Category: East Village

Reviews of East Village Restaurants

Nomad

78 Second Avenue at 4th Street
212/253.5410
about $200 for five, with two bottles of wine, without tip
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Three of us drank two bottles of Algerian red wine while waiting for the rest of our group. When the five of us were complete, we shared two lamb shanks that were so tender, the meat just came off the bones when our forks touched it. Two order of crab cakes were the least African on the menu, yet they were still tasty. I liked their tagine so much I could have eaten one more serving. The seafood pancake was so-so and the chicken kebab tasted like, well, chicken.

We were seated at the front and the breeze would come in every time someone opened the door. We asked to be moved when the back room freed up, but the manager never returned to accommodate us even though they told us they just needed to clean up in the back. Minus that one slip, the waiters were almost unnoticable which could be a good thing when you’re just enjoying the food and the company you’re with.

Village Yokocho

8 Stuyvesant Street off Third Avenue
212/598.3041
about $60 for a lot of food for two, with drinks, without tip
♥ ♥

Kimchi fried rice, ramen bowls, yakitori, cold noodles and duk bo kki…

What more could you ask for after a night of drinking?

Sobaya

229 East 9th Street off St. Mark’s Place and Second Avenue
212/533.6966
about $50 for two, without drinks, with tip
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One of the few places that still hand-roll and hand-cut their soba noodles is Sobaya, one of my lunch staples. Whether I order a hot bowl of soba or a cold one, I always pick the one with nameko mushrooms. The one with the yam is also good. If you have a large appetite, one of their lunch boxes is an excellent choice.

Momofuku Noodle Bar

163 1st Avenue between 10th and 11th Streets
212/475-7899
about $80 for two, with two drinks, with tip
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Updated, 2007: Momofuku has moved two stores down to make room for the third restaurant in their family, Momofuku Ko

Momofuku, which means “lucky peach,” is a nicely-designed noodlebar with mostly Japanese and Korean-influenced dishes plus a touch of Chinese. It reminded me of London’s Wagamama, which means “naughty child” in Nihongo, famous for their inexpensive and quick fast food as for their interior’s design.

We shared a plate of baby bok choy, flash-fried in hot oil, garlic and chilis–a good start to whet the appetite. Since it was almost a hundred degrees out, I picked the Momofuku somen with chilled noodles and dipping broth. My bowl came with mushrooms and very yummy shredded Berkshire pork which reminded me of leftover Filipino lechon, or roast pork. It’s a huge serving and more than enough for my hungry self. My companion opted for the pork neck ramen with neck meat and poached egg. It was also delicious. Both were served with scallions and menma, or bamboo shoots.

Even if it looks like a ramenya, a place that sells ramen in Japan, any new visitor would be glad to know that it just isn’t that. Dishes change seasonally, just like David Chang, owner and chef, learned at Craft. The noodles are not soggy and they have the right firmness and tenderness. There are buns, kimchi chigae, or fermented vegetables in soybean paste soup, and Sichuan-spiced crawfish in the menu.

I normally cook the baby bok choy at home when they are in season, so I thought the $8 price was pretty steep. Our tall Hefeweizens were also $10 apiece. In fact, everything is priced twice as much as its counterparts along St. Marks. Alas, this is New York City and this is the lower east side.

Cafe Mogador

101 St. Marks Place between First and Avenue A
212/677-2226
about $80 for two, with two drinks, without tip
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Whenever I’m craving for a lamb dinner but don’t necessarily want Indian food, I go to Cafe Mogador. Their tagines are excellent here and my favorite is the lamb with couscous in saffron sauce. The staff is not the friendliest–every time I visit, I always wait outside for at least 30 minutes to be seated even though there are empty tables inside. I’ve learned to bug the waiters, though, and point to an empty table and volunteer my party to be seated right away. I don’t understand how they work, but it’s hard to say no to a comforting tagine.