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.
On an unlikely block of 3rd avenue, unfortunately close to underaged watering hole Bar None , sits Apiary.
I’ve had Apiary on my wish list for months without a clue of how it got there. Few people were familiar with it when I suggested it on other occasions. Despite its name (means bee yard), I hadn’t seen much buzz from the big critics. That’s because most of the big pubs visited it before Chef Scott Bryan took over, so it was snubbed “They can’t get by on looks alone” said Time Out, of the sleek space and lackluster food. But things have changed with the new chef and luckily Apiary has grown organically, through rave reviews from bloggers.
We had the assistance of Apiary’s affable Sommelier Brett Feore, who suggested the tasting menu for us, pairing wines with each course. We began with a fresh hamachi crudo with avocado, hearts of palm and flecks of spice from jalapeno. Feore paired it with a Riesling for us, a winning match. Next we had the Chatham cod with a crisp outside and luscious center, accented by some white beans on a bed of zucchini and tomato. The flavors brought an often-dull fish to new heights. I’ve never had cod like that before. Surprisingly, Feore paired it with a Brunello, alluding to the unconventional match, but stating that the meaty beans could support such a rich wine. Though I’m always supportive of exploring new pairings, I did find the wine overpowering. Following the cod, I loved dragging the tender peking duck breast through the parsnip puree accented with caramelized endive and tokyo turnips in our final savory course. Feore paired it with a Rioja, though I sensed the new wine was more because I was drinking faster than the others, than out of necessity ;) Somehow we squeezed a 3-cheese course with three artisanal honeys (in keeping with the bee theme) and a dessert sampling (the vanilla panna cotta was a favorite). Honestly, each dish was a tremendous success and I would struggle to find a low point in the food.
There were a few minor glips in service. When you go through 3-4 different wines in a meal, each with its own glass, the table gets cluttered quickly. We had to ask for leftover glasses to be removed, something that should have been done without request. There were a couple of longish drags between courses, that could be tightened up as well as more frequent water refills. Generally it was quite good however.
For the price of what some mundane East Village restaurants charge, at Apiary you’ll get refined food and service in a sleek space. More critics could give it a second review, but by the looks of the packed room on my visit, they may not need it!
Location: 60 3rd Avenue, between 10th and 11th Food: Excellent Wine: A varied and reasonable list with prices that start at $29. New York wines are represented as well, which I always like to see. Service: Good Average App/Entree Price: $12/$23 Value: Very Good Word to the Wise: Apiary offers a $35 3-Course Prixe Fixe Menu Sunday-Thursday. Monday is “no corkage” night. You Gonna Finish That? Every last bite.
Table 8, in the controversial, neighborhood-shifting new Cooper Square hotel does little to make the locals happy for its existence. Our meal last Friday had issues that were downright deplorable, especially for experienced restaurateur Govind Armstrong who trained with Wolfang Puck, operated Table 8 in LA and South Beach and made a household name of himself through Top Chef appearances.
Adam Platt gave Table 8 a brutal review, in May but I wanted to give New York-newcomer Armstrong a chance. But even when I read the menu back in June, the Spanish goat cheese, “salt bar”, and snapper with lobster confused me.
It’s true that you can barely hear yourself think at Table 8. Even with a half-empty dining room, I was yelling to my friends who were seated close to me at our cozy four-top. Acoustics are quickly forgiven when the food and service is great, but the meal kept getting worse for us.
There is nothing unique about the “salt bar”, which consists of little $4 crudo and charcuterie. New restaurants don’t have to be revolutionary but if Table 8 chooses to jump on the bandwagon of a trend, it should do it well. The salmon crudo was dense and difficult to chew with an off, fishy taste. The sea bass was flavorless.
I’ll enjoy a fried goat cheese salad any day, but the seared cana de cabra with arugula, avocado and red onion was a confusing interplay of flavors and a messy presentation. A few of us ordered branzino with gnocchi, anticipating fresh, white-fleshed fish with pillowy pasta, but received a deep fried disaster with five gnocchi pieces hidden underneath and some lifeless Summer squash on the side. The sauteed scallops that my friend ordered were well-prepared, but their wilted spinach accompaniment was over-seasoned, a complaint I’ve heard repeated in a few places on the web. Everything tasted like it was prepared hours before and left under a heater. Where was the supposed fresh, California cuisine?
Even worse than the food was the rookie service. We had to grab the waiter as he ignored us and passed by, without offering drink refills. We had empty bread plates until we inquired about the bread. When it arrived it was stale and chewy, as if it had been sitting in the kitchen for days.
I struggle to think of anything positive about Table 8 aside from enjoying the company. For a bold hotel with a celebrity chef, the prices are soft, though still disproportionate to the quality of the experience. Oh, the soft leather chairs are also a benefit.
Per my friend Ashley, who dined with me: First off, the service was pretty awful. 10 minutes passed before we were finally able to flag down the waiter and get some water, and request that our unlit candle be fired up. We started with a few of the ’salt bar’ selections. The fish tasted rancid and way too fishy. A few of us ordered the Branzino. The menu mentioned nothing about the fish being fried. But alas, the fish was fried–maybe the chef was out and they only knew how to use the deep fryer? I don’t know, but the whole meal tasted like crappy cafeteria food. The quality was actually laughable.
I gave 2 stars rather than one because my cocktail was tasty, and the decor was pretty cool. Maybe this place should just stick to drinks.
People have been complaining about the same issues at Table 8 since its May opening. It’s mid-September. Hey Govind, are you lost in L.A.? Come back to New York and fix up your restaurant.
Table 8: 25 Cooper Square (between 5th and 6th)
Average App/Entree Price: $11/$24 Food: Poor Service: Poor Value: Poor You Gonna Finish That? Not even worth a doggy bag.
The Basics: I’ve never felt such an intense hatred towards a waitress as I did during our meal at Belcourt, an open-air, uppity French bistro on a casual strip of 2nd Ave. Everything we requested seemed to be a huge ordeal and took far longer than necessary. It reminded me of the scene in “Wet Hot American Summer” when Paul Rudd crashes the table setting onto the floor and then makes a hilarious scene out of picking it all up.
Basic requests like: “Can we have some more water please?” “Can we have some butter for our bread?” All elicited this reaction. I thought we were asking for her first born child when all we needed was a basic level of service. When you wait an hour for lunch and your waitress behaves like the above, you lose your appetite. The East Village offers a lot in affordable, satisfying food. Head to Mermaid Inn, Counter, Redhead, Esperanto or Jack’s Luxury Oyster Bar before considering Belcourt.
Best Dish: Yes, the lamb burger my sister had was juicy and flavorful. And my crisp truffle fries had the perfect amount of funk and salt. Food: Very Good Service: Poor Value: Poor (Their $11 bar sampler consisted of 5 olives, 5 nuts, and 5 crackers) Average App/Entree Price: $11/$23 Location: 84 E 4th Street You Gonna Finish That? Not even worth a doggy bag.
The Basics: Japanese tapas (Izakaya) served in a casual, East Village nook with an extensive sake menu and friendly service. The menu spans from vegetarian options to fried dishes to grilled meats and donburi. Best Dish: Roasted sheets of crunchy nori, crisp age dashi tofu in a smoky broth, and juicy chicken wings marinated in garlic, ginger and soy. Food: Very Good Service: Very Good Value: Excellent Average App/Entree Price: Under $10 Location: 647 East 11th Street (Between B and C)
The Basics: A tiny ceviche bar owned by Peter Gevrekis, an ex-wall street guy who you can’t help but chat with, especially when his Mom pulls up a seat next to you (as she did me). Everything is prepared in front of you using nothing but sharp knives, spice, citrus and an occasional blow torch for bruleeing sugar. Munch on complimentary truffle-oil popcorn while you listen to the menu and make your selections. Best Dish: The menu changes daily based on the freshest fish available but the best dish when I visited was the mackerel ceviche, loaded with paprika and chili pepper with the perfect citric bite. Food: Very Good Service: Very Good Value: Very Good Average App/Entree Price: Ceviches are $14-$20 Location: 122 East 7th Street You Gonna Finish That? Every last bite
My meal at Bar Carrera last Friday is leaving my head spinning. And it’s not due to the 3 glasses of Spanish wine I had (a Verdejo, an Esmeralda blend of Gewurztraminer/Moscato and a Monastrell), it’s because I have few positive words to say about it, while everyone else on the internet seems to have many. I read so many great things on NY Mag, Yelp, Urbanspoon and other blogs about this little slice of a Spanish wine bar yet my experience was so different.
They seemed desperate for help that night with 1 bartender, 1 busboy, 1 chef, and 1 waiter/hostess in a bustling restaurant filled with about 20 tables of people. Aside from that, the people there were pretty inept. The bartender seemed confused about the Basque wines. I’d heard stories about “Stefan” a waiter there who was amiable, who introduced himself and suggested dishes and wines. If we had Stefan, he was far too swamped to spark up a conversation with us.
We asked for water and were given 1 communal glass between three people because they had run out of water glasses. This is strange of course, but bearable were it ever remedied, or if our communal glass was refilled. Neither of these things happened. Empty wine glasses lingered on the table as did plates, forcing them to be abruptly cleared when new food arrived.
The tapas are served pintxos style which typically refers to a slice of bread with a spread of some kind on it. The pintxos are smaller than regular tapas, though priced as such at about $6 per plate. They were once just $3.50 according to the prices listed on NY Mag and once we saw the portions, I can understand why. Even $6 was robbery for these portions. The best dish of the evening was the smoked salmon on brioche with caviar and a drizzle of honey, though I wasn’t as moved by it as my friend Feisty Foodie. The brioche was bland though the combination of salty sweetness between the salmon and honey was nice. The other dishes were forgettable including a mushroom and morcilla sausage on a tiny skewer and some garlic shrimp which came about half an hour after everything else. Our waiter explained that they had run out of shrimp and had to go next door to get some more. I’m not kidding.
I won’t go back to Bar Carrera but I do wonder, what happened here?
Bar Carrera: 175 2nd Ave @ 11th Cuisine: Tapas Average Price: About 6-$10 per tapas Food: Good Service: Poor Value: Good
You Gonna Finish That? Not even worth a doggy bag.
In a city where fusion restaurants are about as exciting as vanilla ice cream, the staff at Indochine remain pretentious, despite their incompetence. French-Vietnamese cuisine was a novelty in 1984 when Indochine opened its doors but it has since become one of many fusion restaurants of every color and flavor imaginable. Indochine is a beautiful restaurant with large palm trees inside the room and bare white walls. It feels like a special place. But if I returned I would serve the staff a slice of humble pie. What do I know though? The restaurant was packed on a Saturday evening at 8:30, so packed that we had to wait 15 minutes after our reservation time, for our table to be ready. I guess a lot of people sacrifice friendly service for good food.
I was there for a friend’s birthday so I sampled a lot from the menu. We started with a spicy beef salad special as well as tender and delicately spiced lamb loin, served atop shrimp crisps. Another standout for me was the filet mignon carpaccio with ginger scallion oil, one of the best I’ve had. A steamed Chilean sea bass marinated in black bean chili paste had just enough ginger broth to make the fish slick and flavorful, without drowning it. Unfortunately the sweet rice and sticky rice were a gloppy mess, lacking any elegance of seasoning or texture. Stick with the steamed jasmine rice, a safer bet. Their extensive menu of specialty cocktails fared well: a friend had some kind of Maker’s Mark tangy berry concoction and I had a cucumber infused gin martini, both well-made.
Though the food was generally good it does not make up for the snub hostess or our bumbling waiter who forgot dishes without apology, all the while maintaining a thick attitude. Some might choose food over service but I’m not one of them, especially when the meal isn’t cheap.
Indochine: 430 Lafayette Street (between 4th and Astor Place) Cuisine: French-Vietnamese Average Entree Price: $18-$23 Food: Good Service: Poor Value: Poor You Gonna Finish That? Not even worth a doggy bag.
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