Life with food and drink

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T20:10:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all-- here's to a holiday full of food, drink, and enjoyment!

Stay tuned for a full report on my travels through the Pennsylvania Wine Trails, coming up right after the holiday... Till then, here's to leftovers!

Stay tuned...

2009-11-20T08:22:00.002-05:00

This evening LWF&D will embark upon a very special two-day experience. Courtesy of some very kind people, AV and I will be taking a whirlwind tour of the Allentown-area Pennsylvania Wine Trails, visiting various wineries and exploring the scenery to see what the area has to offer. At this time when things are crazy with work and the holidays, a break from everything is sorely needed, and break we shall. Stay tuned for our full report and perhaps a preview of your next local vacation...

Weirder and weirder at Room Service

2009-11-20T06:37:00.000-05:00

On Sunday evening, after getting back to the city from Princeton, AV and I headed to Room Service for some Thai food. I've been there twice before, for some reason, despite the fact that it wasn't great either time around. But hey, we had a yen, so we made our way there.

Room Service is still one of the more bizarro restaurants around. The giant chandeliers, the crazy metal chairs, the techno music... it's like being in some tripped out club, only it's 7PM. We took our customary 1.5 seconds to figure out what we wanted to order, and soon our waiter sidled up and took our order with about as much awkwardness as a three-sentence exchange can embody. While we waited for our appetizer to arrive, we eavesdropped on-- nay, were subjected to-- the conversation of our neighbors, which went a little something like this: "You're skinny." "No I'm not." "Yes you are." All righty then.

Finally, our dumplings arrived to arrest our attention. Thank you, dumplings. Although I still argue with the presentation-- all clumped together in a pool of sauce, rather than presented separately with dipping sauce on the side-- the dumplings were really quite good and piping hot. The dipping sauce was sweet soy, and I still would have preferred a bit more of it. And on the side. Did I mention I like to control the dipping?

Big ol' mass of dumplings

After we scarfed the dumplings, we paused for a brief interlude to let a passing waitress spill a stream of steaming hot tea-water on AV's arm. By way of apology, she produced a stack of paper napkins. Sweet, thanks. Fortunately, the brief sponge bath fortified us for the entree course, which came shortly after our neighbors' tea. AV went with the traditional pad see ew with chicken; he enjoyed it, noting that, like the dumplings, it was also steaming hot.

Hot, like the tea water

My choice was the Thai Salad. This was the most difficult-to-eat food I've had in a very long time, perhaps ever. It's tough to see from the picture, but it came in a deep, flared vessel about a foot high, which AV compared alternately to a medieval helmet or a bedpan (thanks, darling). There was a little ladle holding about a cup of peanut dressing (quite good), which I removed from the veggies. And then I tried to tackle the salad. I gave up on the slippery plastic chopsticks immediately, grabbing my fork like a trident. The huge discs of cucumber were too large to dip comfortably, and of course I had neither a knife nor a flat surface on which to cut, so I just made do. Underneath the cukes, pallid tomatoes, and huge wands of dessicated fried tofu was a melange of julienned carrot, red onions, and bean threads. And another six inches down was a bed of stiff iceberg lettuce, cut into pieces about 3" by 3", which of course also rendered them nearly inedible by themselves without the right utensils, let alone in combination with any of the other vegetables. While I tried gamely to spear, dip, and chew the veggies, the table on the other side of us filled up with two of the most obnoxious couples we've ever had the displeasure of running into. So I tried to eat faster so we could get out of there. But I couldn't eat fast enough. Each bit revealed more veggies underneath, each more awkwardly cut than the last, and my sad, knifeless fork couldn't keep up. Finally I just gave up. We paid and left.

There's about a pound of vegetables under the visible matter here

So what I've learned about Room Service is thus: The restaurant is all about form, pretty much constantly sacrificing function along the way. The chairs are visually arresting but uncomfortable. The presentations are interesting but sacrifice the food on the altar of style. The huge green plastic chopsticks are striking but are difficult to use. You get the picture. The salad would actually have been a pretty good value if it were at all accessible, but c'est la vie. Will I go back to Room Service? Alas, probably. Hey, sometimes I get a craving for some more avant-garde Thai than our old standbys. Which makes Room Service the prototypical three Offset Spatula restaurant-- some pros, some cons, but good enough to go back.

Room Service
9th Avenue between 47th and 48th Streets
212-691-0299

A Princeton review... backwards

2009-11-19T06:45:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, AV and I headed back to his hometown of Princeton to lend a hand at his mom's jewelry show on Sunday. I'd been back to Princeton once before but hadn't thoroughly checked out all the edibles the town had to offer. For the past few weeks, I'd been looking forward to checking out the Bent Spoon, Princeton's famed artisanal ice cream shop, as an after-dinner treat, wherever dinner may be. But as Saturday night neared and dinner hour came and went, AV and I were simply not that hungry. But we wanted ice cream. So we decided to skip dinner entirely and head straight to the good stuff. Strangely, however, I wasn't craving fancy, delicate ice cream a la Bent Spoon; I was craving what we had had during my last trip to Princeton: Thomas Sweet.

Thomas Sweet is known for both ice cream and chocolate, but as we entered the shop, we knew exactly what we wanted. Two efficient orders later, we were sitting at a table diving into the most decadent, purest cookies 'n' cream ice cream I've had since that euphoric moment at SoCo Creamery in the Berkshires over the summer. This ice cream was a straightforward expression of sugar, vanilla, cream, and cookies-- nothing more, nothing less. It cooled the tongue and warmed the heart.

Absolutely classic

Satisfied with our dinner, we set off on a stroll around Princeton proper. Even in the merciless mist, Princeton was fairy-tale-like, cute and dreamy like a movie set. We peeked into the coffee shops and stores and dodged the college students, and all of a sudden I floated an idea: "Any chance you'd like some... real food?" Curiously, AV was on the same wavelength-- though we'd both just consumed about a half-pint of ice cream each, all of a sudden we were hungry for dinner.

And so we ducked into Mediterra, a warm yet chic restaurant near the center of town. It was about 9PM, and the hostess quoted us about 15 minutes for a table. So as I nipped off to the bathroom, AV retreated to the bar area, and by the time I returned, he had scored us two choice seats right at the bustling bar. I will note that Mediterra has by far and away the most comfortable bar seats we've ever had the pleasure of perching upon: padded and upholstered with substantial backs, these made our gastronomic journey a pleasure.

We each ordered a light bite from the menu, and within a moment or so a bread basket swooped down. The bread selection was admirable: three different kinds by my count, including a pumpernickle, a white slice, and some delicious focaccia. The dipping oil had a peppery bite to it that kept the palate interested.

Lots of bread for two casual noshers

With barely a few bites of bread consumed, our entrees (after-dinner snacks?) made their appearance. AV had chosen the fried calamari, which came with "harissa-pomodoro and lemon aioli" as dipping sauces. AV asked for an extra side of the red sauce, noting that any order of calamari that doesn't come with just straight-up marinara isn't quite playing fair (and though I wouldn't necessarily style myself a calamari expert, I'm inclined to agree). Speaking of playing fair, the mound of calamari was actually interspersed with tiny shoestring french fries, making the seafood pile seem more substantial than it was. As it was, AV steered around the unfavored octopus-like tentacle pieces and gobbled the rings and the fries and was satisfied.

Trompe l'oeil calamari

I had chosen the bibb lettuce salad with roasted pumpkin, red delicious apple, brie, roasted beets, and raisin vinagrette. I was very pleased with the salad, which came with two dressings on the side, one more apple-sauce-like (which I loved) and the other pretty standard. The brie crostino was pungeant and tasty, and the pumpkin was soft and sweet. My only gripe was that a few of the beets had slightly rotten spots, but other than that, I was a happy camper.

Creative melange

Our snacks at Mediterra capped off a delightful and delicious evening of dining in reverse. I'll be craving the ice cream at Thomas Sweet for some time to come, and the savory-sweet salad at Mediterra was no slouch either. It was the perfect combination for a dreamlike night at a fairy-tale land so close to the city, and yet a whole world away.

Thomas Sweet
179 Nassau Street, Princeton
609-683-8720

Mediterra
29 Hulfish Street, Princeton
609-252-9680

Course upon course at Corsino

2009-11-18T06:52:00.001-05:00

When Corsino opened a few weeks ago, I asked AV if we could go. "Of course," he replied, and promptly booked us a reservation for their first Saturday night open. Unfortunately, I had already planned a girls' night for that very same evening-- and so the reservation was cancelled. But suffice it to say that Corsino, owned by the same small-plates-Italian maestros behind 'ino and the 'inotecas, has been on my radar ever since.

Well, this past Friday, we finally made it there, convening in the drizzly night for a couples double date with my friend SW and her fiance BC. We arrived around 8:30 to an hour-long wait, so we sidled up to the bar for some drinks. SW and AV each started with a gin-based lemonade concoction, which was not too sweet with just enough fizz from a float of prosecco. BC and I went for large glasses of red wine. And by "large," I mean LARGE-- for each glass you order, Corsino gives you essentially a full glass plus a full mini-carafe, netting out to about two substantial glasses per order. Quite a good value, especially since most of the wines remain in the $9-14 per glass range.

We stood and chatted for a while, staring down the occupants of our prospective table, until finally they stood and vacated. We scurried over to the four-top by the window and settled in for some food.

To start, SW, BC, and AV each sampled the crostini. SW and BC shared the basil pesto and the butternut squash and roasted garlic crostini. AV chose the brussels sprouts and pecorino, of which I stole a bite. Overall, delicious, but at $2.50 PER CROSTINO, it's not exactly the best value on the menu.

This plate cost $7.50. Think about it.

While the others nibbled crostini, I dove right into a huge cheese plate. I selected five cheese for the "table to share," but let's be honest, by the end of the evening I had pretty much eaten nearly the whole thing. Every cheese-- robiola, fontina, taleggio, pecorino, and fresh ricotta-- was superlative, and the warm pressed panini-like bread points were the perfect foil for the creamy cheeses. However, I must admit I was disappointed by the accompaniments: blackened pistachios and a threatening pool of tomato and/or red pepper jelly. Uh, eew. Give me some preserves, fruit, and nuts any day.

Great cheese, gross pool of red goo

Innovative and delicious carb accompaniment

As I continued to plow through the cheeses, the entrees arrived. AV and SW had both chosen the crespelle with ricotta, tomato, and basil. These crepes were like a flatter version of lasagna, or perhaps horizontal stuffed shells-- regardless, as I snuck a few bites, they were delicious.

Cheesey, tomatoey Italian crepes

BC also seriously enjoyed his order of heritage brisket meatballs, with a generous shaving of pecorino over the top. The consensus between SW and BC was that they could only describe them as "layers of heaven." There's also an illustrative hand motion to accompany that description, but I'll leave that to the imaginations of my readers.

A little bowl of heaven

It was late and we were all pretty sopped with food and wine, but when the dessert menus came around, they HAD to be investigated, right? SW chose a tiramisu for the table, and when it arrived, we tackled it like crazed animals. Gosh, that tiramisu was delicious, one of the best I've had in a while. With thick layers of whipped cream and ladyfingers that held their structural integrity despite a boozy bite, this was one for the ages.

Gooey and great

And so, in the end, how did Corsino stack up? Pretty much as I had expected. The food and wine were quite good. The hour-long wait and relatively scattered service, not as good. The pricing was also somewhat erratic-- while certain menu items (wine, crespelle) were good values, others (crostini) truly weren't. Overall, I'd say Corsino comes in as a solid three Offset Spatula restaurant. So while I'm not sure I'd go seriously out of my way to go again, if you live in the West Village and have a few hours to kill, definitely check give it a go. But order carefully, lest that final tab sneak up on you...

Corsino
637 Hudson Street, at Horatio Street
212-242-3093

Back to basics at Amy's Bread

2009-11-17T06:19:00.000-05:00

It's been a tough few weeks for the cupcake eater in me. First I tried to squelch the craving with a non-cupcake pastry from Andre's. Then I gave in to the siren song that is Crumbs. Where's a Billy's red velvet or banana cupcake when you need one? Down in Chelsea and Tribeca, sadly. So when the craving returned last week, once again I turned to a local option: Amy's Bread.

Now, while my heart certainly lies with Billy's, I won't pretend I was unhappy "settling" for Amy's. I wrote about the black and white cupcake at Amy's a while back, and when I get a local craving for a chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting, it still can't be topped. They've changed the wrappers to French cupcake liners since I last wrote, making the quarry look a little something like this:

The frosting got squished in transit. But still good!

When you pull the paper off the cupcake, it falls away in a neat halo, not unlike this dinosaur from Jurassic Park.

I realize this picture doesn't look much different from the one above it. But trust me, the cupcake liner mechanism works well.

And then when you cut into the cupcake, it reveals its true magic: A moist, fine-crumbed, intensely chocolatey cake that neatly straddles the line between cake and brownie. The center is always a tiny bit underdone, aptly delivering that fudgy-brownie hit, while the base of the cupcake brings the cake. Oh, and the frosting is perfect, sugary and mild, a classic foil for the rich cake.

You can see the moisture throughout and the layer of fudginess right below the frosting

While the other cupcakes at Amy's can't hold a candle to the goodies at Billy's, their black and white cupcake is tops. My unequivocal recommendation remains.

A new UES wine bar experience

2009-11-13T06:02:00.000-05:00

Upon the recommendation of one of his friends, AV and I paid a visit to Balon Wine Bar on the UES Friday evening. It's pretty much the perfect first date place: Incredibly cute and romantic with a beautiful back garden, low lights, and well-groomed people. We chose a table near the back, each got a glass of red wine, and settled down to chat and relax. But of course, one can't really have wine, conversation, and relaxation without food, right? So we resigned ourselves to the fact that a cheese plate was in our future.

The food at Balon uniformly looked and smelled delicious, but it was relatively expensive. Our cheese plate was no exception. They have a relatively large selection of cheeses of all kinds, and I chose manchego, brie, and taleggio to bring us on home. The plate provided olives (delish), some sort of cherry-tomato-and-balsamic salad (a little weird... I would have preferred some sort of fruit), and two kinds of olive-oil soaked bread. The olive oil was of such high quality that even soaked into the bread, you could taste the nuances. And the cheese, of course, was creamy and soothing and fresh. Well done.

Wedges of all kinds

With our cheese polished off and our wine thoroughly sipped, we grabbed the check and made our exit. The final verdict? Balon was incredibly cute, bordering on precious, but somehow not all that comfortable-- we could never really envision Balon becoming our regular hangout. Plus, it was a bit too expensive to be a weekly destination (two glasses of wine plus a cheese plate came to ~$50 or so). But if you're looking for a lovely place for a date or a girls' night (there seemed to be quite a few girls' nights going on while we were there), and you're in the neighborhood, Balon is your bag.

Balon
245 East 81st Street, between 2nd and 3rd
646-641-2282

Back to Beppe

2009-11-12T06:24:00.000-05:00

Last year, before my firm's holiday party, the girls, our dates, and I had a prom-style quintuple-double-date dinner at Beppe, a cute Italian place in the Flatiron district. During that dinner, I consumed a salad (shocker!). And ever since my consumption of that salad, I have been thinking about it... and craving it. Well, since Beppe is seasonally-driven, the autumn salad left the menu and I felt I was out of luck. But lo! Once again it's fall, and so I checked the menu online, only daring to wish... and hope... and there it was! My salad! Well, Saturday evening, AV and I made our way there to slay my white whale.

Last time, our large group was seated in the tiny, quaint upstairs area. But this time, AV and I were given an expansive, four-person table in the main dining room, which is anchored by a large fireplace and several interesting decorative chandeliers.

Things happened incredibly efficiently at Beppe. Our orders were taken, and I barely had time to make a quick trip to the bathroom (delightfully warm due to baseboard heating) before bread was delivered. Two kinds this time: a light sage focaccia (mild but mercifully ungreasy, needed a bit of salt on the crust) and a plain white bread. The olive oil was flavorful and was poured with a flourish by the exuberant runner.

Basic bread

In a blink of an eye, our entrees were upon us, descending in capable hands down the staircase leading from the kitchen upstairs. AV had chosen the "Norcino," described as "'butcher's spaghetti' with crumbled pork, garlic, Chianti, rosemary, and tomato." It was a small portion, but with the requisite coating of fresh grated parmesan, AV was incredibly happy.

Strands 'n' shavings

And while AV enjoyed his pasta, I savored-- yes, savored-- my salad. It came on a clear plate, which was oddly distracting, but was just as filling and delicious as I had remembered. Anchored by roasted squash and littered with scraps of radicchio and a handful of pumpkin seeds, the salad's starring ingredient was the stracchino cheese, like a creamier, stretchier, more comforting mozzarella. Put all the ingredients together and you have one hell of a salad.

THE salad

And that was it. I will confidently say that I do love that salad, and I'd happily eat it every night if I could. I'd recommend you seek it out, and even if you're not a salad devotee, give Beppe a try if you like Italian. It's a great date place, good for groups, and just a welcoming, warm, four Offset Spatula port in this long storm we call winter.

Beppe
45 E. 22nd Street, between Broadway and Park Avenue South
212-982-8422

A rocky start at Stecchino

2009-11-11T07:42:00.000-05:00

As I reported last week, Stecchino just opened on 9th Avenue in Hell's Kitchen. With the Mom in town on business and looking to get dinner with the bro and me, I chose Stecchino as our destination.

I will preface this by saying yes, it just opened, and yes, to some extent we should give new restaurants a break. But Stecchino really didn't have its act together. When I called last week to make a reservation, I was instructed to call back the next day when the man on the phone had a reservation book in which to write my request. Okay, fair enough. But we visited when the place was open for real, and everything still screamed soft-opening. Maybe Stecchino just needs some time?

Perhaps. Our server was friendly but almost cringeingly unsure of herself. We placed our orders and bread appeared, sans bread plates, with a tiny pot of olive oil in a receptacle that wasn't conducive to dipping. The bread itself was dry and a tad burnt. Oh well.

No go

Ten minutes or so passed, and Mom and the bro got their salads. They had both chosen the Caesar; Mom without dressing, the bro with. The review was thoroughly "meh"-- it was basically just lettuce with one creative parmesan crisp and standard Caesar dressing. No croutons or anchovies, the bro pointed out. Point taken.

Nothin' special

Salad course down, we waited for our entrees. And waited. And waited. Almost fifty minutes had passed since we sat down at the table before our entrees arrived... and for context, there was ONE (yes, one) other occupied table--a two-top--in the restaurant during that time period. No matter; we were ready to eat. The bro had skipped an entree since apparently he had just consumed chicken pot pie a couple of hours earlier. Mom went for the salmon with warm roasted sherry vinaigrette (roasted sherry? huh?); she substituted asparagus for the brussels sprouts. It was a relatively small portion, but she enjoyed it.

The star of the night

My choice was the fennel and artichoke salad with celeriac, pecorino, parsley leaf, and lemon. This salad was just plain weird. The texture was all crunch, with nothing to offset all the roughage, and the taste was uniformly bland. There was no zip, no punch--not even the few shards of pecorino could perk it up. About halfway through I found myself wondering, when is this going to end? There needed some textural and flavorful contrast-- like green apple, or olives, or something with some zing. At least this portion was ample (perhaps a bit too much so).

Just too much texture

Since the entrees had taken so long to arrive, we decided not to risk ordering dessert and instead asked for the check. My mom threw down her debit card and was informed, in a manner apologetic bordering on ashamed, that the restaurant was cash only. Apparently they're getting a cash machine in but it hasn't arrived yet. Oy.

So, let's examine the pro-con breakdown here. Pro: relatively extensive menu; reasonable prices; a pretty dining room (check out the diorama-like installation in the floor opposite the bar); friendly staff; good location (for me); pricing transparency (our server informed us of the one-free-refill limit before charging us for another one). Cons: food not great; bad bread; way, wayyyy too long for entrees to arrive; no salt and pepper on the table; cash only; booth was bach-achingly uncomfortable; only one free refill on the shot-glass-sized beverages before they're $1 apiece. So basically, I don't know what to think. I want to give Stecchino a chance, because if it evolves into a great restaurant, it will be a huge asset to the neighborhood. As a result, I'm going to hold off on awarding spatulas at this point; I hope to visit again once they get their act together. Stay tuned.

Stecchino
765 Ninth Avenue (between 51st and 52nd streets)
212-397-2377

A curious (and chocolatey) sight on Saturday night...

2009-11-10T06:49:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday evening, AV and I were wandering east from Chelsea on 20th street when something curious caught my eye:

A welcoming sight...

Having gone to college in Cambridge, MA, I'm very familiar with Burdick's-- it was the local chocolate shop, known equally for its incredibly decadent almost-bitter hot chocolate, delicious pastries, and tiny handmade chocolate mice. Could this be the same Burdick's? A quick trip inside and a few questions to the shopkeeper later, the verdict was: Yes! Apparently they opened only a couple of weeks ago and are slowly rolling out their full line of pastries. They plan to have wines available in addition to shelves and shelves of incredible chocolate. Too bad AV and I were on our way to dinner, otherwise we would have stuffed our faces with chocolate in all its forms. Rest assured, we will be back.

L.A. Burdick
5 East 20th Street, between 5th Avenue and Broadway
212-796-0143

LWF&D goes all Benedict Arnold at Crumbs

2009-11-06T06:47:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned earlier, I've been battling a rather severe cupcake craving since my departure from Billy's. Today I was at the office planning my post-dinner indulgence. I got a window of time to duck out for a quick cupcake-shopping trip and realized my only real option was... Crumbs. Crumbs, the McDonald's of cupcakes, whose pastries are the size and shape of softballs and come in as many colors and flavors as Sanford Mr. Sketch markers (don't pretend you never ended up with colored dots on your nose from smelling those markers as a kid). Sigh. Off I went to the Crumbs by Bryant park.

After dinner, I unveiled my prey. It was a Butterfinger cupcake: vanilla cake, filled and frosted with Butterfinger buttercream and edged in chocolate chips. Overkill, much?

Looks innocent, but was almost as big as my head

I cut it in half and chose one of the halves, wrapping the other one for later. The filling job went admirably deep, almost all the way to the bottom of the center of the cake. I took one bite of the cake by itself, and... well, it was actually pretty good. Really moist, with an almost artificial vanilla flavor. Very much like cake mix. The Butterfinger frosting was totally intense, with a true Butterfinger taste and even some of the shattery texture, all thanks to the pieces of real Butterfinger mixed in. I could have done without the chocolate chips around the edge, but hey, they made it pretty. I ate half the cupcake and was full; ten minutes later I had stomach cramps. The other half went in the trash.

Well filled and frosted

While I'll never go to Crumbs if I can help it (i.e., if there are other, better cupcake options nearby), this particular cupcake was actually not as bad as some of their others-- I think the Butterfinger pieces actually helped mask the usual shortening-y taste of their frosting. But regardless, eating Crumbs is very much like eating McDonalds (in theory... I haven't eaten McDonald's in well over a decade): it tastes good, but it makes you feel both crappy and slightly guilty afterwards. Oh well. Consider the cupcake craving sated.

Back to Cavatappo for reliable classics

2009-11-05T06:07:00.000-05:00

On Sunday night, pre-pastry binge, we swung by Cavatappo grill for some classic and delicious Italian food. The place was surprisingly hopping for a Sunday evening, but we squeezed into a tiny table along the wall and settled in.

We skipped drinks and apps and nibbled the bread while we waited for our entrees. Maybe it was just the way it was sliced, but this bread seemed different from their usual carb offering. This was substantial but dry and oddly flavorless; it seemed to lack salt. Perhaps it was authentic Tuscan bread?

Plain bread

No matter; our entrees arrived promptly. AV had selected an entree portion of the tagliatelle bolognese; he loved it. Especially since it was buried under a mountain of parmesan cheese. Mmmm.

Freak snow squall

My choice was the cremini mushroom salad. Since I wasn't really that hungry, I chose to omit the fontina cheese, which left greens, pears, walnuts, and mushrooms. With the truffle-oil-dressing on the side, I will admit self-evidently that the salad wasn't as good this time around as it was last time. However, that's my own fault. Next time I'll make sure I'm hungrier and get the salad the way it's supposed to be.

Better as the original

Pastry-bound, we skipped dessert and skipped out the door. Cavatappo is definitely our go-to UES Italian restaurant: it's reasonably priced, it's delicious, and the atmosphere is enjoyable. In its own genre, it's a definite four Offset Spatula joint. If you haven't been, try it out; it's a good date place, but no matter whom you're with, it won't disappoint.

Cavatappo Grill
1712 First Avenue, between 88th and 89th Streets
212-987-9260

Napoleon conquers LWF&D at Andre's

2009-11-04T06:01:00.001-05:00

Now that the weather has turned chilly, my dessert cravings are shifting from the summer-long "ice cream ice cream ice cream" to the fall and winter pastry craving. Since I've left Billy's, I've been battling a cupcake craving that's been pretty powerful, and it returned with a vengeance on Sunday afternoon. I was up at AV's place on the UES, so we took a walk through the crisp night air to see what types of pastries we could scare up.

Fate took us to Andre's Hungarian pastry shop, a little spot that had been recommended to me by my friend KS, who used to live in the neighborhood. I'm not the biggest fan of strudel, their signature baked good, but there were some other delectables that looked tasty in the pastry counter crowding the front entrance. I asked the incredibly curt and surly woman at the counter a few questions, and, upon receiving her annoyed answers, ultimately realized we should just pick something and get out of there. And so we did.

We ended up with two rugelach, incredibly sweet, chewy, and tasty with berries and nuts and coarse sugar over the top.

Like little multicolored jewels

And also an incredible napoleon, which towered about six inches high and weighed a good pound or so. AV and I stuffed ourselves with the rich, eggy vanilla custard, until our bellies were distended and we could stand no more. Between the two of us we still only managed about two-thirds of it.

Well, this isn't the MOST appetizing picture I've ever taken...

But was it good? Oh, yes. If you want custard, or cookies, or anything sweet, really, Andre's can supply it in spades. And if you want surly attitude, they can supply that too. But if you've got $6 to spare (warning: Andre's isn't cheap) and a thick skin, grab a spoon and custard yourself silly.

Andre's Bakery

1631 Second Avenue, between 84th and 85th Streets

212-327-1105

Stecchino... interesting

2009-11-03T20:48:00.002-05:00

Update (11/4/09): A call to the restaurant reveals they are opening tonight at 5!

Walking home today, I spotted an intriguing new restaurant on Ninth Avenue between 51st and 52nd. Entitled "Stecchino," it's a beauty... couldn't quite tell whether it was open yet or not (there was a bit of activity going on inside, but it didn't look like dinner service). I will most certainly be checking it out soon.

Mysterious... yet inviting

A final trip to Five Napkin Burger. I promise.

2009-11-03T06:08:00.000-05:00

You ever have a place that you really really want to like? So much so that you keep coming back, even when it's clearly against any sense of reason to do so? Well, I realized I'm that way with Five Napkin Burger. I really want to like 5NB, even though I've been a number of times before and haven't really been impressed. Well, last Friday I took AV there-- he loves burgers, and there's been a vegetable roll on the menu I've wanted to try. So we showed up at 7 to a 30-minute wait; we crowed in the corner of the bar, shouting over the cacophony and nursing drinks for 30 minutes, then 40 minutes. I was starting to lose it. But suddenly our coaster buzzed and we were on!

We were squeezed into a two-person table on the end of a banquette, which meant we were basically right in the path of traffic. Runners and waiters and managers and hostesses all fled by, brandishing burgers, bumping into each other, and generally contributing to a pervasive, incredibly hectic atmosphere. Being in 5NB raised my blood pressure.

We sat for several minutes, heads turning back and forth, without anybody visiting. Finally, a harried server stopped by to greet us-- at this point, having had nearly an hour to look over the menu and decide what we want, we seized our chance to order. We also asked for bread to tide us over. The waitress looked sort of confused, and a few minutes later we understood why. Behold, the Saddest Bread Basket in the World. Four pieces of dry, nearly inedible bread, devoid of either butter or oil. Truly gross.

Ick.

Clearly unsatiated by the bread course, we hunkered down to wait for our food. And hunkered. Finally, as we teetered on the point of drunk and ravenous, it arrived. AV's bacon-cheddar burger, with onion rings instead of fries (for an extra charge), was gobbled down appreciatively. I'm happy to say he really, really liked it-- that was the point of us going to 5NB, after all-- and my few (okay, maybe more than a few) bites of the onion rings were swoon-worthy.

Superlative onion rings

My choice, the vegetable roll, was tasty but small and overpriced. Instead of seaweed, there was a soy wrapper, which was a curious choice as it really didn't add (or subtract) much. The roll was well-executed, but $10.95 you could get three times as much food at a sushi restaurant. When I finished, I was still hungry, which is a pretty impressive achievement when you're dealing with a stomach as small as mine. I would definitely not return for this dish.

Almost looks like salmon

After we finished, we fled to the Tasti D next door for dessert. My final verdict on 5NB? It's loud and pretty unpleasant to be in. The food is overpriced. But the burgers, alas, are great. So if you're in the mood for an expensive burger and don't care about a wait, frenzied service, and having to shout to your dining companion, by all means check it out. If any of those matter to you, steer clear of this two Offset Spatula place. You can get good burgers-- and good other food as well-- at a better price elsewhere.

Five Napkin Burger
630 Ninth Ave, between 44th and 45th Streets
212-757-2277

Round two at Brown Cafe: Still the best mac & cheese in town

2009-11-02T05:48:00.000-05:00

On Saturday night, before the madness of halloween truly got rolling, AV and I met his friend PP for a pre-Yankees-game dinner at Brown Cafe on the LES. As you may recall, AV and I absolutely adored BC when we went last and vowed to return. Unfortunately, with the LES being so very far away from both Hell's Kitchen and the UES, we haven't made it back. Until now!

We entered the small, rustic wood-clad room and chose the same table in the window nook as last time. After regarding the tightly-edited menu, we made our decisions. PP ordered a beer; AV and I sipped water from the tiny water glasses until our genial server brought over a complimentary amuse-bouche: a simple salad of al dente chickpeas, roasted red peppers, and avocado. It was uncomplicated but pure of taste and consequently something to be savored.

Simple salad

At this point, Hannah, the manager, came over to say hello, and as we chatted she mentioned she had been trying out some recipes for mulled wine. A few seconds later, all three of us had tiny coffee mugs of steaming, fragrant beverage in front of us. I've never had good mulled wine before, but this was absolutely it: with a spiced fragrance and the complexity of wine underneath, all with a touch of sweetness, this beverage was warming through and through. It positively begged a wood-burning fireplace to curl up next to.

Deliciously warming to the core

We nursed our wine and waited patiently for our entrees, which emerged a short time later. AV, of course, had chosen an entree portion of the mac & cheese-- the piece de resistance of Brown Cafe. It was just as good as we remembered, with several kinds of gooey, meltey cheese enrobing firm pasta, all covered with the best kind of cheesey crust. PP had to try it as well, so he ordered a side portion, which came in the cutest little mini cast-iron skillet I've ever seen.

Mother mac and baby mac

PP's main entree was the leg of lamb with herbed asparagus, gruyere, smashed potatoes, and mustard aoili. This was an incredibly generous portion and was highly approved by PP and AV, who snuck a taste.

Meat & potatoes

My entree was the beet salad, which came with greens, walnuts, and mint. All the ingredients in this salad were top-notch, and the mint added an interesting touch to what could be a mundane combination. You can't go wrong with pretty much anything vegetable-based at Brown Cafe, since everything is so thoughtfully sourced, and that was certainly the case here as well.

Greens with beet jewels

With our entrees successfully packed away, we moved on to the dessert course. Our server brought over a trio of example desserts: an apple turnover, a dense brownie duo, and a mixed-berry crumble. PP and AV ordered the brownies to share, and we sat back to digest. In the meantime, Hannah came over with her second cocktail project, a pinot-grigio-based wine cocktail with a thyme accent. I'm usually not a huge fan of herbs in my cocktails, but gosh darn this was surprisingly good-- a subtle sweetness with only a whisper of thyme at the end. Well done.

Even with a greenery garnish, you've got yourself a good cocktail

Soon our desserts emerged, and the house had graciously supplemented the brownie order with an extra mixed-berry crumble. The brownies were incredibly dense and fudgy and came with chestnut ice cream; our server had described the ice cream as "distinct," and I truly agree-- it was very heavily chestnut-flavored. While I really liked the brownie, which was as true an expression of chocolate as you'll find, being a non-fan of chestnuts I had to pass on the ice cream.

Chocoholic

The crumble was also both simple and tasty. A layer of tender warm strawberries and blueberries lay under an oatmeal strudel, all topped with a scoop of green tea ice cream. Once again, the green tea flavor here was powerful (and being a not-huge-fan of green tea flavor I had to pass once again), but the crumble itself was delicious.

Incongruously green, with cute mini-skillet

At that point we were stuffed-- but as we got the check, of course there was one last surprise, tiny mini-bites of the house bread pudding. Positively delicious, especially the creme anglaise on top.

The final bite

Having such a delightful experience at Brown Cafe is bittersweet. The food is so simple, thoughtful, and well-executed, and the price-points are lower than you'll find for comparable food most anywhere else. If BC were located any closer to either AV or me, we'd go on a weekly basis. But it's just so far away from both of us, we have to reserve it for special occasions. However, dear readers, if you live any further downtown than we, please do yourself a favor and visit the four-Offset Spatula Brown Cafe. And get the mac & cheese. You won't regret it.

Brown Cafe
61 Hester Street (at Ludlow)
212-477-2427

Gossip with the girls at Aroma

2009-10-28T06:55:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday night, AC was in town from India, so the five of us girls finally reconvened for a catch-up dinner. Realizing I had't been to Aroma, one of my favorite wine bar/restaurants, in a while, I booked us a 7:30 reservation there.

We were squeezed into the large table by the door, which had been spruced up since the last time I'd been with back and butt pads on the bench. Well played. The ladies chose a bottle of red wine (I abstained) and we snacked on the delicious chewy bread and succulent olives while we waited for the appetizers.

Glistening olives

Scrumptious bread

Since my salad was coming with the entrees, the other ladies dove in to the two apps. One was a baby octopus salad; the other, meatballs stuffed with cheese. Both were enjoyed heartily, so I was told.

Octopus 'n' potatos 'n' celery 'n' stuff

Mmmm, balls

Before our entrees arrived, Vito, one of the owners, stopped by with two plates of complimentary bruschetta. One was a chopped tomato bruschetta; one was a hearty melange of fall vegetables. Both were incredibly delicious... if they were on the menu, I would definitely have ordered them.

Summer tomatoes and basil

Fall veggies

And on to the entrees. KS got the gnocchi with rock shrimp, English peas, fava bean jus, and pancetta. She noted that the gnocchi were lighter than gnocchi usually are-- nice!

Pillows of potato

SY got one of the specials, an order of polenta with sausage. It looked creamy and warm, and she enjoyed it.

Polenta with interest

SL and AC shared two pastas: one special pasta & ragu, which they raved about, and one orecchiette with fennel, sausage, pesto, broccoli rabe, and pecorino. Each of the other ladies took a bite of the orecchiette and came to a consensus that the dish was just weird, and not in a good way. When it came time to clear, the manager inquired about the nearly-untouched dish, and when SL and AC reluctantly revealed that it wasn't their favorite, she quickly and graciously offered to remove it from the bill (which she did).

Pasta: devoured

The rejected orecchiette

My choice was delicious: an arugula salad in a light vinaigrette with walnuts, grana padano, and large thin slices of green apple. It was filling and tasty and full of goodness, especially with lots of walnuts, which I appreciated.

My salad. So delish.

On to the desserts! AC, SL, and KS decided to split the molten chocolate cake. SY went for the affogato (with whipped cream on the side so I could eat it....). I chose the gelato and sorbet sampler, which involved a peach and melon sorbet, a fig & something gelato, and a mascarpone & something gelato. My memory is a bit foggy... but it was all quite good. They also brought us a complimentary gianduja panna cotta for the table, which we devoured eagerly.

Molten choc with vanilla gelato!

Affogatto in action

Lots of creamy and somewhat indeterminate ice cream

Comped panna cotta! Tastes like nutella

Overall, it was a delightful night, filled with great company and good food and wine. I have a soft spot for Aroma, which is equally great for a date or a girls' night. Though not everything was a hit this time around, the management's responses to any missteps more than made up for any problems. Aroma keeps both its four Offset Spatula designation and my unequivocal recommendation.

Aroma
36 East 4th Street (Between Bowery and Lafayette)
212-375-0100

Another trip to New Amsterdam via cheese, bread, and cider

2009-10-27T06:57:00.000-04:00

This past Sunday was the second of this cycle's New Amsterdam Markets. AV and I braved a recalcitrant subway that seemed hell-bent on denying us access to the South Street Seaport and ultimately emerged into the beautiful fall sunshine down near the East River. Once again, a pictorial journey below... along with a strong encouragement to stop by when the market comes back next month! Check out their website here.

Before we made it to the market, we stopped by the Cupcake Express booth outside the Seaport. Looked okay, but $4 a pop!! Geez!

Delicious raw milk cheeses from Birchrun Hills Farm

More tasty sparkling cider from Bellweather! We bought another bottle. Oops?

Yogurt from Maple Hill Creamery. We tried the blueberry and the lemon... both like delicious melted ice cream.

"Renaissance ricotta" from Narragansett Creamery. Increadibly creamy and delicious, especially topped with the berry-cranberry compote. Mmmm.

Sausage from Dickson's Farmstand Meats. AV's verdict: Meh.

Bagels from Fairway. Apparently Bloomberg thinks they're the best in the city? Sure.

Olive and raisin bread from Sullivan Street Bakery. I love olive bread.

Cheddar cheese samples from Organic Valley.

Incredible-looking cheese from Brooklyn Larder. The crowd was too thick around this one for us to get a taste...

A seasoned tofu sample from Basis Farm to Chef. Surprisingly tasty!

And there you have it! Several pounds of cheese samples later, we emerged with full bellies and one bottle of bubbly. A successful day indeed!

Ardesia: I don't really know.

2009-10-22T06:50:00.001-04:00

Last Friday night, AV and I decided to check out Ardesia, the brand-new wine bar in my neighborhood. The place was absolutely hopping when we got there at 8:30 or 9 or so; it was so busy that we had to squeeze behind the door to wait while a table opened up. But finally we settled into a corner in the lounge area, which was rimmed with plush, low-backed sofas. Our table was a tiny, moveable TV-dinner-style table that we could swing over our laps. We tried to get comfortable as the enormous and loud group next to us kept growing, encroaching into our already awkward space corner.

The bar itself is really pretty-- chic and modern with blackboards lining one wall and a see-through rack of wine bottles stretching from floor to double-height ceiling behind the bar. But it was loud and crowded. Much more bar-bar than wine-bar-- i.e., if you're looking for a dark, sexy, and romantic nook, Ardesia is not your place.

Our incredibly friendly but aw-shucks awkward waiter finally brought us menus. I wasn't drinking, but there did seem to be a number of nice-looking wines by the glass. AV ordered a beer, and we contemplated our food choices. I asked whether any of the cheeses were brie-like; when I was told honestly no, we decided to share an order of the manchego ($6), which AV supplemented with their house-made cocktail sausages ($5). What arrived shortly thereafter was as follows:

Dollhouse food?

Oh, and bread

Um, wow. In case you're counting, that's $1.66 per sausage, and approximately $1 per small bite of cheese. Was the food decent? Sure. Was it a total rip-off? Absolutely. Contrast this $6 cheese "plate" (that tiny pile of debris is about a tablespoonful of crushed hazelnuts in honey) with what you get for around $8 at Riposo 46, our usual neighborhood wine bar:

Just for the record, that's half a loaf of bread, two garlic crostini, stewed dried fruit, walnuts, a large bunch of grapes, and two huge, thick hunks of manchego

No contest. But I feel bad writing off Ardesia entirely; inexplicably, I actually really wanted to like the place. For one, everyone was so friendly, especially our waiter, who at one point actually used the phrase "Hidey-ho." Plus, it was the first week of the bar's opening... and I do want to encourage more restaurants and nightlife hot spots to explore the currently uncharted territory west of Ninth Avenue in Hell's Kitchen. But if Ardesia is going to survive, it has to either knock down its prices significantly or increase the value (i.e., food, beer) it provides for the money. Till then, you can find us a few blocks away at Riposo 46.

Ardesia
510 W. 52nd Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues
212-247-9191

Happy (almost) Halloween!

2009-10-21T06:35:00.000-04:00

Last weekend AV and I carved a pumpkin. And we saved the pumpkin seeds, tossed them with a bit of olive oil and salt, and baked them in the oven for an hour or so until they became a delectable tasty snack. For $3 at the Union Square Greenmarket, this pumpkin was several hours' (and afternoon snacks') worth of delight. Happy Halloween!

Boo!

Going for the soup and salad at Gossip. Yes, that's weird.

2009-10-20T06:33:00.000-04:00

On Saturday night, AV and I had no destination in mind for dinner. He wasn't hungry; I was sort of hungry but didn't quite know what type of food I wanted. It was a bad combo. We walked up and down Ninth Avenue, getting rejected by place after place. Finally, inexplicably, we ended up at Gossip Bar & Restaurant. They had tables. They had TVs. And, ostensibly, they had food. We headed in.

Snagging a huge, elevated four-person booth, we settled in. Our server was nowhere to be found, and an enormous group of revelers at the table next to ours was thoroughly blocking the walking area between the bar and the tables, so we seized every opportunity we could to garner some attention. We started with a round of drinks-- diet coke and club soda, thank you very much. Yes, we were at a bar, and yes, we would only order food and soft drinks. I admit this entire night made no sense.

But order food and soft drinks we did. AV, who had had a hefty midafternoon snack courtesy of fresh sourdough and lamb sausage from the Union Square Greenmarket, stuck to a light repast of the black bean soup. He enjoyed it, aside from the incongruous lump of guacamole in the middle of the whole affair. Sans guac, it was a good bowl of soup.

Like a little green island

My choice was the beet and goat cheese salad. This salad was built upside-down: a tuft of greens on top, a generous base of ruby beets, a ring of toasted pistachios, and two huge (I'm talking ice-cream-scoop-size) dollops of warm goat cheese. It scratched my head at the composition, and then I dug in. Mmmmm, goat cheese. All the ingredients here were pretty standard, but you have to give them tons of credit for their heavy hand with the goat cheese. Well played.

A microgreen toupee hiding mountains of goat cheese

Oh, and there was bread. A complete afterthought, clearly baked-from-frozen rolls, but warm, and good with a nice slather of goat cheese.

So very average

So that was it. We were satisfied with our meal. Would we go back to Gossip? Sure, why not. It was a nice bar with a comfortable atmosphere, and the food was decent and well-priced. For what it was, Gossip is a three Offset Spatula restaurant-- a haven of downscale food, reasonably priced, devoid of pretense, and full of goat cheese.

Gossip Bar & Restaurant
733 Ninth Avenue, between 49th and 50th Streets
212-265-2720

Branching out to a new Thai on 9th

2009-10-15T07:03:00.000-04:00

Two weekends ago, I attended the incredible show Fantasy Football: The Musical?, written by my good friend DI, part of the New York Musical Theater Festival. After laughing heartily for an hour and a half, fellow showgoers AV and JR and I were hungry. So we scurried around the corner to Aura Thai on Ninth Avenue.

The decor of Aura is plain and simple, but we were all so ravenous we didn't care. We started with a couple of apps-- first up, JR's fried calamari with sweet chili sauce. This dish looked like onion rings and was well received by both JR and AV, who sniped a ring or two.

A tangle of veg 'n' squid

AV and I shared the vegetable dumplings. These were large, half-moon/ravioli-style dumplings filled with a mixture of shredded veggies. The sweet sauce was drizzled over the top, which meant we weren't able to control the mixture of dumpling and sauce through dipping, always a key part of the experience. Overall, these weren't my favorite dumplings in the NYC Thai Restaurant Dumpling Pantheon; the filling tasted like generic frozen veggies, and I wasn't a huge fan of the half-moon shape.

Pretty, but plain inside

Moving on, JR got a curry dish... and shamefully I can't remember exactly which one. But it was ample and flavorful and delicious, according to its consumer.

Some sort of curry? Maybe?

AV went with the pad see ew with chicken. Lots of green veggies made this one a winner in my book... and AV was also a fan.

Wide noodles and bursts of bright green

My choice was, of course, papaya salad. This was a big portion with lots of green beans; the papaya was also cut spaghetti-style rather than in small matchsticks, which was interesting. The vinaigrette here was heavy on the lime and light on the umami, which made the whole dish light but lacking in the strong flavor usually associated with papaya salad.

It also came with sticky rice. Very, very gluey sticky rice.

Overall, we were so hungry that the food at Aura hit the spot. But the quality of food was definitely eclipsed by the other Thai options a few blocks up on Ninth. As a result, I wouldn't necessarily return to Aura unless I were ravenous and right in the area, which means Aura earns a two Offset Spatula designation. Done and done.

Aura
462 Ninth Avenue, between 35th and 36th streets
212-971-8530

A celebration of fall at Kyotofu

2009-10-14T06:52:00.000-04:00

This evening, I swung by Kyotofu once again for my new favorite treat: a soymilk soft serve sundae. Today's flavors were pumpkin spice and chocolate, neither of which is a favorite of mind, but for some reason I was in the mood to try them out. Behold, my masterpiece:

Soft serve with two strawberries

The pumpkin was incredibly pumpkin-y-- full of Thanksgiving spices, like eating a slice of pumpkin pie. The chocolate was rich and smooth and surprisingly delicious. For those of you who don't like the trademark nutty tang of soymilk, both these flavors exhibited no trace of soy-- the strong chocolate and pumpkin masked that taste well. Unfortunately, the woman who served my sundae put only about a tablespoon or two of the sweet fruit compote on there, so it was mostly straight-up chocolate and pumpkin... could be worse, but next time I want more fruit! Also, Kyotofu, if you're reading this, bring back the vanilla flavors (especially the vanilla almond) before the cold weather sets in!

Bite by bite at Plate by Plate

2009-10-13T07:35:00.000-04:00

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Going back into the past once again, we arrive at the Metropolitan Pavilion on a balmy October 2 evening. AV and I had decided to do a very grown-up thing: attend a benefit. And so there we were, in our party-going finest, at Plate by Plate. As we strolled in and took in the throngs at the tasting booths, bars, and silent auction, we realized that since this event was a benefit for an Asian-American Equity association, we were one of the few non-Asian people there (this fact was underscored by an event photographer who breathlessly tracked us down and asked, "Can I take your picture? We're trying to get as many non-Asian couples as possible!") No matter. We dived into the food and drink, most of which was quite delicious. Below, our pictorial journey.

Fresh tofu from En Japanese Brasserie

Vegetable curry puff from Pranna

Sweet sausage and sticky rice from Umi Nom

Green papaya salad and Thai beef salad from Land! Our favorite!

Various treats from Sweetiepie, including a homely but delicious lemon cake

The lay of the land

Lemon crepe cake from Bar Breton. Very delicious.

Sloppy Bao from Baogette

Nougat glace with roasted plums from South Gate

Incredible spread of treats from Tawny Ong. We tasted (and enjoyed) a red velvet cupcake, a hummingbird cupcake, a devil's food cupcake, icebox cake, and banana pudding. Yes, we made two trips... or possibly more. Oops?

The band jams

Texas salt and pepper ribs from Blue Smoke

Lamb ribs from Ilili. AV called this the best bite of the night.

Duck torchon on brioche from One If By Land

Mascarpone cheesecake with apple granita and spiced foam from One If By Land

Gougere from Brasserie Cognac

A last al fresco gasp at Tenzan

2009-10-12T07:00:00.001-04:00

I'm wayyyyyy behind on posts at this point, but here goes one from the archives. It was a Sunday evening, a beautiful Sunday evening in fact, clearly one of the last nice weekend nights of the Indian summer. Once again, AV and I found ourselves on the UES looking for a bite. And so we ended up at Tenzan, a modern-looking Japanese restaurant very close to AV's apartment that we had not yet tried.

Despite the slight chill in the air, we chose to sit outside to take advantage of possibly the last al fresco dining experience until next spring. I was quite hungry and in an extravagantly tearful mood, so what better thing to order than dumplings? Ah yes, there would be dumplings. There would indeed.

But first, AV's miso soup. He's a fan of miso soup, it turns out. And as he declared, it's hard to screw up miso soup. (N.B. Hard, but not impossible. One experience with miso soup at the Harvard dining hall a few years back proved that.)

Warm and well-executed

And then came the vegetable gyoza. They were pan-fried, for a change, which was delicious, but for textural reasons I still prefer my dumplings steamed. The filling was white and undefinable and delectable. The dipping sauce that came with the dumplings was citrus-inflected and curious; after a few bites, I switched over to soy sauce and was much happier. These dumplings were also accompanied by about a half-tablespoon of sweet and mysterious pickles. I gobbled them up and still don't know what they were.

Perfection, and pickles

Then came the entrees. AV had selected chicken teriyaki. Overall verdict was quite standard and a huge portion.

Unexplained broccoli

My choice was the "vegetable appetizer," described as "sauteed mixed vegetables." It ended up being a large plate of mixed stir-fried veggies (peppers, onions, zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms) with a hint of soy sauce umami and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Delicious and verrry filling (I emerged from dinner pretty stuffed).

Huge portion of veggies

Overall, if I ever have a yen (har har har) for Japanese food on the UES, I'd definitely go back to Tenzan. The classics were well-executed and not insanely expensive, and the gyoza were craveable, if you're in the right mood. We experienced solidly executed three Offset Spatula fare and were happy because of it.

Tenzan
1714 Second Avenue (at 89th Street)
212-369-3600