Posts by bunboy

The River Café is a slightly snooty Michelin starred restaurant located right under the Brooklyn Bridge.

The best part of the experience are the views but the food was also really, really good. Worth being made to wear a jacket like a kid being forced to go to church.

River Café does a 3 course dinner for $130 and a 6 course Chef’s Signature Tasting Menu for $160. Seems like it would be worth it to pay the additional $30 bucks for the extra grub.

But we were obviously idiots, so we opted out and I’ll probably regret it til my dying day. Or at least the end of this sentence.

The Wagyu steak tartare was perfection and I don’t generally care for the stuff! You really must order it unless you’re some kind of filthy vegetarian.

My Halibut was also delicious, so order that too. Actually, don’t, because nobody likes a copy cat!

Their signature dessert is that chocolate Brooklyn Bridge situation (see below) and while it was decent, people are really just ordering it so they can throw it on the ole IG.

That’s Instagram, mom.

1 Water St
Brooklyn, NY 11201
b/t Brooklyn Brg & W Cadman Plz
DUMBO
Phone number (718) 522-5200
rivercafe.com

Amuse Bouche

Manhattan in Brooklyn!

Foie Gras Duet
classic pressed terrine of La Belle Farms,
parfait with Hudson Valley Farm, cider, walnut and warm brioche

Wagyu Steak Tartare
hand cut Kobe style beef mixed with quail egg,
Cognac gelée, traditional garnish, toast points

Waguy Steak Tartare – all mixed up

Halibut

Lamb
Colorado rack of lamb, braised lamb breast and Swiss chard cannelloni,
Sicilian pistachio and arugula pesto, whipped ricotta

Key Lime Soufflé
meringue, graham cracker ice cream

Chocolate Brooklyn Bridge
milk chocolate Marquise, raspberry sorbet,
vanilla ice cream, crisp meringue,
dark chocolate glaze

Calle Fresca
$13.00
cazadores blanco, mango, cucumber, ancho salt rim

I hate to admit it but I really like this local chain Mexican restaurant. Sadly, I believe it serves some of NYC’s best Mexican food. So very, very sad.

What really sets Dos Caminos apart (at least the Meatpacking location) is their fantastic outdoor seating. Sure, the wait time could be over an hour but a good margarita and a not disgusting taco are totally worth the wait.

With margs these good, it would be totally understandable if their food slightly sucked. But it does not! Sure, it’s not Mexico good. It’s not even LA good. But it certainly is East Coast good.

It’s pricy, mind you. You’re just going to have to get over that part.

Please don’t make me explain again how things just cost more in Manhattan. I know you respect me much more than that.

675 Hudson St
New York, NY 10014
b/t 13th St & 14 St
Meatpacking District, West Village
(212) 699-2400
doscaminos.com

Satur Farms Mexico City Street Corn
on or off the cob
$8

Complimentary Beans and Rice

Red Snapper* de la Calle**
$13.00
lime marinade, serrano chiles, tomato, green olives, cilantro

Carnitas
$18.00
slow-roasted Mangalista pork, green chile salsa, pickled red onion

Night at the Whitney Museum

Plan B-Rito – Longanisa, egg, cheese, ham, hash browns, bacon, salsa – $9.95

If I was a cheesy mofo, I would say that while the 2nd City restaurant is small on space, they’re big on flavor!

But I’m not, so I won’t.

But damn, these burritos are good! I want another one right now!

And on weekends, if you order a cocktail, the burrito is just a few bucks more! Best deal in town, especially for the west village.

Like I said, 2nd City is small, just 5 seats at the bar and maybe two little tables up front. Best to get this grub to go. But if can snag a spot at the bar, order one of their calamansi cocktails. Calamansi is a sweet, Filipino lime and it’s delicious!

Oh, by the way, 2nd City is a Filipino taqueria. Sorry, I should have gotten that out of the way in the beginning! If this was 10 years ago, I would say “my bad”.

So, I won’t.

525 Hudson St
New York, NY 10014
b/t 10th St & Charles St
West Village
(917) 639-3262
2ndcityusa.com

Calamansi Margarita – $10

Adobo-Rito – Soy Braised Chicken Burrito / Kimchi Fried Rice / Shredded Romaine – $8.95

Loring Place was a real pain the ass to get a reservation at.

Still, I managed to make it happen. Lucky for you, my adoring fans.

The dinner menu at LP seemed to be a bit more varied, with a more trimmed down version for brunch. Which is why we stuck to burgers and pizza. Everything else just becomes unimportant once you spot a big ole greasy pizza on a menu and then imagine your piggy self devouring it.

Suddenly roasted leeks or any kind of egg dish sound like the worst idea ever.

The pizza was delicious (don’t be frightened by the whole wheat crust), it was perfectly crispy (which they hardly ever are) with just the right amount of sauce and plenty of tasty meatballs.

The burger was also worth ordering.

The snap pea salad was quite pricey at $16 but really delish. Not $16 delish, maybe $8-9 delish. I mean, come on people. You can’t have a pile of peas by $1 cheaper than your big ass delicious pizza!!

Still, I say order those peas and stop being so cheap. How else will you completely counteract the effects of consuming an entire pizza?

21 W 8th St
New York, NY 10011
b/t 5th Ave & Mac Dougal St
Greenwich Village
(212) 388-1831
loringplacenyc.com

Bloody Mary

SUGAR SNAP PEAS radishes and pecorino vinaigrette
$16.00

SPICY MEATBALL PIZZA – fennel, mozzarella and shepherd’s basket cheese
$17.00

CHEESEBURGER pepper aioli and house-cured bacon
$19.00

Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong is a very popular Korean BBQ joint in Koreatown, sandwiched right next to other very popular Korean BBQ joints.

What sets this one apart?

I have no clue. I haven’t been to any of the others yet. Sorry, I’m the worst, I know.

Some items to note:

Go early or be prepared to wait.

When you order the Large Beef Combo ($104.99), you’ll get a full steak (we chose the rib eye)! Do not fear, it shall be expertly cooked for you and it ended up being the highlight of our meal!

You can eat the meat with slices of lettuce or beet stained daikon radish slices. No rice paper squares.

The banchan (the little side dishes that automatically come with Korean BBQ) did NOT include the infamous, mayo-heavy Korean potato salad. I love this stuff, so it was a big bummer for us.

The Large Beef Combo was just enough for 3 people, NOT enough for 4.

Ok, that’s all. You can go now.

1 E 32nd St
New York, NY 10016
b/t 5th Ave & Madison Ave
Koreatown, Midtown East
(212) 966-9839
baekjeongnyc.com

Rossopomodoro is a spacious Italian eater in the west village that serves a truly fantastic pizza.

Too bad the name is 8 characters too long.

They also make a mean cocktail, which makes this the perfect neighborhood joint, even if you live in a different neighborhood.

I’m in a hurry, so that’s all I got for you today! Worst restaurant reviewer, ever!!

118 Greenwich Ave
New York, NY 10011
b/t Jane St & 12th St
West Village
(212) 242-2310
rossonyc.com

Complimentary Olives and Fococcia

SALSICCIOTTA • $20
tomato, mozzarella di bufala, sausage, mushroom

CHITARRA CACIO E PEPE • $17
parmigiano, pecorino, black pepper

Ross

Dinner is a strong word for what we ate tonight at The Smith.

It was more pre-theater drinks and apps.

Well, it may have been dinner for some folks. You know, those with human sized appetites.

No one who has eaten with me would dare suggest my apetite resembles anything human.

The Smith is a NYC chain (now in DC) with pretty decent grub so I wasn’t even going to waste my time with a blog post. However, there is one epic thing to come here for…their legendary Mac and Cheese.

There is no reinventing of the wheel here. No lobster or pulled pork or vegan situation. Not someone’s take on a mac and cheese.

Just simple, amazing, gooey wonderment.

The monstrosity is baked in a mini cast iron skillet and topped with a glorious crispy cheese blanket or roof, if you will.

We also ordered oysters (fine), spicy salmon on crispy rice (the rice was really hard to bite through) and a couple of Manhattan cocktails (decent).

If you’re here for a quick bite before seeing whatever show you paid way too much for at Lincoln Center, then either lower your expectations or resign yourself to the inevitable food coma in store for you if you go the Mac and Cheese route.

Otherwise, if you’re treating yourself with the ballet or opera, may as well hit up Bar Bouloud beforehand and give yourself a proper early bird meal.

1900 Broadway
New York, NY 10023
b/t West 64th St & 63rd St
Upper West Side
Website

The server at this popular ramen joint right next to the MOMA PS1 museum building warned me about the extra large noodles in the Spicy Miso ramen dish I had ordered.

Did I listen?

No.

Did I like the noodles?

No.

Is this all my fault and I should just die?

Yes.

Was the broth amazing?

Yes!

I tried their signature Mu Ramen dish, with it’s oxtail and bone marrow broth and found it a bit to delicate (almost bland) for my tastes but my dining companion slurped up every bite!

While this place was cute and the ramen was good, I wouldn’t make a special trek for it.

Plus, they’re cash only. What’s a cash??

12-09 Jackson Ave
Long Island City, NY 11101
Hunters Point, Long Island City
(917) 868-8903
ramennyc.wix.com/popup

Tebasaki Gyoza 16
deep fried chicken wings stuffed with foie and brioche

SPICY MISO $16
red miso and pork based soup, topped with scallion, chopped pork, menma, corn, sesame and chili oil

MU RAMEN $22
oxtail and bone marrow based soup, bisket, half sour pickle, menma, cabbage and scallions

MOMA PS1 Musem

MOMA PS1 Museum

Empellon is one of those eateries that falls into the “Expensive and OK” category of NYC Mexican restaurants.

There are only two categories.

The other is “Cheap and Bad”.

Sure, I’ve yet to come across a “Expensive and Bad” Mexican restaurant, but I may have also been in the midst of a deep Margarita stupor to be thinking clearly.

Two little tacos are $16, which is kind of outrageous, even for NYC.

The two we tried, the Tempura Fish and the Lamb Barbacoa were both actually quite good.

And the guacamole, while not very spicy, was also nice.

The two “salsas” that come with the chips were more like flavorful cream sauces. Which I quite enjoyed. But salsas, they were not.

Everyone else at the table ordered Chilaquiles, which appeared to be quite uninspired. However, they were scarfed up, so they were not “bad”.

The margaritas were tasty but weak, but that could be the brunch time recipe. No one was looking to be hammered by 1 pm. It wasn’t Saturday, after all.

The thing about Mexican brunch in NYC, is that it’s kind of a no brainer. It’s never usually outrageously expensive, it’s always going to be lively (thanks to the Margs) and there isn’t usually a long wait for a table, since they don’t ever make it to Eater’s 38 essential restaurants list.

230 W 4th St
New York, NY 10014
b/t S 7th Ave & 4 St
West Village
Website

Spicy Cucumber
Pueblo Viejo Blanco, Fresh Cucumber, Jalapeño Tincture, Chile Salt
$14

¿Porqué No?
Cimarron Blanco, Fresh Pineapple, Cilantro, Serrano Tincture
$14

Guacamole With Two Salsas
(smoked cashew, salsa roja)
$15

Fish Tempura with Cabbage and Lime Mayonnaise
$16

Lamb Barbacoa with Cucumber and Salsa Borracha
$16

CHILAQUILES VERDES
with Black Beans and a Sunny Side Egg
$14

CHICKEN LIVER
[mousse, ny maple, milk bread]
$13

Tuome has been around for a while, but it’s always lingered on the peripheral of my radar.

I’m so glad I made the effort to dine here recently because it’s really a worthwhile experience. Much more so than the previous pointless sentence.

One suggestion, don’t freak out about the fried deviled eggs. I really don’t think they work. Hot deviled eggs just seem wrong. So did not finishing every bite, so keep that in mind.

The chicken liver mousse was excellent, definitely order this. The honey really brought it over the top.

The lamb was also quite special and a nice sized portion.

It’s beer/wine/sake only so don’t be fooled into ordering one of their $13 cocktails that don’t contain any actual liquor.

Sake cocktails are a big pet peeve of mine. It takes about 4.9 of them to acquire an adequate buzz. And by then you’ve gone broke.

BROCCOLI
[fermented shallot, garlic, sichuan chili]
$9

EGG
[deviled, crispy, chili]
$8

CHICKEN LIVER
[mousse, ny maple, milk bread]
$13

LAMB
[english peas, shishito, black pepper sauce]
$32