Tucan and Lion Visited 3/28/2012 3 Forks

Tucan and Lion 342 E 6th St., (between 1st Ave & 2nd Ave), Manhattan, NY 10003

I am not going to lie, I mainly picked the Tucan and Lion for dinner because of its cute name.  It's located right in the heart of Curry Row on 6th street which is kind of a weird location for a place like this (i.e. doesn't serve Indian food or has a bunch of lights in the window).  The inside of this place is very light and airy and super cute.  The menu is a bunch of American (but with a light Asian influence) small plates and a few mains but I would say that most of the things are for sharing with other people. 


Jenn and Kristen decided to split a bunch of different items: meatballs ($9), beef short rib tacos ($14), drunken clams ($16), goat curry ($22), roasted brussels ($6) and a side of bao buns ($3).  The meatballs came out first and there were 5 of them in a curry dijon sauce topped with mirco cilantro greens.  They were quite tasty but they did fall apart a bit too easily.  They could have been bound tighter because a some point it was almost like I was eating ground beef on my plate.  Next came the short rib tacos which also had a curry flavor, queso fresco, pickled shallots and micro cilantro greens (they must be in season or something).  I actually really enjoyed it this dish, a lot of interesting flavors going on at once.  There was been a big wave of Korean inspired tacos, but this wasn't quite the same as the curry was more reminiscent of Indian or Thai flavors.   The next dish I tried was the clams and usually I really love clams but theses were just a bit too fishy tasting and the lemongrass flavoring was a bit too overpowering.  The clams were served with the bao buns but the buns were soaking by the time we got them and just tasted like soggy toast.  My biggest issue with the food up til now was with the bao buns.  The waitress talked them up and as an Asian when I hear bao buns, I expect fluffy white buns.  These were just like toasted pieces of bread.  Totally unimpressed with them.  Luckily the goat curry was a strong dish and it was very similar to a massaman curry with lots of potatoes (purple and white) and the goat was pretty tender with a slight hint of spice added to it.  It was served with 2 pieces of roti that were fine but there was just something kind of off about them.  It almost tasted like they were bought at Trader Joe's and not homemade.  The brussel sprouts were roasted with Chinese bacon and to be honest, WTF is Chinese bacon? I'm Chinese and don't think I've ever heard of Chinese bacon before.  But the dish was fine, nothing spectacular.


We did opt for the lime lime pie for dessert which actually came "deconstructed".  Meaning that it wasn't actually a pie, they just put some graham cracker crust on the bottom of a glass, then topped it with key lime pie flavor whipped cream.  Don't get me wrong, it was definitely tasty but I would have preferred something in a more solid form.  I'm not sure why every place now needs to get all fancy with their desserts. 


I do want to mention that the cocktails at this place were great and strong.  After 3 drinks, I was definitely feeling it on the way home on the subway.  I personally recommend The Lion which was a yummy ginger tasting cocktail.  The waitstaff is also super nice and friendly, so I really appreciated that.  All in all, this place was cute and I liked where they were going with their dishes, it's just that not all of them were home runs.  Total bill: $61/pp with tip and tax and a Scoutmob discount. 


Photo Credit: Yelp

Frankies Sputino Visited 3/24/2012 3 Forks

Frankies Sputino 570 Hudson St., (between 11th St & Perry St), Manhattan, NY 10014

There are 2 other branches of Frankies in NYC: one in Brooklyn and another one in the East Village and I had really liked both of those locations.  The food was great and the atmosphere was nice and homey.  So when the West Village branch opened not too far from Aarti's apt, I was definitely hoping that it would be similar to the other two locations. 

This one was just not the same.  First off, the place is much bigger than the other two locations which makes it less homey and comfortable feeling.  It was pretty crowded when we walked in at 7:30pm on a Saturday but we were able to get a seat in 20 minutes.  The other thing that bothered me about this place was that it was LOUD.  I mean I was literally screaming at Aarti and she was sitting 3 inches away from me.  But strangely enough I could hear every word of the table next to me and they were 3 of the douch-est guys I have ever laid eyes on, so that also kind of made dinner a not so fun experience. 

But on to the food.  The menu was actually a bit more limiting than I remembered it to be.  There were only 6 kinds of pasta but they did have a good variety of appetizers and crostini and antipasti.  Aarti and I shared the Bufala Mozzarella & Arugula ($13) and I got the Tagliatelli & Mushrooms with Mascarpone and Butter ($16) while Aarti got the Sweet Potato & Sage Ravioli in Parmesan Broth ($16).  The mozzarella was perfectly moist (ok, that actually sounds kind of dirty but I don't know how else to describe it) and the arugula was salty and heavily dressed with olive oil, but I wished that it came with some slices of tomato or basil.  We did have to wait a bit for the next round of food, which to me was a bit weird because pasta shouldn't take that long to make.  I generally enjoy a more tomato based pasta but I do love mushrooms which was why I chose the Tagliatelli.  The pasta itself was solid and you could clearly taste the butter in the sauce.  I wished that there were more mushrooms in it because the few that I had were really flavorful and cooked perfectly.  I did enjoy my dish but it wasn't mind blowing pasta.  It was a solid pasta dish but there's something about a butter sauce that just wasn't super impressive.  We also split a tiramisu ($9) which I thought was a bit too heavy on the ricotta and not enough of the spongey-cake to it.  I've definitely had better tiramisu else where.  All in all, it's a fine Italian restaurant and maybe it was the annoying table next to be that didn't make me love this place, but I just remember the other locations being a lot more endearing.  Total bill: $89 total without tip and tax. 

Photo Credit: Yelp 

Maison Premiere Visited 3/14/2012 4.5 Forks

Maison Premiere 298 Bedford Ave., (between Grand St & 1st St), Brooklyn, NY 11211

I normally don't review bars but I had to give a shout out to Maison Premiere because I had such an awesome happy hour experience.  Now there are tons of places in the city that have oyster happy hours, but they usually only have about 1 or 2 at most different kinds for $1 (usually Blue Point).  But at Maison Premiere, they have 20 different kinds of oysters all for $1 (normally they are $2.50-$3.25) from 4-7pm.  How can you beat that?

Van and I left work at 5pm on the dot to get there with enough time to enjoy as many oysters as possible.  We were shocked to see that by the time we got to the bar at 5:30pm it was totally packed to the brim.  We were told that we could stand by the bar but you can only order oysters if you're seated.  So we put our name down and we were told that it could be up to a 30 minute wait.  I was so bummed because it was eating into my oyster time.  But luckily, 2 seats at the bar opened up and we were seated within 5 minutes.

While I love oysters, I view them how I view wine.  I love it and I've had many different varieties before but to this day I still can't tell you the name of any specific type I like.  I've had so many different kinds of oysters but besides Blue Point, Malpeque and Kumamoto I couldn't tell you the name of any other oysters I love.  So Van and I decided to randomly pick about 10 different kinds (2 of each) to start with.  We tried to pick ones from both the east and west coast.   At first I thought we were nuts to order 20 at a time but when I looked around everyone else was getting as much if not more than us.  Maison also has a few other items on the menu: hot gumbo, shrimp cocktail, crab legs, raw clams, and sea bass ceviche ($14).  We ordered the ceviche as something different to try.  It does take a while for your oysters to arrive but we were sitting right in front of the poor 3 guys who must have shucked about 1,000 oysters while we were there so I wasn't too upset.  When our platter did come out, it was picture perfect.  They were served with fresh horseradish, cocktail sauce, lemon and a vinaigrette.  In an effort to help you understand what's what, the waiter does leave a piece of paper which tells you which oyster is which but after you start eating and placing the shells on top of each other, it gets hard to keep track.  As with my typical experience with oysters, some were awesome, and some were just ok.  Some had sand and bits of shell still in it, which I wasn't a huge fan of but overall, to get to try this many different oysters for $1/each was amazing.  Unfortunately, I wasn't as in love with the ceviche was I would have liked to have been.  I thought it was going to be served like they do in Latin America/Peurvian type places, but these were served on half clam shells and while it was fresh and not-fishy tasting at all, it just didn't taste like ceviche either.  There wasn't that tangy sour cilantro taste that you usually get.  I mean, it was better than most general seafood dishes I've had in NYC, but probably not worth $14.

The thing about oysters is that you're never really full.  So when the waiter came around asking how we were doing, it was only 6:30, so we decided to go for round 2.  This time we hit all the other types that we didn't try in the first round.  So we ended up ordering another 22 oysters. Oh boy.  But the end of happy hour, we had split 42 oysters and while we weren't full, we were most definitely oystered out.  While I know this wasn't really a restaurant per se, it would have been nice if they offered some bread before hand just to help fill us up.  I should also mention that this place is really a gorgeous bar to just hang out in.  It's got this old New Orleans style feel to it and they have a bunch of fun sounding cocktails and a large absinthe menu.  I would totally come back here in a heartbeat and if you want to try out the happy hour, just remember to get here as early as you can.  Total bill: $50/pp with tax and tip.

Photo Credit: Van Lu 

Pinche Taqueria Visited 3/12/2012 3.5 Forks

Pinche Taqueria 333 Lafayette St., (between Bleecker St & Houston St), New York, NY 10012

I've actually walked past Pinche Taqueria many times before when I was walking from school to the F train.  But yet I've never stopped in.  This past week we had a field day at work (I know, how "hip" of us) and we just happened to be in the neighborhood.  However, we were given a mandate of only $10/pp for lunch, so that really limits your options in Soho.  So this was really the most logical option that was within walking distance.

This place is not really a restaurant but more of a take out-place with maybe 7-8 rickety tables.  The guy at the cashier was actually super nice and showed us the paper menu and walked us through it.  They had a lot of Mexican breakfast items (breakfast burritos, Chilaquiles, Huevos con Chorizon, etc), regular tacos, burritos, and combination platters.  I decided to try the fish tacos ($3.95 each) - which had lightly battered white fish (either mahi mahi or tilapia) and served with shredded cabbage, cilantro dressing and guacamole.  I only had enough budget for 2 tacos, which actually ended up being pretty filling.

I actually really enjoyed my meal even though I didn't have huge expectations for it.  The fish was tender, not over battered and pretty moist.  But most importantly I loved the cilantro dressing and guacamole.  I totally want to put it on everything that I eat now.  Every ingredient tasted super fresh and I could have imagined myself somewhere in California.  I didn't try anything else that my co-workers had (I mean, it's not like I'm eating with friends) but everyone else got burritos and they kind of looked a bit lacking but who knows.  I would definitely stop by here if I needed quick bite to eat or needed a mid-shopping snack while in SoHo.  I wish it was more of nicer set-up or restaurant style so that it was more inviting to sit for longer than 15 minutes while you quickly eat your food.

Photo Credit: Yelp

Blue Ribbon Bakery Visited 3/10/2012 4 Forks

Blue Ribbon Bakery 35 Downing St., (between Bedford St & Varick St), New York, NY 10014

There are some restaurants that I have been to so many times that I forget if I've reviewed them or not.  I have been to all the Blue Ribbons (Bakery, the Soho and Brooklyn Restaurant, the one in Brooklyn Bowl, and the sushi in the city and Brooklyn) but somehow I have only reviewed the Brooklyn sushi outpost (which of all of the variations is the only one that's now closed).  Blue Ribbon Bakery was actually my first foray to the Blue Ribbon chain 10 years ago on a recommendation of a friend about their chocolate chip bread pudding.  And 10 years later, the bread pudding is still one of the best desserts ever!

Another great feature about this restaurant is that they are open late...very late, like 2AM late.  So the other night when Lav and I had a craving for dessert at 10pm on a Saturday night, Blue Ribbon was a no brainer.  Of course while we were there, we ended up ordering some other appetizers like the brussel sprouts, asparagus, hummus plate and cheese plate.  My one gripe about this place is that the dishes are all about $5 over priced.  Each of these dishes were about $10-$15, which frankly for a side of vegetables and hummus is a bit much.  However, all of the vegetables were cooked perfectly and were super crispy and seasoned well.  The hummus and cheese plate were fine, nothing special about them.  As for the bread pudding ($14.75), I would honestly pay whatever they wanted.  It's that good and I don't even like chocolate!  It's just super moist but not overly sweet and incredibly addictive.  

I'll keep this review short since we really just ate a bunch of sides and dessert, but all the food is of super high quality and the waitstaff incredibly sweet and friendly.  They bake their bread onsite downstairs and you can smell the waft of bread baking upstairs as well.  They just could stand to turn the prices down a smidge to really make it a true stand-out. 

Photo credit: Yelp

Benchmark Visited 3/10/2012 2 Forks

Benchmark 339-A 2nd St., (between 4th Ave & 5th Ave), Brooklyn, NY 11215

It has been about 1 1/2 years since I left Park Slope and there are tons of things that I really miss about that neighborhood.  But the one thing that I don't miss is the lack of good brunch places.  Apparently not too much has changed on that front.  I found myself back in the 'hood after getting my taxes done with Aarti and we decided to get something to eat.  Despite all the new places that we saw, we decided to stick with a tried and true place of Stone Park Cafe but it was a 30 minute wait.  So we decided to walk around and see what else was good nearby.  We stumbled upon Benchmark and I had remembered seeing it when I had lived there but never tried it out.  The outside is this super cute patio but since it was cold, there was no one out there.  So the actual restaurant is all the way inside the alleyway and it was like this little cottage tucked away off the street but it also looked like there was no one around.  At first we were a bit hesitant but after peaking inside, we saw a bunch of people dining and felt a bit better about trying it out. 

The brunch menu is a pretty standard brunch menu for the area: 3 egg omelettes, steak and eggs, benedicts, burger, etc.  They also had a pretty good looking 2 course menu for $14.  I opted for the 2 course special and got the Goat's milk yogurt with granola and fruit and the crabcake benedict.  Aarti got the eggs florentine ($12).  I generally mock those who get granola at breakfast because it seems like something you can just make at home yourself.  But the other "appetizers" on the menu weren't that appealing to me: seasonal lettuce or gazpacho.  The yogurt was actually pretty good - it was like Greek yogurt, it was thick and sour, but I love that kind of yogurt so that was a nice way to start the meal.  So I was excited to get my crabcake benedict.  Sadly it was a bit of a disappointment.  The benedict looked good from the onset with lots of hollandaise sauce and a pretty good poached egg.  But after my first bite I realized that the crabcake consisted of lots of filler and very little actual crabmeat.  Mixed with a very thick english muffin, all I could taste was bread/carbs.  Even with all the hollandaise sauce and yolk, I just couldn't muster a lot of love for the dish.  The potatoes were totally fine -- pretty much like your standard brunch potatoes. 

What I did like about the place was the service and it was a super cute restaurant.  I can see how once the sun comes out, eating on the patio here would be a nice experience, but hopefully they will step up the food before that happens.  Total bill: $19/pp with tip and tax

Photo Credit: Yelp  

Takashi Visited 3/9/2012 4.5 Forks

Takashi 456 Hudson St., (between Morton St & Barrow St), New York, NY 10014

I had always wanted to go to Takashi but every time I look at the menu I am turned off by the listings of tongue, 3rd stomach and christ, the 4th stomach! I mean, I eat a lot of weird and funky stuff but what is the 4th stomach?!  But now that most of my food loving friends are vegetarians, I knew that if I found someone who was willing to go with me that I had to take advantage of it.

Nancy and I showed up at 6:20pm on a Friday night and it was already an hour wait! Sheesh.  They only take reservations of groups of 4 or more, so if you're less than 4 people, get ready to wait.  This place was always packed but ever since it was featured on Anthony Bourdain's "The Layover" it has just exploded.  Luckily the wait was more like 45 minutes and we weren't starving, so I wasn't a hungry grumpy mess when I sat down.  They immediately start you with a few small plates like they do in a Korean restaurant: kimchi, bean sprouts with sesame oil, and fresh cabbage with a ginger dressing.  Now I am not a huge fan of raw cabbage but I really loved the crunch and combination of it with the dressing.   The kimchi was incredibly spicy but in a good way and the sprouts were also super refreshing and tasty.  Our waiter told us that we should order 1 appetizer and about 2-3 mains and then a vegetable.  Instead, we opted for 2 appetizers and 3 meats:  the Foie Gras Stuffed Mini Kobe Burger with Chocolate BBQ Sauce ($20), the Niku-Uni (chuck flap topped with sea urchin and fresh wasabi - $24), US prime short rib ($22), and ox tail ($13).  As adventurous I am, I just couldn't bring myself to order the heart, aorta, stomach cuts, or tounge.  But next time I'm there I would be interested in trying the cheek, skirt and shoulder. 

The Niku-Uni came out first and it was just beautiful to look at.  We were instructed to put a dab of wasabi on top of it, roll it up and dip it in the soy sauce and then eat it in one bite.  So I did just that, and it was AMAZING.  There was tons of delicious soft uni and the raw chuck melted in your mouth.  Everything about it was perfect and totally worth $24.  Next came the meatball and for $20 you'd think there would be more than 1, but I guess when it's stuffed with foie gras you only get 1.  The one meatball was a good size and when they serve it, they pour the chocolate BBQ sauce on the meatball tableside.  The waiter kept pouring the sauce and you almost want to tell him to stop pouring so much sauce but they obviously know what they are doing.  Who would have thought that chocolate, meat and foie gras would be a winning combination? Certainly not me but it was a perfect combination of sweetness and saltiness. The sauce was a bit overpowering to the point that I couldn't even tell that there was foie gras in it but now I kind of want to pour chocolate sauce on all my burgers!  For the meats, they turn up the grill at your seat (note, don't plan on wearing nice clothes to this place because they WILL stink when you walk out) and then you grill your meats at your table.  I've had oxtail many times before but for some reason I was caught off caught at how thin the oxtail pieces were.  They tasted great but it was really difficult to eat because you have to literally gnaw around the cartilage and bone which can be messy and difficult.  Then came the short rib and it was so tender and I almost wanted to just eat it raw.  After finishing the short rib, Nancy and I were still hungry, so we asked our waiter what we should order next.  Without hesitation, our waiter literally screamed out "You HAVE to get the beef belly!!" ($18).   And he was not wrong at all.  It's not as fatty as pork belly but still has that delicate soft taste to it.  Despite all of this food, we still decided to get dessert on top of it.  They only have 1 dessert: soft serve vanilla ice cream ($5) but then you can add a bunch of toppings for $2/each, so we decided to get rice-flour dumplings and black sesame and soybean flour.  We got the dumplings because we didn't know what it was, but it turns out it was just like mochi.  The dessert was a nice refreshing finish to all the meat we just ate but there was nothing that was truly outstanding about it that warranted paying $9 for it.

At the end of the meal, I honestly could have ordered more food but didn't want to spend more money.  The prices are definitely a bit on the expensive side, but I would definitely say that it was worth every penny because the meat was like un-other I've had before.  Total bill $73/pp with tax and tip.

Photo Credit: Yelp