin and shiso leaf makimo before we closed our tab. They didn’t take unfamiliar requests like shiso with pickled carrots and daikon–something Sushiden wouldn’t refuse–but they pretty much met my expectations.

Related post/s:
Nagomi, around the corner
Gari for more expensive sushi
Go to Sushiden for shiso with pickled carrots and daikon

Tia Pol

205 Tenth Avenue between 22nd and 23rd Streets
212/675.8805
$84 for two people with three drinks, without tip
♥ ♥ ♥

If you’re looking for a good tapas place in New York City, Tia Pol is most likely recommended. I rarely make it around the Chelsea neighborhood, so I visited about two years after the entire city has already fawned over it. Ever since they opened in 2004, the wine hasn’t stopped flowing and the customers haven’t lost their patience waiting for a spot. We waited for about 45 minutes to be seated with our glasses of wine one warm winter night. When we finally made it, it was as if the bartender was waiting for us all along. She was very busy, yet attentive. She forgot to bring out the lamb but everything else we ordered lifted our spirits. The food brought us back to Catalunya. The owners of Tia Pol say they opened a tapas bar because of an on-going love affair with Spain. I give it three stars for the same reason.

Bahn Mi, Vietnamese Sandwiches

A Vietnamese sandwich, or bánh mì, has minced pork, potted meat, salami, carrots, cucumbers and cilantro. They are served in a slightly toasted French baguette with a special sauce that brings all the fillings together. Skip on the mayonnaise and order an iced Vietnamese coffee while you wait. There are also the neo-bánh mìs like vermicelli glass noodles, beef fillets, chicken and even tofu. Most of the stores carry other Vietnamese snacks and your best bet would be the summer rolls or the rice cakes. Sáu Voi Corp also sells Vietnamese CDs and DVDs for some soundtrack while you eat. (I’ve updated this post since 2004 with the latest bánh mì stores.)

I’ve listed my favorites below and they all get ♥ ♥

Viet-Nam Bánh Mì So 1
369 Broome Street off Mott
212/219-8341
Updated, 2008: Renamed Saigon

Sáu Voi Corp
101-105 Corner of Lafayette and Walker Street
212/226.8184

Paris Bakery
113 Mott Street between Canal and Hester
212/226.7221

Á Châu Deli
82A Mulberry between Canal and Bayard
212/766.3332