Jaffe

My weekend

Christina and Uli were in the city on Saturday, which gave me a chance to try a couple of new places.

Otafuku
236 E. 9th Street
New York, NY 10003
212-353-8503

Otafuku is Japanese for moon-faced or homely woman. I have no idea what that has to do with this little takeaway place, where you can get one of two types of food - Takoyaki or Okonomiyaki. The Takoyaki come in three varieties, Plain, Cheese, or Octopus, and the Okonomiyaki are topped with your choice of Corn, Squid (Ika), Beef (Gyu), Shrimp (Ebi), or Pork (Buta). I went for the Takoyaki, and was told by the guy behind the counter to try Octopus (his favorite). Christina and Uli went for the cheese. For $5 I got 6 pieces, topped with some kind of dipping sauce, mayonnaise, and dried fish flakes. Other than being super hot (temperature, not spicy), they were delicious, and a perfect grab-and-go snack for a walk around the village.


Otafuku

Mé Bar
17 W. 32nd St., 14th floor
New York, NY 10001
212-290-2460

My lab-mate Jo told me about this bar after her boyfriend Oli did an online search for rooftop bars in New York. Various sites describe this place as a 'hidden gem' or a 'wonderful find', so my expectations were really high. Perhaps too high. Yes, it's hidden (it's actually the bar at the La Quinta hotel in Koreatown). Yes, there is a roof terrace. Yes, you can see the Empire State Building. But calling this place 'no frills' would be an understatement. Our drinks (we settled on gin and tonics after asking for a mojito and being told they don't have mint) were served in plastic cups. Not big plastic cups, but those little clear ones you get at the water cooler at your doctors office. The 'view' of the Empire State Building (see below) is no different than the view from the street, i.e., if you look up, you see it. I'm not saying I'll never go back - this place is fine as a post Korean bbq spot (there aren't many bar options in K-town) - but I can't imagine it as a place I would think of for an evening out. I like the idea of a bar with a view, and am looking forward to trying some other bars with views of the New York skyline.


View from Mé Bar

Labels: drink, East Village, food, New York

posted by Aron @ 10:40 AM