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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( 3 / 982 )A few weeks ago I went to a semi-new restaurant on a small stretch of West 10th street in the West Village called Kingswood. The reason for going there was to write a review for a website based in London. I was very happy for the opportunity.
Kingswood is an Australian restaurant that comes to us from the folks behind Ruby's, an Australain spot in Nolita. I walked in to a bustling restaurant. There were large windows up front by the street, with some tables by them with diners. The centerpiece of the restaurant was a large copper square bar that was pretty busy. Past the bar was a large open space with many tables filled with diners, including one large wooden communal table. I asked if they had a table for one, and the owner knew right away I was from the website and had a table ready for me. (The website is focused on doing things on your own, and the owner of the website had previously met with the owner of Kingswood.)
When I dine out alone, sometimes I like to dine at the bar and other times I like to dine at a table. They are two totally different experiences. I was given the table next to the large wooden communal table which was filled with a party of around ten gals. In fact, one of the gals was sitting in the seat across from me at my table, chatting with one of her friends. I of course told her she could stay, but after two minutes she left. (On a side note, one of the gals at the table next to me had met me over a year ago waiting in line (yes, i was doing magic) at Tomoe Sushi, a great and popular sushi spot on Thompson street in the West Village) This was a great beginning to the meal. Nothing like girls and grub for a single twenty-something!
I first decided to order one of their Australian beers. As I sat there waiting for my beer, the one striking aspect of the restaurant I noticed was that it was loud. It was extremely loud, and the acoustics were horrible. This is not a place I'd want to take a date for an intimate dinner. I was there to review the place for a website that caters to doing things on your own, and I was not sure if I would want to dine here alone again. If I did, I would definitely choose the bar. These were all thoughts going through my head before I even ordered my food.
My main focus when dining out is the food, of course. I ordered the scallop appetizer and the Parmesan crusted Rack of Lamb entree, as well as a side of the truffle fries.
The scallop appetizer was a very good dish. It came with a carrot puree and some citrus. I loved how the sweetness of the carrot puree and the citrus contrasted each other. The scallops were perfectly cooked, and had a nice char on the outside, but were tender.
The parmesan crusted rack of lamb came with tomato orzo and seasonal greens. This dish blew my mind-but not in a good way. Although the lamb was nicely cooked, and the parmesan crust gave it some nice saltiness, I was completely perplexed about what the tomato orzo was doing there. The tomato orzo did not go well with the lamb at all. (Orzo is pasta that looks like rice) I thought it had no reason being on the plate, I did not understand this dish. Maybe it is common in Australia? I'm not sure. But, it was not a good compliment to the lamb at all.
The side of truffle fries were ok. They came with a truffle aioli on them, and they were somewhat crispy, but I can't say I loved them.
Would I go back to Kingswood? Maybe. I think it could be a good place for groups. And I would want to try some more of their food, for I have heard some good things, especially about their burger, which seems to be popular. In fact, it could be the ideal place for a burger and some beer, and maybe getting drunk with Australians. But just remember, you might lose your voice talking to them, trying to talk over everyone else in the restaurant.
Kingswood
121 W. 10th Street (at Greenwich Ave.)
New York, NY 10011
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( 3 / 845 )Last night I decided to go to the new one-month old restaurant in the Lower East side, where its name is its address: Allen & Delancey.
I walked in to find a dark restaurant lit with an abundant amount of candles and walls of exposed brick. It had a modernized gothic feel to it, but in a sexy way.
There is a bar up front, with the main dining room in the back separated by a small hallway. I walked past the bar to the Hostess station to see if there were any seats available. I noticed an open table and asked one of the hostesses where she thought I should eat. She recommended the bar where "Heather would take good care of me." I like being taking care of, and also like making conversation with everyone who works at a restaurant (and eats at a restaurant too) so the bar was where I sat.
I started out with a Manhattan. I figured a stiff drink would be a good way to get the night going (it was 10:30pm). I was excited to check out the menu, for the chef, Neil Ferguson was plucked from Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in midtown, a reputable dining destination in NYC.
After perusing the menu and inquiring with Heather what her favorite dishes were, I eventually made the decision to go with an appetizer of Skin Roasted Spanish Mackerel with bacon gnocchi, and apple cider vinagrette ($15). For my entree I chose the Moulard Duck Magret with turnip confit, buttered radishes and foie gras.
The highlight of the meal was actually the bread. The bread is baked in-house, and I was given a plate of one sage and bacon roll, and one regular roll, along with a side of butter. Both rolls were warm, and fluffy, and absolutely delicious. The butter was amazing as well. It was extremely creamy, which I liked. It was one of the best plates of bread I have ever had.
The Spanish Mackerel appetizer was a very interesting dish. The combination of flavors were unlike any I have encountered before. Mackerel is a very "fishy" fish, so the bacon gnocchi and apple cider vinagrette were used to counteract that fishiness. The fish was well cooked, but the dish to me only works when you combine all three elements on one forkfull. I will admit I am not a fan of apples, so that might have been a turn-off. But the bacon gnocchi were not what I expected either. In fact, I was having trouble locating which was the gnocchi and what was apple. I wish the gnocchi had stood out a little more. I was still pleased with the dish and the use of unusual flavor combinations, I just wasn't blown away.
The Moulard Duck Magret was yet another dish with unusual flavor combinations. The duck was presented in the center of the plate cut into many slices. It was perfectly cooked, and nice and juicy. I never had turnip confit or buttered radishes, and both were fine. They were interesting compliments to the duck, and the dish had a very "Autumny" feel to it, but I can't say I loved it. It was something different though, and I love trying new things and experimenting. The best part of the dish though was the foie gras. There was a small piece of duck foie gras at one side of the plate, really not the focus of the plate at all. What made the foie gras so great was it was topped with toasted almonds. It gave it some great texture, as well as some added flavor, and I loved it.
I was too stuffed for dessert, although they all looked interesting, with again some unique flavor combinations, such as one dessert that came with olive oil ice cream!
So, if you are looking for a sexy dining experience, with good food with unique flavors, Allen & Delancey would be a very good choice.
Allen & Delancey
115 Allen St. (and Delancey!)
New York, NY 10002
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( 3 / 822 )Saturday night I decided to go to Lupa, one of the Italian restaurants in Mario Batali's empire. I got there at 10:15 and it was around a 45 minute wait til I got seated. I've been wanting to head to Lupa for some time now, for I heard great things. Now, I don't know if I'd recommend waiting 45 minutes for pasta, but Lupa doesn't disappoint.
It's a nice medium sized restaurant, with a rustic and casual feel to it. I started with a special of sliced Copa -pork shoulder ($12). They have a guy in a "meat" station next to the bar who slices many different types of fresh meat. The Copa came in 10 thinly sliced pieces. It was very fresh and delicate, and went nicely with a red wine I had.
I had been craving to try the pasta at Lupa, so I went with a special of Orecchiette with pork sausage and broccoli rabe ($22). This pasta dish was great. It was the most al dente pasta I have ever had. It was dressed with olive oil and had a nice kick to it from crushed red pepper. It was definitely a perfect pasta dish.
For dessert I tried the Lupa Tartufo ($8), which came with hazelnuts and hazlenut ice cream. It was a big ball of chocolate surrounding the hazelnut ice cream on top of some chocolate sauce. I love chocolate and hazelnut together, so of course I loved this dish. It was the pefect ending to a great little meal.
Lupa is a great place to grab some wine and some non-fussy Italian food. It's worth the wait.
Lupa
170 Thompson Street
New York, NY 10012
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( 3.1 / 157 )Last night I decided to go to the one-month old Spanish tapas spot El Quinto Pino. El Quinto Pino comes to us from Mani Dawes and chef Alex Raij, the crew that brought us Tia Pol, one of the best tapas joints in NYC.
El Quinto Pino is small. It is sparsely decorated with some mirrors on one wall, with some seats up against the wall, and a semi-circular curved small bar, with the kitchen behind the bar. The food and drink menu are written on two chalkboards behind the bar. The tilings on the wall behind the bar resembled the patterns of your grandmother's couch. You don't come to this spot for the decor. You come for the great authentic Spanish tapas.
I took a seat at one end of the bar. There were only a handful of people inside, which surprised me, for I thought it might be packed, because Tia Pol is always packed. I was happy it wasn't packed, for it gave me more time to converse with the bartenders.
I asked Veronica, one of two bartenders what her favorite dish was, and she told me it was the shrimp. I asked Matt, the other bartender what his favorite dish was and he said the braised meat sandwich. Not feeling shrimp- at the moment- I went with Matt's suggestion. I also went with the Victory Pilsner beer they had on tap.
The sandwich ($7) came out on hot and crispy bread. The meat was braised pork shoulder. It was a really nice sandwich. The flavor was really nice and the meat was well seasoned. After enjoying this tasty little sandwich I was contemplating if I should get the garlicky shrimp too. And like a mindreader, Matt comes over and asks me if I wanted the shrimp too, I of course, obliged. And I am so happy I did.
This "garlicky shrump" ($9) dish is a great dish. Four shrimp come out in a broth. It's a simple dish, but the broth had such a great flavor I loved the dish. There was a little kick to the broth, which I enjoyed, and found out was from the addition of sirancha (not sure of spelling) peppers. These are hot vietnamese peppers which gave this Spanish dish a touch of Asia. The dish came with two pieces of warm crispy bread which was perfect for dipping in the broth.
Of course, I ended up doing magic for everyone in the restaurant, which was awesome. That was a good thing too, because an Australian couple sitting next to me had ordered some crispy cracklings, which thanks to my amazing magic and winning personality, they let me try. The cracklings were delicious. The perfect bar snack.
After eating great food, and entertaining and chatting with great people, the restaurant gave me this very homey vibe. Its the kind of restaurant I love. Non-pretentious, cozy, friendly, great food, and with no dish over $15, a great bang for your buck. It is a great neighborhood joint, but I would travel from other neighborhoods for the El Quinto Pino experience. And I will, for I live in Midtown, and it is in Chelsea, an I plan on coming back often.
So for great tapas in a friendly environment in NYC, El Quinto Pino is the perfect little spot.
El Quinto Pino
401 W. 24th St. (at 9th Avenue)
New York, NY 10011
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