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This Week in NYC Reviews – January 6, 2006

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 …

Culinary Historians of New York will feature Joanna Waley-Cohen talking about “Gastronomy and Gluttony in Early Modern China” on January 31, 2006, 6:30 pm sign-in … flyer here (1-page pdf) …

WhiteTrashBBQ reports that “A stuck up chef at Buck’s Fishing and Camping in Washington DC has threatened Jason at DC Foodies with a law suit for posting pictures of his dinner on his website.” … D.C. Foodies has removed the post in question, which we believe is unfortunate … a restaurant that doesn’t want its food reviewed or photos of its dishes published is a restaurant that doesn’t want your business …
Leslie Casimir reports on Colors … a restaurant that 50 workers, “many of whom worked at Windows on the World, now own and operate” … 417 Lafayette Street, north of East 4th Street, 212-777-8443 (photos from September preview)
Slice says Tosca Cafe has “long been on the Slice ‘places to try’ list‘ … it has “a coal oven, and that’s a big deal. Coal-burners are a sort of holy grail in this town, as some of the best and oldest pizzerias use them to produce amazing pizzas. Such ovens are capable of reaching the insanely hot temperatures needed to make a pie crisp and give it oven spring while still yielding a satisfying chewiness and pliability in the crust.” … web site, 4038 East Tremont Avenue, Bronx, 718-239-3300
Pascale Le Draoulec gives 2 stars to Gradisca … and liked the “pesto crowning four prosciutto-wrapped bundles of creamy buffalo mozzarella” … “ravioli filled with buffalo ricotta and fresh herbs and drenched in a butter and sage sauce” … “tummy-rubbing ‘parmigiania’ terrine of zucchini, eggs and mozzarella slathered with tomato puree and parmigiano.” … 126 West 13th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues, 212-691-4886 [MenuPages | NYT | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch]
Robert Sietsema writes that “A handful of dishes are stunning” at Marrackech … “while the rest are bland and undistinguished, from a cuisine that must be counted among the world’s most exciting. Traditional lamb tajine ($16) is one of the stunners” … as is “kefta tajine ($11), miniature lamb meatballs in a subtle tomato sauce, made extravagant by a pair of sunny-side-up eggs perched on top.” … 144 Hicks Street, Brooklyn, 718-855-2633
Joshua Bernstein had breakfast at Down South Cafe … “The buttery eggs are richer than Bloomberg, while the sausage is cooked to a blackened carrot crunch. A mini-mountain of grits is capped by matching, egg yolk–size pats of butter.” … 349 Lewis Avenue (also Dr. Sandy F Ray Blvd.), between Halsey and Hancock Streets, Brooklyn, 718-574-5889 [Village Voice]
Veal Cheeks has a humorous post about Alice’s Tea Cup, Chapter Two … for brunch, “We selected Alice’s Curious French Toast (oh, what a title that): “French toast bites with apple-cinnamon tea, baked bread pudding style, attacked with fruit coulis, vanilla cream anglais and syrupy sweet stuff.” I can not possibly capture the essence of this establishment with more precision than does the title of this dish. This description is from the webpage, the menu claims that it contains “apple-brandy tea,” an image that provoked a few moments of wry amusement before I came to wonder about the fruit coulis attacking defenseless French toast. That bites. As served, the dish was a glorious, if discordant, symphony of the candied and the sticky.” … 156 East 64th Street, at Lexington Avenue, 212-486-9200 [Citysearch]
Peter Meehan says that La Conquita has “the best rice and beans in Lower Manhattan. White rice and yellow rice; red beans and black beans: order one color of one and another of the other, opt for the sweet fried plantains and the vinegar onions. All of it will cost only $4. For $2 more you can get meat on top of the rice and beans (nearly two pounds of nourishment for $6).” … 236 Lafayette Street, between Prince and Spring Streets, 212-226-9835
Twenty bucks a day thinks Burger Joint “is good, but I’m puzzled as to the cult that worships at its wood-paneled altar. The best thing about it may well have been the speed with which the burgers, fries, and shake were delivered“… web site, 118 West 57th Street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues in the Meridian Hotel lobby, 212-708-7414 [MenuPages | A Hamburger Today | Citysearch] … Cheburechnaya “is one of the best deals and best meals I’ve yet encountered in my quest” … “amazing cracker-bread noni toki. It looks like a giant Carr’s cracker in the shape of a dish, approximately the size of a truck hubcap. Paired with a great hummus” … ordered 4 skewers, “of which the vaunted lamb fat was my favorite. Possessing of an amazing charcoal-lamb flavor and a melt-in-your-mouth consistency” … 92-09 63rd Drive, Rego Park, Queens, 718-897-9080 [Village Voice] … and “Mexicali, on Court St. between Atlantic and Pacific, is easily the worst place I’ve eaten in recent memory, and a strong contender for worst ever.” … 137 Court Street, Brooklyn, 718-625-7370
Mona’s Apple was “slightly disappointed by” The Modern … portions were small, leaving lots of room for dessert: “The beignets were one of the best desserts I have ever had, and one of the more fun to eat too. They were warm doughy pieces… the Ferrari of donuts…and served with maple ice cream, caramel, and citrus mango marmelade.” … we like that, “the Ferrari of donuts” … at MoMA, web site, 11 West 53rd Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues, 212-333-1220 [MenuPages | NYT | Gayot | Citysearch]
Waiter Rant has help for aspiring oenophiles with “How to order wine without looking like an asshole” … our favorites: “2. Don’t ask, ‘What’s cheap?’” … “7. If you can’t pronounce the name of the wine, don’t. Just tell me the number.” … “26. Its wine, not the Blood of Christ. Don’t worship it. Enjoy it.” …
Steve Cuozzo has an interview with “Stephen Starr, the restaurant god of Philadelphia – a good eating town whose culinary scene has yet to catch global fire. Now he’s taking on our local establishment with two big, ambitious restaurants in Chelsea Market this winter, Morimoto and Buddakan.” … somehow, Waiter Rant’s warning about wine and the Blood of Christ seems appropriate here …
Adam Platt published “The Platt 101: New York’s best restaurants from first to last.” …

5 stars: Le Bernardin and Masa …
4 stars: Per Se, WD-50, Craft, Babbo, Jean Georges, Daniel, Aquavit …
3 stars: Blue Hill, Gotham Bar and Grill, Wallse, Chanterelle, The Modern, Sushi of Gari (East Side), Union Square Cafe, Cafe Boulud, Quest, Balthazar, Esca, Town, Cafe Gray, Picholine, Cru, Oceana, L’Impero, Annisa, Devi, Sushi Yasuda, Veritas, David Burke & Donatella, Tabla and Tabla Bread Bar …
2 stars: Alaine Ducasse at the Essex House, Gramercy Tavern, Asiate, Alto, Casa Mono, Jovia, Fleur De Sel, Nobu, Bouley and Bouley Upstairs, Spice Market, Peter Luger, DB Bistro Moderne, Jewel Bako, Applewood, ‘Cesca, Perry Street, Lupa, Hearth, Abboccato, The Spotted Pig, Mas (Farmhouse), 5 Ninth, Jojo, The Four Seasons, Sparks Steak House, Mary’s Fish Camp, Pearl Oyster Bar, Bellavitæ, Otto Enoteca Pizzeria, Pampano, Artisanal Fromagerie and Bistro, Brasserie LCB, Thor, Danube, Matsuri, BLT Steak, Bar Americain, Teodora, Fiamme Osteria, Oriental Garden, Payard Patisserie and Bistro, Swifty’s, Mermaid Inn, Kittichai, Peasant, Beppe, Blue Ribbon
1 star: Tía Pol, Barbuto, Mainland, Taboon, Pure Food and Wine, Onera, Bao 111, Nice Matin, 360, iCi, Prune, August, Al Di Là, Gennaro, The Grocery, ‘Inoteca, Landmarc, Franny’s, Grand Sichuan Eastern (Second Avenue), Chikalicious, Cafe Sabarsky, Momofuku Noodle Bar

… also had his “5 Best Italian” … “5 Best Brooklyn” … “5 Best Bang for the Buck” … and “The 2005 Overrated List” …

Andrea Strong: “Despite [a] few off dishes, I loved the food, the simple ingredient-driven approach” at Telepan … “Hen of the Woods mushroom [salad was] complete brilliance.” … but “there is nothing on the menu that compares to the Robiola Tortellini ($16.50). This is a dish that would have resulted from the marriage of an Italian grandmother and a Jewish grandmother” … web site, 72 West 69th Street, between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West, 212-580-4300 [MenuPages | Mouthfuls | Citysearch]
eater has a nice roundup of food blog favorites …”The Year In Eater, 2005” …
The Bruni Digest also has a year-end wrap up … “Best of Bruni 2005” …
David Rosen was also “Looking Back, New York’s 2005 Dining Scene Filled With Delicious Highs, Lows” …
Frank Bruni gave 1 star to Centrico … “At Centrico, you can bet on a meal that will be at least somewhat pleasing.” … “a generous $11 portion of guacamole came in a wood chalice of sorts, with an aureole of multicolored chips. It was near room temperature and vibrantly seasoned with onion, cilantro and lime.” … uh oh: “exploring and adapting Mexican regional dishes for a Manhattan audience.” … personally, we’d prefer that dishes not be adapted for a “Manhattan audience” as our experience has been that Manhattanizing ethnic food makes it less, not more, interesting … “truly compelling dishes were the exception at Centrico; sufficiently appealing ones were the norm.” … (previous reviews : foodie nyc (TWIR, December 16, 2005), Hal Rubenstein (TWIR, October 14, 2005)) … web site, 211 West Broadway, at Franklin Street, 212-431-0700 [MenuPages | Gayot | Citysearch]
… and “Satisfactory” to Zarela … “Zarela, in contrast, is a crapshoot.” … “Its kitchen sent out tough shrimp and dry pork. Its servers routinely ignored tables. A man who answered the phone was borderline mean.” … “a paltry $10.25 portion of guacamole … was dull tasting and suspiciously cold, suggesting it had been languishing in a refrigerator.” … “best of all, there is shredded lamb barbacoa, flavored with chilies, cumin, cloves, allspice berries, onion, oregano and more. The meat was moist and mesmerizing, and along with a few other standout dishes, like chilaquiles, a gooey amalgam of corn tortilla strips, shredded chicken, sour cream and white cheddar, it was proof you can have a wonderful meal at Zarela.” … web site, 953 Second Avenue, between 50th and 51st Streets, 212-644-6740 [MenuPages | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch] … and reviews Heirloom in Diner’s Journal … “successful dishes [included] lemon pepper fettuccine with arugula, porcini mushrooms and a walnut cream sauce. Another standout: an amalgam of grits, smoked hominy, avocado and queso fresco.” … (previous review : Salli Vates (TWIR, December 16, 2005)) … web site, 191 Orchard Street, 212-228-9888 [Citysearch]