Entries categorized as ‘GRUB - Reviews’
Tuesday, March 16, 2010 · 1 Comment
GRUB 411:
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PUERTO SAGUA: 700 Collins Ave; Miami Beach, FL 33139; (305) 673-1115
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TYPE: Cuban
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PRICE: $$
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QUICKVIEW: Unassuming, delicious Cuban food. Not fancy, but definitely flavorful! Great guanabana milk shakes on a hot Miami day.
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SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥♥½ / ♥♥♥♥♥
FULL REVIEW
Miami’s always a quick getaway for New Yorkers. Years ago, I used to frequent David’s, which was a low-key, down & dirty Cuban place. But they’ve since let go of their space and have been reduced to a “take-out” window on 11th Street.
Much to my happiness, my friend Harmeet wised me up to Puerto Sagua 2 years ago. Almost identical to the old David’s I knew, Puerto Sagua is a two-part establishment on 7th & Collins Ave: one part is a restaurant, the other is a diner-type counter setup.
I’m no Cuban food expert, but I likes what I likes. Puerto Sagua delivers hearty, flavorful food, and never fails to satisfy. I try to eat there every time I’m in Miami.
My dining motto is always: FLAVOR before FRILLS. And that is definitely Puerto Sagua!
Here are links to the extensive, bi-lingual menu!
This past visit, I just had time for brunch (my last meal in Miami!), but here’s my delicious meal:
- Spanish Omelette: Spanish sausage, ham, potato and onion. This is like my ideal dish: 1) Egg a-plenty, 2) HAM = Pork, 3) Onions, 4) Spanish Sausage…even MORE PORK! By conventional “fine cooking” standards, the egg is probably over-cooked, but by “HP real people” standards”, this is PERFECT. SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥♥½ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- Cafe con Leche: steamed milk with espresso. You may be scratching your head, “Isn’t this what a latté is?” Technically…yes. But Cafe Con Leche is SO MUCH MORE. I think the espresso portion is brewed with beans from Latin America so the flavor is more rich, less bitter, all flavor. So heavenly, in fact, that I had to have 2 cups! SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- SAUCE! What would any dish be without fixins. In the middle of each table at Puerto Sagua Restaurant, there’s a host of condiments, ranging from salt & pepper, A1 to all types of hot sauces! This one was my fave:
Categories: GRUB - Reviews
Tagged: Cuban, Miami, Puerto Sagua
Monday, March 1, 2010 · 4 Comments
GRUB 411:
- SOUTHERN SPICE: (official website), 143-06 45th Ave, Flushing, NY 11355; Phone:(718) 359-3486
- TYPE: Authentic South Indian cuisine
- PRICE: $½ (we were a dinner party of 15, and it was only $30 each)
- QUICKVIEW: Was dragged out here by a bunch of my Indian friends, which was a huge endorsement. Savory, spicy and deep flavors, WITHOUT being overly salty. Deep, slow cooking has allowed this unassuming restaurant to make a lasting culinary impression.
- SPECIAL NOTES: It’s BYOB. Also, they offer lunch buffets every day from 12pm – 3pm
- SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥♥¾ / ♥♥♥♥♥
FULL REVIEW:
It was the Saturday after our big snowstorm, and a bunch of my Indian friends planned an outing to South Flushing to eat some Southern Indian cuisine. Now you know that when anything’s reppin’ the South Side of any place, it’s “go hard or go home!” Southern Spice was no exception.
We all took our respective cars or Zipcars out to Southern Spice. Not easily accessible by public transpo, this restaurant is located right behind the Ganesh Hindu temple, so you know it’s gotta represent!
This is a casual, hole-in-the-wall kinda place. The kind of place where they don’t have to overcompensate with decor, because they know their food is THAT badass. Chef Sridhar Rathnam used to own Madras Cafe in NYC, before decided to move his establishment to Queens.
The food was EXCEPTIONAL. Chef Rathnam stayed true to the art of slow-cooking, allowing the flavors and spices to deeply penetrate the heart of each and every dish.
KEY: everything was rich and flavorful, but not salty. Often, I think restaurants think adding salt will amp up the flavor profiles of dishes. Not so at Southern Spice. It’s true flavor and care that shines through each dish.
SPICE NOTE: some of their dishes are not for the Spicy Shy. Rest assured some dishes pack a powerful punch, so be cognizant when ordering.
MENU:
Here’s a plate-by-plate of our fantastic feast!
APPETIZERS:
- IDLIES: steamed lentil & rice dumplings, served with sambar and chutney. The Idlies actually reminded me a lot of Korean dduk, which is also a rice “dumpling”. The sambar (vegetable stew) was delicious w/ a little kick at the end. Don’t think the other bowl was “chutney”, but I think it was a lentil purée of some nature. Personally I didn’t quite understand the lentil purée, but it was my first time having this and it was delicious. If I were home sick on a cold winter day, I’d want to eat an entire bowl of that sambar all by myself. SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥½ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- SAMOSA CHAAT: vegetable samosa with chickpeas and tri-color chutneys. I think I can safely say: “Anything’s better with Chick Peas.” These looked like the Indian version of Nachos on the table, but they were far from it. The samosas themselves were delicious & homemade. The seasoning was less pungent than other samosas I’ve tried, but in a good way; they strong enough to get a sense of flavor, but mild enough to let the taste of the vegetables come through. The chutneys slathered on top did make the samosa shells a bit soggy, but it wasn’t tragic. SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- NEER MORE, diluted yogurt drink with tempered spices. My friend ordered this — she said it’s like a watered down Lasse, except instead of fruit flavors, they add spices. I didn’t try it, but I wanted to share b/c I’d never seen it before!
ENTREES:
- KERALA CRAB CAKES: in a mild coconut sauce. I didn’t know crabcakes were such an indigenous Indian dish, but I see them often on menus. As far as crabcakes go, they were extremely meaty and well-seasoned, but there was nothing holding them together. As soon as you dug your fork into the cake, it crumbled a bit. Coconut sauce was neither here nor there. I think a little acid would’ve brought the flavor of the dish a little more, and it was lacking that. SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- PAPPU KOORAKU: spinach and lentil mash (VEG). The description and the appearance hardly does this dish any justice. It was hearty, spicy from garlic, and overall — it rocked my world. I would have bathed in it if I could. But the texture definitely seemed a little too “mashed”. Would have liked less “mashing” and more “meshing” of the 2 veggies. Texture can make or break a dish for me. SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥¾ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- TARKHA DHALL: seasoned, slow cooked red lentils. I was never a huge dhall fan — but clearly because I’ve never had it prepared right: by far the best dhall I have EVER tried in my LIFE. Thick, hearty and bursting with flavor (garlic — yes, please!). I could have this dhall + naan for a meal and be blissfully happy. SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥
- CHICKEN 65: Chennai’s special spicy chicken with southern spice and curry leaves. While I’m highly skeptical that “Chicken 65″ is an authentic Indian name for this dish — I don’t care. It’s damn good. In a way, it kinda reminded me of a dry-rub jerk chicken dish. But as I mentioned before: when they say “spicy”, they mean it! This dish was too spicy for some of my cohorts. Lucky for me, I have an asbestos tongue. So for me, this was one of my favorites. SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- MUTTON CHETTINADU CURRY: goat with masala gravy. Unfortunately I’m not a mutton/goat/lamb/veal/other meat lover, so I didn’t try this dish. But it was one of the chef recommendations.
- ALOO GOBI (minus the gobi). This wasn’t on the menu, but the closest way of describing this is “Aloo Gobi, Minus the Gobi”. Regardless, it was delicious. Sauce was flavorful, potatoes were cooked-through (but not soft). SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- OKRA: This wasn’t a dish on the menu, and I’m mortally upset by this. First, let me preface by saying: I HATE OKRA. Every time I’ve had it (mostly in gumbo), the texture has been slimy — a slime that’s punctuated by those hard seeds. Well, hallelujah, I’m an Okra Convert! I think this was my favorite dish of the entire meal because it brought me over to the other side. From what I could tell, the Okra was pan-fried with spices — not slimy at all — plump, juicy and vegetable-like. THE absolute best part were the crunchy fried lentils in the dish. SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
DESSERTS:
- PAYASAM: vermicelli and tapioka pearls in spiced milk. This was a lovely non-cheese way to end the meal. A lot of Indian desserts tend to have some sort of cheese base, so it’s limiting for me personally. Milk doesn’t seem to bother my lactose-intolerant stomach as much. I was really digging on the Tapioca pearls, but the Vermicelli noodles threw me off a bit. Milk was perfectly sweetened with a touch of spice. SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥½ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- RASSAMALAI: dessert pastry made with cheese, in syrup. Didn’t get this dessert, but it’s quite traditional. Not sure if it was extraordinarily tasty from Southern Spice.
Southern Spice
143-06 45th Ave
New York, NY 11355
(718) 359-3486
Categories: GRUB - Reviews
Tagged: Indian, Madras Cafe, South Flushing, Southern Spice
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 · 3 Comments
GRUB 411:
- PRIME ONE TWELVE (official website): 112 Ocean Drive; Miami FL; (305) 532-8112
- TYPE: Steakhouse
- PRICE: $$$½
- QUICKVIEW: This is a Miami staple for me — whenever I visit, I make it a point to eat here. Delicious assortment of surf & turf with OUTSTANDING, savory sides.
- SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
FULL REVIEW:
If someone were to ask me about what kind of eater I was, I would say, “CARNIVORE.” It’s no secret that I love meat. So Prime One Twelve speaks to my very culinary soul.
(My one thing, why not call it “Prime 112″…like the R&B group? Peaches ‘n Cream, baby!)
Decor is warm and inviting but not overly male, like most steakhouses. Waiters are all male, we noticed, but very friendly and knowledgeable. Each table had 2 attendees per table, so service was top notch.
The main description for the food is SAVORY. Well-seasoned, packed full of flavor. It’s not that Prime One Twelve delves so much into contrasting flavor combinations — nothing is very complex, but everything is done well.
Portions are generous — sides definitely meant to share, in true steakhouse form.
Here’s the Menu:
And here’s a plate-by-plate of our meal (me + 3 dinnermates):
APPETIZERS:
- Bread Basket: Brown rolls were an onion pumpernickel. The other was a heavenly cheddar cheese biscuit/roll. It reminded me a little of Pao de Queijo, but with cheddar. Delicious.
- Because the cheese bread deserved its own photo. THAT good.
- Tomato Basil Soup, with mini Fontina grilled cheese. $13. Two of my friends split this. Grilled cheese + tomato soup is really the ultimate Comfort Food meal. This is that quintessential comfort meal combined to make one hearty appetizer. They said it was rich, filling and the grilled cheese was just right. SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- Pan Seared Diver Scallops w/ Slow Braised Short Ribs, truffle mash & Pinot Noir sauce. $25. This was the featured app on the menu and it was delicious! I don’t often encounter truffles in a seafood dish but in conjunction with the richness of the Pinot reduction, it balanced SO nicely. Scallops were fresh, and the short ribs (SWOON!) were tender and perfectly braised. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
ENTRÉES:
- Bone-In Rib Eye Steak (22 oz.) $56. For being such a foodie, I really like my meat cooked well. (I know…what can I say?) That’s why I tend to like a more marbled meat. I also love meat on the bone, just seems more flavorful to me. This was a delicious piece of steak — but at the same time, it was JUST a piece of steak. SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥½ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- Soy Marinated Chilean Sea Bass with Steamed Baby Bok Choy and Sweet Miso Sauce. $38. I didn’t have this dish, but our friend said it was great!
- Five Cheese Truffle “Mac”. $13. You know that me and @erinmccaffrey have an unhealthy obsession with All Things Truffles. We saw Truffle Mac on the menu and came a-running. This is a very serious thing I’m about to say: BEST TRUFFLE MAC ‘N CHEESE WE’VE EVER TASTED. They nailed it on the cheese sauce: savory, salty, thick, gooey. Truffle flavor: JUST RIGHT. We experienced Truffle MAC Nirvana, ladies & gentlemen. SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- Sautéed Broccoli Rabe, with Chilis & Lemon. $13. After the Truffle Mac Triumph, I had really high expectations for our “veggie” side. Unfortunately it was slightly overcooked, pretty oily and lacked a little flavor. Because broccoli rabe is such a pungeant bitter green, I feel like its usual pairing of garlic is appropriate to offset the flavor sometimes. It was missing SOMEthing, that’s for sure. SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- Crispy White Truffle French Fries. $12. The Truffle mania continued with these lovely fries. Unfortunately, nothing could touch the truffle-high of our Truffle Mac. From a pure “french fries” perspective, the potatoes were beautifully cooked — very potato-y. But the delicate white truffle flavor was not enough to make a mark on the fries. You really needed the full black. :\ SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
DESSERTS – Menu
- Fried Oreos w/ French Vanilla Ice Cream. $15. The first time I ever tried fried Oreos was at Prime One Twelve. I am a convert. They are completely NOT what you expected: they are light, fluffy, not greasy, and not overly sweet. SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- Chocolate and Peanut Butter Smores w/ Vanilla Ice Cream. $15. When we ordered, we weren’t expecting a small ramican filled with heavenly goodness that arrived at our table. The marshmallow was perfectly bruléed…but underneath…was pure gluttony:
- There was a thick layer of graham crackers, on top of which there was peanut butter and chocolate fudginess. Somewhere in there was the Vanilla Ice Cream…and then the fluffy cloud of marshmallow. It was beyond delicious, but a little too sweet for my personal taste. Everyone else loved it though. SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥½ / ♥♥♥♥♥
Categories: GRUB - Reviews
Tagged: Miami, Prime 112, Steakhouse
Friday, January 22, 2010 · 3 Comments
GRUB 411:
- CRAFTBAR (official website): 900 Broadway @ 20th Street, 212.461.4300
- TYPE: New American
- PRICE: $$
- QUICKVIEW: For a “new American” restaurant, the menu caught my eye more than most, but unfortunately didn’t hold my attention.
- SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
FULL REVIEW:
The New Year’s Eve tradition for the past few years has been a low-key dinner with a small group of friends. This year, we stepped up our dining destination by eating at Craftbar, Tom Colicchio’s staple restaurant in the Flatiron district.
I can’t believe — despite my love of Top Chef — that I’ve never eaten at any of the Colicchio haunts. Unfortunately, being that my first visit there was during NYE with a party of 9, I wasn’t able to pay too much attention to all the intricacies of each person’s dish.
But it makes for some great food porn!
Overall, Craftbar is definitely a place I would re-visit, just go get a second opinion. For a “new American” restaurant, the menu had me more curiously intrigued than usual. The food was hearty, but definitely underseasoned, IMO. My friend & I were constantly saying “needs more salt”. Also, my dishes seemed to be a little one-dimensional — would have loved to have seen more flavor contrasts within a dish.
Service was friendly and accommodating, without being smothered in attention.
Here’s the Menu:
Here’s a plate-by-plate Photo montage of our REALLY HUGE meal (keep in mind, there were 9 at dinner!):
APPETIZERS
- Polenta Fritters, Jalapeno, Golden Raisins. $7. This was my app. Truthfully I was a little underwhelmed; the fritters were a little dry on the inside, and the Golden Raisins made the entire fritter too sweet. The Jalapenos were pickled, but they were also slightly sweet. I would have liked some tang to balance it out. SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- Wild Arugula, Lemon, Parmigiano, Pine Nuts. $12
- Fried Oysters, Cucumber, Old Bay. $9
- Confit Pork Shoulder, Tomato Molasses, Smoked Pearl Onions. $12
- PICORINO RISOTTO BALLS, Spicy tomato. $7
ENTRÉES:
- Branzino, Escarole, Cannelinni Bean. $22.
- Beef Short Rib, Anson Mill Grits, Fried Egg, Shishito Pepper. $24. Although I’ve been trying to limit my red meat intake, the Korean girl in me couldn’t possibly say “no” to Short Ribs!! (and again, I think my unhealthy obsession with All Things Egg made me order this dish!) The meat was beautifully braised, egg was heavenly, shishito peppers gave a nice depth…but it could’ve used slightly more seasoning to put it over the edge. SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- Pork Belly, Lentils, Black Currant, Spiced Endive. $22.
- Skate Wing, Fingerling Potato, Sauce Gribiche. $20.
- Dayboat Scallops, Cardoon, Lardon, Smoked Orange Purée. $24.
- Black Angus Hanger Steak, Baby Shitake Mushrooms, Market Onion, Potato Purée. $25.
DESSERTS
- Apple Pear Crisp, Cranberry, Golden Raisin, Maple Whipped Cream. $10.
- Butterscotch Pot de Crème, Caramelized Apple, Crème Fraiche. $10. This was my lovely dessert option. I wish I had chosen the tart above. The butterscotch was way too sweet, and the apples were not tart, so there was no depth or dimension — just SWEETNESS. meh. SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- Olive Oil Cake, Cardamom Ice Cream, Pear, Sliced Walnuts. $10.
- Vanilla Ice Cream Float, Boylan’s Orange Soda or Root Beer Soda. $10.
Categories: GRUB - Reviews
Tagged: craftbar, NYC, Tom Colicchio
Wednesday, December 30, 2009 · 1 Comment
GRUB 411:
- PHO 32 & SHABU SHABU: Multiple locations across NYC. For complete list, click here.
- TYPE: Vietnamese / Japanese fusion. (huh?!)
- PRICE: $$
- OVERVIEW: A franchise, these casual eateries can be found smattered around NYC, NJ and Queens. The phrase “Jack of all trades, Master of none” applies perfectly to Pho 32.
- SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
FULL REVIEW:
Every now and then, my parents try something new. I was surprised to discover that one of their “new” places was Pho 32. I’ve seen Pho 32 on West 32nd Street in K-Town, NYC…as well as on St. Mark’s Place. There are approximately 6 locations in the NY Metropolitan area. It’s easily identifiable as a franchise restaurant which — at least in my book — is usually grounds for immediate mediocracy.
“Jack of all trades, Master of none” definitely applies to Pho 32.
How Shabu-Shabu (a traditional Japanese DIY soup with meats and vegetables in a clear broth)…and Vietnamese Pho relate to each other is beyond me. And Pho 32 does a miserable job at doing either dish any kind of culinary justice.
Overall, their dishes are watered-down, lack seasoning and also lack authenticity. Here’s a chronological plate-by-plate of our meal:
- Each place setting at Pho 32 comes complete with your own, personal hot plate…upon which you can boil your own serving of Shabu Shabu. Each pot starts off with a clear, watered-down seafood broth.
- Each Shabu Shabu order comes with a full plate of vegetables for the broth, complete with squash, corn, mushrooms, Chinese cabbage, fish cakes, tofu and other greens.
- There are many types of Shabu Shabu: Seafood, beef, pork, mixed… Of course, Momma Park ordered the Seafood Shabu Shabu (she’s not a red meat eater). $18.95
- Naturally, Poppa Park got the Beef Shabu Shabu, being the carnivore that he is. $18.95
- There’s a station where you can create your own “dipping sauce” or condiments for the Shabu Shabu. Tubs filled with everything from garlic, cilantro, soy, chili sauce…you name it, they have it. The idea is that you can either add things to the boiling pot of soup (like garlic), or create a dipping sauce for the veggies & meats, like below.
- Between the 2 types of Shabu Shabu (seafood vs. beef), Momma Park’s Seafood Shabu Shabu won. Because hers came with shrimp, the flavor from the shells made the broth more robust and full of flavor.
- Unfortunately for my dad, the beef slices weren’t enough to add any substance to the extremely watered down broth. He also added the corn to his pot, which made the broth unpalate-ably sweet.
- As far as Shabu Shabu goes…this was low-grade all around. The broth was so watered down to begin with, you might as well have used plain tap water. There was nothing that Pho 32 did to make this dish special. Underwhelming in every way. SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- The ONLY redeeming factor for the Shabu Shabu was the complimentary Kal-Guk-Su (literal translation: “Knife Noodle”) that you could add to your broth. This was deliciously fresh and tasty. SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- Beef Brisket Pho ($7.95): I’m a huge Pho fan. This may have been the single worst bowl of Pho I’ve ever eaten. Broth: under-seasoned, watered-down, plain. Beef brisket: fatty, thin, devoid of flavor. Fixins: this only came with a few slices of Jalapeno peppers & sprouts — no Basil leaves, no hoisin sauce. Noodles were also limp and over-cooked. SEOULDIVA SAYS: 0 / ♥♥♥♥♥
- Grilled Pork Chops Appetizers ($7.95): I am also a huge fan of Vietnamese pork chops. Again, these were the single worst pork chops I have tasted. 1) the pork chops were T-H-I-C-K, so the meat was tough and hard to chew. 2) no seasoning — I might as well have ordered plain grilled pork chops. SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
Categories: GRUB - Reviews
Tagged: japanese, Pho, Pho 32, Shabu Shabu, Vietnamese
Monday, December 21, 2009 · 2 Comments
GRUB 411:
- TRATTORIA L’INCONTRO 2176 31st Street; Astoria, NY 11105; (718) 721-3532
- TYPE: Italian
- PRICE: $$$
- OVERVIEW: After reading much hype about this place on Yelp and Chowhound, it was nice to discover the hype was well-deserved! Delicious homemade pastas combined with fresh fish and meats makes this local Italian eatery “extra”. But it don’t come cheap. It’s a little pricey by Astoria standards, but worth it!
- SEOULDIVA TIP: The waiter said it gets extremely crowded, so reservations are recommended.
- SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
FULL REVIEW:
Astoria is often hyped to be one of the best destinations for delicious NYC eats. True, there are several restaurants per block, but they don’t always blow me out of the water. Most are average at best, but no culinary Cirque du Soleil so far.
After reading several rave reviews of Trattoria L’incontro on Yelp and Chowhound, I was hopeful, but skeptical. I went there with my ever-knowledgeable Momma & Poppa Park for a test eat.
The interior ambience seemed very “family” — not overly bourgie, but not a dump. Service was extremely attentive. God bless the waiters: they have to memorize nearly 40 specials to recite to each table without cheat sheets!
VERDICT: Hype = well-deserved! This is just my theory, but the ingredients are really the hero at Trattoria L’incontro. Being in Astoria, the seafood is über-fresh, making all the fish options top-notch. Living proof that better ingredients make better food.
Not all the pasta dishes are homemade, but a good majority are. If you’re gonna go Pasta, go FRESH!
To see the menu, click below:
Here’s a plate-by-plate of our meal.
BREADS:
- Not sure if the sliced bread was house baked, but it was tasty nonetheless. It also comes flanked by homemade flatbread, with a sprinkling of virgin olive oil. Delicious.
- Tapenade: this was a pleasant combination of sun-dried tomato tapenade + olive tapenade. The sweet/tang of the tomato offset some of the bitterness of the olive tapenade. YUM!
APPETIZERS:
- CALAMARI FRITTI: Fried calamari. My mom ordered this as an app, but the portions could have fed all 3 of us at the table — VERY generous! This was one of the BEST fried calamari ever; the key to its success was the freshness of the calamari. Most restaurants use frozen fried calamari — not here! It was also not laden with breading, very light, juicy and delicious. SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- DELLE VALLI: dried sausage, roasted peppers and mozzarella. Again, the portions were very generous. My dad ordered this one, but nothing special here — the dish is exactly what the description says it is. Nothing more, nothing less. I tried 2 types of salami on the plate, but neither were anything special. You could buy the contents of this dish at your local gourmet specialty store. SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- POLPO ALLA BRACE: Grilled octopus. I definitely won the appetizer round. I was initially a little concerned the octopus would be a little tough grilled, but Trattoria L’Incontro has impeccable freshness when it comes to seafood. The octopus sat on a bed of fresh arugula, drizzled in balsamic vinegar, a touch of olive oil and…*cringe*…some dried oregano flakes. I cringe because dried oregano flakes seem very “pizzeria” to me, but the dish was fabulous, despite the unwelcome condiment. SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥¾ / ♥♥♥♥♥
ENTRÉES:
- CARRE D’AGNELLO: Rack of lamb seasoned with homemade spices. My dad ordered this. Although this is very straightforward, he said it was very well-seasoned, well-cooked (he requested Medium), not oversimplified yet not overdone. SEOULDIVA DAD SAYS: ♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- SPECIAL: baked Grouper, breaded & stuffed with marscapone cheese, spinach and garlic. My mom tried one of the daily specials, and I’ve honestly never eaten anything like it before. Maybe I don’t eat at Italian restaurants often enough, but I’ve never seen fish stuffed with cheese before…but I’d like to see more of it in the future! It was heavenly. The lightness of the marscapone mixed well with the garlic and spinach. The breaded crust gave a nice crunchy texture. Delicious. SEOULDIVA MOMMA SAYS: ♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- SPECIAL: Homemade spaghetti with lobster, in a tomato/mint/escarole sauce. Holy heaven. First, the homemade pasta was perfect. Plump, with nice body — not too doughey or flour-y, not too chewy. The sauce — I’ve never had mint in my tomato sauce before, but it brought a nice lightness to the dish. My one complaint was that the lobster meat was a little tough, perhaps over-cooked slightly. Otherwise, this dish was heaven. SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥¾ / ♥♥♥♥♥
Definitely a great place to go with your family, or for a special occasion. But it’s not one of those “light” Italian places. Go when you’re looking to FEAST! 
Trattoria Lincontro
www.trattorialincontro.com
2176 31st Street
Astoria, NY 11105-2602
(718) 721-3532
Categories: GRUB - Reviews
Tagged: Astoria, Italian, Trattoria L'incontro
Friday, December 4, 2009 · 1 Comment
GRUB 411:
- KINGSWOOD 121 W 10th St; NYC; (212) 645-0018
- TYPE: Australian (I have no idea what that means)
- PRICE: $$$
- SeoulDiva Tips: Nice place for people-watching. Bar scene is poppin’ and the bartenders are Aussie — twice as nice!
- SeoulDiva Says: Reliable eaterie. No culinary jedi mind tricks going on here–just simple, straight food…with truffle oil! ♥♥½ / ♥♥♥♥♥
FULL REVIEW:
I’ve had many a tasty meal at Kingswood, but if you were to ask me what constitutes “Australian food”, I couldn’t tell ya. All I know is this:
Kingswood has many food options infused with truffle oil or truffle butter. Truffles, FTW!
This West Village eaterie offers a friendly, familiar, “distressed-but-chic” decor. The front half is their bar, the back half the dining area. The bar is manned by handsome Aussie men (do they come any other way, really?), and is usually rimmed with fawning females, hoping to catch their eye. Over the years, however, the crowd has changed from veritably fashionable…to business dinner-y.
As I mentioned in the 411 section, there’s no fanciness with the food here. But, if you are truffle-obsessed, they have PLENTY on the menu to satiate your every truffle fantasy.
For a full menu, please click here.
Here’s a plate-by-plate of my meal with @arterbery the other night (apologies in advance for the crap photos…my digi-cam ran out of juice, so this is a composite of my iPhone, and her Storm 2):
- SPICED BABY BRUSSEL SPROUTS with bacon, lime, maple syrup and fried egg. The combo of the lime & maple syrup intrigued me, not to mention the fact that I love brussels sprouts and fried eggs. The flavor combination was unexpectedly nice — the lime gave a refreshing tang that cut through the smokiness of the bacon. Could have done without the maple syrup. Maybe they were hoping it would marry better with the bacon (like how you pour syrup on your breakfast bacon?), but in conjunction with the lime, it felt out of place. But if I had to be brutally honest: brussels sprouts were a bit overcooked. SeoulDiva Says: ♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- WILD MUSHROOM RISOTTO: with shaved parmesan and truffle butter. As far as the Appetizer Round, @arterbery won hands-down! Of course, I am obsessed with all things Truffle, so clearly this dish, made with Truffle BUTTER was a no-brainer. The dish was slightly salty, but packed with flavor and the mushrooms on the plate were nicely varied. SeoulDiva Says: ♥♥♥½ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- RUBY’S BRONTE BURGER: with cheddar, sweet chili sauce, truffle mayo and fries. A delicious burger indeed. Several WINS: bun is grilled and a ciabatta-grade quality…the greens served are arugula leaves…cheese is perfectly melted. Only one head-scratch moment: Sweet Chili Sauce? Again, this seems like a futile attempt at culinary creativity. Sweet Chili Sauce is usually an Asian poultry condiment, so WTH is it doing on a burger at an Australian joint? hm. BUT, the Truffle Mayo makes up for this faux pas — it’s absolutely the best condiment I’ve ever tasted. SeoulDiva Says: ♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- MACARONI AND CHEESE: with truffle oil. The key to this dish lies in the last 3 words, “with truffle oil.” Truffle oil was delicious — enough that it properly flavored the entire dish, but not an overpowering stench. I could have done with a few more sharper cheeses in the sauce, but it wasn’t too bland (perhaps I just have a saltier palette). SeoulDiva Says: ♥♥♥½ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- APPLE CRUMBLE: with vanilla ice cream. Not knowing what the difference between a crumble and a crisp is — I would say this dish is neither. A more accurate description: baked apple slices with vanilla ice cream. Nonetheless, it was tasty. Not overdone, not complicated; clean, unadulterated apple. SeoulDiva Says: ♥♥♥½ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- BANANA PUDDING with caramel, fresh bananas, walnuts and biscuit crumble. In the Dessert Round, I definitely won. The only downside was that the caramel made this dessert a little too sweet, but overall, it was a tremendous success. Imagine, if you will, a parfait of banana pudding, banana slices, caramel and heavenly biscuit crumble. SeoulDiva Says: ♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/the-kingswood/menu
Categories: GRUB - Reviews
Tagged: Australian, Kingswood, Truffle
Monday, November 30, 2009 · 1 Comment
GRUB 411:
- Myung San Restaurant 162-19 Depot Rd; Flushing, NY 11358; (718) 888-1245
- PRICE: $$
- TYPE: Korean country-style
- SeoulDiva Says: After a 2nd visit, this place is among my fave Korean restaurants in Flushing. Food is clean-tasting, flavorful and NOT OVERLY SALTED!! They also use a lot of Perilla in their stews, so it has a very authentic and country Korean taste!
- SeoulDiva Rating: ♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
FULL REVIEW:
It’s always good to re-visit a restaurant you raved about. That way, you can see if it was truly all-that, or if it was a food fluke.
I first visited Myung San back in August with my parents and was pleasantly surprised to find such delicious COUNTRY-style Korean food. We went back this past Thursday for a pre-turkey Thanksgiving meal.
Let me tell you: this place is no fluke.
The food was just as delicious as before: clean-tasting, fresh, with a range of flavors. And they are seriously country Korean — in the best possible way. The table next to us were eating fresh, homemade gejang!
Please click for menus below:
Here’s a plate-by-plate of our meal:
- Banchan: The banchan that came complimentary with the meal were fantastic. Usually you get thrown a 3 small plates made with exactly the same seasoning, but every dish had its own unique flavor.
- Makgeolli: A traditional Korean sweet rice wine. Me & my familia threw down over brunch. This particular variety had a very “cereal” taste to it (perhaps it had some corn mixed in to the wine). Makgeoli is ladeled out into small bowls for consumption.
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- SSAMBAP JUNGSIK: various vegetables with grilled pork and homemade miso. My mom isn’t a big red meat-eater, she loved veggies. So she always gets this dish. Essentially it’s a platter of assorted leaves: red-leaf lettuce, fresh perilla, fresh seaweed, raddichio and fresh peppers. The best is the fresh homemade fermended “miso” or ssamjiang. If it were peanut butter, it would be the “extra chunky” variety! She didn’t really eat the pork, but it’s OK – I did! SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
- DAEGU MAEWOON TANG: codfish, vegetable and spicy casserole. I wanted something relatively light and non-red meat based, which is hard to find in Korean Cooking. So I decided on this tried & true Codfish soup. It was SO TASTY. The best part: it was spicy (from the fresh peppers) but it wasn’t overly salty. SO often, Korean food is laden with too much sodium (or MSG). It was a delight to find that food could still taste good without the salt! SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
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- BULGOGI JUNGSIK: sliced barbecued beef with mixed salad. My dad — who really shouldn’t be eating red meat — ordered this puppy. It was classic bulgogi served with glass noodles, accompanied by a fresh chive salad. The bulgogi was not overly sweet (another typical Korean restaurant faux pas), and the chive side salad was HEAVEN. It was perfectly seasoned with light vinegar, sesame oil (for flavor) and sugar. One of the best I’ve ever had at a Korean restaurant! SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥
Categories: GRUB - Reviews
Tagged: Korean, Flushing, Myung San Restaurant, country style
Wednesday, November 25, 2009 · 1 Comment
GRUB (OR DRINK) 411:
- Double Crown 316 Bowery (@ Bleecker), 212.254.0350
- SEOULDIVA TIPS: Great, laid-back place for after-work drinks.
- SEOULDIVA SAYS:
This is a quick & dirty Grub post, mainly because I’ve never really eaten here. Even though, I’ve recently attained “Mayor” status of Double Crown on Foursquare, it’s purely because it’s been my choice watering hole over the past few months.
Across the street from the über-popular Gemma & DBGB is the ever-so-dimly lit Double Crown. Since it’s walking distance from my Soho office, it’s a great place to go for drinks after work. Seating at the bar is pretty attainable. And it’s always just tastefully packed.
Crowd: intellectually beautiful. Which – in this case – isn’t code for ugly. The folks who frequent Double Crown look like the types who have both beauty & brains. Think black thick-rimmed glasses, tweed blazers with Converse & artistic stubble. All very friendly, unassuming and personable. There’s a very easy-going energy to this place, which is why I keep returning.
On any given night, you can probably see Iza manning the bar. A charming Aussie, he is a great drink wizard. Here’s just one of the things he whipped up:
CLICK FOR A DESCRIPTION!
I’m intrigued to try the food. But from an Angry Asian Girl standpoint, I don’t WANT to like it. Their website description: Double Crown explores the aesthetic and culinary dualities arising from the British Empire’s foray into India and Southeast Asia.
TRANSLATION: This is the kind of fusion food that arises when the British Empire rapes, pillages & colonizes third world countries.
OK, maybe I’m being a little harsh. :/ Clearly it’s Asian fusion cuisine. Full food review to come someday.
Categories: GRUB - Reviews
Tagged: After-Work Drinks, Double Crown, East Village, NYC
