Note: I guess my streak of at least one post a week has ended. I’m going to still try to update at least once a month. We shall see!

I went to Momofuku Noodle Bar a few years ago with a friend who was visiting NYC for the weekend. When another out of town friend a few months ago requested a meal at Momofuku Noodle Bar, I was a bit hesitant. I am a big fan of noodles and during my first visit to this over-hyped restaurant, I couldn’t accept that a bowl of ramen could be priced at $16 and still be mediocre at best. Also, a couple years later, it was named best bowl of ramen in NYC by Chef Morimoto (over Ippudo??) I was shocked and disappointed.

Fast forward a few months ago, after getting delicious drinks at Angel’s Share, my friend JC and I walked over to Momofuku Noodle Bar. I was expecting a huge wait since it was Friday at 9pm, which is prime dinner time in NYC. To my surprise, we only had about at 15 minute wait before we seated at the bar. In case you are living under a rock, one of their most famous dishes is the steamed buns with pork. I already tried them during my first visit, so I wasn’t really interested in having it again. I have this distaste for visible fat on meat, so I have trouble enjoying pork belly like most people. JC ordered the buns and really enjoyed them. I think this dish comes from Chinese cuisine and it’s pork belly served in steamed pillows of bread. Anyhow, after taking a look at their menu, I decided against their famous “Momofuku Ramen” as I wanted to try something different and I didn’t want to cheat on Ippudo. I skimmed the menu and the words “hand cut noodles” rang my internal noodleaholic alarm. Then I saw other delicious words, “brisket” and “soy egg”. I decided that would be my noodle soup of the night.

Handcut noodles and brisket

Momofuku Noodle Bar
171 1st Avenue (between 10th and 11th Streets)
New York, NY 10003
212.777.7773
Takes credit cards
No reservations except for the Fried Chicken Dinner

Such a simple, but tasty pizza at Otto.

Otto is great for large parties and has a very extensive wine list. In fact, their wine list is much longer than their food menu. If you’re a wine and pizza lover, then I highly recommend this restaurant. Since this restaurant is hugely popular, I recommend making reservations if you don’t want to wait 1.5 hours for a table for two. When you first enter the restaurant, you are in the enoteca area of the restaurant. If you are there during the weekend, I guarantee it will be extremely loud due to the number of people in the restaurant. I would not recommend going on a first date at Otto as you’ll most definitely have trouble hearing your date. After getting over the fact just how busy and loud the restaurant is, you’ll see the large train schedule which will have Italian cities listed and a time. Whether you make a reservation or not, you will be handed a train ticket when checking in with the hostess. When your train ticket’s city shows up on the train schedule, then it’s time for you to be seated. I find the train schedule really cute and reminds me of Italy.

If you end up having a long wait, I suggest getting getting a table in the bar area. Order a couple glasses of wine and maybe a cheese platter. I just want to tell all my readers that my absolute favorite cheese at Otto is Taleggio. It’s a soft and spreadable cheese, which goes perfectly with the very crusty bread. Otto also has great antipasti and I highly recommend the Cauliflower “alla Siciliana”. I don’t even know how to describe it other than being delicious.

Once you are finally seated, you will be handed a short menu which lists their everyday pizzas and pastas as well as their specials. My favorite standby pizzas at Otto are the prosciutto arugula and the pane frattau. I only heard about the pane frattau after watching Mario Batali and Michael Stipe on the Iconoclast series on the Sundance Channel a few years ago. Apparently the pane frattau is Michael Stipe’s favorite pizza! After seeing how delicious the pizza looked, my friends and I ordered it and it was truly amazing. It has a perfectly cooked egg, which I’m guessing is placed on the pizza after it’s cooked in the oven, pecorino cheese and tomato sauce. The pizza itself is really simple and delicate. The yolk is a bit gooey so it mixes into the pizza which makes it just perfect. I normally am not a fan of yolky eggs, but I make an exception here. If you’ve never had an egg on a pizza, I really think you should try it at Otto if you get the chance.

The only time I ordered pasta at Otto. It was delicious!

Otto
One Fifth Avenue (between 8th Street and Washington Square North)
New York, NY 10003
212.995.9559
Takes Credit Cards
Reservations recommended

Chorizo, eggs and peppers

I’ve heard about Shopsin’s. My friend SC informed me that they had strict rules and their menu is CRAZY. There’s over 200 items on the menu, so it can be bit over-whelming. I met my co-workers PS and SB at the Essex Market. This was a first for me. I’ve walked past the Essex Market a number of times enroute to Sugar Sweet Sunshine. If you can’t tell, SSS is my favorite cupcake place in NYC! Yum. My co-workers agreed to meet me in the LES for lunch since I had to buy a dozen of cupcakes to bring to my friends in Seattle/Portland. Yes, I know, I’m an awesome friend!

Anyhow, after PS and I agreed on Shopsin’s I did my usual menu research. I couldn’t even focus on the menu because it was single spaced and so cramped with items. SC informed me of their famous dishes such as macaroni and cheese pancakes, blisters on my sisters, sneaky pete eggs, etc. I decided I wanted something with eggs and meat. The Zackzuka caught my eye because it had sizzling chorizo. Mmm. When I arrived at the Essex Market, I was a bit lost because I had not realized that Shopsin’s was located within it. I found my dining mates and we arrived at Shopsin’s little nook. There were a few tables available and we were seated promptly. We were a bit nervous because we didn’t want to get thrown out. We survived the ordering process and I thought our waiter was quite nice. PS ordered the Orange Julius so I could try it. I never had one during my childhood. It tasted like an orange juice smoothie, but lighter. It was pretty good I guess! I’m not much of smoothie drinker. When her smoothie arrived in the metal cup, we looked at each other wondering how we’d share it. I told her I was afraid to ask our waiter for a straw. He came by and asked, “What are you afraid to ask me?” So I nervously asked for another straw. He came back with two cups and straws. Wow! How kind.

Our meals arrived soon after. PS got a half order of the mac n cheese pancakes and SB got a BLT sandwich. I tried PS’s pancakes and they tasted exactly what I expected. I think they put in the mac in cheese after they put a portion of the batter on the griddle. It was delicious. It was a bit spicy too since she used some hot sauce. Since I lack creativity, I never thought about combining mac n cheese with pancakes. It surprisingly works quite well. My eggs were delicious. I’m usually not a fan of gooey eggs, but these were an exception. I popped the egg yolks and mixed them into my chorizo and veggies. It was perfect. There was plenty of chorizo throughout the dish. They definitely didn’t skimp!

My first meal at Shopsin’s was surprisingly enjoyable. We did not get thrown out and our waiter was quite friendly. When we left, there was a short line of people waiting to be seated. Please note that they will NOT take any parties larger than 4. If you have a larger party, you better split up and pretend not to know each other. Also, they only take cash. During the weekends, this restaurant is quite busy, so I recommend going for lunch during the week if possible.

Shopsin’s
120 Essex Street (between Delancey and Rivington Streets)
South End of Essex Market
No Reservations
Cash Only
No parties larger than 4
Open Wednesday-Saturday: 9:00am-2:00pm
Sunday: 10:00am-3:00pm

Beef, chicken and pork meatballs (furthest to closest)

My friend SC and I decided that since we now work at the bottom of Manhattan (near the Staten Island Ferry), we we would hop on the J train and get our jeans hemmed at Express Tailor. Since it usually takes 30 minutes, we’d then have a tasty lunch at The Meatball Shop. We studied the menu the morning of our excursion. We decided we’d get three types of meatballs: beef, pork and chicken. I was lucky to be given the job to pick our sauces as well. After dropping off our jeans at the tailor, we made our way to The Meatball Shop. We were hoping there would be no people since it was rainy and windy.

When we entered the restaurant we saw the almost every table was full. There was a large communal table in the center of the restaurant. The hostess directed us to our seats at this table. I would recommend trying to get your own table as the communal table was VERY tight. I was literally bumping elbows with my two side neighbors. In fact, I had trouble pulling out my chair because it was that tight. We received our checklist menus where you mark down your orders with a marker. After further deliberations that perhaps the 3 orders of meatballs (each has 4 meatballs) would not be enough to satisfy our hunger, we added the salad of the day.

This was the best sauce!

We finished our lunch relatively quickly. I also heard that their ice cream sandwiches are quite tasty, but I was more interested in getting a cupcake at Sugar Sweet Sunshine, so we skipped dessert. Perhaps the next time I’m there and I’m sitting at a regular table, I’ll at least order a cookie. They had quite an extensive dessert menu. I definitely recommend The Meatball Shop if you’re craving some good meatballs. They do NOT take any reservations, so I recommend coming at an off time (lunch probably would be best).

The Meatball Shop
82 Stanton Street (between Allen and Orchard Streets)
New York, NY 10002
212.982.8895
No Reservations
Takes Credit Cards

Delicious Taim falafel wrapped meatballs.

For those who haven’t read my post on Maoz, I am a fan of falafel. I especially like the green falafel. Serious Eats did an article on the best falafel sandwiches in NYC. After reading about how wonderful Taim’s falafel, I had to try it for myself. Since it was located in the West Village (somewhere I don’t visit often since it’s far for an UESer like myself), I had to trek there after work. I remember that I had already eaten dinner, but was really curious about Taim. I met a friend at the place and it was tiny. There was just a very small bar with a few stools if you wanted to eat in the restaurant. I also remember it was extremely warm inside. Anyhow, I ordered just a side of falafel and it was delicious!

Recently, I have been reading in my food blogs about this new restaurant called Balaboosta. Apparently it was opened by the same owner of Taim. After the NYTimes wrote their mostly positive review of this restaurant, I was definitely intrigued. I studied their menu and I discovered they served Taim falafel wrapped meatballs for dinner. I convinced my boyfriend JRA to have dinner at this restaurant. We decided to skip the typical pre-Theater restaurants in the Theater District for Jersey Boys. I had no problem making a Friday 5:30pm reservation for the same day on OpenTable. We arrived a few minutes late, but the restaurant was pretty empty. In NYC, most people eat after 7pm, so we were lucky!

JRA's favorite: fried olives!

What a tasty dish. Look at the crispy skin!

JRA and I enjoyed the last bits of our small plates before our entrees were brought out. My chicken looked fantastic. The skin looked crispy and almost fried. I was under the impression that this type of chicken dish was cooked in an oven? I took a bite of my chicken and it was juicy (even the white meat)! I tried some of the Israeli couscous and it was tasty as well. There were bits of apricot mixed in which I actually didn’t mind at all. I usually have issues with having sweet things mixed into grains/rice (such as raisins in rice). Jeff’s skirt steak was equally as delicious. It was seasoned/marinated very well. He let me have a bite and it was definitely not lacking in the flavor department. His came with big pieces of roasted sweet potatoes. What a perfect combination!

All in all, JRA and I agreed to add this restaurant in our NYC restaurants rotation. The entrees were all below $30, which is pretty reasonable for the quality of the food. It’s definitely a perfect date restaurant. I highly recommend making reservations online if you want to go on a busy night (Thursday-Sunday). The host told me that it gets busier later in the night and there weren’t THAT many tables. They also have a full bar, but I didn’t have any alcohol as I wanted to be full awake for Jersey Boys (amazing show by the way).

Balaboosta
214 Mulberry Street (at Spring Street)
New York, NY 10012
212.966.7366
Takes Credit Cards
Reservations Recommended

The banchan at Mandangsui

Just a couple months ago, I returned to Mandangsui and since it was in the middle of the winter, I was in the mood for a soup to warm my body up. I have been a fan of non-seafood soondubu. Yes, I know that traditional soondubu is tofu soup with seafood such as clams, mussels, oysters, shrimp, etc. To my surprise, Mandangsui had beef tofu jjigae, which is perfect for me. After my friend JL and I placed our orders, our banchan were brought out to our table. Every restaurant has different banchan and they’ll change on a daily basis. My favorite dish is the steamed egg, which only Kunjip offers with their banchan. I also heard that this dish is available at Mandangsui only when you order enough BBQ for two people. Anyhow, the banchan was pretty decent. They did not have radish kimchi, which is probably my favorite type of kimchi. For those who didn’t watch Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” episode that took place in South Korea, kimchi is Korea’s national dish. In its most common form, it’s made out of napa cabbage along with many spices such as hot pepper. It’s served cold and is a delicious!

Beef tofu jjigae at Mandangsui. Perfect bowl of soup for a cold winter night.

Mandangsui
35 West 35th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues)
New York, NY 10018
212.564.9333
Takes Credit Cards and Reservations

I found that there was a lot of blueberries in these pancakes!

When our waitress came by and asked for drinks, I went ahead and asked if they were still serving their special pancake as I didn’t see the pancake month menu. She confirmed that it was still being served. From my seat, I had a good view of the kitchen and did see a huge bowl of bananas. I ordered the Crunchy (Fried) Bananas Pancakes and SC ordered their famous Blueberry Pancakes. Another reason I was interested in trying Clinton Street Baking Company was that I saw them featured on Bobby Flay’s, “Throwdown” show and they unfortunately lost to the cheater. I just think the show is so unfair and that Bobby has the upperhand because he prepares for the throwdown in advance and always ends up using fancy ingredients and taking the recipe up another level. I do recall the audience, who was suppose to be fans of Clinton Street Baking Company (don’t you think it’s strange how all these devoted fans switch teams so quickly?) mentioned that Bobby’s pancakes had so many more blueberries. Before our pancakes even came out, we received a plate of very delicious biscuits. SC mentioned that the two other times she had been to the place they even got free scones. Unfortunately, they were all out of scones, so I guess that’s for next time!

Who doesn't like fried bananas on pancakes with cinnamon chocolate sauce?

 
Clinton Street Baking Company
4 Clinton Street (between East Houston and Stanton Streets)
New York, NY 10002
646.602.6263
Cash Only and No Reservations

Nice thick and chewy knife shaved noodles with beef!

HLTR (she used to blog here) and I first discovered this Lan Zhou Handmade Noodle (蘭州拉麵）almost three years ago. We were amazed at how cheap the food was. I believe our first meal cost us about $12 and this included an order of dumplings (8 for $2). Even though this hole in the wall (think of a food stall in China) was located in very East Chinatown where no tourists would dare to visit, we made it out there a few times a year. After a few visits, I asked the chef if they do the knife shaved noodles. To my surprise he said yes! I was very happy and ordered these noodles with my beef noodle soup. At the same time, I came another time and requested these noodles and they said no. Going forward, I always call the restaurant ahead to confirm they are indeed making knife shaved noodles before I trek all the way to the eastern side of Chinatown where only the F train runs. Now that this place is quite popular with the foodies, they have put up an English menu to make it easier to order. During our first visit, the menu was handwritten in Simplified Chinese so even I had some issues comprehending. I always order the beef noodle soup, but my friends have been adventurous and order other items. Being the beef noodle soup connoisseur that I am, I rate their beef noodle soup at a B+. Their noodles are outstanding naturally and their broth is very rich. However, their beef could be a little more tender, but what do you expect for $5 a bowl? I’m not expecting perfection. A couple of weekends ago, I brought JC to this humble restaurant. I was a bit worried she would disapprove since we spent our previous meals at Momofuku Noodle Bar and Alice’s Tea Cup, but she was brave and JC ordered a mix of tripe and tendon for her beef noodle soup. Wow! I was really impressed.

Mmm, crispy dumplings!

I definitely recommend ordering the pan-fried dumplings. They are 8 for $2. What an amazing deal. They are nice and crispy and you dip them into the black vinegar. If I haven’t made it clear, this restaurant is NOT known for service. You place your order with either the chef or the lone waitress. You get your own utensils/napkins/drinks. In fact, I don’t think they even gave us plates to eat the dumplings on. You just have to fend for yourself! The good news is that they don’t charge tax and you get to eat for cheap. Also, you don’t need to worry about not having enough noodles. They definitely give enough in each bowl. At the same time, if you’ve never had hand-pulled noodles, I highly recommend you try it. You can watch the chef make them in the restaurant. I do want to warn you that he slaps the dough quite hard, so do not be scared!

If you ever are by East Broadway or the Manhattan Bridge (maybe catching a Chinatown bus) and are craving for some soup noodles, you should make a quick stop at Lan Zhou Handmade Noodle. You’ll be surprised just how tasty the food is.

Lan Zhou Handmade Noodle
144 East Broadway (between Pike and Rutgers Streets)
New York, NY 10002
212.566.6933
Cash Only
Call in advance to confirm knife shaved noodles availability

Lombardi's with its forever line

Once I moved into the big city, I was bombarded with pizza places at every corner. I did my research on the best NY-style pizza places in the city and Lombardi’s and Grimaldi’s showed up in the top of all the reviews. After eating at both restaurants, I personally prefer Grimaldi’s, but it’s in Brooklyn so not that convenient for an Upper Eastsider like myself. I think I prefer the crust because it doesn’t seem to be as soggy as Lombardi’s.

However, this review is going to be dedicated to Lombardi’s, as it is JRA’s favorite pizza place in NYC. We’ve only been to a few NY-style pizza restaurants: Lombardi’s, Patsy’s, Grimaldi’s and Totonno’s, but JRA only wants to go back to Lombardi’s. For those who aren’t familiar with pizza restaurants in NYC, Lombardi’s claims they were America’s First PIzzeria because they opened in 1905. They closed in 1984, but then reopened a block down on Spring Street in 1994. Since Lombardi’s is written in almost every NYC travel guide, it has become quite the tourist trap. I recommend going early for lunch (by 12pm) to avoid the crowds. Also, I went on a Tuesday evening at around 6pm and there was barely a wait. I was pretty surprised.

Sausage and spinach pizza at Lombardi's

Whenever my boyfriend, JRA, visits me, he demands that we make a trip to Lombardi’s. When you walk into the restaurant, you can tell that it has been around for awhile. The decor is very old school. There are checkered plastic tablecloths on all the tables. If you are lucky enough to sit in the far side of the restaurant, you get to walk through the kitchen area. I love seeing all the pizzaioli making fresh pizza. Not only is it very warm in the kitchen, but the it always smells amazing. Since were are now regulars at Lombardi’s, JRA and I usually order the same items from the very simple menu. If we are really hungry, we start with the Caesar Salad which is a good portion for two people. Then we’ll get a large pizza with sausage and some kind of vegetable. If JRA is in the mood, he’ll get a bottle of Magner’s. Then we wait for a great and filling meal. I just want to clarify that I can only eat at most 3 slices of the pizza. JRA has been able to finish the rest of the pizza at times, but lately we always end up with leftovers. The boyfriend is more than happy to bring these leftovers back to Tampa with him. If you never have had NY-style pizza, you should definitely try it whenever you have the chance. I definitely think that if I ever move out of the NY metro area, I will miss the pizza. I have heard of other tasty pizza restaurants in Brooklyn (specifically, Di Fara Pizza), and I hope one day I’ll be able to do a Brooklyn pizza crawl. JRA, are you down?

Lombardi’s Pizza
32 Spring Street (between Mulberry and Mott Streets)
New York, NY 10012
212.941.7994
No reservations
Cash Only – ATM on premises

Mmm, they were so tasty!

Another problem I had with Korilla is that they allowed customers to vote where they should be the next day. For awhile, I felt they were always up by Columbia or in Midtown. Now, they have resolved this issue and have somewhat of a weekly schedule posted on their website. Also, they tweet their location every morning. I went back to Korilla more recently and tried their bulgolgi burrito. I would have to say that it was better than the tacos because it didn’t fall apart as I ate it. Also, the portion was very generous and more than enough for a regular person’s appetite. For those who aren’t beef fans, they also offer chicken, pork and tofu options for all their tacos, burritos and rice bowls on their menu. I was also surprised how good my burrito tasted with the cheese. I thought it would be strange to have bulgogi with cheese, but it went very well together. For those who are interested in trying something new in the Financial District and are tired of the typical delis, you should definitely give Korilla BBQ a try. For those who are placing more than three orders, Korilla is now taking pre-orders. You can call them with your orders and then pick it up at the truck. I’m not sure if you get to bypass the entire line though.

Korilla BBQ (truck)
347.244.5515
Cash Only