The Archives
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Bakeries, Closings, East Village, Restaurants
Closings in the East Village – NYC
01.12.14 | Permalink | 2 Comments
There’s a lot of changes going on in the East Village. All of a sudden, really good restaurants have been popping up; Han Dynasty and Alder to name a few. But also all of a sudden, favorites I’ve long known and come to love have distressingly been disappearing. MORE »
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Bakeries, East Village
Chocolate Eclair from Dessert Club, ChikaLicious – NYC
I have friends who are obsessed with desserts at Dessert Club, ChikaLicious, but I always found the desserts a little too light at the casual Japanese/French bakery helmed by Pastry Chef/Co-Owner Chika Tillman. That is until I discovered the chocolate éclair ($5.50). MORE »
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East Village, Restaurants
Dinner & a Show at Robataya – NYC
05.08.13 | Permalink | 2 Comments
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 »
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Downtown, Restaurants
Broth Variety at Ganso – NYC
I love thick, creamy tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen broth, but sometimes you want to spread your love to the rest of the animal kingdom. Unfortunately, in New York, this is a pork-dominated town. Chicken ramen can be found in a few Japanese restaurants, but beef? It’s pretty rare. However, not so at Ganso. At this oddly-situated ramen joint not too far from a Jimmy Jazz, the NYC Food Stamp Office, and Papa John’s, chicken, beef, and even vegetarian broth can all be found under one roof. MORE »
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Flatiron, Restaurants
Dinner at Ootoya but Sadly No Pork Belly – NYC
12.07.12 | Permalink | 2 Comments
The first Ootoya, a chain from Tokyo specializing in Japanese comfort food, opened in Flatiron early this summer. I went for the first time this weekend, and it was a slight disappointment. The problem? Because of Hurricane Sandy, Ootoya hasn’t been able to get their shipment of “Ootoya pork belly” from Japan. (Many items at Ootoya are sourced from their own factory and farms.) I’d had my hopes set on Buta Cinnamon, grilled pork belly with cinnamon and sugar, but it wasn’t meant to be. DAMN YOU SANDY! But in any case, I made do… MORE »
