Smith's comes to us from two veterans of the NYC restaurant industry, Danny Abrams (The Red Cat, The Harrison, The Mermaid Inn) and Cindy Smith (Raouls), along with chef Pablo Romero (Bouley).
I walked into the not too crowded restaurant around 7pm. There are a few tables up front near the window with a view of a quiet Macdougal Street. Then there is a narrow, white dining area reminiscent of a train car, with a mirrored ceiling. It is modern, but quaint. Past this dining area is the bar, with black and grey walls. It had a sexy vibe that made me think of the restaurant Allen & Delancey, but with a tad calmer feel.
The bar was not crowded at all, so I picked a seat and the bartender Kylie was there to cater to all my culinary needs. After perusing the New American menu I decided on an appetizer of the Steamed Egg, a side of Sauteed Brussels Sprouts, and an entree of Roast Lamb Saddle. I also went with a half bottle of a Stephen Ross Pinot Noir 2006 ($32).
The Steamed Egg ($8) came with creamy Anson Mills polenta and gorgonzola. This was a very unique dish. I'm not sure I have tasted anything like it. Kylie recommended I mix up the egg into it. I really enjoyed the saltiness and the creamy texture of the dish. It was simple, yet tasty.
Kylie had recommended the Brussels Sprouts which were brought out at the same time as my Roast Lamb Saddle. The Sauteed Brussels Sprouts ($8) came with toasted almonds,and were some of the best Sprouts I haver ever encountered. I think Brussels Sprouts are making a comeback in the restaurant industry. We grew up hating them, but today chefs are coming out with some really tasty ways of serving them. Here at Smith's they serve a bowl of the leafs of the sprouts, with the addition of toasted almonds, giving it that perfect balance of texture.
The Roast Lamb Saddle ($27) came with a tomato red pepper ragout, parmigiano puree, and pesto. The lamb was perfectly cooked and great. The parmigiano puree was a great compliment to the juicy lamb and I truly loved the dish. It was the perfect way to serve lamb.
I decided to take a look at the dessert menu even though I was not too hungry and had started doing magic to people in the bar (what a surprise). The one dessert that caught my eye was the Warm Chocolate Brownie with peanut butter mousse and candied sauteed peanuts ($8). Once Kylie mentioned she had to have it once a day, I knew I was meant to order it.
The dish came out while I was entertaining some cute girls at the bar, so I had to take bites in between each magic trick. But each bite was fantastic. The brownie was warm and not too sweet. Dipping a piece of brownie into the delicious and creamy peanut butter mousse was heavenly. And the addition of the candied sauteed peanuts gave the dish a sweet added crunch I enjoyed immensely. This was a great dessert.
I had a great time at Smith's. The food is great and the people are nice. I will definitely be coming back to this Smith- it's the perfect West Village spot.
Smith's
79 Macdougal St. (between Bleeker and Houston)
New York, NY 10012
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( 3 / 873 )Friday night my sisters and I decided to eat dinner at The Smith in the East Village. The Smith comes to us from the team behind the restaurant Jane on Houston street. It should not be confused with Nevada Smith's, Smiths's or B. Smith's.
I got to the restaurant early and decided to entertain the two hostesses and some waiters for 15 minutes with some amazing magic and comedy. After a good 15 minutes of high-energy entertainment my two sisters finally arrived and we were seated in a booth by the bar. The restaurant is a big large space (it used to be a Pizzeria Uno) with white tiled walls adorned with pictures of women that seem to be from the 1920's.
The cuisine is American Brasserie and reminded me of a gourmet diner. I had been craving mac and cheese for a while so I ordered that appetizer along with an appetizer of Braised Bacon with red onion marmalade. My older sister ordered the Lamb Schnitzel and my younger sister got the Skate. We ordered the Fried Calamari for the table.
The Fried Calamari ($9) came Brooklyn Style, meaning it was topped with marinara sauce. It was fine, but nothing special. My Mac + Cheese ($10) was cheesy with a nice crisp to it. I enjoy a little meat in my mac and cheese, that is why I ordered the Braised Bacon with red onion marmalade ($9). I thought there was way too much red onion marmalade with the bacon, and it pretty much drowned the bacon with it's sweetness and killed all the bacon flavor which was upsetting. I decided to dump the bacon into my mac and cheese, hoping this "create my own dish" epiphany would somehow turn out an amazing flavorful dish, but alas, it was just a bacon drowned in red onion marmalade, mixed with mac and cheese flavor.
My older sister did not have much luck with her Lamb Shnitzel ($17) which came with a parmesan crust, smashed potatoes and lemon. Grant it, I only took one bite of it, and that bite consisted of a tough, dry, and flavorless piece of meat. My sister who ate more of the dish stated she was not too happy with it either.
My younger sister really enjoyed her Skate ($16) which came with cauliflower and caper brown butter. I tried one piece of it and although it was nice, simple, and juicy, it bored me.
The dessert menu at The Smith consists of different types of Sundaes. We went with the Birthday Cake and Chocolate Peanut Butter Sundaes. They were fun and fine.
I think The Smith is an ok place if you are in college and looking for a decent bite to eat. NYU dorms are right around the corner. But, you must order wisely. When I think of The Smith, the first word that comes to mind is "Fun"-not "Food". It could be a fun place to grab some drinks if you are in the neighborhood.
The Smith
55 3rd Avenue (between 10th and 11th St)
New York, NY 10003
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( 3 / 879 )Last night my roommate and I decided to grab a burger at JG Melon on the Upper East Side. I have heard from different people that the burger at JG Melon was one of the best in NYC and I was excited to try it out.
When you think of great burgers in NYC, such destinations that come to mind are Corner Bistro, Burger Joint, and PG Clarkes, to name a few that are always in many people's "Top Burgers List". The burger that has stood out to me so far as being the best I've had, has come from Blue Smoke, Danny Meyer's barbecue joint on 27th street, off Park Avenue South.
After a thirty minute wait we were seated at one of the front tables by the bar. I first ordered a cup of chili with cheese and onions ($5.75) I would never had ordered chili, but my good friend recommended it, saying that it would be good to dip their cottage fries in. Now, I'm no chili connoisseur, but I will say that it was one of the best cups of chili I have ever had. There was a big sweetness to it that I really enjoyed.
Then came what we were all waiting for: the Bacon Cheeseburger ($9) It was nice and thick, but not overly big. The bacon was crisp and the bun was lightly toasted, just the way I like it. On the side of the plate came onions and pickles and I added a bit to give it some crunch. After adding some ketchup I took one bite and was pleased. Very pleased. This was a great burger. It was nice and juicy and perfectly cooked medium. Our cottage fries ($3.75) came out at the same time, but I couldn't really bother with them, for I was enjoying the burger too much. I downed the burger pretty quickly and moved to the fries. They were a tad dry and definitely needed some seasoning, so I added some pepper. I took my friend's recommendation and dipped them into the chili which was fine. But the real star of this meal was of course that burger.
Does JG Melon have the best burger in NYC? That is hard to say. Obviously it is all subjective and there is no one answer. From what I can remember, I think Blue Smoke's burger was a tad juicier, but I haven't had it in a while. Will I be coming back to have another one of JG Melon's burgers soon? Yes. So for one of New York City's top burgers, JG Melon's is a great destination.
JG Melon
1291 3rd Ave (at 74th St.)
New York, NY 10021
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( 3 / 935 )Tonight I went to the grand opening party for a new restaurant on the second floor of the Renaissance Hotel in Times Square called Chop Suey. The consulting chef for this new venture is Zak Palaccio who brought us the Fatty Crab, one of my favorite NYC restaurants.
I heard about the party, but actually wasn't personally invited. I knew it wouldn't be a problem getting in for I have met Zak many times, and could always rely on my magic to get me in. When I walked in the front door of the ground level of the hotel a gal immediately asked if I was going to Chop Suey- I guess I dressed the part. I took the elevator up to the Lobby level to find a typical hotel lounge area with a bar. Pass this bar/lounge area was the restaurant.
The restaurant is a big square place with large windows overlooking Times Square. The view is great and I can forsee this as another big tourist spot, like everything else in Times Square. One cool aspect of the decor was the lights on the ceiling were shaped like shells. There were also leather orange chairs that I found unique. The decor resembles the food- playful and fun.
Since this was the opening party I was able to have the opportunity to taste many of the dishes that will be offered on the menu. The tasting menu of the night consisted of Scallion Pancake with Asian Pear Moustarda, Short Rib with Sakura Cress Salad, Tofu Hot Pot, Rice Cakes, Char Siew, Roasted Wild Mushroom, Seared Mackerel, Fish Dumpling Soup, Roasted Shishito Peppers, Popcorn Shrimp with Pork Floss and XO Sauce, and Curry Leaf Chicken Wings.
I didn't get to try everything that was listed on the menu, but I did try a fare share (by positioning myself by the kitchen door.) I was able to get a nice sneak peak into what this restaurant is and will become.
I thought the addition of the asian pear moustarda to the scallion pancakes was a nice touch that gave the pancakes a nice sweetness to them, although I would have preferred them to be crispier. This was 'party' food, so I assume the quality will be better when it is made to order.
The roasted shishito peppers were interesting for they came topped with a little tuna bottarga, giving a great balance of saltiness and spiciness.
The short rib with sakura cress salad was fine. I enjoyed the texture contrast with the crunchy salad and the juicy short rib.
The flavors of the popcorn shrimp with pork floss and XO sauce were excellent. There was a nice balance of sweetness and hotness.
I really enjoyed the Roasted WIld Mushroom Congee which came with pine nuts and pickled garlic. It had a very mushy texture which was unique and interesting.
The Curry Leaf Chicken Wings were also excellent. They were juicy and tender, and had a nice touch of saltiness to them.
One standout that was not listed on the tasting menu of the night was the Oyster and Bacon lettuce cup. This was a fried oyster topped with bacon and kim chi on a piece of crisp lettuce. I thought the balance of textures and flavors were great. This dish encompassed the essence of this restaurant-fun and flavorful.
I asked Zak how he would categorize this cuisine - was it Korean? He said it was "East Asian". I asked him what inspired him and he stated that he just got back from Seoul when he was asked to do the concept of the restaurant- he wanted it to be fun. And judging from what I had tonight, I think he is on the right track.
All the little tastes I had were definitely playful, flavorful, and fun to eat. I'm not sure I could forsee this as a dining destination, nothing really blew my mind, but if you are in the Times Square area looking for a unique and fun bite, Chop Suey could be a good spot.
Chop Suey
714 7th Avenue (Second Floor of the Renaissance Hotel-bet. 47th and 48th St.)
New York, NY 10036
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( 3 / 879 )Last night I had dinner at Market Table in the West Village. Market Table is brought to us by the guys who brought us The Little Owl (Gabrielle Stulman and Joey Campanero), one of my favorite new spots to open up last year. The chef is Mikey Price, who used to cook at the Mermaid Inn.
This restaurant is interesting for when you walk in, you first enter a general goods store where you can purchase items, the dining room is past this little store. It is a large corner space with large windows where you can look out onto Carmine and Bedford streets. It's not an overly fancy place, I felt very casual and comfortable. The lighting was just dim enough for romance, but not too dark where I couldn't see my food.
I took a seat at the bar and perused the menu. The menu was not too large, about seven appetizers and seven entrees, and some sides, which was fine for me. I decided to get the Crispy Calamari appetizer and the Braised Lamb Shank entree (this was Erin the bartender's recommendation.)
The Crispy Calamari ($9) came with white anchovy, lemon, and a chili mayo. I thought the calamari was fine, nothing too special. I did enjoy the white anchovy and lemon a lot though. I never had fried anchovy or lemon before, and they were great. The anchovy gave the dish a great saltiness to it, and the lemon was a great palate cleanser and really opened up my taste buds. I thought it was a great touch.
The Brasied Lamb Shank ($20) came with gouda gratin, greens and rosemary jus. First off, I need to point out that this is a great deal. Twenty dollars for lamb is unheard of at fine-dining establishments in NYC, and I was pleasantly surprised with the price. The lamb was tender, and fell right off the bone, which was nice, although it could have used some more flavor and seasoning. I enjoyed the gouda gratin, greens and rosemary jus that came with the lamb though. It wasn't an overly complex dish, the sides were simple but all went well together.
Market Table is one of those neighborhood spots, like the Little Owl, which serves very good, straight-forward food, that keeps people coming back. I wasn't blown away, but, I do plan on going back.The casual environment, good food, and good prices are truly appealing.
So for a very good, casual meal in the West Village, Market Table would be a great choice.
Market Table
54 Carmine St. (at Bedford St.)
New York, NY 10014
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