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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,…
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Restaurant Review: Metrazur (Restaurant Week Winter 2010)
Charlie Palmer’s Métrazur was an obvious Restaurant Week choice for my boyfriend and me: we’ve passed by it a million times inside Grand Central, we’re interested in Palmer’s restaurants in general, and I wanted the Sichuan spiced pork tenderloin on the Restaurant Week menu. As far as atmosphere goes, not much beats Métrazur. Located on Grand Central’s East Balcony, it overlooks all of the chaos of commuters rushing to their trains, but the immense space overhead captures all of the noise and leaves the restaurant cozy and quiet. It was definitely unlike any other restaurant’s decor. I made Kamran pose like this, just so you don’t think he often sits…
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Restaurant Review: Craftbar (Restaurant Week Winter 2010)
The Craftbar winter 2010 Restaurant Week menu is huge! Most restaurants have three to four choices in each of the appetizer, entrée, and dessert categories, but Craftbar has at least ten. If that isn’t reason enough to go, check out some of the offerings we sampled at lunch yesterday: Smoked pig head terrine, citrus mostarda I ate head cheese. There. I said it. I ate headcheese. I’ve been interested in it but never interested enough to actually order it, but I thought, “Hey, it’s Restaurant Week. This meal is going to be incredibly cheap, so even if I end up vomiting it up all over my shoes, I don’t have…
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Restaurant Review: Kajitsu
Having reservations somehow makes me feel really cool–despite the fact that only old people plan their meals and that I’d actually be much cooler if I just walked into restaurants on a whim–and I love using OpenTable to book just about any meal I can. While rating my recent wd~50 dinner last week, I saw the OpenTable Diners’ Choice list for the top restaurants fit for foodies and was surprised that I’d never even heard of #1. So naturally, I promptly booked a table for two there for Sunday night. Kajitsu is a cozy, sparse, underground East Village Japanese den dedicated to shojin cooking, which is the basis for all…
Reviews of the Best Restaurants in NYC
