TheGothamPalate

 

…I had the Omurice ($11), a blend of soft-grained fried rice, chicken chunks (albeit slightly overcooked) and eggs. It’s a Japanese comfort food I relish. My dish came with a small scoop of macaroni salad and a bed of green lettuce, carrots and cucumbers, finished with a vinaigrette dressing. Again, ketchup was the key ingredient at work here. I also detected a hint of Worcestershire sauce, which produced the soy-vinegar-spice flavoring.

The omu curry also looked appealing. For full review, visit http://www.thegothampalate.com/2009/07/28/hand-sewn-charm-lovely-yoshoku-review-of-hirokos-place/#more-4297

 

This unassuming LES newcomer is a true diamond in
a vast field of coal among eateries springing up in this
ultra-trendy downtown district.

For starters it features a menu that is thoroughly original
and innovative and the effects are pleasantly surprising.
While Joe Doe brands itself “seasonal American,” it would
rather see it called “seasonal cosmopolitan,” since the
chef expertly combines flavors and ingredients from a variety
of culinary cultures. The result is that he adds vibrancy and pizazz
dishes as commonplace as cauliflower. More on this and the food
in a second.

For full review, visit The Gotham Palate at
http://www.thegothampalate.com/2009/03/02/joe-doe/

 

It’s a well known fact that pairing cuisine styles generally doesn’t work. Such restaurants rarely do justice to either cuisine. But Candela Candela does a fair job at pulling it off. And while it may not be at the top of any trendista’s list, Candela-Candela is a low key East Village restaurant that serves up fresh, generous Italian and Cuban entrees at tabs that are reminiscent of the days when the East Village was still an edgy, bohemian part of town. This sort of charm is reflected in Candela Candela’s interior.

For full review, visit:http://www.thegothampalate.com/2009/03/20/candela-candela/#more-2717

 

O.K. this coffee bar is a good place to get an above-standard cup of coffee, but the real reason to go there is the cured olive cookie. The cured olive cookie is a delicious and wonderfully executed antidote for those gnawing urges for something salty, immediately followed by something sweet, or the other way around.

For full review go to: http://www.thegothampalate.com/2009/04/06/abraco/

 

Hands down, Lantern is a Gramercy neighborhood keeper.

Why?

It’s inexpensive. It has a tasteful, contemporary New AgeAsiatic decor. O.K. it veers a bit on the très side trendy, but it’s withoutthe attitude. That makes for a relaxing atmosphere, that’s pleasing to the eye without pretension or the annoying hipster vibe.

For full review, visit:http://www.thegothampalate.com/2009/03/18/lantern/

 

Jim Lahey is so preoccupied with dough that he can’t even bring himself to serve his patrons some bread. Although that would seem like a paradoxical statement given that Lahey is the celebrated baker of the renowned Sullivan Bakery, a visit to Co. would prove that his primary obsession with dough is limited to the kind that fills his pockets and in a manner that could be no more blatant and shameless.

For full review go to:http://www.thegothampalate.com/2009/04/09/co/

 

Since it relocated a few years ago to its snazzier and more importantly: larger location, E. 21St. location, I had slipped off my radar, but a recent visit there with a friend has put it back on there. I like the new space. It’s cheerful and upbeat with colorful blocks of primary colors and tasteful pastels on its tiled walls. The lighting is also tasteful and subdued. The service is casual, but courteous, and I like the fact that the server told my guest and me straight away that the cotechino was not available. Fortunately neither of us had our heart set on wintry sausage, but I appreciated knowing this right away.

For full review, see The Gotham Palate athttp://www.thegothampalate.com/2009/04/17/via-emilia/

 

I have eaten at Salumeria Rosi twice this past spring and on both occassions the positive presence of the chef owner was experienced. On one of those evenings, Casella was donning a smock with his signature rosemary boutonniere and seen greeting and serving guests and overseeing things in the kitchen and intimate but smoothly functioning dining room. On the second occasion, I did not see Casella in the flesh, but my guests and I witnessed the restaurant functioning at the same level and caliber of efficiency as when he was there.

Now to the mouthwatering marvels of swine and other cured delights for which this Casella yearling is known:

The pancia (pork belly) and the selezione del salumiere (the charcuterie butcher’s selection of meats) are obligatory!
For a full review, go to:http://www.thegothampalate.com/2009/05/26/salumeria-rosi/

 

Located on a cobble-stoned strip of charming restaurants, this darling Village newcomer fills a void with its Roman cuisine and spirited and tempermental service. The warm, inviting decor of exposed brick and candlelight set a romantic, low-key stage that is contrasted by the family-style bustle and outbursts of the service…On the refreshing up-side: no scripted, yuppy pretense here. For lovers of high-functioning efficiency though, service can be uneven here, at its worst it can either overly solicitous or slow and neglectful. Either way it’s reliably warm and cheerful. Don’t be surprised if you hear your servers spontaneously break into some verse of Italian pop music as they bring you your silverware or napkin.

Since it’s opening in late April, I have been here twice. Both times were enjoyable and while the experiences were not off-the-charts spectacular, in part because New York is such a hub of wonderful Italian food, the Roman specialities were excellent and very reminiscent of the rustic flavors that I’ve relished in Rome.

Since my Canon Powershot died on me on the night of my first visit, I can only illustrate the meals that were ordered at most recent dinner here.

The bucatini all’ Amatriciana that I ordered were on a par with the some of the best I’ve had in Rome. The bucatini were toothsome and richly coated in the delicious supple sauce made of succulent imported guanciale and tomatoes. A thick blanket of grated cacio on top is de rigeur and servers are more than happy, if not outright insistent (and right they are) to douse the pastas in delicious mildy aged Roman cheese as they serve the pasta dishes. Generous portions and all in all a plate of gut-busting goodness.

For my full review of Quinto Quarto, visit The Gotham Palate at
http://www.thegothampalate.com/2009/06/15/quinto-quarto/

 

Located on a cobble-stoned strip of charming restaurants, this darling Village newcomer fills a void with its Roman cuisine and spirited and tempermental service. The warm, inviting decor of exposed brick and candlelight set a romantic, low-key stage that is contrasted by the family-style bustle and outbursts of the service…On the refreshing up-side: no scripted, yuppy pretense here. For lovers of high-functioning efficiency though, service can be uneven here, at its worst it can either overly solicitous or slow and neglectful. Either way it’s reliably warm and cheerful. Don’t be surprised if you hear your servers spontaneously break into some verse of Italian pop music as they bring you your silverware or napkin.

Since it’s opening in late April, I have been here twice. Both times were enjoyable and while the experiences were not off-the-charts spectacular, in part because New York is such a hub of wonderful Italian food, the Roman specialties were excellent and very reminiscent of the rustic flavors that I’ve relished in Rome.

Since my Canon Powershot died on me on the night of my first visit, I can only illustrate the meals that were ordered at most recent dinner here.

The bucatini all’ Amatriciana that I ordered were on a par with the some of the best I’ve had in Rome. The bucatini were toothsome and richly coated in the delicious supple sauce made of succulent imported guanciale and tomatoes. A thick blanket of grated cacio on top is de rigeur and servers are more than happy, if not outright insistent (and right they are) to douse the pastas in delicious mildy aged Roman cheese as they serve the pasta dishes. Generous portions and all in all a plate of gut-busting goodness.

 

I’m so glad that the city still has places where you can enjoy gloriously good, authentic Neopolitan style pizzas without the hyper-inflated, celebrity-status vying pizza-chef egos and hoardes of self-professed trend-setting yelpers twittering away their reactions and the deafening din they produce. La Pizza Fresca Ristorante is one of those rare places in Manhattan.

For full review, go to: http://www.thegothampalate.com/2009/06/26/la-pizza-fresca-ristorante/