The Archives

Restaurants, Upper West Side
The Salon at Per Se – NYC
03.03.10 | Permalink | 8 Comments

One day, I hope to be able to eat in the main dining room of Per Se whenever I want and not on a special occasions, but until then, there’s the Salon, the makeshift less fancy lounge outside the “real” dining area. Yes, it’s a bit uncomfortable as the tables are low and don’t accommodate for leg room (unless you sit at the communal bar table), and you’ll undoubtedly look on with longing as the people who probably have more money than you strut into the main dining area, but you make do because the food is solid, served à la carte (unlike the main dining room’s $275 prix fixe menu), you don’t need a reservation a month or two in advance, and the service is impeccable without being uptight. What’s a little discomfort? David and I minded only the slightest. MORE »
Restaurants
A Dinner Date with Mom at Alex – Las Vegas
01.21.10 | Permalink | 5 Comments

In-N-Out wasn’t the only thing my mom and I ate in Vegas. Although my ring of slot cards may say otherwise, I’m not completely ghetto. On our last night in Sin City, I took my mom to Alex for a sinfully decadent dinner. MORE »
Midtown, Raising the Bar
Kicking it at The Modern Bar Room – NYC
10.21.09 | Permalink | Comment?

Read “Raising the Bar: Kicking it at The Modern Bar Room” on SE:NY where I write about me kicking it with my mom this weekend. We ate Beer-Braised Pork Belly with a Hinny Kick (Hangar One Spiced Pear Vodka, lime, jalapeño, ginger beer, and garnished with candied ginger). Every weekend should be spent with mom, pork belly, and a vodka cocktail!
Restaurants, Upper West Side
Dinner at Jean Georges – NYC
05.11.09 | Permalink | 3 Comments

Last year, David and I went to Nougatine (Jean-Georges’ more budget-friendly restaurant) for lunch. The food was decent — except for a splodge of old micro basil gunk atop of my grilled squid — and affordable (3 course lunch prix fixe for $24.07), but the entire time I longed to be at Jean Georges next door. Sitting right by the entrance of Jean Georges, I felt like I was sitting at the uncool table while the cool table was just a few feet away. So this year, when the opportunity to take out-of-town guests to a nice restaurant presented itself (Gruezi Alvin and Alli!), I made reservations at Jean Georges. Unlike high school, coolness was just a click and $98 away. MORE »
Restaurants, TriBeCa
Restaurant Week at Megu – NYC
03.22.09 | Permalink | 4 Comments

I’ll be making this post short, because I don’t want to waste more time with Megu than I already have. Basically, I went to Megu New York last week because it was Restaurant Week (i.e. participating restaurants offer a 3 course prix fixe meal for $35) and had a very mediocre meal. And for those who’ll say, it’s because I had the food from the Restaurant Week menu and not the regular menu, that wasn’t the case. David, of course, stubborn as he is, refused to order off the Restaurant menu and ordered from the regular menu. In fact, had he not done so, I would have thought Megu wasn’t all that bad. Surprisingly, the non-Restaurant Week dishes were actually worse than the Restaurant Week dishes. It was quite bizarre.

In addition, interpret it as you will, but when we were given menus, the Restaurant Week menu was not given to us. It was after the waiter came to take our order that I had to ask if there was a Restaurant Week menu. When I did, he stuttered a bit, and then returned with two heavily creased menus. No apologies. Was it an honest mistake? I doubt it. MORE »
Restaurants
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon – Las Vegas
12.30.08 | Permalink | Comment?

One great thing about traveling is having an excuse to go to a nice restaurant. It’s like, “Hey, we’re in ___________ (enter vacation destination here), we should go to at least one nice restaurant while we’re here.” Basically, it’s just an excuse to overeat. Vacations and holidays are great in that way. I love having a free fat bastard pass. So when David and I were planning for Vegas, I suggested L’atelier de Joël Robuchon. Yes, I know there is an L’atelier in New York, but when are we ever going to go? When we’re at home in New York, it seems too extravagant to go somewhere fancy unless we have a reason. I should really plan a “staycation,” and just enjoy New York one of these days. Perhaps when it’s warmer…

L’atelier offers “counter service” in that you sit at the counter and watch your food being created right in front of you in the open kitchen. This is restaurant theater at it’s best. Robuchon was probably the first to popularize this trend in fine-dining restaurants. Now, everyone does it. I love this concept because it’s fun to watch the dynamics of a kitchen. David likes it because he wants to make sure no one does anything gross to his food. Oh ye of little faith. MORE »
East Village, Restaurants
Halloween Madness at Momofuku Ko – NYC
11.03.08 | Permalink | Comment?

I wish I could share some photos of the gorgeous dishes prepared by the chefs at Momofuku Ko, but as you know, David Chang has banned all photography at Ko. Alas, all I have is a photo of this door, and from the looks of it online, it’s becoming the most famous door in America since Jim Morrison. However, before the ban, several bloggers posted their pics, so google away, or just look here or here. So in this post, instead of relying on photos, I’ll do my best to describe my meal at Momofuku Ko with the power of WORDS. Yes, I’ll be getting down and dirty with the alphabet. MORE »

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