The Basics: You won’t find portabello mousse at Caravan of Dreams. This is a real, hippydippy vegetarian restaurant. The kind that might scare away a carnivorous skeptic. Half the menu is raw or “live”, while everything is organic, vegan and kosher. Anyone with an open mind willl appreciate the worldly possibilities on the menu. I for one, had my head spinning between spelt pancakes, seitan taquitos, peanut noodles and carrot polenta. Seasonal and local, it is not. There’s plenty of coconut where it doesn’t need to be. You can’t be everything to everyone I guess. Our waitress seemed to have her head in some yonder hemp clouds, but when she finally brought our food it was flavorful and satisfying. Not everything is a success, but you’ll leave Caravan with plenty of new information about some rather wild ingredients. Cuisine: Vegan, Kosher Best Dish: Classic nachos with black bean chili, guacamole and salsa. Food: Good Service: Poor Value: Good Average App/Entree Price: $8/$15 Location: 405 E 6th Street You Gonna Finish That? Meh, you can taste the side. Word to the Wise: They serve a $15 prixe-fixe brunch
They say it’s not fair to review a restaurant a few weeks after it opens. Which is true. But after arriving at Northern Spy Food Company at 9:30 and informed of the 1 hour, 30 minute wait, my friend and I had to think fast. Luckily, Lebanese newcomer Balade was a stone’s throw away. We were hungry, and eating at 11 wasn’t gonna work. The fact that there were so many people waiting at Northern Spy that the wait time could even get up that high is amazing to me. There are too many options in this city to wait that long anywhere! But, I digress.
Balade was a warm, well-seasoned hug on that cold Friday night. Everyone there was smiling and it smelled wonderful. The small space is intricately designed for this stretch of the East Village. They make good use of the square-footage with a long eating bar (yes I made up that phrase) in the back. We cozied up here and perused the menu of specialties like shawarma, various mezze and the signature pita pizza.
We started with the crisp, Greek Pitza with feta cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes and kalamata olives, generously dusted with Lebanese za’atar. The crust was paper-thin and they loaded on the fresh toppings. I had the hummus shawarma for my entree which is their signature shawarma (a blend of lamb and chicken I think) on a bed of creamy hummus topped with diced tomatoes, scallions and parsley. The shawarma was tender and sweetly spiced. I loved cloaking the meat in hummus and topping it with the crunch of zesty vegetables. This dish was a real winner for a hummus freak like me. My friend had the chicken shawarma sandweechet with lebanese garlic aioli topped with vegetables. At only 8 bucks, the sandwich was really overshadowed by my platter, not just in size but in flavor. My friend said it was “just OK”, and the meat looked pretty dried out to me. The sandwich had a couple of lone french fries in the middle which didn’t contribute much.
The successful pitza and my shawarma platter showed great promise for the future of the kitchen, but the service needs a lot of work. Our meal was punctuated by dishes brought too early and a forgotten side salad that never made it to the table, even after a reminder.
Unfortunately they were out of the Lebanese beer that night so I had a Stella followed by a glass of the house Lebanese red. I asked the waitress as she was pouring, if the wine was made from Lebanese grapes. I was excited to try something indigenous. She replied “Yes,” But I cocked my head and glanced at the bottle which listed that it was a blend of Cinsault, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Lebanese grapes? Not so much. Balade is a casual spot and I don’t expect the waitress to be well-versed in wine, but a simple “I don’t know, let me find out” is better than a complete fabrication.
My service gripes at Balade should be taken with a grain of salt, since we visited only weeks after they opened. Hopefully with better training things will improve because I do like what they’re doing here.
Location: 201 1st Avenue Cuisine: Lebanese Food: Good Service: Good Average App/Entree Price: $6/$14 Value: Very Good You Gonna Finish That? Meh, you can taste the side.
Anyone can cook a hamburger, But leave the vegetables to the professionals.
I may not fully agree with that statement from the Dirt Candy website, but if I were to leave my vegetables to anybody, it would be Chef Amanda Cohen, the mastermind behind this East Village crevice of a restaurant.
Dirt Candy is different than other great NYC vegetarian spots (Candle 79, Pure Food and Wine and Blossom)
1) the vegetables are the focus, rather than vegetable-meat transformations.
2) it is vegetarian, not vegan (though dishes can be prepared either way).
Each dish on the menu honors a particular vegetable, and then builds the accoutrements around it. There’s “parsnip” served with parsnip gnocchi, creamy root vegetable slaw and carrot crumbs. Or “radish” with kimchi doughnuts, grilled watermelon radishes, cilantro and wild arugula. It’s a good thing the menu is small.
Dirt Candy is so tiny that you’re practically sitting in the kitchen, regardless of your table. It’s a bit claustrophobic, but it creates some incredible aromas in the room. Our sweet waitress spoke about the dishes with a special kind of pride that’s hard to find these days. She knew the in’s and out’s of every dish. I felt like I’d been invited into someone’s chic living room.
Everyone who visits Dirt Candy must begin with the Jalapeno hush puppies with maple butter. You’ll learn right away that Cohen has no fear of the fryer when you bite into these hot, sweet nuggets of flavor. Follow that up with the luscious “mushroom” with portobello mousse, truffled toast, pear and fennel compote. I’ve heard people compare it to foie gras which might be a stretch, but the decadent texture and rich, earthy flavors make it understandable. Plus, building the layers of flavor on top of the crostini is just, fun.
My favorite dish of the evening was an unexpected hero, the “pumpkin” winter salad with four kinds of squash, toasted pepitas, pumpkin oil, blue cheese crouton. This salad is an awesome interplay of salty, sweet and smoky. The toasted pepitas seriously taste like bacon. The squash has a sweet glaze that makes each bite seriously transcendent.
My least favorite, though still successful dish was the “eggplant” with black olive fettuccine, eggplant jam, pickled eggplants, basil broth and ricotta. The flavor and complexity was there, like the other dishes but the fettuccine itself was clumpy.
The wine list is as short and thoughtful as the menu. Cohen calls it a “wine zoo for exotic animals”, and I’d agree. We selected the Thurnhoff Goldmuskateller ($35) from Northern Italy. It was all apples and honey on the nose and then on the palate, a completely different animal! It’s completely dry and piney on the palate but tightly woven with high acid that pulls it all together. An exotic animal, indeed. I love being surprised by a wine like this, and it complemented the meal perfectly.
After dining at Dirt Candy, it’s no surprise that this ambitious vegetarian restaurant was nearly booked a week in advance. Cohen is setting the bar high here with a tiny spot, bursting at the seams with flavor.
Location: 430 East 9th Street, Betw A and 1st Food: Very Good Service: Very Good Average App/Entree Price: $12/$18 Value: Very Good You Gonna Finish That? Every last bite. Word to the Wise: Dirt Candy also has a regularly updated blog on their site featuring menu changes and various inspiration.
Everything is pleasant at Ditch Plains, a laid-back West Village fish shack. The fuss-free menu features creature comforts like lobster rolls, fish and chips and chilli. The “fish shack” theme plays out in complimentary oyster crackers and a cup of taffy but the steely space feels far from a shack. You might not expect amazing mac and cheese at a seafood restaurant, but their version is one of the best I’ve had. It’s a perfect blend that tastes like cheddar and Gruyère with dense, creamy flavor and a browned crust. My friend and I shared it as an appetizer and were in cheesy heaven.
Go for the grilled fish of the day and you’ll get a huge, skin-on portion served simply with a side salad and lemon. On my visit it was meaty trout, so fresh that even my pescaphobe friend loved it. I skipped the wacky “Ditch Dog”, a hot dog served with mac n’ cheese on top, though I’ve heard great things.
The drink list isn’t particularly memorable, but you’ll find a few friendly beers beyond the standard. I didn’t have wine on my visit, but they tout a “low markup” philosophy with good prices and the ability to buy any bottle of wine as a half. It’s a tradition that healms from the owners’ more grownup restaurant, Landmarc.
Ditch Plains is the sort of place you’ll be happy to know about on an agenda-free stroll downtown. You can stumble in and find exactly what you’re looking for.
Location: 29 Bedford Street @Downing Food: Very Good
Service: Very Good Average App/Entrée Price: $12/$24 Value: Very Good You Gonna Finish That? Every last bite.
David Pasternack and Mario Batali’s seafood shrine, Esca, is everything a restaurant should be from its stately dining room to its top-notch service and supreme food. This fish freak was in absolute heaven.
David Pasternack was doing crudo at Esca before crudo became cool. Some even credit him as the pioneer of this Italian raw fish trend in America. With a dash of coarse salt and a slather of olive oil, he brings sea creatures to new heights. But Pasternack is no one-trick-pony. His cooked preparations burst with flavor, honoring the fish and delighting diners. Even on a strange corner of 9th Avenue, Esca was packed at 9:45 on a Thursday evening.
As busy as Esca was, no less than three people smiled as we walked in, for no reason other than to welcome new customers. I’m fairly certain it was Pasternack himself, who I saw gazing across the room like a hawk, for any transgressions. First impressions such as this are key indicators of what lies ahead.
We shared three crudo: sea trout with crushed almonds, orata with meyer lemon and pink snapper with black salt. Each was more fresh and unique than the next. My favorite was the snapper while E loved the nuttiness of the trout. Since it was late, they were out of a lot of options. I planned on ordering the whole fish baked in salt but all they had left was the three-person portion of black sea bass. After some deliberation, we decided to go for it.
It arrived, gorgeously crusted in a thick shell of sea salt. They cracked the shell tableside and the sommelier brought the platter for us to gaze at before they filleted the fish. The whole dining room seemed to glance enviously at the presentation. I had a huge grin on my face , so much so, that the tipsy guy next to us was repeating “AWW, LOOK HOW HAPPY SHE IS!” After carefully deboning the bass and separating it into two generous portions, they drizzled a fragrant olive oil on top and served it. Don’t let the concept deceive you, the salt was subtly infused into the meat of the fish, rather than making it salty. We also shared a basic side salad and some sautéed cremini mushrooms along with the bass. We had NO problem finishing the portion for three, though it was plentiful ;) The fish was so fresh, I couldn’t bear to leave it over.
I’ve said enough about my recent trip to Gilt and I don’t want to dwell on the negative. But the treatment we received at Gilt vs. Esca was simply night and day. Every question we had, no matter how nit picky, no matter how detailed, was answered with respect by everyone at Esca from the sommelier, to the waiter and the bread boy. Our waiter went above and beyond, informing E of anything he should avoid be it a shellfish broth or bread possibly made with lard. The fact that he knew all of these details was a wonder in itself. Before visiting, I had read some reports of shaky service in recent years. I found it to be the opposite!
My respect for Batali increases with each restaurant of his that I visit. Esca is another example of why I love him. Unfortunately, he doesn’t love me. But that’s a story for another day.
The fact that Gilt has 2 Michelin stars and Esca now has 0 is an utter tragedy. Who are these loony people? Esca was a phenomenal dining experience that I’d love to repeat for my next special occasion.
Have you been to Esca? I would love to hear your thoughts.
Location: 402 W 43rd and 9th Ave Food: Excellent Service: Excellent Average App/Entrée Price: $17/$32 Value: Very Good You Gonna Finish That? Every last bite.
The Basics: A Casa Fox is a cozy, LES Latin spot with fresh empanadas and warm clay pot dinners in a variety of flavors. Expect to be beckoned by a warm fire and an incredibly-smelling room. You won’t want to leave. The staff is as warm as the fire, albeit a bit confused at times. Don’t miss the costillas de cerdo clay pot, with ribs marinated 24 hours and slowly braised in their own juices. Cuisine: Latin American Food: Very Good Service: Good Value: Very Good Average App/Entree Price: Small bites and plates range from $5-$14, clay pot dinners are approximately $18 Location: 173 Orchard Street (between Houston and Stanton) You Gonna Finish That? Every last bite. Word to the Wise: A Casa Fox is also an event-space, available for private parties ie. empanada-making class Word to the Wise #2: A Casa Fox was once BYOB, but no longer.
The Basics: U Cafe is a little kosher spot on the Upper East Side with sandwiches, salads and such crafted with great attention to detail. A haloumi salad came in an artful display with shish kabobs of grilled cheese rubbed in za’atar spice with grilled peppers, onions and tomatoes. A sandwich on crisp Jerusalem toast (think a flat, toasted sesame bagel) was creamy and sharp, filled with feta, cheddar and tomato. For your sweet tooth, go for the challah French toast with berries and whipped cream. Beware, some prices seem inflated for a casual cafe. Unfortunately it’s often par for the course at kosher restaurants. Cuisine: Kosher (Dairy) Food: Very Good Service: Very Good Value: Good Average App/Entree Price: Around $15 for a salad or sandwich, $26 for an entree. Location: 1436 Lexington Ave, (between 93rd and 94th) You Gonna Finish That? Every last bite.
Saturday’s meal at Gilt Restaurant in the Palace hotel, goes down in the annals of history for me. I will remember it for the largest aggregate of a-holes I’ve ever encountered in a single dining experience. Had they been snobby, perhaps I could have handled it. Gilt is a two-Michelin-star restaurant after all! (say with snout in the air) No, these people were downright antagonistic. In some moments I forgot we were the customers at a fine restaurants. I thought perhaps we should step into the boxing ring!
We started off on poor footing when our table wasn’t ready when we arrived. I’m a rather understanding person and I know that timing doesn’t always work as a hostess might like. There is a proper way to remedy the situation, but quite the opposite occurred. After waiting patiently for 15 minutes, my Dad inquired about the situation. The hostess said:
“There are people lingering at your table. They arrived 30 minutes late, just like you arrived 20 minutes late.”
WHOA WHOA WHOA!
Firstly, we had not arrived 20 minutes late. We were a few minutes late, perhaps 10 at the most. Had we been on time, our table wouldn’t have been ready anyway. Regardless, why would she say that to a customer? Is it just me or is that a completely unacceptable comment from a hostess? Not to mention we waited a full 30 minutes after our reservation and nobody offered us a complimentary cocktail, which I feel is a common courtesy when a table isn’t ready.
My Dad spoke to the manager who graciously apologized and promised we’d be taken care of once our table was ready, in a few minutes.
We sat down and the sommelier brought a complimentary glass of Champagne. Things were looking up.
We expected a waiter to say hello and bring menus. He was nowhere to be found. We waited and waited. Eventually we grabbed somebody and asked for menus and he begrudgingly brought them. Apparently he was our waiter. I’m still not sure if he was supposed to be.
To digress for a moment: In advance of our visit I called Gilt twice and had lengthy conversations with two different hostesses. I had some questions about the menu. I needed to confirm that there was something E could have due to his kosher diet. The menu changes frequently and it is pretty brief so I was anxious about ensuring he’d be comfortable with the preparations. Though I was rushed off the phone, both hostesses assured me that they’ve had Kosher diners in the past and they could handle the situation comfortably. There was a note on our reservation about the dietary restrictions.
Somehow the message was not delivered. Our waiter was completely uninformed and I had to re-explain everything and ask what the chef could do. I don’t like inconveniencing the kitchen but I had heard that Gilt was good about making accomodations, especially when notified in advance. After a long discussion with the waiter, he spoke with the chef and told us what they could do. Trying to be nice, my Dad said “Thank you, we really appreciate him going out of his way for us.” Rather than letting it go, the waiter actually said “Well, he doesn’t like to do it, but he will.” I was flabergasted. Was this necessary?
It is rare when service is so rude that it actually overshadows the food. The tragedy here, is that the food at Gilt is pretty damn good. My squash tortelloni was nicely al dente and faintly sweet with tender, almost pureed quail wrapped in a bright green. (The waiter superfluously informed us that it was deboned) My sister’s foie gras with candied black olive was divine. My delicately spiced tandoori cod with roasted eggplant and lentils was flaky and luscious, though slightly overly salted. A dorade royale with uni aioli, gnocchi and baby squash was another star.
But it would take the meal of a lifetime to offset the thick, asshole attitude of the people who work at Gilt. A couple of days after the meal, I’m still fuming about it. The above are just two of the prime examples, but I could go on for hours if there’s interest ;) I won’t be returning to Gilt. In fact I plan to continue loudly complaining about our experience. There are too many other excellent restaurants in New York. I don’t need a side order of attitude, and neither do you.
Location: 455 Madison Ave Food: Very Good Service: Poor Average App/Entree Price: 3-courses for $89 Value: Poor You Gonna Finish That? Not even worth a doggy bag.
A rotation of five chefs in two years would normally be a recipe for disaster. Not so at Tom Block’s Allen and Delancey. After taking the reigns in the kitchen just two weeks ago, Allen and Delancey showed no signs of distress. In fact, it was a truly memorable meal which I plan to include as one of my top five of 2009.
Though sharing Christmas dinner with my sister, it was impossible to miss how gorgeously romantic Allen & Delancey is. The low lights, red velvet curtains, iron chandeliers and dusty books lining the shelves create quite a scene. If I were to seduce Edgar Allan Poe, I might do it at Allen & Delancey. Being Christmas day, we had a 3 course prixe fixe menu with less choices than normal, but each dish fully delivered. My sister started with three oysters with lemon granite, paddle fish roe and celery, while I had the market green salad with goat cheese croquettes. While not exactly innovative, the greens had an intense olive oil which was delightfully absorbed into the croquettes. Next we both had the foie gras torchon with quince and salty slices of brioche. We both remarked on the perfect ratio of creamy foie, sweet quince and brioche which perfectly complemented each other. For our last course we had bright pink, smoky ocean trout which was nicely cooled by a yogurt sauce.
Everything was phenomenal in the food department but the service left a bit to be desired. Our first course arrived rapidly, before the drinks were served, but then we had a long wait for the other courses. Our waiter was affable though, and he informed us that he was actually a Babbo transplant, filling in for a friend on the holiday. So I take the service issues with a grain of salt.
A & D has an entire section of their website devoted to cheese, yet there was no cheese course offered in the prixe fixe. Being the cheese head that I am, I asked if they could create one for us. Our waiter asked the manager who not only created a 4-cheese platter for us, but he personally delivered it with his own explanations.
An odd thing happened to me that night. I was not in the mood for wine. So I tried my luck on a “Tinker’s Stand” #2, a warming blend of Rye, elderflower, amaro, sherry, benedictine and aromatic bitters. I’ve learned in the past that mixed drinks at restaurants are colossal disappointments, 95% of the time. This drink was that 5%. It was as good as the drinks I adore at some of the best bars in New York like Little Branch and Death and Co. It was serious. My sister had successful drinks as well: a Jalisco Trail #1 with blanco tequila, acacia honey, lime, Angostura bitters but even better was a smokey mix of Islay scotch, tequila and absinthe. I had to celebrate bartender on the way out. I hope she was more appreciative than horrified ;)
I hope Chef Tom Block sticks around and continues to do great things at Allen and Delancey.
Location: 115 Allen Street (and Delancey) Food: Excellent Drinks: Though they have a worldly, well-priced wine list, it would be a tragedy to miss their elegantly crafted cocktails. Service: Good Average App/Entrée Price: $10/$26 though our four course prixe-fixe Christmas dinner was $85 Value: Good You Gonna Finish That? Every last bite.
Last weekend, I experienced a restaurant dilemma. I had to find a place with a rare cross-section of features for a group dinner. I wanted sushi but a close friend (whose Birthday was the next day) wanted a restaurant with a full bar. It sounds simple but most of the decent sushi restaurants in New York only serve beer, wine and sake. We also needed somewhere downtown, for proximity to cool bars. Oh, and it had to be affordable. I rattled my brain, asked some Twitterers and Chowhounders, but nothing fit. We could have done Haru, but I’ve been there a zillion times and it felt boring. We could do Sushi Samba but… cheesy! We could do 15 East but, too expensive. We could do Bond St but I’ve been a zillion times AND too expensive. We could do Matsugen but trecking to TriBeca on a freezing cold evening was unappealing. I consulted my Wish List a few times but most places listed “beer and wine only”. Then I decided to see for myself.
Sachiko’s on Clinton has been on my Wish List for years. I don’t recall how it got there. Since it’s an under-the-radar restaurant I figured someone with good taste had recommended it. I tried my luck and left a message at Sachiko’s, assuming I was out-of-luck and we were Sushi Samba bound. Shockingly, Sachiko’s called me back, confirmed their full bar, and I notified the troops of our reservation at this LES nook that nobody had heard of. Luckily, my friends have learned to trust my taste over the years.
Sachiko’s is a humble hideaway with red walls and an expansive sushi bar in the front, plus ample tables in the back with separator curtains for privacy. They also have a beautiful little courtyard, for warmer months. Though they offer plenty in the way of cocktails, don’t expect a party scene. This is real, authentic Japanese in a mellow environment. That’s not to say the food is boring by any means. Sachiko’s goes beyond typical sushi platters and offers various types of soba noodles and kushiage (deep-fried kabobs) plus fusion dishes like sesame tofu with foie gras.
To start we shared slippery green tea soba noodles with a sesame dipping sauce and scallion and wasabe bits. We then shared a special tartare trio with two types of tuna and salmon. The best part of Sachiko’s is the attention they pay to detail. When our tartare arrived they brought us a tall, artful spray bottle with white soy sauce inside. I wish I had taken a photo of it! I assume the point of the soy spray bottle was to prevent us from soaking our sushi in soy, as a lot of people do (myself included). But frankly, it was just fun.
A friend and I shared the above “Jewel Box” for our entrée. As you can see, it’s an assortment of the freshest fish in the house including king salmon, tuna, fresh water eel and others that I can’t remember. The fish is rolled into little balls around the rice and presented in this elegant box. I’m no expert, but the way I judge a sushi place is their ability to offer pieces outside of the usual suspects and still have each taste melt-in-your mouth fresh. Fatty fish like salmon and tuna are passable at most neighborhood places but if a restaurant can serve me a box with white fish, sea bass, etc with each satisfying equally, I am impressed. That was the case with this beautiful Jewel Box.
It is amazing to me that a restaurant like Sachiko’s was half empty on a Friday evening. I would like to keep it my little secret but I also want them to do well. Based on discussions on Chowhound, Sachiko’s has been hit-or-miss over the years, which may be the cause for slow nights. Things must have changed recently though. What Menupages currently lists is different than the real menu. My experience can attest that if they had any rocky times over the years, they are back on an upward trend. Sachiko’s is a diamond in the rough, and I’m lucky to have found it!
BONUS: Check out their cute promotional video!
Location: 25 Clinton Street Food: Excellent Drinks: An expansive sake list plus beer, wine and yes, cocktails! Our waiter recommended his favorite bottle of sake to us which was round and smooth. Unfortunately I can’t remember the name. Service: Very Good Average App/Entree Price: $7/$24 (varies greatly depending on your sushi appetite) Value: Excellent You Gonna Finish That? Every last bite.
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