Tag Archives: soho

January 22, 2013 · 2:55 am

Peasant: rustic and romantic in the heart of Soho

I loved the idea of Peasant – cozy, fireplace and pizzas in Soho – but the reality did not live up to my expectations. Saturday night, my boyfriend and I had a casual meal at the bar, and while the pizza was undeniably delicious (what cheese-laden flatbread isn’t?), the skate was swimming in garlicky oil, the broccoli raab was so chewy it was inedible, and the squid, which oddly tasted just like the fish, was rubbery and uninteresting. The food wasn’t blasphemous, it just wasn’t notably great. I do appreciate the simplicity of the menu – Peasant doesn’t aim to wow with originality and party tricks – but if a restaurant’s going for comfort food, it can’t be anything short of perfect (Barbuto knows how it’s done). I’m a sucker for inviting, low-lit, family-style restaurants so I’d likely return just to be back in the warmth on a winter’s day after shopping. Like Hearth, they craft the feeling of homeyness beautifully with complimentary bread and ricotta cheese, the right lighting, reddish tones and an open kitchen. Hopefully my second attempt at eating here won’t be as unremarkable.

IMG_1968

pizza bianca

Grade: B
Location: 194 Elizabeth Street between Spring and Prince
Website

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May 14, 2012 · 10:40 pm

Felix

Soho is the reason I fell in love with New York so many years ago. The shops, the cobble stone streets, the feeling of continually shining sun, Dean and Deluca…the list of why I feel giddy every time I’m in this neighborhood goes on and on. Sadly, though, after getting to know the area intimately, I’ve concluded that the good brunch spots aren’t as prevalent as one would expect for such a shopping-dense area. Lord knows that I get hungriest after two hours of trying on clothing, but every weekend, I confront the same debate – where to rid of my hunger pangs and evaluate my bad purchasing decisions?

Generally, I fall back on Antique Garage, Cafeteria, or Balthazar – all awesome spots. But when you want to bask in the sun, there aren’t many options aside from Dos Caminos. Well this weekend, my sister shined light on a placed called Felix for my birthday brunch treat, and it was actually pretty solid. Somewhat of a rough-around-the edges Lucky Strike or Balthazar, it serves the purpose of offering a varied menu of food you would want whether you’re craving American or French brunch. Great outdoor tables for two in the shining sun, off the craziness of Broadway, and efficient service. They also take reservations, which helps to avoid the crazy brunch wait lines in this city.

omelette – fries were a little rubbery

After investigating other tables’ orders, we decided to share the salade chevre chaud and a mushroom and spinach omelette. The omelette comes with both fries and salad – something I appreciate greatly, and the chevre was plentiful, crispy, salty, and perfect on top of a crusty piece of baguette. Though the salad was a little over-dressed, and the fries weren’t impressive, overall the food and service was solid, and I was as happy as I could be on a warm day with half of our bodies in the sun.

salad chevre chaud

Adding Felix to my list of open-air reprieve-spots in Soho after intense shopping. Don’t come expecting stellar cuisine, but come knowing you’ll have your stomachs filled and a good dose of relaxation in the sun.

Grade: B
Location: 340 West Broadway @ Grand Street
Website: www.felixnyc.com

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April 16, 2012 · 12:27 am

Blue Ribbon Sushi

 

I’ve neglected the blog these past two weeks and I really have no better excuse than to say that I’ve been busy with work and a social life, like any normal person. That’s not to say I haven’t visited a ton of great restaurants worth reporting. Quite the opposite. The standout of the bunch, however, is Blue Ribbon Sushi, which was so breathtakingly delicious that it triggered me to see the movie chronicling a man in Tokyo who’s been improving his sushi making skills for 75 years, Jiro Dreams of Sushi.

hamachi collar

Blue Ribbon is tucked away on Sullivan Street in Soho. It’s intimate. It’s special. You really feel like you’re embarking on a spiritual sushi experience when entering the low-ceiling, cozy space, which hosts just a few tables and a tiny sushi bar as the work space for multiple sushi chefs. The menu is filled with an overwhelming number of both hot and cold food, so to make the ordering process easier, strategize on what you want before our actual investigation. The green salad is colder, fresher, crunchier, and more flavorful than any other ginger-dressed Japanese starter salad I’ve had. The Hamachi Kama, broiled yellowtail collar, was rich, perfectly seasoned and meaty. The fried oyster roll was living proof that fried seafood can be nourishing and refreshing. And as for the sashimi…you never really realize how much bad sushi you’re tasting until you eat stuff like this – how can a piece of fish have so much intense flavor with absolutely nothing on it? It was perfect.

fried oyster roll (upon request)

fried oyster roll (upon request)

I love this place. And, the wines by the glass are great and hefty. Expect to wait for a table but it’s 100% worth it.

Grade: A
Location: 119 Sullivan btwn Prince and Spring
Website: http://www.blueribbonrestaurants.com/rests_sushi_man_main

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January 31, 2012 · 3:12 am

Barmarche

Barmarche, nolita

I get the most satisfaction discovering places that not only have awesome food and ambience, but are also fairly easy to book for last minute dinner plans. This is hard to come by in New York city. Barmarche arrived as a miracle for my friend Ashley’s birthday last weekend, and I’ve since been a huge advocate for this sleeper. Not only did they accommodate 12 of us at the height of Saturday night mealtime, they seated us at a well thought-out square table as opposed to a long, awkward rectangle so commonly found in restaurants trying to conserve space. Our group, which was a diverse mix of people, could therefore communicate easily with multiple sides of the table, and we were all set up to share delicious food.  The servers, though incredibly busy, were timely with our orders and constantly checking in to take drink requests.

Our party shared many tasty appetizers: popcorn shrimp, guacamole, bruschetta, and my favorite, almond stuffed dates with crispy bacon and blue cheese. The mix of sweet and salty and crispy and soft was so perfect that we had to request another two orders to sustain our unstoppable craving.

caramelized bacon wrapped dates

crispy popcorn shrimp

While we overloaded on appetizers, we still had room for the overwhelming main course options, all reasonably priced. Barmarche is known for its “taquitos”, which are essentially tacos on slightly smaller tortillas. The fried bass taquitos were a vibrant, fresh twist on heavy Mexican food, and the shrimp risotto was creamy, hot, and filling. My branzino was incredibly crispy, and the perfectly light, pre-night out meal to pair with my spicy margherita.

bass taquitos

perfectly cooked branzino

truffled shrimp risotto

Barmarche is the perfect prequel for a night on the town. Conveniently located in the center of Soho, the Lower East Side and Nolita, it is positioned closely to a wide array of bars, and with its wide range of international food and cocktails, it’s a fit for all sorts of crowds. I wouldn’t say the food is breath-taking, but it’s thorough, creative, and well-rounded. Highly recommended for group dinners (especially for a younger, yet sophisticated crowd) – in fact, I hope to have my birthday there in May!

Grade: A-

Location: 14 Spring Street @ Elizabeth

Website: http://www.barmarche.com

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December 11, 2011 · 1:00 pm

Antique Garage

Despite being a shopping mecca, New York’s Soho area surprisingly lacks the variety of brunch spots I would expect for such a weekend destination. As a result, I tend to resort to my trusty favorite: Antique Garage. This mediterranean restaurant, housed in a converted garage filled with antique furniture, ornate art and mirrors and a beautiful bar, is one of my favorite spots to drink a bellini and munch on mezes after a long day of shopping. To complement the old fashioned aesthetic, there is often live jazz musicians dressed in ’20s garb who lure you right back into the era of Great Gatsby. In the summer, when the garage door is pulled back, it becomes the ideal place for breathing the fresh city air, daydreaming, and people watching.

inside

Though I would love to eat everything on the menu, I tend to always stick to my favorites. Today, my friend Mer and I decided to split the mesclun salad with chicken kebab and the meze platter after a relaxed stroll in the area. With a sampling of hummus, tzatsiki, greek salad, babaganoush, borek, chicken salad, and fresh cucumber and tomato slices, the meze platter is my heaven on a plate. The best item on the plate is the borek, which are crispy, melt-in-your-mouth phyllo wrapped feta rolls. And with the hot, fresh slices of pita bread, all of the dips can become quite the meal.

Salad with chicken

mixed meze platter

As always, my meal at Antique Garage was a crowd pleaser.

Grade: A+

Location: 41 Mercer Street near Grand Street

Website: http://www.antiquegaragesoho.com

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April 18, 2011 · 12:15 am

Pretzel Croissant @ City Bakery

When you Google “City Bakery Pretzel Croissant,” and click on the first organic link, you’re directed to City Bakery’s very own pretzel croissant fan website (non other than http://www.pretzelcroissant.com). On the homepage, it reads: The City Bakery croissant has a notable following. It’s sort of a cult following. That’s unusual, when you’re a baked good, and proceeds to flash through images of the flakey carb alongside odd quotes comparing it to fantastical beings. There’s even a link to a 13 minute YouTube video describing the process of their creation.

Up until today, I spent significant time reviewing this intel after my friend Ashley professed that the croissant is one of the most amazing things she’s eaten. Despite the hupla around the baked good online – across Yelp, the blogs, local magazines, and City Bakery’s own website, I doubted that something as simple as a croissant could wow me. I’m not even a huge croissant fan – I’m a muffin fanatic. Still, it’s been a recurring topic of conversation when Ashley and I get together, and I’ve been promising her that I’d make the special trip to Union Square to try one.

Vesuvio Bakery

With Brazil around the corner, though, as we strolled around Soho in search of a snack today we finally accepted the fact that I’d have to wait until July to have my pretzel croissant experience . Then, as if God had been listening, we passed by Vesuvio bakery, and at the corner of my eye I spotted…you guessed it – City Bakery’s pretzel croissant! We instantly freaked out and ran up to the counter in excitement, knowing very well we were going to buy one despite the fact that we’d just downed two cookies from Dean and Deluca.

posing with its legs crossed

$3.50 later, I could hear the drum rolling as I reached my hand in the bag and gently pulled a flakey edge of the pastry to pop in my mouth. With literally one chew I lost all consciousness and yelped in excitement – honestly, this was the best croissant I can remember tasting in years. It was the perfect mix of pretzel and pastry – doughy and subtly salty like a pretzel, and buttery, flakey, and beautifully golden like a croissant. It was literally breath-taking, and my suspicion about the amazingness of this thing completely washed away.

look at those layers

I am now a self-proclaimed HUGE fan of City Bakery’s pretzel croissant – which can be found at Vesuvio in Soho, and at City Bakery in Union Square. Thanks to Ashley I now have another baked good to obsess about!

Grade: A+

Location: Vesuvio Bakery (now bird bath bakery) or City Bakery at 3 West 18th St btwn 5th and 6th Ave

Website: http://www.pretzelcroissant.com

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March 17, 2011 · 1:19 am

Ed’s Lobster Bar

Outside Ed's

When my cousin suggested Ed’s Lobster Bar for dinner tonight, I have to admit I wasn’t that thrilled. I never like planning in advance to go to a restaurant with a specific food agenda in mind – a burger place, or a ramen place, for example – because who knows what I’ll feel like eating at that moment? I looked at the Ed’s Lobster Bar menu online, though, and being the seafood lover I am I knew I wouldn’t have trouble finding something I liked. So glad I overcame my fear!

view of the narrow bar

Ed’s doesn’t take reservations, so my sister and I showed up at 6pm on the dot to avoid the crowd. Though there were only a few people seated, our stone-cold faced waiter showed no excitement about relenting and allowing us to sit while waiting for cousin Lisa. In an attempt to generate a smile on his face, we ordered prosecco and clam chowder after downing a few bags of oyster crackers.

The clam chowder, which the waiter proudly claimed as flour-free, came out piping hot. While slightly thinner and creamier than the classic San Francisco chowder (a la Boudin), it was incredibly flavorful, rich, and well seasoned with subtle chunks of bacon, chive, and onion. The only thing missing was the operative ingredient: large pieces of clam. Instead, it was served with just one large unshelled clam. Regardless, the soup was so addictive that I could hardly allow my spoon to rest between bites.

scrumptious clam chowder

Right after our clam chowder, we were given an awesome amuse bouche of lobster risotto – quite a welcome surprise for a casual little seafood house.

risotto amuse bouche

I had no choice but to order a lobster roll after seeing at least 5 of them fly by my view, and it was just as incredible as it looked. In fact, it was the best lobster roll I’ve ever had. Huge chunks of delicately dressed lobster meat nestled in a decadently soft buttered roll created the perfectly compact, refreshing sandwich. It brought me right back to the Cape Cod summers I never had but always imagined. And while some lobster rolls can suffer from fishiness or the overpowering disgustingness of mayonaise, Ed’s Lobster Roll tasted impeccably fresh and had the perfect ratio of lobster to dressing. Just another reminder of how incredible lobster really is, any time of the year.

perfect lobster roll

I got my lobster roll with a side of salad, but after tasting a handful of my sister’s fries, I couldn’t keep my hands away from them – thick cut, perfectly salted and hot, these fries totally lived up to the quality of this roll.

All of our food was fantastic, but toward the end of our meal we got final validation of the restaurant’s worth when Pee Wee Herman arrived, cocktail in hand. Like a respectful gen Y-er should, our waiter’s whole disposition changed upon seeing PeeWee’s face, and he waited on him hand and food like a servant to a king. Too bad everyone around us were too engrossed in their lobster-themed food to really care that such a legend had arrived.

what I would have ordered had I not been so full

If not to see PeeWee again, I will absolutely return to Ed’s Lobster Roll when I’m looking for a casual environment with predictably delicious food. And next time – I will DEFINITELY get the lobster roll in dessert form. If you find a chance to come, just don’t expect to get any reaction out of the gray haired, lanky waiter when outwardly praising the food.

Grade: A

Location: 222 Lafayette Street at Spring

Wesbsite:
http://www.lobsterbarnyc.com/

*some pictures from Google images

 

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March 16, 2011 · 2:12 am

Rubirosa

cut out review

Had it not been for Sonia, Rubirosa would have fizzled in my mind like the various nondescript spots I ignore en route to bigger and better prospects (like Torrisi Italian Specialties). But when she grabbed my arm and moaned about their incredible vodka sauce pizza upon passing it last weekend, I knew it had to be something special. Coincidentally enough, just days later I came across a Serious Eats article marking Rubirosa as Nolita’s “best bets for pizza right now.” All signs urged me to suggest it as a meeting place for a much anticipated reunion with my college friend Ashley.

Front of Rubirosa

At first glance, one could mistake Rubirosa for a cheesy overpriced tourist trap, similar to the front runners on Bleecker between 6th and 5th avenue. The menu alone however is good indication that there’s history and love behind the delicious, red sauce italian food. Inside, a  narrow bar lines the side of a few high top tables, which leads to a handful of regular dining tables in the back. Low lighting, good music, and the smell of mozzarella cheese make it ideal for any laid back occasion.

The complimentary bread was just the unremarkable quality I would expected at a pizza restaurant, but was served immediately before ordering, which I really appreciate as someone with low blood sugar. After studying the large medley of bruschetta (at $2.50 a piece), we decided to share the meatball bruschetta, which came with fresh tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese, and the rubirosa salad with arugula, cucumbers, tomatoes, croutons, and mozzarella. The bruschetta was excellent, and tasted identical to the ridiculous Dino’s meatball subs I once ate as pre-schooler in San Francisco. Fresh, gooey cheese with toasted olive oiled bread, complimented with a massive meatball only properly edible with a knife and fork. The salad was light, simply dressed, and straight forward, and the croutons were hearty and well seasoned.

Rubirosa salad

Meatball Bruschetta

We also ordered an escarole bruschetta, but when our waiter arrived with a side of escarole instead, we came to the sudden conclusion that words had been lost in American to Australian translation. Though he blamed it on my miscommunication, he was kind enough to leave us with the vegetable sides and take the items off our bill.

For our main course, we split a small pizza, which was far larger than what I’m used to eating at frilly pizza spots like Pulino’s or Otto. Despite utterly thin crust, the pizza fed us well with layers of sauce, mozzarella, peas, and prosciutto. Each slice sturdily held up its toppings and was stable enough to eat with our hands. My (requested) vodka sauce tasted great on the side, and the subtle creaminess balanced out the saltiness of the cheese quite well – I would definitely go for the vodka sauce pizza next time around. Overall, though, the pizza was hearty, flavorful, and wonderfully wood-oven charred. And the one up Rubirosa has on other wood oven pizzas is their 10:1 topping to crust ratio, as opposed to that of Pulino’s, for example, whose surface area is massively overwhelmed by unexciting crust.

prosciutto pizza

Another pizza to taste...next time

I would undoubtedly return to Rubirosa to try yet another one of their delicious pizza combinations. Each table I could spy on had something totally unique but enticing, so it would pay to come with a group to have the chance to taste a variety. At just $40 for the two of us, Ashley and I left extremely satisfied in terms of not only our appetite, but with the feeling that we definitely got our money’s worth.

Grade: A-

Location: 235 Mulberry Street, New York, NY 10012 (b/n Prince and Spring Streets

Website: http://www.facebook.com/pages/RubirosaNYC

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March 7, 2011 · 2:35 am

Torrisi Italian Specialties

front of Torrisi

This weekend was all about accomplishing my food goals – Barrio Chino last night, and then Torrisi Italian Specialties yesterday afternoon. I had no formal plan in mind to eat there, but Sonia and I had a plan to go to a boutique on the same street. When we saw a sign in the window that said “back in 5 minutes,” we had no other choice but to kill time and sample some of the many delicacies that this italian specialty shop has to offer.

close quarters inside

Despite the odd hour of 3pm, people awaiting their to-go orders or looking for a table hovered around the front entry. We pushed through and plopped in a short line inside and decided on a to-go order of eggplant parmesan and a side of brussels sprouts for a pricey $14. The scent of warm mozzarella and freshly roasted turkey was so intoxicating that we almost neglected to realize that to our right was sitting Sofia Coppola and her family, devouring sandwiches just like the laymen in the restaurant.

We asked for minimum preparation in attempts to speed up the order (not warmed, no bread), but that didn’t seem to help. We grabbed our ticket and waited impatiently for 15 minutes. But with our first bite of eggplant, all my anxiety from waiting with hunger dissolved. The dish tasted just like my mom’s with its warm, thinly sliced eggplant layered between bright red tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and sprigs of basil. The brussels sprouts, tossed with red pepper flakes, pecorino, and red onion, complimented the mild flavors of the eggplant perfectly.

 

beautiful eggplant parm

Sonia about to dive in

While I am satisfied that I can say I’ve finally tried Torrisi, I feel like I was sold short. The eggplant, while amazing, was such a teaser of all of the other amazing food I’ve yet to try. I guess innocence is bliss, because now I won’t feel content until I score a table here for dinner.

Grade: A

Address: 250 Mulberry St btwn Spring and Prince

Website:www.piginahat.com

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February 8, 2011 · 3:31 am

La Esquina

Restaurant in disguise

The success rate for reserving a table at La Esquina is about 1 in every 20 attempts. Up until last week, I’ve spoken to a live voice on the reservation line only twice, and each time I’ve heard the same old chorus: nothing available. I began to suspect La Esquina was a cult, similar to Waverly Inn, where you really didn’t stand a chance to enter unless you were or knew someone famous.

I just recently discovered the recipe for success: Monday nights at 6pm. Who else goes out at 6pm on Mondays but those desperately wanted to try a hot spot like this one? Fortunately, I and three of my colleagues had an excuse to celebrate, and we decided to seal the deal tonight.

Like many of the mysterious, highly acclaimed restaurants in downtown New York, La Esquina masks itself as a run down taco shop in the middle of an abandoned intersection in Soho. The restaurant below it is accessible via an entry way labeled as “Private: Employees Only” and guarded by the host – so grounds are completely invisible by the surrounding laymen lacking reservations. The trends are all too familiar: disguise and intrigue leads to intense curiosity, which transforms into great publicity, which generates seriously high demand for tables. The seductive, Speakeasy-style restaurants may not be worth the allure in actuality, but I can shamelessly admit that being an insider for a night feels damn right satisfying.

After being led downstairs and through the kitchen, we entered the underground dining area, so dimly lit that even the excessive stereotypical Mexican decor was difficult to see. Visibility had no affect on service, and our drink orders were taken immediately – I had the Diablo with cucumber puree and jalapeno tequila. Hankering for some noshes, I asked for chips and salsa but was saddened (though not surprised) by our waiter’s response, which she had obviously recited many times before: “La Esquina does not have guacamole or chips, or burritos for that matter.” What a great ploy to force the hungry to over-order!

Pepino Diablo

We started with the quesadilla de huitlacoche with mexican truffle, roasted corn, mushrooms, and queso oaxaca. You can never go wrong with a quesadilla, but I could hardly taste the truffle, and would have loved a fresher pico de gallo over the smokey salsa that was served on the side.

Mushroom Quesadilla

I expected the crab tostada to be one large fried corn tortilla; instead, it came out as three tapas on small round chips. The piled crab was awesomely fresh and light nonetheless, and easy to eat in one swoop.

Next came the salad mixta, which came with a slew of vegetables ranging from string beans to brussels sprouts, queso fresco, and large chunks of avocado. Fresh, crunchy, and flavorful, and relatively generous in portion, this was definitely a stand out of the appetizers.

ensalada mixta

For our main course, we ordered two “taquitos”: the char grilled steak and the grilled skewered fish, along with a side of rice, beans, and swiss chard. The taquitos were served on soft corn tortillas, and were therefore identical to what I consider a taco except served a la carte, and minuscule compared to the bountiful tacos I’ve grown to love at Mole. Still, they tasted fresh, and the steak was well seasoned and tender. One order per person is a must.

pescado taquitos

After finishing up our first round, we supplemented our order with another quesadilla and the chicken tostadas, which had a little more zing with crema and avocado. The smokiness of the chicken meshed well with the crispy corn tortilla, but the fresh crab still reigned as the winner.

Chicken taquito

It definitely took a series of dishes to satisfy our hunger, but fortunately I find joy in trying a little bit of a large variety. When I think Mexican food, I tend to envision large plates with many components. La Esquina is definitely not the norm in that respect – with a focus on a la carte (very) small plates, dim lighting, and strong drinks, it’s definitely New York’s swanked out twist on Mexican authenticity.

The light portion sizes at least serve a purpose to free up room for dessert, and I was thrilled to see a dense warm chocolate cake with cinnamon and creme fraiche ice cream on the list. I couldn’t taste a lick of cinnamon, but the cake was warm and consistently smooth. Per our server’s recommendation, we also tried the three-cheese cheesecake with caramelized walnuts and pomegranate seeds. A richer, creamier version of flan, this resembled the desserts I’m accustomed to seeing, and avoiding, at Mexican restaurants. Not my favorite, but would definitely be a crowd pleaser for the non-chocolate-dessert lovers (bless your hearts).

Mexican cheesecake

 

chocolate cake

I loved having the chance to make my dream of eating at La Esquina a reality, but taken out of context, the food was, simply put, fine. Not far ahead of Dos Caminos on the list of acceptable Mexican. A trip to La Esquina is not warranted, as one would expect, by food alone. You should come with high expectations of the overall experience – sharing tapas with friends, while feeling on top of the world in an underground scene. And shamelessly, it’s for this reason that I’ll attempt to return when I next have guests in town who are simply looking for stiff cocktails, some New York absurdity, and a good time.

Grade: B+

Location: 114 Kenmare @ Lafayette Street

Website: http://www.laesquinanyc.com

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