Manhattan: Upper West Side
Posted by Carey Jones, November 9, 2009 at 1:30 PM
[Photos: Robyn Lee]
Moving Onto The Next Round:
Levain
Yura on Madison
Bouchon Bakery
In our first round of tastings for the Serious Eats Chocolate Chip Cookie Championship, we're headed uptown, to the Upper East and Upper West Sides. After combing the bakeries, asking our commenters, and doing a few preliminary nibbles, we've settled on eight: Levain, Bouchon Bakery, Two Little Red Hens, Hampton Chutney Company, Citarella, Fairway, Yura on Madison, and Silver Moon Bakery.
The blind taste test, and our favorite chocolate chip cookies uptown, after the jump.
Continue reading »
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, November 2, 2009 at 10:00 AM
[Photo: Kathy Chan]
At Grandaisy Bakery, we've tasted the glorious pizza bianca, and house sandwiches incorporating bresaola, fresh mozzarella di bufula and speck. But in the sweet department of the bakery, where do you venture? After the jump, our five favorite Grandaisy sweets.
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Posted by Kathy YL Chan, October 30, 2009 at 2:30 PM
[Photo: Kathy Chan]
What better way to end a stressful work week than with Shake Shack's Pumpkin Pie Oh-My? One big cup of custard with a whole slice of pumpkin homemade pumpkin pie whipped right in. And plenty of whipped cream to top. The menu notes that the pumpkin pie is blended with vanilla custard, but they'll be happy to substitute any custard flavor you like. We had it with the salted caramel custard, though vanilla is the best route, should you been keen on letting pumpkin pie shine though.
Shake Shack
Madison Ave and East 23rd Street, Southeast Corner of Madison Square Park, New York, NY 10010 (map)
212-889-6600
366 Columbus Avenue, New York, NY 10024 (at 77th Street; map)
646-747-8770
Posted by Carey Jones, October 20, 2009 at 1:45 PM
[Photos: Robyn Lee]
'Tis the season for sweets, and no one does them like Bouchon Bakery. This year, Thomas Keller's bakeries are packing in the pumpkin, with breakfast pastries, cookies, and more. A few of the goodies, after the jump.
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Posted by Kathy YL Chan, October 19, 2009 at 3:00 PM
Competitors needn't worry about Screme, the newest gelateria to open in Manhattan. The staff couldn't be friendlier, offering as many samples as you can handle; I walked in on a busy Saturday afternoon, and no more than five seconds after stepping in, the girl behind the counter had three spoonfuls of pumpkin, pistachio and Snickers in front of me. Flavors are fun and constantly rotating—olive oil and black pepper one day, Mars Bars and Snickers on another.
But in the end, it comes down to taste, and Screme doesn't measure up to L'arte del Gelato, Otto, Grom, or Il Laboratorio del Gelato. The texture is fluffy, rather than silky nor luxurious. And my Crunchy Caramel, pictured above, was light on the caramel and heavier on the sugar. A tasty dessert, but not a contender for New York's best.
Screme Gelato
2030 Broadway, New York NY 10023 (map)
212-362-2111
screme.com
Posted by Carey Jones, November 9, 2009 at 1:30 PM
[Photos: Robyn Lee]
Moving Onto The Next Round:
Levain
Yura on Madison
Bouchon Bakery
In our first round of tastings for the Serious Eats Chocolate Chip Cookie Championship, we're headed uptown, to the Upper East and Upper West Sides. After combing the bakeries, asking our commenters, and doing a few preliminary nibbles, we've settled on eight: Levain, Bouchon Bakery, Two Little Red Hens, Hampton Chutney Company, Citarella, Fairway, Yura on Madison, and Silver Moon Bakery.
The blind taste test, and our favorite chocolate chip cookies uptown, after the jump.
Continue reading »
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, November 2, 2009 at 10:00 AM
[Photo: Kathy Chan]
At Grandaisy Bakery, we've tasted the glorious pizza bianca, and house sandwiches incorporating bresaola, fresh mozzarella di bufula and speck. But in the sweet department of the bakery, where do you venture? After the jump, our five favorite Grandaisy sweets.
Continue reading »
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, October 30, 2009 at 2:30 PM
[Photo: Kathy Chan]
What better way to end a stressful work week than with Shake Shack's Pumpkin Pie Oh-My? One big cup of custard with a whole slice of pumpkin homemade pumpkin pie whipped right in. And plenty of whipped cream to top. The menu notes that the pumpkin pie is blended with vanilla custard, but they'll be happy to substitute any custard flavor you like. We had it with the salted caramel custard, though vanilla is the best route, should you been keen on letting pumpkin pie shine though.
Shake Shack
Madison Ave and East 23rd Street, Southeast Corner of Madison Square Park, New York, NY 10010 (map)
212-889-6600
366 Columbus Avenue, New York, NY 10024 (at 77th Street; map)
646-747-8770
Posted by Carey Jones, October 20, 2009 at 1:45 PM
[Photos: Robyn Lee]
'Tis the season for sweets, and no one does them like Bouchon Bakery. This year, Thomas Keller's bakeries are packing in the pumpkin, with breakfast pastries, cookies, and more. A few of the goodies, after the jump.
Continue reading »
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, October 19, 2009 at 3:00 PM
Competitors needn't worry about Screme, the newest gelateria to open in Manhattan. The staff couldn't be friendlier, offering as many samples as you can handle; I walked in on a busy Saturday afternoon, and no more than five seconds after stepping in, the girl behind the counter had three spoonfuls of pumpkin, pistachio and Snickers in front of me. Flavors are fun and constantly rotating—olive oil and black pepper one day, Mars Bars and Snickers on another.
But in the end, it comes down to taste, and Screme doesn't measure up to L'arte del Gelato, Otto, Grom, or Il Laboratorio del Gelato. The texture is fluffy, rather than silky nor luxurious. And my Crunchy Caramel, pictured above, was light on the caramel and heavier on the sugar. A tasty dessert, but not a contender for New York's best.
Screme Gelato
2030 Broadway, New York NY 10023 (map)
212-362-2111
screme.com
Posted by Carey Jones, October 19, 2009 at 10:00 AM
[Photos: Robyn Lee]
Our Top Five
- The Winner: Two Little Red Hens
- Mona Lisa Pastry Shoppe
- Lady M Cake Boutique
- Cheesecake Factory
- Fairway Market
In the pantheon of iconic New York foods, not much outranks the proud cheesecake. Whether after dinner at Luger's, by the round at Eileen's, or shipped across the country by Junior's, New York cheesecakes are a force to be reckoned with. The cheesecake is a dessert that's perfect in its simplicity. A silky, creamy base, an optional thin crust—and that's it.
What makes a first-class cheesecake? It's smooth and creamy, just sweet enough, with a hint of tartness. If there's a crust, it adds something extra without overwhelming the taste of the cheesecake itself. And it's rich enough to seem a bit decadent, without going down like a cement pour. You should want to keep eating—at least, for more than one bite.
So we canvassed the boroughs for New York's best cheesecake, arrived at our finalists, and assembled our panel of crack tasters. All cakes were tasted blind, brought to the same temperature, in similar-size slices. We even scuffed up the edges of the more cosmetically privileged. And we had our tasters start with different samples, to cancel out the effects of palate fatigue—a real concern, after 14 cheesecakes. As it turns out, the first bite wasn't always the best bite.
(For the purposes of fair comparison, we went only with bakery cheesecakes, rather than restaurant ones. We also excluded all flavored and ricotta-based cheesecakes—stay tuned for later taste-tests.)
So after countless miles traveled, bites considered, and calories consumed, we've arrived at our winners. Our favorites, our surprise showings, and the best cheesecake in New York—after the jump.
Continue reading »
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.
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Posted by Nikki Goldstein, October 9, 2009 at 1:15 PM
[Photograph: Nikki Goldstein]
I'd been hearing about the strawberry butter and biscuits at Good Enough to Eat for quite a while. It started with glowing comments from a foodie colleague, then a few other friends with fairly reliable judgment, and finally a slew of over-joyous Yelpers. Research seemed to corroborate—Bobby Flay and Rachael Ray have well-documented raves, and even Bon Appetit has weighed in positively. How could I go wrong?
I arrived at the white picket fenced restaurant to find a line sprawling halfway down the block, which wasn't much of a shock. What was surprising, though, was what I eventually found on my plate once I made my way inside: bland biscuits. Not only bland, but dry, too.
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Posted by Carey Jones, October 6, 2009 at 11:30 AM
Or, 'Ed Levine's Existential Bagel Crisis'
[Photographs: Robyn Lee and Carey Jones]
The Heisen-Bagel Uncertainty Principle
n. The principle of bagels that holds the following: The act of transporting a bagel to a second location produces fundamental uncertainties in its inherent qualities, such that determining a true "best bagel," in a head-to-head face-off, becomes impossible.
It's a question asked so often that it's astounding that we've never attempted an answer.
Who makes the best bagel in New York?
There are a few clear contenders. In the past, Ed has leaned toward the Upper West Side's Absolute Bagels; his exhaustive 2003 bagel hunt for the New York Times also saluted Bagel Oasis and Hot Bialys in Queens, Terrace Bagels in Windsor Terrace, and Manhattan stalwart Murray's.
And then there are Ess-A-Bagel and H&H, and neighborhood favorites like Bagel Hole and Brooklyn Bagel—all of whom have their fanatical defenders.
So we organized a simple taste-test. Serious eaters would fan out over the three most bagel-happy boroughs and hurry back to World Headquarters with their piping hot loot, as fast as their feet, bikes, buses, trains, subways, or Zipcars could carry them. We'd cut them all up; we'd do a blind tasting; we'd ponder their merits and crown a winner. Simple, right?
But it wasn't that easy.
Ed, hard at work.
The problem became clear as we chomped our way through Round One, pens at the ready, taking bite after bite. None of the bagels were more than two hours old. All of them had been hand-delivered that morning. But chewing through so many mouthfuls of plain bagels, we all felt the same uneasy feeling descending upon us. Ed broke the silence.
"They all taste the same."
Well... not quite the same.
Continue reading »
Posted by Laren Spirer, September 11, 2009 at 4:00 PM
Editor's note: New York's cocktail shakers work all kinds of wonders behind the bar—so why not learn a few tricks from the pros? In Mix It Up, Serious Eats contributor Laren Spirer will find out the secrets behind the city's best cocktails, with the recipes to shake 'em up at home.
[Photographs: Leo Borovskiy, Lush Life Productions]
Yes, Virginia, there is life above 14th Street. There are plenty of folks in New York who would sooner go to the outer boroughs than to the Upper East or West Sides, but I'm here to give you one good reason to hop on that express train to 72nd Street—Fatty Crab's uptown outpost.
If you are a hardcore downtowner, you've likely been to Chef Zak Pelaccio's Fatty Crab in the West Village, a tiny but bustling restaurant on Hudson Street. Pelaccio's menu is based on the flavors of Malaysian street food, full of complexity and spice, and Allan Katz's cocktails are a perfect match. The thing is, you'll always have to wait to get a seat, and there's really no bar to speak of. Instead, head to the Upper West Side, where Fatty Uptown's spacious bar awaits you.
Like Fatty Downtown, the UWS version is not for the faint of heart—the music's just as loud, and there's always a hint of a party in the air, but the added elbow room makes it much more comfortable to linger over a few drinks. There's plenty of space behind the bar for the bartenders to craft their twists on tropical classics and play with infusions, all without the wait.
Fatty Uptown's signature "Camptown Twist," after the jump.
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Posted by Ed Levine, September 4, 2009 at 3:20 PM
The Upper West Side Shake Shack is selling its exemplary corn dogs ($4.50) again on Labor Day. If you haven't had one they are worth seeking out. And I don't think they have ever served them at the original Shake Shack location.
What makes them exemplary? This photo tells the tale. A garlicky all-beef hot dog is encased in just the right amount of cornmeal breading. The hot dog is juicy and meaty, and the case is crunchy and slightly sweet. I might have to get one myself on Monday.
Shake Shack UWS
366 Columbus Avenue, New York NY 10024 (map)
646-747-8770
Posted by Ed Levine, September 1, 2009 at 11:00 PM
[Photographs: Robyn Lee]
Fairway Cafe
2127 Broadway, New York NY 10023 (b/n 74th and 75th; map); 212-595-1888 fairwaymarket.com/restaurant.html
Service: Haphazard and slow, but improving
Must-Haves: Foccaccia, onion rings, Boston lettuce salad, lamb chops, marinated chicken, bone-in ribeye
Cost: $26, $31, and $39 three-course prix fixe menus—or you can just have a damn good burger with fries for $12 at dinner
Grade: B/B+
I have literally eaten hundreds of meals at the Fairway Cafe, but most of them have been breakfast, where the pancakes are sublime and the eggs will be scrambled soft if you're willing to send them back the first time, or lunch, when the burgers and fries are both excellent, and the chicken salad not far behind.
But dinner has been the hole in the Fairway Cafe's game. I've always thought that was because Mitchel London, the eccentric but oh-so-talented Fairway Cafe chef, dessert maker, and food maven, never properly focused on the dinner menu. Until now. A couple of weeks ago I had a very good dinner there with my wife Vicky and son Will. So, last night, four serious eaters descended on the Fairway Cafe to see if Mitchel really has raised his game just in time for the U.S. Open.
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Posted by Ed Levine, August 11, 2009 at 11:00 PM
"All the ingredients are there. Like many loaves of homemade bread, it probably just needs a little more time to rise."
Photographs by Robyn Lee
Recipe
452 Amsterdam Avenue, New York NY 10024 (b/n 81st and 82nd; map); 212-501-7755; recipenyc.com
Service: Well-meaning if a little unseasoned
Compare It To: Craftbar, Tavern room at Gramercy Tavern
Must-Haves: Tomato & Buffalo Mozzarella Tart, Burger, Crab Cake, Pork Chop
Cost: $35-40 for two courses including tax and tip
Grade: B
Traditionally, the Upper West Side of Manhattan has been a place for established chefs to open their first major restaurants. Bill Telepan, Tom Valenti, and Ed Brown all came to the neighborhood to open fairly big, ambitious operations after they had established reputations in other parts of the city. Rarely has the Upper West Side proved to be hospitable to the type of small, young chef-driven restaurant you might find in the East Village or Williamsburg.
But then there's Recipe. David Bank, chef-owner of the fine Thai restaurant Land, took over the adjacent space and brought in friend and partner Shawn Paul Dietzel to run the kitchen. Like Land, it's a very small space—with, it should be said, a memorably cool bathroom. (You'll have to go to see for yourself; some things are better left as surprises.)
Its aim, according to its website, is to be an "intimate neighborhood restaurant featuring rustic new American cuisine inspired by fresh, local ingredients."
"Intimate" is right. When every seat at the bar and tables is full, Recipe holds only twenty-six people. It's a restaurant every Upper West Sider would like to see succeed—a lower-priced, casual, but still ambitious alternative to the restaurants listed above.
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Posted by Grace Kang, August 3, 2009 at 2:30 PM
Summer is the season for picnics. Eating out of doors in the green grass somehow makes you reach for that third piece of fried chicken, no sweat. As an avid picnicker, I looked forward to trying Public Fare, Danny Meyer's latest venture in Central Park. It meant I could lug a little bit less food in my bag as well as trying something other than the standard cart offerings scattered throughout the grounds.
My first taste of Public Fare came on a recent Thursday. At around nine in the morning, we were nearing Hour Five of Operation: Get Shakespeare in the Park Tickets or Die Tryin'. Needless to say I was a bit groggy, but when my sister brought back a whoopie pie from Danny Meyer's nearby stand, I couldn't resist a bite. But that first taste, with a ratio of about 90% dry cake and 10% flavorless filling, made for an unpleasant mouthful and an inauspicious start.
Situated in Central Park's Delacorte Theater, Public Fare seeks to be a step up from the usual concession stand and its boring offerings. The idea of great, accessible food easily eaten on the Great Lawn (only about fifty feet away) was promising—but the realities of execution left me wondering.
The goodies (and not-so-goodies), after the jump.
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Posted by Joe DiStefano, July 22, 2009 at 10:00 AM
"Are home fries traditional Malaysian fare? "
The number of times I’ve eaten, much less written about, brunch can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Actually come to think of it I’ve never written about it. It took Fatty Crab’s introduction of all-day brunch to cure my aversion. While I do tend to sleep in on weekends, my real motivation was an overwhelming desire to try the curried bacon sandwich ($14). I’d heard the bacon was made from Heritage Pork bellies that benefited from a three-day cure before being smoked at the soon-to-open Fatty ’Cue. This only served to whet my appetite further.
People have been saying bacon has jumped the shark for quite some time, and it’s true to a certain extent—but not in the case of this sandwich. The combination of crispy slices of bacon intermingled with pickled baby leeks, charred leek greens, cilantro, and creamy sambal aioli is utterly delicious. Like many of the new sandwiches at Fatty Crab, it’s served on a Martin's potato roll, which does a fine job of soaking up the aioli and warm bacon fat. The shredded egg garnish on top is a whimsical touch that both pays tribute to and mocks traditional brunch fare.
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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 Ed Levine, July 14, 2009 at 11:00 PM
"He may call it a gastropub, but what Psilakis has really done is open a kick-ass diner that doesn't serve breakfast."
Photographs by Robyn Lee
Gus and Gabriel Gastropub
222 West 79th Street, New York NY 10023 (b/n Broadway and Amsterdam; map); 212-362-7470
Service: Professional, friendly, and diner-like in the best possible sense
Setting: Subterranean, windowless room in the original Kefi space
Compare It To: Chat 'n' Chew, Empire Diner, and Bubby's
Must-Haves: Beef brisket French dip, buttered sweet corn and jalapeno soup, Mexi mac and cheese, coffee malt, peanut butter banana shake
Cost: $20 to 25 including tax and tip
Grade: B+
Imagine, if you will, your local Greek coffee shop or diner (one that only serves lunch and dinner) being taken over by a hard-working fancypants celebrity chef, who happens to be Greek-American. Sounds promising, doesn't it? Inspired by the pleasure he derived cooking with and for his four year-old son Gabriel and the love he has for his dad Gus, chef Michael Psilakis (of Anthos, Mia Dona, and Kefi) has opened Gus and Gabriel Gastropub. Obsessive, perfectionist mad man that he is, Psilakis had decided that at his Greek coffee shop, everything from the hot dogs to the nachos to the ice cream is going to be made from scratch.
So what could be bad, the serious eaters figured. A talented Greek-American chef ready, willing, and able to take on the challenge of making terrific diner food without feeling the need to reinvent it? Of course, we did worry that Psilakis put "gastropub" in the name, because I, for one, have always associated gastropubs in London with places with greater culinary aspirations than those found at good diners. So we concluded that a lot could go wrong in the execution of this concept, so we descended six strong on Gus and Gabriel one perfect summer-y night to see how Psilakis is faring.
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Posted by Nick Solares, July 13, 2009 at 2:30 PM
Chef Michael White freely admits that you would never find a dish like his fusilli with baby octopus and bone marrow on his Marea menu, in Italy. But since he is cooking in America, he feels justified in creating what he calls an homage to surf and turf, substituting octopus and marrow for the more traditional seafood and steak.
There are other local influences, the sauce base is an ode of sorts to the traditional "Sunday gravy" that simmers away for hours in Italian-American kitchens, but the ingredients themselves and the cooking techniques are mostly gleaned from Italy. The dish is similar to White's fusilli with pork shoulder served at Convivio, one of White's other restaurants, which I recently reviewed and found to be a near perfect synthesis of textures and flavors.
White has struck that elusive balance again with his latest offering. After the jump, see how he does it.
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Posted by Kathy YL Chan, July 8, 2009 at 5:00 PM
I went into the newly opened Tutto Sfoglia looking for pasta—perhaps a pound of fresh gnocchi—or a loaf of their ever popular house bread. But I did not except to spot a tray full of cookies, much less an entire round of housemade plum crostata. My initial savory cravings quickly turned sweet, and I found myself walking out the doors with two slices of plum crostata nestled in a brown box. Two slices! "Glutton," you must be thinking. But no, far from it—I had plans to meet a friend, and no plans to share my own slice. Hence, one for her and one for me. Each wedge comprise of a golden, buttery base with a thin smother of marzipan, and a sweet and tart filling of sugar-tossed plums galore. To finish, a dusting of golden demerara sugar. Sharing, in this case, was out of the question.
Tutto Sfoglia
135 E 92nd Street, New York, NY 10128 (at Lexington; map)
212-831-1441
sfogliarestaurant.com
Posted by Erin Zimmer, June 9, 2009 at 9:15 AM
Public Fare, Danny Meyer's new venture at the home of Shakespeare in the Park, is slated to open on Wednesday but Serious Eaters Dyan and James of Fat of the Land got a little preview, and sent over these photos of the food. The goal is "upscale concession stand," so even the BLT is made with all the finest: Benton's hickory smoked bacon, bibb lettuce, deep-red tomatoes, and black pepper mayo on Tom Cat Bakery's sourdough. The vegetarian option, pictured here, somehow looks meaty with all those big hunks of roasted tomato, zucchini, and riccota on toasted Sullivan Street Bakery's stecca bread.
Other menu highlights: root beer floats, whoopie pies, marshmallow toffee chocolate cookies, and strawberry and espresso scoops from il laboratorio del gelato.
Public Fare
Take Central Park entrance at 81st Street and Central Park West. Follow the footpath to the Delacorte Theater.
