New York Restaurant Reviews – Page 36 – Writing With My Mouth Full

Wondee Siam

792 9th Avenue between 52nd and 53rd Streets
212/459.9057
$52 for two, BYOB, without tip, cash only
♥ ♥

I never make it to the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood but before a My Morning Jacket concert at Roseland Ballroom, we wanted to eat dinner. Wondee Siam came recommended from an out-of-towner. Forgive me for being cynical, but I usually would not take a recommendation from a tourist, especially for Thai food. But I stand corrected. Not only did Wondee Siam offer traditional Thai food, it also offered the good kind. So what if he got the advice from Zagat’s?

When we were ordering our meals, I told the waiter I wanted duck so I asked for his opinion between two dishes that had roasted duck in it: Yum Ped Yang and Duck Ka Prow. He said he likes the Yum Ped Yang one (or so I thought) so I nodded to order that. When it was time to eat, he brought both dishes to us. When I told him I only picked one, he apologized but left them on the table. When we realized he was not going to take the other plate away from us and from our bill, we just asked him to pack it for us to take home. Some battles should be left untouched especially if the Yum Ped Yang with slivers of green apples and cubes of pineapples was really good.

The duck wasn’t roasted, it was deep-fried, and it tasted more like bacon than it did duck. (It looked like bacon, too!) But I was all over the fresh combination of the chili pepper, lime juice and cashew nuts that I didn’t really care if it wasn’t the dish I ordered. The duck Ka Prow tasted familiar because I cook it at least once a month with chicken. Fresh basil is always a nice touch with sweet soy sauce even though the menu listed it as oyster sauce.

The mixed seafood roll was like a deep-fried version of shumai and was served with that sweet orange dip Chinese restaurants call duck sauce. The menu listed it as plum sauce which I thought has a darker color. I barely tasted the crab which is featured as the main ingredient but it was still a pretty good appetizer. The chicken was good, too, drowning in all the sauce which makes your mouth numb in a good way.

We had a good meal at Wondee Siam because their selection was also better than Pongsri’s downtown, so I’ll give them two stars even though what we ended up eating were not exactly what we initially wanted.

Food

1569 Lexington Avenue off 100th Street
212/348.0200
$25 for two, without drinks, without tip
♥

For brunch one Sunday, we took the bus to the east side of Harlem and sat at the bar of Food. We watched ice skating on one TV and that weird game of stone and broom called curling on the other. Jewel also happened to be playing from their satellite radio. Food is a restaurant that seems out of place in the El Barrio area of the upper east side but it’s also one of the sure signs that the neighborhood is really changing. Space and rent prices are two of the reasons why businesses are opening uptown. They are also trying to reach those customers who have moved up for the same reasons. No one could have imagined two Asian people being served by a French man in Harlem just a few years ago.

Whether these changes are accepted or not, what we ordered were enough to start our day right: turkey burger with fries and huevos rancheros with bacon and beans. They were good, not exceptional, but the ritual of brunch is always better than the meal itself. I’m just glad Food makes it easier for us uptowners to partake in it.

Frankie’s 457

457 Court Street off 4th Place, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
718/403.0033
about $150 for four, with a bottle of wine, without tip, cash only
♥ ♥

Update, February 2009: I had a lovely weekday lunch here with gnocchi and meatballs. Both were in tomato sauce that had their own tastes. (It wold have sucked if they used the same sauce for two different dishes, no?) The salads–fennel, celery root and arugula with mozarella–were brightened by a squeeze of lemon juice and good olive oil. They were simple and just made me very happy.

We walked in Sunday night for an early dinner and Frankie’s was already packed. We were seated in the restaurant in the back, a separate space mainly used for private parties. The main dining room seemed homey with guests eating sandwiches and crostinis, but the back felt more comfortable with only five tables. After they turned down the music volume in the back, we felt like we were having our own small dinner party at home.

Frankie’s menu showcases the same comfort food I’ve gotten used when dining in Brooklyn. There were no seafood selections, which disappointed me a bit, because I was in the mood for fish after celebrating Thanksgiving. The home-made cavatelli with hot sausage and browned sage butter was excellent. The roast loin of pork with broccoli rabe and pine nut polenta was hearty and filling. The desserts could use a little excitement though, because sometimes tiramisu, creme brulÃ©e and cheessecake just don’t quite cut it.

The Red Cat

227 Tenth Avenue off 23rd Street
212/242.1122
$102 for two, with three beers, without tip
♥ ♥

The red and white wooden paneling didn’t fit the stereotypical Chelsea mold. The laid-back staff made me completely forget I was in New York City. It was a Friday night and all the tables were booked but the maitre d’ politely told me over the phone that I can easily sit at the bar before 7:30pm. For the next two hours, people slowly filled the place with a buzz. We weren’t at all rushed by the bartender even though a few other couples stood at the door waiting to be seated. Where was I? I was at The Red Cat.

It was also the day after Thanksgiving and at The Red Cat, there were plenty of non-fowl choices. We ordered the fried oysters served with creamed spinach. The spicy tuna tartare came with mustard, scallions and potato chips. The grilled octopus with zucchini and prosciutto. The lamb sausage was heartier than the others with white beans and watercress. A couple of pints of Old Speckled Hen pushed everything down and a lemon tart closed our tab.

None of the dishes made my eyes roll back but they were delicious and safely executed. I visited The Red Cat and left all my expectations at the door. Do the same and you’ll also be pleasantly surprised.

Related post/s:
Tia Pol is also in Chelsea

Mas (farmhouse)

39 Downing Street off Bedford
212/255.1790
about $255 for four, with several drinks, without tip
♥ ♥ ♥

I reserved the bar for four people at 7:30pm and because it was before prime dinner time, we were seated right away even though it was a Friday night. We sat elbow to elbow, looked at each other via the mirror behind the bar and passed our plates to one another to share.

The people behind Mas pay attention to details most New York restaurants forget about these days. I couldn’t help but ooh and aah at everything. I loved the Red Berry Dinnerware from England, the knives with pearl handles and the Terrazzo placemats. A skewer stick holding a sliced lemon made squeezing it in my basil and strawberry cocktail easier. And you know how else you can score a point with me? Have some hooks under the bar for my purse! It’s surprising how only a few bars in the city think of doing this. Every time I brush my hand under the bar, I want to feel a hook I can use, not old gum. The olive walls and warm lighting made the space cozy even though an entire glass wall exposed guests to the street traffic of the West Village.

We started with wahoo, or ono, sashimi in olive oil, cilantro and lime. The Portuguese sardines were served with a Parmesan cheese sablÃ© cracker, reportedly made in-house, and caramelized onions, both of which controlled the fishy taste. While some of us enjoyed the Maine lobster and the fresh oysters and scallops, I split the $36 braised pork belly in a cider reduction sauce served with purÃ©ed apple and cabbage. Cranberry beans, which are only named for their red speckles, accompanied the dish and gave it a heartier and nuttier taste. To cap the bill at $200, we ordered and devoured the gooseberries and fig in hibiscus soup and the yogurt panna cotta with grape juice and apricots.

The staff seem knowledgable without being hokey. Our bartender was extra nice. He poured us a glass of an Alsace dry reisling to match our fish appetizers from the goodness of his heart. When one of us expressed an interest in tasting some whites with his dinner, he served three different types in small parts, which included one from Reuilly, but only charged for one glass.

Chef Galen Zamarra’s experiences with David Bouley and Alain Passard probably defined him as a chef, but Mas is where he proudly shows off the skills he learned. Mas, or French for farmhouse, was over my budget, but it was also a feast to my design sensibilities. Mas also means more in Spanish and after my first visit, I wanted more. If you want to impress or be impressed, Mas is the way to go.