Countdown to Beantown, Part 4a: Squeezing in some last goodbyes
It's clear I have a lot of catching up to do with a three-week disappearing act. I'll start with my final couple of days living in New York.
Not knowing what the Chinatown situation is like in Boston, one of my last dinners in New York was with Songhai and Hang, two friends who moved to New York a little bit before I did two years ago. Songhai was starting his lab (temporarily on our floor, and then upstairs in the same building) and Hang was doing a postdoc at Rockefeller. Both of them learned about my adventurous eating spirit after we went to Grand Sichuan a while back and I ate everything they ordered (including a baby luffa). So two nights before I left we went back to the Grand Sichuan. As has been customary since my days of eating out with Yihong, I left the ordering to the pros. Eat now, ask later...
The highlights of the evening were:
Sliced Lotus Root Husband and Wife Lung Salivating Chicken
Countdown to Beantown, Part 2b: More Farewell Drinks/Dinners
We had a lab dinner last week - the traditional 'leaving-do', as they say in London. I suppose this one could double-up as a Restaurant of the Week:
Zipi Zape 152 Metropolitan Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11211 718-599-3027
Zipi and Zape are two popular Spanish cartoon characters that were chosen as a theme for the restaurant when a Spanish chef partnered with twin sisters (one of whom is the woman taking our food order from Aurelia in this picture) to open a tapas restaurant in Brooklyn. Sketches of the cartoon are on the inside and outside of the restaurant, and help give the place a really relaxed and low-key feel.
We had two tables outside in the front of the restaurant, which is on a (relatively) quiet street in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. I say relatively quiet street because Metropolitan Avenue seems to be a shortcut for large trucks, which a few times during the meal came tearing down the otherwise very quiet street.
Other than the occasional truck, sitting outside was really nice. The weather was perfect. We arrived around 7pm, which gave us almost an hour-and-a-half before it got dark and became a bit too cold for the people who didn't wear sweaters or jackets.
Zipi Zape is a tapas restaurant, and since Aurelia (who is from Seville) was clearly going to be the most familiar with the choices, we let her order. We had a couple orders of the tasting menu (as well as the vegetarian version, which, unfortunately for the true vegetarians in the lab, had quite a few seafood dishes), a couple orders of paella (including paella negra, which is made with squid ink, and vegetarian paella), and a lot of white sangria.
The food was excellent. Everything was very fresh, and extremely tasty. In the end we ordered way too much, which turned out to be a nice little bonus for lunch the next day (the paella was even tastier after a day in the frig and re-heating in the microwave).
Check out the pictures from the dinner by clicking on the badge or the date under My New York pics!
Countdown to Beantown, Part 2: Farewell Drinks/Dinners
A couple of posts ago I wrote about the Boston move and the search for an apartment. The lease is signed, deposit check has been sent, so everything is a go.
With a trip to London planned for the end of this coming week, and the move happening only a couple of days after I get back, I've started having my farewell dinners and drinks to say goodbye to my friends in New York.
Thursday was a very nice evening out with my current supervisor and his wife. We went to Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse, a place that I've wanted to try for a while. Smith & Wollensky is exactly what you would imagine a steakhouse would be like. Men and meat. Appetizers like 'Tomato and Onion', which is literally a stack of slices of tomato alternating with slices of raw onion, and main courses like this:
would leave most people digesting their meal for days. Definitely worth skipping lunch next time!
Last night was drinks with friends from New York and the surrounding area. I asked around to some people 'in the know' for advice on the bar, and Anastacia came up with Nightingale Lounge in the East Village. A good choice - no cover, good cocktails, DJ, chilled out atmosphere. Christina and Uli came in from Long Island (with, as Christina put it, a small asian posse), Shoshana and Len made it in from New Jersey, and a lot of the Manhattan crowd showed up in spite of the rain.
I'm sure there are some pictures out there... will put some up when I get my hands on them!
This past weekend I felt like pizza. Not the kind of pizza you get when you grab a quick slice from the local pizza place, but a real, Neapolitan pizza. Fortunately, there's a place I'd been to a couple of other times that I knew would satisfy my craving. The true test, however, was whether Teo, an Italian friend from lab, would enjoy it.
Numero 28 28 Carmine St. @ Bleecker St. New York, NY 10014 212-463-9653
People in the Naples region claim that the secret to a real Neapolitan pizza is in the water, which gives the crust its light, soft texture. Funny enough, the local water is the reason New Yorkers believe makes their bagels the best. I'm not sure if anyone has compared the water in the two cities, but it may be similar enough to make a pizza in New York that would satisfy the most discerning Italian.
The dining area of Numero 28 is split between two rooms, the smaller of which is dominated by the traditional brick oven where you can see the Pizzaiolo do his thing.
Numero 28 makes the traditional round pizza, as well as pizza al metro, which means 'pizza by the meter' - a fun, social way to enjoy a couple of different flavors on the same pizza. We went with a pizza al metro with two different sets of toppings: Margherita Reginella (tomato, basil, and buffalo mozarella) and San Daniele (prosciutto crudo San Daniela and arugula).
Teo made friends with la Mamma, who explained that her family is from Calabria, and that her son was a lawyer who now owned Numero 28 and another pizzeria in Rome. After we were finished enjoying our pizza, la Mamma brough over some of her homemade panna cotta to round out the meal, and told Teo to call next time so she can reserve a table for us.
Put it on your speed dial, Teo, and let's go back soon!
Christina and Uli were back in the city today, and we decided to head down to the East Village to grab some dinner. Our first two choices were absolutely packed, so rather than stand around in the cold, we stopped into a noodle bar that is a viable alternative to my regular East Village noodle bar option, momofuku.
Ramen Setagaya 141 First Ave. (near 9th St.) New York, NY 10003 212-529-2740
When I was in college, Ramen noodles were what you ate when you didn't have any money. I think you could get 3 packs for $1. Just boil some water in your hot pot, add the noodles and whatever was in that flavor packet pouch, and you were good to go.
This is not your college Ramen. Not even close. The broth has way more than the contents of that little packet - salty, yet extremely flavorful, and packed with noodles and other goodies like roasted pork, seaweed, and a soft-boiled egg. The perfect meal to keep you warm on a cold winter night!
Thanksgiving is, without a doubt, my favorite holiday. It's all about food, family, and friends - no religious part to it at all.
Like a lot of things here in the States, there's an emphasis on quantity during Thanksgiving. Bigger is better. TV shows leading up to the holiday talk about how to make the perfect Thanksgiving 'feast', and advertisers inundate consumers with images of massive turkeys packed with stuffing on a table with mounds of potatoes, sweet potatoes, greens, and of course, several types of dessert pies.
All of this supports the stereotype that America is a country filled with obese people who don't care so much about the quality of food as long as there is lots of it. I mean, if turkey tastes good, then a lot of turkey should taste better. In fact, if you like turkey, but you also like chicken, and even duck, then why not combine all three? It all ends up in the same place, right?
When I arrived in NYC a little over a year-and-a-half ago, I wrote this entry about the lack of 'real' grocery stores in the area. I'm still not happy with the local Gristedes, and although I have the potential of running into Abe Vigoda at my local Food Emporium, it too leaves a bit to be desired.
So when I feel up to it, I make my way down to the Whole Foods at Union Square. Sure, it's a subway ride, but I know I can find pretty much anything.
Last night I felt motivated to do some grocery shopping. Thanksgiving is this week, and I figured I would make a pecan pie for the dinner I'm going to, so I used it as an excuse to get some other things to make dinner at home this week. Turns out I wasn't alone. Whole Foods was completely packed, and I couldn't help think I was in the food version of IKEA as the traffic was essentially one way through the maze of organic food. I resisted the temptation to get all the little sale items (unlike when I go to IKEA - I mean, $2.99 for a SLOM jar with lid? Who can resist?), and stuck to the things on my list.
After negotiating the checkout lines (an interesting experience at Whole Foods, with color codes and numbers for people to pay attention to, there's always someone who messes up), I made it home with my bounty, alive and well and looking forward to my next trip to the grocery store.
I moved to Philadelphia in the summer of 1994. I had taken my first job as a lab tech at the University of Illinois at Chicago the previous September, and when the head of the lab asked me to move with them to UPenn I was both nervous and excited. The plan was for me and a senior postdoc to move a few months ahead of the rest of the lab to set up and get things ready for everyone else. Outside of the one work colleague, I wouldn't know anyone in the entire state of Pennsylvania until the rest of the lab arrived.
I visited Philadelphia a month or two before the move with my parents, and found an apartment through the UPenn housing office. 4410 Pine St. looked good on a map; it was walking distance from the lab, just outside of the area that a lot of the undergraduates lived in. I lived on the second floor of a converted house, and although it was a bit 'lived in', it was the first apartment that was 100% mine - no roommates.
I spent the first couple of weeks sorting out the essentials - turning on the utilities, getting a phone, cable for the TV, etc. The house had a washer and dryer in the basement, which you had to go around to the back of the house to get to. It was disgusting, and I couldn't imagine how I could get my clothes clean in a basement so dirty, so after my first round of washing I decided it was time to find a laundromat. I found one a couple of blocks away, on Locust between 43rd and 44th, just opposite of a closed grocery store.
I used to go to the laundromat about once a week, normally on a Saturday or Sunday just before noon, when I could use 3 machines at the same time without getting in anyone's way. One of the first times I went I noticed a small deli a couple of doors up, Koch's deli, and decided to go in and grab a sandwich for lunch while I waited for my clothes to finish drying.
I walked in to find a deli counter and a line of people that double-backed on itself almost to the door. No tables or chairs, take-out only. Everyone seemed like a regular, chatting freely with each other and with the two guys who worked there. I read the menu written on the wall behind the counter. Everything looked really good, but by the time I realized that all of the hoagies were more than the $5 I had on me, I was in the middle of the line and was too embarrassed to squeeze my way out. In the end, I ordered a sandwich - turkey, I think. The guy behind the counter asked what I wanted on it. I paused, not knowing whether to ask if it would cost extra to have lettuce and tomato, which would have taken me over my $5. I told him I would have it plain, nothing on it. I remember his look, as if I was visiting from another planet, but he made the sandwich completely dry... nothing but bread and meat.
A couple of weeks later I went back to Koch's, and this time I was prepared. I ordered a honey turkey hoagie, no oil, no onion, with provolone cheese, and a cream soda. The two guys behind the counter introduced themselves: Lou and Bob Koch. Brothers. Lou worked at the front, and Bob towards the back. They remembered me from the first time (I suppose ordering a sandwich with nothing on it was something that stood out). I explained that I only had $5 at the time, and didn't know if it was enough money to have extras on my sandwich. I remember Lou telling me that I could have ordered whatever I wanted, and paid them back the next time I was in.
It was 1994. I was 22 years old. I didn't have any friends in Philadelphia. And with one conversation Lou Koch made me feel like I had been living in the neighborhood my whole life.
Koch's became part of my weekly laundry routine. They opened around lunchtime, so if my timing was right, I could get my sandwich while my clothes were in the washer, and eat it while they were in the dryer. I rarely strayed from my honey turkey hoagie (no oil, no onion, with provolone) and cream soda, but would often add a potato knish to the order. Bob and Lou called me 'Chicago' most of the time, and always made me feel like they had been looking forward to seeing me all week.
Lou passed away in 1995. Koch's was closed for a little while, and when it reopened Bob moved to the front. I learned that Lou had died of a heart attack, and that he had been found in a grocery store parking lot, slumped over behind the wheel of his car. I also learned that although Bob was the guy in the back of the deli, he was the one who remembered everyone's name. When someone would come in, Lou would pretend he needed something from Bob's side of the deli counter, Bob would whisper the persons name ('Aron'), and Lou would come back to his side with a joke ('Hey Aron, did I ever tell you the one about the priest and the rabbi?').
I continued my laundry ritual over the next couple of years until I moved across the river and into center city in 1997. In that time I introduced anyone who visited me to Koch's deli. My parents visited, and while we waited for our sandwiches we found out that Dad and Bob both drove a Mitsubishi 3000GT. Bob gave Grandpa a little (OK, big) taste of chopped liver while Nana waited for us at their hotel because she wasn't feeling well ('Don't tell Nana!').
Once I moved to center city I went to Koch's less frequently, but no matter how long it had been since my last visit, Bob never forgot my order.
I don't know why I thought about Koch's today, but as I had a little walk down memory lane I found out that Bob Koch passed away in August, 2005.
KOCH ROBERT E., Aug. 8, 2005, husband of Patricia (nee Wiley), brother of Dr. Barry Koch (Abby) and the late Louis Koch, stepfather of Charles Haub (Missi), David Haub (Shirley) and Michael Haub (Kristen), grandfather of Christina, Sophia, Matthew and Michael. Relatives and friends are invited to Graveside Services Wed. 12 noon precisely Har Jehuda Cem. (Section 10 commandments). Family will return to his late residence. Contributions in his memory may be made to Make A Wish Foundation, Five Valley Square, 512 Township Line Road, Suite 103, Blue Bell, PA 19422.
GOLDSTEINS' ROSENBERG'S RAPHAEL SACKS Published in the Philadelphia Inquirer & Philadelphia Daily News on 8/9/2005.
I miss Lou and Bob. I never had a chance to thank them, but I'll never forget the way they helped a scared kid settle into a new city, one honey turkey hogie at a time.
Le Pain Quotidien - one year and half a world away...
A year after Serena and I took my parents to Le Pain Quotidien on the Upper East Side of New York (almost to the day), I found myself in another Le Pain Quotidien - this time in London. Sunday brunch with Julie, Ludo, Giovanna, Giulia, and Giovanni was exactly what Serena and I needed (that, and one of those little mixed berry tarts and a Belgian waffle).
Tonight I went to my first Rosh Hashanah dinner in years. It was in New Jersey, and on the drive out we hit a ton of traffic - before 4pm! Len's sister Debbie, who was driving, said that it was probably because of the holiday: "My mother said she remembers a ton of people leaving Manhattan to go to the suburbs for dinner."
Are you kidding?
There aren't enough of our people in Manhattan opting for takeout brisket to avoid a traffic jam on the FDR?
The reason Serena and I went to Italy in the middle of August, the height of the peak season, is because she was a witness in her friend Catia's wedding. Being a witness in a European wedding isn't like being a witness in a trial (there are some obvious jokes to make here about the similarities between getting married and being sent to prison); a 'witness' at a wedding is what we would call a 'bridesmaid' or 'groomsman' in the States.
Catia and Assagid's wedding was in Francavilla, a town next to Pescara where Catia grew up. Assagid is from Ethiopia, and the two of them met while living and working in Würzburg. Serena and I flew into Pescara from London the day before the wedding, where we were met by Claudia, a friend of Serena's from medical school, who drove us to the hotel in central Pescara.
The morning of the wedding, Serena and I walked around central Pescara, which was pretty quiet outside of a street market that took up a few of the blocks between the hotel and the train station. It turned out to be a good find, since I forgot my belt and had to run out to get one from the market just before the wedding. Nothing like practicing my Italian with a street vendor - I even haggled to get a little discount.
The wedding was held in a small, simple, pretty church. Although I've been to more Christian weddings than Jewish weddings, and several of my childhood friends went to Catholic school, I would hardly say I was an expert on Christianity. This became apparent when I showed Serena's father this picture:
If you look closely, in front of Catia and Assagid you'll see a statue of a man lifting up his gown to reveal one of his legs. I found the statue very strange, but I waited until we were in Salerno before I asked Serena's father the question I was dying to ask someone at the wedding:
Why is Jesus lifting up his gown to show his leg?
Needless to say this question was met with a quizzical look. However, understanding that I was completely serious, he simply replied,"That's not Jesus, it's Saint Rocco." He followed that up with something to avoid any confusion in the future:
If it were Jesus, he would have been on a cross.
'nuff said. We all had a good laugh, as I explained that I had no idea why there was a dog next to the man depicted in the statue, and figured it was Jesus' pet dog, rather than the dog who saved St. Rocco's life by offering him bread.
Anyway, I put this question out of my mind as soon as we left the church and we all took little bags of rice, chocolate covered almonds, and coins to throw on Catia and Assagid as they left the church. I decided that the coins and chocolate covered almonds would hurt, so I pocketed the coins and ate the almonds before chucking the rice on the newlyweds.
The reception was held in a banquet hall on a hill overlooking Pescara, and it began with the antipasti, which were served outside as the sun set. It was hard to believe that we were going to get more food after the appetizers, which included a huge selection of different types of fish, seafood, and meat from the region. We had dinner inside in the main dining hall - more dishes with seafood and fish. The food was delicious, even if it was a little too much for a fan of the kiddie menu like me. Dessert was served outside by the pool, and was a buffet with as many choices as you could ever hope for. The only downside was that by the time we were all done eating, it was extremely late and everyone was stuffed and tired, so we didn't have a chance to dance. It was a shame, because I was looking forward to doing some traditional Ethiopian dancing with Serena:
A trip to Italy always involves food. On this trip I had the chance to have some of my favorites, try some new dishes, and even have a new version of an old favorite.
Pasta e fagioli The first time I had this was at Vicolo della Neve last Christmas. It made my list of favorites then, and is still near the top of the list. Vicolo della Neve was closed the first time we tried to go on this trip, but fortunately they were open again before we left so we could get our fix.
I tried two other things during dinner at Vicolo della Neve. The first was polpette, which are meatballs, and the other was ciambotta, which is a mixed vegetable stew. It's impossible to capture just how delicious each of these were. Clearly there were more things in the polpette than just meat, and more ingredients in the ciambotta than just vegetables. I have no idea what the other ingredients were, but if I grew up with these I would have been a much bigger fan of meatballs and vegetable stew!
Panzerotti Serena's mother made these during the Christmas holiday last year. This was also on my list of favorites then (as 'calzoni'), and is worth another mention now. Apparently these are popular in South Jersey, although I suspect they wouldn't even come close to the ones Serena's mother makes. We had them one evening for dinner on the patio overlooking Salerno and the Mediterranean Sea. Bellissimo.
Panzerotti
Arrosticini We had this traditionally Abruzzese dish at the dinner the night before Catia and Assagid's wedding. The dinner was at Catia's parents' house, and they made the arrosticini by hand. As far as I could tell, this was just grilled pieces of sheep on a skewer - no seasoning, no sauces. The simplicity, and the fact that the meat is extremely flavorful, is what makes this work. All you need is some bread and red wine, and you're all set. Buon appetito!
Home-made pizza Growing up in the US, we made pizza from scratch a few times (when I say 'we', I of course mean my parents). I remember my mother (or was it my father?) rolling the dough out onto a circular metal pizza pan with a Tupperware cup, spreading the tomato sauce, covering it with mozzarella, and putting it into the oven. We didn't have pizza often, but when we did it was a real treat.
When I heard that Serena's brother Antonio would be making pizza, I had a feeling he would do things a little differently. For one thing, Serena's family has a coal/wood-burning oven outside that looks like the kind you see in a real pizzeria. Also, I've heard the water in Naples is supposed to make the pizza taste better.
The result was impressive - fresh, light, delicious pizza. It was a team effort (as far as I could tell... I was too busy eating them as they came out of the oven), and Antonio, Silvana, and Serena made several pizzas with different toppings. Serena's father told me that the 'house speciality' is topped with tomato, mozzarella, and arugula.
Arrived back in the States last Sunday after an amazing week with Serena and her family in Salerno and the surrounding area. I'm still working on getting the pictures up, but in the meantime I thought I would post some of the highlights of the trip. Here's the first chapter, about my sagra experience.
A sagra is a local festival with food that is often centered around a particular ingredient or item. During one of the evenings, we went to a couple of the sagre around Salerno. The first one was a little on the quiet side, but the second one - Festa del Boscaiolo - was exactly what I had imagined from Serena's description of a sagra. Boscaiolo means woodsman, so the food at this sagra was centered around things you can find in a forest. It was in a small town called Calvanico, and when Serena and I arrived with her brother Antonio and his girlfriend Silvana, we were met by a crowd of people walking among the stands for the wine (gratis), pasta, or panini. We bought tickets to try the 'Penne alla Boscaiola' and the 'Panino do' Cravunaro (patate e funghi)', grabbed a glass (plastic cup, actually) of wine and settled into the food lines. While we ate, we listened to a band playing folk music, and watched a couple of little kids dance like they were at a Grateful Dead concert. Maybe they had too much of the free wine...
Even though we only have a couple of Americans in the lab, putting on an 'American Bbq' isn't a problem when you have Costco just a short drive away. A pack of 24 burgers, some Nathan's hot dogs, and some Wonder Bread buns and you're all set. Throw in a bit of Pimms for a British touch, and we had the perfect recipe for an afternoon of excess.
Now I just have to do something with the leftover 15 ears of corn...
One of the things people remember after a visit to Italy is the gelato which, for one reason or another, the Italians seem to do better than anyone else. I mean, there's nothing wrong with going to Cold Stone Creamery and having one of their dishes, which starts with ice cream and can end up as a three-course meal, but there's something special about the simplicity and freshness of Italian gelato. Last night I overcame the east-west divide to try a new gelateria here in Manhattan:
GROM 2165 Broadway (at 76th St.) New York, NY 10022 +1 646 290-7233
GROM is a small Italian chain, with 14 shops in the north of Italy. They recently opened their upper west side store, and it's been getting a lot of press. The GROM website describes how each of their flavors of gelato is made with fresh, seasonal ingredients, a lot of which are organic. I heard the line at the shop (which is takeout only) is often down the street, so I thought going on a Tuesday at about 7pm would spare me the long wait. My hunch was right, and after studying the menu (and getting a little insider advice from my ice cream-loving girlfriend) I settled on a small cup with two flavors: hazelnut and cappuccino. I also had a taste of the cinnamon, which was amazing (although too overpowering to have more than a taste). The gelato was amazing, and the only problem was that I had to eat it fast enough to finish before it all melted. What I really wanted was to enjoy the taste of each spoonful before moving on to the next!
The price wasn't cheap - $4.50 for a small cup - but it's not the kind of ice cream you stuff yourself with. If you're looking for a little taste of Italy, it's definitely worth a visit.
Still haven't finished posting about the L.A. trip. Did I already mention we ate out a LOT? Yes, I did. Here's another of our notable dining destinations.
Windows on the Water 699 Embarcadero Morro Bay, CA 93442 +1 805 772-0677
On the second day of our L.A. trip, Serena and I drove up the coast to Morro Bay, a small town just northwest of San Luis Obispo, where the 101 meets route 1 (aka Pacific Coast Highway). Morro Bay is known for Morro Rock, which is one of 9 volcanic plugs that can be found between Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo. The Rock dominates the ocean view from Morro Bay, and the women at the front desk of our hotel (La Serena Inn, of course) recommended Windows on the Water for dinner, because of its view of the Rock.
When we arrived at the restaurant, we realized that it had more than a nice view. Serena had the Local Sand Dabs "Piccata Style", I had the Pacific Bouillabaisse, which was absolutely packed with seafood, and we split a half bottle of a Sauvignon Blanc from the Santa Ynez Valley, just an hour and a half away. Serena's fish was amazing - light and flavorful but not fishy. The bouillabaisse was a little spicy for me, but it had six different types of seafood (they brought what was essentially a toolkit for eating the different types of shellfish), and the broth left behind was perfect for bread-dipping. For dessert, we shared the Meyer Lemon Mousse with Seasonal Berries, which in this case was blueberries. The mousse was amazingly light, and the tartness of the lemon was perfectly balanced by the blueberries. It was night by the time we were done with dinner, so you couldn't see the Rock anymore, but we didn't care. It was a great meal to end a great day.
Just got back from a great week in L.A. with Serena and the family. We ate out a LOT. One of my favorite meals was dinner at a hidden gem along the coast, after a day playing tourist:
Neptune's Net 42505 Pacific Coast Hwy Malibu, CA 90265 +1 310 457-3095
I love seafood, I love the beach, and I love low-key restaurants. So, when my father told us he had heard of a place 'with an eclectic crowd' on the coast just north of the L.A. county border, I had a hunch we would be in for a treat. Neptune's Net is essentially a seafood shack overlooking the ocean in Malibu. They have both indoor and outdoor seating, and the decor is exactly what you would expect from a place by the beach - basic. The 'eclectic crowd' label was 100% accurate. The table across from us had a couple of 20-something blondes playing quarters (maybe speed quarters is a midwest thing) with some 50-something year-old men, another table had a husband and wife with their little kids, and another table had some teenagers who looked like they might have been surfing earlier.
Serena and I split the 'Neptunes Net Sampler', which is a fried seafood lover's dream - fish, shrimp, scallops, calamri, clam strips, and crab cake (all on a bed of fries). My mother went for the 'Fish and Chip', and my father had one of their (seafood) combo plates. The food was amazing, and even though everything was fried, the batter was light and we had no problem finishing what had looked like an overwhelming amount of food.
The next time you find yourself driving north on route 1 from L.A., and are thinking about where to stop for some food, look for the 'Ventura County' sign, and then keep your eyes open for Neptune's Net on the right. It's worth the stop.
When I was younger, I swam with a kid whose family owned a small chain of hot dog shops in Chicago, called Fluky's. So, when I heard of a bar that you entered into through a secret door in Crif Dogs, a hot dog shop in the East Village, I was totally up for it... especially if I could grab a dog on the way in.
Turns out, the bar SERVES the hot dogs from the shop next door! I'm sure my description won't do justice to just how crazy it is to walk through a phone booth (just opposite the table top Ms. Pacman) in a hot dog shop, into a swish cocktail lounge, so I'll just say that if you visit soon I'll take you there.
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. Varioussitesdescribe 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.
It's not really the restaurant of this week, but Christina and Uli came into the city a couple of weeks ago and we came upon this little gem in the East Village:
S'MAC 345 East 12th Street New York, NY 10003 +1 212-358-7912
I grew up in Chicago, and like a lot of kids in the midwest, I had my fair share of 'mac and cheese'. The stuff at S'MAC isn't like the mac and cheese mom used to make (mmmmmm thinking of that powdered orange cheese is making me hungry!) - you can get anything from the All American, which they say is 'just the way you remember it as a kid', to the Cajun, which has a couple of different types of cheese, sausage, and Cajun seasoning to give it a little kick. All of us ordered the Major Munch size, which was perfect after walking around all afternoon. I have no idea who could put away the Mongo size, but I wouldn't want to meet them in a dark alley.
Overall, I would say that if you're in the East Village, and just want a quick (but tasty) meal, S'MAC is worth a try.
After living in London for over 5 years, I had established quite a list of 'go to' restaurants for friends and visitors. I would ask what they felt like eating - fish & chips, pub food, Italian food, etc., and we would go to one of the places on my list. My Italian pick was Oregano, a restaurant just off of Upper Street in Islington. I say that Oregano was my pick, because this past weekend Serena took me to a place that has forced me to relegate Oregano to Serie B.
Spacca Napoli 101 Dean Street London W1 +44 (0)207 437 9440
Spacca Napoli (named after the street in Naples that splits the city in two) is just off of Dean Street in Soho, an area known to be a bit touristy and overpriced, but when Serena told me the pizza was made like the real pizza from Naples (see one of my previous posts) I knew I was in for a treat. We started with a plate of 'involtini di melanzane', which is sliced eggplant (aubergine) wrapped around fresh buffalo mozzarella with a touch of sauce, similar to the sauce in eggplant parmesan. For the pizza course, we tried to order the 'pizza metro', which is a long, rectangular pizza that they top in sections, so that you end up with one pizza that is part margherita, part Napoletana, etc. We were too late for the pizza metro, so I had the margherita (which Serena recommended I have with buffalo mozzarella instead of the regular mozzarella), and Serena had pizza Siciliana. We finished the meal off with some limoncello. I'm not sure what the total bill was (thanks Sere!) but the prices were reasonable, especially for the area. Definitely worth a visit.
Last weekend Serena and I hosted my parents at the luxurious Chateau Jaffe. We ate out a couple of times, and although we tried a place that I wanted to try for a while, I actually preferred a place I’d been to before.
Le Pain Quotidien 833 Lexington Avenue NY, NY 10021 Tel.: 212 755 5810
Le Pain Quotidien is an international chain of restaurants that advertises itself as a ‘bakery and communal table’. They sell all types of fresh breads and pastries, jams and other spreads, chocolate, and even wine. The first time I went, it immediately reminded me of Paul, another chain of French café restaurants that has a few shops in London. In addition to the ‘communal table’, there are smaller tables on the side, and at least in the one on Lexington on the Upper East Side, in the solarium in the back.
When we went on Sunday morning, the line for a table was out the door. After about a 15-20 minute wait we were seated at the end of the communal table, which was curved just enough so that the four of us could all chat with each another. The food at Le Pain Quotidien is nice, simple, and fresh. I had yogurt with granola and fruit and we all shared a basket of different types of fresh bread, which came with three types of spreads. The yogurt was filling enough, but I made sure I had a little room left for a bit of the bread with jam, which was excellent. If you have a big group I wouldn’t recommend competing for a table with the Sunday morning crowd, but if you’re looking for a place for a simple brunch, you should definitely give Le Pain Quotidien a try.
When my friend 'young Jay' told me he was coming to the city with a couple of friends to visit, I was very excited. Jay has lived in New Haven (a short train from New York City) for the last 4 years or so, and while I was in London I kept hearing about all of his trips to Manhattan, so I figured I could just sit back and let someone show me around. I turned out to be right, although it was Jay's friend Robbie that picked out the venue for dinner. For those of you back in the UK who think 'wagamama' when you think of a noodle bar, think again. momofuku, which means 'lucky peach', is to wagamama what Oregano is to Pizza Express. The ingredients at momofuku are fresh, and other than the almost complete lack of vegetarian options (the only one is the 'Ginger Scallion', which doesn't have any broth) this place has enough diversity to please anyone. The 'Tsukemen' - dipping broth, chilled noodles, shredded Berkshire pork, and poached egg - was amazing. The atmosphere, like the dishes, is simple, with basically one long counter so that the majority of the customers are facing the open kitchen. The only thing I would change in momofuku is the size... there's always a wait for a seat. Don't come with a big group.
