Kyma Visited 7/27/2018 3 Forks

Kyma  15 W 18th St., New York, NY 10011

As many of you know, I love Greek food and think it's highly underrated.  So when a lot of the food blogs were buzzing about this new place (which apparently has a cult following in Long Island), I felt like I had to check it out.  It's kind of on a random, non-descript street in the Flatiron District but the decor inside was lovely.  Spacious, bright and white - as you would expect from something with a Greek theme to it.

The menu is huge, traditional and authentic:  delicious dips, spanakopita, saganaki, lots of seafood dishes, whole fishes, salads and they also had lamb and pork chops.  Really robust menu and it was even a bit overwhelming for two people.  Allison and I landed on the dips ($16), Greek salad ($20), and we split a whole bronzino ($32).   As with most Greek restaurants, the dips were fabulous and the Greek salad outstanding with the tomatoes being the star.  But unfortunately, the whole fish was a real bummer for me.  I guess I'm used to the type of whole fish in Chinese restaurants where they literally give you the whole fish and you pick it apart.  Instead, here they say it's the whole fish but they filet it for you, which I guess is helpful if you don't want to deal with the bones.  While I love that Greek food is so simple and delicious with just a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of salt, this just felt super meh to me.  It was really underwhelming and for $32, I expected a big, more tender fish.  Paying $32 for a flat fish left me still feeling hungry.

Another weird thing that happened to me here (which is of no fault of the restaurant) is that I started to feel itchy in the lip and ever since this meal, I had what felt like an allergic reaction in my lips for a good 4 weeks.  It was really weird and I have no idea what it could have been but this experience kind of clouded my memory of eating her too.  But either way, I left dinner still feeling hungry and it wasn't clear to me why there was so much buzz about this place to begin with.  The menu was huge so it's possible that I could have had a much better meal with other options but I'm not sure if I will be running back to this place so soon.  Total bill:  $101/pp with tax, tip and a few drinks

Pergola Visited 6/7/2018 3 Forks

Pergola  36 W 28th St., New York, NY 10001

I'll keep this review quick because it's not really like Pergola is a true restaurant - it's really more a hookah bar/club for the Murray Hill crowd.  My good friend Vivi was in town visiting with her daughter and it was a rare opportunity to have a girls night out with her, Maggie and Lav.  The location was kind of random, it's in a weird side street in the Flower District and in all my years of living in NYC, I would have never stumbled upon this place. 

When I arrived, it immediately reminded me of the kinds of places you go when you first move to NYC.  Everyone was dressed up like they were ready to party even though it was a random Thursday night.  Maggie and I got there early and the hostess said that we could wait in the back until our friends came. We asked if we could get a drink and she never really answered our question and then when we grabbed a table behind the bar no one came to take our drink order.  Finally our host came back and said our table was ready upstairs.  The upstairs is a really weird layout, it's like a square but only with tables along the side of the wall so the middle was empty.  There was less eating from the crowd and mostly smoking.  The hookah part didn't bother me at all, but it was just a weird environment to be in.  

As for the food, it's got a Middle Eastern flare to it.  I wasn't super hungry for some reason and ended up ordering a kale salad with shrimp (I know, how lame).  The salad came with baby kale, grilled corn, feta and walnuts.  It was a totally fine salad but nothing super inspiring or mind blowing.  I felt like we should have ordered bottle service instead of food here.  In the end, it was the company here that was more fun to me and if you're still in your 20's or 30's and want the hookah experience, I would recommend this place but if you're looking for a quiet night out with the girls and catching up over good food and drinks, there are plenty of other places in NYC that would better suit your needs.  The bill was graciously covered by my friends for my birthday.  

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 

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

Casa Neta 12/10/2017 3 Forks

Casa Neta 40 E 20th St., New York, NY 10003

I had been battling a terrible cold since Thanksgiving but at some point I had to leave the house and mingle with humanity.  Unfortunately, one of the side effects of having my cold was a persistent cough and lack of taste buds.  That made for eating out not really the most fun thing to do but I still met up with Lav since we would be leaving for the holidays soon and I couldn't be sitting at home in my rob anymore.  

Casa Neta is much more of a mezcal bar than a restaurant.  In fact, the night we were there, someone had rented out the entire bar section for a holiday party but the rest of the restaurant was open and we got to watch people filter in and out of the party.  They try to give off a whole day of the dead vibe, which I normally like here but it was trying a bit too hard.  The menu is what you would expect from a place like this:  mostly tacos, quesadilla, and chips and guacamole.  We started with the chips and guacamole/salsa ($17), the queso fundido without chorizo ($14) and I got the fish tacos ($12) while Lav got the casa salad ($12).

The chips and guacamole and salsa was nothing really special - very typical starter.  It was a bit shocking that they charge $5 for the salsa - it seems like that's the kind of thing that should be free at a Mexican restaurant.  To me, it's like the starter bread you get a Italian places.  The queso fundido was a mix of manchego, oaxaca and poblano - my issue with most queso is that if not eaten right away, it gets super gelatinous and gross.  We were toggling between that and the guacamole and my margarita, so it was a bit hard to not let it cool off a bit.  Maybe it was because I didn't have my taste buds going on full blast but I thought this dish could have used more seasoning and heat.  Perhaps that is what the chorizo would have brought but the dish still shouldn't suffer too much without it.  The fish tacos were the version I usually like: beer battered with aioli.  It wasn't a terrible dish but again, it felt like it was missing something.   Compared to the one I had in Sonoma, it definitely fell short.  Lav's salad honestly looked like a giant plate of lettuce, although it had black beans, roasted corn, radish, onion, tomato, avocado, cilantro and a lime vinaigrette but none of those ingredients really bring out the best in a salad.  We ended the night with the churros bowl ($8)  which was sweet and tasty although probably a bit gimmick-y - we would have done just fine with regular churros.   

I'm not sure if my sickness and lack of taste buds had much to do with my experience there (I'm sure it did).  But the general feeling here was that it felt a bit like a meh Murray Hill hangout.  It's totally fine in a pinch but I'm honestly not sure how long I see this place lasting in an area like this.  Total bill:  $53/pp with tax, tip and drink

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Le Coq Rico Visited 11/11/2017 4 Forks

Le Coq Rico  30 E 20th St., New York, NY 10003

Ever since Jen, Kevin and I came back from France, we decided we should start a "duck club" once we came back to NYC.  Duck is such an underrated bird and so delicious that we felt like we should hit up all the spots in the city as much as we can.  We were going for more of a Peking style duck when we first decided to start the club but I had seen Le Coq Rico on Instagram and immediately made a reservation. 

The motto for this restaurant is "A bistro of beautiful birds" and indeed they have a full menu of beautiful birds.  It's mostly chicken (they have several whole bird format)  but they had a lovely duck for 3 on the menu which is what we came here for.   Upon entering, I noticed that it's definitely much more on the stuffy French side than I expected.  The clientele is older, whiter and generally more formal.  But none the less, we were here for the birds and not people watching. 

Almost everything is fowl related here, although there are a few sides that have no meat in them.  We started the meal with leeks vinaigrette ($16) and the duck rillettes ($16) and obviously for our main we got the Rohan Farm Duck for 3 ($84) and a side of macaroni au  gratin ($12).  Yes, it is a bit crazy to pay that much for a bird but it's NYC, but I just write everything off as being ridiculous. 

We got the leeks because we thought we were being "healthy" but it was really just covered in hollandaise sauce, so there's that.  It was quite delicious even if it didn't really do it's job in being our healthy green dish of the night.  The duck rillette was a bit of a disappointment as it was on the dry side.  We ended up mixing it with the delicious butter that came with the bread to give it some more moisture to it.  As for the star of the show, the duck was visually beautiful.  It's served breast on the bone but they slice it up for you.  It was quite a site for sore eyes.  They also give you the au jus on the side in case you want to really try to trigger a heart attack but it was moist enough for me that I didn't need it (but I did sneak a taste it was yummy).  The meat was cooked perfectly and the skin wasn't exactly crispy like a Peking duck but there was a nice balance of skin, fat and meat to each cut.  Some of the pieces closer to the bone were harder to eat and eventually I went caveman style and gnawed on the bone but hey, if I'm paying almost $90 for this bird, I'm eating the whole damn thing.   At this point, I didn't really need much of the macaroni and only had a few small bites.

They have a lovely but very expensive wine list - so a heads up on that.  The servers there are all very French and gorgeous - so also a heads up on that.  The overall experience felt very old school to me - it felt like I should have been on the UES instead of Flatiron.  The duck was indeed great and I had a great time which is why I'm giving it 4 forks but the price point did make me pause and consider giving it a slightly lower rating.  But I'm kind of in the holiday mood, so I'll be nice!  Total bill:  $138/pp with tax, tip and drinks

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Made Nice Visited 8/21/207 3 Forks

Made Nice  8 W 28th St., New York, NY 10001

One of the big stories in the restaurant biz this summer was that Eleven Madison Park was closing temporarily for renovations over the summer.  While the guys behind it worked on a pop-up version in the Hamptons, they also opened up this fast casual joint in the NoMad area as well.  It's quite different from the fancy pants feel of Eleven Madison - you order for the counter and can either take it out or sit at one of the tables in the restaurant.  There's no waitstaff and no frills.  The menu here is mostly salad bowls and sides but the main star of the show is the chicken frites which is only available after 5pm and on Saturdays.  Neel and I opted for the chicken ($22), a side of broccoli and one of salad type dish that is escaping my mind.  But we were mainly here for the chicken.  We took it to the park and made a mini picnic out of it, complete with an illegal bottle of wine. 

The chicken is a half roasted chicken served with lemon parmesan stuffing, herb fries and a side of pickled vegetables.  So yes, essentially it's a rotisserie chicken.  None the less, I was excited because it came from the guys of Eleven Madison park and maybe it would be some mind blowing chicken. Unfortunately it was not.  It was a totally fine chicken and maybe it was because we were hunched over in the grass eating it that made it a bit of a less an ideal setting but this chicken didn't change my life.  Maybe it's too high of a standard but for $22 for only 1/2 a chicken, I was expecting more.  It is a totally decent chicken but I've had much juicier and more flavorful rotisserie chicken from Costco - that is not meant to be a disparaging remark, they actually have fucking amazing whole rotisserie chicken for less than $10.  The fries were also fine although they were bit a on the skinny and soggy side for me.  The side salads were also perfectly fine although also not particularly memorable.  It was nice to sit in the park and eat something a bit more high brow than sandwiches, but it just all was a tad underwhelming. 

All of that being said, I'm still glad I tried it out and some of the other items on the menu like the chicken rice, khao salad, and tuna nicoise made with seared tuna all sounded like things I might come back and try if I was in the neighborhood.   It's definitely not the caliber I expected from the guys who created the #1 restaurant in NYC but I guess that is a really hard act to follow, especially when you're in the fast casual space.  Total bill:  $23.95/pp with tax and sodas

KazuNori Visited 3/30/2017 4 Forks

KazuNori  15 W 28th St., New York, NY 10001

From the people who brought to NYC the wildly popular Sugarfish, comes KazuNori.  It's their all hand-roll sushi place and has been getting the same amount of crazy buzz as Sugarfish.  In a similar vein, I had heard the wait times could be long and painful, but since I was in the neighborhood on a random Thursday night around 6:30, I thought I would take my chances going solo. 

I would HIGHLY recommend going solo if you can.  The seating set-up is such that it's really a pain if you're a big party.  It's a self-serve/honor system - there is no host to seat you.  The restaurant is just one big communal sushi counter, so there are no tables to speak of.  You basically have to wait until someone of your party size to leave if you want to sit together.  Luckily there were enough odd number people sitting at the bar that there was one open seat all the way at the end of the bar.  One of the benefits of eating solo!

The menu set-up is similar to Sugarfish in that they really steer you towards a box combination but you can also order a la carte if you want.  They have a 3,4,5, or 6 piece hand roll set and then 1 sashimi appetizer.  I settled on the 5 piece combo ($23) and the sashimi appetizer ($9.25). The 5 piece combo comes with toro, yellowtail, bay scallop, crab and lobster rolls - the only one missing from the 6 piece set was the salmon but since I was getting the sashimi, I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything. 

The food comes out fast and furious but also one at a time.  They recommend that you eat the hand rolls right away to take in the crispness of the seaweed wrapper.  They were all fantastic - warm, crunchy and with the right amount of rice to fish ratio.  That's usually my beef with hand rolls, they are usually too rice focused and it can be super filling for all the wrong reasons.  But it worked well here.  My favorite by far was the bay scallop but they were honestly all very satisfying.  Despite that, it can get a bit boring to just eat one hand roll after another.  Apparently if you order take out, you can get them cut up into regular rolls (probably since it's hard to eat fresh hand rolls as taking out).  The salmon sashimi was also fresh and served with a touch of ponzu and sesame seeds.  While it was tasty, I wasn't really wow'd by it.  But it was a good way to break up the monotony of just eating one hand roll after another (not that there is anything really wrong with that).

As I said, they serve the food quickly and with the limited menu, it's hard to imagine spending more than an hour here.  But by the time I left, the line was out the door - there were several large groups waiting for tables and I can see the seating situation getting a bit unwieldy without someone manning the line.  Despite all the sushi places in NYC, you don't really see a place full dedicated to hand rolls, so if you're really into them, this is your place for sure.  But if you like a bit of variety, you might be a bit bored but it's still worth a try.  Total bill:  $35 with tax (tip is included in all prices)

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

The Cannibal Visited 7/13/2016 4 Forks

The Cannibal  113 E 29th St., New York, NY 10016

Sorry - I know this picture is a bit grotesque but it is the sole reason why Vince, Laura and I went to The Cannibal.  As you can imagine, any place with a name like that is not going to be for the faint of heart or vegetarian.  For a place that calls for an intense food outing, the space is not very big.  In fact, we sat at at table outside and they literally shoved the 3 of us in a corner that was barely passable for 2 people.  I found that to be kind of annoying because there's no bigger buzz kill at dinner than when you're squeezed into a tiny space and unable to enjoy your meal. 

Space aside, the menu here is obviously focused on meat.  You can order a whole pig or lamb for the table if you order in advance.  However, our mission was to try the General Tsao's Pig Head ($85) which they said was for 2 but really it's more than enough food for 3 or 4 people.  We started with beef tartare ($15), tuna tartare ($16), chicharron ($7) and the potato salad ($8).  These sides dishes were merely palate cleansers to the main course.  I know it sounds weird but the tuna tartare was a bit too fishy for me.  The perfect raw fish dish shouldn't taste like fish but should be clean tasting and this missed the mark a bit.  On the other hand, the beef tartare was fabulous.  It came on a small crumpet with bearnaise sauce, herbs and crispy shallots and it was wonderful.  They were so easy to pop in your mouth one after another - it was a perfect appetizer.  The chicharron was ok - it's actually not really my favorite thing in general as I find them dry and tough - these were a bit like shrimp chips where they had some crispy puffiness to it but still not something I would write home about. 

And then came the star of the show.  It's really quite a sight to be seen and if you are squeamish about seeing an animal's full head - don't order this because it's literally the whole head including the eyeball, tongue and teeth.  It's covered in General Tsao's sauce and served with broccoli rabe and scallion salad and some moo shu pancakes in case you want to make it a wrap.  The first stab into the meat is amazing.  I recommend you go straight for the cheek and jowl area because that's where the meat is at its best - incredibly tender and juicy and the skin crispy yet fatty.  There are definite parts of the pig where there is too much fat but you can easily find and pair it a section of moist meat to make it worth your heart stopping while.  It's definitely an aggressive dish and it was more than enough food for all 3 of us.  There was actually no need for the potato salad as the broccoli rabe was enough of a "green" to make us feel like we weren't being total gluttons. 

The presentation is what's most impressive here.  I would post an "after" picture but I'll spare my veggie friends the gore of it all.  I left feeling uncomfortably full and slightly regretful of eating so much.  This is definitely an experience to be had at least once in your life but it's not one to make a habit out of.  

La Pecora Bianca Visited 6/10/2016 4 Forks

La Pecora Bianca  1133 Broadway, New York, NY 10010

While I had a lovely pre-birthday celebration dinner at La Pecora Bianca, there were some service hiccups that sadly prevented them from getting a 4.5 Fork rating. The dinner started off great - it's a lovely space, bright and airy and really friendly waitstaff.  The menu looked great too - it's Italian focused with a nice antipasti selection, an entire vegetable section, pastas and and secondi dishes.  We started with the polpette ($10), the crab and avocado crostini ($14), the zucchini crostini ($9) and the primavera ($13) vegetable.  For my main entree, I couldn't resist the tagliatelle ($22).

The appetizers came out quickly and were wonderful.  The polpette (meatballs) were moist, juicy and made with short rib and brisket.  I could have definitely eaten the entire dish myself and understodd why the waiter suggested that we get 2 of them instead of 1.  The crab and avocado crostini was great as well - good serving of fresh lump crabmeat on a soft but still crispy crostini and balanced with a small piece of refreshing grapefruit and avocado.  As for the zucchini crostini, it was supposed to be served with ricotta cheese on it but since Richelle hates cheese, we asked for it on the side.  So it was a bit weird but once you spread the cheese on to the bread, it was totally delicious, just a bit unconventional.  But the best appetizer was actually the primavera - which was spring peas, shaved pecorino, parsley with a mint puree.  The spring peas were amazing - so incredibly fresh and crispy and combined with the mint, it was seriously like spring time in my mouth.  It's a definite must order if you like peas.

Then this is where the meal went a bit south.  It became painfully obvious at some point that they forgot our entrees because everyone around us was getting served except for us.  I will say that the waiter was very apologetic about it and offered us a free dessert for our wait which was a nice touch. Finally once the food came, everything looked and smelled great until Jill mentioned that her pasta was cold.  It sounds like they may have made her dish and then forgotten about the rest of ours and just left her dish sitting out in the kitchen.  The GM/host was mortified and offered to bring out another pasta free of charge - again a very nice gesture.  Unfortunately for Jill, we were all practically done with our dishes by the time her 2nd pasta came out but at least it was warm.  As for my tagliatelle, it was great - nice ribbon pasta with a hearty beef and pork bolognese.  It wasn't like the pasta in Bologna but it was still a really well constructed pasta dish that tasted homemade.

For our compted dessert, we got the nutella tart, which I'll be honest and say I actually don't like nutella but I didn't want to cause a fuss since everyone else seemed really into it. I did at least try the dish and it was as expected way too chocolately for me but I guess if you like that kind of thick, heavy, nut-y taste, you'll enjoy the dish.

By the time we left, it was almost 3 hours after we had been seated.  Luckily it was great company, good food and I loved having a spritz again since being in Italy (although they weren't $6 like they were in Italy).  The service issues were too bad but I definitely appreciated that they acknowledged their error and made up for it - that's a sign of great hospitality and despite those hiccups I would still definitely come back here again.   Total bill:  ~$80/pp with tax, tip and drinks

Photo Credit:  Yelp

The Little Beet Table Visited 1/9/2016 2.5 Forks

The Little Beet Table  333 Park Ave S.,  New York, NY 10010

I wanted to start the New Year off to a healthy start, so thought it would be good to try out this "veggie friendly" place that I had heard about from a few friends.  Any sensible person who comes to a place that focuses on vegetables would probably stick to vegetables on the menu, but of course I have no will power and ended up ordering items that had both fish and bacon in it,  neither of which were really great dishes. 

The brunch menu itself sounds nice and healthy although it's really more lunch focused than brunch.  Lav and I split the basket of breads ($14) to start which came with banana bread, multigrain toast and corn bread.  Of the 3, the banana bread was my favorite - soft, moist and full of banana flavor. The corn bread was a bit too try and crumbly for me and the multigrain toast, while good, was just basic toast to me (but I did like that it was very heavy on the grains).  It came with this delicious set of butter and jam that really added some sweetness to the breads.  For my main, I ordered the smoked salmon scramble ($18) and a side of bacon ($6) while Lav got the grits ($16).   While I know my scramble had salmon in it, $18 for a fairly small size of egg with no sides seemed overpriced to me.  I generally don't think salmon has a fishy smell but when this scramble came out, the smell of fish immediately hit my face.  I felt so bad eating in front of someone else, it's the worst smell to subject someone to (especially if they don't eat it).  Taste-wise, it didn't really hit the spot either.  In fact, I only ate half of it and stopped because it just wasn't doing it for me.  Meanwhile, the bacon was super super salty.  So salty that I could only eat 1 slice out of 5.  What a sad showing!  Lav mentioned that she wasn't super jazzed about her grits because it came with a helping for exotic mushrooms, which she wasn't a big fan of. 

I guess when you come to a veggie place, it's probably best to stick with the veggie dishes and not the ones that have fish and meat in it.  If the best dish you had is the bread basket, then something is not quite right.  I appreciate what they are trying to do and a lot of the nicer vegetarian places are very expensive (a la Dirt Candy and Semilla), so I like the idea of a more casual veggie friend place but The Beet Table still is slightly overpriced for what it's offering.  Total bill:  $42/pp with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp

County Visited 12/10/2015 2 Forks

County  34 E 20th St., New York, NY 10003

I'll admit that this review might be a bit on the harsh side - I almost hardly ever really go below a 2.5 fork rating, but there was just so much about this place that annoyed me that it was time for me to give some restaurant the brunt of my anger.  

The B-school gals and I met up here for Beth's birthday and I will say that what it has going for it is that it's in an extremely convenient location on 20th street.  It's kind of crazy (or is it?) that I have never seen or heard of this place before given how close it is to so many things I've visited before. 

Our table was located incredibly close to the door but it was fine enough and fit all of us but it was incredibly loud sitting right by the hostess table and the door.   The menu here is, as you would expect from a place called County, very "farm to table" style and rustic.   We were all starving and ordered the fresh made ricotta ($14) and the salmon tartare ($17) to start.  I'm usually a big sucker for fresh ricotta (especially the one at Locanda Verde) and this one was good but not amazing.  It was served with mint, honey and warm grilled bread but it just didn't taste as farm fresh and light as I would have liked.   The salmon tartare was served on a bed of crispy rice which was so thick that it was all I could really taste in the dish. 

While neither of these dishes itself were terrible, what really kind of put me over the edge about this place were the main entrees.  I had just gotten back from Puerto Rico, so I was craving some traditional American food and when I saw a cheeseburger on the menu, I jumped on it.  It was only later that I processed that it was $25!!  WTF?!  In my book, the ONLY burger worth paying more than $20 in this town or anywhere else is at the Spotted Pig and that one is $22.  Unless this burger is covered in truffles and gold, it's really quite ridiculous to price a burger in that price range.  I must have been in a starving haze because I also didn't realize it was a double patty (which I guess is why they felt justified in charging $25).  I've never really understood why it's necessary to have a double patty if the single burger is meaty and flavorful enough.   The other gals all got the branzino ($29) for their main entree. 

After getting our appetizers, we had waited quite a while for our entrees to arrive and when they did, they were totally not for our table, so we had to wait some more.  When the correct food finally did come out, I was disappointed at what we were getting for such a steep price.  Yes, the burger was quite large.  It was 2 patties with cheddar, arugula, smoked chili mayo, pickles and applewood bacon. This thing was so unnecessarily large, salty and probably enough calories to last me a week.  After eating half the burger with the bread, I just started eating the patty itself but with every bite I couldn't help to think to myself that in no way was this worth $25.  Don't get me wrong, I'm more than happy to pay high prices for food that I think is worth it, but a burger just isn't one of them especially when you can get supremely better one at Black Tap and even Shack Shake for half of the price or less. The fries that came with were also pretty dry and overly salty as well.  I took a look at the girl's branzino and usually when I see that fish on the  menu, it's served whole but here they just gave a small fillet. It also didn't seem to justify the high price tag for such a small portion.   

Overall, I was so not impressed with this meal and if I'm paying $100 (included us paying for the birthday girl), I expect excellent service and high quality delicious food.  Instead, the service was super slow and the food unmemorable and highly overpriced.  Bah humbug.   Total bill:  $105/pp with tax, tip and drinks

Photo Credit:  Yelp   

Clocktower Visited 9/16/2015 2.5 Forks

Clocktower   5 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10010

It actually pains me to write a terrible review for this place because I was so looking forward to this meal with my friend Vince but we both agreed that the experience was a miss.  To be fair, the service was excellent but when the food doesn't match up and since this is a food blog,  I have to lean more towards the food experience vs. the service. 

But let's start with the overall vibe - it's very British clubhouse chic.  It's located on the 2nd floor of the Edition Hotel and it just reeks of just old school executive stuffiness (I guess you kind of have to when the room rate is $500/night here) but on the plus side, it's fascinating people watching.   Luckily, the waitstaff was super warm and friendly -  unlike the reputation the Brits have (I kid, I kid!).  The menu is mostly seafood and meat focused - which works for me.  Vince and I started with the native lobster ($24), tuna tataki ($19) and dressed crab ($21) to start and then went totally baller and opted for the 40 day dry aged prime cote de boeuf 32 oz for 2 ($125).  

They start you with an addictive bread and butter plate that might have been the best thing I ate all night.  I've had good bread before, but this was out of control delicious and I could have easily eaten the entire thing myself if it wasn't 100% terrible for me.  The seafood appetizers followed quickly and were impressive at first glance - the native lobster was served chilled with mainly the tail meat and mixed with fennel, mussel and apple salad.  I personally don't mind mayo, but the apple salad part was covered in mayo and overwhelmed the fresh taste of the lobster.  Maybe I was used to the simple seafood I was eating in Montenegro/Croatia, but something about this dish too heavily.  We ordered the crab appetizer because it was described as having crispy uni on top.  The thing is, once you fry up uni, you really lose the characteristics of what makes uni so great.  To me, there's nothing better than the briny, creamy texture of uni but by deep frying it, lose that flavor and texture.  As for the tuna tataki, we agreed that this was the best seafood dish of the night as it was served relatively cleanly with cucumber, radish, avocado and ponzu sauce.  

But what I was most excited by was the main course.  It came out in grand fanfare as it's served with a green bean foie gras salad and potato gratin.  We had asked for the steak to be medium-rare, closer to rare and what came out was 100% well done - well done to the point that it was totally overcooked, dry and brown.  The first couple of bites weren't so bad and I didn't want to say anything because I've always had this complex about sending food back but I'm really glad Vince said something because it was truly not cooked well at all and at $125 there is no reason for that.  Luckily, the staff was extremely apologetic about it, didn't give us any trouble and immediately took it away with no questions asked.  I appreciated that they took full ownership of it.  While we waited, we nibbled on the salad and it was just way too greasy for me - mostly because of the foie gras but also it was served with a bone marrow jus.  The combination of foie gras and bone marrow is just too much to handle - even for this gluttonous eater. The potatoes were excellent and the best part of that dish - which is kind of sad when you're paying $125 for it.  They brought out another cote de boeuf and this time they went way on the extreme end - super super rare, to the point where I'm not even sure if parts of it were fully cooked.  I actually didn't mind it and like my steaks this way, but you could tell that they were overcompensating for the well done-ness of the previous steak.   If the steak had come out like this the first time, I would be writing a different review.  We had to cleanse our palate and got the strawberries and cream dessert ($14) which I really enjoyed - it was a lovely vanilla custard and olive oil cake with tiny fresh strawberries on it. 

When we asked for the bill, they continued to be apologetic about the steak and did an incredibly kind gesture of comping us for the steak.  I wasn't sure if it was because of Vince's Food and Wine connection - although he mentioned that he had actually gotten this reservation without mentioning that he worked at F&W. If that's the case, I'm even more impressed by the service.  

Although the meal was a bust, it was still a pleasant experience and the decor definitely transports to you a different time and place away from current New York standards.  I would say that based on the fantastic customer service, I would possibly consider coming back here but it'll probably be a long time before I do.

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Upland Visited 8/1/2015 4.5 Forks

Upland 345 Park Ave South, New York, NY 10010

Upland has gotten tons of rave reviews lately but I can never get a dinner reservation there, so when my dad decided to come to town, I figured brunch might be easier to get a table - and it was.   It was still pretty crowded but I was able to get a table at 12pm with no problem.  

The minute I walked in, the service was great - very nice and attentive.  I don't know want it was, but it just felt very comfortable and inviting in there.  The brunch menu ranges from egg dishes to pizzas to pastas and sandwiches.  I was incredibly tempted to get the burger because it comes with fucking avocado but in an attempt to be a bit healthier, I went for the Spanish frittata ($14) and couldn't resist a side of sausage ($8) because I'm just a glutton for punishment.  My dad got the little gem salad ($14) and also got a side of sausage which turned out to be a bad idea because each order came with 2 ginormous links that neither of us could finish, so just a warning that the side order is more than enough for 2 or even 3 people.  The food came our relatively quickly and from a presentation perspective, it was very beautifully plated.  My frittata was covered in roasted garlic mayo and chives and it was just picture perfect.  Typically when I've had frittatas before, it's been at a Spanish tapas place and it's usually served cold or chilled.  The frittata here was on the warm side which was not what I expected but it was still delicious mostly because of the garlic mayo.  It was a very large portion and combined with the huge sausage serving,  I had hit my limit half way through.  The sausage was fantastic - perfectly cooked and had a tasty spice blend in it that really made it stand out from other generic pork sausages I've had before.  I didn't try the gem salad, but it was quite a beautiful and large salad.  It was served with sliced peaches, goat cheese, spiced cashews, and peppercorn and it's been the first time in a while that I've actually been jealous of someone else's dish. I had thoughts of coming back and sitting at the bar eating this salad by myself on a hot summer day. 

Even though I was totally full, I always have room for dessert and this is where I was pleasantly surprised. I generally don't get dessert at brunch but the strawberries and cream panna cotta ($10) sounded really good so I couldn't resist.  It was one of the best desserts I've had in a while - really hit the spot on in terms of tasting exactly like what it sounds like which would be -  strawberries and cream with a hint of elderflower.  The strawberries looked to be locally picked and where those giant scary genetically grown ones you see in the grocery store.  They were small, sweet and delicious.  I'm not a fan of really heavy sweets so luckily this was quite the opposite - it was light and really for me the ideal summer dessert.  Loved it. 

While I can't pinpoint what it is that I exactly loved about this place, I just know that I really enjoyed everything about it:  the friendly approachable service, the bright happy decor, and terrific food.  I saw a bunch of people get the burger and it looked amazing and the table next to us got the pancakes and they were picture perfect pancakes.  Hopefully I can get a reservation for dinner one day and check out that menu, but for the time being, I absolutely don't mind still going for brunch again. Total bill:  $84 for 2 people with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp