Manhattan: Midtown East
Posted by Ed Levine, November 17, 2009 at 11:00 PM
"The food-world equivalent of Springsteen playing a last-minute gig at a small club."
[Photographs: Robyn Lee]
Ma Peche
Mezzanine at the Chambers Hotel, 15 West 56th Street, New York NY 10019 (b/n Fifth and Sixth Avenues; map)
Service: Friendly and surprisingly efficient for what may be a temporary operation
Setting: Lounge-like, a combination of small wooden tables and coffee tables made of felt
Compare It To: The Breslin, Standard Grill, other Momofuku restaurants
Must-Haves: Grilled cheese, cheeseburger, granola, chocolate chip cookies
Grade: A-
Momofuku's Tien Ho may be the best chef in New York that you've never heard of. That's going to change when Má Pêche, the company's first foray into Midtown, opens in 2010 in the former Town space in the basement of the Chambers Hotel. Chomping at the bit, waiting for the dining room renovations to be completed, Ho—a former sous chef at Cafe Boulud—and his crew started serving lunch in a sort of makeshift restaurant in the mezzanine lounge of the hotel last Thursday.
The sudden opening was the food equivalent of Springsteen playing a last-minute gig at a small club. In other words, it became a culinary cultural happening disguised as hotel room service. Momofuku Midtown room service cooked by a great chef. Now that's a concept serious eaters could get behind.
Ho on the challenge he took on: "It was really tough trying to balance between what we love, and what we thought the hotel guests wanted. Ultimately, we cook the food that we love to eat and even more important, we carry the food products that we are proud to serve."
Being brilliant guerrilla marketers, they opened for lunch last Thursday, trumpeting a bunch of $10 "midtown lunch specials" (take a bow, Mr. Zach Brooks), an all-day menu, and a breakfast menu that's served from 7 to 11 a.m.
Our lunches and brunches, after the jump.
Continue reading »
Posted by Carey Jones, November 16, 2009 at 12:15 PM
"The people have spoken. And City Bakery is no longer their cookie of choice."
[Photos: Robyn Lee and Sophie Finkelstein]
Last week in the Chocolate Chip Cookie Championship, we went uptown to find the best chocolate chip cookies on the Upper East and Upper West Sides. Having found our favorites, we're now moving to Midtown—between Union Square and 60th Street.*
In this round, there were formidable contenders and surprising upsets: disappointing frontrunners, dark horses, and a chain thrown into the mix.
Our eight contestants: City Bakery, Pret a Manger, Max Brenner, Petrossian, Ruby et Violette, Frankie's (at Stumptown), and Times Square Hot Bagels.
The best chocolate chip cookie in Midtown, after the jump.
*Okay, this isn't all Midtown. But do we really need separate Hell's Kitchen, Murray Hill, Gramercy, Flatiron, and Chelsea cookie tastings? We're sticking with "Midtown-ish."
Continue reading »
Posted by Joe DiStefano, November 13, 2009 at 4:00 PM
[Photos: Joe DiStefano]
You know you're at a restaurant preview when the name of the place is still being painted on the storefront. So it goes in the fast-paced world of Chef Michael "Bao" Huynh who has opened so many restaurants in New York City that the Times devoted an entire article to how he's able to proceed at such a rapid pace. Last night I joined a hundred or so other food bloggers, members of the press, and friends of the house, for a preview party at OBAO, the latest addition to Huynh's ever-expanding empire. It's located on an East Midtown block that's home to two Japanese restaurants, two Indian joints, a Peking duck specialist, and a Korean spot. Fitting site for a restaurant whose menu includes interpretations of Cambodian, Filipino, Laotian, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Singaporean, and Thai dishes.
Representing Cambodia, the Khmer style pomelo salad ($10) with bibb lettuce, herbs, chili peppers, coconut and crispy shallots sounded quite intriguing. Sadly like many other items, including the equally intriguing curry puff ($8), stuffed with duck liver and confit, it was unavailable that night. Curry puff with duck liver and confit! I'll be back for more than a few of those.
I'll also be back for OBAO's spin on pad see iew ($10), a Thai noodle dish. Huynh's version is a Korean-Thai mashup with kalbi replacing the thin strips of meat normally seen in the dish. Oh, and he spikes it with what sounds like something a Korean grandma who spent time in India would make: green mango kimchi. There were small plates like crispy spring rolls ($7) and a delicious ox-tail pho with an amazing depth of flavor.
Continue reading »
Posted by Tia Kim, October 21, 2009 at 1:30 PM
[Photos: Tia Kim]
The Bar Room at The Modern is not somewhere I would normally go apart from special occasions. But this weekend, I was having quality mother-daughter time and I couldn't take my mom to just any ratty old bar. After all the torment I put her through during my horrible teen years, by God, it was about time I bought her a drink. And since I was quite a difficult child, I also ordered her up a plate of Beer-Braised Pork Belly ($17). Trust me, she deserved it.
Continue reading »
Posted by Nikki Goldstein, October 2, 2009 at 12:15 PM
[Photo: Nikki Goldstein]
Countless brunch dishes benefit from the addition of cheese—what omelet or breakfast sandwich is complete without it?—so you'd expect that at Artisanal, Terrace Brennan's dairy mecca, fromage would play a starring role. It's certainly the case at dinner, where fondue and cheese plates make up a hefty chunk of the menu.
At brunch, many featured items like pork belly hash and egg frites barely mention cheese at all. But it would be silly to go to Artisanal for brunch and miss out on their gougeres and croque madame—the two dishes that best showcase the establishment's talents with the art of cheese.
Gourgeres may be offered all day long at Artisanal, but they're so well suited to a late morning meal that it's almost impossible to imagine them elsewhere. I have to wonder why people don't add cheese to their biscuits more often, though calling these puffs "biscuits" wouldn't be quite right. Artisanal's gougeres have a crisp crust that yields an airy, fluffy, and unquestionably cheesy center. The secret, unsurprisingly, lies in their aged French Gruyere, but the casual presentation in a paper cone cuts out any element of pretension from the dish. (Unfortunately, the same can't be said of the service).
Continue reading »
Posted by Ed Levine, November 17, 2009 at 11:00 PM
"The food-world equivalent of Springsteen playing a last-minute gig at a small club."
[Photographs: Robyn Lee]
Ma Peche
Mezzanine at the Chambers Hotel, 15 West 56th Street, New York NY 10019 (b/n Fifth and Sixth Avenues; map)
Service: Friendly and surprisingly efficient for what may be a temporary operation
Setting: Lounge-like, a combination of small wooden tables and coffee tables made of felt
Compare It To: The Breslin, Standard Grill, other Momofuku restaurants
Must-Haves: Grilled cheese, cheeseburger, granola, chocolate chip cookies
Grade: A-
Momofuku's Tien Ho may be the best chef in New York that you've never heard of. That's going to change when Má Pêche, the company's first foray into Midtown, opens in 2010 in the former Town space in the basement of the Chambers Hotel. Chomping at the bit, waiting for the dining room renovations to be completed, Ho—a former sous chef at Cafe Boulud—and his crew started serving lunch in a sort of makeshift restaurant in the mezzanine lounge of the hotel last Thursday.
The sudden opening was the food equivalent of Springsteen playing a last-minute gig at a small club. In other words, it became a culinary cultural happening disguised as hotel room service. Momofuku Midtown room service cooked by a great chef. Now that's a concept serious eaters could get behind.
Ho on the challenge he took on: "It was really tough trying to balance between what we love, and what we thought the hotel guests wanted. Ultimately, we cook the food that we love to eat and even more important, we carry the food products that we are proud to serve."
Being brilliant guerrilla marketers, they opened for lunch last Thursday, trumpeting a bunch of $10 "midtown lunch specials" (take a bow, Mr. Zach Brooks), an all-day menu, and a breakfast menu that's served from 7 to 11 a.m.
Our lunches and brunches, after the jump.
Continue reading »
Posted by Carey Jones, November 16, 2009 at 12:15 PM
"The people have spoken. And City Bakery is no longer their cookie of choice."
[Photos: Robyn Lee and Sophie Finkelstein]
Last week in the Chocolate Chip Cookie Championship, we went uptown to find the best chocolate chip cookies on the Upper East and Upper West Sides. Having found our favorites, we're now moving to Midtown—between Union Square and 60th Street.*
In this round, there were formidable contenders and surprising upsets: disappointing frontrunners, dark horses, and a chain thrown into the mix.
Our eight contestants: City Bakery, Pret a Manger, Max Brenner, Petrossian, Ruby et Violette, Frankie's (at Stumptown), and Times Square Hot Bagels.
The best chocolate chip cookie in Midtown, after the jump.
*Okay, this isn't all Midtown. But do we really need separate Hell's Kitchen, Murray Hill, Gramercy, Flatiron, and Chelsea cookie tastings? We're sticking with "Midtown-ish."
Continue reading »
Posted by Joe DiStefano, November 13, 2009 at 4:00 PM
[Photos: Joe DiStefano]
You know you're at a restaurant preview when the name of the place is still being painted on the storefront. So it goes in the fast-paced world of Chef Michael "Bao" Huynh who has opened so many restaurants in New York City that the Times devoted an entire article to how he's able to proceed at such a rapid pace. Last night I joined a hundred or so other food bloggers, members of the press, and friends of the house, for a preview party at OBAO, the latest addition to Huynh's ever-expanding empire. It's located on an East Midtown block that's home to two Japanese restaurants, two Indian joints, a Peking duck specialist, and a Korean spot. Fitting site for a restaurant whose menu includes interpretations of Cambodian, Filipino, Laotian, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Singaporean, and Thai dishes.
Representing Cambodia, the Khmer style pomelo salad ($10) with bibb lettuce, herbs, chili peppers, coconut and crispy shallots sounded quite intriguing. Sadly like many other items, including the equally intriguing curry puff ($8), stuffed with duck liver and confit, it was unavailable that night. Curry puff with duck liver and confit! I'll be back for more than a few of those.
I'll also be back for OBAO's spin on pad see iew ($10), a Thai noodle dish. Huynh's version is a Korean-Thai mashup with kalbi replacing the thin strips of meat normally seen in the dish. Oh, and he spikes it with what sounds like something a Korean grandma who spent time in India would make: green mango kimchi. There were small plates like crispy spring rolls ($7) and a delicious ox-tail pho with an amazing depth of flavor.
Continue reading »
Posted by Tia Kim, October 21, 2009 at 1:30 PM
[Photos: Tia Kim]
The Bar Room at The Modern is not somewhere I would normally go apart from special occasions. But this weekend, I was having quality mother-daughter time and I couldn't take my mom to just any ratty old bar. After all the torment I put her through during my horrible teen years, by God, it was about time I bought her a drink. And since I was quite a difficult child, I also ordered her up a plate of Beer-Braised Pork Belly ($17). Trust me, she deserved it.
Continue reading »
Posted by Nikki Goldstein, October 2, 2009 at 12:15 PM
[Photo: Nikki Goldstein]
Countless brunch dishes benefit from the addition of cheese—what omelet or breakfast sandwich is complete without it?—so you'd expect that at Artisanal, Terrace Brennan's dairy mecca, fromage would play a starring role. It's certainly the case at dinner, where fondue and cheese plates make up a hefty chunk of the menu.
At brunch, many featured items like pork belly hash and egg frites barely mention cheese at all. But it would be silly to go to Artisanal for brunch and miss out on their gougeres and croque madame—the two dishes that best showcase the establishment's talents with the art of cheese.
Gourgeres may be offered all day long at Artisanal, but they're so well suited to a late morning meal that it's almost impossible to imagine them elsewhere. I have to wonder why people don't add cheese to their biscuits more often, though calling these puffs "biscuits" wouldn't be quite right. Artisanal's gougeres have a crisp crust that yields an airy, fluffy, and unquestionably cheesy center. The secret, unsurprisingly, lies in their aged French Gruyere, but the casual presentation in a paper cone cuts out any element of pretension from the dish. (Unfortunately, the same can't be said of the service).
Continue reading »
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, September 30, 2009 at 4:00 PM
[Photo: Kathy Chan]
Now that there's a new Financier Patisserie open on 54th Street, midtown eaters no longer have to be envious of their downtown counterparts. With fair prices and consistently tasty sweets, there are many reasons to venture to Financier.
I had a sweet hankering the other afternoon and found myself with one of their Chocolate-Caramel Brownies ($4.25). By name alone, I pictured caramel swirled into chocolate brownie batter. But nope, this was much more fun. A "brownie" composed of alternating layers of chocolate fudge and chocolate cake serving as base for airy mousse, more gelatinous than creamy, but rich in caramel. To finish, chocolate macaron cookies sandwiched on either end.
Financier Patisserie
Various locations (map)
financierpastries.com
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, September 21, 2009 at 3:30 PM
We ended the week with a slice of chocolate cake, so it only feels right to start this week off with another, no? Today we bring you a slice ($3.25) from Cafe Zaiya. So perfect and petite; very Japanese. Milk chocolate, light and fluffy, plenty of cream. Maybe even too much cream—I definitely needed a hot cup of tea to cut this. Also spotted: strawberry shortcake, matcha puddings, and mont blancs galore.
Cafe Zaiya
18 E 41st Street # C, New York NY 10017 map)
212-779-0600
zaiyany.com
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, August 21, 2009 at 3:30 PM
Finally made it back to the Rockefeller Center location of La Maison du Chocolat this week, well before the 45 minute mark in which they close their ice cream service prior to the actual daily closing of the shop.
La Maison's selection of ice cream and sorbets are always quite wonderful and only offered during the summer months. These frozen sweets are available for three more weeks, and then you'll have to wait till next year. I had my eye on the chocolate sorbet, but a close friend with trusty taste buds claimed that chestnut ice cream was their finest offering. So I went in and swooped down on the chestnut, served in a cup or cone at $4.25 for a single serving.
The chestnut is pure and mild in taste, though velvety in texture, its rich smoothness punctuate only by the occasional nibbles of fresh chestnuts. Stick with the chocolate sorbet if you're craving the rich sin of La Maison's dark chocolate captured in frozen form, but you'll do more than well with chestnut should the flavors of luxurious simplicity call your name.
La Maison du Chocolat
30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York NY 10112 (map)
212-265-9404
www.lamaisonduchocolat.com/en/
Posted by Nick Solares, July 29, 2009 at 9:00 AM
"When the pancakes were delivered sans butter on the side, I requested some. It was unnecessary."
Tucked under a trestle on Park Avenue leading up to Grand Central Station, Pershing Square offers what they claim is the "busiest breakfast in New York." I am not sure it is, as the room was only half-full when I ate there, but I don't see why that would be a selling point anyway.
What they should claim is the best pancakes in New York. Now, admittedly, I haven't tried all the pancakes in the the city (though I am doing my best) but I can say that of those that I have eaten, the ones at Pershing are my favorites.
Continue reading »
Posted by Erin Zimmer, July 27, 2009 at 1:45 PM
Today is the official opening of Mantao Chinese Sandwiches. We were fans of the squishy Chinese steamed buns and the idea of their free shrimp chips giveaway today. 235 E 53rd Street, New York NY 10022 (b/n 2nd Ave and 3rd Ave; map); 212-888-2490 [via Midtown Lunch]
Posted by Ed Levine, July 21, 2009 at 11:00 PM
Photographs by Robyn Lee
Eggs Travaganza
NE Corner of 52nd Street and Park Avenue, New York NY 10022 (map); 917-657-0987
Service: Efficient and ridiculously friendly
Compare It To: Loews Regency Hotel
Must-Haves: Pancakes; egg, chorizo, and American cheese on a roll; grilled chorizo and cheese sandwich on 7 grain bread
Cost: $5 or less for breakfast
Grade: A
As an unabashed lover of food carts and street cuisine I feel it is not out of line to complain about the quality of food at the typical breakfast bagel and coffee carts that are ubiquitous in many New York neighborhoods. Bad donuts, lousy coffee, and atrocious bagels are the mainstays of such carts, and the only edible items at these carts are egg sandwiches. How bad can a freshly made bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich be?
Maybe that's why I was so taken by a breakfast cart that a few months ago appeared on the corner of 62nd Street and Broadway on Saturday mornings right near the health club where I play squash. The first things I noticed were the whimsical graphics on the cart's signage, and the spelling mistakes on those graphics touting the homemade pancakes. Who makes made-from-scratch pancakes at a food cart?
I struck up a conversation with the brother and sister team who (wo)man the cart, Maribel and Arturo Macedo. Arturo had come to New York City from Puebla, Mexico, 15 years ago and worked at a Greek coffee shop on 57th Street and Lexington before setting out on the egg-trepreneurial path six years ago.
It turns out that their regular Monday-through-Friday spot was the northeast corner of 52nd Street and Park Avenue, smack in the middle of masters-of-the-universe financial power breakfast, let's-spend-$20-for-cantaloupe-and-dry-toast territory.
I started conjuring up images of bankers in yellow ties and pinstriped suits, or in power pumps and pantsuits, lining up post–financial tsunami for Eggs Travaganza's fine, fine pancakes and even better, chorizo, egg, and American cheese sandwich. Could Eggs Travaganza be supplanting the Loews Regency Hotel as the power-breakfast spot of choice for chastened bankers on Park Avenue? I had to find out.
Continue reading »
Posted by Grace Kang, July 20, 2009 at 4:00 PM
Today is Mojito day on the Shake Shack frozen custard calendar. I don't care for mojitos, but this non-boozy custard flavor was a pleasant surprise. The lime and mint flavors are light and refreshing against the creamy vanilla custard backdrop. There aren't any overpowering flavor notes here, just a summertime mojito kiss. As production manager Dan Tavan told me, "Everything but the club soda." Besides the fresh mint leaves and lime puree, there's also some rum flavoring (extract). I loved that the rum component added something extra without any booziness which I dislike in desserts.
Posted by Erin Zimmer, July 17, 2009 at 11:30 AM
HB Burger has extended the $9.95 Midtown Lunch special for one more week (until July 24). It includes a cheeseburger with fries, tator tots, or onion strings. Offer good Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. 127 West 43rd Street, New York NY 10036 (map); 212-575-5848.
Posted by Robyn Lee, July 16, 2009 at 1:00 PM
This week's opening of Mantao Chinese Sandwiches (formerly known as Province Canteen) in Midtown East fulfilled my latent desire for sandwiches made with mantao, the soft, fluffy Chinese steamed bun with a hint of sweetness. After looking over the recommendations from Midtown Lunch readers, the Serious Eats office sampled some of the goods. Here are our first impressions.
Sandwiches
The sandwiches range from $2.50 to $4.50. They're dainty things—you'd probably want two for a meal, although one makes a nice snack. The soft and fluffy sesame seed-topped bread is the best part about the sandwiches. The fillings, while not bad, are less memorable (right now, at least; hopefully they'll improve with time). If you're a fan of Momofuku's various bun sandwiches, you won't find the same level of tastiness here, but you'll get more variety.
Fried egg and Chinese sausage ($3.50, $2.50 without sausage): This sandwich featured two of my favorite ingredients; there wasn't any way I couldn't like it. Fried eggs with runny yolks tend to make anything taste better, and I especially liked the fresh flavor added by the crunchy cucumber and cilantro. No part of this sandwich really stood out (as would be the case for the other sandwiches)—it would've been better if the sausage had been fattier and more moist—but considering that there are few competitors (if any) in the egg-and-Chinese-sausage-sandwich market, it's worth trying if these ingredients strike a cord with you.
Continue reading »
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, July 14, 2009 at 4:00 PM
The only dessert offered at the new 'wichcraft kiosk in the Southwest Porch of Bryant Park is the cookie platter, a signature of 'wichcraft sweets. Three cookies sandwiches to an order, priced at $6 a plate. From top to bottom, you've got oatmeal, chocolate, and peanut butter. Our favorite of the trio was the extra-crisp and crumbly dark chocolate number, with buttery smooth chocolate cream sandwiched in the middle. The oatmeal cookie makes a fine paring with caramel cream, and the peanut butter cookie went hand-in-hand with peanut butter cream, a lighter, more easygoing version of Bouchon Bakery's ever-popular Nutter Butter cookie.
'wichcraft kiosk at the Southwest Porch
Southwest Corner of Bryant Park
40th Street at 6th Avenue (map)
Posted by Erin Zimmer, July 13, 2009 at 1:30 PM
In celebration of Tour de France, Brasserie will offer a themed tasting menu, where the first course starts in Provence (roasted duckling breast), moves to Alsace (white asparagus with chanterelle strudel), then Haute Savoie (le Vacherin), and finishes in Paris (peaches and cream). The $36 four-course menu is around until July 26. 100 E 53rd Street, New York NY 10022 (b/n Lexington and Park Avenue; map); 751-4840.
Posted by Robyn Lee, July 8, 2009 at 12:45 PM
The eaters descend upon their street meat prey.
Last week, Zach Brooks of Midtown Lunch organized the second annual Street Meat Palooza, inviting street meat lovers/food bloggers (including me) to rate chicken/lamb over rice dishes from 15 different carts in Midtown. Today he unveiled the results of the taste test including tasting notes, prices, locations, and rankings of the carts. Say hello to your new champion: Kwik Meal on 45th and 6th. Zach says,
The fact that Kwik Meal is the only cart in Midtown to serve actual chunks of lamb meat instead of gyro is only part of the appeal. Toss in a delicious, yogurt based tzatziki style white sauce, and a unique green sauce that will set your mouth on fire, it’s no surprise that this year’s judges said to hell with value, and crowned Kwik Meal the winner of Street Meat Palooza 2.
Being faced with a table full of street meat made me realize what a complete chicken/lamb over rice noob I am. While some carts were definitely better than others, I was fairly satisfied with everything and probably failed to add anything useful to Street Meat Palooza aside from my digestive power. The only cart I've been to repeatedly is Rafiqi's on 7th Avenue and 26th Street (the closest one to the Serious Eats office), which, in my opinion, churns out a good chicken over rice for $4—but I also like it because it only takes me a few minutes to walk there and there's hardly any wait. Still, Street Meat Palooza was an awesome way to get acquainted (and by that I mean "pummel my stomach") with this beloved Midtown Lunch dish; I'm already excited for SMP3!
Related: Vendy Award Finalist: Kwik Meal
Posted by Alaina Browne, July 2, 2009 at 12:00 PM
Pera's Wine & Meze special: Bottle of wine and three mezes for $39, until 7pm every night. 303 Madison Avenue (map); 212-878-6301. [via Wined & Dined]
Posted by Ed Levine, July 1, 2009 at 1:30 PM
Last week I ate lunch at Michael Jordan's Steakhouse in Grand Central Terminal. When I walked in through the bar I noticed the seriously delicious sounding bar menu—so delicious that I tried to order a couple of items off it when I was in the restaurant's main dining room. No can do, I was told; it's only available after 3 p.m. So Robyn Lee, Grace Kang, Kathy Chan, and I ended up hitting the bar last Friday afternoon as the clock struck three—just for the food, of course.
Thick-cut french fries fried in goose fat ($7), always a capital idea, were almost swamped by too much Gorgonzola cheese sauce. Ask for it on the side.
Continue reading »
Posted by Erin Zimmer, June 25, 2009 at 3:45 PM
Biryani from the Trini Paki Boys Cart.
If Midtown Lunch had a reality show, this would be a very climactic episode—or maybe it'd be drawn out over the course of weeks. First Zach notices an insanely awesome detail on the Trini Paki Boys Cart's sign. They offer biryani on Thursdays! He is hyperventilating. He can hardly breathe until the following Thursday (and it's only Friday at this point!). Then, a series of Thursdays happen—all of which are either rainy or overcasty, so the cart doesn't run the special.
But finally, Zach gets his biryani on. How does it compare to The Biryani Cart's biryani?
Unlike the biryani served at The Biryani Cart, which is cooked on the flattop with a ton of oil and spices, this biryani is made in advance in the traditional Pakistani way (with garam masala.) It’s much less greasy, and some might complain that it’s a tad bit dry, but I actually like my biryani this way. The flavors are also more subtle than the Biryani Cart version, but no less delicious. So good! The one non-traditional thing about it is that it’s not spicy at all. They figure if you want it to be spicy, they’ll just add the pepper sauce on top- which gives it this delicious, “what biryani would taste like if it was from the Carribean” kind of flavor.
Zach is convinced that by the time the people find out about this, it'll be available everyday, not just Thursdays. We can only hope the world is that fair.
Trini Paki Boys Cart
SE Corner of 43rd Street and 6th Avenue (map)
The Biryani Cart
SW Corner of 46th Street and Sixth Avenue (map)
