• Ever wonder “Why do most cooked, exotic meats taste like cooked Gallus gallus, the domestic chicken?” Joe Staton concludes “that cooked flavor is a result more of ancestral inheritance than of convergent evolution. Many animals taste similar because they evolved from a common ancestor that tasted that way. The meat of our argument is that ‘chicken-like’ flavor is ancestral (that is, plesiomorphic) for birds and many other vertebrates, as well. Indeed, the emphasis on chicken in the statement “tastes like chicken” is misleading. The common ancestor of most tetrapods would have tasted similarly, if we had only been there to cook and eat it.” via Slashfood…
• Waiter Rant describes how he will seduce you into ordering dessert … no seduction needed if there’s anything chocolate …
• Culinary Historians of New York is sponsoring “Dining With The Gods: A Lecture, Viewing and Tasting of the Culinary Culture of Ancient Greece,” by Andrew Dalby … December 5, 2005, 6:00 – 8:00 pm, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, 1334 York Avenue, between 71st and 72nd Streets …
• eat drink one woman won’t be going back to DoSirak … “impotent, pandering Korean food in desperate need of some culinary Viagra.” … 30 East 13th Street, between Fifth Avenue and University Place, 212-366-9299 [MenuPages | openlist | Citysearch]
• Peter Meehan: Waterfront International Enterprises “is one of the more intriguing Chinese restaurants in the city. It’s not a place to savor the simple pleasures of roast pork buns; it’s a place to revel in the breadth and ingenuity of the Chinese repertory.” … “dried tofu with fresh hot peppers … was profound in its simplicity, like pasta with butter and Parmesan, and just as hard to stop eating.” … “Other dishes we were unanimously bowled over by included crispy lamb with chili pepper … crispy fried pork in orange sauce … and country-style green bean sheet jelly” … 40-09 Prince Street, at Roosevelt Avenue, Queens, 718-321-1363
• Forbes gives green GOs to August: “difficult to choose the best among the monkfish, the pork belly and the beef.” … 359 Bleecker Street, between West 10th and Charles Streets, 212-929-4774 [MenuPages | NYT | openlist | Citysearch]… and Ben and Jack’s Steakhouse: “some of the most delicious steaks and seafood in town.” … (previous review: Marian Burros (TWIR, October 14, 2005)) … 219 East 44th Street, 212-682-5678 [MenuPages | Citysearch] … and a red STOP to Jovia: “food is uniformly bad, haphazardly served and tepid more often than not.” … (previous reviews: Moira Hodgson (TWIR, November 25, 2005), Steve Cuozzo (TWIR, November 18, 2005)) … 135 East 62nd Street, at Lexington Avenue, 212-752-6000 [MenuPages | Citysearch]
• Pascale Le Draoulec gave 1 and a half stars to Pair of 8’s … “Despite its charming Old World bar, the stodgy Cafe des Artistes has become the dining equivalent of a doily. Is it any wonder that some of the staff decided to branch out and open their own place?” … but like many new places is having some hiccups as it gets up and running … “The gooey chocolate bread pudding with its side pour of peanut butter sauce is almost good enough to make you forget these inconsistencies.” … 568 Amsterdam Avenue, between 87th and 88th Streets, 212-874-2742 [Citysearch]
• Frank Bruni likes The Harrison … “Slices of duck breast were plenty flavorful“… “biscuits and gravy. That name was at once apt and misleading. The gravy on the scallion biscuits was made with clams [and] chorizo” … 355 Greenwich Street, at Harrison Street, 212-274-9310 [MenuPages | NYT | openlist | Citysearch]
• Veal Cheeks says Le Bernardin does “not to meet its own standards often enough.” … “barely cooked scallop in a tomato, garlic and clam foam was Neptune’s gift” … “It is my sad duty to report that Le Bernardin’s bread should be given a decent burial at sea.” … “the quartet of raw fluke salads were a dream.” … “Poached Lobster in a Lemon Miso Broth, Shiso and Hon Shimemi Mushrooms … Wow. I cannot decide at this late hour whether the broth was rapture or whether it was the lobster.” … “Lovely dishes are to be had at Le Bernardin, but the inconsistency, particularly on the “lightly cooked” list suggest that the kitchen may be distracted.” … 155 West 51st Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues, 212-554-1515 [MenuPages | NYT | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch] … but “the meal surpassed my expectations” at The River Cafe … the “Millbrook Venison Loin … was a tribute to November, perhaps the most autumnal dish of any I have had in Gotham” … 1 Water Street, below the Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn, 718-522-5200 [NYT | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch]
• Irene Sax: Blossom serves “food that is ‘Organic-Dairy Free-Vegan-Vegetarian’ and ‘First and Foremost Animal Caring.’” … liked “spicy vegetarian chili made with black beans, corn and vegetables” … “if you’re a vegetarian – or even better, a vegan – one meal at Blossom will make you want to eat there every night.” … 187 Ninth Avenue, at 21st Street, 212-627-1144 [Blog Chelsea | NYMetro]
• A Year In Food celebrated returning to NYC by eating at DiFaras … “the squares, like all the pizza at DiFara, taste infinitely better when they’re steaming hot. That wasn’t a problem as, right away, we tore into the delicious dishes. The pizza was still as quintessential New York as we had built it up, the square still as complex and simple as the best out there.” … (previous reviews: Clareified (TWIR, August 26, 2005)) … 1424 Avenue J, Brooklyn, 718-258-1367 [slice]
• Peter Gianotti: Blackstone Steakhouse is a “new restaurant [that] immediately dominates upscale eating-and-drinking adventures along Route 110, for decades Long Island’s Death Valley of dining out” … “really gets going with wood-roasted lamb, shredded and paired with soy-shot oyster mushrooms, set on a sweet corn polenta cake. The “firecracker” crab cake also excels” … 10 Pinelawn Road, Melville, NY, 631-271-7780
• Joshua Bernstein writes that “two-dollar beer mugs hang on” at the Driftwood Inn … “beer’s sold at 1979 prices: $1.50 for a frosty Coors mug.” … “an archetypal old-man hangout: a well-polished bar longer than a giraffe’s neck, with stools for 15 and a mirror to watch yourself drink.” … 114 Nassau Avenue … not a place to go for the food …
• WhiteTrashBBQ doesn’t like the food at Brother Jimmy’s BBQ … “It’s been over a year since my last visit so I thought I’d give it another try. Boy was that a mistake.” … “These were some of the worst BBQ ribs I’ve ever had in NYC. All were overcooked. All were dried out. None were spicy. Don’t waste your time with these. The fries were good, but the baked beans sucked.” … 428 Amsterdam Avenue, between 80th and 81st Streets,212-501-7515
  [MenuPages | Citysearch]

• Hal Rubenstein: “Every single one of Lo Scalco’s pastas is superb, some of the finest you can find in New York.” … “the desserts [are] nearly as delectable as the pastas” … Lo Scalco … 313 Church Street, between Canal and Walker Streets, 212-343-2900 [MenuPages | NYT | openlist | Citysearch]
• Moira Hodgson gave 2 stars to HQ … where the “food is up-to-the-minute—without being over-the-top. It’s sophisticated, but as accessible as bistro cooking should be.” … “Nantucket Bay scallops ceviche … quite delicious.” … “organic Irish salmon … was perfectly cooked” … the “hangar steak … is so good that Simone de Beauvoir might even have been tempted to remove her Gauloise while she ate it.” … 90 Thompson, between Prince and Spring Streets, 212-966-2755 [MenuPages | Citysearch]
• Nick Paumgarten: the entrées at Melbas are “built for comfort and not for speed. As for the chicken and waffles, the highlight, besides the mere act of asking for them, is peeling off the fried batter with your fingers and sopping it in syrup. The only drawback is that this can’t be done at five in the morning: the kitchen at Melba’s closes around eleven.” … (previous review: Gael Greene (TWIR November 4, 2005) … 300 West 114th Street, at Frederick Douglass Boulevard, 212-864-7777 [Citysearch]
• Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld report that there’s a new category on menus: “snacks” …
• Gael Greene: “If you hunger for constancy and dignity, it’s time for” Café Boulud … “roasted duck breast—meaty as steak, sliced in luscious rare chunks, on a bed of bitter greens” … 20 East 76th Street, between 5th and Madison Avenues, 212-772-2600 [NYT | MenuPages | Gayot | Citysearch]
• David Rosen likes the chicken and sides at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que … “the best meat sampled is an apple-brined half chicken perfectly smoked from skin to bone.” … “Homemade side dishes are universally good … Definitely opt for the signature Syracuse-style salt potatoes.” (previous reviews: gothamist (TWIR, November 11, 2005)) … 646 West 131st Street, 212-694-1777 [NYT | Gayot | Citysearch]
• Big Apple Dining Guide had breakfast at Friend of a Farmer … “Southwestern Omelette which was a crispy tortilla filled with scrambled eggs, guacamole, salsa, sour cream and cheese. I also ordered a side of bacon. The tortilla clearly took a quick bath in a fryer; the eggs were cooked appropriately long, allowing it to hold up against the naturally watery salsa, sour cream and guacamole, but the bacon, though salty and crispy, was also clearly deep fried, giving it an oily texture and taste. Bummer.” … 77 Irving Place, 212-477-2188 [MenuPages | NYT | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch]
• Frank Bruni: “The food is amply portioned, fairly priced and completely sophisticated but not remotely fussy.” at Cookshop … (previous reviews: Hal Rubenstein (TWIR, November 18, 2005), Andrea Strong (TWIR, November 11, 2005), NYC Nosh (TWIR, October 14, 2005)) … 156 10th Avenue, at 20th Street, 212-924-4440 [MenuPages | Citysearch]
• The Bruni Digest has penned an ode to Frank Bruni’s review of Cookshop … here’s a taste: “I used to have John Paul and Berlusconi, Not to mention Dubs and all his crew, On my Buddy List under the title ‘Homies’, And now I spend my time with saumon cru.” …
• NYC Nosh “didn’t achieve a critical mass of high-quality dishes at our dinner” at Frank … “My arucola and parmesan salad was grittier than a corn mill and was impossible to eat because of it.” … “There is much better mid-priced Italian in the city, and for the cost of a subway ride to the Upper West Side, you could travel from Frank to Gennaro or Celeste and witness Italian bistro cooking at the top of its game.” … ouch! … 88 Second Avenue, 212-420-0202 [MenuPages | Citysearch]
• Slashfood has sinned by eating the cheesecake at Carnegie Deli, which “is truly New York style.” … 854 Seventh Avenue, at 55th Street, 212-757-2245 [MenuPages | NYT | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch]
• Andrea Strong writes that the Salsiccia sausages at Beppe “caused sighs of joy” … but the Tuscan Fries “are not to be believed. How have I lived all these years without them?” … 45 East 22nd Street, between Broadway and Park Avenue, 212-982-8422 [MenuPages | NYT | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch]
• Twenty bucks a day asks, “is the sandwich the perfect food?” … yes, at Eisenberg’s … “The grill also makes a pretty damn good version of a tuna melt ($5.75) possible, but the real star there is the tuna salad itself. I’m not sure anyone in my family ever made tuna salad this good” … “the sandwiches are dynamite, and highly recommended.” … 174 5th Avenue, between 22nd and 23rd Streets, 212-675-5096 [MenuPages | NYT | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch] … says the pizza at Little Toninos “is probably the best I’ve ever had” … 424 Greenwood Avenue, Brooklyn, 718-438-7088 [Citysearch] … and likes Spicy & Tasty: “the shredded pork … is, without question, the most heavily spiced dish I’ve ever eaten, as well as the most flavorful.” … 39-07 Prince Street, Queens, between 39th and Roosevelt Avenues, 718-359-1601 [NYT | openlist | Village Voice]

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