Falapheler

Toloache: Me Emborraché

2008-07-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

Toloache: 251 W. 50th (Bet 8th and Bway), Midtown

Toloache gets its moniker from a Mexican flower, supposedly used in the creating love potions. Call me a disbeliever, but I'd bet on the potency of tequila before the flower. Flower or not, I love Toloache. As far as this gringa can tell, the food is authentically Mexican, with clearly decipherable ingredients, a sharpness of flavor, and freshness of ingredients that I think Rick Bayless would appreciate in crusading for the cuisine. There don't seem to be any bad dishes on the menu, unless "bad" means walking a little sideways from one of their potent cocktails. I've had the "Tacos de Pescado" (fish tacos) a few times and enjoy the small, but satisfying portions of all dishes from ceviches to salads. Despite the tired ubiquity of guacamole in Mexican cuisine, Toloache's trio of guacs manages to resuscitate the classic with three distinct versions using incremental spice: traditional (cilantro, tomato, onion) fruit-packed (with pomegranate, peaches, mango, and habanero), and spicy (red onion, chipotle, and queso fresco). You'd be un burro to dismiss this as just another "Tex-Mex" restaurant or a margarita bar. Given the fact that they have an intimidating list of tequilas, my recommendation is to go for the food and stay for the drink (my dad likes the Bohemia beer...he enjoys pronouncing the "soft b"). If only Gabriel Garcia Bernal would join me in imbibing one of those intoxicating Toloache potions...

The Aris-tocracy: Grill 21

2008-07-09T19:08:00.000-07:00

Grill 21: 346 E. 21st St. (bet 1st & 2nd), Gramercy

When eating like a rockstar, it helps to have an adventurous spirit and an insider connection. Fortunately for me, the insider connection came via my world traveler friend and fellow foodie, Bea. Her friend, Aris (the happiest human on the planet) is Executive Chef at Grill 21 where he’s charged with preparing familiar Filipino fare. Last night he demystified the cuisine, leading me on a full-fledged tour-de-eat. We ordered a deliciously milky concoction, Ginataang Sitaw & Kalabasa (string beans and squash sauteed in coconut milk with shrimp) followed by liempo--tender, heavenly bite-sized pieces of grilled pork. For dessert, we gobbled down Halo-Halo. Translating to "mix mix," this colorful dessert comes in the form of a trifle: lavender-colored Ube ice cream tops milky shaved ice, and a cocktail of flan, sugary beans and gelatin cubes. As a finale, Chef Aris serenaded me on guitar, playing his rendition of Queen's greatest hits. I have no doubt that Freddie Mercury would have loved the food and the cover. Aris, You're Best My Friend. Save Me from your food.

Low-Key Aoki: Lunchtime lounging for the Weary Office Set

2008-07-09T17:43:00.001-07:00

Aoki: 234 W. 48th St. bet. 8th Ave. and Broadway (Midtown)

I used to think that midtown was the armpit of Manhattan. I’ve skipped, walking, ran, biked, Rollerbladed and subwayed my way to work at Rock Center. No matter the method of transport or how quickly my commute, it always felt like I was entering a geographic vise—a compact matrix of dark-suited business people and rogue food deliverers all in one dirty air zone. It took some time for me to warm up to the area, but eventually I learned to appreciate the convenience and perks of working in center city or, “the pit” and began to find my nosh niche. Using my acute sense of smell and innate stealth, I quickly maneuvered past my beloved cafeteria noodle bowl, outside of my Lego land skyscraper and around the enormous deli buffets to the good stuff, the hidden restaurant scene. Aoki, it turns out, was to be my first beacon of hope. This calming Japanese oasis feels large and airy with a trickling waterfall and a colorful anime mural. The lunch specials are even more refreshing: Salad or soup and a choice of two rolls for $11 or the same with choice of three rolls for $13. There is usually no wait and the speedy service ensures a timely, if undesirable, return to the office. Yes, Grasshopper, you have learned well.

Vezzo: Mayor of Shroomtown:

2008-07-07T20:30:00.000-07:00

Vezzo 178 Lexington @ 31st (Murray Hill)

When it comes to pizza, I’m an absolute die-hard thin crust-er. Vezzo, one of three sister Italian restaurants (along with Posto and Gruppo) makes exceptional thin crust pizza. Thankfully for me, all three are on the east side. One pie in particular, the “shroomtown,” is in a class of its own. While most gourmet mushroom pizzas I’ve tried are “white” (sauceless), this fabulous fungi-filled one packs more flavor with a triple dose of mushrooms (portobello, shitake and button) on a bed of marinara, cheese and truffle oil, which I like to refer to as the white glove treatment. The spice of the marinara and earthiness of the truffle oil meld beautifully with the mushroom trio. You can also create custom pies (starting at $6.50 for 9’’ or $13.00 for large 16”) from a selection of three different sauces and a variety of fresh toppings. Vezzo offers a small, but choice selection of wines, beers (3 on tap and a few Belgians by the bottle) and classic sodas like ginger beer. They also deliver everyday until 10pm, but the booths are comfortable enough to make you stay put and hold your horses for a few.

Make the Odyssey to Penelope

2008-07-05T13:08:00.000-07:00

Penelope: 159 Lexington Ave. at 30th St. (Murray Hill)

Penelope was the first restaurant I knew in my neighborhood before I moved there. A year before, I had been treated to a last-day lunch there as photo intern for Shape en Español. Little did I know, that it would become my neighborhood staple, my comfort kitchen. Specializing in “homestyle cooking,” Penelope prepares “mom’s recipes” with a veggie-friendly twist all day long. My starred favorites are the Mac & Cheese and Ellie’s Spinach Pie. The cupcakes are also dangerously good and can compete with the likes of Magnolia and New York’s other cream-of-the crop cakes. The light blue and peach walls and wooden paneling provide the perfect stylistic complement to the homespun food, taking a page from June Cleaver. Be prepared that most of the portions, especially the sandwiches, are very heavy-handed. Like mom’s cooking, there are usually plenty of leftovers. Don’t rush, just let it linger and enjoy the homespun goodness. Penelope is usually packed so my advice is to avoid the brunch hour and venture over early on an off night.

Duty to the Koi

2008-07-03T15:39:00.000-07:00

Koi Sushi-Chinatown (address unknown)

A mini panic set in when I got my notice for jury duty in the mail. I was not looking forward to what I thought would be a cruel exercise in the judicial process. I was incredibly nervous about the commitment involved in a trial and having a stranger’s fate potentially lie in my hands. Fortunately, my time with the court system was rather mundane--nothing like Law and Order, more like Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. The first day of selection, we were all given an hour and a half lunch, which left me plenty of time to scout out lunch. Had I not been so excited to be outside in the day sunshine, I would have been paying more careful attention to my direction. All I can tell you is that I had one of the best and cheapest meals at Koi Sushi (not to be confused with the upscale, midtown place), a tiny storefront connected to a proportionally tiny mini mall just a short walk from the Centre St. courthouse. Their dirt-cheap lunch special offers two rolls and soup or salad for $6.50. There’s no seating inside and just a few tables outside so unless you are alone I’d opt for take away. Back at the courthouse, my name was never called. After the end of day two, I skipped home smiling and reveling in my great food fortune. If anyone ever discovers the location of my secret Chinatown treasure, please share!

Pigs and Winopottamuses: The Bourgeois Pig

2008-07-03T15:29:00.000-07:00

Bourgeois Pig (East Village) 111 E. 7th St. (bet. 1st Ave. & Ave. A)

I love New York for its transformative powers. Like Alice falling down the rabbit hole or Lucy entering the wardrobe, walking through a doorway can feel like entering a new world. The passport for entry into the ‘The Pig’ is a penchant for wine and an imagination for being in a late 19th century French cabaret (minus the performers). No matter the time of day, the Bourgeois Pig has a diffused, merlot-like glow, easily the backdrop for lounging courtesans, or wine drinkers. The candles, chandeliers and worn velvet and brocade-tufted chairs conspire to create a Baz-Luhrmannesque staging. I’ll admit, I’ve only been to ‘The Pig’ once, on a Tuesday, when all bottles of wine are…steady yourselves…HALF PRICE! In fact, I was so excited about the free-flowing wine that I didn’t venture beyond the heavenly cheese plate. The only negative was the heat and poor air circulation. Sitting in this packed bar on plush furniture on a hot day, I was definitely more sweaty than bourgeois.

The Hotness: Subtle Tea Teahouse

2008-06-29T18:00:00.000-07:00

Subtle Tea (Flatiron), 121 Madison Ave @ 30th St.
My tea drinking began in college when heavy coffee consumption started ripping apart my stomach lining. After a vacation to Stockholm this past March, I became even more interested in its added health benefits after noticing that the Swedes, happily peddling their bicycles in the slushy streets, just didn’t seem like a coffee culture. Maybe I was just giddy with excitement in the enjoying a foreign culture, staying in a hotel owned by an ABBA bandmate, or (most likely) my painful sore throat craving hot, southing liquids. In any case, I was struck by both the ubiquity of teahouses and the apparent calmness of the Swedes. Again, I could have constructed this correlation in my delirium of Swedish cough syrup and 7 Eleven candy, but I noticed an improvement in my usual high-strung tendencies and decided to continue my little tea drinking case study back home. This was challenging as I’m also a coffee drinker and am surrounded by 6 Dunkin’ Doughnuts and 4 Starbucks in my neighborhood. Thankfully, I stumbled into Subtle Tea before I had too many glazed doughnuts under my belt. Nestled in one of Manhattan’s dead zones on lower Madison Ave., Subtle Tea is like a ruby in the emerald city. This intimate, earth-hued standout is not a full-service restaurant, but they do have lots of goodies including Rice to Riches rice puddings and an assortment of pastries and sandwiches. Nobody should leave without trying one of their teas—an enormous selection of custom-blended premium loose-leaf teas, categorized as “Morning”, “Afternoon” or “Evening” to help customers gauge caffeine intake (distinguished by the amount of oxidation that a type of tea undergoes…the more oxidized, the more caffeinated.) and a selection of fruity ice teas. More upsides? There are no angry baristas yelling across the room, long lines, or weirdoes lurking in the corner (it’s too bright inside to effectively lurk). The interior has welcoming natural accents like wood paneling and green walls. There’s also a communal table, free WiFi and plenty of outlets—to appease their younger crowd (definitely not the stereotypical tea drinker set). In addition the teas and snacks, they also offer a variety of gifts and even…coffee (gasp!). The staff is always helpful and friendly—offering recommendations for the newbie.

Z-Love and the Special Sauce

2008-06-17T20:11:00.000-07:00

Ziggiz (Gramercy), 333 3rd Ave. (bet. 24th and 25th)

Good burgers are surprisingly tough to come by in the city even though the streets are littered with burger joints with gimmicks (On 9th avenue and 35th, you can get them with cupcakes). Hmm. Let’s see. There’s Better Burger, Burger Heaven, Burger joint, BLT Burger—all trying to create their own spin on the burger and surreptitiously corner the market. It seems like most cultish burgers (like the Bistro Burger from Corner Bistro) only rise to stardom after a humble upbringing, a slow-growing fan base, and lots of drunken men. (I’m pretty sure that McDonald’s and Aerosmith would agree). Ziggiz doesn’t advertise their burger and they don’t really need to—spillover from Mad Hatter, Hairy Monk, Molly’s Shebeen, and other pubs creates main arteries to Ziggiz. At $3.95, Ziggiz’s burger is a steal, and at naively thought it was a well-kept secret. Then, once after ordering, the cashier looked me in the eye and said knowingly, in a sage-like voice, “You like the burger,” nodding slowly in agreement. I knew the secret was long past secret, but why so good? Their no nondescript pinky-orangish mystery sauce is a fantastic complement to this juicy, yet manageable burger. The fries are also pretty tasty too—thin, crispy, hot and a never-ending supply make them also perfect for those hard-to-get-out-of-bed-Saturdays. The veggie quesadilla ($5.90) is a nice vegetarian option, packed with onions, tomatoes and zucchini.

Luzzo's (East Village) 211 1st Ave. bet 12th & 13th.

2008-06-16T21:49:00.000-07:00

Luzzo's has received a lot of attention from their famous friend, Martha (I suspect insider treatment... she’s even got a pizza named after her). Happily, Luzzo’s is still accessible to the rest of us. The fried artichokes and calamari are flaky, tender and delicately crispy--easy favorites. If these Italian standards are the consigliere, than the pizza is hands down the Don—authentic Italian, coal oven-cooked with barely-blackened edges and large, doughy slices of mozzarella-- requiring many to successfully hit. The mostly-male servers may not be the most skilled English speakers, but who cares? These dark-eyed, plain-clothed Adonises are the appetizers and delivery channels for these perfect pies (like the veggie-packed Ortalana). A large pizza is just enough for 3 (about $10 per person). You don’t have to make reservations, but it may secure your spot in main dining area. If you like Luzzo’s, try Una Pizza Napoletana.

Careening la Carrera

2008-06-16T19:21:00.000-07:00

Bar Carrera (East Village) -175 Second Ave.,11th st and 2nd ave

Inside the blurred glass panels of Bar Carrera lies a different world, a world where sparkling Basque wine flows like a waterfall from a few feet above the bar, where eggs (not pigs) are wrapped in blankets (blankets soaked in truffle oil) and where the Alhambresque mosaic tiles exude an undeniable sexiness like Gabriel Garcia Bernal in any movie that he’s in. These northern Spanish dishes are based more on Basque cuisine than traditional tapas, but give a mouth-watering sampling of Spanish staples in dishes like Patatas Bravas, as well as some more creative northern flavor applications like the refreshing Cucumber Sangria. Owner Frederick Twomey proudly shares that the gate leading into the newly opened seating area is a few hundred years old, perhaps a larger symbol of Spain's (and respective regions’) emergence as a culinary powerhouse. Spend some time at Bar Carrera and it easily starts to feel like a second home—a home where mom is two tiny, talented South American chefs and her homemade cookies are bite-sized cheesecakes and hunks of freshly-shaved Belgian chocolate. This is a bar where eating dangerously pays off, resulting in a heavenly trippy state that removes the daily stresses of work, bills and a bloated gut (that's the cruel next-day hangover). Individual pintxos average about $5 a plate, and with small bites, it's tough to stop. After every meal at Bar Carrera, I walk away with a sense of accomplishment and silly grin on my face—convinced of my divine powers—and always, reaffirming my addiction to all-things Spanish.

Home Is Where the Wine Is

2008-06-11T17:39:00.000-07:00

Let’s face it…it’s tough to eat out cheaply when you’re craving a glass of anything alcoholic to stave off the work week demons. Want to keep your extra hard-earned dinero? Grab a bottle and head home. It’s nothing new, but restaurants have mastered the art of the markup. There’s also no way to tell how long a bottle has been opened (wine bottles should have one of those freshness strips like battery packaging). After a long day, I skip the restaurant and head home with my liquid comfort. My new favorite pairing: a Kashi thin crust frozen pizza, $6, (no, it’s not made of granola and it doesn’t contain hemp seeds) and a bottle of 7 Daughters Red Winemakers blend, $14 (http://www.7daughters.com/). This wine is a great value and packs some serious flavor. The peppery finish meshes nicely with the tomato base of this crispy, veggie-packed pizza. It’s the perfect go-to for broke kids with high flavor standards—like me.

A Good Banc for Your Buck

2008-06-09T14:34:00.000-07:00

Banc Café – 431 3rd Ave @30th St.
This self-proclaimed “Manhattan bar and restaurant lounge inspired by images of an old Parisian establishment,” looks more like its Irish pub neighbors in disguise than a stylish, European dream. True to the hood (frat boy row), the inside was bustling with more rowdy bar-goers than diners. Don’t be deceived; this bar/restaurant is no typical watering hole and this food is not the usual greasy fare. Though the menu lacked a clear identity and was a tad aspiration (a raw bar, stuffed cornish hen and specialty martinis conflict with the idea of shepherds pie and daily 4pm-8pm happy hour specials), the food and service were beyond expectations—fit for grazing and gorging alike. The mixed seasoned greens ($6) were a generous serving of large, leafy vegetables—more than just a handful of microgreens—and the trio of dumplings (pork, veggie, chicken $9) were not the frozen doughballs from the grocery store, but uniquely flavored mini meals. Banc is overpriced for the neighborhood, but still a wise choice to invest in.
http://www.banccafe.com/