Stuzzichini Misti (selection of five appetizers)
by Celia Cheng
August 30th, 2007
It doesn’t seem to matter whether it’s blazing hot or abnormally cold; the weather this month has not affected my appetite in the least bit. It’s been another full month of non-stop eating. I’ve had the chance to try a dozen restaurants, old and new, that have been on my list. Here are three more quick highlights for August:
Bar Stuzzichini
928 Broadway
(21st & 22nd St)
212-780-5100
The stuzzichini (small plate appetizers) at this new Flat Iron district Italian restaurant are actually quite good, but the size of the restaurant can be distracting and the service consistently sloppy. It feels more like a dining hall than a nice restaurant. Sitting at the marble-topped dining bar could’ve been just as delightful as the dining bar at Bellavitae, but, unfortunately, Bar Stuzzichini lacks the intimacy and comfort, and the large restaurant atmosphere sadly detracts from the otherwise perfectly good stuzzichinis. The pastas are descent but not exceptional and desserts not too interesting. My recommendation is to sit at the bar and have the stuzzichini misti — one of each from the five categories: fritti (fried), verdure (vegetables), pesce (seafood), formaggi (cheeses), and salumi (cured meats). Ordered individually, each appetizer ranges from $5 to $10, but the misti is a bargain at $22. The arancini (fried rice balls) are wonderfully crunchy on the outside and gooey inside, and the scamorza alla brace (grilled scamorza cheese — a type of dried and cured mozzarella) is scrumptious. It seems to me that happy hour at Bar Stuzzichini for some snacks may be the way to go.
Rose Water
787 Union St
(5th & 6th Ave)
Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-783-3800
website
Rose Water is a foodie haven in Park Slope. The seasonal menu focuses on quality ingredients, the service is always pleasant, and the prices are fair. At a recent dinner, the sweet corn risotto with oyster mushrooms, zucchini, pickled onions and herbs stood out as an extremely savory combination. The weekend prix-fixe brunch at $13 is also very worthwhile and includes an entrée and a drink. It’s an unbeatable deal. This past weekend, I was happy as a clam after having the poached eggs on flat grilled corn cakes, served with plum sauce and accompanied by a feta, spinach and grilled cherry tomato salad — a special so it was $15 instead of $13 — and a glass of fresh watermelon peach juice. Rose Water is yet another great Park Slope neighborhood restaurant.
Sfoglia
1402 Lexington Ave
@ 92nd St
212-831-1402
website
Trying to get a dinner reservation at Sfoglia is a real challenge, as they seem to be booked six-weeks in advance. It’s no wonder, since Sfoglia is small, with only ten tables and a bar, and the food is simple and good. If your schedule is flexible, though, there is the option of lunch, which is rather quiet. Several of the regulars eating alone at the bar treat Sfolgia like a neighborhood café, bringing reading or writing material and leisurely enjoying their meals. The homemade bread is served fresh and warm! It’s like country bread with a dash of sea salt seasoning; the outer crust is crunchy but not too hard or thick, and the bread inside is white and fluffy. The frittata of the day (fennel, cipollini onions and parmesan on the day of my lunch) seemed a popular choice amongst the bar diners, so I tried it and decided that on my next visit that would be all I’d need for lunch. Naturally I couldn’t pass up the scialatelli (a thicker version of spaghetti), roasted cherry tomatoes, bottarga di muggine (dried grey mullet fish roe), parsley and garlic. The scialatelli is a meatier pasta and worked well with the sweet roasted cherry tomatoes and bottarga. The pappardelle alla Bolognese sounded great with ground pork, veal and chicken liver and fresh hand-cut sheets of papparadelle, but alas the dish was over-salted and thus disappointing. Nevertheless, Sfoglia is a rustic gem, a sliver of a restaurant on the UES that I will happily return to for lunch. It’s a place where you can relax and find peace of mind, if you can take the time.
Posted in American , Appetizer , Brunch , Flat Iron District , Italian , Park Slope , Small Plates , UES
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Soufflé de Aguacate (Avocado Soufflé)
by Celia Cheng
April 19th, 2006
ZÓCALO
174 E 82nd St
(Lexington & 3rd Ave)
212-717-7772
At a festive Cinco de Mayo preview dinner celebrating Hass Avocados from Mexico, executive chef Julian Medina at Zócalo prepared four courses to showcase his talents and the various ways in which avocados can be used. As a noted avocado fanatic, this event was right up my alley.
Of the four courses — including a guacamole sampler for starter, avocado and foie gras as appetizer, steamed black sea bass in avocado leaf aromas with avocado tomatillo sauce for main and an avocado frozen soufflé to round out the meal — the dessert was an absolute knock-out.
This frozen soufflé mixed Hass avocado from Mexico and Meyer lemon. Julian chose to serve it at room temperature rather than frozen to keep the texture closer to that of a mousse — an excellent decision on his part, since the Meyer lemon stands out better in a fluffy mousse than in a hard frozen soufflé. The other winning touch was to use a hibiscus chile de arbol coulis instead of the ubiquitous raspberry or strawberry sauce. Hibiscus has a unique tartness that can be brought out when paired with certain fruits and teas. For me, avocado and hibiscus are a natural union of the tropics (yes, it’s the Hawaiian in me speaking). The soufflé is topped off with a dash of Marcona almonds.
This dessert was definitely unique and a real tribute to the Avocado. Kudos to Julian for his originality and success in creating such a delightful dessert and experience!
Posted in Mexican , Sweets , UES
Sushi (omakase)
by Celia Cheng
October 27th, 2005
SUSHI OF GARI
402 E 78th St
(1st & York Ave)
212-517-5340
You know how there are some experiences that are just so painful that you desperately try to suppress them in the attempt to forget? Well, this is one of those experiences, except that I really can’t and won’t forget.
I had reviewed Sushi of Gari back in March of this year. That was my first time at the restaurant and I not only had a good experience but was also with good company, which I’m sure made things even better. Since March, I’ve been back twice, including once trying Gari on the UWS. Gari tries too hard to be a chic/trendy restaurant in contrast to its hole-in-the-wall older brother, Sushi of Gari, but the food is still decent.
This was my birthday dinner and disappointment and anger doesn’t begin to explain how I feel. The service was beyond rude, especially from the only waitress (the rest of the staff were male) working there that night who behaved as if she were some bratty guest and we were the ones who should serve her. We had a party of three and asked to be seated at the counter, which was empty. But they declined and told us it was booked. The counter stayed half empty the entire time we dined at the restaurant. Strike one.
We ordered the omakase as usual. I’ve had several discussions with friends about the sushi here, and the debate about smothering fish with sauces or other ingredients always comes up. I feel that if there is a good balance and it enhances the flavor of both the fish and the embellishment then it’s justified. There are purists who believe that fish should not be accompanied by anything else. This time, I better understood my friends’ point of view as I found only one of the onigiri’s to have good balance: the maguro with fresh tofu cream on top. Everything else seemed heavy-handed to me. Strike two.
I also started to feel that the fish itself was not of top quality since the fancier toppings could cover it up. What tipped the balance for me was a serving of seared scallop with ponzu on rice. The scallop was small and completely cooked through. It was horrible. We then proceeded to ask for hotate (scallop) sashimi, which is really one of the best things one could ever eat raw. They responded that they don’t serve scallop sashimi. It didn’t make sense since they serve it seared, but then I understood. The quality of the scallop must not be good enough to serve raw, hence why they cook it. That is just disgusting! If you do that you should not be allowed to call yourself a sushi restaurant. Strike three! You’re out! Just on the merit of this last point alone, I will never eat there again.
Looking around, I was troubled by what I felt the first time round but decided to ignore. Most of the diners at the restaurant eat here because Sushi of Gari is their neighborhood Japanese restaurant. The crowd was a bizarre mix of people and the most common orders looked like teriyaki and salmon rolls — American-adapted Japanese food. There are some people who come for the more exotic sushi but they were the minority that night. If you take a look at their menu, it’s hard to tell the difference between Sushi of Gari and somewhere like Japonica — I can hardly find a worse insult.
Did I mention that it was my birthday dinner?! What a way to turn 32.
Posted in Japanese , Sushi , UES
Omakase (chef's choice)
by Celia Cheng
June 10th, 2005
TSUKUSHI
300 E 41st St
@ 2nd Ave
212-599-8888
Tsukushi was recently written up by Peter Meehan in the Times. Peter has been doing a great job with reviews on Japanese restaurants in the city. However, when I visited Tsukushi after reading his raving review, I was disappointed both with his assessment and the restaurant.
The concept is not entirely original as there are other Japanese restaurants that serve only a chef’s choice menu, and the atmosphere is hardly unique as a Japanese home-style restaurant. Peter writes about bottles of shochu at the bar with names attached, denoting the patron whose personal bottle it is. Again, this is not a new concept, as it is a frequent practice in Japan and numerous Japanese restaurants in the city have this as well. What this does say is that Tsukushi has a good number of regular customers who return repeatedly to enjoy their shochu and meal — a good sign. As simply a neighborhood restaurant, it has the requisite comfortable atmosphere. But as for the quality of the food and the price, they are such that I don’t have an urge to come back.
What is lacking at Tsukushi is really a sensibility for detail. The portions of each dish are grotesquely large for any Japanese standard. If this is to make up for the price, to make the customers feel like they are getting the full bang for their bucks, it didn’t work for me. Some dishes were good in concept, like the hakusai with yuba, but the serving was too large. Granted this is not kaiseki, there is still something to be said for presenting the food exquisitely in more sensible, delicate portions. The slices of roast duck with side of macaroni salad was a good combo, but it wasn’t amazing. The best dish I tasted was the takana chahan, pickled vegetable fried rice, which I ordered separately from the set menu.
The service was also very uneven. I spent the entire night observing how much fun the waitress was having chatting with Japanese male diners at the bar, while each time she came by our table, which wasn’t often, she put on a nonchalant face and attitude.
I love finding little Japanese gems, whether it be a tiny bar or restaurant; places that transport me back to Tokyo. But Tsukushi conjures only a feeling of mediocrity, not the nostalgia for great bars or restaurants found in little alleys that make your day.
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Cheeseburger
by Celia Cheng
April 9th, 2005
TONY’S
Southwest corner of 62nd St & Madison Ave
This is the third burger I’ve devoured this week. It’s been a great burger week. Tony’s is one of my absolute fave’s in the City. He’s a famous street vendor parked in front of the Christofle boutique 6 days a week (except Sundays), and everyone in the neighborhood from doormen to the inhabitants on the UES come to line up for his “street food.” Don’t scoff at the fact that this is a street vendor, Tony has been around for quite some time and has two helpers with him, manning the station and taking care of customers in a very systematic fashion.
The burger is perhaps better than the one at Burger Joint, and almost twice the size, so it’s a better deal for $5. You can get it with onions, lettuce, tomato, jalapeño peppers, and hot sauce if you like. Only down side is that I can’t get any fries to go with my great burger.
Street food has its advantages and disadvantages. Just when you think there is no covering or place to sit, you realize that you are only a block away from Central Park. I strategically planned this today. On a beautiful spring Saturday, Tony’s burger is the perfect companion to a leisurely afternoon in the Park. So let the juices from the burger and condiments drip down your hands and let your hair down! Spring is finally here.
Posted in American , Burger , UES
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