Falai vs. Frankie’s 17: Italian Date Night on Clinton Street

Generally, first dates are awkward. There’s no getting around that. There is, however, the potential for making them even worse with a poor choice in restaurant – lame menus, bad service, a weird ambiance – nobody needs that added pressure. I’m partial to Italian food for dates because a.) it’s always amazing, b.) you can generally find something on a menu that anyone will enjoy, as opposed to sushi or something, and c.) you can get quality food for your dollar. Okay, okay, I lived in Italy, I’m obsessed with Italian food, so sue me. Here, two suggestions for date night, be it the first or the fiftieth, on the ever trendier LES (that’s lower east side, do I really have to explain?).

richNY
Iacopo Falai’s hidden gem of a restaurant, Falai, lies innocently enough on Clinton street, just off of Rivington, but if you’re looking for it at night, the bright white interior, almost sterile in its modernity yet immediately inviting, shines out at you across the street. Falai, a Florentine chef, not only has the main restaurant, but a Caffe offshoot for pastries and lighter fare. The menu is infused with earthy Tuscan ingredients and every dish is calculated to perfection, with perfect bites elegantly constructed in some cases and in others left for you to DIY.

I went for a light dinner with a friend and was surprised to be seated in the garden, a quaint spit of land behind the restaurant decorated with two huge white umbrellas and a scattered handful of candles. Romance. Two of the five tables sat Italian patrons – always a good sign – who were arguing about soccer teams by the time I finally rolled myself out the door. I have to say, I’m not usually a dessert person, I’d rather have an extra appetizer instead of lots of sweets, but I was converted. See below for sugary details. My date and I split a pasta and an entrée to start; I wisely chose the Stracci di Pasta, a gorgeously arranged handmade pasta plate with brightly colored pastas folded over and stuffed with fresh asparagus, pioppini mushrooms, gooey asiago cheese and dressed to perfection in a ‘summer truffle fondue.’ Heaven. My date went carnivore and chose the Anatra, or duck, a perfectly cooked breast sliced neatly which came with its elements gorgeously strewn across a big square plate: salsify purée, purple potato chips, kumquats, and a star anise infused sauce. Both plates, although very different in taste and arrangement, were incredibly colorful – wish I’d gotten a sneak picture. I think I have to start taking real pictures though, these mobile snapshots are just not doing the food justice. Oh, and in case you’re wondering: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salsify

For wine, a glass each of a Chianti Colli Fiorentini, from, where else, Florence, to bring back waves of nostalgia, and a Nero di Troia, for a fruitier note to compliment all the sauces.

Falai is no ordinary Italian joint. Iacopo goes above and beyond to bring the gourmet point home with intermittent beautifully served amuse-bouche. The first was a caviar and yogurt combination atop some incredible olive oil, which was dressed at the table with a cucumber emulsion. Light and airy, it was incredible. But what I was impressed by were the two – yes, two – predesserts, which we anticipated with the reception of THREE spoons. I knew we were in for it then. The first was a delicious pineapple, yogurt and olive oil mouthful, and the second, a really bizarre sorbet of parsley. Hm. Definitely palate cleansing though. Which was necessary before The Best Dessert I’ve Had in A Restaurant Possibly Ever.

Seriously. I know I ate dinner once at a dessert bar, but I’m NOT big on dessert. Maybe it’s because I’m too impatient and spontaneous to be a baker, and I love cooking so much? I like sweet things just not so much of them. Which is why I hardly ever order dessert to split, let alone my own, and a different one for whoever I’m with, and two predesserts. For my compatriot, a ‘classico,’ five tiny profiteroles oozing chocolate marsala sauce and perfectly puffy on an elegant dish; yummy, I suppose, but didn’t light a match in comparison to my ‘non-classico.’ Straight from the Falai menu:

RASPBERRY SOUFFLE, black truffle gelato, torrone crème brûlée (10 min. wait).

Let’s discuss. A 10 minute wait is always a good thing. There is time and effort going into this dessert, folks. Second, if you don’t know by now, ‘truffle’ is one of those evil words that, should the circumstance arise that it is listed on a menu, some force overtakes me and I must order that item. It’s a favorite. But I was curious about the heroic truffle flavor mixing with the sickly sweetness of raspberry, and, um, by the way, how the heck was this all going to go in a soufflé?!

(bad shot, I know, sorry.)

It was Magic. The waiter brought it out to me, perfectly puffed in its ramekin, and nonchalantly told me the truffle gelato was already inside. “Ohh, yes, of course,” I nodded knowledgably. He then proceeded to pour the raspberry sauce DIRECTLY onto the soufflé, making it POUF even more. The first bite was intense. The hot fluffy crème oozed into the cold and richly flavored gelato, and the raspberry was just the right amount of tart to set the whole thing off. Textures, temperatures, flavors: this is the dessert for me, I tell you. Oh, there was a slushy wine amuse on the side, just to make sure you were paying attention to flavor, temperature, and texture. That was ok, a little sour for me. But really, that soufflé… The moral of the story is, take your date to Falai for a luxuriously intimate meal. Entrees, about $29, pastas, around $19, desserts $10, wines by the glass about $13. You get the idea.


Falai
68 Clinton Street
$$$

poorNY
Okay, you’re on Clinton, you have a date, maybe it’s dinner with a friend and you really need a good catch up, maybe it’s your Special Friend, whatever. Frankie’s Spuntino (17 Manhattan). For those not in the know, a spuntino is like a little snack, which says something to the nature of Frankie’s. For one, it’s a lot more charming and a lot less DÉCOR than Falai. Maybe a little less well-lit, which you might be going for. The plus for Frankie’s is that they recently purchased the space next door, so while the main side has the little bar and cute rickety tables, the next-door is a little more intimate, quieter, and can seat private parties.

I don’t like ordering food. If I had my way, the chef would just send something out everywhere I went and I’d try new and exciting things and not stress when the menu came. Seriously, it’s a difficult decision, especially in light of the date theme we’ve got going on in this post. What if you order something the other person thinks is stupid? Is allergic to? Is too expensive? Is disgusting? Do you share? With Italian antipasto, you cannot go wrong. Frankie’s plate, a $15 assortment of yummy cheeses, meats, and veggies, is an incredible icebreaker. You can nibble and ponder while you chitchat and continue to scope out the rest of the menu. Frankies, famed for its sandwiches, which nobody wants for dinner, is perfect for this. And a good glass of wine (which they have a great list of not-over-the-top-$$$-bottles) with some cheese and meat is just unbeatable.

After my dinner date and I had successfully put a dent in the bottle we ordered (albeit a much nicer one than I would have ordered on a budget) we finally decided on food. I don’t order my own food, it just isn’t enough options for me, so we split two pastas and a salad, a perfect amount of food. The salad was watercress with white peaches and gorgonzola, $11, which we thought would balance out the two heavier pastas, which were a homemade gnocchi with ricotta and marinara, $14 (who can resist the words homemade and gnocchi, together? That’s true love) and an incredible sweet potato and sage ravioli with crisp fresh slices of parmesan on top, $13. That one in particular brought me right back to memories of slow cooking sage butter in my tiny Italian apartment to pour over fresh tortelloni di zucca (pumpkin) in my apartment. Sometimes showcasing simple, fresh ingredients with light sauces is the absolute best way to do things, and in the cases of all three of these dishes, the absolute right decision. In a way, the complete opposite of the taste experience at Falai. And while both are incredible, obviously, at the end of the day I’d prefer the wine and sage butter, hold the dessert.

We got a ton of food, by the way, don’t feel you need to order this much if you pop in to Frankie’s for a wonderful dinner. Thumbs way, way up for taste and casually intimate ambiance.


Frankie’s Spuntino
(17 Manhattan)
17 Clinton Street
$

Hampton Chutney vs. Bar Almond: NYC food takes a holiday

Horror of horrors: You’re visiting friends or summering in the Hamptons, you’re craving something delicious and unique, and all you can find are overpriced seasonal restaurants crammed full with summering patrons and, let’s face it, not the best food. A problem so great it’s been known to drive many a visitor back to the city in search of a good restaurant, or even make people cook at home. Terrifying.

Fortunately, there are several restaurants that have both NYC and Hamptons locations, so hungry beach-ers, breathe a sigh of relief. This week richNY/poorNY moves out of its comfort zone of boroughs and out to the East End in search of tasty summer meals.

poorNY
When it’s warm out, the sun is shining, and you’re wandering around SoHo or Amagansett shopping and loitering, nothing is better than a big fat dosa from the Hampton Chutney Company. Imagine, a huge yummy fried pancake – well, a sourdough crepe, really – stuffed with savory veggies and cheese (and sometimes meat) served up with a side of their famous chutney, in a range of flavors.

This week I stopped by the Amagansett location (perfectly picturesque, with a handful of outdoor picnic tables to get messy at) with a friend, coming straight from the beach. We split a number 7, which is to say, we each got nice and full off of only half of a dosa crammed full of sweet grilled corn, roasted peppers, roasted red onions, arugula, jack cheese, and a chunky helping of avocado. We smartly chose the mango chutney, a deliciously sweet blend of hunks of mango flecked with lots of spices for a nice round finish – their advice is to pair the mango with seafood and fish or lamb and pork. I might throw a hunk of it on a brie wedge and put it all in the oven for a little bit before serving with crusty bread, myself.


My partner in crime opted for a half lemonade / half orange ginger iced tea ($3.50), but don’t worry, they have plenty of mango and strawberry lassi drinks too. With the dosa coming in at $11.95 and us going out with nice full tummies, Hampton Chutney is the best place to whet your appetite for a quick lunch either in the city or out at the beach.

Hampton Chutney Co.
68 Prince St. / Amagansett Square, Main St.
(Also now uptown, at 464 Amsterdam between 82nd and 83rd)
$

richNY
I’d been dying to try Bar Almond in Gramercy since I heard a rave review, but the stars weren’t aligning. Instead, to spare myself the heartache of waiting indefinitely, I opted for the east-end version, which was actually the original, in Bridgehampton. You can’t spend time on Long Island without craving really good seafood, and that’s what we were after – my dining buddy was hankering for lobster, of all things, and would settle for no less. When we popped into Almond, the hostess told us that the nightly special was a whole broiled lobster, but that they’d run out! (In the city, Wednesdays are shrimp scampi.) We were saddened, of course, but the rest of the yummy choices forced us to stick it out anyway.

For starters, the ambiance at Almond is great. French bistro lighting with a big bar mirror and tons of little booths; naturally when we walked in there was a woman attacking an entire roasted artichoke at the bar with three dipping sauces, it just looked amazing.

The menus differ slightly between the city and Bridgehampton, but the vibe is the same. I started with a delicious glass of Pinot Noir and settled in with the menu. At first, we wanted so many different things we decided to order a whole bunch and share it all – steaming garlic mussels, a side of fries to dunk in the broth, an arugula, beet and Roquefort cheese salad, grilled asparagus with truffle oil and pancetta – but then a soft-shelled crab po’ boy sandwich caught my eye, and I was hooked. What to do, one dish or many? Finally, as we decided to split all the appetizers, the waitress comes by with a big smile to announce that the lobster has come back!

This changes everything.

My date is flushed with excitement as she orders the lobster, already envisioning the fries she’s requested in place of fingerling potatoes. This clears the way for me to order the mysterious crab with its spicy roulade, which I do with relish (pun not intended), although it’s getting difficult to stop staring at the steak frites to my left, mussels behind us, and the soup of the day, a vividly green cream of avocado and cucumber with basil oil drizzled on top, to my right.

When the dishes come, we’ve made the right choice: my date’s succulent, whole broiled lobster is basking in its buerre blanc sauce with roasted asparagus making a gorgeous green contrast to the bright red shell, wereas my po’ boy plate is loaded up with a side salad, fries, and the delicious roulade. The entire crab atop its fluffy bun is calling to be smothered in the tangy sauce and provided onions and tomato slices, and it’s the best crab sandwich I’ve ever had. Needless to say, we wreak havoc on our plates and manage to roll back to the car after turning down the delicious sounding desserts. Although the lobster special came in at $30, my po’ boy was a richNY steal at $16, and the wine was $9/g. A well-deserved treat for two tired beach bums. Watch out Almond NYC, I’ll be paying you a visit soon: there were too many things I just didn’t get to try.

Bar Almond
12 E 22nd Street / 1970 Montauk Highway
$$$

ChikaLicious vs. Baked by Melissa: Death by Dessert

I finally accomplished something I’ve wanted to do forEVER: Dessert for dinner. This week’s richNY/poorNY is a fantastic comparison of sweet treats on opposite sides of the eating experience spectrum.

richNY
I’d been wanting to try chic East Village dessert bar ChikaLicious ever since I walked past it one night and noticed the line of people out the door on the street, waiting for tables! Any place that only has seating for 16 and won’t take reservations seems like it would be worth investigating, so I scoped out the menu. ChikaLicious features a three-course prix fix menu (with wine pairing option), bringing the art of flavor and delicate taste front and center. ChikaLicious was also the first true dessert bar I’d ever seen: a restaurant that focuses on experience and unique flavor combinations, like many of the richny entries of late, but with a spotlight solely on desserts.

Another amazing thing about ChikaLicious, aside from the intimate and modern space (almost all the seats are at the bar, so you can watch chef Chika and others prepare your amazing treats right in front of you – a real plus) is that the menu changes almost daily, so that dishes can show off seasonal ingredients. Two of their “entrees” however remain all the time, the Chocolate Tart, which we indulged in, and the Cheesecake, which is served untraditionally in more of a pudding-like form on a bed of ice – because who really likes cheesecake crust all that much anyway?

We started off with a small and smooth amuse-bouche with a duo of jasmine tea-infused sorbet and a whipped custard, light and flavorful, but very refined. The sommelier helped us choose a wine pairing that would complement both dishes, a light bubbly red Brachetto d’Acqui Banfi 2007 that was sweet but not TOO sweet.

I opted for the Brioche Cake, soaked in rum and lined with cream, paired with a grapefruit sorbet that tasted like a fresh grapefruit. The cake was served in a dainty tea mug next to the sorbet, and was light yet absolutely flavorful; the sorbet capped the dish, sweet and tangy with a gorgeous pink color.


We also sampled the tried-and-true Warm Chocolate Tart, which oozed molten chocolate so rich it was like a melted chocolate bar, with a yummy crust. It came served with a black peppercorn ice cream that at first was a little weird to taste, but when married with the chocolate made a lot more sense to my senses. A red wine sauce poured in an artful arc completed the pretty plate.

Last but not least, a trio of petit fours:


Chocolate pudding tear drops, coconut flake-covered homemmade marshmallow cubes, and pecan shortbread cookies; each just enough to tickle your tongue with the bite of flavor, but each more delicious than the last. The best part about ChikaLicious was the experience itself: it was so nice to sit comfortably and eat luxurious ingredients painstakingly prepared in front of us, and we were never rushed, even when the line started piling up outside. For $12 a person, it’s pricy for dessert, but completely worth the experience.

ChikaLicious also fits into the strain of restaurants in New York that really care about ingredients and flavors, as well as presentation, over amount: quality over quantity. While the dishes were small portions, they were artfully created, and to be fair, not intended to make one feel full. My rating: go for the experience of truly loving your dessert (if you have the time to wait) or, if you’re like me, have dessert for dinner, and dinner for dessert.


ChikaLicious
203 East 10th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenues)
$$$

poorNY
If you’re like me, you crave a tiny bite of something sweet every once in a while – not a whole dessert or milkshake or ice cream, but just a smidge of sweet every so often, especially after a good meal or as a snack. Baked by Melissa offers exactly that: smaller-than bite sized delicious stuffed miniature cupcakes! What an ingenious idea.


Baked by Melissa is a fledgling company that’s managed to find a sweet street spot: right on Spring Street off of Broadway in trendy shopping haven SoHo. That means it’s the idea place to nab a delicious treat while you’re exhausting your wallet south of Houston Street. The shop, which is hard to miss, offers seven different flavors (and occasionally special ones for holidays) of teeny-tiny cupcakes at a budget price. For just $3, you can sample three of the different cupcakes: I chose Cookie Dough, S’Mores, and of course, Red Velvet. The cupcakes, which are roughly the size of a silver dollar, pack a major sweet punch, but avoid the major cupcake flaw of being too sweet. The consistency was wonderfully moist and smooth, too, which surprised me, as it can't be easy to perfectly bake such tiny treats.

Part of the great appeal of Melissa’s might be the presentation: not only are the tiny cupcakes perfectly shaped and iced, they’re topped with a tiny bit of whatever they are stuffed with and served in custom tiny-cupcake boxes! The show may, however, disguise the fact that a dollar is still a little much for such a tiny amount of food….but for such a perfectly crafted bite (or two, if you’re careful) of sweetness, it’s definitely worth it. Who can eat a whole Magnolia’s or Crumbs' anyway?


The verdict: if you’re wandering SoHo with a tiny sweet tooth or looking to order something fun for a party, Baked by Melissa is the cupcake nouveau for you.


Baked by Melissa
529 Broadway
Pick-up Window on Spring between Mercer and Broadway
$

Joe’s Pizza vs. Una Pizza Napoletana :: NY vs. Italy :: The Great Pizza Debate

Am I even allowed to do a richNY/poorNY comparison on Pizza in Manhattan? Even though there have been more reviews of pizza in New York than I can count, I’m going to go ahead and offer my opinion on two great pizzerias in the city. For this special entry, I had to call in backup: The Purveyor of Pizza himself, my friend A (who really is a pizza expert.)

poorNY
If you have never gotten Joe’s Pizza over on the West Side downtown, you are missing out. Easily accessible and wallet-friendly, Joe’s is some of the best pizza I have ever had. The ambiance is very casual, just a pizza counter and a few tables if you can snag a seat, but don’t go for the customer service (if Joe lets you use the bathroom, you know you’re lucky). Joe’s slices are hefty wedges of delicious crispy crust of a medium thickness slathered in delicious sauce and cheese. Disclaimer: if you’re a toppings-kind of person, be forewarned that Joe’s toppings are not all that grand, as they’re generally afterthoughts. The kicker is the sauce, which A tells me is so good because it’s so simple: you can really taste the fresh tomatoes.

The ambiance and the no-nonsense approach to punching out pizzas indicate why Joe’s is so good. The pizza is almost always fresh and hot right out of the oven, unlike other pizzerias that might toss in a slice to reheat it. “Joe’s has kind of perfected the slice,” says A. “You can tell by the ambiance that the focus is just on getting a fresh slice out of the oven, which you almost always get.” Joe’s is the model of true, delicious New York Pizza, and at $2.50 for a nice-sized slice, it makes the perfect lunch on the go or after-drinking snack.


Joe’s Pizza
7 Carmine Street (at 6th Avenue)
$

richNY
Both my friend A and I are lucky enough to have lived in Italy, and equally lucky to have both tried true Napolean pizza in Napoli. There, the pizza is messier than we’re used to: olive oil dripping off of thick, doughy chunks that you either have to rip or cut apart – Italians eat personal pies, no such thing as slices.

That experience can be replicated in Manhattan, with a little bit of an investment. This week’s richNY is probably the most expensive pizza I’ve ever eaten, but it’s worth it, since it sent me right back to Italy. Una Pizza Napoletana is a snug little restaurant that you have to walk by slowly to catch. They don’t take reservations, they’re only open Thursday through Sunday, and it’s a tiny place with only a handful of tables, but it’s got a great vibe. I came across Una Pizza when looking for a place to grab a bite with A, and when we noticed two things – there were no prices on the menu, and their hours were from “5 pm ‘til we run out of fresh dough,” we were intrigued.

To be fair, their pizza is expensive. I was shocked when we discovered that our personal pizzas were $21 each! Luckily, it was worth it. I ordered the Marinara, delicious thick crust smothered in olive oil and sea salt, fresh garlic, basil, and fresh sliced tomatoes. A ordered the Margherita, which is the Marinara but with buffalo mozzarella. To die for. The pizzas, which had a smoky flavor from the brick oven, were super fresh and surprisingly filling, not to mention nostalgic.

Una Pizza Napoletana brings pizza back to its roots by elevating it to the level of an entrée you would order in any other restaurant. The care that they put into their pizzas there – and the fact that that’s all you can order! – really shows their dedication to deliciousness. You might wonder if the nose-up attitude is deserved (no prices on a menu is always snobby) but if you’re in search of an authentic Italian pizza and you have a few dollars to spare, this place is perfect. This place is not for those in a rush: don’t forget about Slow Food, the Italian movement started by Carlo Petrini that focuses on enjoying your food while you eat it. It’s a great venue for a leisurely date with a bottle of wine.

The good news is, you don’t have to choose between the two pizza joints because they’re such different experiences. According to A, “When you pit New York versus Naples, I think the contest ends in a draw.”


Una Pizza Napoletana
349 East 12th Street (Between 1st and 2nd Avenues)
$$$

craftbar vs. 'wichcraft: Colicchio Lunch Showdown

Oh, Tom Colicchio. How the mystery of your food has haunted me all these seasons of Top Chef. But what does it taste like? Why are you so famous? Why does everyone talk about all your restaurants all the time? What is New American anyway?

This week, I set out to compare and contrast two of Chef Tom’s restaurants; although neither is particularly cost effective or completely astronomical, I figured a juxtaposition of two of the popular spots that do vary in price and target consumer would be interesting.

richNY
One of Manhattan’s classier joints is Tom Colicchio’s Craft, on 19th Street. However, its downside is that they only serve dinner, so I opted for Craft’s sister restaurant next door, Craftbar; same delicious food and principles about ingredients and flavors; slightly less formal dining experience. It was the perfect venue to take my mom for a light birthday brunch, and also very cute: great décor and a wonderful waitstaff.

Weekend lunch at Craftbar means you have to choose between the brunch menu and the lunch menu, which, for an egg lover like myself, was no mean feat. In the end, we decided to share a few small plates off the lunch menu, which seemed designed for exactly that. All three came out together and the wonderfully fragrant smells blended perfectly.




Our first choice was off the Snacks section of the menu – always a brilliant section, in my opinion – a plate of three pecorino-stuffed risotto balls, fried to perfection and served in a spicy tomato sauce. The risotto was the perfect consistency, creamy and hot.

The most exciting item that caught my eye on the menu wasn’t a main course, but instead a bruschetta dish, a thick cut of grilled bread slathered with orange puree, duck egg and a hefty serving of mizuna, an arugula-type leafy green that was a perfect compliment to the sweet orange puree. Covering the whole dish were two thin sheets of a deliciously salty prosciutto that added a smoky flavor and a tougher texture. It was fabulous.

I have a weakness for mussels, as well, so when we saw Bouchot mussels in a lemongrass broth, we ordered that as well. The lemongrass was delicious, fragrant and sweet, with just enough onions floating in the broth to scoop up on the crusty bread that the dish came with.

Surprisingly, the three small dishes (one snack, two appetizers) was completely filling, and although I am still itching to try a main course, I really was full afterwards. Additionally, the meal was not that expensive for an expensive restaurant, although we easily could have spent a lot more by ordering slightly larger dishes (Entrees run from $16 - $25.) Overall, it was a delicious, light, classy lunch, and I would go back in a heartbeat.


craftbar
900 Broadway (at 20th Street)
$$$

poorNY
The thing about going back in a heartbeat is, well, I can’t exactly afford to eat there every day – who can? But Tom Colicchio, in a stroke of genius, started a sandwich lunch branch off of the Craft name, ’wichcraft, with twelve New York locations and a much lighter price tag (although albeit still not exactly cheap for lunch).

’wichcraft is one of my favorite places to grab a sandwich or a salad, which is another reason I was so eager to try the bigger Craft siblings. Their slogan, real food, hand-crafted, is a perfectly accurate description of their lavish sandwiches, carefully assembled with delicious fresh ingredients. I love their roasted beets salad - aged goat cheese, fennel, candied walnuts & arugula with balsamic vinaigrette ($8.95) which is large enough for a dinner portion, or their warm roasted turkey sandwich, a juicy cut of meat melted together with avocado, bacon, onion relish & aioli on a ciabatta roll ($9.50). Okay, you’re thinking, those are not cheap; true, but they are nice-sized portions of delicious and somewhat unique combinations of ingredients, not to mention convenient. They have beer and wine, and you can order takeout online on their website!

Most importantly, Colicchio’s ideas about fresh, distinct flavors being showcased by other ingredients rings true in this Everyman’s version of Craft. The sandwich is an art form in itself, and ’wichcraft proves how serious it is about taking care to ensure that every bite is delicious.

Running late to class and need a delicious fresh salad or soup? ’wichcraft is your best bet.


'wichcraft
multiple locations; I like 60 8th Street (at Broadway)
$

Sushi Lounge vs. Morimoto: The Sushi Spectrum

poorNY
New Yorkers, including myself, love sushi. It’s exotic, it’s delicious, we have access to an ocean, and it has the dual ability to be the most upscale thing you can consume or the cheapest and fastest delivery you can get. While I know there are right and wrong ways to do Japanese food, this week’s rich and poor entries are two great places to try if you’re balling out or balling on a budget.

As a broke college student, one of my favorite places to frequent is Sushi Lounge, on the ever-hopping St. Mark’s Place. Sure, it’s a bit garish, bright yellow paint on the walls and a less than classy restroom, but it definitely has character. Plus, what it lacks in class, it makes up for in price.

Here’s the amazing thing about Sushi Lounge: All Sushi is 50% off. All the time. So when the menu says, Tuna Roll, $3.75, what it really means is Tuna Roll, $1.85. Um, hello, yes. I know what you’re thinking: No way is the fish fresh or even decent if that’s the deal. Or possibly you’re thinking, there must be a catch. Well, the catch is minimal – to get the discount, you have to spend $10 after the 50% off, and cooked food is still full price. Still not bad when you can have double the amount of sushi you would get anywhere else. And, amazingly, the sushi is fresh! And it’s good! At least I think so. Did I mention the Free Delivery?

College Students: Listen Here. After 10 pm – not before – like, normal drinking times – beer is 50% for a pitcher of Kirin (so that’s $6) and sake-tinis are also 50% off ($3.) Okay. So we have here cheap, fresh sushi, with cheap sushi-accompanying beverages at normal drinking hours. An excellent deal for those on a budget.

Their specialty rolls are pretty good – I favor the Golden Dragon, with eel and Mango – and since they’re half off you can be a little more adventurous.

Bottom line: Cheap, good sushi, fun atmosphere, not world class service but pretty good for what you get.


Sushi Lounge
132 Saint Marks Place (At Avenue A)
$

richNY
I’d been hearing rave reviews about Steven Starr’s restaurants for so long and watching so much Iron Chef that I finally gave in and went to the trendy Morimoto downtown for dinner. Trendy it was, and although I love architect Tadao Ando’s work, I was hoping that the food would match up to the spectacle of the interior design.

We were seated at 9.45 with a 9.15 reservation, after being encouraged to have a drink at the bar downstairs, where there is also a lounge that you can order off a limited menu at. I was impatient for the food, however, and waited until we sat to order.

Even though I tend to lean towards wine with dinner, in the spirit of the cuisine, I opted for sake, ordering the Morimoto ‘junmai’ sake, $22 for 10 oz. (which was perfect) and described as ‘Subtle aromas of honey-d walnuts with a soft sweet finish.’ I like sweet, so I thought it was delicious, and icy cold.

From the beginning, the service was, while attentive, nothing compared to JLOB. I hope I don’t compare every meal I ever have to that one… Understandably, it was a holiday (Valentine’s Day, and I’m grateful to say, the only hokey V-day addition was a themed dessert from which we chose to abstain.) so the place was a bit rushed, but I did get the distinct impression that turnover was more important than Slow Food.

At any rate, we were never rushed, and all of our food came out gorgeously with generous descriptions. We started with the Morimoto Sashimi off the Cold Appetizer section (we aimed for a dish from each section for variety) which was presented fabulously.




My sneaky Gossip Girl-esque photo doesn’t capture the vibrant palate of the five types of fish stacked in cubes, each topped with a distinct garnish (ranging from caviar to pickled vegetables to avocado puree) and served with four test tube apparati. Now, what was this? The waiter demonstrated that each of the tubes contained a different flavored sauce that we should squirt on our plates and then dip the sashimi – either in its assembled form or layer by layer – into. How exciting! I preferred the white and orange sauces, a little citrusy. The fish was fresh and delicious, and made me excited for the rest of the meal to come. There were 6 individual stacks, which is actually a lot of pieces of fish individually, and I thought it was a great dish overall. We were not given soy sauce, which I appreciated, meaning that the flavors in the sashimi had been previously balanced so that we would not have to augment the taste with any extra condiments.

Next up was the Rock Shrimp Tempura Hot Appetizer, a dish I love at Nobu (although there with Ponzu sauce) and so was predisposed to order. It was a hefty portion (I thought to myself; How do people not share all these dishes?) divided into three sections: shrimp in a wasabi aioli sauce, shrimp in a spicy Korean 'kochujan' sauce, and lastly a dish of house ranch dressing, to dip the spicy shrimp pieces into. The ranch had a few sticks of cucumber and celery artfully arranged in it and the color of the spicy shrimp was a great orange. I loved the flavor of the wasabi aioli, but the spicy sauce with accompanying ranch was just a little too reminiscent of the wings we’d just eaten on Superbowl Sunday. I felt like the dish was a bit Americanized for the authentic Morimoto experience I was looking for.

We had to compare the actual sushi, so our next course was the most decadent roll off the sushi roll menu, the Soft Shell Crab Roll – ‘deep-fried soft shell crab, asparagus, tobiko, avocado, scallion, spicy sauce.’ It was delicious. Warm perfectly fried crab and wonderfully assembled thick pieces wrapped with the rice on the outside, with perfect hints of orange and green from the spicy sauce and asparagus and avocado. The roll was $12, which I didn’t think was so bad for a nice sushi restaurant (although for contrast’s sake, at Sushi Lounge, a Spider Roll (‘fried soft shell crab & avocado & cucumber inside & fish roe outside’) is $4.98 after discount. Just saying.

We rounded out the menu with a sampling from the entrée section: the Braised Black Cod served with a ginger-soy reduction– a tough decision but in the end a delicious one. Again, for the lovers of sweet, this dish was served in a delicious glaze with a few black beans on the side: very simple but with an absolutely amazing flavor. I would highly recommend this one to anyone who is comfortable not stuffing themselves full but interested in distinct flavors.

Personally, I’m jumping on the Slow Food Smaller Portions of Better Food bandwagon, and the fresh meal with distinct flavors was perfectly what I had in mind. According to Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food, “The people of Okinawa, one of the longest-lived and healthiest populations in the world, practices a principle they call hara hachi bu: Eat until you are 80 percent full.” A difficult task to attempt or manage, but one that I think the richny entry for this week helps underline.

The couple next to us tried the omasake, or the Chef’s Tasting Menu. At $120 pp, I wasn’t as prepared to splurge, but when I asked them how their meal was going, they said it was tasty but perhaps dragged a bit too long. The suggestion of the restaurant that the entire party order the omasake together made it look sort of like a monotonous meal; again, though, I’m biased by our deal at JLOB. Maybe something to save for when the bucks really roll in, and I can rewrite this post about Masa instead.

So, is you’re looking for a spectacular dining experience in a trendy setting, of course, Morimoto is for you. Plus, if you’re lucky like we were, you’ll get to thank Chef Morimoto personally for your meal.


Morimoto
88 10th Ave (Between15th & 16th Streets)
$$$

JLOB vs. Crif Dog: Exclusivity in the East Village

richNY
This weekend marked an unbelievable foray into the world of culinary excellence in downtown Manhattan for G and I, as well as a perfect comparison between two very hot spots.

The miracle occurred when a friend of G’s, who happens to be a prospective restaurateur in New York, told him to bring me to the restaurant that he is currently maître d' at, Jack’s Luxury Oyster Bar. After a quick peruse through Menupages to get a gist of the dishes, I was hooked. We made the reservation and spent the week saving up appetite and budget for the impending meal.

Upon arrival, the place was adorable; very small and cozy with room for about 20 patrons. Decorated mostly in red and with a bar that took up the back half, JLOB seemed like the perfect intimate setting for a good date, with its stock of regulars. My favorite part of the décor was a small sign at the back near the restroom that read, “Due to the shared bathroom arrangements, all luxury stops here.”

But of course we weren’t there for the ambiance alone. The killer menu was what had brought us in, and after a quick debate, we decided the only way to do the thing right was to get the Chef’s tasting menu, which at $50 each is a steal for six delicious courses, but a little hefty for college kids on a dime. What pushed us over the edge was when G’s friend offered to supplement one of the tasting menus off the regular menu, meaning there would be a huge amount of variety for us to share.

We started the meal with a glass each of a Sparkling Rosé, sweet but crisp and just bubbly enough to make us both giddy about the food to come. The first course was, of course, fresh oysters, from Washington, served on a bed of ice and with a square of Lychee (?) jelly. I’m hesitant sometimes about oysters, but these were shucked perfectly and actually a delicious combination of salt and sweet.

With our first course, we realized we couldn’t choose a wine that would go with everything, and decided to indulge in a wine pairing for the tasting menu…a little much, maybe, but in the end it was the exact right decision. The food came at the tail end of the champagne; for him, a Yellowtail crudo with pickled watermelon, light mustard glaze and tiny crunchy crackers that added an amazing texture. However, I won on the first course, because I was served Arctic Char with microgreens atop chickpea fries. The plates were small but fun to share, and the flavor combinations in those two dishes alone were enough to demonstrate the level of extreme culinary expertise that was being shown off by the chef. Our first wine was a Viña Mein from Spain, a nice white blend of eight grapes that was a little sweet but went nicely with the next course.

The next course was straight out of an episode of Top Chef. For him, a shoestring potato-wrapped fried octopus placed atop an artful swipe of pureed avocado, served with a spicy barbecue sauce and a lime, of which we were instructed to give a gentle squeeze. My answer to this challenge was a bowl of two dainty miso fried oysters on a bed of red peppers, which, after describing, the waitress dressed artfully with a delicate teapot full of potato and leek puree; less than a soup, more than a sauce, is how I would have to describe it. I absolutely loved both dishes. The octopus was accented perfectly by the crisp potato crust and creamy avocado, and the oysters’ lightness was matched by the slightly thicker potato puree. To get nitpicky, I would have put a few less red peppers in the bottom, although maybe that’s just my personal preference. G’s barbecue sauce was incredibly potent, but then we reasoned, that’s why there had been such a tiny amount of it on the plate.

Our wineglasses were swapped out and the maître d' / sommelier informed us that the next wine was a red, a velvety Burgundy Pinot Noir that opened up more with savory foods. We both liked the second wine better than the first, and the thought that savory foods were en route was certainly very exciting.

It’s hard to pick favorites in a meal like ours, but the next course gave all the others a run for their money. Two of the dishes that had caught our eyes on the menu before we decided to go with the tasting were placed in front of us. It was G’s turn for the Top Chef-style serving; his fresh gnocchi with black truffle and carrots were bathed in a gentle soup of pheasant consommé, and my jealousy was rightly put back in place when I was served the house linguini with beef tendon and cabbage, which was showered in fresh shaved parmesan from Erice. After our initial joy at how lucky we were (for followers, Gnocchi is a standard for us on any menu, as well as ANYTHING with truffle in it) we were able to really get into the dishes. We lamented the light hand with the truffles in the gnocchi, which were immediately overpowered by the consommé, but delighted in the discovery of some chopped-up cashes at the bottom of my linguini, a wonderful textural surprise.

Slight disclaimer: this is my first official tasting menu. Please forgive the overindulgent descriptions.

Our next wine was a Chardonnay from the South of France, a better value than a Burgundy, G's friend told us. It came accompanied by a perfectly cooked Black Bass atop steamed watercress and wild mushrooms with a lemongrass foam for me, and lobster with crispy fingerling potatoes and edamame in a wonderfully nutty sauce for him. I was very much enjoying the style of the little plates, because I am sort of ADD with my flavor palate, and there is no way I would have been able to eat all of that food if the servings were any larger. I think, for this round, despite my love affair with lobster, I had to choose the Black Bass; it was just so savory.

Our last wine was my favorite, a Steven Vincent Syrah / Cabernet from California, very fruit forward and full-bodied. It reminded me of a Cinghiale we’d had at Otto. It was one of the few instances that I can readily remember a wine pairing going perfectly with its dish, which was a seductively spiced combination of clams and chorizo in a tomato basil bisque, accompanied with rough slices of French bread to soak up the delicious broth. We both got the clam dish, which was fine by me; I didn’t want to share, despite the fact that I was actually completely taken aback that we even had another dish left to go after the fish and lobster! I could see right away why the clams are a favorite at JLOB; the bisque itself is flavored by the chorizo, and the onions and whole slices of garlic are completely drenched with spice and tomato.


Almost three hours later and I could hardly even believe our luck. Dessert was coming! Paired with two tiny glasses of a very sweet dessert wine, I received a homemade blueberry sorbet with toasted chewy coconut flakes and coconut foam on top, and G was the lucky winner of my favorite: a spiced mug-ette of hot cocoa that was warm and rich, with a chocolate nougat biscuit underneath maple syrup foam. Wow.

In between the amazing flavors of the perfectly and artistically assembled dishes, the service was superb. We were not rushed to finish a glass of wine to match the next course, and the pairings were seamless transitions. It was Luxury indeed to be so spoiled. The wine pairing, which is usually $35pp, was a gift to us from G’s friend at only $11each. However, I do have to say that 6 glasses of wine might be too much for me…clouds the judgment of the delicious foods.

Overall, the experience was one to write home about, and it is with regret that I post the accompanying poorNY post, which is sadly outmatched. I would absolutely recommend Jack’s if you have a payday in sight.

Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar
101 2nd Ave
$$$

poorNY
This week’s poorNY might be easy on your wallet in terms of food, but is a total crowd pleaser. Although they deliver, the true Crif Dog experience can only be had late night, when you duck in for a greasy Dog and accompanying fries and or tater tots (yum!) Although it still pales in comparison to my favorite hot dog joint, Soul Dog in Poughkeepsie, NY, Crif Dog offers a delicious house hotdog as well as a slew of combinations of toppings. If the combos aren’t to your liking, you can, of course, order your own mix of avocado, cheese, sauerkraut, chili… the list goes on and on.

An average dog is somewhere in the range of $3+ but heap on the toppings and you're looking closer to $5 or $6. They do have special combos though. And the taste makes the difference between a $1 street vendor dog and a $3 Good Hot Dog.


Don’t get me wrong, I love me my hot dogs, but my favorite part about Crif Dog might not be the food. This week’s theme is exclusivity, and Crif Dog is the secret entrance to a New York hit hotspot bar, PDT. With a name that exudes mystery and an entrance that you have to be told about to find, PDT (Short for Please Don’t Tell, of course) is a great bar to show off to a new New Yorker or just grab a drink and a dog – oh wait, did I not mention that Crif Dog will bring your order next door? – with a friend. To get in, you have to first enter Crif Dog, and then control your senses: steer away from the ordering counter and left, towards a slightly decrepit London-style phone booth. Pick up the phone and press a button to alert the bartender of your presence. A push on the back wall of the phone booth reveals the door into PDT, and viola! You’re New York elite.

Even if you’re not going for the elite bar scene or the mysterious ambiance, Crif Dog / PDT is a great place to grab a cheap bite…and you can even take it to go.

Crif Dog / PDT
113 Saint Marks Pl
$