Kibo
Located in the old Japanais space near Union Square, Kibo is a BR guest Restaurant, and benefits from the well oiled BR guest machine to ensure quality food, great ambiance and extremely efficient and courteous service.
While I am sure they spent a lot of money on renovations to the restaurant space, to the my untrained eye, the entrance and the dining room looked unchanged from the Japonais days, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing as the space is impressive design wise with a long dining room, ample bar area and tall ceilings. One change worth highlighting is the addition of a new Robata grill, which cooks meats and fish at 1,000 degrees to result in the perfect sear on the outside and juiciness on the inside… More on that later…
The first thing to impress me about the restaurant was the efficient service. Our waitress, Amy W., was just so nice and so knowledgeable about the concept, the menu items, and other interesting details. She was supported by a team that was always coming to clean up the table, pour water (which appeared to be bottled water of some type, at no extra charge) and make sure everything was going smoothly.
We started with drinks, after all, this was a night out to celebrate my four year anniversary of marriage to my beautiful wife!! I have been in NYC for years and have gotten used to the $16 cocktail. When I saw that my wife’s, Kibo San, the restaurant’s signature cocktail featuring Vodka, Pama, Lychee, Egg White Froth, was $10, I thought “this is a bargain.” This statement only applies in NYC, I guess. She enjoyed the light, flavorful (and inexpensive) cocktail. I enjoyed a Six point Bengali Tiger IPA. Looks good, doesn’t it?
Now, for the food… We started with the Japanese Caesar Salad with sesame dressing. For $9 the salad was a generous portion of romaine lettuce with french bread croutons, Parmesan, walnuts, and as a pleasant surprise, slices of apples. Perfect start to the meal with some great liberties taken to adapt/modernize this traditional salad.
Because we had to try the Robata grill, next came prawns. Prepared on a skewer, the portion was three large prawns. The kimchi sauce added some impact, but the highlight was the impact of Robata grill, which as described, perfectly seared the prawns on the outside and cooked it just the right amount to maintain juiciness. The prawns were a highlight – they looked so good when they came out that I forgot to take a picture (and I rarely forget)!
Next, we each had a sushi roll. My wife, California, and I had the Rainbow - tuna, hamachi, fluke, salmon, and tobiko. These rolls were both compact in size but not in flavor. The fish was fresh and the tobiko and strong wasabi made my roll really pop. I got the impression that these rolls resembled the sushi from the other BR guest restaurants ( in a good way).
For an entree, we shared the Skirt Steak with mushroom, shishito, and shallots. It was juicy and flavorful. It went perfectly with the Chicken Soboro (fried rice, but not in the way the habachi/Chinese take out prepares it).
To complete the sampling of creative Japanese delights, our waitress brought over a slice of their soon to be famous 20 layer chocolate cake. It is worth coming to Kibo just to try this dessert. I didn’t count the layers – if you would like to, the slice is pictured below. This was a special chocolate desert from a taste perspective and a flavor perspective . It was topped with homemade green tea ice cream.
If that wasn’t enough, she also brought us two classes of champagne to toast our Anniversary.
Kibo was a perfect place to celebrate a special evening for two. From looking around, it also appeared to be a great place for large groups – lots of 20/30 somethings seemed to file in around 9pm on Saturday night, which is good, because in addition to great food, the restaurant is playing up the fact that they have a DJ and lots of bar space.
When all was said and done, our meal came to $109. In terms of what we had (even without the comped dessert and drink) it was a relative bargain in the NYC dining space.
All the best to Kibo.
Rating:
Food – 8/10
Ambiance – 8/10
Service – 9/10
Category:
Food Type – Japanese
Style – Casual
Price – Moderate
111 East 18th St at Park Ave South
New York, NY 10003
P: 212 824 2770
E: info@kibonyc.com
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
Breakfast at Norma’s
When the waiter arrived immediately with the brightest, freshest orange juice I had ever seen and quickly told me of the unlimited refills, I went for it. Then I went for one for my wife – a few others at the table went for it.. Norma’s OJ was just right… not too tart, no pulp. Not sure how they made it – never looks like that when I buy fresh squeezed from the grocery store.
Would you like some coffee?… Of course… The French Press Pot of Coffee, which came in a stainless steel pot, looked good, smelled excellent… and had notes of …. Actually, I have no ideas to how to describe… but it was a good, rich cup of coffee.
Then we looked at the menu – each “unlimited glass” of OJ was $9. All in all, the entire table went for $36 of fresh squeezed OJ. I drank more OJ at brunch than I had in the last year! The unlimited French Press Pot of Coffee was $7 per person!
As we walked out with our non-alcohol induced OJ buzz, we noticed a table that planned ahead for this famous OJ. They brought out a flask of vodka and quickly spiked the OJ. Next time!
I should have done a little more research before I came, but then again, this was a lazy sunday brunch with friends, so I won’t be too hard on myself.
Norma’s is in Le Parker Meridian Hotel and has a menu with “The Zillion Dollar Lobster Frittata,” which costs $100 for a regular with 1oz sevruga caviar and $1,000 for a super size with 10oz sevruga caviar. The menu proclaims, “Norma dares you to expense this!”
I had the “Flat-As-A-pancake Crabcake” spiced with habañero pepper served with dill yogurt mustard sauce. The zingy sauce came in a well-executed thick corn bread batter onion ring. The crab was fresh and lightly pan fried. The salad was a little over dressed but what do you expect for $24?!
Others at the table enjoyed the Egg White Frittata Of Shrimp with oven-roasted roma tomato and spinach, and Scrambled Eggs And Bacon Breakfast Quesadilla with monterey jack cheese, guacamole and salsa.
If I were to go again, I would order something from the “Mom Can’t Make This” section like the Super Moist French Toast with an orange infused honey drizzle created in the 15th century by juan del encina or the “Egg Cellent” Breakfast Dumplings stuffed with scrambled egg, shrimp and mushroom. The dumplings came like a Dim Sum order from Chinatown.
When the bill came, breakfast was a whopping $45/person with tip! Though price was mentioned throughout this review, the creative menu of large poritions and extremely high quality ingredients, niceties like fresh French Press Pot of Coffee, & people watching made it a worthy splurge!
Rating:
Food – 8/10
Ambiance – 8/10
Service – 9/10
Category:
Food Type – American
Style – Casual/ Trendy
Price – Expensive
Wanna go?
Address/phone – 118 W. 57th St
Web: http://www.parkermeridien.com/eat1.php
Menu: http://www.parkermeridien.com/PDF/BreakfastNormasNY.pdf
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
Mr. Chow
Dear Mr. Chow,
Your restaurant is trendy. I was impressed with the modern decor with lots of expensive flowers all over the restaurant. We were immediately escorted to our table and greeted by our team of tuxedo-clad waiters right away. It was a nice touch to have such professionally dressed servers even though most of the patrons were in shorts and t-shirts the Sunday evening I was in your restaurant.
I thought your restaurant week menu included a lot of variety and enjoyed sharing several dishes family style. While everything was piping hot and presented elegantly, unfortunately the food was not memorable to me. I tried the Squab with Lettuce, which lacked flavor and was slightly dry. We actually left much of the dish over (I never leave the chicken lettuce wraps over at CPK or PF Changs).
The MR CHOW Noodles were overcooked udon type noodles with what appeared to be topped with the same mixture as the squab. Even if it wasn’t the same, the taste and consistency were very similar. I would have ordered differently had I known.
The best dish we had was the Ma Mignon, which was very soft fillet encrusted with peppercorn. Very tasty – cooked perfectly.
The Velvet Chicken wasn’t memorable and lacked taste.
I enjoyed the string beans (but then again I also enjoy very similar string beans at the local Chinese takeout).
The dessert for two was “intermezzo” sized scoops of ice cream and sorbet. The small scoop was not enough to warrant calling it a “third course.”
While I enjoyed the experience and the company I was with, the food just wasn’t good enough for me to recommend your restaurant to friends and family or for me to return in the near future (especially for the premium price).
Best regards,
Jay
Rating:
Food – 6/10
Ambiance – 9/10
Service – 9/10
Category:
Food Type – Chinese
Style – Trendy
Price – Expensive
Address/ phone: 121 Hudson Street (Hudson/North Moore), 212-965-9500
Web – mrchow.com
Pera Mediterranean Brasserie
Pera Mediterranean Brasserie is perfect for business lunches, dinner, and drinks. Why you may ask? Here are five reasons.
1. The sophisticated decor - Tall ceilings, flowers, sophisticated art, an open kitchen make Pera is truly classy and modern. The acoustics were really good at Pera. Their dropped cielings to the padded decorative walls were clearly well planned.
2. The professional service – Our waiter was a nice guy. He wore a professional business suit, which is uncommon these days. The service was polished and professional.
3. The high quality food - I have had Mediterranean food all over the city. At Pera you can tell that they used better quality ingredients in every bite. Loved the fresh pita pocket bread with crumbled cheese. As I waited at the bar I saw them baking the bread in the wood burning oven.
The Roasted Whipped Eggplant ($8) had the highest quality olive oil mixed in. It was light and it didn’t have that overpowering smokiness that seems to be a standard at most Med places.
The Greek Salad Pidette was really fresh. The crust was crunchy, the salad on top was dressed lightly and didn’t overpower or make the crust soggy, the grape leaves were one of the meal’s highlights for me.
The meat was as good as it gets- very high quality, soft and tender. Every component, the tender chicken brochette, lamb loin brochette, seasoned lamb riblets and signature lamb “adana” was cooked perfectly. More on the meat under #4.
4. The thoughtful presentation – When the mixed grill platter ($34) arrived at our table, I enjoyed how the passionate server explained how to mix the meat with the condiments, sip some wine and enjoy as if we were in Turkey. The fresh pita, meat, the sumak salad, The slightly spicy rice… Perfection.
5. The price - the fact that for a little babaganoj, a small flatbread, a few pieces of meat, some rice and a glass of wine came to $72. Glad I took advantage of Living Social.
Rating:
Food – 8/10
Ambiance – 8/10
Service – 8/10
Category:
Food Type – Mediterranean
Style – Trendy
Price – Expensive
Wanna go?
Address/phone- 303 Madison Avenue (41st/42nd), 212- 878-6301
website- peranyc.com
menu – menupages.com/restaurants/pera
OpenTable- opentable.com/pera-mediterranean-brasserie
The Standard Grill
I have given the Standard Hotel a few tries over the last few weeks. Tried the Biergarden, had drinks at the Standard Grill, and also dined at the Standard Grill. My recommendation for the best experience at the Standard Hotel is to stick with drinks at the Standard Grill and enjoy the free apples on the way to the unisex bathroom.
Drinks were all well executed, they are creatively presented and always nice and cold. I have enjoyed the PENNY DROP on two occasions. It was served in a copper cup and included Vodka, House made ginger cordial, lime juice, ginger beer, fresh ginger. You can really taste the fresh ingredients.
The margarita is quite good and they also have an extensive wine list. Don’t forget about their $45 punches that “serve multitudes.” Haven’t tried the punches but looked to be popular in the restaurant.
Don’t get me wrong, the food wasn’t bad, but the lackluster, inattentive service took away from the experience. We waited far too long to be greeted, far too long for water and it took forever to get our drinks. The waiter fumbled through the specials (which were already printed on the menu). The food also took an extended period of time to arrive. To top it off, the bill had a “convenient” 20% service charge added in ( we were a party of 6). Not sure when 20% became a “standard” tip.
There were also some weird elements to the meal. These two items were placed on our table in the beginning of the meal … not sure why? Just seemed random…
We had to ask for bread, which was good. I liked the salty rolls but a few at my table thought they were hard and tough to eat.
I particularly enjoyed my Sunburst Farm Trout, currant & pine nut relish ($19). The trout was cooked perfectly, the charring of the fish added to the taste and the aesthetics. The fish was simply prepared. The sweet currant & pine nut relish was a perfect complement. All in all, the price wasn’t bad either.
The “Million Dollar” Whole Roast Chicken for Two ($34) seemed like a nice gimmick, but, while it was enjoyed, for the price you may find yourself wondering why this “Million Dollar” Chicken isn’t that different from one of those Rotisserie specials at your neighborhood grocery stores (or even Costco for only $4.99). Check out this chicken special I saw while walking through Harlem…
The Standard Grill Ranch Burger with bacon and cheese, fries ($16) looked like a good choice and the people at the table that ordered it seemed to enjoy despite one being slightly overcooked.
Crispy Potatoes With Smoked Paprika Aioli ($7) were excellent.
Rating:
Food – 7/10
Ambiance – 9/10 (Trendy, thoughtful design, cool scene)
Service – 5/10
Category:
Food Type – New American
Style – Casual
Price – Moderate
Wanna go?
Address: 848 Washington Street, 212-645-4500
website – thestandardgrill.com OpenTable – opentable.com/the-standard-grill Menu: http://thestandardgrill.com/menu/
Park Avenue Spring
It’s Springtime, and you know what that means? Time to go to Park Avenue Spring, the restaurant that changes with the seasons. According to Park Avenue Spring’s website, this Spring’s decor was “inspired by a classic English garden with wild, raw vegetation and materials.” This is a perfect special occasion restaurant, though I got the feeling that some of the people dining at the restaurant didn’t need a special occasion to go.
In my past Park Avenue reviews I focused on the use of fresh seasonal ingredients, for this review, the theme is taking traditional recipes and making them better. If you’ve always wanted to try the “twists on traditional recipe” challenges on Top Chef come to Park Avenue Spring.
I started with Thai Minestrone with spring vegetables, lemongrass, and tapioca. The broth had all the flavors of a Thai Tom Yum soup, but the heat wasn’t as overpowering as this is not your neighborhood Thai restaurant. Also, it was clear that the “young” spring vegetables were much fresher. The tapioca, was the perfect end to the bowl of soup, which was designed to be scooped up in the last couple spoonfuls. The use of tapioca was a clever play on the noodles.
Another special dish was the shrimp scampi. Normal “Italian” presentation takes a bunch of shrimp mixed with garlic, butter and white wine, over pasta. Park Avenue Spring shrimp scampi was served on a plate with large fresh shrimp, head on (if you don’t want the heads on, ask and they will take them off) topped with a crunchy pan fried noodle crust instead of your typical bowl of noodles. The pleasure of the dish was the power and flavor of the shrimp without all the typical distracting ingredients. The 3 shrimp included in the appetizer portion was the perfect sampling for us.
In addition to making traditional recipes more modern and desirable, they also do a great job at delivering on the traditional favorites like rack of lamb, filet mignon, burgers, chicken, halibut etc. The Colorado Lamb Chops with rhubarb panzanella were delicious. Cooked exactly as ordered.
Halibut with Black Truffles brioche-crusted poached egg, though cooked perfectly, was a little too salty for my taste.
I hate to say it, but I enjoyed my friend’s halibut preparation with lemon and breadcrumbs more. She also gave a more generous portion, sides, and seconds!
The meal always starts out with one of the best bread baskets in Manhattan. It included flatbreads, corn bread, and a salted herb roll.
The service, as always, it friendly and efficient. We enjoyed sitting in the more intimate section all the way in the back (to the left) of the restaurant as opposed to the larger room to the right.
In addition to the high quality food and presentation, the ambiance and the people watching really kick it up a notch. Prices are inflated, but this is Park Avenue and you have to pay a premium for a chance to bump into Gossip Girl. XOXO (my wife makes me watch).
Macelleria
Having experienced many Italian restaurants in NYC, I typically say most in NYC are either really good or really bad. Macelleria is somewhere in the middle.
We enjoyed a well executed Italian meal with efficient service in a festive environment. Macelleria is the perfect place for a celebration – the crowd is young and the energy is high. The restaurant is next to several trendy clubs/nightspots.
A few nitpick items stand out as separates Macelleria from some of the higher rated establishments.
We started with pasta. I had the wild boar pappardelle. The pasta was piping hot and cooked perfectly but I thought the wild boar sauce tasted and looked like standard chuck meat. The waiter said it was cooked for over three hours but I didn’t get the special “wild boar” taste I’m used to from ordering the dish at other places. We shared the Prime Dry Aged New York Strip Steak as well as the Branzino – both were well done. They were both very flavorful.
The sides were nothing to write home about… the spinach was a little bitter from my friend’s perspective. The roasted potatoes were crunchy and crispy but I could have used a few more on the plate.
Dessert was good, but they tried to play off standard “food service” ice cream as gelato.
Rating:
Food – 7/10
Ambiance – 7/10
Service – 7/10
Category:
Food Type – Italian
Style – Casual
Price – Moderate (Meatpacking price inflation)
Wanna go?
Address/phone –
48 Gansevoort St | Btwn Greenwich & Washington St, 212-741-2555
website- macelleriarestaurant.com
menus – menupages.com/restaurants/macelleria
Open Table- opentable.com/macelleria
Vic’s Bagel Bar
Judging from the Sunday morning crowd that wrapped throughout the store, Vic’s is a welcome addition to Murray Hill. Why, you may wonder, is this bagel shop different from any other bagel shop? The answer is bold innovation, creativity, efficient service, fresh high quality ingredients, and most importantly THE BAGEL.
What’s the bold innovation? A customized cream cheese/bagel topping bar. All cream cheese is made to order with those high quality ingredients I mentioned.
They have everything you’d expect, and then a few unexpected ones like Chocolate Chips, Sprinkles, Potato Chips, Kosher Bacon Bits, Pesto, Wasabi, BBQ Sauce, Zaatar, and Maple Syrup. They are smartly capitalizing on the very popular overpriced NYC yogurt /salad bar trend.
I had the “Tokyo Tel Aviv Express” with lox, wasabi, pinch of scallion and edamame on an everything bagel. My everything bagel was soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside. It was much better than I expected. They included the perfect amount of ingredients– I usually tell other bagel shops to go light on the cream cheese but this bold mix of ingredients was easier to eat than a “glob” of cream cheese. The wasabi added nice flavor, but was not overpowering as it could have been.
The coffee was also good. Vic herself said it was somewhere between Dunkin and Starbucks and she was right.
Though I like Daniel’s bagels across the street, when I walked by with my bagel from Vic’s the crowd was nowhere near Vic’s. Time will tell what kind of impact Vic’s has on Daniel’s.
This may be a bold prediction in the young life of Vic’s Bagel Bar, but I see this concept as being a perfect franchise in cities beyond nyc. As Bravo says “Watch what happens!”
Rating:
Food – 8/10
Ambiance – 8/10
Service – 8/10
Category:
Food Type – Bagels
Style – Casual
Price – Reasonable
Wanna go?
Address/phone –
544 3rd Ave At 36th St – 212-213-3900
menu- menupages.com/restaurants/vics-bagel-bar
website- vicsbagelbar.com