Manhattan: Tribeca
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, November 3, 2009 at 3:00 PM
[Photo: Kathy Chan]
An afternoon pick-up coupling chocolate and espresso into one dark fudgy square with a crackly top. Far too sweet for my taste buds, but hard to refuse when shared with a friend and accompanied by a hot tea to temper the sugar. Duane Park is better known for dessert catering services, and the bakery selections are a hit or miss, and on the pricey side. Regardless, it's a charming little spot and always smells wonderful.
Duane Park Patisserie
179 Duane Street, New York NY 10013 (map)
212-274-8447
duaneparkpatisserie.com
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, October 28, 2009 at 4:00 PM
[Photo: Kathy Chan]
The teas brewed to order at Amanazi Tea in Tribeca might be great, but please do not go for the boba drinks. The advertisements and windows displays might lead you believe one thing, but your taste buds will tell the truth: liquid sugar. The staff is well meaning but particularly well-educated on their products. And my Thai tea boba was, for lack of a better term, an utter fail. It was distinctively Thai tea all right, only with about ten times the needed sugar, and tapioca balls boiled beyond their life. The saddest thing I've seen all week. Verdict? Not returning.
Amazani Tea
166 Chambers Street, New York, NY 10007 (map)
212-227-2744
amanzitea.com
Posted by Carey Jones, October 16, 2009 at 12:30 PM
So much for fall. In New York, it feels like we've gone from shorts to winter coats in just a few days. But fortunately, there are plenty of rainy-day eats to warm you up. Ten of our favorite comfort foods, after the jump.
Continue reading »
Posted by Tia Kim, October 15, 2009 at 11:15 AM
"Good food at a bar isn't easy to come by, but good food at a sports bar is near miraculous."
[Photos: Tia Kim]
Ever since Joe Torre stopped managing the Yankees in '07, I have to admit, much like the Yankees, I've been slacking. I don't follow every single game and when I do find myself at a home game, it's only because I finagled a ticket from work. This year, however, the boys have advanced post-season and the Series may be a possibility. Which means only one thing, lots of beer and bar food.
This weekend, I did some recon for Friday's game against the Angels and came up with Warren 77, a vintage-styled sports bar (owned by Sean Avery of NHL fame and hipstaurant impresarios Chris Miller and Matt Abramcyk), which along with '80s arcade games, sports memorabilia, and several flat panels to watch the game, serves up good grub and a killer Dark & Stormy.
Continue reading »
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, October 14, 2009 at 12:00 PM
I recently starting working out of a different office, the new one, in Tribeca. Every morning I would get off the A train at Canal and walk past this corner shop that always, and I mean always, had a line. One day, I got in line myself. And now I find myself in line at Columbine far too frequently.
Soups and sandwiches (made on Sullivan Street Bread) are the stars here; salads and sweets are solid, but secondary. The food at Columbine is slightly more expensive that what I would be comfortable paying for a daily lunch, but two times a week is just about right.
All sorts of sandwiches, after the jump.
Continue reading »
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, November 3, 2009 at 3:00 PM
[Photo: Kathy Chan]
An afternoon pick-up coupling chocolate and espresso into one dark fudgy square with a crackly top. Far too sweet for my taste buds, but hard to refuse when shared with a friend and accompanied by a hot tea to temper the sugar. Duane Park is better known for dessert catering services, and the bakery selections are a hit or miss, and on the pricey side. Regardless, it's a charming little spot and always smells wonderful.
Duane Park Patisserie
179 Duane Street, New York NY 10013 (map)
212-274-8447
duaneparkpatisserie.com
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, October 28, 2009 at 4:00 PM
[Photo: Kathy Chan]
The teas brewed to order at Amanazi Tea in Tribeca might be great, but please do not go for the boba drinks. The advertisements and windows displays might lead you believe one thing, but your taste buds will tell the truth: liquid sugar. The staff is well meaning but particularly well-educated on their products. And my Thai tea boba was, for lack of a better term, an utter fail. It was distinctively Thai tea all right, only with about ten times the needed sugar, and tapioca balls boiled beyond their life. The saddest thing I've seen all week. Verdict? Not returning.
Amazani Tea
166 Chambers Street, New York, NY 10007 (map)
212-227-2744
amanzitea.com
Posted by Carey Jones, October 16, 2009 at 12:30 PM
So much for fall. In New York, it feels like we've gone from shorts to winter coats in just a few days. But fortunately, there are plenty of rainy-day eats to warm you up. Ten of our favorite comfort foods, after the jump.
Continue reading »
Posted by Tia Kim, October 15, 2009 at 11:15 AM
"Good food at a bar isn't easy to come by, but good food at a sports bar is near miraculous."
[Photos: Tia Kim]
Ever since Joe Torre stopped managing the Yankees in '07, I have to admit, much like the Yankees, I've been slacking. I don't follow every single game and when I do find myself at a home game, it's only because I finagled a ticket from work. This year, however, the boys have advanced post-season and the Series may be a possibility. Which means only one thing, lots of beer and bar food.
This weekend, I did some recon for Friday's game against the Angels and came up with Warren 77, a vintage-styled sports bar (owned by Sean Avery of NHL fame and hipstaurant impresarios Chris Miller and Matt Abramcyk), which along with '80s arcade games, sports memorabilia, and several flat panels to watch the game, serves up good grub and a killer Dark & Stormy.
Continue reading »
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, October 14, 2009 at 12:00 PM
I recently starting working out of a different office, the new one, in Tribeca. Every morning I would get off the A train at Canal and walk past this corner shop that always, and I mean always, had a line. One day, I got in line myself. And now I find myself in line at Columbine far too frequently.
Soups and sandwiches (made on Sullivan Street Bread) are the stars here; salads and sweets are solid, but secondary. The food at Columbine is slightly more expensive that what I would be comfortable paying for a daily lunch, but two times a week is just about right.
All sorts of sandwiches, after the jump.
Continue reading »
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, October 12, 2009 at 5:00 PM
The girl behind the pasty counter at Locanda Verde was serious when she said to me, "Thank goodness they keep this cake covered—the scent drives me insane." She removed the glass cover, the smell of fresh gingerbread cake wafted over, and I immediately understood what she meant. The dark musky flavors, heavy on the clove, are lightened by a glaze dotted with lemon zest. Don't even get me started on the texture, impossibly light, moist without being wet, the base edges a little crunchy, and not a dry spot to be found.
$4.50 is high for a slice of gingerbread cake, but the prices are justified here, where there's not a single sweet that's less than spectacular. Also spotted at the pastry counter: pumpkin loaf cakes and cinnamon sugar dusted doughnuts.
Locanda Verde
377 Greenwich Street, New York NY 10013 (at North Moore; map)
212-925-3797; locandaverdenyc.com
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, October 7, 2009 at 1:00 PM
Here's what you need to know about dining at Bouley Bakery and Market. Come during peak lunch hours (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and you'll have to scramble or wait around for a seat. Arrive in the afternoon and early morning and you can set up your laptop, hold an informal work meeting, or just seek out some peace and quiet.
As you enter, the dining room is to your right and the buffet is to your left. Head left first, pick out your food, and then move to the dining room where you fetch your own water and utensils. The food section is divided into a sandwich bar, a buffet by the pound (hot foods and salad), a sushi, cold sandwiches and cheese case, a raw meats case, a baked goods area, a dessert case, and an ice cream case. There is a lot to take it and it was overwhelming during my first visit (which happened to be prime lunch hour).
Continue reading »
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, September 28, 2009 at 4:00 PM
My greatest weakness is anything that ends in "pudding." Bread pudding, banana pudding, chocolate pudding... double points if it comes in a mason jar, as does Sarabeth's, and, pictured above, this trifle from Kitchenette ($6) in Tribeca. Here, big chunks of chocolate cake are layered with cool gobs of thick, creamy chocolate pudding. Unfortunately, it was all more sugary than chocolatey, though the freshly whipped cream helped tame the sweetness. Overall verdict? Sugar Sweet Sunshine's chocolate trifle still ranks highest on my bakery-to-go list of puddings.
Kitchenette
156 Chambers Street, New York NY 10007 map)
212-267-6740
kitchenetterestaurant.com
Posted by Ed Levine, September 15, 2009 at 11:00 PM
[Photographs by Robyn Lee]
Monday Night Fried Chicken at Locanda Verde
377 Greenwich Street, New York NY 10013 (at North Moore Street; map); 212-925-3797; locandaverdenyc.com
Service: Friendly, accommodating, a tad slow-paced (it was the first night)
Setting: Locanda Verde's cozy, wood everywhere private dining room
Compare It To: Blue Ribbon, Blue Smoke, Noodle Bar's Southern-Style Fried Chicken
Must-Haves: Bacon, biscuits, pie
Cost: $55 including dinner, a drink, the band, tax, and tip
Grade: B for the dinner overall, A+ for the biscuits and pie
As the fancy-pants fried chicken craze continues unabated, it's worth noting that over the last few years I have heard from numerous reliable sources that Andrew Carmellini made the best fried chicken in New York City when he was cooking at Cafe Boulud. So even though Carmellini is now cooking Italian food at Locanda Verde, he apparently has some legit fried chicken bonafides.
When I heard that Carmellini was cooking up a mess of fried chicken in Locanda Verde's back room every Monday night for the next few weeks, I knew it was something I had to explore immediately. And if the lure of Carmellini's fried chicken wasn't enough, the promise of Karen DeMasco making pie to eat for dessert after that chicken was like pienip to serious eaters.
Continue reading »
Posted by Ed Levine, July 7, 2009 at 11:00 PM
"I would say that Carmellini has a hit on his hands."
All photographs by NIck Solares unless otherwise noted. Exterior photograph by Robyn Lee
Locanda Verde
377 Greenwich Street, New York NY 10013 (at North Moore Street; map); 212-925-3797
Service:Friendly and attitude-free
Setting:Hotel restaurant that doesn't feel like one
Compare It To:Scarpetta, Hearth, Convivio, Enoteca at Del Posto
Must-Haves: My grandmother's ravioli, scallops, blue crab crostino, sheep's milk ricotta, fire-roasted garlic chicken for two, toasted almond semifreddo, gelati, sorbetti—hell, any dessert on the menu
Cost: $50-$75 depending on what you order
Grade: A-
In New York, there are numerous schools (or should I say spheres of influence) of Italian cooking. There's the Lidia Bastianich northern Italian school, with both Istrian and Italian-American influences. Mario Batali teamed up with Lidia's son Joe to open Babbo, and that's when Batali's bold, ballsy, resolutely-Italian-meets-contemporary-New York cooking style flowered and spawned numerous imitators and acolytes both in New York and across the country.
More recently, Michael White came from Chicago's Spiaggia and teamed up first with Steve Hansen (Fiamma and Vento), then with restaurateur Chris Cannon, to open Marea, Convivio, and rejigger Alto. White's cooking is built around his unmatched ability to make fresh pastas of every size and shape imaginable, and fill or sauce them with classic Italian ingredients and flavors with a personal touch. I can't leave out hardworking Marco Canora's tradition and technique-derived cooking at Hearth, Insieme, and Terroir. Then there's Jody Williams' ultra-traditional, super-simple Italian cooking style at Gottino and Scott Conant's rich, complex, buttery take on modern Italian cooking at Scarpetta. And even with this extensive list I'm sure I've overlooked someone important.
Continue reading »
Posted by Ed Levine, June 30, 2009 at 11:00 PM
"Who knew that an Italian restaurant in Tribeca would produce New York's best breakfast?"
All photographs by NIck Solares unless otherwise noted.
Locanda Verde
377 Greenwich Street, New York NY 10013 (at North Moore Street; map); 212-925-3797
Service: Friendly and attitude-free
Setting: Hotel restaurant that doesn't feel like one
Compare It To: Trestle on Tenth, Norma's, Sarabeth's
Must-Haves: Any of the pastries and muffins, sheep's milk ricotta, cotechino hash, toasted hazelnut French Toast, crispy garlic potatoes
Cost: $6 to $14
Grade: A
The food world is a-Twitter-ing and a-chattering about Locanda Verde, and why not? Robert DeNiro's involved; it's succeeding a highly visible failure, Ago; critics' and eaters' fave Andrew Carmellini is the chef; and perhaps just as exciting for me, former Craft pastry chef Karen DeMasco is coming off a two-year absence from the New York restaurant scene and returning to the fray, and the ovens, at Locanda Verde.
So it wasn't exactly a complete surprise when I had an incredible dinner the first night Locanda Verde opened to the public. And it wasn't a shock when I had an extraordinarily delicious lunch there with Zach Brooks that featured an untraditional porchetta sandwich that crossed a Tony Luke's roast pork sandwich with a muffuletta.
But when I heard that DeMasco was doing an all-morning and all-day pastry and coffee bar for both Greenwich Hotel guests and serious eaters alike, and a pretty extensive breakfast menu to go along with it, I knew it was going to be good, seriously good in fact. But what I wasn't prepared for was the fact that Locanda Verde just might be serving the best breakfast in New York City, and maybe anywhere. Don't believe me? Let me show you.
Continue reading »
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, June 30, 2009 at 2:00 PM
This city is flooded with blueberry muffins. Plain ones, sugar-dusted numbers, big ones, itty bitty ones, and others still, paired with everything from bran to corn. We loved some, hated others, and passed on a few. Our conclusion? There's one we can honestly call "the best" and many others which are simply great and worth a detour. In the end, blueberry muffins, like most sweets, are totally subjective. Taste is personalized, so we've made sure to included seriously delicious muffins on all ends of the spectrum.
Where to begin? See the list after the jump for our picks for the city's finest blueberry muffins.
Continue reading »
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, June 17, 2009 at 5:00 PM
Since joining Locanda Verde, pastry chef Karen DeMasco, formerly of Craft, has opened a new bakery wing at the restaurant, and it's doubtlessly one of the most beautiful counters in town. Strawberry scones, mocha tarts, oatmeal sandwich cookies, olive oil coffee cake, hazelnut sticky buns all perched above a colorful whimsy of cake stands and serving platters. I could go on forever, but suppose we must stop somewhere.
I fell hard for the blueberry-polenta muffin and strawberry scone, but you really can't leave without a lush wedge of almond cake. Picture this: smothers of summer strawberry-rhubarb puree sandwiched between two halves of sugar dusted cake. The almond cake—golden, light, and feathery—is a sweet contrast to the dense and nutty versions more commonly found in the city.
You're bound to find something (if not everything!) to satisfy a craving here. Locanda Verde plans to steadily rotate the baked goods, so really, my only concern is being able to try everything before items are swapped out.
Locanda Verde
377 Greenwich Street, New York NY 10013 (b/n Franklin and Moore Street; map)
212-925-3797
Posted by Erin Zimmer, June 1, 2009 at 11:10 AM
Starting June 9, the Tribeca CSA will bring fresh veggies, fruit, cheese, and eggs, to the the Tribeca-area. Distribution will happen on Tuesday afternoons between 3 and 6 p.m., at Washington Market Park (at the corner of Chambers and Greenwich Streets). The season runs for 20 weeks, until October 20. Check here for share prices. Tribeca CSA members are required to fulfill two work shifts per “share family” during the harvest season at the distribution site.
Posted by Ed Levine, May 19, 2009 at 11:00 PM
Photographs by Robyn Lee
Bar Artisanal
268 West Broadway, New York NY 10013 (map); 212-925-1600; barartisanal.com
Service: A little disorganized at this point (but it is early)
Setting: Airy brasserie with high ceilings, big windows, and ceiling fans
Compare It To: Artisanal, Bar Boulud
Must-Haves: Lamb burger, grilled lamb chops (if you like lamb), razor clams, watermelon goat feta, tapenade,
Cost: You can easily eat well for $35 to $40 a person, including a glass of wine, tax, and tip
Grade: B+
Terrance Brennan, the chef-restaurateur who is the guiding force behind Picholine and Artisanal, feels our collective economic downturn-generated pain. He wants serious eaters to be able to enjoy his food without running up too high a tab. And he's always wanted to do something downtown. Enter a group of Terence Brennan partners and investors who were not faring well with Trigo, their Italian restaurant in Tribeca. Thus was Bar Artisanal born, the ultimate marriage of restaurateur-chef-investor convenience, a quickie culinary marriage as it were.
The promise of an everyday affordable Tribeca restaurant serving Brennan's classically French-derived but contemporary food was just too tempting for the serious eaters to pass up, so Robyn, Erin, and I hopped on the subway to see if Brennan's budget-conscious food could successfully make the transition to small plates in a downtown setting, to what Brennan himself has described as a French Casa Mono.
Continue reading »
Posted by Erin Zimmer, April 30, 2009 at 5:15 PM
Ed has been on a little turnover kick lately. Some apple ones found their way into the office, and then along came a cherry from Duane Park Patisserie. There's really nothing bad to say about this one. It has all the right trademarks of a fine turnover. Flaky, but not too buttery. Tart, but not goopy, cherry organs. And the correct ratio of filling-to-pastry.
Duane Park Patisserie
179 Duane Street, New York NY 10013 (map)
212-274-8447
Posted by Erin Zimmer, April 14, 2009 at 12:00 PM
Photograph by Robert A. Ripps
We have a pair of tickets to give away to Taste of Tribeca happening on May 16 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. For the 15th year, Duane and Greenwich Streets will be covered with tented booths representing restaurants from the area, including Macao Trading Co., Duane Park, Chanterelle, Megu, Tribeca Grill, Danube, and many others [PDF].
To try your luck at free tickets, just name a favorite Tribeca eatery or one you'd like to try. We'll pick one winner (who can bring a guest) at random. If you don't win, no sweat—tickets are $40 in advance (which includes six tasting plates) and $45 at the door. The money will support PS 150 and 234's arts and enrichment programs.
Comments here will close at 3 p.m. ET on Friday, April 17. One entry per community member. The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, September 23, 2008 at 6:00 PM
I was so sure that my craving for something chocolatey, fudgy, and full of walnuts would be satisfied after the cookie I had at Payard Patisserie. But unfortunately, the combination of chocolate and walnuts has this uncanny ability to make me desire the goods even more. In other words, consuming the object of wonder does little to satiate a craving—the more I eat, the more I crave.
I entered Bouley Bakery in Tribeca not quite knowing what I wanted, though faint images of cookies were floating though my mind. I browsed, oohed and ahhed, and then stopped dead in my tracks upon the sight of baskets filled with their dark chocolate brownies...with walnuts! So many walnuts. Losing all interest in looking any further, I declared the brownie my own and devoured it before reaching the front door. Sinking into bite after bite, I found the brownie to be dark with cocoa, yet texturally light and lush. Hovering on the cakey end of the spectrum and less sweet than I expected, walnuts were in abundance, and I ended up consuming the rather large treat without the slightest bit of hesitation.
Bouley Bakery
120 W Broadway, New York NY 10013 (b/n Duane and Reade Streets; map)
212-608-5829
davidbouley.com
Posted by Jenn Sit, July 31, 2008 at 1:30 PM
"Cheap" is relative. With cheap eats lists coming at you from every other magazine and website, I find myself scouring them and wondering how these writing staffs determine what exactly "cheap" means to them. Nothing got me thinking about this more than my recent trip to Province Chinese Canteen in Tribeca. Just meters from Chinatown, this eatery serves up sandwiches stuffed into small fluffy mantou. With fillings like short rib & kimchee, it was hard to resist a trip. Yet, with its close proximity to Chinatown, the mecca of truly cheap eats, I couldn't help but wonder why I was paying $4.25 for a sandwich as small as my palm.
Continue reading »
Posted by Ed Levine, July 1, 2008 at 11:00 PM
Photographs by Robyn Lee
Matsugen
241 Church Street New York, NY 10013 (at Leonard Street; map); 212-925-0202
Service: Knowledgeable (which isn't easy given the intricacies of the menu) and attentive, with a refreshing lack of downtown attitude and cool
Setting: They have warmed up the all-white, Sleeper-like design of Richard Maier considerably
Compare It To: Nobu, Soto, Bar Masa
Must-Haves: Inaku soba with goma-dare (sesame sauce), sea urchin with yuzu jelly, Kurobuta pork loin shabu shabu, grilled Kurobuta pork belly, grapefruit jelly
Cost: This will vary wildly depending on what you order. It could be anywhere from $60 to $125 for three courses, including a glass of wine, tax, and tip
Grade: B+ overall. (Meals can range from an A to a B, depending on what you order)
There are so many misconceptions floating around about Matsugen that I feel compelled to debunk all of them before proceeding any further.
Misconception No. 1: Jean-Georges Vongerichten is the chef at Matsugen.
Fact: He didn't even consult on the menu, although because he was asked, he contributed his now-legendary molten chocolate cake recipe (albeit this time accompanied by green tea ice cream). Matsugen is the first mainland U.S. restaurant opened by the Matsushita brothers, high-end Japanese restaurateurs (three of whom are currently working here) who own restaurants in Japan and Hawaii. Vongerichten absolutely adores Japanese food, thinks very highly of the brothers and their restaurants, needed a concept to install at the old 66 space, and made a deal as a restaurateur to bring in Matsugen. If Matsugen were a movie, Vongerichten would be an executive producer or maybe the producer, not the director. The first title card of the Matsugen movie might read Jean-Georges Vongerichten Presents.
Misconception No. 2: Matsugen is a noodle bar.
Fact: Wrong, wrong, wrong, as my son used to say when he was seven. There are some truly amazing rough-grained soba noodles made in-house served at Matsugen, but most of the menu is not noodle-based. In fact, most of the menu at the restaurant looks surprisingly like your neighborhood Japanese restaurant. There's sushi, sashimi, tempura, and shabu-shabu. No ice cream tempura, thank God.
Misconception No. 3: Matsugen is ridiculously expensive and overpriced.
Fact: There are a few very expensive items at Matusgen (Japanese Wagyu beef, seared fatty bluefin tuna), but that's because the ingredients themselves are very expensive. If you order carefully, you can eat very well here for less than $60 a head. It may not be the most exciting meal of your life, but it may be the most authentic contemporary Japanese meal you can get in this country.
Now that we've gotten all of this out of the way, let's get to the food.
Continue reading »
