restaurant reviews
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Meatball Shop – Italian – Lower East Side
It was just a couple of months ago that my boyfriend found a rudimentary menu for the soon-to-be famous Meatball Shop, and now the place has totally blown up into what you might call a phenomenon. And I love a gimmick as much as the next guy, so a co-worker and I rode the bus from our office in Battery Park up to the Lower East Side recently to give the balls a go. The restaurant itself is all dark wood and old-timey feel, very small with a storefront entirely made of glass so that it gets plenty of natural light and air. The kitchen takes up the entire back…
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Restaurant Review: Lodge
My friend Meredith and I decided to go to Lodge in our Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg one night last week to celebrate a cool restaurant not being on the cool-saturated Bedford Ave. She’d been there once a year ago for brunch and wasn’t impressed, but she left deciding that she wanted to come back and try more of the dishes, so I’d say it was a success. deviled eggs with plenty of chives • I’m so into the fact that deviled eggs are a popular thing right now. These were probably the best I’ve had lately thanks to their extreme chiviness. The added texture was a welcome treat, too. pulled…
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The KFC Double Down is Just as Delicious as You Think It is
I ate the KFC Double Down and have lived to tell the tale. A co-worker told me about this amazing concoction of two chicken “filets” that act as bread for a sandwich of bacon, two kinds of cheese, and the Colonel’s special sauce a couple of weeks ago, and I was counting down the days until it was released. They say this thing is so meaty it needs no bun, but it also apparently needs no lettuce, tomato, pickles, nor onion. That’s right–this thing is UNAPOLOGETICALLY UNHEALTHY. And that is what I love about America. Apparently this is what everyone else loves about America, too, because all ten to twelve…
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Kennedy’s Non-Sticky Non-Divey Irish Restaurant
Since late last year, my officemates and I have been holding a monthly dinner club where we invite our favourite co-workers past and present to dine with us on various cuisines from around the world. As last month’s dinner fell on St. Patrick’s Day, I asked my friend Beth to choose something Irish for us. No one was excited about the prospect of this, I should mention. Not only did no one believe there’s such a thing as Irish cuisine, but we all imagined being forced into this crowded, divey bar with sticky floors and slobbering drunk frat boys. But when I walked into Kennedy’s, I discovered comfortable booths, old-timey…
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What to Eat at Serendipity 3
Serendipity 3 is probably the tourist destination in NYC when it comes to dining, and you would think the sometimes three-hour waits would keep people who actually live here away, but . . . Okay, actually, I don’t think anyone who lives here does go there. BUT! I love it. Its two floors are filled with the oddest vintage lamps, clocks, mirrors, paintings, and bric-a-brac, none of which matches and all of which is tacky. In December, they have a neon pink Christmas tree and lighted snowflakes as big as you are covering the walls. It’d be offensive if it wasn’t so charming. The menu is extensive, covering everything from…
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Yakitori Torys Weird Chicken
Don’t be fooled by the look on my boyfriend’s face as he eats his seseri, or grilled chicken neck, at Yakitori Torys. This is actually his favourite thing on the “Chicken Limited” menu. That, the crispy chicken tail, and the chicken oyster sell out fast and are well worth arriving early for. I can’t speak to the grilled soft knee bone, though, as it’s been sold out every time we’ve been there in the past two years. The place also has the best decor for taking faux-serious photos. Yakitori Torys 248 East 52nd Street New York, NY 10022 (map)
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Despite the Stupid Name, I’d Go Back to DBGB for Dessert
The only thing really worth talking about at Daniel Boulud’s DBGB is the mint chocolate sundae. The Yankee Burger didn’t compare to Shake Shack’s, even with the added cheddar and bacon. The winter squash soup wasn’t nearly as good as Métrazur’s. All of my lunch companions were sort of meh about everything they ordered; no one complained, but no one seemed really excited to go back. But that’s because they didn’t try the sundae. It looked like run-of-the-mill chocolate gelato, but it had the taste of mint. Not mint flavor, mind you, but actual fresh mint leaves. I wasn’t totally sold on it with my first few bites, to tell…
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Colicchio & Sons: a Review
I love Tom Colicchio’s food and would travel to the ends of the earth to feast upon it, if necessary, which is lucky, because Colicchio & Sons is basically located there. Is it going to be the sort of place I visit so often that the waiters recognize me? Not a chance, if not for the location, then for the douchebags who eat there. Is it the sort of place I’ll want to visit every time the menu changes? For sure. I know it’s supposed to be insignificant, but I make a lot of judgements about a restaurant based on its bread basket*, and the super-crunchy breadsticks at one of…
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Domino’s New Pizza Recipe: a Review
I love chain pizza. In order of preference, my favorites for years have been Pizza Hut, Papa John’s, Donatos, Uno’s, and then Domino’s. I’m not embarrassed about it, nor do I think it indicates an inferior palate. In fact, my problem with pizza in New York City, which is held up as some sort of bastion of flavor and structure, is that it has neither. The sauce never has any spice*, the crust is always limp, the dough is either too moist or too dry, and the toppings are always sparse. As a person who loves pizza–I mean really loves pizza–and could probably eat it for every meal every day…
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“Restaurant” Review: Schnitzel & Things Street Food Truck
You’ve no doubt seen the Schnitzel & Things food truck on a T-Mobile commercial without even realizing it. And little did you know that your subconscious spotting of it made us thisclose, because the schnitzel truck is one of my favourite lunch spots and one of my favourite things about New York City right now. The menu is concise: a few kinds of breaded and fried meats, a burger, a sausage, a handful of sides. The line from the truck’s window can be a half-hour long, and it’s not cheap by street food standards–$8 for a sandwich and $10 for a platter with two sides–but the food is huge, comforting,…
