Posts Tagged ‘TriBeCa’

Dylan Prime: A Summer Seafood Feast

Thursday, August 19th, 2010

Dylan Prime clam bake

A couple of weeks ago I wrote up some of our favorite lobster deals in the city. Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of sampling Dylan Prime’s decadent weekend offering. As I mentioned in the original post, for a mere $39.95, you get two 1.25-pound lobsters, plus clams, mussels, corn on the cob, and potatoes. As you can see from the photo above, that’s quite the feast. Even with my massive marathon-training appetite, I wasn’t able to get through the whole thing, and the more modest eaters at the table strategically saved the claw meat for later lobster rolls.

I realized mid-meal that I’d never had steamed clams before, and I think those were the most pleasant surprise of the meal. The lobster was fresh and flavorful of course, and I wasn’t stingy with the drawn butter. Dylan Prime also offers a wonderfully creative cocktail menu. I opted to get a white peppercorn caiparinha, and was not disappointed.

Surprisingly, the restaurant was relatively empty when we wandered in at 7pm, but was filling up as we left as 9pm, so be sure to book your reservations. The clam bake is every Friday through Sunday, through the end of the summer.

Posted by: Nicole Price Fasig
Order: clam bake
Price: $$$$
Location: 62 Laight St. (at Greenwich St.)
Type of Food: American, Seafood
Veggie Friendly? N
www.dylanprime.com


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Summer Seafood Deals: Lobster Fever Hits New York

Thursday, August 5th, 2010

I’m always in the mood for seafood, but this summer’s glut of lobster deals has really kicked my appetite into high gear. I feel like I’m constantly reading about seafood deals every day, so I’ve started keeping track of some of my favorites. And I’m not just talking about good bargains like Luke’s Lobsters “Taste of Maine.” I’m talking legit seasonal discounts and short-term specials. Read on for the catch of the day.

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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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Bar Artisanal: Small Plates, Smaller Price Tag

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

The small plate happy hour is nothing new but, as happy hours go, Bar Artisanal’s is cheap at a level that’s nearly unheard of. For just $2 per plate, you can sample pan con tomate, marinated olives, Basque-flavored popcorn, salt cod croquetas in piquillo pepper jam, and more. But the real excitement is the $10 flatbread deal. For that measly amount, you can sample unlimited flatbreads topped with the likes of grilled vegetables with goat cheese, chorizo with potato and fried egg, and clams, jamon, and guindilla pepper, topped with oregano. Pair these great small plates with discounted sangria or wine, and you have a heck of a happy hour. Bar Artisanal offers the deals from 5-7pm, every night except Saturdays.

Posted by: Nicole Price Fasig
Price: $
Location: 268 W. Broadway (at 6th Ave.)
Type of Food: Spanish, tapas
Veggie Friendly? Y
www.barartisanal.com


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Food +30: Ponder Your Food and Eat it Too

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

Any avid follower of the New York restaurant scene will tell you that the only thing constant around here is change. Since I’ve come to New York, I’ve seen the rise of the food truck, the proliferation of the Danny Meyer empire, and blossoming of the local and seasonal movements.

What’s harder to describe is what’s coming up next for New York foodies. That’s where the Brooklyn Future Meetup Group comes in. The express purpose of this organization is to discuss what the world will look like in 30 years, specifically focusing on trends in technology. Tonight at 7pm, they’re taking on food, with speakers to include chef Michael Anthony of Gramercy Tavern, Anson Mills founder Glenn Roberts, and Food52 co-founder Amanda Hesser.

If all that talk of food makes you hungry, you’re in luck. After the panel there will be demos by mixologists and chefs, as well as tastings from local producers, and “cameos” from popular food vendors. Tickets are $12 and spots are going fast, so be sure to visit the Brooklyn Future Group’s Meetup page ASAP. If you can’t make it to teh even tonight, you can check out the recap on their blog.

Posted by: Nicole Price Fasig
Price: $$
Location: 92nd Y Tribeca, 200 Hudson St. (and Canal St.)
www.y30.it


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NYC Cravings: Spreading Joy One Pig at a Time

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009

NYC Cravings fried pork

Our pig prayers have been answered! When I posted on NYC Cravings a month ago, a friendly commenter noted that the truck introduced fried pork shortly after we tried it. Of course this meant it was time for another work field trip. In these trying times, Pig is just the thing to bring cheer to the June gloom.

Pig was constructed similarly to the fried chicken we tried, served over rice with pickled cabbage and the traditional “secret pork sauce” (sort of like a sweet au jus). Though NYC Cravings’ Pig is $1 more than the similar dish we purchase in Chinatown, the former gave us double the meat and less travel time for our money. The pork itself was comparable, as flavorful, juicy and delicious as the Pig we get in Chinatown. Our resident Pig expert was a big fan of the greens, though she thought the sauce was lacking “that special something” that sets the Chinatown secret sauce apart.

The final consensus was that, for $7, this hearty meal is an incredible bargain. I won’t be needing dinner tonight, but I will see the Pig plate in my dreams.

Posted by: Nicole Price Fasig
Order: Taiwanese-style Fried Pork
Price: $
Location: 45th St. and 6th Ave., 24th St. and Park Ave., Chambers St. and Greenwich St., Houston St. and Hudson St., 53rd St. (between Park Ave. and Lexington Ave.), 7th Ave. and Carroll St., Brooklyn
Type of Food: Taiwanese
Veggie Friendly? N
www.nyccravings.com

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NYC Cravings: Taiwanese Goodness To Go

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

NYC Cravings Truck

It’s a special day in my office when we go out for Pig. Someone will send out an e-mail with that one-word subject line, we all pile on the downtown 6 train, and head down to Chinatown for a $5 platter of delicious fried pork over rice with pickled cabbage and the traditional “secret pork sauce” (think sweet au jus). As much as we all love Pig, it’s hard to take long lunches like that more than once in a blue moon.

Recently, we discovered NYC Cravings, a food truck that roams the city selling the same dish, except with fried chicken instead of pork. NYC Cravings recently added tea eggs to the menu, along with steamed vegan and pork dumplings.

Naturally, we planned an expedition as soon as we could to see if that fine “Taiwanese Style” fried chicken would live up to our high expectations. Quickly dubbed “Chicken,” it was hard to compare to Pig, of course, but our new food truck lunch was still excellent. The chicken was juicy, but still had plenty of crackly, flavorful skin to enjoy. The secret sauce was sweet and rich as well. Though our resident Pig expert deemed the dumplings too expensive at 4 for $3, I still sprung for a side of steamed pork dumplings. I usually prefer fried dumplings to steamed, but these were wonderfully flavorful, complemented as they were by the bevy of sauces available on the cart, including dumpling sauce, Sriracha hot sauce, and sweet Beijing sauce. The final verdict? It’s no Pig, but that certainly won’t keep us from going back.

According to NYC Cravings’ schedule, they can be found all around town, with set locations Monday-Wednesday and Sunday, and surprises Thursday and Friday. But make sure you get to the truck early. Midtown Lunch reported NYC Cravings selling out of chicken as early as 1pm on busy days. If you want to find out if they’ll be in your ‘hood, check out the truck’s Twitter feed at twitter.com/nyccravings.

Images of our Chicken feast after the jump.

Posted by: Nicole Price Fasig
Order: Steamed Dumplings with Pork, Taiwanese-style Fried Chicken
Price: $
Location: 45th St. and 6th Ave., 24th St. and Park Ave., Harrison St. and Greenwich St., 7th Ave. and Carroll St., Brooklyn
Type of Food: Taiwanese
Veggie Friendly? Y
www.nyccravings.com

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