Ramen-Ya Visited 10/29/2016 3.5 Forks

Ramen-Ya   181 W 4th St., New York, NY 10014

It's late October, which means it's ramen season!  It's the perfect comfort food - warm, salty and filling.  Ramen-ya is located in the heart of the West Village, which means it's a tiny space.  There are probably 5 tables and then 6 seats at the bar.  I like how it's similar to SF ramen houses where you put your name on a list on a clipboard instead of telling the host.  That way it's easy to track where you are on the list without having to ask the host a million times how many people are in front of you.  

Since it's so tiny, its easier to get a table for 1 or 2, so they recommend that if you're a party of 3 or more to go to their sister restaurant on West 3rd street.  But there was only 2 parties in front of us, so we decided to wait it out.  The menu is pretty standard - you've got your pork broth ramen as their staple item, then they have some chicken broth ramen, and a pretty decent line up of vegetarian (or as the menu called it "vageterian) options as well.  We tried to get an order of veggie gyoza but they only had pork ones that night, which was a bummer.  I got the Shoyu ramen which was a soy sauce flavor broth with sliced pork, wood ear mushrooms, scallions and a soft egg.  It came with thin wavy noodles which were good and cooked to the right texture but after seeing the chewy noodles that Aarti and Mabel had with their veggie ramen, I was really craving a thicker noodle with mine.  I wasn't sure if I was really hungry or my bowl was smaller but I inhaled my dish in about 5 minutes. The sliced pork was a bit on the fatty side but the egg was cooked perfectly and the wood ear mushrooms was the right topping with the broth.  Strangely enough the veggie ramen looked a bit heartier than my pork one because it came with more toppings like corn, bean sprouts and bamboo shoots in addition to the mushroom and scallions.  I also drank pretty much all of my broth which was salty but not overwhelming salty which was nice.  While I know I could have put more toppings on my ramen to make it more filling, it was a bit surprising at how I was still hungry afterwards.  So to make up for it,  we ordered the green tea mochi ice cream - which were clearly the exact same ones you can get at Trader Joe's, which is actually fine because they're delicious but it's just funny when you realize how restaurants sometimes source for the same places you get your food.  

The service was a bit touch and go.  They weren't super attentive and we did have to hail them down for both the dessert and our check.  There are clearly so many other ramen options in the city but if you live in the 'hood and the line isn't too long, it's worth a stop by.  Total bill:  $21/pp with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Cafe Habana Visited 10/29/2016 4 Forks

Cafe Habana  17 Prince St., New York, NY 10012

Cafe Habana has been a long time Soho, New York staple for as long as I can remember.  Its location makes it a hot spot for models and other trendy New Yorkers and as such the lines have always been crazy long.  But I hadn't been there in a while and Aarti and I were planning on doing some shopping in Soho, so we thought we'd take a gamble and see if we could grab a brunch time seat on a Saturday. 

I strolled in at 12pm on the dot and it was surprisingly NOT crowded.  I was shocked - maybe it's finally dying down?  I grabbed two seats at the bar which wasn't the most comfortable but the place is small, so it's not like there are a lot of places to sit anyways.  The left side of the menu had their more brunch-y foods like huevos rancheros and the left side had more lunch-y foods like their cuban sandwich.  It's like Sophie's choice!! I was having a really hard time because they had huevos divorciados, which I haven't had since Santa Fe.   But they claimed that their cuban sandwich ($10.95) was voted best in NYC, so I figured I just had to get it.  Aarti and I also split the grilled corn ($5.95) to start because how can you come to a cuban place and not get freakin grilled corn?  This one is served in typical fashion with mayo, cotija cheese, chili powder and lime.  Delicious.  There's just something about that cheese sprinkled all over the corn that is a perfect combination.  It's definitely a messy messy dish, so I wouldn't recommend getting it unless you're with good friends or just don't give a shit that your face will be covered in mayo and cheese for at least 10 minutes. 

I was excited for the cuban sandwich because it's been a really long time since I've had a great one. This had your classic ingredients:  roast pork, ham, swiss cheese, chipotle mayo, and a pickle on a toasted panini type bread.  While it was a nice solid sandwich, I'm not sure I can say it's the best in NYC.  It was heavy on the pork and I would have liked it to be a bit more balanced with the ham. While I usually don't love pickles, I do adore them in a cuban and I actually could have used more of them in this one.  The sandwich came with a handful of fries that were a ting too soggy from the mayo dripping on to my plate.  Aarti got the huevos rancheros and it looked good but also swimming in their salsa ranchera that you couldn't even see anything else on the plate.

It was nice to re-visit this place after a long time away and I can see why it's still a downtown staple. The food is still solid and the atmosphere still fun and funky.  But I still adore Sohpie's as my go-to true authentic Cuban place (yes, yes, I know it's a chain but still...) but if you want to hipster it up, Cafe Habana is a fine substitute.  Plus the prices of the neighborhood are really quite reasonable.  Total bill: $18/pp with tax, tip and coffee

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Momofuku Nishi Visited 10/22/2016 3.5 Forks

Momofuku Nishi  232 8th Ave., New York, NY 10011

Everyday there are so many buzzy food trends that pop-up in NYC that it's hard to keep track of all of them.  One of the latest ones comes from David Chang and the Momofuku Empire and it's called the Impossible Burger.   What makes it impossible?  It's a plant based "burger" that actually looks and bleeds like a real meat patty.  Now I'm not sure vegetarians really think that what they are missing from a burger is the bleeding but I can see how a vegetarian would be intrigued by this.  I've had a LOT of veggie burgers in my life and for the most part they're not good.  Usually they are some bean patty that falls apart after a few bites and tastes nowhere close to a real burger.  So I usually skip it and will settle for at least a turkey burger if I'm trying to be healthy.

As with any novelty trend, there was a line 30 people deep before the place even opened at noon. They claim that the burgers are first come first serve, so I'd recommend coming around 11:30 or 11:45 to ensure you've got a fair shot at getting one of them.  Anuja got the burger with cheese ($14) and I got the pork belly sandwich ($15) and we split the butter noodle ($20) as well.  Basically this is exactly what the entire restaurant ordered as well, so I'm not even sure why they have anything else on the menu.

At first glance the Impossible Burger looks pretty much like a regular meat burger - it's even cooked "medium rare" on the inside to give it a pinkish glow.  I had a small bite and I'll say that as a meat eater it is pretty damn close to a real burger but it's still missing that fatty meaty flavor to it that is really what red meat is all about.  But if you've never had a real burger before,  this will get you pretty close to the real thing.  I'm assuming that since it's a plant based patty, it's better for you health-wise but then again, I'm not sure if I want to know what it's actually made out of.  You absolutely must get it with cheese and the fries that came with it were also addictive - skinny, salty McD's like fries and they really made for a tasty burger and fries combo.  As for my pork belly sandwich, it came with avocado and a perfectly fried egg on top.  Ingredient wise, it was a combination of everything that I love and don't get me wrong, it was a fine sandwich but honestly I wasn't wow'd by it.  It kind of felt like a cliched sandwich of all the trendy things going on right now (pork belly, avocado and a fried egg) - you might as well throw some kale or poke on it and call it a day.  As for the butter noodles, it was very similar to a cacio e peppe dish with a fried egg  on top.  The noodles were nice and chewy and it was definitely a very hearty and heavy pasta dish.   Again, I enjoyed it but it wasn't a dish that I felt warranted a long line and wait outside.

The novelty of the Impossible Burger is for sure very interesting.  I'm glad I tried it and if I lived in the neighborhood, I could see myself stopping by for those amazing fries on a cheat day.  Total bill:  $36/pp with tax, tip and drink

Estela Visited 10/21/2016 4.5 Forks

Estela  47 E Houston St., New York, NY 10012

Estela has been on my list for a while as it's been on several "Best of" list for the past 3 years.  While it is a somewhat casual setting, the menu always seemed a bit too stuffy for me to really put a ton of effort into checking out.   Plus it's super difficult to get a reservation at a normal time - in fact, Richelle and I ended up getting a 5:30pm slot on a Friday night which isn't ideal but honestly, we ended up staying for 3 hours, so it actually turned out pretty well for us. 

The menu is similar to what I had at Freek's Mill before, which is American tapas.  And similar to Freek's Mill, the prices are somewhat ridiculous, even more so here at $17-37 per small plate.  The waiter recommended 6 plates for 2 people, so you can do the math on that one.  Richelle and I were in baller mode, so we really went all out on the menu:  beef tartare ($18), fried arroz negro ($23), lamb ribs ($22), ricotta dumplings ($25), and monkfish ($32).   While Richelle and I had a hard time deciding among all the dishes, the one dish we both agreed to get immediately was the beef tartare.  It was really fantastic - chopped well and seasoned with capers and sunchokes, it was an excellent tartare that was perfectly executed.  Next we tried the black fried rice with squid. This one had a paella like consistency with a crunchy bottom to it, which was a nice touch.  I will caution you that if don't like fishy tasting dishes, this probably won't be for you.  I enjoyed it but not as much as some other squid ink dishes that I've had before. 

Next came the lamb ribs and they were incredible.  There were 4 pieces that were herb crusted with charmoula and honey and the meat fell right off the bones.  I have a love/hate relationship with ribs and this one fell on the love side.  Next, we ordered the ricotta dumplings because the waiter said that they were "life changing" - those were the exact words he used.  So while Richelle doesn't eat cheese, we felt compelled to get them.  They were light and fluffy and served with thinly shaved mushrooms on top.  I tried to get Richelle to try one because it wasn't cheese-y gooe-y in texture since it's ricotta but she wasn't having any of it.  It was definitely a lovely pillow-y dish, but I can't say it was life changing and having to eat the whole thing myself was a bit of a challenge with all the other food. Next came the monkfish.  We had been struggling to decide between the monkfish or swordfish and the waiter was saying that the monkfish was heartier and the swordfish was lighter.  I normally don't love swordfish, so we decided to go with something heartier.  In retrospect, I kind of wish we got the swordfish instead because this fish was a bit too tough for me.  It wasn't flakey and it just had a toughness that I don't love when it comes to my fish - but again, it's not like I didn't know it going into it, so it's was a risk we took that didn't quite pay off.  This was where our original order ended but yet we were still a bit hungry.  So we hemmed and hawed between getting the swordfish, mussels, steak or desserts.  We netted out at the steak ($37) and 2 desserts, the chocolate cake ($12) and a sweet potato rum cake ($12).   The steak was 2 smallish pieces cooked medium rare and served with charred eggplant and leeks.  The original form comes with a melted taleggio cheese sauce on top but we got it on the side for Richelle's sake.  The steak was cooked perfectly and while you would think the cheese sauce would have tasted kind of weird with it, I was actually really glad to have had it because the strong stinky flavor of it really paired well with the meat. I can't explain it but it just worked. 

At this point, we were drunk and full but had to get dessert.  The chocolate cake came with this out of this world creme fraiche topping covered with coco powder on top.  The cake was moist but had a bit of a flourless consistency to it and overall it was a very non-sweet dessert, which I like but I can see how some people might be turned off by, so just know that going into.  We got the sweet potato dessert because it sounded so unique.  It was basically cold shredded sweet potato sitting on top of a rum soaked cake - it was interesting but the coldness of the dish really threw me off a bit. 

But what really put this dinner over the edge was the mind blowing wine (a red from Umbria) we had with dinner.  Yes it was $100 but it was really something special.  It paired really well with the meat dishes we had.  The service was excellent with the waiter being really patient in explaining almost the entire menu for us, although I didn't quite buy his "life changing" opinion of the dumplings.  The ambiance is cozy and dark but quite lively because it was incredibly packed.  I'm not sure I would say it's one of the best restaurants in the world as many have stated but it's worth checking out if you're a long standing New Yorker and need a new place to cross off your list.  It's definitely pricey and for that I was close to giving it 4 forks but in a head-to-head comparison of Freek's Mill, it's definitely the better choice.  Total bill:  $200/pp with tax and tip and lots of drinks

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Pondicheri Visited 10/15/2016 2.5 Forks

Pondicheri   15 West 27th St.,  New York, NY 10001

It's experiences like the one I had last night at Pondicheri that motivate me to keep writing this blog. It's not because I like to shit all over restaurants and make them feel bad, but it's a way for me to hopefully share some feedback and make them a better restaurant in the future.  I had read a lot about this place and how it's an acclaimed Indian restaurant in Houston, so I figured it was worth checking out. 

I walked in at 8pm on a Saturday which I know is always a crapshoot in NYC.  But the place was literally half empty so I was expecting to get a seat immediately, if not, quickly.  However, the hostess informed me that all the seats were taken.  I looked at her and said, "Seriously, every single one of these seats? Even the one right here that is being busied as we speak?"  She said something weird like the waiters didn't like or were having issues with those tables, so they were no longer using them.  Umm - ok.  But she said that if any seats at the bar opened up, they serve a full menu there. Great - luckily two people got up right as I walked over, so I swooped in and took them.  As I sat down I heard the bartender/waiter apologizing to the couple next to me about the slowness of their food and that it was coming soon - that's never a good sign.  

The menu looked pretty tasty - a variety of starter dishes, shared dishes and sampler plates.  Aarti and I each got a different sampler plate - she got the vishnu ($18) and I got the earth ($22) and we got a side order of garlic naan ($6).  Aarti and I were both starving so we were really excited for our food and this is where it went downhill quickly.  I am not exaggerating when I say it took over 40 mins for our food to arrive.  We sat at the bar with nothing but our drinks for 40 mins (they also were slow to refill our water, I had to ask repeatedly) - eventually they tossed us some mixed spiced snacks before we keeled over and died at the bar, but that was only after 30 mins of us sitting there.  I had to finally ask our bartender and he was clearly very embarrassed about it and I know it's not his fault but it was really just unacceptable that no one said anything to us or offered us anything.  Finally we saw food coming towards us, only for the busy boy to deliver another table's food to us by accident.  What made it ridiculous was that it was for the people who came in literally 30 mins after we sat down. How the hell were they getting food before us?? Either our order never got placed or there are some serious operational issues.   Finally, almost an hour after sitting, we got our food with our waiter profusely apologizing and pouring us more wine on the house. 

The sad thing is that the food was alright.  The earth plate came with a very flavorful chicken dish, spiced lightly fried okra, smoked eggplant, sauteed greens (random as it's not really an Indian dish) and a beet cashew rita.  It was a mix of complex and intense flavors, which is why I love Indian food. Aarti's dish was almost the same thing but she had a sweet potato samosa, which was quite tasty. When you look at what was actually served, there is absolutely no reason why it should have taken 45-60 mins to produce.  If anything, most Indian places I've been to have many of these dishes pre-made and serve it up quickly.  If the food had come out at a normal pace, I probably would have given this place at least 3.5 forks or maybe more.  

The delayed food was only half of my anger as the night progressed NONE of the tables that were empty when I walked in were filled.  Seriously, the place was pretty empty by the time we left.  I didn't mind sitting at the bar but again, poor management and operations if they were expecting a full house and didn't get it or they just blatantly lied to me about it. 

By the time we left, Aarti and I made a pact to never get Indian food outside of Curry Hill, Little India or the Temple in Queens.  Honestly, whenever you are looking for delicious ethnic food (except for Italian food - never go to Little Italy), it's best to stick with the appropriate ethnic neighborhoods - the quality is better, it's more authentic and it's way cheaper.  I felt bad for this place, it wasn't the bartender's fault and most places need a few months to adjust themselves, so perhaps I'm being a bit harsh.  After all, I always say never go to a restaurant when it first opens, so I clearly didn't follow my own advice.  Plus most legit restaurant reviews are done after going to the place at least 3-4 times, so perhaps if I do go back, things will be improved.  But for the time being, I'll stick with Saravana Bhavan.   Total bill:  $43/pp with tax, tip and drinks

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Hou Yi Hot Pot Visited/ 10/14/2016 3.5 Forks

Hou Yi Hot Pot  92 Hester St., New York, NY 10002

One of my favorite Chinese foods is hot pot - I guess it's not really a food but a form of cooking but regardless, it's got a soft spot in my heart.  Janet and I usually go to 99 Favor Taste in Chinatown but for some reason they had no openings on a random Friday night, so we tried a new place in the East Village. 

The concept is the same, all you can eat hot pot for 2 hours with a same kind of ingredients and sauces.  The one difference here is that you share pots but it is split into 2 so that you can try different broths but I kind of like having my own to dip and cook with.  We got the herb beef and herb pork which was fine but the pork bone broth at 99 Favor Taste is much better.  We got the usually suspect of ingredients:  sliced beef, sliced pork, enoki mushrooms, fish tofu, fish balls, napa cabbage, shrimp, corn, and rice noodles.  The portions are a bit smaller than 99 Favor Taste but since it's all you can eat, it doesn't really matter all that much but we did have to re-order a bunch of things several times which the wait staff seemed a bit annoyed by.  It's easy to go over zealous with the food here, which we easily did here but that's part of the fun with hot pot. 

They are a bit aggressive with the dish clearing, coming by every so often trying to clear our plates away but judging by the wait the place had, I can see why they are always hustling.  They don't give you plastic bags here to protect your jacket and bags, so be prepared to just have everything on or near you smell like hot pot.  Overall,  it was a filling experience but I would still recommend 99 Favor Taste if you 're looking for better broth and slightly more ingredients (plus they do Korean BBQ there too but it's just always way too much food to do both).  Total bill:  $75 with tax and tip for 2 people

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Freek's Mill Visited 10/12/2016 4 Forks

Freek's Mill  285 Nevins street, Gowanus, NY 11217

Freek's Mill is in smack in the middle of Gowanus or the part of Brooklyn that is surrounded by a Super Fund.  You can see that as being kind of cool or kind of gross - I'll take the former because it's still a part of Brooklyn that's still a bit untouched but it's got glimmers of hipster-ness.  Enter Freek's Mill.   It's a cute and much more refined restaurant than I was expecting for that part of town but it's still got a casual vibe to it. 

It's tapas style and if you've read my blog, you know how I feel about small plates.  I like the concept but I HATE how places still feel like they can charge entree prices for them.  The waiter here recommend 2-3 dishes per person (which I agree with) but the prices of these small plates averaged around $15-20 or more, which is a bit ridiculous for me.  But the good news is that at least the food was delicious here.  We got the scallop crudo, octopus, pumpkin, fettuccine, Arctic Char, duck and pork jowl.  

The scallop crudo came highly recommended by the waitress and while I love scallop, I wasn't a huge fan of the fact that it was cut into cubes.  For me, the glory of scallop comes when you keep it intact. But it was a sweet clean flavor that was wonderful none the less.  Next I tried the pumpkin dish and with fall pretty much here, it was a warm comforting dish.  It was sweet and served with a sweet riccotta like cheese to it.  It was basically fall in a plate.   Next was the octopus and unlike the one at Thursday Kitchen, this was a long meaty tentacle charred and served with fingerling potatoes.  Solid dish and cooked the way octopus should be.  Next was the fettuccine which had ham and a sunny side egg on it.   While it wasn't a pasta dish that brought me back to my days in Italy, it was a very comforting dish with a nice homemade taste to it.  Next was the Arctic Char which was cooked with the skin on.  It was pan seared and cooked to the right texture but in general Arctic Char isn't my favorite fish - give me a piece of salmon over Char any day of the week but if are looking for a fish dish here, this one will get the job done.  Lastly came the 2 meat dishes - these were definitely the winners of the night although I'm not sure if we really needed both as they were both on the fatty side but in a good way (at least for me).  The pork jowl was melt in your mouth delicious but I can't stress again how fatty it was but that's where all the flavor is!  I can see how it might turn some people off but not me.  The duck was also cooked very rare with the fatty skin on.  While I'm a gal who loves her meat as rare as possible, this one could have actually been cooked just a smidge longer as it did have a tough consistency and I almost chocked on a piece that I couldn't chew all the way through but flavor wise, I wouldn't change a thing. 

Of course, we left room for dessert and we got a chocolate bread pudding and another dish that I can't remember the name of but it was like a baby dutch pancake.  I was a bit tipsy at this point and full from the fatty meat that I didn't really indulge all that much in the dessert.  From the few bites I had they actually weren't all that sweet and wouldn't really be the kind of dessert that I would go ga-ga for. 

Overall, it was still a lovely dinner experience despite some of my issues.  As Neel and I discussed, the meal was good and the food done well but but with so many stealler NYC restaurants, it's really hard to compete.  But if you live in the neighborhood and/or want to try something out in this part of industrial Brooklyn, I would recommend giving it a try.  Just a note, they used to be gratuity free but they recently switched back to not including it in the bill.  Total bill:  ~$300 for 3 people with tax, tip and drinks

Photo Credit:  Yelp