• Forbes gave 3 Green GOs to Philippe: “exquisite and unusual jade dumplings, great Singapore noodles, divine filet mignon and delectable Peking duck … very expensive” (previous review: Moira Hodgson (TWIR, February 3, 2006)), web site, 33 East 60th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues, 212-644-8885 [MenuPages | NY Mag | Gayot | Citysearch] … La Focaccia: “be sure to try the mushroom polenta” 51 Bank Street, at West 4th Street, 212-675-3754 [MenuPages | NYT | openlist | Yelp | Citysearch] … Roberto Passon: “a charming spot at which to eat absolutely first-rate Italian fare before or after the theater.” (previous review: Moira Hodgson (TWIR, Sept. 23, 2005)), web site (Flash and music), 741 Ninth Avenue, at 50th Street, 212-582-5599 [MenuPages | NY Mag | Village Voice | Yelp | Citysearch]
• foodite has no complaints about the food at Chickpea … but reports that the service is sloooooooowwwwww … web site, 210 East 14th Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, 212-254-9500
• Robert Sietsema says the bean curd at En Japanese Brasserie “is indeed wonderful.” … “aji sashimi ($15) was the most remarkable special, a horse mackerel rearing up from a bed of ice, the flesh laid out in planks and curls along the length of its gray glinting body. And it’s eyes were as clear as any in the former Fulton Fish Market.” … web site (Flash and music) 435 Hudson Street, 212-647-9196 [Citysearch]
• Peter Meehan says Jerk City “serves exceedingly moist jerk chicken, infused with and crusted in an aromatic, lightly sweet and assertively spicy jerk seasoning” … 3402 Church Avenue, at 34th Street, Flatbush, Brooklyn, 718-941-3800
• Adam Platt gave 3 stars to Dona … “the almond-crusted prawns and the octopus, which was simmered in red wine and served in little candy-size nuggets with peaches and salty wafers of crisped guanciale [is] exceptional” … “The pastas are probably the weakest part of the menu” … the “buttery, heavily truffled reprise of the tiresomely fashionable Florentine dumplings called gnudi drew gasps of wonder from the assembled gastronomes at my table and are, in fact, worth a special trip.” … web site, 208 E. 52nd Street, near Third Avenue, 212-308-0830 [Diners Journal | NY Mag | Citysearch]
• Gael Greene declares that the burger at Barmarché “is a juicy triumph” … but says the food is “Not worth a long trip perhaps, but in tune with the hood.” … web site, 14 Spring Street, at Elizabeth Street, 212-219-2399 [MenuPages | NYT | Village Voice | openlist | Yelp | Citysearch]
• Andrea Thompson reviews Morimoto and Buddakan … Buddakan: “At Buddakan, on the other hand, nothing could mitigate the unpleasantly garish atmosphere. The upstairs lounge is clogged with slick-haired men doused in cologne and young, look-alike women” … (previous reviews: Frank Bruni (TWIR, March 24, 2006), Augieland (TWIR, March 10, 2006)) … 75 9th Avenue, between 15th and 16th Streets, 212-989-6699 [MenuPages | Citysearch] … Morimoto: “How much Morimoto actually contributes to putting food on the plate is unclear, but the kitchen deserves praise. The Japanese-fusion menu has its low moments: a tuna-pizza appetizer paired oddly tasteless, almost mushy fish with an unappealing anchovy aioli.” … (previous reviews: Frank Bruni (TWIR, March 24, 2006), David Rosen and Mona’s Apple (TWIR, March 3, 2006), Steve Cuozzo and Augieland (TWIR, February 17, 2006), Augieland (TWIR, February 10, 2006), Augieland (TWIR, February 3, 2006)) … web site, 88 10th Avenue, between 15th and 16th Streets, 212-989-8883 [MenuPages | NY Mag | Citysearch]
• Frank Bruni gave 1 star to Sascha … and uses old emails to “write” the review … web site, 55 Gansevoort Street, at 9th Avenue, 212-989-1920 [Urban Daddy | NY Mag | Gayot | Citysearch]
• The Bruni Digest looks at Frank Bruni’s recent cross country trip … and imagines Frank as “a pampered diner, my diet richer in squab and poorer in chili dogs than most Americans’.” …
• Veal Cheeks says his lunch at Roberto’s “was hardly distressing, but the main course specials were undistinguished” … “Entrees were moist flubs” … “[Veal Scallopine] edged toward the sloppy and gloppy” … 603 Crescent Avenue, near Arthur Avenue, Bronx, 718-733-9503 [NYT | NY Mag | Village Voice | Citysearch]
• Andrea Strong reviews Sfoglia … “Pastas are also just plain old wonderful—they are truly al dente, firmer than most pastas in town. Capers are the high note in a glorious ragu of Apuglian lamb and tossed with chickpeas that coats pinky-finger sized ricotta cavatelli” … web site, 1402 Lexington Avenue, at 92nd Street, 212-831-1402 [MenuPages | NYT]
• The Hedonista looks at toy food …
• NYC nosh says the Golden King Bakery serves “traditional Chinese pastry-light spongey cakes, vegetable and meat buns, and a variety of sweet-ish rolls” … did not like the steamed pork bun … 92 Bowery, 212-680-0138 … and sings the praises of Cincinnati’s Aglamesis Brothers ice cream and chocolates … web site, 3046 Madison Road, Cincinnati, OH, 513-531-5196 [Citysearch]
• Twenty bucks a day continues in his quest to try all the places on Tom Sietsma’s 100 best and most inexpensive list … wanted the chicken in palm oil at Fatima, but “ended up with the proprietor-recommended hacked up fish parts in a red-brown sauce (it had a little kick) with the most enormous plate of rice I’ve ever seen” … “The sauce was excellent and the rice was fine – I’m just not that wild about bone-in fish chopped into large chunks” … 789 Franklin Avenue, Brooklyn, 718-221-8681 [Village Voice | Citysearch]
• pushcart NYC recommends Moshie’s Falafel cart on the SE corner of 46th Street and 6th Avenue … “sit down to eat, and take the time to savor the complex layering of flavors” …
• Slashfood is inspired by KFC’s Cheesy Chicken Mashed Potato Bowl … and comes up with several variations … we like “The Bachelor Bowl: base of microwave pizza, then leftover Chinese take-out, then salsa, finally finished by whatever’s still in the ‘Crisper’ drawer” …
• slice has a pic of the “The coolest wedding reception EVER” …
• snack plugged the Cans Film Festival … “the Food Bank’s three-day cinema event” …
• Big Apple Dining Guide says the NY Culinary Festival was “The Story of a Disaster” … “an awful event” … “Truly the world’s worst run event.” … but admits the food was “pretty good for the most part (of what I sampled)” … and foodite agrees: “For the most part it was unexciting, unorganized, and most notably, not worth the $20 admission fee.” … The Girl Who Ate Everything: “If you went to the festival just to eat, your $20 were wasted” … lovescool “was shocked at the lack of organization and selection of food vendors. Despite a few bright spots, the event was one that left more people disappointed than full” … NY Culinary Festival web site …
• Augieland reviews the bar food at Eleven Madison Park … the Gougères “deserve to keep their place on the bar menu” … the “Smoked Salmon Brioche and Horseradish Cream [is] a good, solid dish that plays on the lighter side of the menu” … and the “Grilled Cheese Pork Belly and Gruyère Réserve [are] wonderfully tender, rich, and generally succulent. An order is five tea-sized sandwiches, but the sumptuousness made one or two enough” … web site, 11 Madison Avenue, at 24th Street, 212-889-0905 [MenuPages | NYT | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch] … gave Home 320 habitationillian stars and described it as “A humble neighborhood place you can stop by in your commuting clothes, sit down, and have a well prepared meal much like the one you would have made yourself had time and energy been on your side.” … web site, 20 Cornelia Street, at 6th Avenue, 212-243-9579 [NYT | NY Mag | openlist | Gayot | Yelp | Citysearch] … and gave 471 brokerillian stars to Harry’s Steak … “Dry Aged NY Strip on the Bone: Aged in-house 28 days, this was a decent steak with nice browning, not overly charred. There were both sweetness and richness, good salt and pepper, and no need to do much more to this than apply a knife and fork.” … “If there are three levels of steak house in New York, on its first night Harry’s was solidly at the top of the middle — far better than many, and only subjugated to a few.” … 97 Pearl Street, 212-785-9200 [MenuPages]
• megnut‘s recent dinner at Eleven Madison Park didn’t start out too well: “no bread nor water nor even server for nearly fifteen minutes” … but things improved: “The third amuse, and best presentation of anything I’d seen in a long time, was a beet and apple forest. Two kinds of beets and apples, carved into cylinders of various lengths, were standing on end, nestled together. Delicious and so artfully assembled, this was the highlight of the meal for me” …

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