Menu wise, they have snacks, small plates as well as large plates. But I went for one and only one dish: the "roo burger", understand kangaroo burger. I had kangaroo before, not as a burger, but a steak, when I was living in France, at a time when kangaroo and ostrich meat became a novelty, offering a healthier alternative to beef. Kangaroo has a very particular taste, far from beef and closer to venison, with a strong gamey flavor.
Church Street Tavern is the kind of place that could be on top of my list, but is not because of the multiple issues we had with the service. I rarely comment on service unless it is exceptional. For poor service, I rarely do it because I understand that waiters are not in control of everything. Could the kitchen be the problem for instance? They could also be understaffed for whatever reason. Well, at Church Street Tavern, the issue was our waiter. First, if your patrons do not feel like having a drink, you should not make them sense you are disappointed because your tip will be lower, the bill not matching your expectations.
I have been a fan of Dominique Ansel way before he made headlines with the Cronut. My ultimate pick at his bakery is the DKA or Dominique Kouign Amman, a buttery mount of deliciousness that makes me drool just thinking about it. And guess what? You may have to queue up at 5am for the Cronut, you do not need to for the DKA! But don't get me wrong, the Cronut is delicious and sort of have a French touch to the doughnuts, creating a craze that seems to have worn off.
Last Saturday, we went for brunch to Maman (mom in French), a new up and coming place in TriBeCa. I cannot remember what was in that location, but Maman is surely a good addition in the neighborhood, proposing family inspired recipes from France and North America, thanks to the association of Chef Armand Arnal, Benjamin Sormone and Elisa Marshall.
I was looking for a burger place near TriBeCa when I stumbled upon Breakroom Burger and Tacos. First, the combination of burger and tacos was fairly interesting, although there is already Burger and Lobster, so why not that one! Then, it is in the heart of Chinatown, between a bail bondsman and an acupuncturist. Small place for sure, it is better to either come early or with a small party. When we arrived, we were lucky to be able to sit in the last two tables available, next to the counter that was blasting some terrible music that I hoped would never be in a Christmas gift.
To start our lunch, we went for the guacamole, small size. I admit that I was expecting smaller and was surprised by the amount of tortilla chips it came with. Usually you have to ask for more, but not at Dos Caminos. It also came with three sauces from mild to hot. I liked the hot one, that, although quite spicy I could not stop going back to.
So, there is a new addition in the Hoboken food scene, an Italian restaurant called Sorellina ("little sister" in Italian). This place opened recently where Helmer's, a German restaurant used to be, closing after nearly eighty years of service. For sure the makeover that was done made Sorellina more appealing to the crowd (including the younger one), having both a rustic and modern feel.
House of Que, the BBQ restaurant located on Sinatra Drive in Hoboken, is not unknown to me: we went last December, two weeks after they opened and at the time, my review was fairly good, promising myself to go back to try their chicken and pecan pie. So I was excited to go back, invited by the owners, with the opportunity to meet with Chef Michael Rodriguez, a Texas pit master who brought to the East Coast authentic Austin BBQ. Chef Rodriguez gave us a bit of his background, from his years at Salt Lick BBQ in Texas that I saw (and tasted) at the Big Apple BBQ Block Party couple of year ago, to Tres Carnes in the City that is on my long list of places to try and may come on top after this phenomenal lunch we had today!
You should not judge a book by its cover we say. That's the way I see Satay Malaysian Cuisine in Hoboken. The bloc where it is located is mainly known for housing Carlo's Bakery, the famous original bakery of The Cake Boss. This place has some amazing food that is worth to try whether you like Asian food or not. We went several times and, each time, our experience there has been fantastic. The decor is quite colorful, with the kitchen giving the impression the dining room is outside with its roof-like awning.
On a Saturday night, we were decided to go eat Ramen and our target was Tabata Ramen, close to Port Authority. But, on our way, we noticed this place called Boi Noodle House, a Vietnamese restaurant that had ramen on the menu. From the outside, it was a bit difficult to see that it was a restaurant, but the A on the door attracted my eyes that are always looking for restaurants while walking around (Yes, it drives Jodi crazy sometimes, but I cannot help it).
When we went to Bouley in TriBeCa, I was definitely unimpressed, if not disappointed. But we still were going to give a chance to the famous Chef, trying the Japanese restaurant he opened with Yoshiki Tsuji, Brushstroke. And you know what? It was much, much, much better, with a tasting that was memorable.
As it will soon not be ramen time for me: I love the hot soup one and I am less inclined to have these noodles in a cold dish, although I tried once at Takumi and it was delicious, but I really associate ramen with colder days...One of the ramen joints that was on my radar is Ramen-Ya and we decided to go for lunch on a week day. When we arrived at their location on West 4th street, I was really surprised to see the entrance that is a white townhouse, giving the impression you are going to a friend to have a meal.
When I was invited to Hell's Chicken last Monday, I was pretty happy to get another opportunity to go to that place, having visited it with my friend Benny few months ago as we were looking for a fried chicken place (see the post about my first visit at Hell's Chicken). This time, I went with another friend, Abe, who is also a huge fan of the fried bird and was as excited as I was to go there. We went for dinner and met with the owner, Sung Jin Min who opened this restaurant in the Spring of 2013.
Owned by Chef Maung Htein Linn, who also owns Tabata Ramen, Nippori is a Japanese restaurant located in the heart of Midtown. I should mention that both Tabata and Nippori are train stations from a Tokyo circle line. At Nippori, the Chef crafted a menu that he considers authentically Japanese, serving not only ramen, but also sushi, sashimi, etc. When we arrived, at opening time, the place was not crowded and it took only 15 minutes to start seeing customers arriving to the point where people where waiting for a table.
So we were back to Via Vai in Astoria where Chef Antonio Morichini is now proposing a family meal on Sundays, called “Pranzo di Domenica in famiglia”. Yes, a family meal and not a brunch, although there are few dishes with eggs on the menu. As he said, if he would call it a brunch, not only people would expect eggs, but also waffles and pancakes, that are not items he is proposing. At Via Vai, you would only get traditional Italian dishes:
It's been 2 and a half years since we went to Hunter's a restaurant in Brooklyn with a neighborhood feel. We did not go back because of the time it takes us to go to Brooklyn, picking mainly restaurants in Manhattan. Well, that's definitely a mistake in a way, this place serving a very good cuisine made of classic dishes composed of sustainable ingredients.
I was recently invited at The royal Munkey, an Indian restaurant located in Kips Bay. The experience there is sort of unique as, usually, you would go to an Indian restaurant for the food, the decor and ambiance not being really considered. Well, it is not the case at The Royal Munkey: you might want to go for the cocktails and ambiance first, and then for the food. Not that the food is not good, but the atmosphere at this place is kind of festive, as the photo below can attest, a birthday being celebrated there.
So we finally made it to Bubby's, after repeated suggestions from one of the blog's readers (thanks Ttrockwood!). Not ghat this place was not on my list, Jodi mentioning it several times and raving about their brunch and biscuits that I tried one time, when she brought back one from a brunch with her cousin Rebecca. Instead of going to the one in TriBeCa, we decided to go to the location close to the High Line.
I found Takashi when looking for a ramen place close to Christopher Street and did not expect to find a menu where all parts (yes, I wrote ALL) of a cow would be eaten. For sure they have ramen, but what convinced me to go was more the other dishes that would probably creep out many people. I went alone as there was no way Jodi would have joined the experience or should I say experiment...
