Umami Mart

Wednesday night is the last night for Pies ‘n Thighs, a little hole in the wall (literally) southern eatery under the Williamsburg Bridge, consisting of a kitchen, a cash register, and an empty lot next door that is set up with picnic tables during the summertime. The Department of Health is ordering its demise in […]

This post is dedicated to my lady Christi. So this post defies my rule of “not writing about a restaurant unless I’ve been to it at least twice” (traveling not included), but this reservation was too hard to get, and this place being so acclaimed and all, I figure that this meal can be exempt […]

You have until Tuesday to get your ass down to the Dumpling House in the Lower East Side for the best bang for your buck (literally) in town. This place is a downtown institution– there was a line out the door when we went at 5pm tonight. It’s closing for a month or so to […]

Friday was Astoria exploration day. After hitting P.S. 1 for a rooftop performance by Min Tanaka (which was more about the 4 or 5 photographers who were making so much noise throughout) Ryo guided us into her ‘hood. It was already nighttime dark at 6pm, and very chilly, so I was hugely relieved when we […]

UmamiVenture Archives:Taste of Jackson Heights – 10/07Red Hook Ball Fields – 06/07Ocean Jewel Restaurant – 06/07

I was taken to Queens last night. I haven’t left the island since I moved back, so it was quite an excursion. Subway ride to Elmhurst, and Minangasli restaurant was right there. I went there with my friend Tonny, who is from Bali, and he insisted we had to go there to experience true Indonesian […]

Editor’s note: Wes Anderson’s new film, The Darjeeling Limited kicked off the New York Film Festival last Friday night with its lush annual opening night black tie affair at the ultra rococo, boho chic Central Park NY institution, Tavern on the Green (TOTG). I was told that this was the “hottest ticket in town”, the […]

Behind all the star chef restaurants such as Morimoto, Del Posto, and Craft Steak, lies a hidden treasure in deep west side of Chelsea, or I should call it Starchitect Row (if you know all the new condos and buildings in the neighborhood designed by Jean Nouvel, Shigeru Ban, Annabelle Selldorf, Frank Gehry to name […]

Last week, when Matt sent me this Gridskipper link— a guide to banh mi in the city– it was 11am. By 11:05, my stomach was grumbling; 11:10, I was drooling; 11:30, fantasies of pork, cilantro and pate filled baguettes kept me from getting any work done. So what did I do? I knocked on my […]

Summer’s over for the both of usThat doesn’t mean we should give up on loveYou’re the one I’ve been thinking ofAnd I knew the day I met you you’d be the ooooooone…– Justin Timberlake Ok, so it’s a bit premature to say that summer is over, but here’s a post to remind you that the […]