Posts Tagged ‘Meatpacking’

Summer Restaurant Week: It’s That Time of Year Again!

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

Just 10 days from now one of New York’s (OK, one of OUR) favorite semi-annual traditions begins again - those magical two weeks, which generally turn into three or four, when usually out-of-reach dining experiences can be had for a relatively paltry $24.07 for lunch or $35 for dinner. This is inevitably preceded by another time-honored tradition: obsessively perusing the menus available online for this year’s chosen meals. And finally after an intense period of research and resultant lip-licking, we’ve narrowed it down to our top four choices for this summer. (Drumroll please…)

Kim’s picks:

Adour Alain Ducasse — OK, I’ll be honest: this one was on the list before I even clicked to view the menu. How often do you get to eat at a three-star Michelin chef’s eatery for Restaurant Week prices? But if the menu is anything to go by, there’s more reason to go here than just the chef’s reputation. I’ll take the fluke ceviche to start…hmm, and then maybe some prime beef tournedos with glazed short ribs, and end it with a dark chocolate sorbet with brioche croutons? Yeah, that ought to just about do it!

Industria Argentina — If you love Latin flavors but can appreciate a twist on the traditional, this may just be the restaurant week meal for you. We’re talking octopus salad with toasted corn, pork roasted with Valencia oranges served up with grilled yams and plum chutney, and how about a flan with salted caramel nougat?

Zengo — This haven of Asian-Mexican fusion is usually not a place to fill your belly at a reasonable price, so restaurant week is a great opportunity to sample some of their deliciously creative fare without breaking the bank. I can personally vouch for the Thai chicken empanadas, chicken pibil, and braised beef short ribs, all of which are available on the restaurant week menu.

Nicole’s picks:

City Crab - I spend my summer daydreaming of relaxing by the coast at a quaint little seafood shack, with a lemonade in one hand and a lobster roll in the other. While seafood shacks are few and far between in the city, seafood restaurants are not. I’m particularly jazzed about City Crab’s lunch menu, which includes a Maine lobster and clam bake (complete with all the fixin’s), but I would be just as happy with twin steamed lobsters for dinner.

Maya - Looking for a break from the usual chicken or fish options? Maya offers exotic entrees galore. From adobo-marinated soft-shell crabs to huitlacoche-mushroom-requeson stuffed crepes, there are plenty of options to satisfy your favorite adventurous eater.

Spice Market - If you want to get a little extra mileage out of your RW experience, look no further than Spice Market. This Meatpacking mainstay offers an extra course for your money and features options ranging from salmon tartar with soy-ginger dressing to charred, chili-rubbed beef skewers with Thai-basil dipping sauce.

Victor’s Cafe - To be honest, I wasn’t familiar with Victor’s until seeing it on the RW-list, but this Latin-inspired menu had me at roast suckling pig marinated in sour orange juice, olive oil, garlic and herbs. Though the pig is undeniably the star attraction, every dish on offer shines.

We hope you enjoy all that Restaurant Week has to offer. For more tips, check out our previous summer restaurant week post.

Posted by: Kim Partrick and Nicole Price Fasig


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Easter Brunch: Holiday Meal Deals for Under $30

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

Easter. It’s just another excuse to jack up meal prices at some of New York’s ritziest restaurants. Or, if you’re judicious, it’s a chance to get dressed up in your Sunday best and enjoy a fancy prix fixe brunch for little more than you’d pay for your average all-you-can-drink morning meal. We’ve perused the Easter deals to find five special Easter menus for $30 or less.

SoHo Brazilian restaurant, Sounds of Brazil (unfortunately abbreviated SOBs), offers a three-course brunch along with their all-you-can-drink sangria bar for only $26.99. Enjoy such delicacies as banana-stuffed French toast, ginger lime snapper in a banana leaf, and feijoada (a traditional Brazilian stew of pork, beef and black beans), all to a non-stop bossa nova soundtrack.

If you’re looking for something a little more hearty, Meatpacking District steakhouse Macelleria is offering a $29 brunch with complimentary mimosa. The menu includes such Italian fare as ravioli al pomodoro, straw and hay tagliolini with peas and pancetta, as well as more brunch-friendly dishes like Sicilian egg toast with asparagus and truffle oil. and crepes with nutella.

In the same vein, Upper West Side Italian restaurant ‘Cesca boasts an impressive three-course prix fixe menu, plus a bellini or juice for $29. Once you’ve chosen from the salad, charcuterie, cheese, or soup of the day, you have to pick one of a whopping twelve entree options, ranging from the prosciutto fritatta to crespelle (chick pea and herb crepes) filled wtih sauteed granny smith apples, ricotta, and candied walnuts. Naturally, the menu also includees breakfast standbys like the “Tuscan toast,” served with mixed berries and chestnut honey. And don’t forget dessert!

Of course, Easter doesn’t have to be all fussy brunches and fancy eggs. Hell’s Kitchen’s Kiran Indian Cuisine boasts an Easter-inspired, and quite affordable, alternative. Enjoy a three-course Easter lunch for a mere $14.99, only slightly more than the cost of the average entree on the menu, which includes the standard curry specialties, an “Indian-style pizza,” plenty of kebabs from the tandoor oven.

And if you’d rather skip the fuss and get an old fashioned boozy brunch, La Palapa in the East Village is happy to oblige. But even they’re still getting into the Easter spirit with lavender margaritas and other holiday-inspired goodies.

Posted by: Nicole Price Fasig
Price: $$$
Locations: Sounds of Brazil, 204 Varick St. (at W. Houston St.)
Macelleria, 48 Gansevoort St. (between Greenwich St. and Washington St.)
‘Cesca, 164 W. 75th St. (at Amsterdam Ave.)
Kiran Indian Cuisine, 401 W. 53rd St. (at 9th Ave.)
La Palapa, 77 St. Mark’s Pl. (between 1st Ave. and 2nd Ave.)


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Colicchio & Sons: Fine Dining Dressed Down

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

Colicchio & Sons

Among the advantages of the current recession is the de-fancifying of many fine dining restaurants. Case in point: Colicchio & Sons, the erstwhile Craftsteak, is not above wood-fired pizza. On the contrary, the open fires inside the pizza oven are a main spectacle in the new Tap Room. A few selected pies are available every night, but it’s worth your while to wait until Sunday, when all five creations are at your disposal. The real strength in the pies ($11-15) lies in the toppings, both in their quality and combination. One variety includes spicy, thick pepperoni, chanterelle mushrooms, and some of the tenderest, milkiest ricotta you can imagine. The flavorful yet deliciously mild goat cheese on a pie with peas, ham, and celery really sung as well. The flavor combination in the potato, red onion, fontina, and rosemary pizza was another real highlight and a few diners’ favorite of the night. This one, luckily, is available every night of the week. The crusts of the pizzas, it must be said, could stand a bit more flavor, but they served enough purpose as a canvas for the inspired toppings.

But who can live on pizza alone? The Tap Room also offers a varied selection of creative desserts delicious enough to merit just a bit of restraint on the pizza in order to conserve room. The real winners here were the house-made zeppoles, made with a touch of ricotta to make them dreamily tender inside, as well as the peanut butter crunch parfait, with ice cream I’d swear was blended with Skippy, and the sinful butterscotch pudding, served with hazelnut shortbreads for a perfect dip.

All in all, a satisfying, quality meal and great service by a waitstaff much more formal than the clientele. If you love your fine dining and your blue jeans too, Colicchio & Sons is the place to enjoy a luxurious Sunday dinner.

For more pictures of the pizza feast, read on!

Posted by: Kim Partrick
Price: $$
Location: 85 Tenth Avenue (at 15th St.)
Type of Food: American
Veggie Friendly? Y
www.colicchioandsons.com

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Colicchio & Sons: Pizza Sunday, a Tradition We Can Get Behind

Friday, March 19th, 2010

Whether you’re well acquainted with the culinary musings of Tom Colicchio or you’ve been living in a hole without Bravo or ‘wichcraft, you’ll appreciate the Sunday specials at the Top Chef judge’s newest joint, Colicchio & Sons. Unlike the regular bar menu, where dishes top out over $20, artisanal pies featuring toppings like pork belly, chantarelles, littleneck clams, and fresh ricotta, won’t set you back more than $15.

The Tap Room (where you’ll find the Sunday night pizza menu) doesn’t take reservations, so you’ll want to get there early. But, given our previous experiences with Colicchio’s masterful cooking, it’ll be worth the trouble.

Posted by: Nicole Price Fasig
Price: $$
Location: 85 10th Ave. (at 15th St.)
Type of Food: Pizza
Veggie Friendly? Y
www.colicchioandsons.com


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‘wichcraft: Next Stop, High Line!

Monday, September 28th, 2009

If you’re one of the few New Yorkers who hasn’t yet checked out the recently opened High Line park, here’s a reason to stop procrastinating and get there in the next couple of weeks. Until October 14, ‘wichcraft has set up a temporary stand, which offers an abbreviated version of its normal menu. (You can check it out the special mienu online, thanks to Grub Street). Keeping in mind how great ‘wichcraft is in general, just imagine how much better one of their exquisite chicken salad sandwiches would taste paired with a sunset over the Hudson!

Sadly, the ‘wichcraft counter is temporary due to the High Line’s current policy of only handing out 30-day permits to food vendors, but don’t despair, for Craftsteak will fill the void next month with cider and doughnuts!

Posted by: Kim Partrick
Price: $
Location: The High Line (map)
Type of Food: American
Veggie Friendly? Y


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675 Bar: It’s Like Grandpa’s Den…If Grandpa Served Chocolate-Covered Bacon

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

675 Bar

The recession has brought an end to many things, not the saddest of which is the meatpacking’s Level V, a space that formerly offered only long waits, overpriced drinks, and close quarters with people who may or may not go for an uninvited booty-grab. These days, as 675 Bar, the place caters to the less pretentious, more budget-conscious, though they do so not with sidewalk-chalked marquees or hastily-written fliers behind the bar. Instead, they employ such devices as surprisingly affordable (gasp!) small plates to accompany their $10 cocktails, along with Foosball tables and library alcoves replacing the old champagne buckets and make-out corners. Kidding aside, the design staff has done an admirable job turning this space into a warm, welcoming, and even fun one where the not-so-rich can unwind after work. The experience here is not unlike one you’d have at Tailor, and the atmosphere is certainly livelier. While the food and drink are not quite as exquisite or exciting, both are a few dollars cheaper.

The cocktails, while not necessarily cheap, are certainly creative, and worth a try considering none of the many, varied, and often mildly frightening (in a good way!) “small plates” will run you more than $10. I tried the Rest and Recuperation, which is rye whiskey mixed with rye beer. It’s a strong one, in flavor as much as in alcoholic content, and its strength only makes it better for sipping. But once you’re done agonizing over the cocktail list, your task only gets more difficult when you turn the page to choose one of 675’s intentionally off-the-wall small plates. The menu does offer a great balance between comfort and adventure, and we picked a couple of dishes from each category. Read more and check out the pictures after the jump.

Posted by: Kim Partrick
Order: spinach dip, prosciutto-wrapped hot pockets, mini pastrami sandwiches, rosemary fries, crispy dough, chocolate-covered bacon
Price: $
Location: 675 Hudson Street (at 13th Street)
Veggie Friendly? Y
www.brguestrestaurants.com/restaurants/675_bar

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