FRESS:
[yiddish] To eat like an animal, i.e., quickly, noisily, and in great quantity.
Cocktails and desserts are the way to go here, no matter what time of day. Its fine to have cake in the morning if it comes with green tea and is made out of tofu. The savory food I have experienced have not totally been worth it, either too tiny or not so pleasant tasting. But moving on, the cocktail menu is creative. I love the signature Kyotofu with raspberry, mint, and white sesame shochu and I am sure it tastes even better when its half-off during the happy hour. The famous miso chocolate cake is perfectly complemented by the bitter green tea cream, it shocks your palette. The dessert sampler is a really great and adorable thing to share with your boo. We had the 5 item dessert brunch selection with rich chocolate souffle cupcake, a unique cheesecake, the soothing sweet tofu, the odd anmistsu which is most likely a dessert they eat on mars, and the perfect choc and vanilla soft serve with mochi. It was a great combination of flavors. The place can be a little expensive but many items are worth it. although we were advised otherwise, the teas could easily be shared if you are only interested in a cup or two. The space is pretty and they have a clean looking open kitchen. If I were a guy, I would take my dates here.
705 9th Ave
Dinner:
Also had a great time. We got a pizza appetizer, which was very good. I think I pissed the chefs off, forgetting they don't substitutions, hopefully they didn't remove the arugula and switch it with spit. For the main course I had the pappardelle with wild boar ragout. I was wildly impressed with the home made pasta; it was so wide and smooth and felt absolutely amazing in my mouth.
The service here is good... but a little strange, its hard to put my finger on it. Everyone is maybe too friendly- pulling your table out when its not always necessary, too many people greeting at the door, I don't know... Also a little on the pricey side, but it is restaurant row. Still, its a really great restaurant for all times of day.
Brunch:
Had a lovely sunday brunch here. The place is kind of hidden, so look out for the stairs and tiny sign. The bubbly waitress encouraged us to break bread over the table and make a mess. Cute, but trying the white bean dip was made more difficult without bread plates. I had the grilled pugliese bread with poached egg, prosciutto, and fontina with a white wine sauce. I thought it was amazing and the epitome of the perfect brunch item. I am not a scrambled egg or omelet lover and tend not to go out for breakfast or brunch too often. I loved the way the crispy bread soaked up all the flavors. It was not at all weird that there was a shallot-white wine sauce on my brunch plate. Others ordered the frittata and the salmon and were happy with them. The dishware is adorable. Am looking forward to returning for dinner.
322 W 46th Street
This place has everything that is delicious in the world. 5 stars purely for the beer, cheese, and food store on the right side bc I think the wine store is a little pricey.
They have an amazing beer selection with 10% off when you buy 6. Its worth it to pick up the fancy beers considering what they would charge for them at a bar.
The back area where they serve food is a little like Narnia. You make your way through the aisle of beer and cheese and suddenly you find yourself in a land where moderately priced gorgeous sandwiches filled with the freshest ingredients await you. Take a cold bottle of beer and they will pour it for you, or go for a glass of wine. They throw in some nuts and dried fruit to accompany your sandwich or pannini. It is perfect for a casual meal that is healthy and delicious in an unexpected environment.
669 9th Ave
Clearly if you come here you must have the black sesame creme brule. It is as good as everyone says it is. My friends ordered some unimpressive dim sum; so I suggest sticking with tea, sake, and dessert. There are some very reasonably priced sakes and (although on the expensive side for hot water and leaves) flavorful teas to please everyone. The early gray chocolate mochi was so tasty and different, but really intense, so it is a good thing to share.
There isn't a wait before 630 on weeknights. Yes cash only, yes hilarious and amazing ladies bathroom. Oh, if you remember to ask, there is a weeknight happy hour special that gets you a few tiny but delicious snacks with an order of an alcoholic drink.
230 E. 9th St
Good ramen, worth going back. Exactly the carbs I needed as a post Passover meal.
Very quick with the ramen to-go orders. The half portion size is a nice option and leaves room for ordering other things. The regular size can last me two meals. The ginger in the hakata ramen was overpowering/distracting. I really enjoyed the noodle texture though. I was not really impressed with the quality of the takoyaki, although its nice they have that on the menu and maybe worth ordering if you have never eaten it. The dessert menu looks tasty and well priced, maybe I will try the panna cotta next time.
update: tried the panna cotta, it was tasty and home made and though listed as having strawberry puree on top, it was definitely rhubarb which is ever better
also tried the shoyu ramen which was good and much better if you add vinegar. hakata is my preference though.
43 W 55th S
Takoyaki definition from wikipedia: (literally fried or baked octopus) is a popular Japanese dumpling made of batter, diced or whole baby octopus, tempura scraps (tenkasu), pickled ginger, and green onion, topped with okonomiyaki sauce, green laver (aonori), mayonnaise, and katsuobushi (fish shavings), originating from OsakaLittle shack with a bench outside for sitting, I usually sit on the steps across the street. Their takoyaki is honestly one of the best things I have ever tasted. Combo B is the way to go, takoyaki and okinamiyaki (cabbage pancakes). I can't understand the negative comments about the mushiness and oversaucing. The flavors and texture made my mouth so happy. I daydream about these balls in my mouth. I really do.
PS There are definitely places to get this dish besides this place in NYC, but Otafuku is the freshest and most delicious in my humble opinion.
They now sell bottles of the addictive sauce- very worth picking up. I attempted to make okinamikayi with my sister and it did not come out half bad. Egg, cabbage, flour, Otafuku's sauce= easy breezy.
236 E 9th St
This place is perfect in every way!
Its not easy to find a place in the city that is delicious, different, cheap, accepts large groups on weekend, and is BYOB.
We loved the green tea salad and the chickpea salad, they are a crazy mouth party, the mango salad was devoured in seconds, the thousand layer pancakes with chicken is great, the bermese tofu is unique-made of chickpea, the coconut rice is a flavorful and huge side dish for 3.50, and the green tea ice cream comes large and not too sweet.
21 E. 7th Street
