Pepper & Salty Shrimp
by Celia Cheng
February 19th, 2008
PHOENIX GARDEN
242 E 40th St
(2nd & 3rd Ave)
212-983-6666
$$
The pepper and salty shrimp is Phoenix Garden’s signature dish. Its Chinese name is “gold medal pepper and salty shrimp,” and if it ever were to win a medal, it would no doubt be the gold. Seven pieces of butterflied shrimp in the shell are seasoned with pepper and salt and deep fried, so that even the shell is edible with a great crunchy texture. Make sure to add the thin slices of cooked garlic and green pepper to each bite; it’s the perfect combination.
Posted in Chinese , Murray Hill , Seafood
Freshly Made Fish Cakes w/ homemade tartar sauce
by Celia Cheng
July 27th, 2007
SEA SALT
99 2nd Ave
(5th & 6th St)
212-979-5400
$$
Instead of Asian fish cakes that are usually fried pieces of sliced fish paste, Orhan Yegen’s latest seafood restaurant, Sea Salt, serves its own delectable variety. They look like long slender fish sticks but the inside tastes more like a fish croquette. The mix of potato purée and pieces of red snapper was a pleasant and welcome surprise, as opposed to the chewy, rubbery texture of Asian fish cakes. Topped with the homemade tartar sauce, I could eat these by the dozen as snacks.
Posted in Appetizer , East Village , Seafood , Turkish
Oktapodi Sharas (octopus in red wine marinade over charcoal)
by Celia Cheng
July 26th, 2007
PERIYALI
35 W 20th St
(5th & 6th Ave)
212-463-7890
$$$
I’ve tried the grilled octopus at about eight Greek restaurants in the City this month alone and without a doubt Periyali serves the best! To take advantage of the texture of octopus, the grilled exterior should be crunchy and the inside should be tender and chewy, but neither should ever be rubbery. Fresh out of the kitchen, Periyali’s grilled octopus has the perfect texture and flavor, which it maintains as it cools. From the meatier end of the arms to the tips, every piece tasted uniformly scrumptious. I must give Louise Fili full credit for introducing me to this, and we are in agreement that any non-believer in octopus will easily be converted after tasting Periyali’s signature dish.
Posted in Appetizer , Flat Iron District , Greek , Seafood
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Cieche alla Pisana (quickly sautéed baby eels)
by Celia Cheng
June 26th, 2007
LA CANTINA TOSCANA
1109 First Ave
(60th & 61st St)
212-754-5454
$$
You don’t see baby eels on the menu often, and this is quite different from the eels you find on the menus at Japanese or Chinese restaurants. However, the baby eels at La Cantina Toscana, remind me of a Shanghainese eel dish I grew up eating. Though the texture of the baby eels at this Upper East Side Florentine trattoria is much more refined, and the preparation with just olive oil and a few fresh leaves of sage makes it pure and light. Quickly sautéed baby eels are a traditional favorite from the Tyrrhenian coast. It’s now forbidden to catch baby eels in Italy, but since La Cantina Toscana gets its baby eels from Costa Brava in Spain, they’re on the menu year-round. Whew! I’d hate to have to wait a year to catch a craving.
Posted in Italian , Seafood , UES
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