I've added maps to the directory pages here on the Foodmonk site, with the hopes of making it easier for folks to find the restaurants, bars and other food locations that I have written about here. You can see such a map on this directory page for .
Note that there are a few kinks to work out. I used a freely-available geocoding service to obtain the map coordinates for each of the locations. In terms of accuracy, it didn't always provide the best data. I'm going to try to re-generate the map information using coordinates from Google Maps in coming days.
First Person: Barbacoa de Chivo at La Fiesta Guadalupana II
I was in Washington Heights earlier today and I passed by a couple of Mexican restaurants and delis around 158th and Broadway. I came away with a fairly large bag of dried ancho chilies ($3.50) from a place called La Victoria and then sat down for some roasted goat at down the street.
As you can see, the portion of barbacoa de chivo ($9.00) was huge! Beans were absolutely delicious. Unfortunately, parboiled rice also made an appearance here -- which, as you know, drives me absolutely crazy. Nonetheless, it was a great, filling meal and I came away from La Fiesta absolutely charmed.
, the Turkish restaurant on Second Ave. at 54th St., is a favorite. I slipped in earlier last week and had a nice plate of lamb adana kebabs ($9.00) and a side order of savory lentil balls ($4.50).
One thing that has never satisfied me about Taksim is their apparent reliance on parboiled rice as an accompaniment for kebabs and other main courses. There is something about the texture of rice that has been prepared in that manner that doesn't appeal to me. (I know. Julia Child thought parboiled rice was revolutionary. I don't.)
Otherwise, a great meal.
The beer in the first photo is Efes, the super-light Turkish lager, best served ice-cold, which it was.
Village Voice reviewer Robert Sietsema visits BarFry on Carmine St. in Greenwich Village and reports on chef Josh DeChellis's new tempura joint.
Mr. Sietsema sez:
The shrimp tempura is right on the money, a shade better than the product at most Japanese restaurants. But invariably, you'll find yourself gravitating to the less pedestrian selections. "Mini-peppers" are slick green shishito chiles; their flavor is pleasingly botanical, but I wish the peppers were hotter. The creamy Japanese pumpkin is definitely worth ordering, and so are the overstuffed pork dumplings, which turn out to be more like Dominican pasteles, with a thick bready coating and coarse-textured pork that slides out the end when you bite into them ...
It's easy to OD on fried things at BarFry. Accordingly, there are a series of dishes devoid of grease. Standard half-sour pickles are sent soaring with wasabi ($4), and the organic spinach side ($7) is a more elaborate take on the compressed spinach puck found in every Japanese restaurant. Keep an eye on the specials menu, too. On one occasion, there was a wonderful pickled-watermelon salad festooned with bitter greens. It tasted like summer's last dying gasp.
I could do for some "creamy Japanese pumpkin" and pork dumplings right now, to tell you the truth.
Across the street from Alfanoose, on the other side of Maiden Ln., there is a little coffee shop named . I had never been there before and decided to stop in after lunch to have a sip of coffee and take a look around.
Very cute place!
I'm not quite sure about the paintings on the walls -- a lot of spacey portraits of alien-looking girls in dream states of various kinds -- but the pull of espresso that I got at the counter was actually very good! Staff was friendly and the decor had a sort of abused charm to it ... Lots of second-hand type curios and gear and distressed tables and chairs looking like they came out of someone's barn.
I did a repeat of lunch from last week at -- a falafel sandwich ($5.00) and a baklava ($1.75) -- the point being here to snap some shots of the delicious food served up by Mohammed and family at 8 Maiden Ln.
Great stuff ... Went at nearly two pm., though, and the place was still very crowded for lunch. I barely got a table. Seems like the best times to go are directly before noon (usually the side door is open and you can go in and order, even though the main security door is still pulled down over the facade) or any time from mid-afternoon on.
The Alfanoose folks work so hard. I hope they are making some money.
Bad news for Brooklyn's famed Peter Luger Steak House.
New York Times reviewer Frank Bruni has demoted the legendary porterhouse purveyor to two stars in a review earlier this week. Chowhounds speculate why here. Quality of food? Quality of service? Competition?
Lord Bruni sez:
And while variability along these lines is common even at principled restaurants, it's at odds with the legend that Luger trades on, with the ultra-high expectations it creates. It's not something I recall from visits to Luger a decade ago, shortly after it received three stars in The Times from Ruth Reichl in 1995. And it opens the door to additional qualms.
When the porterhouse is dead-on, I don't notice how little sweetness there is in the fat slices of tomato with the fat slices of onion, even in the thick of tomato season. When the porterhouse is off, I do notice that, and I notice how excessively sweet the steak sauce is, along with how little flavor the shrimp cocktail has.
I notice that the Caesar doesn't have as cheesy and salty a punch as the one at Wolfgang's. That the Canadian bacon, while satisfying, isn't as smoky and juicy as at Harry's Steak, where it comes on the bone. That the lamb chops, while robust, don't hold a candle to the mutton chop at Keens Steakhouse. Luger has fierce competition, new and old.
Bruni recommends, "Canadian bacon; porterhouse for two to four; rib steak; hamburger; creamed spinach; French fries; hot fudge sundae; cheesecake."
One of the sights that you can't fail to notice when visiting Chinatown is an abundance of bakeries selling sweet and savory pastries and rolls.
When I was in the neighborhood earlier this week, I slipped into , a big and busy establishment on Canal St., to check out their selection and to grab an egg custard ($1.00) at the counter. The egg custard, a small baked tart filled with flavored egg cream, is a speciality said to have originated in the bakeries of Hong Kong when it was a British colony.
I really got a kick out of Taipan Bakery, with its pushy local customers, perplexed tourists -- including me -- and frazzled employees behind the counter. I'll be back to try some of their cheap savory snacks -- especially the scallion rolls -- one day soon.
Just up the street from Amazing 66 on Mott is , a Vietnamese bakery that serves up a variety of sandwiches, pastries and other treats from a modern, fast-food style storefront shop.
I intend some day soon to try out their banh mi sandwiches, which have received fair-to-good reviews, but yesterday i just picked up one of their sweet, buttery coconut biscuits ($1.25).
The coconut biscuit really was the perfect hand-held treat ... For those few moments that it lasted in my hand before being gobbled up there on Mott St.
, a Cantonese restaurant on Mott St. in Chinatown is a favorite of a number of Chowhounds who haunt the Manhattan forums there.
I dropped by yesterday at mid-day to check out their lunch specials ($4.95) and to do a little bit of exploring in the neighborhood. I ordered beef and broccoli over rice, which came with either hot and sour or egg-drop soup.
I chose the egg-drop.
The beef and broccoli was very good -- the beef being very tender and well-seasoned, the broccoli very fresh with a bite to it -- I was altogether very satisfied with this dish.
The egg-drop soup? Well, it wasn't quite my style. The bright yellow food coloring, though perhaps standard in restaurants like this one, was a turn-off as well. Next time, I'll get the hot and sour.
I'm going to be out of town until mid-next week, so don't expect much in the way of food blogging until then. In other news, I've been working on some interesting new features for the website and hope to have these implemented for you by the end of the month or so.
In between errands after work yesterday, I also slipped into Veniero's for a second for some cannoli.
I was super-happy with what I got -- sorry, I didn't have my camera with me, so no photos -- a delicious sweet ricotti filling, studding with pistachio, snuggled into a rich pasty shell.
This being said, late afternoon on one of the dampest days of the year was not exactly the best time to get a piece of puffed pastry. It suffered a bit from dampness.
I'm guessing the best time to pick up a cannolo is on a dry day, in the morning.
In today's New York Times, Frank Bruni reviews the big, newish Italian Bar Stuzzichini on Broadway between 21 St. and 22 St. Stuzzichini specializes in smaller fare -- the word comes, it is said, from the word stuzzichare, "to pick" -- prepared by former Wallse chef Paul Di Bari.
Lord Bruni sez:
The kitchen, supervised by Paul Di Bari, whose pan-ethnic experience includes stints at Wallse and Balthazar, doesn't take big risks and may not be capable of them, especially given the restaurant's scale.
But when it's operating smoothly, the outcomes are impressive: pliant gnocchi in a perky sauce of tomato, red pepper and guanciale; orecchiette mixed with gorgeously caramelized cauliflower, bread crumbs and salty, jagged bits of pecorino; lemony chicken, cooked under a brick, with tender meat under crisp skin.
This is straightforward food at sensible prices ($12 for the orecchiette, $17 for the chicken). It's complemented by an all-Italian wine list, less enterprising than comprehensive, that emphasizes southern Italy and makes about 20 wines available by the quartino at no greater cost than some restaurants charge for a glass.
Bruni gives Stuzzichini one star ...
... And recommends "Caponata; eggplant involtini; meatballs; grilled octopus; orecchiette with cauliflower; tagliolini with pistachio; gnocchi; crispy lemon chicken; eggplant parmigiana; affogato; brown cow."
I was in Chelsea after work yesterday, so I decided to drop in and get a bite at Elmo on Seventh Ave. Pretty decent burger ($8.95) and a satisfactory glass of house pinot noir ($8.00). The food is not the point here, however, and never has been.
Lights were down, the music was pounding and the place was a scene, scene, scene. Brought back some of the good times of being in my twenties in the city with the whole world ahead of me. Ah, youth.
(Early) middle age has its own pleasures, though. Just waiting to figure out exactly what they are.
Picked up a Cuban sandwich for lunch at Sophie's on New St. between Beaver and Exchange down here in the Financial District.
Because of my ... uh ... "locked out of the office" problem, I ended up at Sophie's at 11:00 am., about an hour earlier than I've ever been before. (This place is a relative favorite among myself and co-workers.)
Let me tell you, Sophie's at 11:00 am. is Paradise compared to the scene at noon and later, when the place is packed full of pushy folks in two lines -- one for sandwiches and one for baked chicken, porkchops, pernil and stews -- crowded around the front of the restaurant and spilling out onto the sidewalk.
I was the only patron there.
I was able to get your basic Cuban sandwich ($6.95) and even pay for it at the counter in seconds flat. Perfect experience. Cubans at Sophie's are your usual, with ham, cheese and roasted pork. Maybe nothing special, but very satisfying and a good value for the money.
Did I pick the worst day ever to lock myself out of the office, or what?
I forgot to bring my key card to work today and I've not been able yet to contact any of my cowokers to let me in the building.
My guess: Most, if not all, are working at home today.
Our office is just a couple of blocks south of the World Trade Center. Security concerns aside, the inconvenience of working around here during these anniversaries is rather extreme.
I'd rather be working at home, myself.
Except that today, I thought I would do my part for the sake of normalcy to come in and have a regular day.
As someone else posted on another blog that I was reading, "Sometimes normalcy is the best revenge."
So, anyway ...
I've ended up here at the Starbucks on Liberty St. between Nassau and Broadway. There is a WiFi hotpsot here (of course) and we have a secure VPN at work (oh yes, indeed), so I'm all set until I get find someone who will let me in the door.
Normally, a Starbucks visit would be totally not bloggable. Today, however, I decided to record this place on Foodmonk, just because the people working here seem so happy and nice. Starbucks used to have a reputation for great service. It seems like the baristas aren't even expected to pretend anymore. Whatever. As long as folks here stay nice to me, I'm seriously going to make this my Secret Starbucks.
I've set up the tagging feature here on the blog, so you should be able to traverse the various categories of postings by simply clicking one the links in the "Read More" section at the bottom of the post. I'll set up an index of all of the categories at some point and figure out how to link them in with the directory of listings like this one.
The Sunday New York Times Magazine this week had an article on Sunday from Seattle food writer Sara Dickerman on Greek cheeses.
She covers the basics -- sharp fetas, squeaky halloumi and the creamy manouri -- and provides a selection of recipes that simply sound enchanting -- a salad of said manouri, eggplant and orzo, roasted feta with thyme honey and a thyme and feta lamb.
The grilled halloumi and minted zucchini sandwiches sound just a bit too precious to me, but I certainly don't mind sitting down to lunch with a big bowl of Greek salad spiked with bright, tangy feta any day of the week.
One the way home from work this evening, I stopped by one of my all-time favorite Financial District destinations, Alfanoose, the Syrian and Lebanese spot on Maiden Ln. between Broadway and Nassau, about two blocks from the World Trade Center.
I ordered a falafel sandwich ($5.00), which was oversized and overflowing with savory chickpea patties and dripping with tahini and hot sauce -- I could not have been happier -- and finished off with one of Alfanoose's flaky baklavas ($1.75).
I nearly had a panic attack when Alfanoose closed for a few days earlier this year. It turned out that they were simply replacing some of their kitchen equipment. But for a few dark hours, I wasn't sure what I was going to do. Fortunately, they opened back up soon enough and their delicious falafels, shawarmas and other treats are still available to enjoy.
Took the J train up to Chinatown today at lunch for some hand-pulled noodles at Super Taste on Eldridge St. between Canal and East Broadway.
A quick, simple, delicious meal in a little spot right around the block from Manhattan's newest and -- well -- phenomenally busy transit center, the streetcorner where the so-called "Chinatown buses" arrive and depart from D.C. and Boston.
I ordered the hand-pulled noodles with beef in hot and spicy soup ($4.25) and wolfed them down in minutes flat. The place was packed ... quite an accomplishment, considering that there are maybe six tables in the place. Tiny.
Funky place ... a bit grubby ... waitress shouting out orders from the floor. The meal was undeniably good, however. I took a peek at Sheng Wang across the street on my way back to the office. I'll have to hit that next week for more noodle fun.
I zipped up to Tulcingo del Valle in Hell's Kitchen on Saturday in the evening for a quick Monkish meal ...
I had never been to Tulcingo before, but recent posts on Chowhound assured me that this was one of the best Mexican restaurants in Manhattan. The borough -- at least below 92nd St. -- has so few good Mexican restaurants that when you hear about a likely candidate, you just have to go.
I didn't have time for a full-on production of a meal, but the three tacos I ate -- chicken, pork and tongue -- were absolutely delectable.
At $2.50 a piece, I thought I should get at least three, but that turned out to be too much food, even for me. I think two tacos per person is a much more reasonable portion.
My only complaint about the meal was that the cook used a bit too heavy a hand on the guacamole. I could actually have done without it in the tacos entirely. The waitress asked, "With everything ... guacamole?" I thought, "Why not?" I'll know better next time.
I'm kind of eager to try out the rest of the menu, so I'll be back soon. One of the best restaurants in Manhattan? I'm not sure yet, but the tacos were delicious, filling and cheap.