I’ve stopped by El Rinconcito a number of times on the way home from work for their Latin-style roast chicken (pollo al homo), which although can be a little dry at times, is extremely budget-friendly at $4.50 for a half a chicken. Yesterday, however, I swung by at noon and not only were the lunch specials equally friendly on the wallet, but also mighty tasty. MORE »

Myung Dong Noodle House (명동 칼국수), the New Jersey outpost of the popular Seoul kalgukusu (칼국수, Korean knife-cut noodles) restaurant opened in Fort Lee a few months ago. I’ve been to the one in LA, which some people say isn’t really associated, and I liked it. As for the Jersey restaurant, it was good also, but with a few kinks. MORE »

Not exactly a burger but more of a Chinese pancake sandwich, the Spicy Cumin Lamb Burger ($3) at Xi’an Famous Foods has been a long time favorite of mine since I first had it in the basement of Golden Mall in Flushing four years ago. Since that time, the little stall has done amazingly well — thanks to the likes of Bourdain and Zimmern — with four more locations in the New York area. One even in Midtown! God bless America. Still, in recent years, because of its proximity to the B/D line than anything else, I’ve been cheating on Xi’an with the pork pancakes at Henan Flavor (now Spicy Village). So yesterday, after a dry spell, I decided to revisit the the lamb burger at Xi’an. This time, at its East Village outpost. MORE »

Some days you just want sugar. Loads of it. A treat that’ll have you bouncing off the walls. Other days, you want subtle. Just a kiss of sugar to satisfy your sweet tooth. A few days ago, I wrote about a place that’ll have you flying like a kite. For a light sugar buzz, here are a few options… MORE »

Dinner at Robataya, a restaurant in the East Village specializing in robatayaki (a method of cooking food over hot coals in front of customers), often means a meal and a show. All the ingredients are on display before you, and upon placing your order, the robata chefs grab the ingredients (at times comically crawling on their hands and knees on the counter), grills up the food, and then presents it to you from behind the cornucopia of proteins and vegetables atop a paddle resembling a pizza peel. It’s immense fun, and highly recommendable if dining out with out-of-town guests (as long as they aren’t from Japan), but is the food on par with the entertainment value? MORE »