Jun-Men Ramen Visited 4/1/2016 3.5 Forks

Jun-Men Ramen  249 9th Ave., New York, NY 10001

One of the big trends to have swept the city these days is ramen.  While I do love a good ramen dish, I'm not obsessive about it like many people.  But what I am obsessive about is uni and Ju-Men Ramen created a dish that marries the two together.  This dish got a lot of buzz in the past year but I never felt like trekking up and waiting in line for it.  Luckily, I've had some down time at work lately, so figured now was the right time to check it out. 

I got there at around 1pm on a Friday and while it wasn't packed at all, it was pleasantly full of people.  I sat at the bar and glanced at the menu even though I pretty much knew what I was going to order.  If you're not in the mood for uni ramen, they do have a menu of traditional ramens and other small bites like pork buns and chicken wings.  I got the yellowtail ceviche ($11) to start and of course the uni mushroom ramen ($18) as my main.  Similar to how I felt about the ceviche at Llama Inn - this dish wasn't really a ceviche as it was a carpaccio.  It was large but thin slices of yellowtail with pickled mango, kimchi jus for some heat and fried dumpling skin on top for crunch.  A very pleasant dish for sure but again, it's not a ceviche in my mind because there wasn't any acidity or citrus to the dish.  But I wasn't here for the appetizers - I was here for the famous uni mushroom ramen.  I knew going in that it was a dry ramen - meaning there is no broth, so don't get caught off guard when ordering it.   The ramen came out and it had lovely presentation with chunks of uni sitting right on top of it.  The dish is served with roasted pancetta, porcini butter, truffle oil, fried shallots, scallion and lots of parmesan cheese - so yeah, it sounds nothing like ramen at all.  The noodles were nice and chewy and the pancetta added a nice smoke to it - it honestly tasted more like a carbonara dish than a Japanese noodle dish.  The uni was a nice addition but with all the other strong flavors to the dish (truffle and butter) it was hard to really taste the uni. 

Overall, I'm really glad I tried it but I'm not sure if I would necessarily go running back, especially at $18 a pop.  Spending over $30 for lunch on 2 dishes is a bit much but it was worth a try at least once here but I can see this trendy dish easily being overtaken by another trend really quickly.  Total bill:  $37.25 with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Rebelle Visited 3/30/2016 4.5 Forks

Rebelle  218 Bowery, New York, NY 10012

I have 2 words for you here: Veal Porterhouse.  Yes, it pains me beyond belief to think of what I am actually eating but it's fucking out of this world.  It's a nightly verbal special - so if they don't mention it, please ask them about it.  It's 23 ounces of rare deliciousness that has been basted with thyme, garlic, and butter (lots of it) and is served sitting in its own veal jus. But before I get to it, I should back up a bit. 

Vince and I were there was part of our usual "business" get togethers and we always pick a baller place to conduct business.  Vince had heard about Rebelle's veal porterhouse situation and he didn't have to convince me twice to check it out.  The space is sparse and has this very Scandinavian feel to it.  It's kind of cold and modern but the service was still warm and friendly.  The menu is very composed and sophisticated - I wouldn't say that this place is really for everyone since there aren't any "traditional" dishes on the menu.  We started the meal with the fluke ($16) appetizer and the scallop ($18) and then had the veal porterhouse for 2 as our main entree ($90).  Honestly, you can get away with just ordering the veal and you'll still walk out super full but the appetizers were equally fantastic. 

The fluke was incredible, such a simple and clean dish. Beautifully thick cut pieces of raw fish topped with brown butter, caper and lemon - perfection. Next we had the scallop - there were 2 of them topped with uni and turnip and sitting in squid ink.  I only got this dish because of the uni and the combination of it with the squid ink and scallop was great.  

As for the main attraction, they roll the dish out in a hot sizzling pan and the veal has already been sliced for you and is served with a TON of potatoes that have been roasting the veal jus as well. Luckily, they also serve a side salad with the dish, which at first seems weird but it was 100% necessary to cut through all the fat you are eating.  The veal is super tender and is roasted to perfection.  My only complaint is that there was actually too much food - it was really hard to finish all of it and I didn't even touch the potatoes because the thought of eating starch soaking in veal jus was just too much for me to handle. I was actually uncomfortably full afterwards - so much so that I couldn't even consider dessert. 

While I really enjoyed every aspect of my meal and it was super creative yet balanced at the same time, this is definitely not an every day kind of restaurant.  It was very close to a 5 fork meal yet - it was just lacking in the coziness or warmth that I really makes me gaga over a place.  But that should definitely not dissuade any of you from putting it on your list - especially if the veal is available that night.

Photo Credit:  Eater.com 

Beaubourg Visited 3/29/2016 2.5 Forks

Beaubourg  225 Liberty St., New York, NY 10281

There was a time when my building literally had no food options except for our sad but useful cafeteria.  Then one day, they opened up Hudson Eats and then the Le District - an unofficial French version of Eataly.  Along with Le District, there were a few restaurants that opened up inside, which was nice given all the food limitations we've had but unfortunately, except for the view there isn't too much to celebrate here. 

I'll give them credit and say that the space is very nice and it's great that it's got such a nice view of the water.  I was there for a year end celebration lunch with my co-workers.  With any lunch time offering at a restaurant, it's always super stressful because undoubtedly everyone has to rush to a meeting right afterwards.  Knowing how 90% of their lunch time customers are business people, you'd think they would have a system down where the food would come out quickly - but we waited over 45 mins for our food which in any situation is ridiculous.

The menu tries to be French by having dishes like pate, escargots, and mussels on the menu.  I'll be honest and say that while I don't think French food is terrible, it's not one of my favorites (although I know almost every well known chef has done time cooking in France).   I was starving, so I opted for the cheeseburger ($18) which is undecidedly very Un-French but nothing else really spoke to me. The burger was served with Tomme de Savoie cheese (mild French cow's milk cheese), tomato, red onion, and a mustard/mayonnaise spread.  While the meat was fine and cooked medium rare, the cheese was way too mild for a burger.  It barely tasted like anything - to me, if you're going to get a cheeseburger, the cheese has got to be the star of the show.  There was also way too much bread - I had to pull a lot of it off because it made the burger too heavy.  The fries that came with it were salty, crispy and skinny.  People around the table got the heirloom tomato salad (I will say this dish looked beautiful) and the fish.

While my food wasn't terrible, the wait was just painful.  There are much better places to eat in the area - my vote is for Parm - which is why I gave it a low rating.  It's a nice place to sit outside and get some rose on a sunny afternoon, but I'd skip the full blown meal there.

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Avant Garden Visited 3/27/2016 4 Forks

Avant Garden  30 E 7th St., New York, NY 10009

So this is what happens when I write a review 7 days afterwards...I kind of forget what I ate there! That doesn't mean that I thought the food was bad, it just means I'm getting old and need to write these things more quickly.  So apologies for the short and not to informative review, but do know that this place is worth checking out even if it may not sound like it.

The trend of veggie friendly restaurants continues!  Avant Garden is the latest popular restaurant who has an all veggie and mostly vegan friendly menu.  Although they recently switched chefs, it doesn't seem like the food has really suffered in quality.  I was able to snag a reservation on a Sunday night with Lav.  The space is warm and inviting and a lot of the space is taken up by a large low counter which doubles as seating and the open kitchen.  If you get a seat here, you are actively engaging with the chefs, which is pretty neat.  The menu is broken up into Toast, Cold and Hot - all fairly self-explanatory sections.  We opted to try the Carrot toast ($12), a cold dish that I can't remember now, a spring pea pasta like dish and the cauliflower ($18).   While I'm not a huge fan of carrots, the harrisa flavored carrots here were flavorful and delicious.  It also came with whipped tofu, apple and tarragon on it.  The bread was solid - crunchy and soft at the same time.  Definitely a tasty mouthful. Sadly I can't really remember the next 2 dishes although I do recall the spring pea dish tasting exactly like spring time in my mouth.  The cauliflower dish was served with spinach, oyster mushrooms, dates and Vadouvan (which is a French spice).  I forget how "meaty" cauliflower can be and how under appreciated it is as a solid vegetable dish.  While I don't think there was anything super creative about the way the cauliflower was cooked or plated, it was very enjoyable.

Unfortunately, I didn't really do justice to this review - it really lacks the detail and love it deserves. For a vegetarian place, the food was innovative and creative - showing once more that you can do a lot with food that isn't meat or seafood based.  My one gripe is that the portions were a bit on the small side, so definitely order at least 5 dishes or more if you are hungry.  The waitstaff and chef at the counter were really nice and helpful which added to the pleasant experience.  Total bill:  $40/pp with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Egg Shop Visited 3/26/2016 3.5 Forks

Egg Shop  151 Elizabeth St., New York, NY 10012

The Egg Shop is the epitome of hipster cuteness.  It's located at the cross section of Soho/Nolita/Chinatown so it brings in the artists, models and for some reason a lot of Asians.  The wait at on Saturday morning was 45 mins so be prepared to wait.  The place is pretty small with tight counter space and a handful of small tables.  As you can imagine, the menu is egg focused - so if you are a vegan, you're shit out of luck. The concept is pure marketing genius - who doesn't love an egg on everything or want an egg sandwich for breakfast (if you're more health conscious they have egg bowls).  They are super creative with their egg creations and everything sounded amazing.  You can also make your own sandwich as well as order fried chicken as a side dish - amazing!! I was trying to be healthy, so I went for a bowl instead but of course I picked the one that had pulled pork in it, so there goes that.  If I were to go full hog, I probably would have made my own sandwich with soft scramble eggs, cheddar cheese on a buttermilk biscuit with maple sausage and an avocado and maybe even throw in some heirloom tomatoes in there.  Ugh - I'm drooling just thinking about this.  Instead I got the El Camino ($13) which was a bowl with 1 poached egg, avocado, pulled pork, tomato, and cilantro topped with tortilla strips.  The food came out super fast but I guess the cooks literally do nothing all morning but have poached eggs ready and throwing the other ingredients in a bowl doesn't take much time.  I was a bit bummed that it was only 1 egg but they did compensate by putting a lot of pork in there but when you're called the Egg Shop, I would assume that the focus would be on the egg instead.  The egg was poached well enough although it could have been a bit runnier for me.  It was totally a fine dish but it didn't really scream breakfast to me with such little egg.  

In retrospect, I should have stuck with going balls the the wall and gotten a yummy sandwich on buttermilk biscuits as well as gotten a side of fried chicken - everyone who got it, looked very happy. While I was full, I left feeling like I waited way too long for a meal that lasted less than 35 mins that I ultimately could have made at home that cost less than <$10 to make.  Total bill:  $23/pp with tax, tip and juice

Photo Credit:  Yelp

High Street on Hudseon Visited 3/20/2016 4 Forks

High Street on Hudson  637 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014

This place has been buzzing primarily due to the popularity of their breads, pastries and breakfast sandwiches.   Those are all things that I love but Aarti and I ended up going for dinner instead and I wasn't really sure what to expect as I normally don't equate a place that's good with pastries to have a good dinner menu.  Luckily, I was wrong and the dinner there was wonderful. 

We walked-in on a Sunday and the place was packed.  We were offered seats at the "Chef's Table", which was basically just the end of the counter facing into the open kitchen.  It was totally fine but it is by the bathroom and you are a bit removed from the rest of the restaurant, so don't be fooled into thinking that you're getting some special seating next to the chef.  The menu is charming and rustic. They did have a delicious sounding line-up from their hearth but Aarti both refrained from carbo loading.  Instead, we shared the crispy broccoli ($9) and the grilled mushrooms ($15) to start and I got the Long Island Duck ($28) and Aarti got the Sunflower Seed Risotto ($14).   The crispy broccoli was fantastic - it had a tempura like batter on the outside and served with wood ear mushrooms, chow chow and scallions.  The batter was light yet flavorful and the broccoli underneath still had a nice crisp to it.  The chow chow was tangy with a slight hint of heat to it, which made it a nice combo with the mild batter.  The grilled mushrooms came with wild rice, sunchokes and mustard apples.  It was a perfectly nice dish and very farm-to-table but it didn't necessarily wow me over. 

What did wow me over was the duck.  Duck can go so many ways and if done incorrectly it can be dry and terrible.  But this one here was absolutely perfect.  Incredibly tender, moist and perfectly medium rare.  It reminded me of how much I love a really solid duck dish.  There were 4 nice medallions and even though it was a bit pricey at almost $30, it was the right amount of food combined with the charred leeks and turnips. 

It's really easy to walk past this place and think it's just another cute West Village restaurant.  And while it is a cute West Village joint, the food is really legit and solid.  Based on all the reviews about their breakfast/lunch/brunch situation, I will definitely come back in the day time so see what all the fuss is about bread-wise, but I would say that you shouldn't overlook it as a great dinner spot too. Total bill:  $43/pp with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Rue 57 Visited 3/20/2016 3 Forks

Rue 57  60 W 57th St., New York, NY 10019

In all my years of living in NYC, I have actually never been to Carnegie Hall.  So when my friend Amy invited me to a show (never mind what the actual show was - it wasn't that good but that's not the point) I thought it would be a fun thing to cross off my NYC bucket list.  Unfortunately, Carnegie Hall is located right smack in the middle of Midtown and tourist land.  I don't know of any good places to eat around there and luckily Amy had thought before hand and made a reservation at Rue 57 which was right around the corner. 

The place is hopping with tourists (it is near Central Park) and locals trying to get a meal in before a show.  The space is pretty large and it's got a very classic French bistro feel to it.  They do a really good job of creating a cozy feel in the middle of a bustling city.  Even though we had accidentally canceled our reservation (we thought we were going to eat elsewhere), they were kind enough to still squeeze us in when we came crawling back.  The menu here is what you would expect of a French Bistro at brunch - lots of brunchy options as well as sandwiches, salads and steak frites.  They also strangely had a full sushi menu too - not sure why.  I decided to stick to egg options and got the Country Omelette ($16.25).  I wasn't sure if the dish came with anything on the side but when I read that it came with roasted fingerling potatoes, bacon and gruyere, I figured it would be a lot of food. So I guess I just read the menu wrong because instead of the potatoes and bacon coming on the side, the actual omelette was stuffed with these ingredients which was totally unexpected (even though as I re-read the menu now, that's clearly what it meant).  The portion size was HUGE - enough for 2 people and to be honest, stuffing an omelette with potatoes isn't really all that great.  Plus there was waaay to much bacon (gasp, I can't believe I'm saying that) and it tasted more like bacon bits rather than fresh cut bacon.  While I was very full at the end, I definitely felt like I forced myself to eat more than I should of a mediocre dish.  

The location and speed of service makes this place a logical choice if you are going to catch a show at Carnegie Hall or anything in the area.  It's definitely not a place I would voluntarily go to on my own but it did get the job done.  Just expect tons of tourists and basic brunch food.  Total bill:  $25/pp with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp