• Zagat 2006 is out … and MUG is not impressed … “it contains its usual passel of formulaic assessments, dubious assertions, and basic inaccuracies. Having sat down and read it cover to cover, what’s surprising is how out of touch and irrelevant it all seems.” … we haven’t used Zagat for many years … Michelin NYC is out next month (and Steve Cuozzo is “rooting for it to kick Zagat’s burgundy-covered butt.” (TWIR, October 14, 2005) and as he noted last month (TWIR, September 30, 2005), “Restaurant reviews are over. History. Outta here. It’s time to report on restaurants in a new and better way, and this is why: More than ever before, reviews have a shorter shelf life than unpasteurized milk”) …
• Twenty Bucks A Day liked the “Alomatic Beef with Wild Pepper” at Original Guilin Noodle … ” a fantastic stir fry of beef, cauliflower, at least two kinds of fresh peppers (one was red and green, not sure if that was the primary source of spice – it looked like there were some smaller, spicier ones), something that seemed almost like a cucumber but was crunchier, tiny onions, mushrooms that looked like they were out of a cartoon, and a black bean sauce.” … 118 Madison Street, south of East Broadway and east of Catherine Street, 212-608-8008
• A Guy In New York likes the “delicious whole fish” at J.M. Family Noodle Restaurant … “the delicate flounder is so tender that one can eat the crispy dorsal fins and fish tail!!!” … 19 Henry Street, between Catherine and Market Streets, 212-571-2440 [MenuPages | Citysearch]
• eating for brooklyn ate at Nosh … “the latkes with sour cream and apple sauce … were too thin and overcooked, making them crunchy and almost burnt. The grilled footlong hotdog is a far cry from the regular boiled hotdog which I was served originally by mistake leading me to believe the kitchen staff is still catching on. The sauerkraut has a nice tang and reminds me of the kind you get at ballparks, an intentional effect I imagine.” … 214 Atlantic Avenue, at Court Street, 718-596 2328 [Citysearch]
• David Rosen gives 1.5 stars out of 4 to Uva … “The dishes listed on the menu are prepared with first-rate ingredients and care.” … he recommends two types of focaccia: “stuffed with robiola cheese and black truffle” and “porcini mushrooms and montasio cheese” … 1486 Second Avenue, between 77th and 78th Streets, 212-472-4552 [Citysearch]
• slice reports that on November 10 … “Lombardi’s To Offer 5-Cent Pies” … “the country’s first official pizzeria” … 32 Spring Street, between Mott and Mulberry Streets, 212-941-7994 [MenuPages | Citysearch]
• Forbes gives 3 Green GOs (RR) to … Dévi … “the kararee bhindi is extraordinary” … 8 East 18th Street, between Fifth Avenue and Broadway, 212-691-1300 [MenuPages | Citysearch] … Gobo … “some of the most creative and delicious nonmeat fare around.” … 1426 Third Avenue, at East 81st Street, 212-288-5099 [MenuPages | Citysearch] … Rocking Horse Cafe … “some of the most delicious and authentic south-of-the-border specialties in town” … 182 Eighth Avenue, between 19th and 20th Streets, 212-463-9511 [MenuPages | Citysearch]
• Plate Of The Day says “The bowls of noodles here are a little more pricey than the Hong Kong station or Excellent Pork Chop House, but you pay for the fresh ingredients and it’s well worth it.” at Foo Shing Hand Fresh Noodle Soup Shop … “there’s a guy in the back of the shop that makes the noodles by hand. You can’t get any fresher than this.” … 2 East Broadway, 212-925-5425
• eater reports that The Spotted Pig will “open for business this weekend.” … 314 West 11th Street, at Greenwich Street, 212-620-0393 [MenuPages | Citysearch]
• Eric Asimov writes that Il Buco “has put much effort, if not more, into creating a Mediterranean menu as beguiling as the antiques-strewn dining room.” … “The chef, Ed Winn, has an easy way of creating combinations that taste as good as they sound, especially in his short list of main courses, which change daily.” … 47 Bond Street, between Lafayette Street and Bowery, 212-533-1932 [MenuPages | Citysearch]
• Amateur Gourmet says the sushi at Koi “was top notch–definitely as good as Tomoe, and more variety.” … 175 2nd Avenue, at 11th Street, 212-777-5266 [MenuPages | Citysearch]
• Nick Paumgarten is not impressed with the food at Bruno Jamais … “The Dover sole (a rather wan slab) and the short ribs (a sweet heap) were passable, but not at forty-two and twenty-eight dollars a pop. That their accompanying sides don’t always arrive might be a good thing. There’s a gloopy little dish of flavorless gnocchi, some limp green beans: fit for a four-year-old, perhaps” … 24 East 81st Street, between 5th and Madison Avenues, 212-396-3444 [MenuPages | Citysearch]
• Adam Platt went to Thor … “the dishes at Thor tend to be reasonably priced, and there are an awful lot of them. The somewhat bewildering menu is divided into multiple sections, with names like “cold plates to start” and “warm plates in the middle,” plus two entrée subsections, one for meat and one for fish” … “white-tomato mousse with a thin tuile at its bottom, which seems to dissolve like meringue on the tip of your tongue.” … “My duck breast, rolled in thin leaves of Savoy cabbage, was as tender and soft as fine Japanese tuna.” … “Best of all, though, is the monkfish, which Gutenbrunner wraps in big Christo-like strips of crunchy golden potato and plates on a bed of sautéed zucchini, tomatoes, and a hint of thyme.” … (Moira Hodgson reviewed last week (TWIR, October 12, 2005) and Andrea Strong last month (TWIR, September 30, 2005)) … 107 Rivington Street, between Essex and Ludlow Streets, 212-475-2600 or 646-253-6700 [MenuPages | Citysearch]
• Robert Sietsema compares jerk chicken from Danny Express, 771 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, 718-940-9717 and Peppa’s Jerk Chicken, 738 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, 646-644-0961 … “The 10 guests, including myself, preferred Peppa’s by a margin of 7-3.”
• Andrea Strong describes Mo Pitkin’s House of Satisfaction as “an absolutely fabulous trip of a Judeo-Latino brasserie” … the “Mo’s Pickins” appetizer is “awesome” … “The potato latkes ($8, with sour cream and homemade apple sauce) were honestly the best I have had.” … “we could not get enough of The Mo Burger” … (Peter Meehan reviewed last month (TWIR, September 30, 2005))… 34 Avenue A, between 2nd and 3rd Streets, 212-777-5660 [MenuPages | Citysearch]
• Gael Greene likes the “luscious chicken-curry salad plate” at the Garden Court Café at the Asia Society … and “can’t get enough of the spicy Thai dip served with fabulous pastry crisps” … 725 Park Avenue, at East 70th Street, 212-570-5202
• Marian Burros gives 2 stars to Abboccato … “a bit of a jumble, but often a pleasing one, like the heavenly buffalo milk ricotta soup with tomatoes, corn and crisp pancetta. I could eat it every week. Or the perfectly roasted black bass that is served with seared escarole stuffed with a zesty caponata” … “There is not always a steady hand at the stove. On each visit some dishes tasted as if the chef had stock in a sea salt company.” … 136 West 55th Street, in the Blakely Hotel, between 6th and 7th Avenues, 212-265-4000 [MenuPages | Citysearch]
• NYC Nosh likes the no-corkage policy at Tartine … and the Salad Basquaise … favorite dish was “the Pissaladiere ($10.25), a Provencal tomato tart that bears no small resemblance to a pizza” … “The bill was small in comparison to what we would have spent at many other French restaurants in the city” … 253 West 11th Street, at West 4th Street, 212-229-2611 [MenuPages | Citysearch]
• Twenty bucks a day was going to eat at Cong Ly … but ended up at Broomedoggs … had the currywurst, “a specialty of the fast food trucks almost everywhere in German-speaking Europe” … “it was tasty, if not quite what the German in me was expecting. The German sausage is infused with its curry flavor, and this one was basically a knockwurst tossed with curry sauce.” … 250 Broome Street, between Ludlow and Orchard Streets, 917-453-6013 [MenuPages | Citysearch]
• Moira Hodgson writes that D’Or Ahn “uses French techniques with traditional ingredients, reinventing Korean cuisine in playful and intriguing ways.” … 207 10th Avenue, at West 22nd Street, 212-627-7777 [Citysearch]
• Kara Newman reports on the kosher game … like venison, quail, bison ribs … at Levana … “Game is best served rare, and although all kosher meat is drained of blood, the juices of rare meat can appear ‘bloody,’ an off-putting sight for observant Jews who are prohibited from consuming blood and have become conditioned to prefer meat cooked medium or well-done. However, for game meats like bison and venison, which are lower in fat than beef, too much cooking time equals tough, leathery meat.” … 141 West 69th Street, between Broadway and Columbus, 212-877-8457 [MenuPages | Citysearch]
• WhiteTrashBBQ says “it looks like New York is finally getting some respect in the world of barbeque. Adam Perry Lang of Daisy May’s BBQ took 1st place in the Invitational Pork category and Rob Richter of Big Island BBQ took 1st place in the Open Chicken category of the American Royal – the world series of BBQ!” …
• Peter Meehan says that Waverly at IFC Center “is nearly always empty, although it’s hard to know why.” … “offers an appealing solution to the time-tested combination of dinner and a movie.” … 327 Avenue of the Americas, at West 3rd Street, 212-924-8866 [gothamist]

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