New York Restaurants by Area – Page 30 – Writing With My Mouth Full

Sripraphai

64-13 39th Avenue between 64th and 65th Streets, Woodside, Queens
718/899.9599
about $45, without drinks, with tip
â™¥ â™¥

Sripraphai is the kind of restaurant you have to visit again in order to really get a good feel for its Thai cuisine. Dining with a large group would help because sharing is encouraged in order for you to taste more than two dishes. Because it was just me and the Dr., we could only order three. Out of
those three, only one was solid.

The mango salad with crispy dried catfish to me was what makes Thai cuisine good. It was salty, hot, sour and sweet all the same time. The red onions, cilantro and chili peppers woke my taste buds up. It reminded me of the Filipino daing, only saltier and spicier, and perfect with a cold bottle of beer.

The dishes over rice were safe and less flavorful. I should have known better when I read that the pork came with “special house sauce.” The Dr.’s duck was a little bit better with the small, round eggplants I rarely see in any other dishes I eat in New York City. It also reminded me of the Filipino pakbet. Both came with a generous plateful of rice we couldn’t finish.

We didn’t have enough room for dessert, but we swore we’ll be back to order the other specials on the menu. Next time, we’ll skip the rice dishes and bring an army of friends with us.

Kampuchea Noodle Bar

78 Rivington Street on Allen
212/529.3901
about $50, without drinks, with tip
â™¥

It was a balmy, summer evening. We thought ordering a bowl of noodles was just appropriate. Upon entering Kampuchea Noodle Bar, I surely felt like being in Asia. It was hot and humid, but a faint breeze coming from the outside made everything comfortable inside. The restaurant details, from the glass mugs to the dim lights, romanticize everything on the menu. That’s a good thing because the food can’t hold its own.

We started with the crisp pork belly. They were a little sweet for my taste, but it’s hard for me to turn down fried fat. It reminded me of Fatty Crab’s better-executed version, served with chunks of watermelon. The pickle plate was very spicy but addicting at the same time. It made me wonder if there was a Korean back in the kitchen. My bowl of vermicelli was good enough to satisfy an Asian taste craving I was having, but the Dr. hated his bowl of duck soup because it was too oily. We both felt that the noodles needed some more love because their consistency felt like they were prepared carelessly.

The wooden communal tables and the mostly beautiful diners reminded me of Momofuku but with a sexier address. In terms of food, however, Momofuku it wasn’t.

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

646 West 131st Street and Twelfth Avenue
212/694.1777
about $60 for two racks and eight sides, without drinks, without tip
â™¥ â™¥

Update: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is moving to 125th and Twelfth Avenue after Columbia University takes over

People have been talking about Dinosaur Bar-B-Que since it opened in 2004. I just didn’t have a clue about how many people. Jase and Mia came down from Brooklyn to eat barbeque with the Dr. and me one weekend. I was surprised that only a 9pm table was available for four people but I was flabbergasted when the restaurant was crowded. Sure, it was basketball night, but this is uptown and way above 14th Street. Where did everyone come from? I felt guilty that I was the last one to make an effort to visit. And I live about fifteen blocks away!

When we were finally seated and the the live band started playing in the other side of the room, we ate our fried green tomatoes. We also ordered two of the Sweetheart plates: a full rack of pork ribs plus four sides. Soon enough, our table was covered with macaroni and cheese, French fries, coleslaw and cornbread. Mia is almost vegan, but she politely watched the three of us devour our meat while she ate her iceberg lettuce with blue cheese dressing. (I told Jase that she was a keeper after he finished one of the racks all by himself without her glaring.)

I’ve gone through lengths to eat a good barbeque. I once spent $70 for a round-trip cab ride from the Houston airport to find Burn’s BBQ after an Anthony Bourdain episode. I’ve even smoked my own 8-pound pork shoulder. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que makes eating good barbeque in New York City easier for fanatics like me. Their kind of barbeque is my favorite. The meat is moist and falls off the bone with a dainty touch of the fork. There’s a very faint sweet taste which makes the burnt ends even better. Everything else on our table was icing on the cake.

R.U.B. Righteous Urban Barbeque

208 West 23rd Street off Seventh Avenue
212/524.4300
a large enough bill for 20 people including drinks and tip
â™¥ â™¥

R.U.B., or Righteous Urban Barbeque, was the only restaurant in the city that was accommodating to more than 20 people. We had a few things to celebrate at work and, as usual, I got stuck with the task of organizing a get-together. Daisy May’s did not want a large group before 8pm. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que was too far for my co-workers. Virgil’s was too touristy. After bowling at Leisure Time in the Port Authority Terminal, we all took the subway down to Chelsea to eat. R.U.B. does not take reservations, but the guy on the phone told me coming in with a big group before 6pm won’t be a problem. Sure enough, we were seated on a long table in the back after giving them a call ten minutes beforehand to tell them that we were on our way.

I’m not a barbeque expert but I later found out that R.U.B.’s specialty is Kansas City style. I also realized after my visit that it’s not my favorite. I thought the ribs were a little dry. I much preferred the pork butt which was very soft. The meat fell off the large bone and it had an addicting burnt cover I could not stop picking on. The fried green tomatoes and the cornbread were comparable from what I’ve tasted elsewhere. Their sandwiches were served with only pickles but the rest was far more generous. They got sufficient beer on tap, but none were my personal favorites.

R.U.B.’s space is a little tight. The friendly staff makes it an anomaly in the Chelsea neighborhood, but there’s nothing wrong with that, even if you come out smelling like smoked meat.

Palacinka

28 Grand Street between Thompson and Sixth Avenue
212/625.0362
♥ ♥

I used to go to Palacinka way back when during the dot-com days. When my job moved offices back to the West Village, I was eager to visit again and eat one of their crepes. In Central Europe, a crepe is called palaÄinka and is filled with vegetables and meats. The savory kinds are reserved for desserts and are filled with fruits and cream.

At this spot near the Holland Tunnel, I love sitting at one of the long wooden tables and sharing a couple of crepes with friends. When the weather is nice, the glass doors are open. The laid-back attitude of the staff makes you forget that you’re inhaling the soot of New Jersey commuters. The salami, potato and cheese crepe is one of my favorites. When not in the mood for a crepe, I like the ham-gruyere salad with thinly sliced potatoes drizzled with a sweet chutney dressing. The pressed sandwiches are thin and crusty and are perfect with a glass of chilled Pinot Grigio.