spot dessert bar

st. mark's (2/3)

website

to continue the jean-georges theme, pichet ong was a former pastry chef for jean-georges' indian-inspired restaurant, spice market. he recently opened spot, a dessert bar on st. mark's. after a dinner of giant sushi rolls at yama, cindy c and i decided to get some exercise by walking elsewhere for dessert. spot only serves dessert, which means it doesn't get busy until after everyone has finished their dinners. head there early (around dinnertime) if you want to avoid the crowds.

the menu is "dessert tapas" which apparently means that the fanchy desserts are served in smaller portions to be shared. cindy c and i chose the 3-dessert tapas for $20. our favorite (pictured) was the "white miso semifreddo" which is a misnomer because it's really all about the sweet and rich olive oil cake sandwiching the light saltiness of the hard ice cream semifreddo. it was a unique salty-sweet combination - delicious. next time, i'll just order the semifreddo. the goat milk soft cheesecake and chocolate cake marquis were both forgettable, but the semifreddo is definitely worth a return trip.

veniero's

11th st (1/2)

website

i am so thankful that kurt and jinny came back to visit because even though they are no longer new yorkers, they still know the best places in the city. they took me to veniero's ("you've never been veniero's??") and introduced me to an old-school italian pasticceria that's been around since 1894 (who knows why i never found it before).

i snuck a bite of jinny's key lime pie - amazing graham cracker crust. i ordered the chocolate banana strawberry sponge cake. it reminds me a lot of the whipped cream sponge cakes they serve at asian bakeries. the whipped cream filing is light and creamy, moist sponge cake, sweet fruit - a great dessert. i'll definitely be back.

apiary

new york, ny

website

third avenue between 10th and 11th has a lot of good restaurants. derek and i have walked this block many times. although apiary has a very cute logo (with little bees), it looks a little out of place in the east village. you think evill, you think cheap eats. this place isn't cheap. it is, however, very good with excellent vegetarian options. (a nice contrast to casa mono).

vanita, jenny, and i had a fun girls night out. this place has excellent cocktails - not too sweet and with a good kick. we all started with the corn veloute (pictured). the chilled corn soup was excellent - with very fresh ingredients. for our entrees, i had the asparagus with mushroom sauce (which was very rich, but delicious), vanita had the veggie platter which was very good, and jenny had the chicken - also very good. i liked the atmosphere of this place, chill but upscale. the waiter was extremely attentive and friendly. great location, great food - we'll be back.

rai rai ken

new york, ny

link to yelp

derek and i were wandering the east village on a friday night trying to find a place to eat that didn't have a long wait. redhead had an hour+ wait and there was no room to wait at the bar. momofuku noodle bar was so packed we didn't even bother asking. derek was craving ramen and i remembered a friend had told me about rai rai ken, so we decided to try it out.

derek loved that it reminded him of the ramen bars we visited in japan. corn might be one of my favorite foods and i love that it was an optional add-in at rai rai ken. although that's about all that this place has going for it. it's a good spot if you're in the neighborhood and you absolutely can't wait for momofuku or ippudo or are too lazy to walk to ramen setagaya.

fried chicken dinner @ momofuku noodle bar

new york, ny

website

large-format meals, where a restaurant prepares a preset meal for a large group of people, are a growing trend in nyc. some examples include resto's pick-an-animal meal and the ssam bar's bo ssam feast. derek, however, loves fried chicken and has had his heart set on the noodle bar's fried chicken dinner since it debuted last fall. momofuku uses an egalitarian online system, so whether you're able to snag a reservation depends entirely on luck and persistence. after months of trying, derek managed to get reservations for 4 of us at 11:45 pm on a friday night. not the best time slot, but with less than 40 reservations available each week, you take what you can get.

the long-awaited night finally arrived, but derek didn't leave the office until 11:15 pm. michelle, jenny, and i also had long weeks at work. so it was four bleary-eyed young professionals who sat down at momofuku just before midnight. a few glasses of wine later, however, we were ready for our giant mountain of fried chicken served two ways - southern and korean. the seasoning on the southern style was a little too salty, but the meat inside was amazingly moist and flavorful. honestly, i've never had juicier fried chicken breast. the korean style was extremely crunchy with an appropriately sticky sweet spicy sauce. an hour and a half later, we had managed to finish about 2/3 of the mountain without falling asleep. quite an accomplishment. it was a delicious and fun food adventure - there's something special about sharing a giant plate of chicken with friends - but next time we'll do a fully conscious trip to bon chon instead.

oh! taisho

new york, ny

website

while vacationing in japan, derek and i generally avoided the yakitori spots - they were always small, cramped, and filled with cigarette smoke. but in new york city, yakitori places are just small and cramped. oh! taisho is one of jinny and kurt's favorite restaurants, so derek and i joined them there a few nights ago. in an effort to make it out of the office in time for our 8:30 pm dinner, i decided to work through lunch. so i was very hungry and tempted to order everything off the huge menu at oh! taisho - there are all different kinds of meat on skewers, bowls of ramen, tempura, other deep-fried items, and various other japanese pub specialities - like okonomiyaki.

thankfully, jinny and kurt took charge and ordered their favorites. two platters of a variety of grilled skewers (including chicken, meatballs, scallions, chicken skin, pork, and chicken gizzards), chicken teriyaki, french fries with spicy cod roe mayonnaise, noodles topped with the same spicy cod roe and sliced nori, and a pitcher of kirin. i loved the spicy cod roe mayo, both with the french fries and the noodles. the chicken teriyaki was surprisingly good - almost as good as seattle's teriyaki - but it was missing the essential thick sweet sauce that seattle teriyaki has. the dining room is small, but it makes for a lively atmosphere - if you can manage to squeeze yourself into the restaurant, oh! taisho is a good spot for food and fun.

bon chon (boka)

new york, ny

website

michelle, derek and i skipped dinner in order to wait in line to see "sherlock holmes" (which was highly entertaining) so by the time the movie got out at 1:30 am, we were very hungry. michelle suggested bon chon nearby at st. mark's, which is always open late. i've only had bon chon when derek brings home takeout, so this is the first time i've been in the actual restaurant. the st. mark's location is nice - clean and laid-back.

we ordered some lychee soju and a half & half order of chicken - half spicy and half garlic+soy. the lychee soju was surprisingly good. the chicken was amazing. korean fried chicken is double-fried and dressed with a light glaze. this gives the skin a light crispy texture. imagine walking through a foot of snow on the ground, where the top of the snow has frozen. each time you take another step, you have to break through the crispy shell to sink through the soft snow below. that's what this chicken is like - you bite through the delicate crispy skin to reach the juicy meat inside. so good.

porchetta

new york, ny

website

finally the day came when jenny and i made it out of our offices early enough to get to porchetta before the crowds hit. we managed to snag 2 of the 6 bar stools inside the restaurant. there's an outdoor bench where another 6 people can sit, but it was cold outside. despite only seating 12, this place gets very busy. the namesake, porchetta, is the highlight and pretty much all they serve. we each ordered a porchetta sandwich and shared the honey-covered brussel sprouts.

eating an entire porchetta sandwich was an incredibly delicious, but a once-in-a-lifetime experience because twice might kill you. only two ingredients - porchetta and bread. the pork, flavored with italian herbs, was juicy and fatty goodness. the chewy and dense ciabatta bun perfectly soaked up all of the extra pork juices (okay, grease). pork gluttony at its best. our advice - don't order an entire sandwich - split it with someone else and then go for a salad afterward. but i know that when you're in the moment, you're going to think, "i have to finish this incredible sandwich." fine. but just this once.

ippudo

new york, ny

website

eating a bowl of ippudo ramen brings me back to the ramen bars that were on every street corner in tokyo's shinjuku district. the noodles are perfectly chewy and the broth is perfectly flavored. but what i love about ippudo is that (1) it's walking distance from my apartment and (2) every time i go, they put a unique twist on their standard bowl of tonkotsu ramen. this time, it was a tomato red sauce with sausage that you mixed into the broth. delicious. remember: do not drink all of your broth just in case you want an extra order of noodles. (ask for kaedama!)

this place gets crazy busy, so derek and i usually go at off-peak hours, either early (6 pm) or late (10 pm). otherwise it could be an hour or two before you get a table. at off-peak, it's still a 20-30 minute wait. fortunately, you can get a refreshing sake cocktail at the small bar in the waiting area. you can also admire all of the ramen bowls from japan on the wall behind the bar. don't worry, it is well worth the wait.

the redhead

new york, ny

website

tonight jenny, r.g. and i managed to escape from our respective offices for a night of good fun, great food, and strong drinks. the redhead is famous for receiving a rave review from frank bruni, his last as a ny times food critic. so we were worried about the wait when we showed up to the tiny restaurant at 8 pm on a thursday night (thursday being the new friday). the hostess said it was a 30-45 minute wait, but it didn't seem that long. it was just enough time for me to finish a redhead fizz (absolut mandarin, elderflower cordial, fresh lemon juice) and start on a revival (beefeater gin, white lillet, triple sec, fresh lemon juice). by the way, i recommend the fizz if you want something light & refreshing and the revival if you want a real drink.

properly liquored up, the girls and i sat down at the corner table (nice) for our meal. which was amazing. even the little dinner roll and soft butter they serve were delicious. i highly recommend starting with the mushroom flatbread and definitely add the sausage if you're a meateater. the consensus at the table was that the best entree was the shrimp with andouille sausage and grits. everyone in the restaurant was ordering the fried chicken, so we tried that too. good, but lacked flavor. the trout was good for a "lighter" entree. no need for dessert - they give complimentary chocolate espresso cookies at the end of the meal. this place definitely deserves the praise that it has received and i look forward to returning.

5/13/2010: updated with better photo of the mushroom flatbread.

momofuku milk bar

new york, ny

website

momofuku noodle bar has one dessert option - their excellent softserve created by momofuku's excellent pastry chef. i wasn't thrilled with the flavor they had on tap friday night, so we stopped by momofuku milk bar on our way home. the milk bar has additional softserve flavors, cookies, cake, and flavored milks. like the noodle bar, the atmosphere is very lowkey and casual. there's only one person to take your order, so you have to wait in a line while the people in front of you taste softserve samples and discuss the menu with the staff. don't freak out, it's not a long wait, and it's worth every minute. (yes, i'm talking to you, the person behind us in line who kept peeking over us trying to figure out if there was a faster way to get to the desserts).

milk bar is home to derek's favorite cookie -- the compost cookie -- which contains pretzels, potato chips, coffee, oats, butterscotch, and chocolate chips. it's a buttery salty sweet combination that's delicious and addictive. so we ordered four compost cookies, two cornflake chocolate chip marshmallow cookies, and a slice of chocolate chip cake (with passion fruit curd, chocolate crumbs, and coffee buttercream). not sure if it was the late hour, the amount we had purchased, or out of the goodness of their hearts, but the staff gave us an extra three cookies. mmm, free.

update 1/9/2010: i don't know what happened, but lately the compost hasn't been as good. derek's new favorite is the cornflake chocolate chip marshmallow cookie and my favorite is the blueberry cookie.

momofuku noodle bar

new york, ny

website

new york city is currently obsessed with david chang and his momofuku restaurants. he's probably the hottest chef in the city right now and has been for a few years. however, few outside of the city have heard of him because he doesn't have a show on foodtv. i'm not enough of a foodie (yet) to follow chefs that closely, but i appreciate the quality of the ingredients at momofuku and their unique approach to food. i'm definitely looking forward to the release of the momofuku cookbook. i might even (gasp) cook something in my own kitchen.

once you have a bowl of the momofuku ramen, you'll never be able to eat instant noodles out of a styrofoam cup again. okay, that's not true, but while you're eating your styrofoam noodles you'll be wishing you had a bowl of momofuku noodles. when compared to ramen setagaya and ippudo, momofuku wins as the porkiest and most "american." as you can see, there is crispy pork belly, shredded pork shoulder, and a perfectly soft-boiled egg. the broth is rich and fatty - amazing. derek had the chilled spicy szechuan noodles, which he really enjoyed. as part of the momofuku approach to dining, the menu changes frequently. the momofuku ramen is a constant, but derek really wants to go back before they replace the chilled spicy noodles...

bodhi tree

new york, ny

link to yelp

walking from wevill to evill, derek and i were hungry and tired. we decided that we were going to eat on this block, 3rd ave between 10th and 11th, because we just couldn't walk anymore. there were three options - expensive japanese, expensive asian fusion, and moderately priced thai. the menu at bodhi tree had some unique items (the pumpkin caught my eye) and derek happened to be craving thai food. so thai it was.

a lot of fried food on the menu. we went with the crispy duck in pumpkin peanut sauce. very good. the fried fish had a great sauce, but was actually breaded and fried filets rather than the crispy whole fish that we were expecting. i would recommend this restaurant if you're in the area and craving thai. we might go back and try some of the other dishes - there's a $7 lunch special that looks very promising.

gyu-kaku

new york, ny

website

this was my first time trying japanese bbq. it's very similar to korean bbq (they even have kalbi, tofu chigae, etc.) except that it's a shabu-shabu version of korean bbq. you can choose various meats and vegetables and then you use your personal tongs to cook the food piece-by-piece to your liking.

okay, not as good as soon won galbi, but it was still very tasty. derek and i ordered the garlic kalbi, regular kalbi, brisket, and ribeye. you can choose what marinade you want on each meat. my favorite was the brisket, of course. derek's favorite was the garlic kalbi. we also ordered the tofu chigae soup which was not as spicy as koreans usually make it. another plus - they have excellent ventilation so we didn't smell like cooked meat afterwards.

the smith

new york, ny

website

another try. it was indeed filled with nyu students, although i realized that derek and i can easily pass for college students in our civilian clothes. anyway, we tried the smith for brunch. the restaurant was very loud, even with all of the doors open to the sidewalk. derek and i are unaccustomed to shouting at eachother over breakfast. despite our youthful appearances, we're really just a pair of old fogies who prefer peace and quiet.

the menu is small but unique. derek's dish was very tasty - spicy jalapeno cornbread, topped with chicken sausage patties and poached eggs, drenched in black pepper gravy, and served with home fries. i usually dislike home fries (too potato-ey), but these were excellent - thin, crispy and perfectly seasoned. in addition to sneaking bites off derek's plate, i had the "potato waffles" with poached eggs and a spinach-onion sauce on the side. the waffles were actually just mashed potatoes that were fried to look like waffles. quite tasty. a good brunch spot if you don't mind the noise and/or you don't like to have coherent conversations during your meal.

ramen setagaya

new york, ny

link to yelp

we finally tried a try! a great ramen place near union square. although it purports to be the best ramen in japan, it doesn't taste like the ramen that derek and i had in tokyo. for that, i still suggest ippudo. nor does it taste as rich and meaty as the momofuku noodle bar's ramen. but i really enjoyed the setagaya ramen - it had a very light broth and a generous helping of yummy noodles. it doesn't feel as greasy as the ippudo or momofuku ramen. derek really liked the noodles.

for dessert, they only have mochi ice cream. it was either purchased in a local grocery store or made to taste that way. eh, just okay. but on a hot & humid evening, it was great way to cool down after a hot bowl of ramen.

update 8/1/2009: yes, we went again. it was that good. anyway, this time i got the tsukumen. a bowl of cold noodles that you can dip into your separate bowl of hot and sour soup with chunks of crispy fatty pork. um. yum.

saint's alp tea house

new york, ny

link to yelp

best bubble tea ever. my fav is the taro bubble tea. although i have to remember to order the regular size next time. there's a chinese saying - "eyes bigger than stomach" - every time i go i order the jumbo size and i'm overwhelmed by bubbles. about 10 mins after eating said bubbles, they start to expand in my stomach, which can be painful. anyway - this is a reminder to myself - order the regular size!

pic is derek's minced meat + rice. good cheap small plates - anything with the minced meat is delicious. noodle soups with mi fun are also very good.

back forty

new york, ny

website

based on this recommendation from TONY, derek and i walked allll the way to avenue b to try the burger at back forty. i really enjoyed the outdoor seating in the back, although the dead bugs clinging to my blueberry rickey glass (blueberry rum + lime + seltzer = yum) were a little disconcerting. i thought the burger was alright, the proprietary ketchup was pretty good, but the spicy mayo was excellent. derek really liked the burger, thought it had high quality meat, but that it lacked a good sauce.

however - the highlight - as you can see from the photo - was the doughnut dessert! for $7, three freshly cooked doughnuts with blueberry sauce. the sauce was perfect, not too sweet not too tart. the doughnuts were crispy on the outside and steamy and soft on the inside. delicious! notice that derek's fork was in the picture -- a dessert he actually likes!