This Week in NYC Reviews – December 16, 2005
Each Friday, A Guy In New York publishes “This Week in NYC Reviews (TWIR),” with quick links to New York City restaurant reviews and mentions from the previous seven days in blogs, magazines, and newspapers.
Also see our roundup of Michelin 1, 2 and 3 star restaurants with links to reviews …
For a roundup of DC restaurant reviews from DC food bloggers and media, see This Week in DC Reviews at Hobnob Blog …
- NYC Nosh reports that Gennaro “has become our standby restaurant” … “Part of the appeal is the antipasto platter, which is a muscly affair that serves at least two people– three or four if you’re each ordering main dishes.” … “another of Gennaro’s charms is its specials– they make it hard to resist ordering more food than you could possibly eat.” … “the special appetizer of sardines stuffed with golden raisins, rosemary, bread crumbs, and Italian parsley … have become the stuff of legend.” … 665 Amsterdam Avenue, between 92nd and 93rd Streets, 212-665-5348 [MenuPages | menupix | NYT | Gayot | Citysearch]
- Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld write that Bar Carrera “considers itself a bar first, but you shouldn’t. That would discredit the food, which, despite being limited to a long list of small plates (each priced at a very reasonable $3.50 per), and despite the absence of a real kitchen (everything is prepped behind the bar by a remarkably proficient, acrobatic, and mild-mannered cook-busperson-dishwasher), happens to be almost uniformly delicious.” … web site, 175 Second Avenue, between 11th and 12th Streets, 212-375-1555 [Citysearch] … and list 3 places where you can get “a traditional Italian-American supper” … Anthony’s: try the “Sunday sauce with meatballs, braciole, and pork spareribs over rigatoni” … 426A Seventh Avenue, near 14th Street, Brooklyn, 718-369-8315 [Citysearch] … Ama: Sunday sauce is “served with cavatelli-like caputini” … web site, 48 MacDougal Street, near West Houston Street, 212-358-1707 [NYT | Citysearch] … Nonna: “a heaping helping of rigatoni with Sunday sauce” … web site, 520 Columbus Avenue, at 85th Street, 212-579-3194 [MenuPages | NYT | openlist | Citysearch]
- Peter Meehan says the Elvis empanada at Empanada Mama is “a deep-fried belly bomb made with peanut butter and mashed banana that is troublingly tasty for something that is such an obvious threat to one’s physical well-being.“… “the arepa stuffed with tender shredded chicken … is one of the best things the restaurant serves.” … (previous reviews
: Plate Of The Day (TWIR, October 7, 2005)) … 763 Ninth Avenue, between 51st and 52nd Streets, 212-698-9008 [MenuPages | Citysearch]
- foodie nyc reviews four places … Centrico: “Queso fundido with poblano was very good. … A phenomenal braised short rib dish in an ancho chile broth.” … (previous reviews
- Moira Hodgson gave 2 stars to Onera … and says it is unlike “any Greek restaurant I’ve been to anywhere” … “Eating the light, crisp fried calamari inspired dreams of idling under an umbrella on a Mediterranean beach.” … web site, 222 West 79th Street, between Amsterdam and Broadway, 212-873-0200 [MenuPages | NYT | openlist | Citysearch]
- Joshua Bernstein: Fontana’s is “a tri-level bar that unfolds like origami” … “cattycorner from the life-sustaining Dumpling House—purveyors of five crisp pork dumplings for a buck” … 105 Eldridge Street, between Broome and Grand Streets, 212-334-6740 [Citysearch]
- Robert Sietsema: Hadramout has “a halal menu featuring roasts of lamb and chicken served with rice or pitas. Pick the pitas” … “meal begins with a pungent bouillon laced with curry powder, floating tidbits of celery, cilantro, and carrot. It’s so good, a friend wondered out loud one evening if she could take a quart home” … and “the roast lamb leg alone, served on a bed of perfumed rice with little heaps of curried vegetables, would be enough to bring anyone back.” … 172(d) Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, 718-852-3577
- Steve Cuozzo has suggestions for places to eat – and avoid – duirng the next 2 weeks …
- Gael Greene liked the “Wonderful fire-roasted sardines, tasting of mustard oil with tangy Granny Smith–fennel salad” at Barbounia … but the rib eye and lamb chops “seem expensive to me” … 250 Park Avenue South, at East 20th Street, 212-995-0242 [NYT | Citysearch]
- Adam Platt writes that at Jovia “the very pricey items ($38 for the lobster, or a perfectly good though unadorned piece of strip steak) tended to be the least remarkable, while difficult dishes like squab and venison were very good.” … “Among the seafood items, the favorites were the grilled halibut garnished with a nice pesto of herbs and lime, and the uncommonly tender Chatham cod, set over a creamy mix of spinach, faintly smoky clams, and toasted pumpkin seeds.” … (previous reviews
- David Rosen writes that Fatty Crab “showcases a gentrified version of Malaysian street food.” … “Salad is the most successful category. Sweet, cold, pickled watermelon is counterpointed by warm, savory and crispy pork cubes. A charred squid salad is tender and expertly assembled.” … (previous review
- Frank Bruni gave 2 stars to Keens Steakhouse … “Keens expertly dry-ages its beef, which it serves in an array of cuts, all of them memorable and almost all of them mammoth: sirloin, filet mignon, prime rib, porterhouse for two, porterhouse for three.” … “On my visits the restaurant put a nice char on any and every cut that was supposed to have it, and it cooked everything to its requested temperature. It proved itself to be not only one of the city’s most charming and diverting theaters for testosterone cuisine but also one of its most reliable.” … web site, 72 West 36th Street, 212- 947-3636 [MenuPages | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch] … also went to Earl Monroe’s Restaurant … has “a sensational view. The long northern wall of the restaurant is floor-to-ceiling glass facing the Hudson River and the George Washington Bridge” … the “fillet of striped bass encrusted with corn meal and okra … made for a very fine dish.” … “The dishes I tried were a mix of very appealing (those croquettes), overcooked (that chicken) and unremarkable (a grilled skirt steak).” … web site, 750 West 145th Street, in Riverbank State Park, off Riverside Drive, Hamilton Heights, 212-491-1500 [Citysearch]
- The Bruni Digest: “This week, we are taking a class trip to Colonial Restaurantburg, and Frank is going to be our informative yet distractingly-attired docent.” … “Keens Steakhouse: Dead Presidents and Burlap Britches” … “Keens turns out to be a little like TGI Friday’s, stuffed to the gills with “flare” that is somewhat more significant than your average anonymous sports pennant or fake antique doll” … “Two stars, what many people call Frank’s default, is no paltry rating.” …
- Plate of the Day had brunch at Picnic Market & Cafe … the “French Toast is so good alone that it really doesn’t need any syrup at all.” … “The Spinach Frittata is also a great choice for brunch – a great blend of potatoes, eggs and spinach. Not too dry and cooked just right.” … 2665 Broadway, between 101st and 102nd Streets, 212-222-8222 [MenuPages | yelp]
- WhiteTrashBBQ: Daisy May’s BBQ “is easily the best barbecue in the city.” … “The ‘Sticky Ribs’ were easily the best ribs I’ve ever had from Daisy May’s; sweet, a little spicy and smokier than in past orders. If Adam had served me these ribs in a [Kansas City Barbeque Society] contest, he would have easily walked away with first place. I’ve never said that about ‘restaurant barbeque’ before.” … web site, 623 11th Avenue, at West 46th Street, 212-977-1500 [MenuPages | NYT | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch]
- Andrea Thompson reports that Cookshop has “terrific food” … “the entrées are enormous—nearly the size of two main courses at other restaurants” … “but the tables are tightly crammed together—pity the fleet of servers, who must negotiate not only tables, elbows, and bags but also each other.” … (previous reviews
- Andrea Strong has a roundup of restaurants open Christmas, Chanukah, and New Year’s Eve … or you could just head to Chinatown …
- salli vates enjoyed the new vegetarian restaurant, Heirloom … liked the “‘tempura sushi.’ Gossamer slices of persimmon, artichoke and chayote were colorful stand-ins for sushi fish, and tempura haricot verts provided some crunch in the maki.” … and the “‘seafood trio” … assortment of trumpet royale and bluefoot mushrooms was disguised as seared scallops, fried calamari and grilled fluke, which were served on a bed of garlicky sauteed spinach. The scallops in particular were eerily authentic.” … web site, 191 Orchard Street, 212-228-9888 [Citysearch]
- Lisa Amand has quick reviews of 10 restaurants and cafes along Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn …
- Slashfood urges you to try the David Burke slider at Burke Bar Cafe (and also at Burke in the Box) at Bloomingdales … “The David Burke slider is the happiest innovation to hit the hamburger in years.” … 1000 Third Avenue, 59th Street entrance, between Lexington and Third Avenues, 212-705-3800 [NY | The Strong Buzz | Daily News]
- A Hamburger Today describes in detail how the cheeseburkers at Burke in the Box at Bloomingdales are made … “This slider is almost magical, packing all the taste, juice, and punch of a burger four times its size into a fun, tiny, two- or three-bite package” … with pics …
- Twenty bucks a day likes the rice pudding at Rice to Riches … “the rice pudding at RTR is extremely good. Expanding on the staple dessert of many ethnic restaurants, the oval-obsessed parlor offers 20 or so intensely flavor-infused puddings that, while not the most effervescent variety you’ll ever have (read: gloppy and heavy), at least rate well against the average ice cream parlor in terms of my enjoyment level.” … “My personal favorite is the mascarpone with cherries, which is just this side of too sweet.” … web site, 37 Spring Street, between Mott and Mulberry Streets, 212-274-0008 [MenuPages | NYT | openlist | Citysearch]
- One Hot Stove recommends Chinese Mirch for “Indo-chinese fusion cuisine” … (previous review
- Veal Cheeks had lunch at Cafe Gray … “dominated by its display kitchen – oddly situated in that the doings of the cooks block what is otherwise a stunning view of Columbus Circle.” … had the “Roast Col Vert Duckling with a Star Anise-Honey Glaze … Perfect” … “Baked Alaska [was] a subtle symphony of the flavors of this most traditional of desserts with the addition of sage and mandarin” … (previous review
- Twenty bucks a day says the food at Polska “was excellent, and much cheaper than the higher-profile restaurants around the corner on Manhattan Ave.” … “The undisputed heavyweight champion of the meal was the order of two filled crepes known as blintzes ($4). Fresh-cooked upon ordering, and taking a few minutes longer to arrive at our table than the rest of the meal, one blintz was filled with sweet, curdy cheese, and the other with fresh strawberries.” … 136 Greenpoint Avenue, Brooklyn, 718-389-8368 [NYT | Gayot]
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