Miss Menu

Breath of Cool, Fresh Air

2008-06-02T09:59:00.003-04:00

So, it’s a given that there are a thousand and one bars serving bar food in Murray Hill. Some is good, some is just average. But, I am not a huge fan of the typical happy hour crowd at these places. That’s why Arctica feels like a breath of fresh air. Sure, it’s packed on the weekends, but after work during the week, there are just a handful of people in the bar, and even fewer in the back dining section. I’ve been here a few times for dinner and once for brunch, but all before Miss Menu came to be. Luckily my most recent visit was a good one as well.

It was a really nice day, and my friend and I were pleased to find out they had the back doors open. There’s a decent-sized deck that overlooks a small garden/courtyard area. It always makes me happy when I discover these little pockets of green in the midst of NYC concrete everything. The bar only opened a year or two ago, but very recently, they redid the interior…adding another bar in the back. With a ton of TVs, Arctica definitely has a sports bar vibe, but is a lot more upscale than some of the other spots along 3rd Ave. I think my favorite parts are the fireplace and the massive arm chairs that we were sat in. They are so comfortable, and on such a nice night, it was great to just sit back and have a relaxing and leisurely dinner.

The menu features some expected fare such as wings and nachos, but also features more atypical items such as fajitas and steak frites. My friend and I both ordered the veggie burger, which I had before and really loved. I added cheddar as my freebie topping. Other options were peppers, onions, mushrooms, etc. The veggie burger itself was really good, with visible vegetables inside, not just a patty of brown mush. The fries weren’t my favorite kind (small steak fries), but they were cooked well and came out nice and crispy.

The waiter was very friendly and attentive, which is always welcomed in my book. He was there when we needed something, but didn’t rush us to order or pay at all. Despite the bar's frozen arctic theme, there is nothing chilly about this place. It’s very warm and cozy, especially when the fireplace is going and good food is served in a comfy setting.

Arctica Bar & Grill
384 3rd Avenue
b/t 27th & 28th Street
website
Menu Pages listing

Almost A Great Catch

2008-06-01T23:35:00.001-04:00

Lately, I’ve been curious about what the names of restaurants mean when they are in a foreign language. After a little research, I learned that “barbounia” is a red mullet fish found in the Mediterranean waters near Greece, and is thus very common in the Greek cuisine. Seems fitting for a Greek restaurant then! They do have it on the menu, but I was going to Barbounia for brunch, and didn’t think little, fried, whole fish sounded so appealing at noon!

If you have ever walked down Park Avenue South, then you know just how many lofty, upper-end restaurants there are. Barbounia is a newer (opened in 2006) addition that sits on the corner of 20th & Park. From the second you step food in the restaurant, it quickly becomes apparent that you are in a Greek/Mediterranean restaurant. White tiles cover the floors, large columns and archways are scattered throughout the place with very high ceilings to match. One of my friends commented that she felt like we weren’t in NYC when in this restaurant, between the sheer size and the décor of the restaurant. It’s a beautiful space, if not a little bit over-decorated with fake plants and fruit baskets everywhere you look. The bar area is very nice too, and becomes pretty lively and crowded after work and in the evenings.

We were seated at a nice table in the center of the restaurant and began perusing the menu. A basket of bread was brought out, and was filled with the most delicious, fresh breads. Some were similar to a pita, and some were very sweet with cinnamon and raisins.

There were the usual brunch items, but I felt like I needed to get something more authentic. I ended up ordering the Spanikopita that came with a side salad. The menu describes the dish as crispy phyllo triangles filled with spinach and feta, but there were no triangles to be found. What came out looked almost like a pastry - it was round and coiled like a cinnamon roll. Regardless, it was absolutely delicious…super crispy and flaky, very flavorful, and a perfect proportion of feta to spinach. The mixed greens had a very good vinaigrette and was a nice compliment to the spanikopita. My friends both ordered egg dishes that were served with potatoes. One got the Athenian omelette with spinach and caramelized onions, and the other got the eggs benedict. They both enjoyed their dishes a lot too.

I had read a lot of reviews before finally making it to Barbounia about how terrible the service was, and I have to say, I couldn’t agree more. Our waiter barely spoke English, which made it very difficult to ask questions about items on the menu. If he had been Greek, I would’ve let it slide because of the authenticity! But, to work in a restaurant and not be able to communicate the dishes you are serving to your customers is pretty ridiculous. He was MIA when we did need him, but hovered while waiting for us to finish up and pay our check. After all of the dining out I’ve done lately, I think that has quickly become one of my biggest pet peeves.

Despite this, though, I try not to let poor service ruin an otherwise good dining experience between the atmosphere, food, and company. If you are in the mood for some really good Greek food, definitely check out Barbounia. But just walk in with a boatload of patience.

Barbounia
250 Park Avenue South
@ 20th Street
website
Menu Pages listing

Holy Rice-A-Roni!

2008-06-01T09:51:00.003-04:00

Rice is a restaurant that I think is suffering from multiple personality disorder. Located in the heart of Curry Hill, I always presumed it was an Indian restaurant. Then, one time when I actually stopped to glance at the menu, I also saw a few Thai dishes. So, I thought to myself, ok, maybe Rice is one of those Pan-Asian restaurants. When I finally went there for diner one night, my friend and I quickly discovered that even that broad category wouldn’t cover all of the types of dishes that Rice has on its menu. This was going to be hard for me to classify for this post! There were Mexican, French, and Lebanese items too! Now I get it…this restaurant includes cuisines in which rice places a big part.

It took us about 20 minutes to figure out what to order. So many dishes sounded really good. We started with the steamed vegetable dumplings and they were delicious. I absolutely love dumplings, but a lot of the times, they are just mediocre with indiscernible vegetables inside and a generic dipping sauce. Rice’s dumplings were freshly made with visible vegetables and were great on their own. Dipped in the sauce, they were even better! The soy-based sauce was so flavorful…a little bit sweet, a little bit tangy.

Next up, we got the Asian slaw, which consisted of shredded cabbage and carrots, sautéed arame seaweed, edamame, toasted sesame seeds, lotus roots, and Asian carrot ginger dressing. We only got a small, but next time I would order that just for myself because it was so good. Really crunchy, fresh veggies and a fantastic dressing.

Now onto our own dishes. I ordered the Mexican chicken soup with avocado, tomato, corn, rice and cilantro. When they served it, I got nervous I made a bad choice because it looked so simple and bordered on boring. But, I was really surprised how hearty this soup was, even though it was just a chicken stock. The corn was really fresh, and it was an interesting twist having avocado actually in the soup. The broth was very flavorful and had a pretty good kick to it. Luckily, I ended up pretty happy with the dish.

My friend ordered the ratatouille, a traditional French stew with zucchini, eggplant, red peppers, and onions. It came with a choice of rice: Japanese, Basmati, brown, and sticky. I tried her ratatouille with brown rice. Having had the dish in France, I can say it wasn’t quite the traditional recipe, but it was really good.

The restaurant itself is sleek and modern and is great for people watching on the main Curry Hill intersection. The lighting fixtures have burlap bags of (what else!) rice as the lampshades…a really creative touch! The service was friendly and fast. Our waitress was really helpful in navigating us through the different cuisines and types of rice on the menu. I am eager to go back to Rice so I can try out more of the dishes, more of the varieties of rice, and more of the ethnic cuisines featured on the menu. Multiple personalities or not, Rice is like a little trip around the world all from convenient Curry Hill/Gramercy location!

Rice
115 Lexington Avenue
@ 28th Street
website
Menu Pages listing

Run Like the Bulls to Pamplona

2008-05-31T14:46:00.003-04:00

One of my friends and a fellow blogger Smith was working on a feature about his favorite deals in Manhattan…some of them are well-known and some are pretty secretive. Only the cool kids are in the know! So, we met for lunch one day to try out one of the great deals. Pamplona is a modern Spanish restaurant in the Flatiron area that features a great tapas menu along with a host of other dishes. When I first glanced over the menu, my first thought was, “um, a $30 lunch during the workday isn't my idea of a deal!” Then Smith quickly informed me that they have unpublicized lunch deal: soups, salads, sandwiches all for under $6. Ahh, much better.

We walked in and saw no mention of a lunch menu, but spoke to the hostess and she rattled off the take-out specials of the day. The menu rotates daily, but from the options she told us about, it seems like there’s something on the menu for all tastes, whether it’s steak, chicken or vegetarian.

I ordered the chicken sandwich, which came with roast chicken, avocado, manchego cheese, lettuce, tomato, and a garlic aioli served on a fresh baguette. I knew it’d probably be good, but was thinking to myself, “how different can this chicken sandwich really be from the ones I order at the deli across from my office?!” Well, VERY different. First off, it was a huge sandwich, probably a foot-long, and only $6! Second, the chicken was very flavorful and moist. The avocado was nice and ripe. I love anything that has melted manchego on it, so that was a no-brainer! And lastly, the baguette was the perfect consistency…crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside.

I was sold…but, it left me wishing my office was a little closer! Smith ordered a soup/sandwich combo (which is only $5!) and got a ½ steak sandwich (prepared in a similar fashion to my chicken one) and a cup of green gazpacho. I didn’t try his sandwich, but the gazpacho was delicious and very refreshing on a warm Spring day.

If you work anywhere in the vicinity of 28th b/t Madison and Park Aves, you must try Pamplona for lunch! It’s not fair to us who work in the 40s and 50s if you don’t! Another great perk is its proximity to Madison Square Park. Fantastic way to get a great meal at a great price and break up the work day by spending lunch in a beautiful park!

Pamplona
37 East 28th Street
b/t Park & Madison Avenue
website
Menu Pages listing

Lay the S'mac Down

2008-05-30T12:26:00.005-04:00

What is there not to love about mac ‘n cheese?! And, more importantly, what is there not to love about a mac ‘n cheese restaurant?!?! Unless you’re lactose intolerant, you have no excuse! Many of you may know the goodness that I am talking about…S’mac. I had heard about this restaurant for years since it opened, but for some reason, never made it there. With my friend in from out of town, we decided to venture down to S’mac in the East Village to meet another friend for lunch.

For whatever reason, mac ‘n cheese is very popular in NYC and is easy to find on menus all around town, whether it’s as a side item or an entire entrée. Most of the time, they are pretty straightforward recipes, varying in the levels of cheesiness and crustiness. But S’mac takes it to an entirely different level. Sure, the basics are there…elbow macaroni and cheese, but that is about where the similarities stop.

The menu features 10 versions of mac ‘n cheese that literally take you around the globe, ranging from Parisienne to Alpine to Mediterranean to good ol’ American. Three sizes are available: Nosh, Major Munch, and Mongo. Let me tell you that this stuff is RICH…so unless you have a very hearty appetite, don’t be fooled by the seemingly small size of the Nosh.

Since I am literally the most indecisive person when it comes to ordering anything at a restaurant, especially one that has multiple varieties of the same thing, I quickly asked my friend if he was interested in sharing anything. We both wanted to be adventurous and try some of the creative mac ‘n cheese varieties, but felt like we couldn’t miss out on the All-American, the more typical version. It's said to be “just the way you remember it as a kid! Nostalgia at its finest.”

We decided to go with our own Nosh and then would split an All-American Nosh. I ordered the Buffalo Chicken Mac, with cheddar & American cheeses, boneless chicken pieces, and buffalo wing sauce, with the option to have it topped it off with crumbled blue cheese. It was so good, so rich, so cheesy, so spicy, and really tasted just like buffalo chicken…but with noodles! My friend got the Alpine, with gruyere and slab bacon, and really enjoyed the flavor. The All-American was phenomenal. It tasted how you expect mac ‘n cheese should taste, but turned up a few notches! And so fresh, right out of the oven with a nice crust on top. Our other friend got the La Mancha, but in the Major Munch size. She ate maybe 1/3rd of it! We helped her out a little, mainly because I wanted to be able to sample 4 varieties. This was probably the biggest departure from the traditional mac ‘n cheese, using manchego cheese with fennel and shallots.

If you’re thinking “holy crap” at this point, I’m right there with you! There was no way we were finishing all of this. Good news, we clearly weren't the only ones to have this problem. They have take-out containers sitting out so you can bring home the leftovers. And, I was pleasantly surprised at how well it reheated. For the health-conscious (although I'm not sure why these people would even be going to S'mac!), there are multi-grain and gluten-free pasta options available for every dish.

This is definitely not the type of restaurant I could dine at on a regular basis (way too rich!), but for a special treat, it is definitely worth getting a little s'mac-ed around!

S'mac
345 East 12th Street
b/t 1st & 2nd Avenue
website
Menu Pages listing

Make A Vezzo of This Place

2008-05-30T11:30:00.002-04:00

In Murray Hill, there are a hundred and one pizza places. There are a dozen and one sit-down pizza restaurants. But, to my knowledge, there is only one brick-oven pizza place. It was a very welcomed addition to the neighborhood in my book! And, I was excited to finally try it out.

Aside from its brick oven, Vezzo stood out in a lot of other ways too. As soon as I walked in, I noticed how the restaurant has a very warm feeling with exposed brick and pipes and dim lighting. And that was even on a cool, rainy night. It has a vibe that is different from any of the other Italian/pizza places nearby. It felt more comfortable and authentic with people drinking Peronis and wine out of carafes.

There was a pretty long wait on a Saturday night and virtually no waiting area. So, when a few seats opened up the bar, my friend and I were happy to sit there rather than keep waiting. We decided to share a salad and a pizza. I almost never dine at the bar anywhere, so it was fun to change it up and to also be in the middle of all the action. The hostess was also playing the roll of waitress, bartender, and busboy, so things seemed a little frantic, but service was still very quick and attentive.

We started with the Greek salad that was served with black olives, feta cheese, cucumbers, yellow peppers, sweet red onions, and tomatoes. The salad arrived very quickly, but looked like it was completely dry. Soon followed bottles of extra virgin olive oil and white balsamic vinegar. I had never heard of, let alone had, white balsamic vinegar, but I have since become a huge fan. It was similar in flavor to regular balsamic, but something about it made it better!

We looked over the huge list of pizza options and noticed how many creative combos there were: Chixpotle, El Greco, Spicy Garden. We ended up going with Fromaggio Blanco, which had fresh ricotta, fresh mozzarella, spinach, and basil. Even though it had no sauce, it was far from dry or bland. With a little dash of garlic powder, the pizza was delicious. There was a little too much fresh basil on top, but it was easy to pick off. The pizza was super thin, and the crust was perfect…not too doughy, but not too crispy.

In Italian, vezzo means "habit." They must have known they had a good thing going because I definitely would like to make a habit of this place. I am eager to go back and try some of the other pizza combinations. The other pizzas we saw on other diners’ tables all looked fantastic. Vezzo is the perfect kind of place to go with friends, sit back, and enjoy the great food, drink, and atmosphere.

Vezzo
178 Lexington Avenue
@ 31st Street
website
Menu Pages listing

Everything But the Kitchen Sink - I Miss Paris Style!

2008-05-29T09:51:00.018-04:00

Well, I have returned from the land of wine, cheese, more wine, and more cheese, and I think it's safe to say that I ate my way through Paris (and Corsica)! My brother did a phenomenal job of picking restaurants for us to dine at and buying great food for us to eat on our picnics. I couldn’t have been happier that a) the decision-making was out of my hands for a change, and b) that we didn’t waste any time roaming around from restaurant to restaurant reading menus trying to decide where to eat. As I mentioned in my first post, I always ran into that problem when I lived in Paris 6 years ago, and it was because of this that I learned the fine art of restaurant researching. I guess I have that experience to thank for the creation of Miss Menu, though!

So, I’m not going to go into detail about each of the restaurants we went to since this is Miss Menu NYC, and not Miss Menu Paris. But, for those of you who have been to Paris, are planning on going in the future, or just love the city like I do, then I figure you may appreciate a quick “best of/favorite” list.

Best falafel (IN. THE. WORLD.) – L’As Du Fallafel
I have had some really great falafel in New York and all over Israel, but this one is the best one I’ve ever had…and plenty of bigtime food critics couldn’t agree more. The name translates to "The Ace of Falafel," and they aren't joking. The falafel itself was absolutely perfect, but what made this sandwich really stand out were the toppings: grilled eggplant, seasoned cucumbers, pickled cabbage, and a really flavorful, spicy (but not too spicy) harisa.

Best salade de chevre chaud – Page 35
This salad appears on every single café/bistro/brasserie menu, but the one at Page 35 really blew me away. This one had a unique dressing (most French salads have the same generic, bland dressing) and goat cheese that was served warm on the most delicious, garlicky round toast/croutons.

Best soufflé – Le Cigale Recamier
Even though the word is clearly French, I never really thought of soufflés as being a French dish. My brother took me to this soufflé restaurant where there were 10 savory and 6 sweet soufflés on the menu (along with regular appetizers and entrees as well). I ordered a cheese soufflé for my entrée, and we shared a chocolate soufflé. Both were absolute perfection. Making soufflé is a true art form because not preparing and cooking it precisely can cause the entire thing to collapse.

Really good (but hard to pick a best!) Nutella crepe – crepes stand at Place Odéon
You have to look for a crepes stand where they are making the crepe itself to order and in front of you. Some busy crepes stands in touristy areas have a stack of already-made crepes so all they have to do is put it back on the griddle and add the toppings. This crepe was prepared fresh and the guy added ample Nutella…mmm. Sure, they have Nutella crepes in NYC. They appear at every single street fair, but you should know that the Nutella made in the US doesn’t even compare to the Nutella made in Europe. Different oils, different amounts of chocolate and hazelnut…all of these things make Nutella from Europe so much better. And that, my friends, is why I had to bring a jar home with me!

Best beer - Pietra from Corsica
I'm by no means an expert beer connoisseur, but I always love finding a beer that I really enjoy the taste of. Having had plenty of wine over the past week, I decided to order a local beer while we were sitting at a cafe on the marina in Calvi. It was really good, and came in a really cool glass too! I have no clue if they sell Pietra in the states, but I'll definitely be keeping my eyes open for it now.

Best soupe a l'ognion (French onion soup) - Cafe on Rue de Buci
This dish is one of the things I lived off of my first time in Paris, and even though they have it at every French restaurant in NYC, it was great to have an authentic bowl of it while I was there. There's always usually a good amount of gruyere or emmenthal cheese melted on the top, but this bowl literally had the equivalent of an entire package of cheese on it. Good to the last drop.

Favorite new cheese - Cantal
I have close to zero knowledge about cheeses or cheese-making, but I will tell you that this one was delicious. We bought it at an outdoor market for only 1€50 each (along with 4 others), and we ended up having it at three of our wine & cheese "pique-niques" in different parks around Paris. A piece along with a fresh baguette and a bottle of wine made for the perfect lunch or snack.

So that's my post-France wrap-up. It was an incredible trip, but it's good to be back. Don't get me wrong, I love Paris so much, but there was a lot I missed about NYC too. Au revoir, Paris...je t'aime! Good to be back, New York!

Everything But the Kitchen Sink - Paris Style!

2008-05-16T16:04:00.006-04:00

To my loyal readers - So sorry for the lack of posts lately. I have been way too preoccupied with preparing for my big trip to France!! Can you blame me?! It's been 6 years since I was there as a student, and now I'll be visiting my brother who is spending the semester there. Six days in Paris and five in Corsica = my personal heaven.

I'm very curious to see how I'll view Paris dining now that I have thoroughly fallen in love the NYC restaurant scene And even more so now that my palate has expanded since I was there last.

I am off to the land of some of my food favorites: fries, crepes (especially the egg & cheese kind I mentioned in my Midtown Lunch'er profile!), cheese, wine, and onion soup. I'll definitely be skipping the frog legs and escargot though! I'd love to one day have a Miss Menu Paris, but until then, I'll be sure to update you once I return on some of the great meals I'll have had.

Au revoir et bon appetit!

"Ess" Them by the Dozen

2008-05-04T11:25:00.007-04:00

A trip to NYC wouldn't be complete without a true New York bagel. Much like the great debate on pizza, there is much discussion as to what makes a good bagel. My favorite (and fortunately my friend's favorite too) is Ess-a-bagel. So, we decided to make a stop there on the way to the Yankees game...now that is my kind of Saturday!

"Ess" in Yiddish means "eat," and you certainly won't find me arguing with that glorious concept: eat-a-bagel. Ess-a-bagel makes all of its bagels on the premises in both locations. This ensures that no matter what time you go, there will always be fresh bagels available. Sometimes, they are so fresh that they are almost too hot to handle when you sit down to eat them. This is the reason that toasting is looked so down upon by the employees. I couldn't agree more. Why ruin perfection?! They are soft and chewy in the inside and nice and crunchy on the outside.

Everything at Ess-a-bagel is in excess. The bagels are massive and they are overflowing with toppings, no matter if it's a lot of schmear, lox, or tuna salad. I ordered the whole wheat bagel with plain cream cheese, and my friend got a sesame bagel with butter. Both had so much that we ended up scraping some off. But they were still divine.

Aside from the dozen varieties of bagel flavors, there are also dozens of schmear flavors ranging from veggie to scallion tofu to (and I'm not even joking with this) Oreo. There are dozens of "appetizing" - i.e. tuna salad, egg salad, whitefish salad, etc. and dozens of other goodies like pastries and knishes. You get the idea. Everything I've ever ordered there has been delicious, with one exception...the egg sandwiches. Because they don't have a griddle, they make their "eggs" in the microwave. If you're dying for an egg & cheese that badly, bypass Ess-a and head to your local bodega.

Ess-a-bagel seems quintessentially "New York" to me, and that's part of its appeal. Its wood-paneled walls and decor haven't been touched in decades. There are sesame and poppy seeds all over the floor, but rather than being dirty, it somehow gives the place more character.

For some added amusement, watch for the crotchety employees to speak a few words of Japanese to the hoards of tourists who found Ess-a-bagel in a guide book. And then watch the tourists' reaction...priceless.

Ess-a-bagel
831 3rd Avenue
b/t 50th & 51st Street
website
Menu Pages listing

Oh Yes to Food, Ono to Service

2008-05-03T11:21:00.005-04:00

I had a friend from home in town this weekend (who was also with me at Pompano) who used to live in New York. This seemed like the perfect reason to cash in some of my AmEx In:NYC points. These points provide gift certificates to a host of restaurants and bars around the city...some of them my friend and I have already been to and are more run-of-the-mill, and some are very upscale and ones I probably wouldn't frequent except for a special occasion. Between having a gift certificate to use at a high-end spot and a good friend visiting, Ono fit the bill.

It goes without saying that Ono is definitely one of those uber-trendy Asian fusion restaurants. Its locale alone (both in the Hotel Gansevoort and in the Meat Packing District) is enough to make this a hot spot. On top of that, as soon as you walk in, you are accosted by trendiness. The lighting is dim, the decor is modern, the DJ is spinning house music, the bar is packed. Pure swank.

We were seated on the 2nd floor next to a huge window overlooking the Ono garden and the heart of the Meat Packing District...such a great vantage point. We started with the cocktail list and both were in the mood to try something unique. I ordered the Raspirinha...a Caipirinha with muddled raspberries, except they were out of raspberries so I got strawberry instead. Cachaca is a very different-tasting alcohol, definitely nothing I'm used to, but it was a really good drink. My friend ordered a cucumber margarita that could only be described as "refreshing."

We began to take a look over the menu and noticed that a majority of it was made up of small plates and sushi, with a few large plates at the bottom. We decided to share a few things (shocker!) and ordered the chicken and scallop robatas, a spider roll, and wasabi mashed potatoes. The robatas were two skewers of each meat served with five dipping sauces. The chicken and scallops were both cooked very well and had a great grilled flavor, but it was really the sauces that made these dishes. We sampled all five and really liked them all: shisho pesto, spicy plum miso, sesame mustard, scallion ponzu, and kimchee. The spider futomaki was delicious...the crab was so fresh and fried to perfection, and the spicy japanese mayo gave it an extra boost of flavor. And as generic a side item as it sounds, the wasabe mashed potatoes were fantastic. They were creamy and garlicky, with a wasabi flavor that wasn't too overpowering. Wasabi peas were mixed in, which gave it a surprising crunch.

I never go into restaurants like this expecting the service to be phenomenal. I think it's part of the job interview that the wait staff has to prove it can be snooty. That is unless the diners are dropping hundreds of dollars, in which case they are your best friend. When our waitress heard that we weren't ordering anything else (even though our tab was close to $100), she went very quickly from friendly to pushy. She left the bill with us immediately and proceeded to stop by three times to ask if it was ready. But, then when we were actually ready to pay, she was MIA and couldn't be bothered.

But, Miss Menu is never one to let mediocre service ruin an otherwise great experience. It was the perfect opportunity to try a great new place with a great old friend.

One quick Miss Menu pointer: If you are planning on dining at Ono and want to make your reservation through Open Table, be sure to go to the site directly, not linking from Ono's website. If you do it via Ono's site, it will tell you that dining points are not applicable to that meal. Sure it's only 100 points, but with all of the dining out I've been doing lately, I'm hoping to have another gift certificate heading my way!

Ono
at Hotel Gansevoort
18 9th Avenue
b/t 13th & Gansevoort Street
website
Menu Pages listing

Yo Quiero Pompano

2008-05-02T14:17:00.007-04:00

In the past I have expressed my disdain for the Mexican food (especially burritos) in New York. But, thanks to a suggestion from a friend and fellow blogger, I have found a place that may have completely changed my opinion for good. Pompano Taqueria is the off-shoot of Pompano, a high-end Mexican restaurant run by Chef Richard Sandoval. This taco is truly a hidden gem, unless you are fortunate enough to work in the building in which it is located.

Pompano Taqueria has a small, but impressive, menu that features flavor combinations that are available on tacos, quesadillas, tortas, or burritos. I had to go with the namesake items and ordered two tacos: one Alambre with grilled chicken and one Pescado. I also made it a combo, which, for $2.50 more, gives you rice and beans, a soda, and a bag of homemade tortilla chips. But, here’s a Miss Menu tip: If you order two tacos (or more), it automatically comes with chips.

But, back to the heavenly tacos. The Alambre consisted of perfectly grilled chicken with poblano rajas (grilled peppers) and melted manchego cheese served in a flour tortilla. I have only recently begun to truly appreciate the goodness that is manchego cheese. And now that I have seen the light, I can’t get enough of it. This may have easily been the best taco I’ve ever had, and without a doubt the best one I’ve ever had in NYC. I seriously didn’t want to finish the last bite!

The Pescado featured sautéed king fish with napa cabbage and a chipotle sauce in a flour tortilla. The king fish was really tender and not fishy at all. The cabbage gave it a great crunch, but I wasn’t the biggest fan of the chipotle sauce. I know chipotle is suppose to be smoky, but this was a little too much. If you are a chipotle flavor fan, then I’m sure you’ll love this taco though.

Now, for the extras. The authentic chips were fantastic and not greasy at all. They definitely were good enough to eat on their own, but tasted even better with the salsas. There was a salsa/toppings bar next to the cash register that features 3 salsas, a pica de gallo, chopped red onions, and cilantro. I tried the roasted tomato and the tomatillo salsas, both of which were very flavorful. I didn’t even want to put them on the tacos because the flavors were so good on their own. The rice and beans were pretty disappointing. The rice was on the bland side and the beans tasted straight out of the can. I ended up pouring some of the roasted tomato salsa on them to give it a boost. It helped a little, but I would have rather had another taco than fill up on the rice and beans.

Another Miss Menu tip: If you call ahead, you can skip the line and walk right up to the front to pick up your order. If you work in Midtown West, this makes it even more reason to make the trek to 3rd Avenue during your lunch hour! The line to order doesn’t take long, but there can be a decent wait to pick up your food. I waited about 10 minutes. At least you can be sure that the tacos aren’t pre-made and sitting under a heat lamp!

All in all, this was one of the best Midtown lunches I’ve had, without a doubt. The food was delicious, and you could taste how fresh the quality ingredients were. Pompano Taqueria is seriously unlike anything else available in the area and a true culinary treat. I’m already planning my next taco outing!

Pompano Taqueria
Pavillion Food Court - Lower Level
805 Third avenue
b/t 49th & 50th Street
website

The Kitschy Cowgirl

2008-05-01T09:47:00.009-04:00

I'm not sure what it is about Southern/BBQ restaurants that make the owners feel the need to decorate it in the most over-the-top manner. They try to cover every square inch of wall space with every country/western knick knack known to man. Of course there are exceptions to this rule (the more classy joints), but Cowgirl fits right in with the "chotchkies galore" mentality when it comes to its decor.

Old highway signs, gun racks, and cowboy hats decorate the space and the wooden booths make you feel like you're in a western saloon. If I hadn't been to Cowgirl before, I would have been convinced that this place was a complete tourist trap. My co-workers and I went there for dinner before another colleague's performance a few blocks away. I quickly reassured them that it was a fun, neighborhood restaurant and we'd have a great meal.

Just as soon as we were seated and our drink orders were taken, chips and black-eyed pea salsa was brought to our table. As weird as we all thought it looked at first glance, this salsa was absolutely delicious. I didn't want to fill up on the chips and salsa too much, but luckily the little bowl went quickly among the four of us.

There were so many dishes that really caught my eye on the menu...I knew it was going to be a tough choice! Cowgirl was too unique to order any of the typical items like fajitas or a bbq chicken sandwich, so it was easy to eliminate those. Then, something stood out to me and I knew I had to order it...a Frito pie. Most of you from above the Mason-Dixon line probably have no clue what a Frito pie is. Imagine Frito chips (you know, those salty, greasy, corn chips) covered in chili and all the fixin's.

Cowgirl took it to the next level, further convincing me they have some creative chefs in that kitchen! Not only was the veggie chili (there is also the choice of beef brisket) served on top of the Fritos, but the entire dish was served IN a Fritos bag!!

The Fritos got soggy pretty quickly under the heat of the chili, but the first few bites had a great crunch. The chili itself was delicious...a little sweet, a little spicy, and had a lot of beans and veggies in it. The whole thing was topped with shredded cheddar, sour cream, chopped onions, and jalapenos. It seemed like a small portion at first, but was definitely very hearty.

So far, so good. To add to the great experience, if you order the 32oz fountain drinks, there are free refills...and you know how I feel about that! Granted most people cannot consume 64 ounces of soda in one sitting, but then again, who ever claimed Miss Menu was "most people?!" My co-workers really enjoyed their meals too. Two got the Cowtown Quesadillas with pulled chicken and another got Papa Joel's Pulled Pork sandwich. They also liked the frozen margaritas, one was mango flavor and the other was made with Jameson instead of tequila.

If you're looking for a cute (if not slightly over-decorated!) place with a lively atmosphere, great bar scene and happy hour, and some good ol' down-home cooking, Cowgirl is the place for you. Happy eatin', y'all!

Cowgirl
519 Hudson Street
@ West 10th Street
website
Menu Pages listing

Pizza Never Tasted So Good

2008-04-28T09:55:00.006-04:00

Once a year, Passover rolls around and I clear all of the off-limits foods out of my kitchen. In past years, I’ve eaten out during the holiday, but just avoided all of the breads/grains/starches that aren’t allowed. This year, I decided to test myself and take it to the next level…not eating out at all. As Miss Menu, this was definitely a huge challenge! I usually go out to dinner at least 3 times a week, and pick up lunch during work a few times too. But, I figured that it would allow me to truly appreciate the Passover story and traditions, not to mention serve as the perfect way to go easy on my wallet and my diet for 8 days.

I tried to spread out my postings so Miss Menu wouldn’t go dark for 8 days. So, while it looked like I was enjoying dinners out, that was hardly the case. It was so hard packing my lunch and eating at home for all that time! So, it is safe to say that my first meal out again to “break” Passover was even more of treat than I would have thought! Along with all the holiday traditions and meals, my family started its own tradition of breaking Passover by binging on pizza every year. And this year, although I wasn’t with my family, I still kept the tradition alive….this time with some friends. I knew exactly where I wanted to go – my favorite neighborhood pizza place that I have ordered from numerous times, but have only dined at one time (also to break Passover 2 years ago).

Libretto’s is a family-owned pizzeria that sells slices out of the front and has a sit-down Italian restaurant in the back. There is always a great debate as to what makes a great pizza, especially in New York. I have my favorites for the authentic, brick oven pizzas (like Grimaldi’s), but when it comes to the more general New York-style pizza, Libretto’s tops my list.

Walking in, I already knew exactly what I wanted…plain cheese, and a lot of it. We decided to order one plain pie and one pepperoni pie. After we ordered, we got worried that we had way too much food coming. 16 slices for 3 people. I am proud (and slightly embarrassed!) to say that we finished all of it. I accounted for 4 1/2 pieces…a new personal record! But, after basically doing the South Beach diet for 8 days and losing 8 pounds, I felt like an absurd amount of pizza was more than justified. Maybe I should start marketing the “Passover diet!”

Back to the good stuff…
While I can’t speak to the pepperoni, the plain pizza was delicious, and even better than when it’s delivered since it’s straight out of the oven. I will note that their delivery comes very quickly. The crust was cooked perfectly leaving it a little bit doughy. The sauce and cheese both had such great flavors. All together…a perfect pie.

Another factor that scored major bonus points for me was fountain soda with free refills. In NYC, free refills are very hard to come by. There is nothing worse than getting a few refills only to see $12 worth of Diet Coke on your check. I have a minor caffeine/soda addiction, so refills to go along great pizza made me a happy camper.

In addition to regular pizzas with over a dozen topping options, Libretto’s has a huge list of specialty pizzas with really interesting topping/flavor combinations. One that caught my eye for my next visit was the Pizza alla Vodka. Pizza with vodka sauce and fresh mozzarella? What could be bad?! On my first dine-in experience, I had tried the BBQ chicken pizza, which was really good too. They also have antipasti, soups, pastas, heroes, entrees, and desserts. Suffice it to say it’s an impressive menu. I have a feeling, though, that no matter how good the other dishes may be, it would be virtually impossible for me to go to Libretto’s without getting pizza. I hope the family would take that as a major compliment!

Libretto's
546 3rd Avenue
b/t 36th & 37th Street
website
Menu Pages listing

Loving/Hating Penelope

2008-04-15T23:30:00.007-04:00

While Murray Hill isn’t exactly known for its culinary wonders, it does have its fare share of ethnic restaurants, whether it’s Indian in Curry Hill, Thai, Japanese, and even Turkish. What it does not have much of (at least to my knowledge) is restaurants with comfort food. Enter Penelope – a home-style restaurant/cafe that I have a love/hate feeling towards. I’ll explain.

This neighborhood doesn’t have a ton of great brunch options aside from diners. So, that is part of Penelope’s appeal. It’s a cute country-kitchen atmosphere that offers more creative, country-style takes on traditional brunch items: Nutella French Toast, Pumpkin Waffles, chicken apple sausage, and homemade baked goods like granola, scones, and muffins. Because their food is so tasty and something different than the norm, Penelope attracts a huge crowd for weekend brunch. I went with some family one time and we were told the wait would be about 45 minutes, and it ended up being 1:45. It’s just too much. And, as a result of being slammed for so many hours on end, the service becomes pretty terrible. Clearly, this area is starving for more places like this, but until that happens, it is either miss out on Penelope or put up with an incomprehensible wait and non-existent service.

Another option is to go for dinner, and while you’ll miss out on the delicious breakfast items, you’ll still get the down-home feel and some great comfort food. That’s just what I did with two friends. Even on a Tuesday night, there was still a wait, but this one was much more manageable…only 5 minutes.

The dinner menu runs the gambit from mac & cheese to chicken pot pie to sandwiches served on hand-made organic breads. I had been to Penelope for dinner before and loved two of the sandwiches I had gotten. So, I decided on the Nice Chicken Meatball sandwich. One of my friends was torn between that and the Grilled Three Cheese sandwich, so we decided to go halfsies. Didn’t take much arm-twisting on her part!

The chicken meatball sandwich was phenomenal. It’s served on a hollowed out baguette with melted fontina, tomato and pesto mayo. The chicken meatballs were such a treat since I don’t eat regular meatballs, and were so flavorful. The pesto mayo had such a great taste too and complimented the sandwich perfectly. The grilled cheese was really good too, how can you go wrong?! Only problem was it had gotten a little cold by time it was served, but other wise the three cheeses were a great combo. It normally comes on sourdough, but the waiter was happy to accommodate my friend’s request to have it on 7-grain instead. All of the sandwiches are served with homemade French fries that sprinkled with fresh herbs…so good.

So, now you see why I have a love/hate approach to this place. It’s a really cute restaurant that feels comforting almost all around…to your eyes, to your stomach, and to your wallet. Problem is it doesn’t feel comforting to wait an hour for a table. I definitely recommend trying Penelope, but avoiding it for brunch on the weekends, unless it’s a nice day and you don’t mind standing outside.

Penelope
159 Lexington Avenue
@ 30th Street
website
Menu Pages listing

Everything but the Kitchen Sink - Sinigual

2008-04-15T14:51:00.000-04:00

In my 5 years in NYC, I have been less than thrilled with the burrito/Mexican options here. There's a great debate over which is better...Chipotle, Blockheads, Qdoba, Burritoville to name a few. They're all edible, but none of them really do it for me.

A new sign in a storefront caught my eye on my walk home from work tonight. Looks like Sinigual, a restaurant with "contemporary Mexican cuisine," is opening soon in Midtown East. I was excited for the prospect of a new Mexican food option, especially one not far from my apartment.

Much to my dismay, after doing a little research when I got home, I learned that Sinigual is a chain that is under the same ownership as Chevy's. If any of you have been to the Chevy's in Times Square, I need not say more. If you haven't been, take Miss Menu's word for it...DON'T GO! (Quick side story should explain why: I went to Chevy's with some friends a few years ago, and one friend ordered a quesadilla with sour cream on the side. Our food comes, and the waiter sets our meals on the table and hands my friend a side of sour cream. So, she asks where her quesadilla is thinking maybe it was following right behind. And, the waiter says - and I quote - "Oh, no, you just ordered sour cream." Really? Because that's a normal thing to order?!?! Long story short, they got into an argument, the manager came over embarrassed as hell, and ended up comping our entire meal. Again, DON'T GO!)

The photos and descriptions of the dishes on the website look promising though, so I will reserve judgment until I am able to try Sinigual for myself. Has anyone heard anything more about this spot? I'll definitely give you an update once it opens and I check it out.

Sinigual
150 East 42nd Street
Actual location is 3rd Avenue b/t 41st & 42nd Streets
website

Portions, Not Flavor...to the Max

2008-04-14T21:26:00.005-04:00

Since I'm not a red meat eater, I'm not one to frequent steak houses all that often (although I do love the side orders there). My roommate and I were going out for a joint birthday dinner, and she suggested Maxie's. I first thought, oh, Angelo & Maxie's...the steakhouse? Not my ideal pick. But, then I remember hearing that they opened a more casual restaurant behind it.

We met around 7:30, and while the bar area was packed with people having drinks and appetizers after work, the restaurant itself was pretty empty. As I scanned the menu, a handful of items caught my eye…some entrees, some sides. We decided that we were going to go all out and celebrate our birthdays in style with a ton of food….the only way to do it right!

We started with an order of Southern fried pickles and mac & cheese. I know to some of you, the thought of fried going with pickles may sound disgusting, but take my word for it – they’re delicious. I’ve had them at a few Southern/BBQ places around the city, and while Maxie’s version wasn’t my favorite (that title goes to Brother Jimmy’s version), they were still really good. They had a flavorful batter and were served with a tasty chipotle dipping sauce. The mac & cheese was just ok. It had a lot of cheese, especially the layer that was browned on the top that I love, but it needed either more salt or more flavorful cheeses. A little too bland for my liking.

I was feeling pretty full by this point, but I had already ordered my main dish…the Mediterranean Style Vegetable Burger. So, there was no turning back now. The menu said it came with a goat cheese sauce, so it seemed like an interesting twist on a veggie burger. Well, unfortunately, “interesting” is not how I’d describe this one. The burger itself was tasteless, brown mush and the sauce was so heavily seasoned with dill, it overpowered any hint of goat cheese. I picked at the “burger” for a few minutes, but then just gave up. The only saving grace to this dish were the shoestring fries that came with it. It was a heaping mound of crispy fries sprinkled with season salt (a fav of mine).

My roommate ordered the Maxie’s Chef Salad, which came with chicken, steak, and shrimp. Seems like a good pick for an indecisive diner! But, when the salad arrived, it looked like they forgot to finish preparing it. Large pieces of the meats and huge blocks of cheese covered the bowl. I guess they want to make you work for your food in order to enjoy it. It also had nothing else in it but lettuce, so if nothing else, it seems like the perfect dish for someone on the Atkins Diet.

So, Miss Menu has mixed review for Maxie’s, but I definitely think that had we ordered differently, we would have had a much better experience. At least the fries and fried pickles were good! The portions were all very large, so you definitely get your money's worth. Overall, it is a pretty interesting menu, different from your normal bar & grill. They have things like Kobe beef hot dogs and a Mexican burger served in a tortilla. Maxie’s would be a great place for a beer and a burger after work (or maybe during work! I won’t tell your boss.) in a restaurant that feels like a grown-up version of a typical bar, both in atmosphere and food.

Maxie's Bar & Grill
233 Park Avenue South
@ 19th Street
website
Menu Pages listing

Keep It Au (Spring Street) Naturale

2008-04-12T16:25:00.006-04:00

I met up with a friend for brunch one Saturday in SoHo on a beautiful spring day. And then, I did something I almost never do...roamed around til a restaurant caught our eye. As Miss Menu, I've become so accustomed to reading up on new restaurants and seeking out unusual places online. It's been a while since I went out for any meal without a predetermined spot in mind.

As I've mentioned before, I'm really not into the whole health/organic food or restaurant craze, so I'm always a little skeptical to try them out. My friend reassured me that I'd like Spring Street Natural, so I figured I'd be daring and give it a shot.

Since it was such a beautiful day and it was prime brunch time, we knew there would be a wait. Judging by the crowd waiting on the sidewalk and in the entry area, I was just hoping for a wait under 30 minutes. I was really hungry, so I was thrilled when the hostess said it would only be 10 minutes for a party of two.

We were seated in a little section of two-top tables that were so close together that when the girl behind me moved around, her hair would touch me...not OK. I’m pretty sure that area was made for 2 tables, but they tried to get away with squeezing in another one. We asked to move to an open table along the huge wrap-around windows. Much better. It was much more spacious, great for people-watching, and great for enjoying the sun on such a nice day.

We were given both the brunch and the lunch menus. I perused them both, and even when overlooking all the tofu and tempeh items, there were still multiple dishes that caught my eye. I was very tempted to get an omelette, but my friend reminded me that the past few brunches we’ve had together I’ve ordered omelettes. Apparently, I love my eggs on the weekends!

Between not wanting to bore you, my loyal readers, or myself, I decided to order something else, and ended up with the Grilled Free Range Chicken Burger. It was served on a toasted brioche bun with melted pepper jack cheese and chipotle mayonnaise, and came with hand-cut French fries. Not being into the free range/au naturale thing, I can’t really say if I could taste a difference between the chicken used in this burger and a chicken burger anywhere else. But, I can say that this one was delicious. It almost had the flavor of a meatloaf, with chopped onions and oregano mixed in. The pepper jack gave it a nice kick, and the chipotle mayonnaise added great flavor too.

The hand-cut fries were really tasty…fresh and crispy. The only complaint I have about them is that they were served with what I’m guessing to be an organic ketchup. Now, I’m sure it’s healthier without preservatives and partially hydrogenated whatever, but I was longing for some good ol’ Heinz to accompany these great fries.

On a negative note, I have to point out that I felt like we were being rushed the entire time. The waiter hounded us to order, and then again to pay our check. I know there was still a huge wait, but I wanted to enjoy a nice Saturday brunch and not feel like I needed to scarf down my food. To avoid this, I’d definitely recommend going here at off-peak hours on the weekend or maybe for dinner during the week. I have a feeling that the experience would be much more relaxed.

On a positive note, there were definitely a few good things to be said about Spring Street Natural. The menu is pretty extensive and offers a little something for everyone…green eaters and not. The prices are also pretty reasonable. It’s nice to see sandwiches (especially organic ones) under $10. Seems outrageous to those outside New York, I’m sure…but it’s pretty commonplace in this crazy city. Overall, I really enjoyed this meal, and think I may have turned a new leaf (no pun intended!) on this whole organic food thing.

Spring Street Natural
62 Spring Street
@ Lafayette Street
website
Menu Pages listing

Miss Menu Mentions

2008-04-12T10:53:00.000-04:00

I've always said how it's hard to find good food at a good price in Midtown, especially for lunch during the work week. Fortunately, Zach@MidtownLunch has created one of the most useful foodie sites I've come across. His goal is to help professionals like me "find lunch [and good lunch at that] in the food wasteland of New York's Midtown." He and his readers have some fantastic suggestions...definitely check out Midtown Lunch when if you're looking to spice up your lunch hour a bit!

Every Tuesday he turns over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. Last week, I was lucky enough to be profiled, and here's what I had to say:

This Lunch’er is a Marketing Manager at the Wall St. Journal who can’t wait for it to get warmer so she can eat outside at Bryant Park.

Name: Shayna

Age: 27

Occupation: Marketing Manager & Blogger (http://www.missmenunyc.com/)

Where in Midtown do you Work?: The Wall Street Journal - 45th & 6th

Favorite Kind of Food: Tie between BBQ and Mexican. Growing up in Atlanta, I was surrounded by a lot of great BBQ places. Sure, people have their favorites in NYC, but it’s just not the same when the food isn’t served with a side of Southern charm by a waitress calling you “Sugar!”

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Indian

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: 1 - Pad See Ew at Pam Real Thai Encore at 47th b/t. 9th & 10th. This is my favorite Pad See Ew in the city. The sauce is so flavorful, and the huge portion is only $6.50. Definitely worth the walk over to 9th Ave. 2 - Falafel over rice from the cart at 48th & Park. The falafel is fresh and is served with rice, lettuce/tomato, and chickpeas that were prepared in a really tasty sauce. All of that plus a can of soda for only 5 bucks. 3 - Hunan chicken with brown rice at Ho Yip at 45th & 5th. The dish has great flavor and doesn’t skimp on veggies.

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: Cranberry Deli on 45th b/t Broadway & 6th. I remember going there when I was visiting NYC with my family a long time ago. I was fascinated by the concept of so many different types of food all under one roof. Let me tell you, after being inundated by these delis for the last 5 years, the novelty quickly wore off. I will say that Cranberry may be one tiny notch up from the rest of the delis in the immediate area. You have to choose wisely if you do end up there, though. My go-to orders: The udon and soba soups, and sandwich #15 - grilled chicken with roasted red peppers, mozzarella, and pesto.

Place you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch (if any)? House of Pita on 48th b/t 5th & 6th. It was a sad day when I went there to get lunch and saw it had closed. While it wasn’t the best falafel I’ve had, I really loved their hummus and salad selections…especially the Israeli and bean salads. I heard they opened a location on 8th Ave. Unfortunately for me, it’s a little bit more of a hike, so I won’t be able to make it there as often as the original location.

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? I’d live in Paris so I could order a galette oeuf fromage from a crepe stand every day for lunch. It’s a buckwheat crepe filled with Emmenthal cheese and a fried egg. This thing puts even the best egg & cheese on a roll to shame.

Is there anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers?: I work a few blocks from Bryant Park and love eating lunch there when the weather is nice. Aside from the obvious options (’wichcraft, Chipotle, Pret a Manger, etc), does anyone have any suggestions for great (and maybe lesser known) places to pick up lunch before heading to the park?

I too can’t wait for Bryant Park to become a lunch’ing option again. For a pretty good list of lunches in the immediate vicinity, check out my Fashion Week Guide to Midtown Lunch’ing around Bryant Park. What’s your favorite Bryant Park lunch? Feel free to post it as a comment below…

GYUd Stuff

2008-04-10T10:41:00.006-04:00

Some people aren't fans of restaurants where you have to do the cooking yourself. They really can be found in cuisines from around the world...fondue, shabu shabu, and the type I went to recently at Gyu-Kaku, Japanese BBQ. I get that some people go out to dinner to escape having to cook their own food. But, I think Japanese BBQ (and the others) is so different and so much better than making dinner at home - for a few reasons.

First, you're in a restaurant setting...and a very cool one at that. Gyu-Kaku is a sleek, modern restaurant perched on the 2nd floor overlooking the hustle and bustle of 3rd Avenue. My friend and I were seated at the craziest table...it was a bench right up against the window that had a small table/bbq in front of you. Picture a booth divided in half long-ways. If you can handle not being able to gaze into your friend/date's eyes, then it's actually a cool setup! But, if you can't handle it, don't worry...they have regular tables too.

Second, cooking your own food makes a normal meal into a really entertaining experience. As long as you follow the waitress's instructions and don't start any fires, it's so much fun and can make for some really funny moments. Note to self...grill marks good, completely black on one side bad.

Third, the food is damn good. We ordered a little bit of everything so we could get the full experience. I got the chicken and chose the teriyaki sauce (one of four options). My friend got the US Kobe Beef Kalbi and chose the tari sauce. And we ordered the shrimp in garlic sauce and assorted vegetables to split. The assortment included corn, mushrooms, onions, eggplant, zucchini and cherry tomatoes.

All of the flavors and sauces were delicious. In addition to the marinades that came with each meat, there were three sauces available on the table for dipping as well: a spicy Japanese BBQ sauce, a ponzu soy sauce, and a ginger white soy sauce. Each one complimented the meats and vegetables so well. It was pretty easy to overcook the chicken since it was sliced so thinly, but after the first piece or two, I got the hang of it. Same went for my friend's Kobe beef.

We had enjoyed all of the food so far, but weren't quite full yet, so we decided we wanted to order something else. When we saw the waitress bring an order of Bibimbob to the table next to use, we knew that's what we had to get. If you aren't familiar with this dish, it's basically a rice dish that is brought out in a hot pot with chicken and vegetables. A raw egg is added table-side, and because the pot is so hot, the egg actually cooks in front of you. The waitress asks how spicy you want it and adds the equivalent amount of chili paste before mixing all the ingredients together. It was so unique and flavorful...I loved it.

Now, normally I skip dessert when I'm out to dinner unless it's a special occasion, but when we noticed the dessert that the same people next to use were preparing/eating, we had to have it....S'MORES!!!! First of all, s'mores are just so good, and second of all, where in the middle of this concrete jungle do you get to make your own s'mores?!?! We had the choice of milk or dark chocolate, and we went with the classic milk chocolate. They brought out two plates that each had 4 graham cracker squares, two pieces of Hershey's, and two giant marshmallows. They also give you really long skewers to roast the marshmallows with. So, we let the marshmallows catch on fire and blow them out, made our s'mores, and inevitably made a HUGE mess...it was heavenly.

Two BIG thumbs up to Gyu-Kaku. The food was terrific, the experience was fun, the atmosphere was very cool, and we had s'mores! What could be bad about that?!

Gyu-Kaku
805 3rd Avenue
@ 50th Street
website
Menu Pages listing

Miss Menu Mentions

2008-04-09T12:23:00.000-04:00

This whole blogging thing is still pretty new to me. Slowly but surely I'm learning the ropes, though. Aside from seeing my traffic grow and hearing positive feedback from my readers, the most exciting thing in the past 4 months has been seeing me/Miss Menu featured on other sites! Since these sites are kind enough to mention lil' old me, I wanted to share them with you too.

Cool in Your Code is an "innovative Emmy award winning “infotainment” show that breaks down what’s cool, new, undiscovered, and different throughout New York City’s 200+ zip codes. The show is currently airing 3 nights a week on NYC TV Channel 25." Each week, CiNYC's site features a different NY-centric blogger whose interview is posted on their "Around the Blog" section.

I was contacted by a CiNYC-er last month and was thrilled to share with her and the CiNYC audience my take on life in NYC. Here is the interview, which can also be seen at www.coolinyourcode.com/miss-menu:

As any New Yorker knows, you could live in NYC your whole life and be able to eat at a different restaurant every day. Miss Menu realized this exciting fact shortly after moving to the city. Coming from the South, she quickly embraced the diversity of food choices and ethnic varieties that can be found everywhere you turn. Her love of dining out became a joke among her friends, at the same time they turned to her for restaurant recommendations. On her blog, Miss Menu does not pull her punches when sharing her dining adventures. Whether she is dissing the straight out of the box rice pilaf at Ali Babi or raving about the multitude of vegetables on the pizza champion at Christina’s, there is no question where Miss Menu stands.

While Miss Menu continues to eat her way across town, we asked her what else she loves about life in the city...

What brought you to New York?
I grew up coming to New York every year with my family. The first time my parents let my brother and me go off on our own was when I fell in love with this city. We were in awe of seeing something exciting around every corner. That’s when I realized how there’s no where else in the US I’d rather live. After growing up in the South, I was definitely ready for a change of pace, and moving here after graduating from college was the perfect opportunity to take a stab at living in the Big Apple. Five years later, I couldn’t be happier.

What do you love about living in New York?
The main thing I love is the restaurants, obviously! You can find every type of food imaginable in every neighborhood. I walk down the street and get excited about spotting new restaurants I haven’t been to before and adding them to my rapidly-growing “to do” list. I also love that when I’m walking a few blocks, I can pass people from all walks of life. I love the view from my apartment window…Chrysler building to the left, and Queensboro Bridge/East River to my right. And finally, I love how at any time of day (or night), there is something going on and something to do. It’s true…this city never sleeps.

What do you think makes a New Yorker?
Someone who has thick skin and can elbow their way through crowded sidewalks. Someone with the knowledge of which way to walk when you come up the steps from the subway. Someone with the ability to quickly calculate how much to tip a cab driver. Someone who knows (not believes) that New York is the greatest city in the country, if not the world.

When you leave New York, what do you miss the most?
I miss the energy that this city has. It sometimes takes leaving New York to be reminded of how great that is. When I go home to visit my family in Atlanta, I realize how I have to take a deep breath and slow down a little. At first, it’s so relaxing. But after a while, I find myself getting a little bored and wanting to come back to NYC. And, I wouldn’t be Miss Menu if I didn’t mention how I miss the restaurant culture. Sure, other cities have some fantastic restaurants and local specialties. What makes this city so special is the ability to find fantastic ethnic restaurants within walking distance.

Do you know any tricks or insider info?
I’ve found that being even the tiniest bit friendly to service people can really pay off. I started saying “hi, how are you?” to the guy at the coffee cart outside my office. Now, as soon as he sees me walk up, he gets my order ready even if there are people ahead of me in line. I forgot my work pass one morning, and the security guard I had chatted with before let me through with no problem. I need something repaired in my apartment, and because I am friendly to the maintenance guy, he’s here in five minutes. A little geniality can go a long way!

Tell us about your blog… what is the premise, what are your main coverage areas, how did you get started?
On Miss Menu, I’m excited to share all of my NYC restaurant experiences…both the good and the not so good. Even though life in NYC can be a little uncertain at times, there is one thing I’m sure of…I will never get tired of dining out in this city. Some may say I dine out way too often, but I just think life is too short to be spent eating at home all the time when we live in one of the greatest culinary cities in the world!
This blog came to be after a few things happened: a friend kept joking that I am a walking Zagat guide; many others come to me for restaurant recommendations; and most recently, my boss nick-named me “Miss Menu” after suggesting a handful of restaurants that we could go to for an office lunch.
Follow my latest restaurant adventures, find ideas for your next meal, or even ask for suggestions. Bon Appetit!

Best corny tourist attraction that you secretly love?
Grand Central. Even though it’s a bit of a nightmare to walk through during rush hour, it really is a gorgeous building inside and out. It’s refreshing to see architecture other than modern skyscrapers. Seeing tourists taking photos of Grand Central makes me appreciate how cool it is to be able to walk through a major tourist destination on my walk to work every morning.

Best neighborhood bar?
Underground in Murray Hill. To me, it stands apart from the other bars in this neighborhood. It’s one of those bars that serves many purposes…after work bar, sports bar, lounge, outdoor bar. And, it’s hard to go wrong with their happy hour specials: $1 drafts and $3 mixed drinks.

Best late night joint?
The restaurant formerly known as Chickpea on 3rd Ave & St. Marks. It’s currently closed for remodeling and will be opened under another name, but they have some of the most authentic falafel in the city. It’s also open until 4am, which makes it a perfect fix for greasy, satisfying, late night food.

Last cultural thing that you did (movie, museum, theatre, etc…)?
I went to see the Jasper Johns’ Gray exhibit at The Met. The building itself is worth a visit. Add an incredible exhibit, and it becomes a “must see” cultural outing. It’s so impressive to see so many of his works all in one place, and to see the variety that he created using only shades of gray.

Best fancy schmancy restaurant?
Megu wins out here. Unfortunately, it’s not the type of restaurant I can dine at regularly, but I won a gift certificate to Megu at work and dined like a queen. The décor is top notch, and the food is even better. You know a place is fancy schmancy when they have a new Buddha ice sculpture brought in daily to serve as the focal point of the restaurant.

Best place to meet members of the opposite sex?
I don’t think there’s a specific spot, but I think in a city this complex, people in New York meet members of the opposite sex in a crazy variety of ways. I know people who have met on the train to Fire Island, at an apartment party, while watching a parade, and online. Some may make for better stories than others, but connecting with someone new in a city of 10 million is great no matter how it happens.

Best moviehouse?
Definitely the Sunshine Cinema on Houston. It’s a nice break from the cookie cutter mega-theaters that are found all over the city. While it lacks stadium seating, most of the theaters are pretty small and very comfortable.

A Food Network Chef's Cetrico Focus

2008-04-07T10:05:00.005-04:00

I love venturing out to different neighborhoods in NYC. Each one has such a different feel...and more importantly for Miss Menu, even more new restaurants to try! I headed down to Tribeca on Saturday to try Centrico, an upscale Mexican restaurant. When checking out the restaurant's website and menu before heading downtown, the chef's name looked really familiar to me. I put it together that Aaron Sanchez was recently a contestant on Food Network's Next Iron Chef. Then I remembered that he was eliminated pretty early on in the competition. Hmm...I was seriously hoping he left the issues he had in the Next Iron Chef kitchen out of Centrico's kitchen!

Centrico has a great corner location...perched up high with tall ceilings and large windows that give it a very open and airy ambiance. When the weather permits, tables fill the wrap-around outdoor seating area. The restaurant has a simple, yet slightly-outdated, decor that manages to feel typically Mexican without the requisite sombreros and cacti. To start the meal off right, we ordered margaritas, which came in many different flavors, both frozen and on the rocks. I got the raspberry frozen margarita, which had freshly crushed raspberries on the bottom of the glass, topped with a very strong frozen margarita mix.

On the menu, it seemed like there were more entradas (starters) than there were platos principales (main dishes). By now, I'm sure you can guess what I suggested to my friend...let's order a bunch of appetizers to split! We weren't sure how many to order, so we started with three and let the waiter know we'd probably be ordering more later. First up for the first batch was the Queso Fundido. Think small baked casserole of hot, melty cheese with chorizo and potatoes mixed in. It was served with tiny, handmade corn tortillas that tasted so different and SO much better than the standard, packaged tortilla. My friend ate the chorizo, which left me with plenty of cheesy, potato goodness. In my opinion, melted cheese almost always tastes good, but the flavor of this dish was unbelievable.

Next up was the Plantanos Rellenos...sweet plantains filled with smoky beans,
drizzled with crema fresca. Despite not seeing or tasting much crema fresca, the flavor of the plantains with the black beans was really good. Problem was, it seemed like they had gotten cold after being prepared, and weren't as good as they probably could have been. People who know me well always think it's funny that I like plantains when bananas are one of my least favorite foods (read: I can't stand being around someone who is eating one!).

Rounding out this first batch was the Tostadas de Jaiba. Having no background in the Spanish language, I got a kick out of how that word is pronounced...sounds like High-ee-buh. Who knew?! I am usually not one to eat crab, but the waiter highly recommended this dish, so I had to give it a taste. It was made up of round tortilla chips that were topped with lump crabmeat, avocado, cilantro, and the most delicious chipotle-lime aioli. I have recently decided that I love almost every aoili I have ever had...such great, creative flavors combinations.

I was feeling pretty good at this point, but my friend wasn't satisfied yet. So, we went back for more, and decided on one more entrada each. I chose the Quesadilla de Verduras and my friend got the Camarones Crujientes. The quesadilla was described as being filled with seasonal vegetables, queso oaxaca, and topped with a roasted tomatillo salsa. Sounds pretty simple, but unfortunately it was too simple. The tortilla was one of the packaged kinds, which was disappointing after tasting the handmade ones earlier. And the seasonal vegetables consisted only of mushrooms. Now, I'm no farmer, but I'm pretty sure more than just mushrooms are in season right now...somewhere in the world. Basically, the only redeeming quality was the queso oaxaca. As I said before, melted cheese always makes it better! The tomatillo salsa was really flavorful and a nice addition too. I took my friend's word for it that the shrimp were tasty. I just couldn't get over them staring at me from the plate...can't stand when they're served head-on, even when I'm not eating them!

All in all, it was a pretty good meal. Some things were definitely amiss, and I can't help but think maybe they were similar to Sanchez's mistakes on the show. But, Centrico featured some interesting twists on class Mexican dishes. While this restaurant may not be "centrico" (centrally located) in Manhattan, it's definitely worth a trip downtown. If anything, just go to sit outside and enjoy a margarita and some queso fundido on a beautiful day.

Centrico
211 West Broadway
@ Franklin Street
website
Menu Pages listing

No Longer Stoemped for Brunch Ideas

2008-04-06T15:47:00.003-04:00

I’ve been fortunately to have some really good brunch experiences since my adventures as Miss Menu began, but after the brunch I had on Saturday, these all pale in comparison. A friend wanted to take me out for my birthday (I think I stretched the celebrations out to almost 2 weeks this year!), so we decided on going to brunch. Of course, it was up to me to decide where we would be dining. I knew exactly where I wanted to go, somewhere I had had in mind since I moved into my current apartment 3 years ago...Petite Abeille.

There are a few Petite Abeille locations around the city, but because it was such a nice day out, we decided to walk to the one near Stuy Town. I don’t know much about Belgian cuisine, aside from waffles and fries. So, I was looking forward to seeing what else we were in store for.

I was expecting the restaurant to be pretty crowded, but we were seated right away at a great table in the back. Waters and a basket with pieces of fresh baguette were brought out to the table seconds later. While first glancing over the brunch menu, it became apparent that a big decision had to be made…order one of the many omelette/egg dishes, or go with a more traditional Belgian waffle. These waffles come with all sorts of toppings…ice cream, strawberries, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, the combos go on and on. While these sound absolutely delicious, I wasn’t sure I could stomach all that sweetness so early in the day. So, we came up with the perfect solution…we each ordered an omelette and we ordered one plain waffle to split as dessert. Genius.

I noticed that almost all of the omelettes had pork in them, but the waiter had no problem with us making substitutions. I ordered the Ardennaise, which came with bacon, mushroom, spinach and onion. I asked if I could substitute gruyere for the bacon, and it was no problem. My friend thought that sounded like a good idea and ordered the same thing (but with egg whites).

I was expecting to see Belgian frites served on the side, but the menu mentioned that the egg dishes were served with a small mesclun salad and stoemp. I had NO clue what that was, but imagined it would be something potato-related, since that seems like a common side brunch item. When our food arrived, I saw what I assumed was the stoemp…a big orange pile of something that resembled mashed potatoes. After one bite, we quickly realized that not only was it a Belgian version of mashed potatoes, but more delicious than any mashed potatoes I had had before. After a little Wikipedia research, I learned that stoemp is dish local to the cuisines of Belgium and the Netherlands. It consists of pureed or mashed potatoes and other root vegetables. Since what we had was pretty bright orange, I’m guessing that that carrots or sweet potatoes were included also.

The omelettes themselves were definitely worth mentioning too. The eggs were cooked perfectly, and there were ample veggies inside, all creating a fantastic taste. The gruyere inside and sprinkled on top gave it a great salty flavor as well. My friend even made the comment that she eats omelettes once or twice each weekend, and this was the best one she’d had in recent memory. Even better than the ones we had at Les Halles, and so much better than the overcooked/burnt ones we’ve had at diners recently. I couldn’t agree more.

To round out a fantastic meal, we dug into the waffle. It was golden brown, light, and fluffy. I rarely order waffles, so it was a real treat, and definitely the perfect “dessert” ending to a great meal.

The decor inside Petite Abeille feels like a quaint Belgian kitchen. Blue and white-checkered tablecloths and Belgian sea salt bottles are found on the tables. Belgian beer bottles line the shelves that circle the space. And, even though they have real menus, the dishes are also written on chalkboards that are scattered throughout the restaurant. All in all, it was a fantastic brunch. The food was delicious and the atmosphere made us feel like we were really dining in a Belgian café on a beautiful spring day!

Petite Abeille
401 East 20th Street
@ 1st Avenue
website
Menu Pages listing