DaDong Visited 2/11/2018 2.5 Forks

DaDong  3 Bryant Park, New York, NY 10036

Ok, I'll get straight to the point on this one.  It was a pretty big bummer.  After reading all the reviews, I kind of knew what to expect and it was exactly what everyone else wrote back.  Get the duck but skip everything else.  DaDong is a famous peking duck chain in China so when it opened here in NYC, Jen, Kevin and I had to try it as part of our duck club. 

The location should have been the first tip off that it would be a bit underwhelming - I mean it's in Bryant Park which isn't really known as a culinary wonderland.  It's pretty fancy pants which is fine but it was much more fine dining than I expected.  To me, the best Chinese food will always be more of a mom and pop hole in the wall kind of place.  I knew it was going to be expensive but the sticker shock of some of the prices was still pretty real - the whole duck was $98 and most of the larger entrees were in the $30+ range.  All of us had read the reviews before and knew that the non-duck dishes weren't anything to write home about but we still felt like we should try some of them so we got the mashed eggplant ($8), sea salt and lime seared waygu beef ($34), cold avocado noodles ($12), sauteed pea shoots ($16) and of course the whole duck. 

The mashed eggplant was super underwhelming - it was just eggplant puree on a wafer.  I've never seen this in any other Chinese restaurant and the portion was super tiny - like 1 bite person.  The waygu beef, while tender and melt in your mouth was offensively small for something over $30.  We could cut it into maybe 5 small pieces total.  I mean one person could have eaten the whole thing and still be hungry.  The cold noodles were bland and not memorable at all.  Luckily the pea shoots, as usual,  were delicious but it was a very small portion considering how much more you usually get at other Chinese restaurants.  Finally came the main attraction - the whole duck.  They don't carve it table side instead someone is carving it in the middle of the restaurant and they bring it over to you.  They give you all the usual accoutrements to eat the duck:  thin pancakes, sliced scallion, hoisin sauce, and sliced cucumber.  They even give you something different here with sugar, sliced cantaloupe, and these puffy buns to stuff them in.  They give you lots of skin, meat and the legs.  Was the duck good?  Yes it was pretty damn tasty and all the things they give you also make it work - for example, the pancake skin was nice and thin but not too thin that it can't hold everything in it.  Was it the best duck I've ever had? Probably not.  The duck here was very very lean, which I guess is good for you health wise but the best part of the duck is some of the fat that goes with it.  It wasn't dry but it was missing an element of moistness/slight greasy-ness that you come to expect and love when you eat duck. 

Since the food wasn't very filling, we left room for dessert and that was kind of eh too.  Nothing really spoke to us but we got the Chocolate Frost ($12) which was shattered pieces of chocolate leaves with some cherries but it turned out there were only 2 cherries on it.  I should have known not to order dessert because frankly Asians are not very well known or good at desserts.

Despite the overall disappointment, I'm glad I can say I went, crossed it off my list and will likely noy come again.  While the duck was tasty, it just wasn't worth the money and there are way cheaper, more authentic and better options in NYC.  I am curious how different the chains are in China as Kevin said they were quite good there so I'm curious if they will make tweaks to this as the resounding response by the culinary world has been pretty meh.  Total bill:  $119/pp with tax, tip and drinks

Photo Credit:  Yelp 

La Contenta Oeste Visited 2/11/2018 3.5 Forks

La Contenta Oeste 78 W 11th St., New York, NY 10011

It's a rare occasion these days to get most of my B-school friends together at once but when we do it's always fun and it always involves lots of drinks.  So it was no different when Jenn was in town and we decided to have a nice long boozy brunch.  The best kind of boozy brunch usually involves margaritas so La Contenta Oeste was a great choice. 

As expected the menu here is Mexican, so the brunch menu had your usual line up of breakfast burritos, breakfast tacos,  huevos rancheros, and chilaquiles.  Since I knew we were going to drink up, I went with a hearty steak and eggs ($18) option and we got several guacamoles ($13) for the table.  Not to sound like an old person but when did guacamole become so expensive?  It's just smashed up avocado with some pico de gallo but it feels wrong to not order it when you're in a Mexican restaurant.  Of course on top of all our meals, we got lots and lots of margaritas.

The food came out relatively quickly and everything tasted just fine.  There was nothing particularly creative or mind blowing about the food but it was satisfying.  The steak was a nicely cooked medium rare hanger steak and the eggs were fried - they could have been a bit more runny with the yolk but there is nothing like a really good steak and eggs dish in the morning to coat your stomach.  This one was particular hearty because it came with a side of guacamole and chilaquiles too - it's almost like you are getting 2 dishes in one. 

We ended up staying for a while because we kept ordering drinks.  While our waiter was super sweet and nice, he seemed a bit overwhelmed and forgot some orders or mixed things up.  The margaritas were ok, some of the other cocktails that we got were overly sweet and we had to tell the bartender to make it less so the next time.  This is the real reason why I'm giving this place less than 4 forks.  It's a perfectly fine girls brunch spot and I would come back but maybe with a smaller group.  I will say for the amount we ate and drank the total bill was very reasonable.  Total bill:  $52/pp with tax, tip and lots of drinks

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Vini E Fritti Visited 2/201/2018 4 Forks

Vini E Fritti  30 E 30th St., New York, NY 10016

Danny Meyer strikes again.  Vini E Fritti is located near his other great restaurant Marta but has a very different vibe.  It feels like an upscale bar but it's actually very friendly and casual.  It's a bit small so be prepared to wait for a table but it's a nice intimate space to grab drinks and catch up with friends.  As expected it's an Italian inspired bar menu and most of the food is actually fried small plates.  I wouldn't come here for a full meal but it's a nice after dinner snack or after work place.  I should also note they have some tasty cocktails too. 

Despite being full from dinner at Dante, we walked the 1+ mile to Vini E Fritti was we felt like we could treat ourselves to more food.  As I mentioned, it's small plates style which I usually hate but these were priced appropriate as small plates (tip is already included since it's part of Union Square Hospitality).  We got the potato pancakes and horseradish cream ($7), the mixed seafood ($11) and the marinated vegetables ($7).  I would have loved to have gotten the beef tartare but since Dan doesn't eat beef it would have been a bit of a stretch for me to eat the whole thing (although I totally would).  But if you love fried food, you'll be in heaven here since they have about 10 things that are deep fried.  

Luckily the level of fried-ness isn't super greasy or oily.  The mixed seafood was a nice cone filled with shrimp (with the head on) and calamari (in ring formation and tentacles).  It was lightly battered and fried and the right level of salty.  I'm actually really glad everything is in small plate formation there because it would be really bad for your heart and health if these dishes came in bigger sizes.  The marinated vegetables were fine - they're usually not my jam anyways and it was half of olives which I'm not a fan of but the marinated mushrooms were a nice compliment to cut all the fried saltiness of the mixed seafood.  But the absolute best dish was the potato pancake.  Yum!  It was perfectly executed and the horseradish cream made it all the better.  I could definitely see myself eating this entire plate myself. 

Overall, it's a lovely space and as with any Danny Meyer restaurant, the service is great.  Due to its limited menu, I wouldn't necessarily say its a place to come for a full meal and the location isn't in my favorite part of NYC, but if you happen to be near here or just have a craving for lots of fried food, I'd definitely give this place a visit.  Total bill:  $34/pp with tax, tip and drinks

Photo Credit:  Yelp 

Dante Visited 2/10/2018 4.5 Forks

Dante  79-81 Macdougal St., New York, NY 10012

I had been to the other Dante at Genuine in Little Italy and loved it but after visiting the original West Village location, I'm definitely more in love with this even place if it is way louder.  My friend Dan was in town and since we both move negronis, there is no other place I would take someone to enjoy a wide variety of negroni options than Dante.  The only downside to this location is that they don't have the self serve negroni fountain like the one in Little Italy does. But regardless, they have the same line up of fantastic cocktails, and they have happy hour from 3-6pm, so I would definitely get there as early as possible or just make a reservation.  

It was completely jammed when we got there at 6:30pm but it's a super fun and lively atmosphere.  After having several negronis, it was that time where we either needed to eat or be extremely drunk.  So we did the adult thing and ordered food.  Even though they are mostly known for their cocktails and bar vibe, they actually have a great menu that's much more sophisticated than just bar food.  It's mostly Italian food - yhey have flatbreads, homemade pastas, secondi dishes and great sides.  The problem when you're 3 drinks deep is that you want to order everything on the menu but we refrained and started with the octopus appetizer ($13), orecchiette ($19) and the chicken parm ($23).  

The octopus was cut up into small pieces and served on hummus and topped with radish, chive and chili flakes. It was a nice light dish but the octopus was cut up a bit too much for me that it was hard to tell what it was.  I prefer my octopus to be in one long piece so that you can really chew on it.  It was an interesting pairing with the hummus and not one that I would have thought of before.  The orecchiette pasta was a nice sized pasta dish and amazing.  It was served with fennel, pork sausage, broccoli rabe and covered in parmesan cheese and chili flakes.  It was hearty, comforting and just cheesey deliciousness.  I was actually pretty full with this dish but then out came the chicken parm.  It also really hit the mark - it was served with tuscan kale and provolone cheese and also really hearty.  It was sauced right and the chicken moist - I loved everything about it.  It was the right amount of food for the occasion and it was all surprisingly delicious.   It's not that I expected the food to be bad but usually at a cocktail bar, I expect the food to be mediocre at best.  I would totally come here for the food on it's own with the extra fabulous bonus that the cocktails and negronis are pretty amazing too.   Total bill:  $78/pp with tax, tip and lots of drinks

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Shigure Visited 2/5/2018 4 Forks

Shigure  277 Church St., New York, NY 10013

If anyone is looking for a good happy hour option in Tribeca that's not your standard bar, look no further than Shigure.  It reminds me a bit of the happy hour at Tsurutontan Udon Noodle Brasserie where it's a few Japanese small plates and sakes for relatively cheap.  The happy hour here is only good from 5-7pm, so definitely come early and get our fill.  While I love sushi, I've always had a soft spot for Japanese small plates as well - they just know how to do everything right food wise. 

I met up with Nima on a cold winter day and while the main menu looked great, we opted to stick with the happy hour menu.  We got a bunch of basic sushi rolls ($9 -I know it doesn't sound like such a deal but they are normally $13 and they do come 8 pieces to a roll) like spicy tuna, spicy yellowtail, and salmon avocado, takoyaki ($7), fried chicken ($8), sashimi ($12), and edamame ($5).  The rolls were simple but solid and super filling.  The sashimi came with 4 different kinds and was nicely sliced - it was your usual tuna, salmon, yellowtail and octopus line up.  The edamame was a bit unusual in that they were grilled instead of boiled.  It added a nice burnt tasting element to them that you usually don't get but other than that, it was still a basic edamame dish.  The only thing that I wasn't a huge fan of was the takoyaki which is chopped octopus inside of a savory mini pancake ball.  It wasn't bad but the combination of octopus and carbs didn't really do it for me.  The best dish of all of them was the fried chicken. Oh my, it was juicy, crispy but not overly battered.  It's mostly thigh meat which makes it even tastier and it's served with a homemade scallion oil.  There were 4-5 pieces, so it's very filling and we totally wanted to get another order but restrained ourselves.   

We pretty much ordered everything on the happy hour menu except for the shishito peppers, veggie spring rolls and a few different kinds of sushi rolls.  We somehow also left room for dessert which was a green tea souffle - it was warm, simple but oozing with goodness.  I should note that Shigure is also a sake bar so they have a really solid line up of sakes to choose from - for happy hour they only have 3 to choose from - I tried 2 of them and they were all smooth and fantastic. 

While we went with the happy hour menu to save money, one of the dangers of menus like this is the high risk of over ordering and we definitely did that.  I didn't regret it but I would have stuck with maybe 4-5 plates vs the 8-9 we ended up having!  Total bill:  $74/pp with tax, tip and a few rounds of sake

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Moti Mahal Delux Visited 2/3/2018 4 Forks

Moti Mahal Delux  149 1st Ave., New York, NY 10065

I very rarely go up to the UES for anything but the Michelangelo exhibit at the Met was winding down, so I figured it was worth the trek up there.  (Note, while the content of the exhibit was amazing it was so so crowded I couldn't enjoy myself at all.  Definitely go on a weekday or super early in the morning).  The area is definitely not my jam but Lav knew that Moti Mahal Delux wasn't too far away, so we cabbed it over there.  Location wise, 1st Ave is a dead zone.  Not to sound snotty but it's a reminder to me of how much I would never want to live in certain parts of NYC.  It's got no character or personality.   But if I ever did live up there, I would most definitely go to Moti Mahal.  Apparently it's a very well known chain in India, so I was excited to see what it was all about.

When I usually go to an Indian restaurant, it's likely either with Aarti or Lav and I just let them order whatever because it's always good.  Apologies that I can't remember everything Lav and I got there but rest assured, everything was extremely tasty.  We started with 2 different appetizers - one which was like a cold patty and another that was like a paneer kabob. The patty dish was just ok but it was a nice vehicle to scoop up the flavorful mint sauce with.  We got another warm paneer type dish which was buttery and amazing  but the true star of the show was the daal makhani ($17), which is black lentils also with lots of butter in it.  It was simply delicious and paired with the warm and soft garlic naan and onion kulcha that we ordered, I was in heaven.  Like any Indian dish, these are quite heavy and it feels like sometime you're eating forever and you haven't made a dent in the dish at all.  We had a lot of leftovers to take home even though the dishes looked small.

It was a pretty quiet experience since we at at like 6pm on a Saturday but in general it doesn't look like a place that would get super crowded or loud.  I imagine they probably do a really good take-out or carry out business.  The only gripe I had was that the waiter didn't really seem to know much about the menu - maybe he was new?  He was also not Indian, which I don't want to ding him for but generally when I go to ethnic restaurants I like the wait staff to be of the same ethnicity or at least be knowledgable about the cuisine or menu. 

While I love Indian food , it's also definitely not something that I should eat a lot of unless I want to put on 10 lbs quickly.  The location of this place leaves a lot to be desired but if you are ever up on the UES or visiting the Met, this should definitely be on your radar screen.  Total bill:  $42/pp with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp 

Thai Villa Visited 1/26/2018 3.5 Forks

Thai Villa 5 E 19th St, New York, NY 10003

In all my years of living in NYC, I had never heard of this place before.  So it was shocking when Holly and I tried to go on a Friday night and it was mobbed beyond belief.  You'd think a place this popular, I would have read about somehow.  Upon walking into the main room, I can see why it was so popular.  It is probably one of the most visually stunning restaurants I've seen.  It's got beautiful fixtures and furniture that you feel like you are really transformed to another place. 

The menu claims that they have rare and secret recipes from the Thai Royal Kitchen.  Umm - ok.  I doubt it but sure I can roll with it if they want.  The menu is divided up into 3 different sections, the classic section (your run of the mill pad thai), the privilege section (food served to royalty) and the chef's signature section.  So there are  plenty of dishes to choose from and the menu is actually quite overwhelming.  Since they claimed to have such a special menu, I figured it was worth choosing something from the privilege and/or chef's signature section.  We got the Ray Rai Nah Phu ($12) appetizer and I went with the Hor Mok Talay ($26) for my main meal.  The appetizer was described as minced shrimp with rice noodles and curry paste wrapped in a Betal leaf and topped with lump crab meat.  It was a very light dish and it tasted more like a lettuce cup with rice noodles lightly topped with curry flavoring.  It was interesting in presentation but I wasn't blown away by this.  I'd be shocked if this is something they actually serve to royalty?  As for my main dish, I got it purely because it said it was served in a coconut shell and I love anything served in a coconut.  It was a mix of shrimp, scallop, squid, salmon, crab meat, with curry paste and heart of palm.  It is indeed served in a coconut shell but beyond that it wasn't super impressive.  It was in a white coconut milk soup/curry base and that was honestly a bit distracting because it was hard to see what you were eating.  In my mind, I thought it was going to be more of a stir-fry type of dish but upon further research now it's described more as a Thai curry seafood custard - I wish I knew that in advance.  For me, seafood and custard aren't really two words I'd put together.  I question a bit the need for salmon in it as it seemed a bit out of place with the other types of seafood in there.  The one nice thing about it being served in a coconut shell was that after you finished everything inside, you can use a spoon to scrap out the coconut meat inside which was sweet and tasty. 

The table next to us got the Royal Pad Thai and it looked pretty cool since it was wrapped in an egg nest but I thought paying $21 for pad thai seemed a bit ridiculous. But after paying $26 for my dish, I wished that I had stuck with the royal pad thai option. While I may seem lukewarm on the food, it was definitely an interesting dining experience purely for the gorgeous decor.  But in every other way, it reminds me of a neighborhood mom and pop shop where the food comes out super fast and they try to get you out the door quickly.  They don't take reservations on Fridays and weekends, so be prepared to wait 45 mins to an hour, otherwise I'd try your luck on a weekday instead.  If you work near here they have a decent looking lunch special, so I'd maybe try that instead of trying to fight your way on a packed Friday or Saturday.  Total bill:  $52/pp with tax, tip and drinks

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Maysville Visited 1/24/2018 4 Forks

Maysville  17 W 26th St., New York, NY 10010

I had known about Maysville for their nice brown liquor selection but I had never eaten there before.  So when Cicily was in town, it felt like it was an appropriate place for us to check out and celebrate since we usually go for some kind of BBQ/brown liquor kind of place when she's visiting. 

As expected the menu is heavy on the Southern flare - they've got gumbo, roasted oysters, dirty rice and then some non-Southern food like trout, tortellini and Arctic Char.  We started with the shrimp toast ($15), I got the chicken ($27) and Cicily got the Burger ($23) and we also split the Brussels Sprouts ($13) to get something mildly healthy and green.  In a very un-Southern manner, the food comes out fast and furious.  I think only in an Asian restaurant have I seen food come out more quickly.  

The shrimp toast was a nice starter, it kind of reminded me of the kind you get in Chinese dim sum. It was a little bit dry but we were both starving so it was a good bite to settle the stomach.  The chicken was shockingly delicious.  It's not that I had low expectations of the food here but the chicken was very moist and juicy.  It did not come on the bone but it was closer to a flatten piece of meat like a brick chicken dish.  It was a huge portion so even though I was hungry, it definitely filled me up quickly.  I didn't try Cicily's burger but it looked delicious and dripping with cheese, sauce and onions.  I did snag a bunch of her fries and they were like the salty McDonald kind of fries but in the best possible way.  The Brussels Sprouts were fine - maybe a ting over roasted but I love sprouts no matter how they come out. 

Overall, it was a surprisingly very pleasant meal.  Our waiter was awesome and super fun.  The line up of whiskey and scotches here can't be beat and if you're hungry, there are more than enough snacks or entrees to fill you up.  We didn't get to try any of the desserts but in true Southern style there was some super sweet sounding ones like maple bourbon brûlée.  Definitely come here for the drinks but I'd stick around for the food too.  The bar fills up quickly and it can be loud, so I'd get here as early as you can.  Total bill:  $88/pp with tax, tip and a few drinks

Photo Credit:  Yelp