The Smith
The Smith is absolutely brilliant for expanding to Midtown East, in an area where real estate values are down due to a mid-2000 crane crash. The restaurant attracts an older crowd than the the original location’s largely NYU student crowd. The crowd was bustling with a reminded me of my Syracuse University days.. it was like a fashion show of the latest expensive jeans and expensive strollers. True, I have both expensive jeans and my son’s iCandy (expensive) stroller is better than all those fancy Bugaboos I saw today, but that’s besides the point.
Anyway, we had a reservation but weren’t seated for 20 mins after our res time. With a kid who has scheduled feeding times, it is harder to wait even 20 mins than my pre-baby days. When we were seated, service was really fast, almost rushed. The the food quality was noticeably lower than what I remembered from the Union Sq location back in the day. I used to go all the time – check out my positive review below. The pricing also is now really inflated for the portions/food quality.
My cousin had a ranchero scramble, which was $16. It included chipotle salsa, black beans, tortillas, cheddar, avocado. It looked and tasted so plain. Though the menu says, ”WE SUPPORT LOCAL, NATURAL, SUSTAINABLE & ORGANIC PRACTICES WHENEVER POSSIBLE,” it appeared to not be possible for this dish. The dish looked like supermarket tortillas, runny eggs, Goya beans and avocado, stacked, but not stacked in a tasty looking way, it didn’t blend like some of the rancheros I’ve had in my day. The only way my cousin was able to get some satisfaction from the dish was to pile on the house made hot sauce, which he said was quite good. It came with a free bloody mary, bellini, blood orange mimosa, passion punch or fresh squeezed juice. I sipped the mimosa and it tasted like Andre Champagne and Tropicana. My $18 shrimp salad with avocado, fennel, oranges, grilled onions, frisée, watercress, basil viniagrette could be called refreshing, but I felt the shrimp portion was slightly skimpy and they cut the shrimp in half to make it appear like I was getting more for my money. Also, after I was finished, I felt like I needed to go out for lunch.
If you want a brunch in NYC with a legitimate free cocktail and an amazing bread basket, stick with Primehouse.
With all the above said, the Smith will thrive because it is a scene. They can continue doing what they are doing and the crowds will continue to pour in!
The Smith Midtown - 956 Second Avenue NYC (at the corner of 51st).
***
The Smith has a great variety of food at reasonable prices (even with the recent noticeable price increases on the most popular items). It is a cool setting. Lots of NYUers frequent The Smith. With each time I go, I always say I am not going to rush back but then end up back soon thereafter. It’s a good place for a casual meal with friends.
Start with two bottles or water – flat in the clear bottle, sparking in green. Free premium water is a nice touch. They also give fresh French bread wrapped in white paper.
The Smith constantly delivers a better mac and cheese than others I have had. Love the presentation in a cast iron pan. It is always piping hot, crispy on top and the variety of cheeses makes it really flavorful.
Entrees are hit or miss. My friend recently said of the roasted cod with curried cauliflower, toasted almonds, red pepper romesco ($21). “The cod is bland but when you mix it with the shit below, it makes it better.”
I have always enjoyed the vegetable “bibimbap” – sushi rice, shiitake, spinach, edamame, sunny up egg ($16). My other friend said “it’s the best bibimbap I’ve had outside a Korean Restaurant.”
I’ve also been told the charbroiled chicken with smashed potato and roasted garlic is good.
Don’t forget about the $6 draft beers and inexpensive carafes of wine.
Also, top the night off with a $5 sundae for dessert. Make it special with the birthday sundae and they’ll put in a candle even if it isn’t your birthday.
Rating:
Food – 7/10
Ambiance – 8/10
Service – 7/10
Category:
Food Type – American
Style – Casual
Price – Reasonable
Wanna go?
Address/phone – 55 3rd Avenue, 212-420-9800
website -ctrnyc.com/THESMITH
menu - ctrnyc.com/THESMITH/thesmithwebsite/menus.html
OpenTable – opentable.com/the-smith
Dee Daa
I used to work in NYC, but now I don’t. Writing restaurant reviews when I worked in NYC was easier because I could write up cheap lunches, which happened more often and added on the pounds, but that’s another story. Anyway, I was working in NYC today, so I went back to old habits and tried a new place for lunch. The restaurant, Dee Daa, is a stone’s throw from Grand Central and claims to “ bring a little balance to your day. It’s a mix of zen and zest. Food that tastes great and makes you feel good. Service with a smile without a long wait. That’s what we’re all about.” My opinion is they did a good job on branding mediocre, yet tasty Thai food… If you put your Thai restaurant in midtown and are willing to pay up on rent, come up with a fancy name, and invest in some branding/artwork and cool signage, it’s an invitation charge $7.50 for rice with a few pieces of clicken that should cost $3.50.
Nevertheless, Dee Daa was crowded and seemed to do a good business. Service was friendly as they promised. While take out is their thing, it seemed wasteful to serve everyone, even those dining in, with those white plastic takeout containers. Also, while they displayed calorie counts on the menus and I picked the dish with the lowest calorie amount (under 400) I got the impression every dish started and ended with lots of cooking oil. That may have been the reason I tasted lemongrass thai rice the entire afternoon.
Rating:
Food – 5/10
Ambiance – 7/10
Service – 7/10
Category:
Food Type – Thai
Style – Casual
Price – Moderate
deedaa.com
155 East 43rd St (b/t 3rd and Lex)
646.396.6500
My Maki Sushi – Closed
11/2011 – Sorry to see My Maki has closed.
My Maki is the Chipolte or Subway of sushi. Located near Grand Central, it is in a good location for the business and on-the-go crowd. I stopped in for an after work snack, but would go to My Maki for lunch if I worked near Grand Central.
Here’s how it works:
- Pick the wrap – 10-piece roll wrapped in traditional Japanese Nori ($5.90) or 10-piece roll wrapped in neutral flavored wrap made of soybean ($6.90).
- Pick what’s inside – large selection of the common ingredients such as tuna, eel, and a few uncommon ones like crawfish. Price range is $1.50 to $2.95.
- Pick extras – All the stuff you’d expect like Avocado, Cucumber, etc. and a few different ones like Doritos and thai basil. (First two are free, additional are 75 cents).
- Pick an external topping like masago, sesame seeds or spicy bread crumbs.
- Finally, pick from one of their freshly prepared sauces including spicy mayo, edamame jalapeno, karashi mustard, citrus ponzu, thai chili sea and sweet unagi (eel) (75 cents)
The roll I had was tuna, shatakes, carrot, and avocado wrapped in nori and topped with masago.
The food was fresh and I got exactly what I wanted in a quick period of time. Though the concept is fairly innovative, from an ingredient perspective I would like to see a larger variety of more unique ingrdients. I also would like to see some more luxurious options.
All in all, I paid $12 for a large tuna roll, which I could have gotten on seamlessweb from 121 Midori Sushi (formerly Kiku Sushi 3). For those of you who don’t know me, that was a joke. I frequently make fun of the infultration of low quality sushi in the neighborhood. In addition to a lackluster selection in the Murray Hill Neighborhood, sushi places tend to result to shady tactics to attract customers on Seamlessweb.
My Maki addresses exactly what’s wrong with the NYC sushi scene. According to their press release, “My Maki was created after the founders discovered that it was nearly impossible for an on-the-go customer to get a high-quality sushi lunch quickly in Manhattan. Typically customers are faced with two unappealing options at opposite ends of the sushi spectrum: Traditional full-service sushi restaurants where average order preparation times are fifteen to twenty minutes, the environments are dull and uninviting, and prices are high; and deli sushi where a very limited assortment of pre-packaged rolls made with hard, tasteless rice and questionable fish sit for hours in a refrigerated case. (My Maki Press Release)”
I see no reason why this restaurant won’t thrive, after all, how could all the crappy, undifferentiated places survive in this market? Here are a few ideas to position My Maki for success.
- Get people to undersatand what it is and how it works - The key is to get people to understand the concept and give it a try. Spend more money with a talented graphic artist to design signs to walk people through the process.
- Help people find the place – Though the location is centrally located near Grand Central, it can be easily missed. The only reason I saw was I choose to walk on 43rd when I leave GCT.
- Innovative target marketing - Take a lesson from Vic’s Bagel Bar, who is doing innovative things like serving liquor at night while offering a crowd of recent college grads beer pong.
- Ingredient Management - Learn what’s selling and what’s not and take off low performers and don’t be afraid to introduce more innovative ingredients/specials.
- Give people a reason to come in for dinner (or to bring sushi home) possibly for a discounted price.
- Offer brown rice.
Rating:
Food – 7/10
Ambiance – 7/10
Service – 9/10
Category:
Food Type – Sushi
Style – Casual
Price – Moderate
212-682-2795
Turkey Meatloaf Rundown
I love turkey meatloaf. I have made it a few times from various internet recipes, but for such an inexpensive dish (even at inflated NYC prices), is it really worth buying all the ingredients, making a mess in the kitchen, then producing enough to eat for a week? This will change when I have a family to feed, but for now, I am sticking with turkey meatloaf takeout and the occassional sit down order. Here are my favorite turkey meatloafs in the Murray Hill area and one to avoid.
Dishes To Go makes a hell of a turkey meatloaf. I typically buy a piece or three on my walk through the Grand Central Market on my way home from work. It is packed with flavor, has great consistency, and no matter how long you put it in the toaster oven to heat up, it is not dry and has a great crust. The tangy and slightly spicy bbq sauce on top accentuates the loaf. Dishes has several locations throughout NYC and plenty more options than turkey meatloaf are available.http://dishestogo.com.
Another turkey meatloaf to note is Energy Kitchen. Their approach is different than Dishes’. The seasoned ground turkey is very flavorful on it’s own, but the marinara sauce on top adds another poweful punch of flavor. The charred preparation scores points with me. Sorry if the photo below doesn’t do the loaf justice. All in all, a nice portion of turkey meat loaf with sauce is 311 calories (everything at Energy Kitchen is under 500 cals). The meatloaf is served in a nice compatrmentalized plate with two sides for under $11. For sides, I like their mixed vegetables (37 calories), sauteed mushrooms & onions (pictured, 34 calories), spinach (30 calories), steamed sweet potatoes (145 calories). Energy Kitchen has locations throughout NYC. Energy Kitchen is typically better as a take out option than eat in. http://www.energykitchen.com.
Josie’s is in my neighborhood. I have walked by for years and never went in. I will continue to walk by because the “Freshly Ground Thanksgiving Natural Turkey Meatloaf, herb-spiced lean ground natural turkey loaf, smashed potatoes, wok sautéed Asian greens, natural au jus & cranberry-apple chutney” I had at Josie’s is clearly second rate to the ones described above (and a lot more expensive). Though a generous portion, they must have used a fat free turkey mix because flavor was non-exisitant. In addition, I got the impression that my meatloaf was microwaved to order. I have no complaints about the steamed “Asian greens” (bok choy) and the mashed potatoes were nice. I also appreciated the cranberry chutney as a way to add flavor to the loaf. The difference between Josies Vs. Energy Kitchen and Dishes is – sauce on the latter two is a nice to have addition to the meal, Josies’ sauce is the only way to get flavor into the dish. http://josiesnyc.com
Riverpark: A Tom Colicchio Restaurant
Exquisite, expertly prepared food, friendly and efficient service… Tom Collicio’s Riverpark didn’t disappoint food wise and service wise. But, my reviews are rarely just about the food…The other elements I will prominently describe in this review may be the difference between success and failure of Riverpark (if not reconciled soon).
Before we get into the meal, let’s talk about the location and layout of the restaurant….The only problem with the whole experience was “flow:”
- The flow to get the the restaurant within the strange off-the-street office area near a shelter off first ave. It was a dark city block that’s in the process of being developed. While Riverpark will do well with the captive audience in the office park during the day, the restaurant is really out of the way for nights and weekend casual diners.
- The flow to get into the restaurant from the dark office’s lobby with small temporary lights on the floor to ensure you don’t go someplace you aren’t supposed to. It was down right confusing to get to the bathroom, which was quite a hike from my table in the restaurant.
- Most notably, the flow of the strange layout within the restaurant just didn’t make sense to me. The waiter explained that the restaurant has two menus, the main dining room and the cafe, however, when you ask for a waterfront window seat, arguably a more appealing seat than the small platform behind a bar that blocks the view, you are in the cafe. You can have both menus throughout the restaurant. All the bar seats have their backs facing the large windows with water views. One may argue that while it was nice to have water views, there’s really no view to really speak of, no bridges, no Pepsi sign, pretty much nothing.
In a city of many equally good food options, flow (or lack thereof) can be the difference between success and failure of Riverpark.
I can’t be as critical of the food. It was good… especially the appetizers. A highlight was the Mushroom Consommé with roasted mushrooms, frisée, pecorino crouton. The bowl came to the table with a significant crouton with micro greens, and three types of mushrooms in the middle. The waiter then poured an insignificant amount of delectable, light and delicate mushroom broth. The amount was too small to get to get more than a couple small spoonfulls. Double or triple the broth supplied would have made the dish even better.
The cavatell with smoked lamb, sheep’s milk ricotta, mint, horseradish was wonderful. The pulled lamb mixed perfectly with the punchy bits of mint. The sauce’s consistency was light and the perfect bind for the pasta. It was a generous portion.
For my entree, I opted for the healthier steamed branzino with cauliflower, leeks, almonds, and anchovy. The dish consisted of two nicely sized fillets wrapped in leek. In the middle was a very flavorful red pepper tapenade. On the side was a small amount of over salted cauliflower and almond mix. If I were to go back, there are many food options I would consider including the chicken for two, the ribeye for two and the pork.
For dessert, the chocolate tart with salted caramel and chocolate sherbert was delicate and coarse at the same time, the perfect mix of salty and sweet.
A significant investment was made in Riverpark. I am confident that the restaurant will evolve over time, especially when the office park is fully developed..
Rating:
Food – 9/10
Ambiance – 7/10
Service – 9/10
Category:
Food Type – American (new)
Style – Trendy
Price – Moderate
Wanna go?
Address/phone – 450 E 29th St (At 1st Ave), (212) 729-9790
web - riverparknyc.com
menu - menupages.com/restaurants/riverpark/menu
Open Table - opentable.com/riverpark
Le Relais de Venise
There was nothing like arriving in Paris and finding Le Relais de Venise. Our email recommendation from a friend of a friend said, “you can have anything you want at Le Relais de Venise as long as it is steak.”
I write this review after realizing that I could relive my France steak experience in NYC and several other locations around the world including London and Barcelona. The ONLY difference between NYC and France (the two restaurants I had the pleasure of trying thus far) was a larger, more modern and spacious NYC location. The food tasted the same, it was presented the same way by waitresses who dress the same and act the same, same wine and dessert… exactly the same!
Here’s the menu….
Within minutes of sitting, we were served our Green salad with walnuts. Crispy lettuce, tangy dressing – the perfect start to our meal.
After we finished the salad, like clockwork, steak and frites were presented on a small plate. The steak was prepared as ordered, it was butter soft but unlike like fillet mignon, it had more flavor and personality. In addition to the natural steak flavors, it is covered in a rich, but not too rich, “secret” green sauce. I wasn’t sure what the sauce was in France and I didn’t venture to ask because I didn’t understand the language. In NYC I asked the waitress what was in the secret sauce….she said, ” If I knew I would tell you.” She said lots of people ask, but they don’t tell her, so she couldn’t tell us. Trust me, it is good!! The frites are thin and crispy.
After we finished what would certainly be enough for a meal, then came serving two of steak frites. That’s the way they do it, so who am I to question why?
We washed it all down with 2005 Relais de Venise – Côtes de Bordeaux – $21.95 (full)/ $11.50 (half). Where can you get a bottle for this price?! Normally house wine isn’t so smooth and easy to drink.
For dessert, they have a full menu, but they steer you to the best items with bold red underlines. In Paris and in NYC, we had Le Vacherin du Relais, which included.
- row 1 – vanilla ice cream
- row 2- crunchy, yet chewy meringue crisp
- row 3 – hazelnut ice cream
- row 4 – another meringue crisp
- row 5 – whipped cread
- covered in rich and smooth chocolate syrup (I am not talking Hershey’s here).
Almost tall enough to fall, but not quite. It only fell when it was attacked by two forks.
After dessert. No check until you ask. Just sit back, enjoy your remaining wine, and talk. No pressure here.
Rating:
Food – 9/10
Ambiance – 9/10
Service – 9/10
Category:
Food Type – French
Style – Casual
Price – Reasonable
No reservations (but we were able to sit without a wait prime time on Saturday night)
Address/ phone: 590 Lexington Ave (Corner of 52nd street), 1 212-758-3989
Nooï Pasta to Go
When traveling in France this summer, I wondered why NYC had yet to have a “pasta in a box” establishment. In France these establishments seemed as common as pizza places in NYC. Sure enough, a week or two after my trip on my walk to Grand Central, I came across “Nooï to Go.”
The idea is simple. Pick your pasta, pick your sauce, pick your toppings, box it up and go (or eat in if you choose in their modern 1,700 square foot establishment).
I selected “Bolo” - Bolognaise with bow-tie pasta at the suggestion of Chris, the chief operating officer of Nooï North America, who was working the counter when I visited.
The things I fear about a concept like this were overcooked pasta and flavorless sauce. Both my fears were dispelled at first bite. I truly enjoyed a hearty, flavorful, filling portion of pasta and sauce. The pasta was al dente as advertised… I think it has to do with those fancy automated machines in the back that look like deep friers (for pasta).
Nooï’s offerings are simple $3.95 (26 oz) or 4.95 (32 oz) for pasta and two toppings without sauce.
“Simply delicious” recipes are $1 more and include:
- Tomato Fresca - Tomato, olive oil, basil
- Diablo – Spicy
- Fredo – Alfredo
- “Vodkaya”
“Rich and Tasty” are yet $1 more and include:
- “Bolo” Bolognaise
- Bracnara- Carbonara
- “4 Magic” – 4 Cheese
- Pesto
- Chick’n Champi – Chicken meat with mushrooms and cream
- Bollywood- Chicken curry
- Le Salmen – salmon, cream, leaks and dill
- Lovster – Cream, minced lobster, tomato and sherry
You can get multi grain for $1 extra.
Everything seems simple, yet I found the menu to be too hard to follow. The menu referenced all these “formulas” which would put pressure on me if I were on a crowded lunch line. Too many words, too far away…. it made something very simple seem complicated. This could be solved by a good graphic artist who knows how to do less with more. Even better, invest in some plasma screens that allow you to make ordering more visual.
Also, strangely, the in-store and take out menu made no reference to the types of pasta offered. Even the Wall Street Journal article announcing Nooï deemphasized the pasta…”Nooï’s Mr. Sanchez did say the restaurant will include different cuts of pasta and 12 to 15 types of sauces, ranging from Indian and Mexican sauces to more traditional ones.” I would like to see more about the pasta on the menu – is it made fresh daily ? It it dry? What about those automated pasta machines make it taste so good!? What about the machines cook the pasta perfectly every time?
These nits are minor and can be easily addressed. Most important is reasonably priced, tasty pasta and sauces.
All-in all, I would go back, especially if I was in the neighborhood around lunch time during the winter.
Rating:
Food – 7/10
Ambiance – 7/10
Service – 8/10
Category:
Food Type – Pasta
Style – Casual
Price – Reasonable
Address/ phone: 370 Lexington Avenue (Btwn 40th & 41st St)
Pampano New York
Some may disagree, but I feel Pampano has seen better days. First impression, a musty smell. We were promptly seated upstairs. Though the booth we were seated in was away from the other tables in a private corner, the upholstery had several stains and needed changing. When I looked up to the once impressive vaulted cielings, the curtains had water damage. It feels like a refresh is needed.
The Paella Mariscada had shrimp, calamari, scallops, octopus, cilantro rice, achiote-coconut sauce ( $27.00). Presentation was a little flat… just rice and seafood on a plate. Though not listed on the menu, the chorizo included in the rice overpowered the rice in flavor and greasiness. As a result of the chorizo, I didn’t taste the cilantro rice, achiote-coconut sauce. Every bite of my meal tasted exactly the same.
I enjoy paella more when it is served in the pan or pot that it is prepared in. This dish was missing the crispiness of the rice that can be achieved from pan presentation. And, by the way, since when is Paella Mariscada Mexican? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paella.
I wouldn’t be as critical of the food and decor if prices were knocked down about $5 per entree. The 5 shrimp included in the Chor Camarones Al Ajillo shrimp, tomato, almond pipian, though cooked well, were not substantial enough to warrant the $28 cost. The corn, rajas tamal was not as sweet as tamals I have tried at other restaurants (such as Mesa Grill) and was a little dry for my taste.
Four $14 margaritas (2 each) added significantly to our tab. They were made well (with a heavy hand).
The drinks combined with overpriced entrees resulted in a $120 tab. We had Blackboard eats 30% discount. Even with the discount, I’d rather go somewhere newer and cooler for the price. I’d say go to Mercadito instead of Pampano for Mexican food.
Rating:
Food – 6/10
Ambiance – 7/10
Service – 6/10
Category:
Food Type – Mexican
Style – Casual
Price – Expensive
Wanna go?
Address/phone –
209 East 49th Street, Between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, 212-751-4545
website- richardsandoval.com/pampano/
OpenTable – opentable.com/pampano
menu – menupages.com/restaurants/pampano
Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream, Ices – The Treats of Summer
The frozen dessert landscape has changed remarkably in recent years. While I am happy to welcome many creative new additions to the marketplace, I also enjoy the time tested traditional ice cream and other frozen treats like lemon ice. Here is my guide to frozen treats.
Frozen Yogurt
Over the last three years we have seen the proliferation of expensive “premium” frozen yogurt in NYC… it started with Pinkberry, then came Red Mango. Even though Pinkberry arrived to NYC first, it is well documented that Red Mango started before Pinkberry.
From there, copy cat after copy cat. The funniest one I noticed a couple of years ago was Red Cherry, which has since gone out of business. Red Cherry doesn’t make sense. Red Mango works because mangoes are not red. Pink Berry, the same thing, there is a chance that a pinkberry exists, but you are more likely to come across a blueberry or a blackberry. There are plenty of red cherries…
Another relatively prominent expensive yogurt place is BerryWild.
Maybe some of you will disagree, but for me there’s very little difference between the three… I feel the yogurt all tastes relatively the same. All charge about the same and have similar topping offerings.
The Pinkberries of the world have almost totally displaced an old NYC favorite, TastiDelight. I never really enjoyed Tasti-D. While we used to order Tasti-D, the premium price for a styrofoam cup of this stuff always bothered me more than paying a premium Pinkberry or Red Mango that at least come with fresh fruit toppings.
Another frozen yogurt category is “weigh and pay.” We have these places that bank on the human instinct to not be able to control themselves. There’s 16 Handles and Phileo Yogurt (by way of Philadelphia, could you tell?), which my friend calls “yogurt land.” Both offer lots of machines featuring tart and not tart flavors. They let visitors take what they want, top it with healthy toppings or candy, weigh it, pay (enough to buy gallons of yogurt from the grocery store), then enjoy.
Recently I went to Jersey and visited Bischoff’s. Since 1934, Bischoff’s has been serving up ice cream sundaes in the same way. My family has been going to Bischoff’s for three generations. My dad, who grew up in Teaneck, used to take dates there in High School.
While I enjoy fro yo as a grab and go treat in the city or the mall, it is nice to sit down and have real ice cream. We asked and they don’t even have frozen yogurt at Bischoff’s! Take a look at these two sundaes that cost a total of $16! There were four of us and we couldn’t finish either one of them.
A City Ice Cream Favorite – Mister Softee
Summer is here and you know what that means….we will see Mister Softee on every other block in the city. According to the Mister Softee website, Mister Softee is the largest franchiser of soft ice cream trucks in the United States. Mister Softee is light soft serve ice cream – creamy with lots of air. Lots of creative ways to enjoy, including the double cone. Don’t forget to dip your cone in chocolate, strawberry, etc. Check out some Mister and Ms. Softee Profiles on Midtown Lunch.
On the topic of Mister Softee, please keep in mind that not all Mister Softee trucks are created equally. If you are in the mood for Mister Softee, please look at the truck carefully. If it doesn’t specifically say Mister Softee, it isn’t (meaning, they buy cheaper, less enjoyable product and try and sell it for the same price). Check out this 2008 article on Mister Softee Knockoffs.
Real Mister Softee
Clearly not Mister Softee!
If I find some better examples of fake Mister Softee trucks, I will update. There are plenty out there, believe me.
Lemon Ice (and other flavors)
There is only one King and he’s from Queens.
I have been enjoying the Lemon Ice King of Corona my entire life but the establishment has been around for twice as long as me (over 60 years). Read my full review.
La NewYorkina Modern Mexican Ice Pops
It was a hot day, I was thirsty and in the mood for something sweet. I had enough Mister softee and fancy frozen yogurt for the week. I walked into the Hester Street Fair, and the answer was looking at me. La NewYorkina “modern mexican ice pops.” Such a simple and refreshing idea.
I asked what the most popular flavor was, and Fanny, one of the propieters, served me Mango con Chile (Spicy Mango). The $4 pop was filled with large mango chunks. The chili made for an occasional bursts of spice. If the pop isn’t spicy enough for your taste, Fany offers seasoning to sprinkle (like you would pepper flakes on a pizza).
Other flavors include:
- Fresa-Strawberry
- Tamarindo Fresco- Fresh Tamarind
- Horchata- Cinnamon Rice Milk
- Jamaica- Hibiscus
- Pina con Menta- Pineapple Mint
- Nuez- Pecan
Fanny explained that she makes the pops after hours in a local wholesale bakery after 7pm during the week. It is a simple process from the cutting of the fruit, to the freezing. literally what you see is what you get. Check out these Facebook pics of the process.
At this point, they are getting ready for the Hester Street Fair each week. I see no reason why this concept can’t go bigger with a food truck or even a well positioned storefront.
Find La Newyorkina at the Hester Street Fair, every Saturday and Sunday,
10am to 6pm.
In Summary…
There is a right place and a right time for frozen treats and we certainly have a lot of options in the NYC Metro area… Enjoy! Please comment below on any of your favorites that I missed.
Boi to Go
Update 9/8/2010 : There’s a for rent side on the window of Boi to go – told you so!
Boi oh boy… I am not sure what to say about Boi, but at this point I am confident it won’t be good.
Now I am not an expert on Vietnamese food, but I can’t imagine going to Vietnam and getting something that resembled what I just ate at Boi to Go.
Step 1 – Select one base – rice, noodles, burrito, salad or wrap. I picked Jasmine rice. My first wrong choice. They said rice noodles would have been lighter… looking back having one “light” element to the dish would have be nice.
Step 2- Select a meat. I picked curried chicken meat balls with honey-hoisin. Second wrong choice.
Step 3- Add lots of seemingly unrelated items to the top. I am talking corn, peanut, cabbage, lettuce, etc.
Step 4- Top it all off with an overpowering sauce. I picked peanut, but all I could taste was the hoison from the meatballs (they may have given me the wrong sauce).
The plate was overwhelming to look at, overwhelming to attempt to eat, and as I sit to write this review, my stomach feels quite overwhelmed as well.
To top it off, this bowl was not cheap $11 with drink). It might be due to the fact that they are paying the salaries of literally 6 people behind the counter with about 3 customers while I was there. Also, the expensive midtown location is in a very intimidating building (the one with 24 hr police presence and concrete barricades on 42 street and 2nd).
Rating:
Food – 5/10
Ambiance – 5/10
Service – 6/10
Category:
Food Type – Vietnamese
Style – Casual
Price – Moderate
Address/ phone: 800 2nd Ave (Btwn 42nd & 43rd St), 212- 681-1122
menu: menupages.com/restaurants/boi-to-go/menu