“The pleasures of the table, and of life, are infinite.”
— Julia Child
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 DC restaurant reviews, see This Week in DC Reviews at Hobnob Blog, and Tyler Cowen’s Ethnic Dining Guide ….
NYC Restaurant inspection results online

• pushcart NYC says the kebab cart at the NW corner of 32nd Street and Broadway in Queens “is the hands-down winner in the kebabs category, serving fresh-cooked meat from noon to 6 in the morning, 7 days a week. This is a hard-core operation.” … “The meat is so perfect though, any way you have them they’d be great.” …
• Slashfood agrees with our assessment of the pizza, hot dogs, and chicken bakes at Costco … “The best place to get a cheap meal is no longer your local McDonald’s, Burger King or other fast food establishment – it’s Costco.” … all-beef foot-long hot dog, with drink, for $1.50 … “the foods taste great and are an incredibly good deal” … 18-inch pizzas for $10 … berry smoothies for $1.55 … no whiny emails please …
• Robert Sietsema likes Mie Jakarta … “Next to satays, gado-gado is probably Indonesia’s most famous dish, and it has been embraced throughout the island chain and in neighboring Malaysia. Mie Jakarta’s version is more rudimentary than the one found at New York’s Malaysian cafes, consisting mainly of shredded lettuce, bean sprouts, bean curd, a boiled egg, and decorative shrimp crackers–but what could be more perfect?” … “The most spectacular offering is ayam rica ($6.50), a quarter fried chicken paved with a coarse red coating that, upon closer inspection, turns out to be mainly pickled chiles” … 86-20 Whitney Avenue, Queens, 718-606-8025 [Chowhound]
• The Girl Who Ate Everything liked the massive burgers and fries at Corner Bistro … “My rare burger was fortunately cooked to my order … a mass of soft pink innards that made me feel more carnivorous than I normally do.” … (previous review: Twenty Bucks a Day (TWIR, March 17, 2006)) … web site, 331 West 4th Street, 212-242-9502 [A Hamburger Today | The Economist | MenuPages | NYT | NY Mag | openlist | Gayot | Yelp | Citysearch]
• foodite also likes Corner Bistro … “There’s hardly a burger place with less pretensions as this West Village burger haunt that serves thick and juicy, sometimes even too-bloody, burgers on nothing more than flimsy coffee filter saucers.” … has pics of the $24.07 lunch at Gotham Bar and Grill … web site, 12 East 12th Street, at 5th Avenue, 212-620-7810 [MenuPages | NYT | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch] … and congratulations to foodite on starting Level 2 at The French Culinary Institute!
• Savory Tidbits added 4 new videos: “Devi with Suvir Saran, Il Buco with Donna Lennard and Ed Witt, ‘inoteca with Joe Denton and Eric Kleinman and Veritas with Scott Bryan.”
• Vittles Vamp likes the “perfectly crisp Blintzes stuffed with sweet farmer’s cheese and fresh blueberries” at Teresa’s … 80 Montague Street, Brooklyn, 718-797-3996 [MenuPages | NYT | NY Mag | Citysearch]
• NYC nosh warns that when eating the Carolina Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwich at Daisy May’s BBQ USA, “grab extra napkins. Let me repeat that: grab extra napkins! The bun will be soggy toward the end (i.e. not much help), and the sauce gets, well… absolutely everywhere.” … “The ‘Texas Chopped Beef Brisket’ sandwich ($9.50) arrives with meat that is so tender it falls apart as you eat it” … says the “quality of its sides [is] a bit more uneven.” … web site, 623 11th Avenue, at West 46th Street, 212 977-1500 [White Trash BBQ | MenuPages | NYT | “The Pushcart Prize,” by Carl Swanson, NY Mag | Village Voice | openlist | Gayot | Yelp | Citysearch] … but they weren’t so impressed with El Centro: “we found lots of passably decent dishes–and we ordered quite a bit of food–with nary a standout in the bunch.” … 824 Ninth Avenue, at 54th Street, 646-763-6585 [NY Mag | Citysearch]
• Andrea Thompson‘s review of A Voce sounds … confused … “one evening, the duck meatballs, sour and sweet, were well received on one side of the table but dismissed on the other” … “An entrée of black sea bass was equally divisive: to her, the fish was succulent, the broth bright and fresh, the addition of mussels and croutons a delight. To him, the plate was sparse, the fish too fishy, the vegetables too meagre.” … just the kind of place we want to go and spend $30 for fish … no thanks … (previous reviews: Augieland and Frank Bruni (TWIR, March 24, 2006), Andrew & Karen’s web log and Big Apple Dining Guide (TWIR, March 17, 2006)) …
• Salli Vates says the sushi sashimi lunch at Restaurant Yamaguchi is “Worth the trip from Manhattan, just take the Port Washington line from Penn Station.” … “Yamaguchi is for the purist; you won’t find any spicy mayonnaisey maki here, but you’ll be totally fulfilled by the excellent quality of the fish.” … 63 Main Street, Port Washington, 516-883-3500 [AOL Cityguide | Citysearch]
• Steve Cuozzo bemoans the loss of real Chinese restaurants and says Chinatown Brasserie “is the Disneyland version of a Chinese restaurant.” … “Mastering the techniques of fine Chinese cooking from any region – stir-frying, steaming, braising – can take a lifetime.” … “Another problem is the perception of younger New Yorkers that Chinese food, historically one of the world’s healthiest cuisines, is greasy and fatty – which it often is from takeout joints that load dishes with flour to withstand a 15-block bicycle ride.” … (previous review: Off the Broiler (TWIR, June 2, 2006)) … web site, 380 Lafayette Street, 212-533-7000
• Restaurant Girl confirms that Chinatown Brasserie is “Nothing like Chinatown, this dramatically vibrant space possesses more old world opulence than all of the gritty Canal Street haunts stacked together.” … “If you close your eyes and click your heels together, you might just find yourself in Beijing” eating “a caramelized banana-topped peanut butter parfait surrounded on all sides by peanut brittle and a gentle ginger syrup” … Oh yeah, that famous Chinese dessert, caramelized banana-topped peanut butter parfait … uh huh … Chinese food without the gritty Chinese haunts stacked together, and without Chinese people … yeah, that’s the ticket … Steve Cuozzo got it right – this place attracts those looking for Disneyland …
• Augieland gave 450 gaugeillian stars to Cento Vini … “On the whole, I would say Cento Vino has promise: all the food was of serious quality in execution and freshness. What is there at this point is simple, sometimes excellent and sometimes a little short of that, but their dishes can easily evolve as the wine list and menu fill out. It is worth mentioning that the dishes are actually appetizer size, not larger, and are on the more expensive side.” … web site, 25 West Houston Street, 212-219-2113 … and says the food at Hearth “was as fresh, lively, light, and well made as it looks. The layers of herbs, lettuces, and aromatics are all right there to see. Feast your eyes [on the pictures in the post].” … web site, 403 East 12th Street, 646-602-1300 [MenuPages | NYT | NY Mag | openlist | Savory NY | Gayot | Yelp | Citysearch]
• Off The Broiler declares that Union Square Cafe “is as vibrant and warm and as satisfying a dining experience as the day it opened” 21 years ago … web site, 21 East 16th Street, between Fifth Avenue and Union Square West, 212-243-4020 [MenuPages | NYT | NY Metro | Village Voice | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch]
• Big Apple Dining Guide ate at SriPraPhai … “WOW! As good as I’ve heard and then some. This will likely go down as one of the best dinners I’ll have in New York. The flavors and balance of ingredients were incredible. Truly an eye opening and mouth watering experience. A true wake-up of the senses.” … 64-13 39th Avenue, Queens, between 64th and 65th Streets, 718-899-9599 [NYT | NY Mag | Village Voice | openlist | Savory NY | Gayot | Yelp | Citysearch]
• A Hamburger Today and gothamist are hosting a Beach Burger Party on June 24, 2006, starting at 6:00 pm, at Water Taxi Beach … details here …
• Peter Meehan writes that the cookies and pies at Pies n Thighs “are on a par with the best homemade baked goods I have ever had the fortune of eating.” … “In Pies ‘n’ Thighs Mr. Tanner and Ms. Buck have cobbled together a restaurant that makes their loves clear: good Southern cooking and great baked goods. It’s a compelling combination, well executed and put forth with real heart — the sort of restaurant that’s hard to find, especially in the big city, but easy to love once found.” … web site, 351 Kent Avenue, Brooklyn, next to the Williamsburg Bridge, 347-282-6005 [NY Mag | NY Press | Citysearch]
• Frank Bruni gave 2 stars to Dressler, which “promises, and delivers … food that’s sophisticated without being too clever, in a room that’s beautiful without being too flamboyant.” … web site, 149 Broadway, Brooklyn, 718-384-6343 [MenuPages | NY Mag | Savory NY | Citysearch]
• Gael Greene says “the abundant hills of tantalizing, gently priced food are real, too” at Dressler, “a joy in this era of foam and froth” …
• Twenty bucks a day says he has “disparaged the Mexican food of New York City for the last time, quite possibly” … after eating at De Guerreros Taqueria … “an unbelievable selection of tacos, sandwiches, and other meat-and-starch combinations at prices that will bring a smile to your face.” … 719 5th Avenue, Brooklyn, 718-499-8881 [Village Voice] … and warns there is “some maddening variation in quality” at Pio Maya … “Go get your chorizo tacos at a peak lunch hour, and be prepared to wait for them to make it fresh.” … 40 West 8th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues, 212-254-2277 [NY Mag | Village Voice | Yelp | Citysearch]
• Robin Raisfeld and Rob Patronite report that “The sixteen-seat space has seamlessly become an elegant tapas bar” at Degustation Wine & Tasting Bar … The chef is “Wesley Genovart, a Perry St. grad who looks to be about 12” … “Flavors, for the most part, are bold and harmonious, and often so rich that the smallish portions make perfect sense.” … 239 East 5th Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, 212-979-1012 [Augieland | Yelp | Citysearch]
• UPTOWN flavor says the chicken in the $2.99 snack pack at Harlem Wing And Waffle “was well seasoned and fried to perfection” … web site, 2394 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd., Seventh Avenue and 140th Street, 212-281-1477
• Veal Cheeks had lunch at Per Se … “if my finest New York meal was at Per Se, my second finest New York meal was at Per Se as well” … (previous review: Veal Cheeks (TWIR, January 20, 2006)) … web site, 10 Columbus Circle, at 60th Street and 8th Avenue, Time-Warner Center, 212-823-9335 [MenuPages | NYT | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch] … and says even if Jovia “does not provide the finest meal or even the finest lunch, it surely is the champion prix fixe. A happy occasion for tongue and wallet. Cheap at twice the price.” … (previous reviews: Frank Bruni (TWIR, December 9, 2005), Forbes (TWIR, December 2, 2005), Moira Hodgson (TWIR, November 25, 2005), Steve Cuozzo (TWIR, November 18, 2005)) … web site, 135 East 62nd Street, at Lexington Avenue, 212-752-6000 [MenuPages | NY Mag | Savory NY | Yelp | Citysearch]
• Word of Mouth likes the tapas at Las Ramblas: “Every item was a winner, which is a not-too-frequent occurrence. Each dish had very particular, bold flavors, and the chef has clearly paid great attention to seasonings and taste combinations. Nothing was timid, nothing was heavy-handed.“… web site, 170 West 4th Street, 646-415-7924 [MenuPages | Citysearch]

____________________________________
Subway MTA map | Straphangers interactive map | schedules | HopStop | Interactive Transit Map

Did we miss your favorite review?

Let us know: aguyinnewyork [at] gmail.com … we’re especially interested in hearing about mom and pop places from NYC bloggers …

Link to TWIR

If you want to place a TWIR logo with a review that was featured, feel free to link to one of the banners on the TWIR page.

. . . . . . . . .

Technorati Tags: New York, NYC, Manhattan, restaurants, restaurant reviews, this week in reviews, week in reviews