January 16, 2009
This past Tuesday I had the privilege of attending the grand re-opening of Il Punto Ristorante, formerly named Osteria Gelsi. Guests were treated to a generous sampling of the restaurant’s authentic Italian fare, as wine, prosecco, and cocktails flowed free like the Tiber River itself. As is my nature, upon entry I immediately shot to […]
January 8, 2009
Here’s a little late-night NYC noodle secret: Tsukushi, a tiny, retro-era izakaya-type Japanese joint in Midtown East serves up ramen starting around 10pm. Tsukushi is extremely unique- it’s sort of an omakase izakaya, where you don’t get to choose what to order, it’s just whatever the chef decided to prepare for the evening. You don’t […]
November 5, 2008
Dirt Candy is OPEN!!! It’s a stylish restaurant that makes you forget that there is no meat on the menu. Seriously, a vegetarian joint has never been hipper in atmosphere, or amenable to the carnivorous palette. There’s such a taboo against vegetable-only restaurants: they are always either too granola-y and dogmatic, or tasteless. Often both, […]
October 30, 2008
Remember BONJIN Diner, the cute little eatery that set up shop in Greenpoint every Thursday night? Well, since closing, BONJIN proprietress Momo and hubby Yuji have been hiding out in their atelier perfecting the bowl of ramen. The time has come to reveal the fruits of their labor- BONJIN Ramen is coming, for all nighthawking […]
October 29, 2008
Oishii Eats came to town! This was a very exciting event, as it was her first time in NY. We chatted online furiously the night before she got here- where would we go for lunch? I chose Perry Street, Jean-George Vongerichten‘s Far-West Village outpost. Seriously, it’s the best cheap fancy lunch in town. 3 courses […]
The Grand Central Oyster Bar is unquestionably my favorite restaurant in NYC. It’s my #1, totally and completely. I love everything about it- from the food to the servers, the long oyster bar counter, watching the soup guy make pan roasts and chowders, the clanking pots, the dim lighting, the white tiles, the swooping, cave-like […]
October 9, 2008
As my move date gets closer, the pressure is on to EATNYC, and I’ve constructed a long list of restaurants that I will visit during my final weeks here. The Egyptian joint Kabab Cafe in Astoria, Queens, has been a dream destination for a long time, and a group of us went the other night […]
October 8, 2008
The best ramen in the city (in my humble opinion) is only available on Wednesdays, and the restaurant only serves 30 bowls of it. This means you must get there right as the place opens at noon, and without any hesitation or shame, order as you’re still walking to the table. You will find that […]
October 3, 2008
Preface: Umamiventure #12: Sheepshead Bay, Pt. 1 (Jordan’s Lobster Dock) On the morning of our trek out to Jordan’s Lobster Dock, I was cruising the net and happened upon ravings of another seafood shack in Sheepshead Bay, Randazzo’s Clam Bar. Started in 1916 as a fish market, Randazzo’s has built their reputation on fresh seafood, […]
October 2, 2008
It’s that time of year: sanma time. Sanma aka Pike Mackerel aka Pacific saury, is a wonderful seasonal fish to celebrate autumn in Japan. My favorite time of the year! We just got back from Aburiya Kinnosuke, where they have been serving a sanma lunch special since last week for $13. Check out this spread! […]