March 2006 Archives

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Covering the Supreme Court

6. Scalia is just as funny as you've heard. (See this letter to the editor of the Boston Herald after a reporter misinterpreted his Sicilian chin-scratching in Mass as an obscene gesture.) But Chief Justice Roberts is staging a coup to replace him as the justice who gets the most laughs. Scalia wins this round for quantity, but a Roberts' quip gets the hardest laughs, at the expense of one of the arguing lawyers. I don't know if it's considered a compliment or a good sign to one side if they provide fodder that gets a humorous diss from a justice.

"Supreme amusement," by Greg Piper, The Smoking Room, March 31, 2006

Posted March 31, 2006 06:27 AM · Permalink · Humor · Comments (0) · TrackBacks (0)

Big Apple Blog Festival - March 27, 2006

Welcome to the Big Apple Blog Festival (BABF), a representative roundup of this week's posts by NYC bloggers.

The Big Apple Blog Festival likes to go on tour ... if you don't like what we covered here, and if you have a NYC blog or you blog about NYC and would like to host an upcoming BABF, let us know ... The next BABF, on April 3, 2006, will be hosted by Suitably Flip ...

Friends and Family

opinionistas declares that "instead of examining Boomers and learning from their mistakes, we’re simply taking their soul-crumbling notions to the next level. More than half of them went through miserable, messy divorces and wound up bleeding emotional shells - well it must have been because they didn’t protect their future assets before they got married! That’s the key!" ...
Englishman in New York turned 30 ... "The sun is shining. And life keeps getting better." ... Happy Birthday! ...
The Dawn Patrol reprints "An Open Letter to Michael Schiavo" ...
Free Speech

Exit Zero has "Random notes on Sharia" ...
Eye Dream Awake has a video of Dr. Wafa Sultan worth watching and comments worth reading in a post titled "What Is Truly Offensive Is Not Free Speech" ... ("Dr. Sultan said the world was not witnessing a clash of religions or cultures, but a battle between modernity and barbarism, a battle that the forces of violent, reactionary Islam are destined to lose" in a NYT story) ...
Kesher Talk has a "Report on the London Anti-Toonophobia Rally" ...
Living in NYC

gothamist reports that "Starting next week one of the biggest shifts in commuter rail in the past two decades will begin. In response to rider demand Metro-North, New Jersey Transit and the LIRR are all in the process of seriously upping their pre-dawn service."
NYC Stories says "Accept New York and ride the waves that it takes you on, and all will turn out well. Fight the tides of the city and your are fighting a battle you will not win." ...
Bagel in Harlem says "Harlem is the first place in the city where I’ve ever known my neighbors’ names, but it’s also the first neighborhood where it’s been a struggle to find fresh produce" ...
Clublife reminisces about a chance meeting on the subway ... and how things turned out 5 years later ...
Express Train says "Nothing makes the city seem smaller than when you run into a friend on a subway platform." ...
dailyheights.com has a story about a livery driver who just doesn't get it ...
Wonkster takes a quick look at NYC school's gifted and talented program ...
Potpourri

Asymmetrical Information's "most absurd belief? That 'there are some things which are just plain wrong'" ...
Harleys, Cars, Girls & Guitars has the blues and writes that "The cruelty and eagerness of the young is less appealing with every passing year." ...
lowercase L has a pic for "SMAll Coffee in Chelsea" ...
Terry Teachout's favorite museum is the Phillips Collection ... which "has digitized its entire collection of American paintings" ...
WhatISee has a pic of a large Horseshoe Crab ...
clarified, after getting into a staring contest with a pigeon on her window ledge, got a ceramic owl to scare it away ... but it scared her instead ...
New York Hack says "vindication tastes sweeter than revenge. And it pays better too." ...
what about the plastic animals? has a pic of peeling paint ... in case you have time left over after watching the paint dry ...
Young Manhattanite seems surprised that Baltimore is "The City That Reads...The Economist?" ...
blogs, blogging, and the Internet

spinachdip nyc guest blogger the belligerent intellectual says "writing someone else’s blog is a lot harder than I thought it would be" ...
Yet another weird SF fan is "thinking of changing the name of this blog to 'The Whiny Ex-Kid.'"
Living the Scientific Life asks "How Much of You Does Your Blog Own?" ...
this is what we do now declares that "ChompChamp had the potential to be the greatest website of all time" ...
Help Wanted

Alarming News has a recurring dream and wants help figuring out its meaning ...
untitlednamedotcom has a pic of a refrigerated trailer that someone forgot to unload ...
Politics and Media

Ragged Thots says "blaming the 'liberal attack machine' for [ Ben Domenech'] sad tale is as ridiculous as, yes, a certain one-time First Lady blaming a 'vast right-wing conspiracy.'" ...
Amy's New York Notebook has the Headline of the day ...
People's Cube says that "the new 'must work for money' rule, introduced by the French government, has precipitated huge street demonstrations in Paris, as student and labor leaders rise against the specter of capitalism, worried that its emphasis on hard work and personal responsibility will ruin their most cherished cultural values of government dependency."
Matzoh Cojones writes: "Given that an Arab serves on Israel's highest court, and that Israeli Arabs write for Ha'aretz and the Jerusalem post, it would be very difficult for Washington Post blogger Jefferson Morley to find examples backing his assertion that Israeli Arabs 'are largely invisible in the country's media'"
Huh?

Greasy Guide says for $500 you can own your very own Ghostface Killah doll ... who buys this stuff? ...
Tres Chicas says "No Beard Is a Good Beard ... Unless you want to look like some hipster doofus, or a Civil War soldier, or Pericles" ...
Miscellaneous Objections has "some pictures of dogs dancing" ...
CityRag writes "Mike Walker of the National Enquirer reported that the Church of Scientology is looking at purchasing Neverland and making it a retreat for Scientologists!" ...
My Urban Kvetch wonders "why middle-aged men on the beaches of Tel Aviv think Speedos are a good idea" ...
Kesher Talk has "News from the Near Future: Yale to Award Honorary Degree to Sirhan Sirhan" ...
War, Peace, International Relations

Daily Lunch writes that between 1980 and 2004 the deadliest year for active duty U.S. military deaths "was 1983, year of the Beirut terrorist bombing which killed 263 marines: 2,486 deaths total. The next deadliest was 1980, with 2,392 deaths. By comparison, 2004 saw 1,887 military deaths." ...
Atlas Shrugs has an "Official Warning: DO NOT GO TO FRANCE" ... with pics ...
Dave Friedman declares "Give me Shakespeare and beer and brie and wine. I don't care about the rest of either Britain or France" ...
Singing, Dancing, and Acting

Suitably Flip says Spiderman is decamping ... "Our friendly neighborhood Spiderman is trading in the city that never sleeps for the city... wait, let me look this one up... for the 'forest city'." ...
Ace of Spades says "the actual interest in zombie movies is all about personal interactions and group politics in extreme situations" ... and asks, "Is there a big overlap between musical lovers and Tolkein geeks?" ...
Daily Refill says "movable hype 7.0 @ the knitting factory (main space), april 17th, bands start at 8:30pm" ...
Nonsense Verse "went dancing for the first time in about six months, and I felt completely out of my skin, outside the music, and out of my element in general" ...
NewYorkology reports that "Liev Schreiber, F. Murray Abraham, John Turturro and Marcia Gay Harden are among the celebrities signed up to take part in the free Shakespeare Birthday Marathon scheduled for Sunday, April 23" ...
dry2olives reminds us that "When it comes to musically defining the spirit of New York City, few composers can match the contributions of George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein." ...
Food and Drink

Dead Programmer's Cafe dipped Ukrainian Sushi (salo) in chocolate: "The flavor is outstanding" ...
Yanksfan vs. Soxfan reports that "Yankee outfielder Gary Sheffield's endorsement deal with Burger King was terminated yesterday after Sheffield was seen violating the terms of his contract. Sheffield was spotted outside a North Tampa Golden Arches, sitting on the driver side of his SUV with a Big Mac in his left hand, a full 'Super Value Meal #2' on the leather seat to his right."
10,000 Birds says "Seed-eaters are easier to identify than meat-eaters" ...
Slice Pizza Club will have its annual Coney Island field trip on Sunday, April 9, 2006 ...
Slashfood reports that "Robert Tomey, a McDonald's franchisee owner, has put his leftover french fry grease to a good use: fueling his car." ... Grease Car ...
A Guy In New York had his weekly roundup of NYC restaurant reviews ...
WhiteTrashBBQ reports that Purple Turtle Catering won the Grillin' on the Bay BBQ contest ...

___________________________________

The Big Apple Blog Festival is listed on the ÜberCarnival page and in Carnival News.

To nominate your favorite blog post about NYC, or if you have a NYC blog and want to see something in the next BABF ... or you have a NYC-related blog and would like to host an upcoming BABF ... send us a short write up and a permalink to aguyinnewyork [at] gmail.com ... or use the Carnival Submit Form ... see you next week ...

You are free to repost the Big Apple Blog Festival so long as you leave this URL attached: BigAppleBlogFestival.com

Technorati Tags: big apple, big apple blog festival, New York, NYC, New York City, Manhattan

Posted March 27, 2006 12:07 PM · Permalink · Big Apple Blog Festival · Comments (0) · TrackBack (0)

Home cooking - at "meal assembly centers"

Americans, pinched for time and increasingly uncomfortable in their kitchens, have been on a 50-year slide away from home cooking. Now, at almost 700 meal assembly centers around the country, families like the Robbinses prepare two weeks' worth of dinners they can call their own with little more effort than it takes to buy a rotisserie chicken and a bag of salad.
The centers are opening at a rate of about 40 a month, mostly in strip malls and office parks in the nation's suburbs and smaller cities, and are projected to earn $270 million this year, according to the Easy Meal Prep Association, the industry's trade group.
. . .
For people with few cooking skills, the centers keep things simple with a rotating menu of mostly stews and casseroles designed to be assembled in freezer bags or aluminum trays, then taken home to be baked or simmered in a single pot.

Customers select their dishes online ahead of time. When they show up, they follow recipes that hang over restaurant-style work stations filled with ingredients like frozen chicken breasts, chopped onions and jars of seasonings.

Cheerful workers hover around, carting off measuring spoons as soon as they are dirty and pouring fresh coffee. They encourage the calorie conscious or sodium sensitive to customize meals. And if someone hates broccoli, it can be left out. For people who feel guilty about not cooking for their families, the centers offer absolution in just a couple of hours.

"Meals That Moms Can Almost Call Their Own," by Kim Severson and Julia Moskin, The New York Times, March 26, 2006

"Assemble & Freeze: Super Suppers does the work, you get the kudos," by Erica Marcus, Newsday, March 1, 2006
"Assembly dine: Businesses let busy people put together home-cooked meals in batches," by Susan Houston, The News & Observer, January 4, 2006
Easy Meal Preparation Association - directory of members by state
some meal prep companies
"Meal-assembly franchise offers customers hands-on dinner role," by Jon Chavez, Toledo Blade, January 31, 2006
"Meal Prep Stores: A Parent's Overview," by Nicki Bradley, families.com, January 12, 2006
"New National Trend: Meal Assembly Kitchens," The Experience Economist, November 17, 2005
"Some assembly required: Make-and-take meal stores offer alternative to take-out," by Jolene Thym, Inside Bay Area, March 8, 2006
"Stores open kitchens to busy people," by Jane Brissett, Duluth News Tribune, January 26, 2006

Posted March 26, 2006 08:17 AM · Permalink · Cooking & Food Prep · Comments (0) · TrackBack (0)

Saturday catblogging

Loco waiting very patiently ... for something ...

Life in the City is good ... Why hurry? ....

Technorati Tags: catblogging

Posted March 25, 2006 03:43 PM · Permalink · Catblogging · Comments (1) · TrackBack (1)

This Week in NYC Reviews - March 24, 2006

Each Friday, A Guy In New York publishes "This Week in NYC Reviews (TWIR)," with quick links to New York City restaurant reviews and mentions from the previous seven days in blogs, magazines, and newspapers.
Also see our roundup of Michelin 1, 2 and 3 star restaurants with links to reviews ...

For a roundup of DC restaurant reviews from DC food bloggers and media, see This Week in DC Reviews at Hobnob Blog ...

NYC Restaurant inspection results online

the 2006 James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards are out ... nominees for best chef in NYC include: Dan Barber, Blue Hill; David Burke, davidburke & donnatella; Floyd Cardoz, Tabla; Gabriel Kreuther, The Modern; and David Waltuck, Chanterelle (page 11 of 11 -page pdf) ... in the mid-Atlantic: Mark Fustenberg, Breadline; Peter Pastan, Obelisk; and Fabio Trabocchi, Maestro at the Ritz-Carlton Tyson's Corner (page 10 of 11 -page pdf) .. Del Posto and The Modern are among the nominees for Best New Restaurant ... Outstanding Chef nominees include: Tom Colicchio, Craft; Alfred Portale, Gotham Bar & Grill; and Michel Richard, Citronelle (page 10 of 11 -page pdf)
Big Apple Dining Guide had lunch and a tour at Blue Hill at Stone Barns ... worth seeing the entire piece for many pics and a review of lunch ... (previous review: eat drink one woman (TWIR, January 13, 2006)) ... web site, 630 Bedford Road, Pocantico Hills, NY (just past Tarrytown), 914-366-9600 [New York | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch]

WhiteTrashBBQ reminds us about Grillin' on the Bay - NYC's first sanctioned BBQ contest this Saturday, Corner of Avenue Z and East 18th Street, Brooklyn ...

pushcart NYC says the "the beef steak and spicy pork tacos were unbelievable" at the taco truck at 96th Street and Broadway, SW corner, 917-837-6052 ...

Steve Cuozzo goes to Piano Due ... and asks, "[W]hy won't spoon-fed food writers with great influence over public taste wake up to it?" ... to which he answers: "Thank a food media that's hung up on televised chefs, 'master mixologists' and gimmicks, but is too often palate-dead." ... "Its richly spiced pasta and sauces have thrilled me since last October. Its earthbound menu moves my earth." ... "Since it opened to a brief, enthusiastic Gael Greene write-up in New York magazine, Piano Due has suffered a virtual media blackout. It has neither been reviewed in any large-circulation publication nor enjoyed the feature coverage routinely lavished on big-league openings. Cetrulo doesn't have the gift of gab of a Batali, Bobby Flay or David Burke. But he does run Scalini Fedeli in TriBeCa, recipient of a Michelin star and also one of the highest-ranked Italians in the Zagat Survey. Even if you don't place a fig of credence in either Michelin or Zagat, shouldn't the fact that both rate Scalini Fedeli so highly at least stir the curiosity of media types who rush to every Meatpacking District barn?" ... "Piano Due has no gimmicks, only some of the most sensuous Italian cooking in town." ... (previous reviews: Moira Hodgson (TWIR, November 18, 2005), Gael Greene (TWIR, October 14, 2005), David Rosen (TWIR, September 9, 2005)) ... web site, 151 West 51st Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues, 212-399-9400 [MenuPages | Citysearch] ... if the food media wants to see an interesting review, check out Big Apple Dining Guide's review of Blue Hill at Stone Barns above ... read Augieland, eat drink one woman, Veal Cheeks, Mona's Apple, NYC nosh, Twenty Bucks a Day, and Waiter Rant ... and stop reviewing the same 50 restaurants ...

David Rosen gave 3 stars to Tia Pol ... the "fluffy tortilla espanola, crispy potato bravas, delicate croquettes and garlicky chorizo [are] magically and consistently great" ... web site, 205 Tenth Avenue, between 22nd and 23rd Streets, 212-675-8805 [NYT | NY Mag | Yelp | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch]

eat drink one woman warns that at Da Andrea "Don't fill up on the generous focaccia basket with the dish of olive oil and pitted kalamatas. Instead, get those tigelles that got written up in all the initial reviews. They're still fab -- hot silver dollar flatbreads you split and fill with melty prosciutto and grated parm" ... web site, 557 Hudson Street, 212-367-1979 [NYT | NY Mag | Yelp | openlist | Citysearch]

Mona's Apple had dinner at Blue Ribbon Bakery ... asparagus vinaigrette "was perfectly cooked with a slight crispness to it with the vinaigrette drizzled on top. The vinaigrette made this dish, and now whenever I see or hear asparagus I'm going to want BR's vinaigrette to go along with it." ... "the mushroom ravioli [were] rich in mushroom and cream, like pillows of goodness." ... "the fried chicken with mash potatoes and collard greens [was] was soft and tender on the inside with a cackling crispness on the outside-just how fried chicken's supposed to be." ... "The generous filet of salmon was grilled to perfection and topped with crispy potato flake" ... web site, 33 Downing Street, at Downing Street, 212-337-0404 [MenuPages | NYT | NY Mag | Village Voice | Yelp | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch]

Augieland gave 211 lewinskibillion stars to A Voce ... "I am sorry to say I did not like it at all. I don’t say this meaning that you won’t like it, you may, but as far as my experience last night goes, they managed to do enough things exactly the opposite of how I believe they should be done that I would suggest not going." ... it looks like Augieland's 211 lewinskibillion stars is the equivalent of 1 star from Frank Bruni ... (see Bruni below for links) ... awarded 651 swellzillian stars for lunch at Cookshop ... "Wife and I shared the soup and split the Grass fed mini burgers, Vermont cheddar, onion rings, fries, chipotle ketchup & a Guss' pickle as our other appetizer. Grass-fed beef may never be as soft as wagyu or as fatty as prime, but boy is it flavorful. The accoutrements for this little slider would have walked all over the beef typically being used these days. Here, though, there is a strong matching of sharp cheddar, ketchup with the warm reminders of capsicum, and a rather sweet roll, with the very flavorful almost mineral tang of good beef." ... (previous reviews: Robert Sietsema (TWIR, March 10, 2005), Forbes (TWIR, February 10, 2006), Veal Cheeks (TWIR, February 3, 2006), Andrea Thompson (TWIR, December 16, 2005), Frank Bruni (TWIR, December 2, 2005), Hal Rubenstein (TWIR, November 18, 2005), Andrea Strong (TWIR, November 11, 2005), NYC Nosh (TWIR, October 14, 2005)) ... 156 10th Avenue, at 20th Street, 212-924-4440 [MenuPages | Yelp | Citysearch] ... attended a "vertical wines of Giacomo Conterno dinner with the wine maker Roberto Conterno at Babbo" ... "Truly great Babbo is truly inspired Italian food that sticks with the ethos that in Italy you would never use sub-par ingredients to fit a recipe but would adapt your recipe to fit your greatest ingredients. So here in America, what is best, not what is traditional, is served." ... (previous reviews: Veal Cheeks (TWIR, February 24, 2006), Big Apple Dining Guide (TWIR, October 28, 2005)) ... web site, 110 Waverly Place, 212-777-0303 [MenuPages | NYT | NY Metro | Village Voice | openlist | Yelp | Gayot | Citysearch]

NYC nosh was disappointed with Boca Chica ... "Coco Shrimp were completely enjoyable: dredged in a savory coconut batter and deep fried" ... the "Pastel de Choclo, a casserole-like dish made with chicken, tomato, golden raisins, olives, and a cornmeal topping smelled absolutely fantastic [but too] little spice and a burnt tomato taste together destroyed any chance of this dish’s success." ... "Grilled Chicken Breast with Black Beans and Avocado, should have been an easy home run, or at least a base hit. ... Yet the chicken breast’s interior was rubbery and desiccated, and worse, the cardinal sin of chicken cookery was performed to cover the dryness of the meat–the breast was served swimming in a salty lagoon of broth and oil." ... 13 1st Avenue, 212-473-0108 [MenuPages | NYT | NY Mag | Yelp | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch]

Salli Vates "made a happy discovery" at Kanoyama ... "the early-bird special" ... web site, 175 2nd Avenue, 212-777-5266 [NY Mag | Citysearch]

Forbes gives Green GOs to Piola: "pizza baked in a wood-burning oven. Crusts are thin and crispy, and the choice of toppings is dizzying" ... 48 East 12th Street, 212-777-7781 [Citysearch] ... and Pascalou: "Favorites: stuffed roast chicken and salmon Wellington" ... 1308 Madison Avenue, between 92nd and 93rd Streets, 212-534-7522 [Citysearch] ... and a Yellow CONSIDER to Manhattan Grille: "Steaks and chops are still first-rate" ... 1161 First Avenue, between 63rd and 64th Streets, 212-888-6556 ... [Citysearch]

Moira Hodgson gave 2 stars to Urena ... "began with a superb confit of rabbit leg shredded in strips, topped with sliced shiitake mushrooms and served with cauliflower purée. An equally wonderful Spanish onion–tamarind purée graced two seared, rare scallops on a smoky chorizo sauce" ... "had no quarrel with the halibut I’d ordered" ... "Mahi-mahi with portobello mushrooms ... looked as though it had washed up on the edge of New York harbor: It was a bit of a mush. But tender chunks of steamed lobster on a bed of pickled rhubarb purée with glazed salsify were great" ... (previous reviews: Veal Cheeks and Adam Platt (TWIR, March 3, 2006), Augieland (TWIR, February 10, 2006)) ... 37 East 28th Street, between Lexington Avenue and Park Avenue South, 212-213-2328 [eGullet | NY Metro | Citysearch]

The Girl Who Ate Everything had fruit waffles for brunch at Smorgas Chef ... "it was good! Apple, pear, strawberry, and blueberry" ... (previous review: Big Apple Dining Guide (TWIR, January 27, 2006)) ... web site, 53 Stone Street, 212 422 3500 [MenuPages | Village Voice | Yelp | openlist | Citysearch] ... and "went to Bouchon Bakery on opening day" ... "The brioche was pretty much perfect; light, airy, eggy, tasty." ... Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Circle, at 59th Street, fourth floor, 212-823-9366 [NY Mag]

Peter Gianotti says Luigi Q is "an Italian restaurant defined as much by the generous, personable owner as it is by the bright, flavorful food" ... recommends the seafood ... 400 South Oyster Bay Road, Hicksville, 516-932-7450 [NYT]

Twenty bucks a day is addicted to the sandwiches at Alidoro ... "A better context in which to sample the prosciutto is in the Mischa ($9.50), which features that meat with provolone, hot peppers with a good balance of spice to flavor, and the ubiquitous arugula, which is always exceedingly fresh" ... and likes "the semolina [bread], which is crusty on the outside, soft on the inside, and has a strong flavor to match its outer dusting of sesame seeds" ... 105 Sullivan Street, between Spring and Prince Streets, 212-334-5179 [NY Mag | Village Voice | Yelp] ... and doesn't sound like he'll go back to Cono and Sons O’Pescatore ... "if one wants old-school Italian-American cuisine, it would be better to save money for a splurge at Roberto’s in the Bronx rather than half-ass it at Cono’s or something like it" ... 301 Graham Avenue, Brooklyn, 718-388-0168 [Village Voice | openlist] ... and is "jealous of people who work near Union Square" because of Ennju ... "a serious contender for best 'fast' Japanese food in the city" ... 20 East 17th Street, between 5th Avenue and Broadway, 646-336-7004 [Village Voice | openlist]

Frank Bruni goes to A Voce: loved the "quartet of meatballs made from duck leg meat, foie gras and pork" ... (previous reviews: Andrew & Karen's web log and Big Apple Dining Guide (TWIR, March 17, 2006)) ... web site, 41 Madison Avenue, at 26th Street, 212-545-8555 [Citysearch] ... and Buddakan: "One of our favorites among the dishes we did try was arguably one of the least fanciful: crispy Cantonese spring rolls with shrimp, chicken and bamboo shoots." ... (previous reviews: Augieland (TWIR, March 10, 2006)) ... 75 9th Avenue, between 15th and 16th Streets, 212-989-6699 [MenuPages | Citysearch] ... Industria Argentina: "succulent short ribs and rack of lamb were much better than an “Andean corn and seafood chowder,” which didn’t have much seafood in it, or a smoked pumpkin risotto, which didn’t have much flavor" ... (previous review: Pascale Le Draoulec (TWIR, February 24, 2006)) ... 329 Greenwich Street, between Duane and Jay Streets, 212-965-8560 [MenuPages | Citysearch] ... Kellari: "young goat, or kid, braised in yogurt [was] one of its best dishes" ... 19 West 44th Street, near Fifth Avenue, 212-221-0144 [OpenTable] ... and gave 1 star to Morimoto ..."The appeal of the dishes at Morimoto, like their ethnic associations, was all over the place, due in part to their frantic nature and in part to the kitchen's uneven performance." ... "a roasted lobster was overcooked, as was just about all of the shellfish, including shrimp and crab" ... "high concept repeatedly supplanted sound judgment, resulting in dishes more amusing to behold than to ingest" ... "Although plenty expensive, Morimoto is an often undisciplined restaurant, prone to silliness and crammed with servers whose extraordinary friendliness didn't mask their mistakes." ... (previous reviews: David Rosen and Mona's Apple (TWIR, March 3, 2006), Steve Cuozzo and Augieland (TWIR, February 17, 2006), Augieland (TWIR, February 10, 2006), Augieland (TWIR, February 3, 2006)) ... web site, 88 10th Avenue, between 15th and 16th Streets, 212-989-8883 [MenuPages | NY Mag | Citysearch]

Adam Platt also went to Morimoto ... "There is the varied sushi menu (the fish is flown in four times weekly from the Tsukiji market in Tokyo), which even my most effete sushi-snob friends conceded was irreproachable. There is the main menu, which is filled with clunky but often enjoyable riffs on simple Asian dishes (Korean bibimbap made with yellowtail tuna, pork gyoza dunked in crème fraîche). And there is the chef’s special omakase menu, which features Japanese fusion cooking of the highest kind, designed to be enjoyed while sitting in zaisu chairs with your shoes off, at the elite 'omakase bar.'” ... the "signature tempura is possibly one of the most grisly things I’ve ever tasted (the batter is thick and greasy, and there’s a pot of oily Gorgonzola sauce on the side). But there’s also plenty of intriguing food on the menu" ... including "lumps of soft buffalo mozzarella with slices of the freshest salmon or octopus ... lamb carpaccio with a rich ginger-scallion sauce [and] a poached-lobster salad (with a soy beurre blanc) that’s as good as anything at the hoity-toity Continental restaurants uptown" ... "'Japanese Bouillabaisse' is worth ordering solely for the delicious broth made with sake and red miso. Best of all, however, is the 'Duck, Duck, Duck,' an inspired postmodern dissertation on the wonders of Peking duck, composed of a single duck leg cooked in the classic Peking style, a duck egg, and a roast-duck sandwich made not with Chinese pancakes but with a croissant infused with foie gras." ... the omakase menu "costs $120 and is worth every penny" ...

Nick Paumgarten says "there is something preposterous about Del Posto" ... "The extreme pomp of the place--the footstools for ladies’ purses, the high-tea piano music, the miles of marble, the fleets of flatware--can feel like a put-on, as though this were the setting for a reality show in which celebrity chefs compete to see who can charge out-of-towners the most for offal" ... (previous reviews: Frank Bruni (TWIR, March 3, 2006), Steve Cuozzo (TWIR, February 17, 2006), David Rosen (TWIR, February 3, 2006)), Andrea Strong (TWIR, January 20, 2006)) ... 85 Tenth Avenue, between 15th Street and 16th Streets, 212-497-8090 [MenuPages | NY Mag | Village Voice | Citysearch]

Pascale Le Draoulec also went to Del Posto ... "While there were moments and dishes at Del Posto that were indeed transcendent, too many were merely 'good,' given the price and pageantry of the place, starting with a whooaaa-Nelly $29 valet parking service." ... Peter says if you want good Italian food, cook at home ... where you're already parked ...

Christine Muhlke has some "highlights of my cross-country feeding frenzy," reporting on the highs and lows of restaurants on a drive from San Francisco to NYC ... and says Avec in Chicago is "Noisy, but worth a plane ticket just for the wild boar with pappardelle" ... web site, 615 West Randolph Street, Chicago, IL, 312-377-2002 ... [MetroMix | NYT | Chicago Tribune | Yelp | Chicago Reader | openlist | CenterStage | Gayot | Citysearch]

Jean Tang has an advertising roundup of "Indian bistros" ... "There's a new form of Indian restaurant in town, and it's the bistro. Sure, the curry houses of yore are still around, but the old-style traditional tackiness is now replaced with minimalist design, campy drinks, groovy soundtracks and tongue-in-cheek menus." ... Mint: "biryani, not steak frites, is one of the house specialties" ... 150 East 50th Street, 212-644-8888 [Citysearch] ... Leela Lounge: "dishes are typically authentic, but tweaked to Western tastes" ... 1 West Third Street, 212-529-2059 [Citysearch] ... Moksha: "Moksha's food, created by ex-Tamarind chef Peter Beck, is remarkable" ... 18 Murray Street, 212-608-0707 [Citysearch] ... Yuva: "the tandoor - which makes up a startling quarter of the menu - sends out remarkably charred-tender food" ... 230 East 58th Street, 212-339-0090 [Citysearch] ... Bombay Talkie: a "two-level paean to street food and Indian pop culture" ... 189 Ninth Avenue, 212-242-1900 [Citysearch] ...

VittlesVamp reminds us that Spring Has Sprung (Shake Shack is open) ... and says "pork rinds dipped in white chocolate ... is long overdue for a quickie divorce" at Compass ... (previous reviews: The Hungry Rose (TWIR, January 20, 2006), Frank Bruni (TWIR, November 25, 2005)) ... web site, 208 West 70th Street, between Amsterdam Avenue and West End Avenue, 212-875-8600 [MenuPages | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch]

A Hamburger Today comments on Shake Shack opening: "And the line no doubt goes down the block. It's good, people, but come on." ... we agree ... try Tony Dragonas' grilled hamburger ...

Amateur Gourmet liked the coconut samosas at Milon ... "The food was decent [but] the environment and decor (have I mentioned the decor?) made up for it." ... 93 1st Avenue, 212-228-4896 [MenuPix | NY Mag (scroll down to 23) | Yelp | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch]

Rachel Wharton interviewed Tim Zagat ... "[W]hen it comes to eating out, says Tim Zagat, the man behind the famous restaurant guides, bad service is what ticks us off. When filling out surveys for the 2006 city guide, he says, a whopping 49% of New Yorkers named bad service - mostly attitude, inattentiveness, reservation issues and waiting - their No. 1 grumble. 'It's by far the largest,' says Zagat of this category of complaints, noting that it would have been even higher if we weren't getting increasingly fed up with noise and crowds (32%) and the cost of eating in the most expensive dining destination in the country (14%)." ...

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Did we miss your favorite review?

Let us know: aguyinnewyork [at] gmail.com ... we're especially interested in hearing from NYC bloggers ...

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Technorati Tags: New York, NYC, Manhattan, restaurants, restaurant reviews, this week in reviews, week in reviews

Posted March 24, 2006 08:37 AM · Permalink · This Week in Reviews · Comments (0) · TrackBack (0)

This Week in NYC Reviews - March 17, 2006

This weeks TWIR is lighter than usual because we've been spending a lot of time working as a volunteer on a U10-U15 girls invitational soccer tournament. We apologize if we missed your review, but look for a regular TWIR next week.

For a roundup of DC restaurant reviews from DC food bloggers and media, see This Week in DC Reviews at Hobnob Blog ...

NYC Restaurant inspection results online

If you want to know how hard some wait staff work, read this from Waiter Rant ...
Augieland gave 444 againijrillian stars to Cru ... "The fish was fantastic, the pheasant was perfect but the best part was the asparagus with the veal. Sweet and fresh and unlike any other I had." ... (previous reviews: Veal Cheeks (TWIR, February 24, 2006), Augieland (TWIR, February 17, 2006)) ... web site, 24 5th Avenue, at West 9th Street, 212-529-1700 [MenuPages | NYT | NY Mag | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch] ... and 630 bestozillian stars to Taim for the "Best Falafel I have had in NY" ... 222 Waverly Place, 212-691-1287 [MenuPages | NY Mag | Citysearch]

CityRag is "totally addicted to the heavenly pizza made with vodka sauce from" Lazzara's ... web site, 221 West 38th Street, 212-944-7792 [MenuPages | NY Mag | openlist | Citysearch]

Salli Vates says Cheeks Bakery "sells delicious goods which are made exclusively with organic eggs and rBst-free milk"... web site, 378 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn, 718-599-3583

Peter Meehan says El Centro "has some significant shortcomings on the menu, including its tacos and many of its seafood dishes, which seemed dashed off with unintegrated flavors" ... but the "dishes that kept me going back for more were the posole and any version of chilaquiles with meat." ... 824 Ninth Avenue, at 54th Street, 646-763-6585 [NY Mag | Citysearch]

Andrew & Karen's web log ate at A Voce and "on its third official night in business, we found it to be kink-free" ... "Lamb Shank Tortellini [:] It may have been the lemon that provided the 'je ne sais quoi' that put the dish over the top." ... web site, 41 Madison Avenue, at 26th Street, 212-545-8555 [Citysearch]

Big Apple Dining Guide also went to A Voce ... "Service was perfect. I can't believe how well this place is running after just a week or so of being open. [And] the food was delicious as well" ... "the Lamb Shank Tortellini [was] very good. The warm tomatoes were incredible as they popped and melted in your mouth" ...

Irene Sax reports that at Yuva Frontier Indian Grille "The music is Western, the cocktails strong, and the small room pleasantly dark" ... "the real action is in the tandoor" ... "Rack of lamb cut into chops, drenched in yogurt and cooked in the tandoor stayed miraculously rare. Salmon fillet was bright pink in the center, charred on the outside and totally blah in flavor." ... "the naan was wonderfully charred and chewy, so hot that we could barely pull it apart when it came fresh from the oven." ... "prices mount rapidly when you order from a steakhouse-like menu, where everything is à la carte. It hurts to pay $5 for a bowl of rice that was not enough for the four of us." ... 230 East 58th Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, 212-339-0090 [MenuPages | Citysearch]

Mona's Apple "can't really rate" Salt as she "was abnormally polite that night, and did not insist on trying everything that came to the table" ... " appetizer was the slow roasted eggplant, beet tartare and blue cheese fondue ... eggplant and beet combination worked really well and the blue cheese gobs meshed it all together. The eggplant was perfectly cooked and maintained a soft but not soggy texture. I think I left a squeaky clean plate." ... "entree was the grilled Newport steak with mashed potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts. Both dishes were excellent." ... web site, 58 Macdougal Street, between Prince and Houston Streets, 212-674-4968 [NYT | NY Mag | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch]

Frank Bruni gave a Satisfactory rating to P.J. Clarke's On The Hudson ... "It does nothing spectacularly well. It does some things badly." ... "16-ounce rib-eye or that 36-ounce T-bone, both slightly charred, very juicy and just fatty enough when I tried them." ... web site, 4 World Financial Center, near the intersection of Vesey Street and the West Side Highway, 212-285-1500 [MenuPages | Citysearch]

Twenty Bucks A Day finally had dinner at Queen's Hideaway ... "Arriving on our table roughly concurrently were peanuts, boiled with what looked like dried red chiles. My girlfriend exclaimed her excitement and explained that boiled peanuts are a southern roadside staple. I’m pretty sure I like the Fenway ballpark peanuts better, but I suppose that’s what the Waffle-House-IHOP line will do for a relationship." ... "oyster casserole ($16), which promised to include artichoke hearts, chestnuts, and leeks [was] good, particularly the oyster parts, but [the] rest seemed a bit mush-like." ... "I was more impressed with my pulled pork dish ($17) – it wouldn’t surprise me to hear that the proprietor had smoked it herself, and it was served in two amazing crepe-like cornmeal cakes, making these the best dry enchiladas I’ve had, possibly ever." ... 222 Franklin Street, near Green Street, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, 718-383-2355 [NYT | NY Mag | Yelp
| Citysearch] ... and didn't quite make it to Hadramout ... (previous review: Robert Sietsema (TWIR, December 16, 2005)) ... says Corner Bistro "is unlikely to please your neat freak friends" ... but has, "hands down, the best burger I’ve ever been served in a restaurant." ... "the Bistro has thus far slain the legendary Shake Shack, the well-regarded Burger Joint, the less-regarded mini-Burger Joint, the also-miniature burgers of Schnack, Roll N’ Roaster’s old-time fast-food-style sandwich, the faux-Californian Blue 9, the late and lamented McHale’s, the eponymous Goodburger…plus probably dozens of places you’ve never heard of in cities across the nation." ... web site, 331 West 4th Street, 212-242-9502 [A Hamburger Today | MenuPages | NYT | NY Mag | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch] ... 172(d) Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, 718-852-3577 ... but ended up at Yemen Cafe instead, where he had "an admirable rack of baby lamb arrive on the side of my salta. It wasn’t roasted in your grandmother’s style and served with mint jelly, mind you, but the meat was falling off the bone and flavorful without being skanky" ... "Better was my roommate’s 'special Yemeni fateh,' a stew made with diced lamb and day-old pita" ... but "The best part of the meal was absolutely the pita bread" ... 176 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, 718-834-9533 [zabihah | Village Voice | Citysearch]

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Did we miss your favorite review?

Let us know: aguyinnewyork [at] gmail.com ... we're especially interested in hearing from NYC bloggers ...

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Technorati Tags: New York, NYC, Manhattan, restaurants, restaurant reviews, this week in reviews, week in reviews

Posted March 17, 2006 09:57 AM · Permalink · This Week in Reviews · Comments (0) · TrackBack (1)

Art Buchwald

[P]eople always talk about heaven as the place where we are all going. The problem with thinking about heaven is that you then have to think about hell. The irony of our culture is people are constantly telling other people to go to hell, but no one tells them to go to heaven.

"The End. Or Maybe Not." by Art Buchwald, The Washington Post, March 14, 2006

I had two depressions, one in 1963 and the other in 1987--the first clinical depression, the second manic depression. One of my major fears during my depression was that I would lose my sense of humor and wind up in advertising.

"Political Humorist Art Buchwald Kicks Off The Open-Door Policy With A Tale Of His Own Travails," Psychology Today, November, 1999

Washington Post columns
Art Buchwald - Wikipedia
"The Final Days of Art Buchwald: A Visit," by Suzette Martinez Standring, Editor & Publisher, March 4, 2006
Selected Quotes

. . . . . . . . .

Posted March 16, 2006 09:34 AM · Permalink · Humor · Comments (0) · TrackBack (0)

Samuel Palmer : Vision and Landscape - at the Met

I love the MET when they show small exhibitions amongst all the very important art works ... it is like strolling into a art gallery and ... wow!

Samuel Palmer (1805–1881): Vision and Landscape

Samuel Palmer (1805–1881): Vision and Landscape
A major retrospective featuring watercolors, drawings, etchings, and oils by one of the most important British landscape painters of the Romantic era.
March 7 - May 29, 2006, Galleries for Drawings, Prints, and Photographs, and The Howard Gilman Gallery, 2nd floor, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue

Resources

Samuel Palmer - The British Museum Exhibition, October 21, 2005 - January 22, 2006
Samuel Palmer - Wikipedia
Samuel Palmer - Handprint

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Post by Peter

Technorati Tags: New York, NYC, Manhattan, metropolitan museum of art
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Posted March 14, 2006 04:47 AM · Permalink · Art , Museums , Museums and Art · Comments (0) · TrackBack (0)

Big Apple Blog Festival - March 13, 2006

Welcome to the Big Apple Blog Festival (BABF), a representative roundup of this week's posts by NYC bloggers.

The Big Apple Blog Festival likes to go on tour ... if you don't like what we covered here, and if you have a NYC blog or you blog about NYC and would like to host an upcoming BABF, let us know ... The next BABF, on March 27, 2006, will be hosted by A Guy In New York ...

Enjoying Life

Now What? "can't explain how hilarious these things [BrightFeet] are to me" ...

opinionistas got "paper towels and toilet paper" for Valentine's Day ...

Young Manhattanite is "renting a fully catered party bus to Atlantic City" for his birthday ...

Childhood

The Bronx links to a story reporting that "A school in the Bronx plans to charge more than Harvard" ...

Miscellaneous Objections says, "Any parent who buys this should be reported to Child Protective Services" ...

Writersbloc works with someone who doesn't seem to know the difference between Little Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks ...

War

The Politburo Diktat is asking for contributions for a headstone for Casey Sheehan’s grave ...

Alarming News says Terry Jones is "not saying that God condones Saddam's behavior, of course. He's merely suggesting that, in a just world, Saddam would still be in power." ... who? ... oh, that Terry Jones ...

Exit Zero says the War on Terror "isn't Islam vs. Christianity. It's not even anti-terror vs. terror. It's human rights vs. sharia." ...

Rants

Elvira Black's "rant du jour concerns a certain sub-group of writer--namely, the novelist in search of a publisher, or one who has self-published and is not hitting the best seller list as of yet (lol). I'd encountered a number of these folks on the Yahoo writers' groups that I've long ago quit, and I'm starting to see even more insufferable examples over at Blogcritics" ...

Living in New York

Ragged Thots notes "the cops can be around to ticket the average person with a ridiculous summons but not one around to help clear the trains of street people taking up six or seven more seats than they are entitled to -- well, that's a good way to create an irritated citizenry." ... yep ...

NYC Stories had a notice for Diorama Lodge, which "is for anyone with a hankering for liquor-fueled arts and crafts" ...

gridskipper NY reports that "The morning after a visit [to Cheap Shots Bar], you will have the amazing ability to attract jackhammerers, sandblasters, and heavy equipment operators everywhere you go. Five-story-high hydraulic pile drivers will decide that this is the morning they must smash their way to the deepest bedrock, mere yards from where you rest your aching head." ...

Forgotten NY added "The Land of Cars. Fresh Meadows, NYC's westernmost suburb" ... and notes that he "never had even a whiff of that peculiar romance most American men feel about their automobiles" ...

Living the Scientific Life has an update on the red-tailed hawks: "Pale Male and Lola are incubating eggs on their Fifth Avenue Penthouse overlooking Central Park!" ...

Bagel in Harlem is having bagel dreams ... of a new "La Marqueta" running "from 111th street to 119th street under the Metro North Viaduct above Park Avenue" ...

joe's nyc has a beautiful photo of the Empire State Building at night ...

The Assimilated Negro thinks "there's probably some 'neighborhood priority system' going on behind the scenes at" Netflix ...

NewYorkology has a "New view of the Red Hook cruise ship terminal" ...

Clublife cautions that "what you'll find in the streets of Manhattan at four in the morning [is] Wolves aplenty" ...

what about the plastic animals? has a couple of nice pics of the new Hearst Building ...

Dead Programmer's Cafe is growing pineapples on his windowsill ...

Singing, Dancing, Acting

About Last Night has his weekly "list of recommended Broadway and off-Broadway shows" ...

Brooklyn Vegan says "This summer's Central Park Summerstage schedule keeps getting better and better." ...

Matzoh Cojones says "On April 2nd, I'll be joining Lewis [Taylor] worshipers at Irving Plaza to get down and revere this small white guy born to Jewish parents, who has the spirit of Marvin Gaye in his heart." ...

Englishman in New York has a challenge: "Even if you’re not into hip hop I dare you to watch [Buddha Bride] and not be impressed by her energy, passion and skill." ...

Downtown Dancer has a couple of posts on "Dance Europe’s disturbing policy of bias and censorship against Israeli dance companies." ...

Work

copyranter takes "a look at what happens when The lowest form of humanity--real estate agents--do their own advertising, as opposed to hiring the fourth lowest form of humanity--ad people--to do it for them" ...

The Dawn Patrol demonstrates that Planned Parenthood didn't do its research on Elizabeth Cady Stanton ...

Blogs and Blogging

Harleys, Cars, Girls & Guitars is "entering the 48 Hour Film Project in New York City [and will] be blogging about this project, and I hope that a number of other New York blogs will also cover the competition." ...

My Favorite Intermissions (formerly Fisher-Price My First Opera Blog), apologizes "to whoever googled 'In Time which Made a Monkey of us All'" ...

BuzzMachine says "the age of scarcity of information and distribution are over; anybody can do this. We shouldn’t want to be gatekeepers. We shouldn’t want to get in the way of connecting people to what they want to know. We should do just the opposite and enable more people to find out more information." ...

The People's Cube seems to have been purged from Google ... and they "can only think of three reasons for this: 1. Google is retaliating against sites that ridiculed its Google China project. 2. Google has begun to implement its Google China policies in the rest of the free world. 3. A left-leaning Google employee who's got access to the database was suffering a nervous breakdown over the mockery of Marxism on our site, and so he or she dastardly removed/blocked The People's Cube, hoping to "improve" the public discourse by silencing the competition. You tell me which one it is." ... what is up with that? ...

Dave Friedman writes, "One reason I do not read many of the right's favored blogs, such as Powerline, Malkin, and Little Green Footballs is that their capacity for outrage is exceeded only by the lack of judiciousness they exhibit when reporting on controversies that pique their ire." ...

Economics - Basic

Asymmetrical Information has some observations on "Affirmative action and the academic labour market" ...

Liberteaser reports that Minnesota has a law that prohibits gas stations "selling at low prices [if it] 'has the effect of injuring a competitor'" ... so much for the free market in the land of 10,000 lakes ...

Whatever

Joey McKeown answers the question: "can anyone join the Amish in their quest for whatever it is they're questing?" ...

10,000 Birds has more advice for new birders ...

Jolie in NYC worries about worrying ... "The problem with being quote-unquote 'beauty savvy' is that I now think about random things like free-radicals and their damaging effects at totally inopportune times" ... we hate it when that happens ...

The Apiary declares "Yanni Didn't Punch Out His Girlfriend" ...

Lengths of comfy verdure asks you gals to please stop "tucking your skin tight jeans into your skin tight tall stilletto boots" ...

this is what we do now believes "Hearing your phone ring, checking the caller ID, rolling your eyes at the person who’s intruding upon your valuable time and clicking ignore has to be one of the greatest aphrodisiacs ever." ...

MSM

The Daily Gotham says that "in recent years, under the leadership of inkstained, wretched hacks like Andrew Sullivan and Martin Peretz, [The New Republic] magazine has turned into something akin to National Review on a liberal guilt trip" ...

Karukeion declares that "The NYTimes is going down the toilet" after having drinks with a NYT reporter ...

Food

A Guy In New York had his
weekly roundup of NYC restaurant reviews ...

Blog Chelsea writes that "Consumed with late winter carb lust, we’ve been eating our way through Billy’s Bakery" ...

Politics

Ace of Spades notes how warm and safe he feels knowing that our ports aren't being run by a foreign state, but "By The Mafia" ...

As I Please loves this quote: "To be honest, I'd trust Dubai with my ports before I trust Congress with my wallet" ... and notes that retaliation by Dubai could include "curtailing the docking of hundreds of American ships, including U.S. Navy ships" ...

Suitably Flip says "Hillary Clinton's Not So Bad" ...

Sports

Steve Silver reminisces about Kirby Puckett ... RIP ...

spinachdip nyc on the purchase of the Metrostars by Red Bull: "the fewer clubs Phil Anschutz owns and operates (he currently owns and operates DC United, LA Galaxy Houston Dynamo and Chicago Fire), the better for each club" ...

Living the Scientific Life says "Friends Don't Let Friends Eat at the BallPark" ...

Gadgets

Harleys, Cars, Girls & Guitars says "If you’re really serious about getting the goods on that cheating heart of yours, try the 'LandAirSea 3100 GPS Vehicle Tracker.'" ...

___________________________________

The Big Apple Blog Festival is listed on the ÜberCarnival page and in Carnival News.

You are free to repost the Big Apple Blog Festival so long as you leave this URL attached: BigAppleBlogFestival.com

Technorati Tags: big apple, big apple blog festival, New York, NYC, New York City, Manhattan

Posted March 13, 2006 09:07 AM · Permalink · Big Apple Blog Festival · Comments (0) · TrackBack (2)

NYC Considering Regulating Pedicabs

Anyone who associates bicycle cabs solely with the streets of, say, Hong Kong or New Delhi would have gotten a shock if he had dropped by New York City Hall on the last day of February. It was standing room only as the City Council’s Committee on Consumer Affairs held what promises to be the first of several hearings on regulations for pedicabs. Many of those attending were my fellow pedicab owners and drivers who have made the bicycle rickshaws a staple of the Midtown streetscape.

"Regulating Rickshaws," by Gregg Zukowski, Gotham Gazette, March 6, 2006

Bicycle taxis are weaving through the clogged streets of midtown Manhattan in a movement growing so rapidly that the city is proposing regulations before it spins out of control.
Known as pedicabs, these vehicles look like giant tricycles with a passenger carriage in the back. Some tourists and New Yorkers see them as an affordable, pollution-free way to see the city and sail through gridlock.

The City Council is examining whether this burgeoning fad, grown from a centuries-old form of transportation, needs safety and insurance standards and rate regulations.

"Bicycle Taxis Thrive on Streets of New York; City Considers Crackdown," by Sara Kugler, Associated Press, Environmental News Network, March 8, 2006

rickshaw forum
"The bicycle harassment in NYC never ends," bikeblog, February 14, 2006
"Pedicabs Face Midtown Ban," by Michael Bielawski, NYC indymedia, February 10, 2006
"N.Y. Might Lay Down the Law on Bike Taxis," by Walter Hamilton, The Los Angelese Times, February 27, 2006
"Suit settlement sends pedicabs to the curb," by John Marzulli, Daily News, March 30, 2005
NYC Pedicab Owners Association
Pedicab Companies
- Cycle Planet, 917-750-2776
- Manhattan Rickshaw Company, 212-604-4729
- Mr. Rickshaw LLC, 917-345-4553 or 917-687-6376
- New York Bike Tours, 917-696-9202
- Revolution Rickshaws, 917-658-9467

Posted March 12, 2006 11:57 AM · Permalink · Getting Around NY · Comments (0) · TrackBack (0)

This Week in NYC Reviews - March 10, 2006

For a roundup of DC restaurant reviews from DC food bloggers and media, see This Week in DC Reviews at Hobnob Blog ...

NYC Restaurant inspection results online

Waiter Rant has some good observations and some good advice for young men ...
The Impetuous Epicure had a "really creamy (ie:Rich and fat-full) and delicious" quiche at Patisserie Claude ... but the croissants, oh, the croissants ... "what a first bite it was! The crisp skin gave way to a multi-layered heaven. I could have teared up and broke down into joyful tears." ... "Monsieur Claude! You must be trying to take over the world with these croissants! But for these, the world is worth it!" ... 187 West 4th Street, 212-255-5911 [food-plan | NY Mag | Citysearch]

slice has a nice overview of pizza in NYC ... "classic Neapolitan-American pies, made in coal-fired brick ovens with fresh mozzarella. New York has Lombardi's " ... "Then there's the New York City whole-pie culture that utilizes gas ovens. Estimable pies come our of the ovens of Denino's in Staten Island, Mario's in the Bronx, and Nick's Pizza in Forest Hills, Queens, and the Upper East Side of Manhattan." ... "Interested in individually sized, Neapolitan-inspired pies that come out of a wood-buming oven? New York has those, too, starting with La Pizza Fresca in the Flatiron district, Celeste on the Upper West Side, Naples 45 in Grand Central for commuters in need of a good pizza fix, and Caserta Vecchia and Franny's in Brooklyn" ... read the whole thing ...

Augieland says his first wine dinner at Tribeca Grill "was great. It was well organized, going as far as presenting each wine with an identifying label on the glass's base. The food was all good, the highlights being the passed appetizers during the cocktail hour." ... web site, 375 Greenwich Street, corner of Franklin Street, 212-941-3900 [NYT | NY Mag | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch] ... gave 882 liveatjrllian stars to Buddakan New York ... "The food is interesting, if not daring. These are the well-heeled versions of flavors you know, more Asian-themed or inspired than Asian." ... "was most pleased with the dish that had a direct correlation in the more familiar versions of Chinese restaurants, the Crab Fried Rice. The rice was soft, the eggs were fluffy, the crab was real and sweet, each thing showed its own flavor and the whole tied together harmoniously. The Shaken Chili Beef Tartare was fantastic" ... "I found the Lobster Dumplings hard to handle and thought the Black Beans Lobster was a little dull, but the people next to me chose the lobster as their favorite dish" ... 75 9th Avenue, between 15th and 16th Streets, 212-989-6699 [Citysearch] ... gave Jack Bistro 280 notyettjillian stars ... the "Moules with fennel cream sauce in the appetizer size [was] not quite cooked to our preferences so we sent them back for a couple more minutes in the pan. On there second coming they were nice." ... "It is too close to my house, too early to judge, and pretty cheap by neighborhood standards, so I may go back again for a second look, but I won’t do it enthusiastically." ... 80 University Place, at 11th Street ... and gave 433 homonymillian stars to Gilt ... "Someone has decided to wedge one of the most modern chefs in NY into one of the most traditional and staid rooms in town." ... had the chef's tasting menu: "the food is both creative and exact. There was great technique and very sound method. Great balance and subtlety was omnipresent while dishes benefited from new methods like the process to powder a chorizo. Somehow, I was let down though." ... "The truth is the food is fantastic, and I will go back soon to see it without the weight of expectation. I wanted Dali, I got Van Gogh. In general, I probably much prefer Van Gogh, unless I thought I was going to a Dali show." ... "At this point I am sure of two things: Paul Liebrandt is a great chef, and $25 is RIDICUOUS money for a cocktail." ... (previous reviews: Adam Platt (TWIR, February 17, 2006), Frank Bruni (TWIR, February 10, 2006), Steve Cuozzo, David Rosen, Gael Greene (TWIR, January 20, 2006)) ... web site, 455 Madison Avenue, at 50th Street, 212-891-8100 [NYT | Citysearch]

Peter Meehan says Little Dishes "is the sort of restaurant any neighborhood would be happy to call its own." ... "a massive, meaty lamb shank [was] braised to unctuous tenderness and a burnished glow, scattered with rosemary and served over pan-fried spaetzle studded through with black olives." ... 434 Seventh Avenue (15th Street), Park Slope, Brooklyn, 718-369-3144

A Hamburger Today had a playful week ...two perfect foods combined: "Krispy Kreme Bacon Cheeseburgers" ... yuck (too furry): "Cat Burger" ... "Body by Burgers" ... no burgers on Friday for us, it's Lent ...

Paul Lukas writes about the "Dames of Beef" ... "a dozen rather fabulous women [who dress] in 1940's and 50's dresses, vintage hats, jeweled brooches, Art Deco earrings, black-seamed stockings and lots of bright red lipstick" ... "12 retro-minded women who get together every few months to patronize the city's vanishing old-school restaurants" ... sounds like fun ...

Twenty bucks a day says the dosas from Pongal are "a bit soggy when delivered, their spicing is impeccable." ... web site, 1154 1st Avenue, 212-355-4600 [Citysearch]

The Girl Who Ate Everything finally got to Katz's Delicatessen and had a corned beef sandwich ... "I've never seen a sandwich like this in real life before. Thick slices of tender meat that practically fell apart just from my wide eyed gaze" ... "Although I though that the corned beef was great, the pastrami beat it down with a gigantic 'haha, I'm tastier than you' mallet; yeah, it was better. With mayo, it was even better than better" ... web site, 205 East Houston Street, 212-254-2246 [MenuPages | NYT | NY Mag | Village Voice | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch] ... and would much rather have the hot chocolate at Jacques Torres ... but went to Joe, "the art of coffee" instead ... and had the spicy "European drinking chocolate" ... "had a great tatse [but it] isn't something you can comfortably drink. It's not quite pudding and it's not quite a liquid you can sip from a cup." ... looks like sin in a cup to us ... web site, 9 East 13th Street, 212-924-7400 [NY Mag | openlist | Citysearch] ... Jacques Torres: web site, 350 Hudson Street at King Street, 1 block South of Houston, 212-414-2462 ... also at 66 Water Street, between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, Brooklyn, 718-875-9772 [NYT | NY Mag | Village Voice | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch]

New York Magazine posted its Best of NY Food: 2006 ...

cityrag writes that "If you're looking for a yummy multi-course meal with paired wines, but don't want to break the bank, check out L'Ecole at The French Culinary Institute." ... "The food is very good, not exceptional, but very tasty, a little inventive, and fresh." ... web site, 462 Broadway, 212-219-3300 [NYT | NY Mag | openlist | Citysearch]

Peter Gianotti visits a classic, L'Endroit ... "And everyone seems content. The mild onion soup laced with Calvados might have something to do with it. Likewise, the penne in a hearty veal ragu. Or the neatly manicured asparagus au gratin." ... "Calf's liver, sauteed with shallots, herbs and white wine, is textbook correct, and recommended. The steak au poivre, in a lush Cognac-black peppercorn sauce, extols tradition with flair, plus two spears of carefully trimmed asparagus. Filet mignon, treated similarly to the liver, is equally fine." ... web site, 290 Glen Cove Road, East Hills, NY, 516-621-6630 [NYT | openlist]

pushcart NYC says the wraps at From Atlantis With Love are "a savory melange, a robust torpedo wrapped in a tortilla and two layers of tinfoil, enough food for a meal now and a snack later. Enough to launch a story of its own." ... East 2nd Street at the Bowery [Village Voice] ... and the cart on the NW corner of Forsyth Street and Division is "Heaven 'on the Stick'" ... "It's just this -- the fresh flavor of the meat, the perfect juice inside and the sweet fats brought to the surface by the intense heat of the coals. Simple. Simple and perfect." ...

NYC nosh is glad the menu changed at Marseille ... "foie gras with grilled toast batons was smokey and very smooth, tasting rich without being too fatty on the palate [and the] hangar stake was also a real treat, served with very crispy, thinly-sliced shallots" ... web site, 630 9th Avenue, at 44th Street, 212-333-2323 [NYT | NY Mag | Village Voice | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch]

Lauren Collins went to Hong Kong Station ... "Since the dishes are mix-and-match, like a liquid salad bar, there are many choices to be made, and, since the ordering is done cafeteria-style, they have to be made quickly so as not to antagonize those waiting in the (often long) line." ... "pig’s feet, served on the bone, are a spicy treat, although they might be even better if you could eat them blindfolded. Most beloved is the 'faux fin soup,' made with filaments of pork and mushroom instead of shark fin." ... (previous reviews: NYC nosh (TWIR, February 3, 2006), Plate of the Day) ... 128 Hester Street, east of Bowery, 212-966-9382 [NY Metro]

Adam Platt looked at 5 instant dinners ... and concluded that 2 were Tasty: FreshDirect Fresh Dining Smart and Simple Massaman Chicken Curry and South Beach Diet Cashew Chicken ... 2 were Edible: Smart Ones Grilled Chicken and Healthy Choice Grilled Turkey Breast ... and 1 was Bad: Lean Cuisine Salmon With Basil ...

Joshua Bernstein reviews Pho Grand, using way too many unappetizing words, which makes us wonder where his editor was ... "options number more than a dozen, running from flank steak to omosa (tripe) to chewy tendon. I favor the duo of fingernail-thin slices of eye of round and brisket. The round is served rare, still cooking in the just-below-boiling broth, while sloppy brisket chunks are fatty and flavorful." ... 277C Grand Street, between Forsyth and Eldridge Streets, 212-965-5366 [NYT | Village Voice | openlist | Citysearch]

Robert Sietsema reports that the entrees at Cookshop range "from mediocre to pretty damn good" ... "Pretty damn good describes an entrée of Vermont suckling pig, on a menu that subscribes to the modern mania for identifying raw materials by source—as if you cared that the asparagus, say, came from the Marquis de Sade Organic Farms in Piscataway, New Jersey." ... "Aside from making too much of beans and, in an Atkinsy way too common today, substituting root vegetables where potatoes or noodles should be, the menu chugs along in a predictable fashion through a far-flung terrain of soups and salads and steaks and chicken and fish." ... "But here is what I love about Cookshop. At the top of a menu is a category called Snacks. Priced around $5, these small savory dishes are not only delicious, but solve many dining dilemmas." ... (previous reviews: Forbes (TWIR, February 10, 2006), Veal Cheeks (TWIR, February 3, 2006), Andrea Thompson (TWIR, December 16, 2005), Frank Bruni (TWIR, December 2, 2005), Hal Rubenstein (TWIR, November 18, 2005), Andrea Strong (TWIR, November 11, 2005), NYC Nosh (TWIR, October 14, 2005)) ... 156 10th Avenue, at 20th Street, 212-924-4440 [MenuPages | Citysearch]

Joan Reminick says "all the Italian words [are] spelled correctly" on the menu at Pronto ... "the food is imbued with the kind of honest rusticity that might lead one to (wrongly in this case) suspect a caring nonna in the kitchen." ... was "impressed with gamberi prosciutto, marinated shrimp wrapped in prosciutto and baked to salty succulence." ... "Our friendly waiter suggested ordering chicken scarpariello, which wasn't on the menu. What came was a classic saute of chicken and sausage, herbal and garlicky, given an unusual twist by the addition of crisp fried zucchini on top." ... 111 Deer Park Avenue, Babylon, NY, 631-422-7955

Frank Bruni gave 1 star to Blaue Gans ... "For a satisfying entree, a whole brook trout is sautéed, festooned with capers, fringed with carrots and bathed in creamed kohlrabi, a turniplike root vegetable." ... "Of the restaurant's many presentations of sausage, two were especially good. A pale pork and veal sausage, served with sweet mustard and a soft, salty pretzel, had the lightness of mousse. A mash of blood sausage and fingerling potatoes was molded into a circle and placed on a roomy bed of sauerkraut." ... (previous reviews: Maria Hodgson (TWIR, February 17, 2006), Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld (TWIR, January 20, 2006)) ... 139 Duane Street, between West Broadway and Church Street, 212-571-8880 [MenuPages | NYT | Citysearch]

The Bruni Digest opines that Frank Bruni "seems to have stumbled upon a pleasant if uninspiring sibling of Kurt Gutenbrunner's more celebrated culinary endeavors, not so much a delightfully nostalgic re-run of a fresh new formula as a rough distillation of themes and ingredients that have already regaled dining audiences in more sophisticated forms. Let's call Blaue Gans 'The Nanny' to Thor's 'Who's the Boss?'" ...

Andrea Strong says El Bocadito is "tiny but it’s got a big heart (and great food)." ... "the horacha--a wide long rectangular tortilla sheet that was topped with tender shredded steak, a creamy white hot sauce and then smothered with a beautiful bubbly mess of melted cheese" was excellent ... 79 Orchard Street, between Broome and Grand, 212-343-3331 [NYT | Gayot | Citysearch]

Steve Cuozzo reports that Peacock Alley "launched with much hoopla after a $5.5 million redesign last fall, pulled in its feathers [because] Not enough people wanted to eat Tovar's $30 entrees in a prefab-looking lobby restaurant amidst noisy Texans and piles of luggage." ... "Yet, while Peacock Alley has all the buzz of a half-empty tour bus, Country is so swamped with demand for tables it's had to limit the number of bookings [and] There's excitement - not pandemonium - in the air, and it compounded the pleasure I took in Zakarian's $85, four-course, prix-fixe menu." ... Peacock Alley: ( previous review: Owen Phillips (TWIR, March 3, 2006)) ... web site, 301 Park Avenue, 212-872-7335 [NYT | openlist | Citysearch] ... (see how Peacock Alley got its name) ... Country: (previous reviews: Pascale Le Draoulec (TWIR, January 20, 2006), Frank Bruni (TWIR, October 28, 2005)) ... 90 Madison Avenue, at 29th Street (in the Carlton Hotel), 212-889-7100 [MenuPages | Gayot | Citysearch]

____________________________________

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Technorati Tags: New York, NYC, Manhattan, restaurants, restaurant reviews, this week in reviews, week in reviews

Posted March 10, 2006 09:22 AM · Permalink · This Week in Reviews · Comments (0) · TrackBack (1)

Big Apple Blog Festival - March 6, 2006

Welcome to the Big Apple Blog Festival (BABF), a representative roundup of this week's posts by NYC bloggers.

The Big Apple Blog Festival likes to go on tour ... if you don't like what we covered here, and if you have a NYC blog or you blog about NYC and would like to host an upcoming BABF, let us know ... The next BABF, on March 13, 2006, will be hosted by A Guy In New York ...

Insignificant Thoughts links to a video you will like if you like The Simpsons ... a real-life version of the opening sequence ...
Clareified responds to a study that states that "22 percent of Americans could name all five Simpson family members, compared with just one in 1,000 people who could name all five First Amendment freedoms" ... "SEVENTY-EIGHT PERCENT OF MY COUNTRYMEN CAN'T NAME ALL THE SIMPSONS?" ...

AlarmingNews on alphas and betas: "Take a rich man who's insecure and a poor man who's self-assured and see which one attracts a higher quality of chicks. I know who my money's on." ... and asks, "How do they not walk into walls?" ...

Liberteaser discourses on conservatives and legalizing drugs ... we all know how well that Prohibition thing worked out ...

Bagel in Harlem was mentioned in a NYT story and got a lot of email as a result, "mostly from men looking for some hot bagel love; but I’ve also collected messages from people expressing a real curiosity about East Harlem and the changes occurring in the neighborhood." ... hmm, for hot bagel love try this, this, this, or this ...

Forgotten NY added a new page about remnants of the trolley system ... "more exposed trolley tracks" ...

NewYorkology says "The New York Botanical Garden, which is hosting its annual Orchid Show through April 2, is offering two-for-one admission every Tuesday and Thursday in March." ... and that "The van Gogh exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Cezanne and Pissarro show at the Museum of Modern Art were the most popular museum exhibits in New York and rank among the world's most popular museum shows of 2005" ...

10,000 Birds reports that "the Great Backyard Bird Count just wrapped up with excellent results. Participants submitted 59,017 total checklists, observed 603 total species, and counted 7,445,226 individual birds" ...

The Daily Gotham has a post on micro lending in east Africa where you lend to borrowers ...

what about the plastic animals? has pics of 2 interesting puzzles ...

SerandEz will host the next Kosher Cooking Carnival ...

spinachdip nyc has "An open letter to the United States Postal Service" ...

Yet Another Weird SF Fan has a simple way to determine if our minds create reality: Can you "stop nuclear waste from being radioactive by turning the Geiger counter off"? ... or how about stepping in front of a train and thinking that it stops ...

this is what we do now links to a story where a 37-year old woman says a 4-year old boy seduced her ...

New York Hack has a story of an idiot in her cab ... at least he tipped well ...

Elvira Black celebrates the Carnival of the Bipolars ...

Daily Refill needs help picking the image of her that will run with her column in The Villager ...

NYC Stories wonders why Sprint PCS makes more in 2 minutes than he does in an hour ... "In about 2 minutes, and I am being generous here, my new phone was activated. So that means that Sprint is charging $1080.00 per hour for phone activation services. I wish I charged that much for some of my services." ... so do we! ...

jewschool has a report on the recent American Renaissance Conference and the nexus of White Nationalism and antisemitism ...

Miscellaneous Objections has a link to a cat piano ... and says "Parents today need to learn to say no." ...

Harleys, Cars, Girls & Guitars wants to know the name of the Wibbly Wobbly Building "under construction on the West Side Highway and 20th Street" ... and asks, "Why in the hell would I be interested in the politics of any musician?" ...

Englishman in New York has some links and observations about David Irving, "a deluded, pompous, arrogant, stubborn individual who will never change his mind and for whom every form of opposition is part of a wider Jewish conspiracy" ...

Dave Friedman's Soul of Wit says of school choice, all "New Yorkers should have that choice, not just the ones who vacation at Vail" ...

The Tin Man asks "Wouldn’t it be weird if George Allen won the Republican nomination for president in 2008 and Mark Warner won the Democratic nomination?" ...

The Daily Dump says "with the right amount of tuna" you can force cats to do anthing ... can you make them bark? ...

BuzzMachine would "take Eos again in a flash" ...

Bakerina tells you "How to prepare a good cake" ...

Asymmetrical Information has a conundrum ... "If I'm pro-choice--and I am--then how come I'm always gleefully reporting setbacks for my side?" ...

mister snitch! is still working on his book proposal ...

Da Greasy Guide declares that "Joilicious! Tennessee Slim Is The Bomb" ... although we kinda wonder about a woman who wears furry high heels while wearing a bikini ...

gothamist has a link to "the terrifying Magical Grid Of Bad Emo Hair" ... shudder ...

Suitably Flip went to DC to where he "took part in a GOP seminar on 'mastering the blogosphere'" ...

Kesher Talk has some observations on Tony Blair, prayer, and the press ... and is impressed with Condolezza Rice's exercise routine ...

opinionistas saw "quite possibly the worst movie I’ve ever seen. And this coming from someone who saw “Ishtar” and “Congo” in the theater. Twice. Yes, they were bad, but never before has the screen actually seared my retinas with a film’s sublime awfulness. I fold my hands and openly pray for it to end." ...

Ace of Spades has a good title on this post: "Yard-Blogging: Man Fights Media Embargo By Putting Mohammed Cartoons On Front Lawn" ... "lawn blogging" sounds better to our ears ...

The Dawn Patrol obeserves that "a newspaper reporter in New York City openly announcing that he's pro-choice is about as surprising as a window dresser openly announcing that he listens to Barbra Streisand" ...

lowercase L was the Yahoo "WEBlOG of the day for March 4, 2006!" .... you go LOWERCASE l ...

Exit Zero wants to send Bill Maher To Suleimaniya ...

WhatISee has a pic about the impending takeover of NYC by Yum Yum ...

Dead Programmer's Cafe believes "there's a conspiracy to hide the fact that Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer left the company a long time ago. I mean think about it, would you continue to work if you had that kind of money?" ... some of us would ...

___________________________________

The Big Apple Blog Festival is listed on the ÜberCarnival page and in Carnival News.

You are free to repost the Big Apple Blog Festival so long as you leave this URL attached: BigAppleBlogFestival.com

Technorati Tags: big apple, big apple blog festival, New York, NYC, New York City, Manhattan

Posted March 6, 2006 07:17 AM · Permalink · Big Apple Blog Festival · Comments (1) · TrackBack (1)

Saturday catblogging

Loco and Luca pleading "No Contest" ... and "So What?" ...

Life in the City is good ... Who, Us? ....

Technorati Tags: catblogging

Posted March 4, 2006 10:37 AM · Permalink · Catblogging · Comments (1) · TrackBack (1)

This Week in NYC Reviews - March 3, 2006

For a roundup of DC restaurant reviews from DC food bloggers and media, see This Week in DC Reviews at Hobnob Blog ...

NYC Restaurant inspection results online

A Guy in New York says the best Malaysian restaurant you never heard of is Sanur ...
Jean Tang recommends the dumplings at 4 dumpling places ... Fried Dumpling: "The boiled pork dumplings here (Sui Jiao or Jiao Ze) are still ideal - chewy wrappers with juicy, greaseless filling." .... 99 Allen Street, 212-941-9975 [Citysearch] ... China North Dumpling: "an ugly dumpling saved by an irresistible constitution." ... 15 Essex Street, 212-529-2760 [Village Voice] ... Kingdom of Pancakes: "dumplings are hearty, with chew and flavor. Lingering, we couldn't resist Chen's rustic beef noodle soup, homemade noodles and tender stew beef in rich, peppery pork stock" ... 7 Allen Street, 212-966-5658 [Photo of front by My Life As A Contact Sheet] ... Dumpling House: "better known for its sandwiches, $1.50, deep-fried sesame pancakes stuffed with grated carrot, fresh cilantro and cold sliced beef" ... 118A Eldridge Street, 212-625-8008 [Citysearch] ... Dumpling Man: "the leanest, healthiest and densest dumplings we tasted, little virtuosic miracles with thin, delicate skins, vegetable-laden fillings, and a remarkable absence of grease" ... web site, 100 St. Marks Place, 212-505-2121 [Citysearch] ... Plump Dumpling: "disappointing, but owner Peter Day estimates that dumplings are 50% of his business. The Malaysian buys fresh vegetables from Chinatown every morning, and has released a new menu highlighting items like curry noodle soup, wontons with a weirdly delicious peanut-butter sesame sauce, and eggplant stir-fries." ... 299 East 11th Street, 212-254-2868 [NY Mag]

Slashfood likes the "Bosna Burger, or pljeskavica" at Bosna Express ... "The hubcap-sized burger barely fits onto the plastic plate it's served on." ... and is "mindbogglingly good" ... 791 Fairview Avenue, Queens, 718-497-7577 [Village Voice] (there is also a Bosna Express at 3129 12th Street, Long Island City, Queens - Robert Sietsma review in TWIR, August 5, 2005) ...

Forbes gives Green GOs to Lentini: "One of the best traditional Italian eateries on the Upper East Side" ... 1562 Second Avenue, at 81st Street, 212-628-3131 [MenuPages | NYT | NY Mag | openlist | Citysearch] ... and La Petite Auberge: "offers delicious, well-prepared French food" ... web site, 116 Lexington Avenue, at 28th Street, 212-689-5003 [MenuPages | NYT | NY Mag | openlist | Citysearch] ... and a Yellow CONSIDER to Koi: "may be the most obnoxious spot in town. No one should have to wait 45 minutes for a confirmed reservation" ... Bryant Park Hotel, 40 West 40th Street, 212-642-2100 [MenuPages | NYT | NY Mag | Gayot | Citysearch]

David Rosen describes Morimoto as "a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde restaurant" ... "The benevolent Dr. Jekyll is represented by the omakase menu; Omakase literally translates from Japanese as: 'I am in your hands.' By relinquishing our order to the chef, we taste a silky tuna-toro tartare; a tender tempura-squid salad; some crispy rock-shrimp tempura; an ethereal grouping of oysters, foie gras and sea urchin; a zesty lobster Èpice; a well-braised codfish in ginger-and-soy sauce and a divine chocolate torte. Mr. Hyde makes his appearance on a second visit, when we decide to order ý la carte. Tasteless yellowtail tartare is further neutralized by a myriad of assertive sauces served in small, square wooden molds. The yellowtail pastrami also succumbs to the spices that encrust the fish. The tuna pizza is as dry as sandpaper." ... (previous reviews: Steve Cuozzo and Augieland (TWIR, February 17, 2006), Augieland (TWIR, February 10, 2006), Augieland (TWIR, February 3, 2006)) ... web site, 88 10th Avenue, between 15th and 16th Streets, 212-989-8883 [MenuPages | NY Mag | Citysearch]

Mona's Apple also went to Morimoto ... after seeing the chef in the kitchen, "My night could have ended there and I didn't even taste a piece of food yet" ...

Owen Phillips writes that Peacock Alley in the Waldorf-Astoria "is now part of the Art Deco lobby [and] With all the racket, it might as well have been a Greyhound-station waiting room." ... "the deep pleasure of the braised pork cheeks with garganelli pasta and a guanciale-and-Parmesan emulsion" ... web site, 301 Park Avenue, 212-872-7335 [NYT | openlist | Citysearch] ... (see how Peacock Alley got its name)

Peter Meehan took a 30-minute walk from the Staten Island Ferry to Nürnberger Bierhaus ... "the sauerbraten [is] not a dish that I'd swim the Kill Van Kull for, but it is a fair rendition of the German classic." ... "I might skip appetizers altogether and hold out for the massive 'wurstteller mit allem drum & dram,' a food coma waiting to happen made up of four varieties of sausage, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut and red cabbage" ... 817 Castleton Avenue, Staten Island, 718-816-7461 [Staten Island Advance]

Robert Sietsema went to Frankies 457, "a cozy tin-ceilinged trattoria founded by a pair of Italian American pals from Queens--both named Frankie" ... says about the cavatelli: "A more savory pasta can hardly be imagined." ... "the best thing I can say about Frankies does not concern its menu, wine, or ambience, and it's something that cannot be said about the welter of mediocre restaurants lining nearby Smith Street: Frankies feels like it belongs in the neighborhood." ... web site, 457 Court Street, Brooklyn, 718-403-0033 [NYT | NY Metro | Citysearch]

The Hungry Rose had dinner at Whym ... "The hit of the appetizers was the Duck Negamaki, a chunks of soy sauce sweet coated duck on a bed of 'forbidden' rice" ... "Chicken Pot Pie [is] covered in melted chedder cheese and chopped chives. It is HUGE. It could have served two, maybe even three people. Underneath a delicious golden, crispy biscuite crust (making a wonderful 'riiip' sound as I plunged my fork in) were bits of chicken apply sausage, carrots and potatoes" ... web site, 889 9th Avenue, between 57th and 58th Streets, 212-315-0088 [MenuPages | Citysearch]

Veal Cheeks says Ureña's "cuisine had both real successes, a few errors, and many satisfying attempts" ... "the chef's tasting menu (nine courses, plus amuses), and the chef attempted to dazzle us: for most courses the table was served two different preparations that demanded sharing." ... "Shrimp over Manchego Rice (rice with Spanish sheep's milk cheese)is Spanish for Shrimp on Cheese Grits. Although not wild, it was a startling and effective mixture, mild and robust, and we loved it." ... "The steamed lobster with pickled rhubarb purée, glazed salisfy, and blood orange sauce might have been a high point of the meal. Instead, it was upended by an sickly sweet sauce of goopy consistency." ... (previous review: Augieland (TWIR, February 10, 2006)) ... 37 East 28th Street, between Lexington Avenue and Park Avenue South, 212-213-2328 [eGullet | NY Metro | Citysearch] ... and says Nobu "is an essential restaurant, the rising sun lighting TriBeCa" ... the "Kumamoto oysters [were] sublime" ... broiled black cod "is a finalist for Dish of the Century" ... web site, 105 Hudson Street, at Franklin Street, 212-219-0500 [sushi NYC | NYT | MenuPages | Gayot | openlist | Citysearch]

Adam Platt says the cooking at Urena "is gourmet-quality" ... "the leap from mastering kitchen technique to running a first-rate restaurant is more difficult than it may appear. This is apparent almost as soon as you walk into Ureña" ... "if you manage to keep your attention focused firmly on the plate, his food is, in the words of my discerning wife, 'really yummy.'" ... "the excellent halibut is blanketed with bread crumbs mingling in a pleasing way with a smooth mixture of sweet onions, zucchini, and saffron broth" ...

Michelle Green went on a "Savor the Caribbean cruise" offered by Carnival ... "Six days into my seven-day jaunt aboard Celebrity's showy Infinity in January (which cost $2,093, with a single supplement), I hadn't found the transcendent experience I hoped for. Instead of getting into the kitchen, my sleeves rolled up while I learned the intricacies of preparing some fabulous Caribbean dish, I'd been slumping in a theater seat watching the guest chef Edgar Leal, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, preparing dishes that included lamb with basil mashed potatoes." ... "There was a lesson to all of this, and it struck me the next day, when our feast on Paradise Island was ending. After 15 dishes emerged from the kitchen at Bimini Road, we were staring, awestruck, at dessert -- an immense platter of guava duff, which was like a jelly roll, with a pastry-cream sauce. Though I could manage only a bite, I thought, fine -- I would never have encountered this if I hadn't joined a cruise." ... web site [TripAdvisor]...

Plate Of The Day likes the pasta at Kuhinya ... "Penne with Salmon and vodka sauce was a definitely a hit. The whole wheat penne was delicious and also cooked al dente. The Salmon and vodka sauce was a cream base and included ample small chunks of delicious fresh grilled salmon." ... web site, 4005 Broadway, at West 168th Street, near Columbia Medical Center, 212-781-3333

NYC nosh notes about the VIP hallway at Blue Owl: "Cozy place, actually. We could imagine spending a few hours back here…as long as we could bring along a plate or two of the upscale cold cuts we sampled on our visit. I think we’d have to rename the area though and let in anyone with a taste for cured meats and cheeses. We’re thinking the Ham Hallway or the Bresola Bunker, but I wonder what Diddy would have to say." ... web site, 196 Second Avenue, between 12th and 13th Streets, 212-505-2583 [Citysearch] ... reports that the ceaser salad at The Half King "While it looked nice, the salad wasn’t good" ... "onion rings were fantastic" ... the Sirloin Burger topped with sautéed onions and "a few slices of swiss cheese [was] the best thing we ate" ... web site, 505 West 23rd Street, at 10th Avenue, 212-462-4300 [MenuPages | NYT | NY Mag | Village Voice | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch]

Frank Bruni says Rare Bar & Grill "is a shrine to burgers of all kinds, arguably to a point of burger apostasy." ... "a respectable burger can transcend its trappings. Rare’s did." ... (for the best grilled burger in NYC, go to Tony Dragonas at 62nd and Madison) ... 228 Bleecker Street, 212-691-7273 [MenuPages] ... and gave 3 stars to Del Posto ... "mostly terrific food, distinguished by first-rate ingredients (the arugula here makes arugula at many other restaurants seem like iceberg in drag), clear flavors and, more often than not, superior cooking." ... "The veal shank, roasted and served with spaetzle, was dull and slightly dry, as was swordfish. Pappardelle with wild boar needed more kick, maybe because this particular pairing of noodle and beast has become so widespread." ... (previous reviews: Steve Cuozzo (TWIR, February 17, 2006), David Rosen (TWIR, February 3, 2006)), Andrea Strong (TWIR, January 20, 2006)) ... 85 Tenth Avenue, between 15th Street and 16th Streets, 212-497-8090 [MenuPages | NY Metro | Village Voice | Citysearch]

The Bruni Digest looks at Frank Bruni's 3-star review of Del Postso ... "the tone of the whole review feels like the Count is defending the honor of a wronged lady, to the point of accusing us New Yorkers of being small-minded." ... "So despite the classiness of the decor, you see, the food is straightforward--not exactly what Giuseppe Schmoe eats every day after cobbling together Fiats, but at least innocent of obnoxious frippery" ... and don't miss this week's episode of "Billy the Often Broken Leg Guy!" ...

The Girl Who Ate Everything "wouldn't necessarily recommend or not recommend" Grand Sichuan ... had "sauteed Shanghai bok choy. I can't think of anything bad about it, so I guess that means it's good." ... and Chong Qing Dry & Spicy Chicken ... and didn't notice the chiles???? ... web site, 19-23 St. Marks Place (East 8th Street), between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, 212-529-4800 [MenuPages | NY Metro | Village Voice | Citysearch] ... had dinner at Piola: "specialty is pizza. Lots of pizza" ... the Margherita with fresh mozzarella "definitely made my taste buds happier" but wanted more basil on it ... the crust "wasn't very crispy, nor sadly limp; it was just in the middle" ... web site, 48 East 12th Street, between University Place and Broadway, 212-777-7781 [MenuPages | NYT | NY Metro | Citysearch]

Twenty bucks a day had "noodles with special brown sauce" at Kum Ryong ... but the "chicken soup ... seemed to lack very much chicken" ... 30 West 32nd Street, 212-629-6450 [Village Voice] ... writes that Kebap G has "the perfect replication of the standard Berlin doner kebap" ... "it’s a damn good sandwich – the warm meat, cold veggies, and soft bread are similar to banh mi in their contrasting texture/temperature pleasures." ... 1830 2nd Avenue, between 94th and 95th Streets, 212-860-5960 [Chowhound] ... and reports that the yum nam sod at Pam Real Thai Food is "amazingly hot" ... (previous review: Veal Cheeks (TWIR, December 9, 2005)) ... web site, 404 West 49th Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues, 212-333-7500 [MenuPages | NYT | NY Mag | Village Voice | Cheapo NY | openlist | Citysearch]

____________________________________

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Did we miss your favorite review?

Let us know: aguyinnewyork [at] gmail.com ... we're especially interested in hearing from NYC bloggers ...

Link to TWIR

If you want to place a TWIR logo with a review that was featured, feel free to link to one of the banners on the TWIR page.

. . . . . . . . .

Technorati Tags: New York, NYC, Manhattan, restaurants, restaurant reviews, this week in reviews, week in reviews

Posted March 3, 2006 10:17 AM · Permalink · This Week in Reviews · Comments (0) · TrackBack (1)

FREE First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum - Brasil Carnival

First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum, Brasil Carnival will be lots of fun for the whole family ...

Target First Saturdays - FREE

At the Brooklyn Museum's Target First Saturdays, thousands of visitors enjoy free programs of art and entertainment each month from 5–11 p.m. All evening long, the Museum Café serves a wide selection of sandwiches, salads, and beverages, and a cash bar offers wine and beer. Parking is a flat rate of $4 starting at 5 p.m.

March 4, 2006
(these are just some of the events on March 4 - see web site for more)

6 p.m.–8 p.m.: World Music
Hall of the Americas, 1st Floor
Jeff Newell's New-Trad Octet of Brooklyn plays New Orleans Mardi Gras music with a twist.

6:30 p.m.: Performance
Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium, 3rd Floor
Drama of Works and 2 Punks Puppet Theatre combine overhead projection and traditional shadow puppetry to tell a Cajun fairytale in which the hero goes in search of that one special ingredient for a Mardi Gras gumbo. Free tickets available at the Visitor Center beginning at 5:30 p.m.

8 p.m.: Free Dance Lessons
Beaux-Arts Court, 3rd Floor
Get ready to move those dancing feet to the rhythms of samba music led by Stepping Out Dance Studio instructors.

9 p.m.–11 p.m.: Dance Party
Beaux-Arts Court, 3rd Floor
Twice voted the best Brazilian band in the U.S. by the Brazilian International Press Association, Grupo Saveiro will perform high-energy Brazilian music—just like at Carnival in Rio!

Brooklyn Museum, web site, 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, 718-638-5000

previous post: "Brooklyn Museum of Art - free first Saturdays," February 14, 2006

Posted March 1, 2006 03:17 PM · Permalink · Brooklyn , Free , Museums , Museums and Art , Music , Tips · Comments (1) · TrackBack (0)

The best Malaysian and Indonesian food from a restaurant you've never heard of - Sanur

Sanur Restaurant serves excellent Malaysian food at bargain prices ... hidden away on the lower level at 18 Doyers Street, 212-267-0088/0976 (laksa has posted pictures of the entrance on eGullet) [MenuPages | Citysearch]

and although you may not have heard of Sanur, David Waltuck of Chanterelle has ...

Sanur at 18 Doyers Street - follow the white arrow downstairs in the pic above ...

Sanur - best roti canai in NYC

best roti canai in NYC ...

Sanur - Hokkien Shrimp noodle curry soup is incredible

the Hokkien Shrimp noodle curry soup is incredible ... a phenomonal dish ...

the chicken feet and mushrooms with noodles is excellent ...

Sanur - Hainan chicken with ginger and garlic sauce

Hainan chicken with ginger and garlic sauce is also excellent ...

Upstairs, Sanur has a bargain lunch: "Three Combination over Rice" for $3 - a fantastic deal

Update May 9, 2006: Tyler Cowen says about Sanur: "The food, of course, was great. My favorite dish was the greens (Ok-Choy) perhaps but everything was a cut above other Malaysian places I have found in this country."

previous mentions: Hainan Chicken at Sanur; Best roti canai in NYC is at Sanur

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Technorati Tags: New York, NYC, restaurants, restaurant reviews

Posted March 1, 2006 06:57 AM · Permalink · Malaysian , The Best · Comments (1) · TrackBack (0)

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The best Malaysian and Indonesian food from a restaurant you've never heard of - Sanur

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