Who Ate the Big Apple?

Prime Meats

2010-09-15T18:00:00.000-04:00

I have a confession to make. I'm in bestie love with the Frankies men. First of all, they own like a bajillion restaurants, and second of all, remember that time they got really high, ate a shit ton of pizza at Roberta's and Motorino and then made meatballs? It's the best thing in the world. Either way, the Frankies men are famous to me and on Labor Day we decided to take a trip to Prime Meats.

Let's start with the staff...they're pretty great! The host was super nice to me when I kept going in there and telling them my friends would be there any second, and then as soon as my friends got there he sat us. Granted, he didn't laugh at my Foursquare joke, but I won't hold that against him. Our waitress was cool, laid back but made sure we were happy. Then when we left everyone said super cheerful goodbyes to us.

PM is pretty damn big, I must say. I'm not sure (because I've never been in there) if part of it spills back over into Frankies Spuntino or not as they're right next door, but there's definitely a lot of space. Decorated with large windows and rustic wood, this is one of the nicest and most homey restaurants I've ever been to.

I'm still not on the "livin' large" side of things, but I decided to get the $5 brunch punch - a delightful combination of BOURBON (WIN!), fruit punch and fresh fruit. It was absolutely delicious. I also ordered coffee, simply because I was exhausted, but I didn't really drink it, because it didn't go well with the brunch punch (and because the soy milk was separating every time I tried to take a sip). They serve Stumptown coffee here, which I'm not the biggest fan of (Crop to Cup is the coffee winner for me).

I ordered the breakfast sandwich on a biscuit with bacon ($9), which is exactly what I ordered at Cafe Pedlar. Why? 1) It's one of the cheapest and heartiest things you can order. 2) It's freakin' delicious. The biscuit is crumbly (which is a slight thumbs down in my book, but that's coming from the South, where "buttermilk biscuit" really just means "butter biscuit"), but the eggs are soft (organic, what up), the cheese is slightly tangy and the bacon is soooooooo good - thick, not too crisp or too soft, just the way I like it. It comes with a side of greens, which I wish you could substitute free of charge for potatoes (actually, you might be able to - why didn't I think to ask that!). I have yet to try the dinner portion, which is mostly German fare, but gotta be honest - one of my best friends is the pastry chef at Blaue Gans, and I'm just not sure you can beat that place. And I'm not just sayin' that because Beth is awesome (and her desserts are out of this world). I really do love ole BG.

BEST PART OF THE DAY? When we went towards the front door, I saw the Frankies themselves standing outside and I got super giddy. If you know a way to make them my besties, message me. - Jennifer

I have this habit of ordering yogurt and granola whenever offered to me during breakfast or lunch. Why I order yogurt and granola at a place called Prime Meats, I don't know. But I did it.

It was good, don't get me wrong, and at $7.50 it's a hefty serving with fruit on top. But as filling as wholesome as it is, it's definitely not the best I've ever had, or even of each component. I have dreams about the greek yogurt at The Breslin (more on that later) which does not have value on it's side, but I'd gladly pay a wad of bills to eat it again. And this leads me to the question at hand-- why don't all nom-worthy brunch establishments serve greek yogurt? Why bother with the regular stuff? I guess not everyone loves it like I do, but after going Greek I can never go back. NEVER.

What was I talking about? Oh, Prime Meats. I love the interior of this place, it feels homey but refined. And as Jennifer said, the staff is sweet. I've been a couple of times, and had a nice relaxing brunch on both occasions. The hashbrowns are tasty, they seem to treat their eggs right (so many places don't), and the bacon is delicious.. but it is Prime Meats-- and I suggest you stick with that theme while ordering. Meat. -Laurel

Address: 465 Court St (between 3rd Pl & 4th Pl)

Website: Prime Meats, Yelp

Payment: Cash, American Express only

Delivery: nope

Open Late: opens at 7am every day, open until 3am fri-sat

Large Group Friendly: yes

Bar/Happy Hour: Full Bar, $5 Brunch Punch is awwwesome

Char No. 4

2010-09-07T14:21:00.001-04:00

Char No. 4 is a close walk from my digs, and I had long heard about it being a destination for pork and bourbon lovers. Guess what! I love both of these things.

I met Jennifer there after going to the gym, still wearing my work-out clothes. Probably not the best choice, as it's on the classier end of things, and the waiter even pointed it out. Lucky for him, he was nice and cute, so I didn't punch him in the face with the leftover adrenaline from my intense work out. Totally could have knocked his lights out. Instead, I giggled pleasantly. Anyway, the service was pretty good (not just looks).

The menu here is meat-tastic and a little southern tilted, with dishes often revolving some kind of pork. For some weird reason, I ordered the shrimp and grits instead ($14). I really liked the size of the portion, and I got about 6 plump, grilled shrimp. The grits were pretty good, and my experience with grits in this neck of the woods have been less than stellar. My grandmother could still do better, but you can't have everything. It had a nice flavor, and a lot of greens and chives on top (I happen to love both, but I could see someone thinking it distracting).

I also ordered a bourbon cocktail to make myself appear classier, which was very nicely mixed (Noreaster- $9). I think I just ended up looking like a younger, female iteration of The Dude. Also okay. Overall, it's pretty low-key and low-lit, and the prices aren't too bad. Try it out if you are looking for some smokey drink and meat. -Laurel

BAR-B-QUE. What else can a Southern gal ask for? We’ve talked about Smoke Joint before, but let’s introduce you to our new favorite, Char No. 4 (yes, we do seem to be into No. restaurants lately). Situated in Carroll Gardens, this cute, rustic restaurant has the perfect combination of two things I love: bourbon and Southern food.

The menu offers a wide range of Southern sweetness – from Laurel's aforementioned Shrimp & Grits and BBQ sandwiches to Smoked Brisket sandwiches and Jambalaya. I’ve gone a couple of times for dinner – not yet for brunch (working weekends makes brunch damn near impossible). The first time I had the chopped pork sandwich ($14), which comes with a side of baked beans; the next round I ordered shrimp and grits. The barbeque is great – a bit different than what I’m used to, slightly spicy and vinegary (they have mustard in their bbq sauce). I wasn't down with the baked beans - honestly I think I only ever liked baked beans mixed with mac and cheese (I was a weird kid). The shrimp and grits were spicy, and delicious – only complaint is it’s not quite enough food. I also can’t say no to the bacon jalapeno cornbread. If anything, just order THAT - it's bomb.

And of course – the bourbon. They offer over 150 American whiskeys - which pretty much makes this place my mecca. Due to a cold, I ordered the Bourbon Insider Hot Toddy (admittedly I ordered it as a Hottie Toddy first, which our server - who totally WAS adorable - thought was hilarious). At nine smackers, this drink went down smooth and strong. We also split the Sticky Toffee Pudding for $8... the cake was moist and... sticky, and the ice cream was fresh and delicious.

Gotta say, it's a little on the expensive side for me (now that I've turned away from my "real" job), but I still love this place. Currently accepting applications for whiskey and bbq loving boys with about $30 to spare on a whiskey and bbq loving girl over at letsgetdrunkandfattogether.com. - Jennifer

Address: 196 Smith Street

Website: CharNo4.com, Yelp

Payment: Cash, Credit

Delivery: Nope

Open Late: Sunday thru Thursday, 12am; Friday-Saturday 1am

Large Group Friendly: Somewhat

Bar/Happy Hour: Full Bar; Tasty Cocktails

Dumbo General Store (with Guest Reviewer Davis)

2010-08-16T22:13:00.001-04:00

I've been working in Dumbo for the past 2+ years, and yet in all that time I think I've only headed out for an actual honest-to-god lunch break a just handful of times. The Dumbo General Store is a place I always mean to check out more often and rarely do, so I couldn't wait to give it a shot when Jen asked if I wanted to grab a bite for lunch last week.

Taking a seat at the huge community-style bench seats in the middle of the room, we started off with a cup of french pressed coffee and took our time checking out the menu - both the printed ones in our hands and the floor-to-ceiling chalked version that included the day's specials. Since the General Store prides itself on serving breakfast all day, I opted for one of the day's specials: an egg scramble with tomato, basil, onion and prosciutto with side salad and toast for $9.

The scramble was pretty tasty, with the basil and prosciutto adding quite a bit of flavor to the dish, and the grilled toast adding a much-needed crunch. While the I joked that the side salad (which took up nearly half the plate) was more of a "mostly salad," it was probably one of the most satisfying lunches I've had in the neighborhood. A great after-work spot for a drink, I'm going to have to start working the General Store into my rotation of go-to lunch spots more often. - Davis

I've recently entered into the working-on-weekends-only territory (is that a real thing?), which is awesome because I can have lunch with friends who have "real" jobs (you know, health benefits, 401k, crap like that).

The downside is no more brunch, which means no more of Superfine's breakfast burrito (my fave). Therefore, I decided to try out Dumbo General Store's version, because they serve breakfast all day every day (which is an automatic win in my book). Luckily, the breakfast burrito here puts up a good fight against Superfine's. Layered with scrambled eggs, guac, black beans and cheddar cheese, with fresh pico de gallo on the side, this burrito is simple but flavorful and fresh, and only being $7.95 isn't too shabby either. I will admit that I still enjoy Superfine's burrito more, but I'm interested to return to the General Store to enjoy more of their food. I went here the other day for a drink and the beer was so, so cheap. Definitely recommend their happy hour too!

As for the atmosphere, it's quaint and laid back. The servers are nice and attentive, but not overbearing, and as far as I can tell know the regulars pretty well (which gives it a homey feel). Will definitely return for more lunchtime eats. - Jennifer

Address: 111 Front St between Adams St & Manhattan Bridge (DUMBO, Brooklyn)

Website: Dumbo General Store, Yelp

Payment: Cash Only

Delivery: yup

Open Late: til 1am on the weekends, 12am sundays and 11pm tues-thurs

Large Group Friendly: yes!

Bar/Happy Hour: AWESOME happy hour, 5pm-close - $3 Brooklyn and cheap wine/liquor deals - definitely good for after work drinks

Totale Pizza

2010-08-05T13:12:00.000-04:00

Yeah, pizza! Prompted by a recent review by the wonderful Serious Eats, Laurel, our friend Chris (from The Skint - if you don't know what that is, you should), and I decided to give Totale a try. We looked up the address but unfortunately seemed to have walked right past it first try that night. It's a small, open area spilling out to the street and looks just like every other pizza joint on St. Marks (only quite a bit cleaner and brighter), so we didn't notice it at first.

However, we can all attest to the fact that it's nothing like any of the other pizza joints - it's absolutely divine. This neopolitan style/brick oven pizza place has all the right ingredients and clever combinations to make it a new favorite among Laurel and me. We chose the namesake pizza, which comes with pine nuts, rosemary and red onions (and no "red sauce" as us well spoken eaters call it) and the Prosciutto E Rucola pizza, with mozz, prosciutto di parma, argula and EVOO (Rachael Ray, gross). I have to say I really liked both, albeit for entirely different reasons. Both were, perhaps, a little too salty for my likes, but the namesake pizza was an interesting combination and flavor explosion in my mouth. The pine nuts on the pizza were a nice touch to give a bit of crunch. As for the Prosciutto pizza, I had to yank off the argula (there was a lot) before I could dig in due to my aforementioned (and by aforementioned, I mean read our other blog posts) ailments. I believe this is why it basically tasted like a prosciutto di parma and mozzarella open faced...sandwich. Don't get me wrong, it was delicious, but I didn't think of it as pizza - especially because I eat all pizza the New York way which means I fold it in half to make it a sandwich.

Either way, I'm interested to try the Margherita pizza, as I feel like if you fail that, you fail all. I will be back here, it's not too pricey (Totale, $10 / Prosciutto, $11 and more than enough to share) and the server was nice, pretending he was Italian and all (okay, he was...). Plus the night we went it was pretty quick service - definitely a good deal. And I can say, you'll have a totale-y good time (couldn't resist). - Jennifer

We had just left an event in the East Village, and were hungry without direction. Somehow, my brain remembered that Totale had recently opened on St Marks, which is precisely where we were. I was curious to try it, since it sprung from an agreement between an Una Pizzeria Napolina alum and a 2 Bros. Pizza owner (expensive, authentic pizza + super cheap only-good-when-you're-drunk pizza). Weird, right?

Weird, but good. It feels a little like sitting in a nice bathroom, being all white tile, but what it lacks in coziness it makes up for in bright and shiny-ness. I also like that it basically takes the tiles of the wood-burning oven and spreads them into the entire restaurant. We make pizza here! Let there be no doubt about that!

Our waiter was cheery and friendly, and hung around just enough. There's a moderate amount of seating, so no big time groups, but I'm glad they did not attempt to pack as many seats in here as humanly possible (I love you Caracas, and the close quarters is part of the charm, but fire hazard much?). The menu is small but gets the job done: basic pies (margherita, marinara, a white pie and a few others), a few appetizers, and the like. The prices are good, too, as Jennifer mentioned--we ordered two pies and still had a couple of slices left, and spent less than $10 a person including tip.

I really enjoyed the Totale pie (above). It doesn't seem like it would have enough going on, but the flavors are clean and marry well. It has a nice salty bite, with a little kick from the red onion and a little nutty crunch from the pine nuts. The crust on both pizzas was very good, not too thick, not too doughy, not too anything. I'll be back to try a couple more. -Laurel

Address: 36 St. Marks Place (between 3rd Ave & Astor Pl)
Website: Yelp
Payment: Cash Only

Delivery: no, only take out

Open Late: no

Large Group Friendly: Not quite, only a few tables inhabit this space

Bar/Happy Hour: no alcohol, so you have nothing to blame it on

Iris Cafe

2010-07-04T13:34:00.001-04:00

Iris Cafe is one of those places that I wish I had opened myself. The idea, menu and set-up are simple, but well placed and well done enough to make it a success. And if you visit during lunch or brunch hours, you'll see what I mean by success.

Located at the southwest corner of Brooklyn Heights, there's not many options close by and no other eating options on this tiny street, which means low foot traffic. But those that live in the neighborhood know it's there and seek it out, and they seem to have won over some regulars. There is a moderate amount of seating, conveniently placed hooks for jackets and bags, and one designated laptop table (free wifi is available), located close to an outlet. The counter is located at the back, and patrons are expected to bus their own tables.

The menu offers Stumptown coffee, expertly brewed, excellent sandwiches for lunch, and a few baked goods and egg items for breakfast. I have sampled the coffee, ham and cheese biscuit (nice salty-sweet flavor, coffee + biscuit = nice snacky breakfast), and the yogurt and homemade granola (creamy and crunchy, but I would have appreciated some fruit). I'll be visiting yet again for an early lunch sometime soon, and it's a nice place to sit with a laptop, as long as it's an off time (i.e., not lunch and not a weekend). They also sell local milk and few other choice items. -Laurel

Just look at that biscuit. Looks absolutely delicious, right? Trust me, it tastes as good as it looks - which definitely isn't always true. I love Iris Cafe. It gives me everything I miss from the South, and it does it well.

Laurel and I ventured there one early afternoon to grab a snack and weren't at all disappointed. It's a bit of a trek down to the restaurant, but it's as nice walk. I like to pretend I'm filthy rich and live in one of the brownstones that line the streets on the way down to the cafe. It's a nice game to play with yourself. Luckily, the food at Iris Cafe isn't as expensive as the surrounding homes, so it can be enjoyed by those of us who are...poor.

When we went the place wasn't super crowded, but the flow was steady, and we had to snag a seat quickly. It's quite small, so it fills up pretty easily. Everyone who works there is super nice and helpful, and the food comes out pretty quickly. I had cheese grits and a soft boiled egg on a ham and cheddar biscuit. The grits were a bit runny for me (I like them firm), but they had so much flavor I didn't put anything extra in them besides a bit of salt and pepper. Normally I like my grits with sugar (I'm not sure that's even a Southern thing, it's probably just a Holder thing), but I certainly enjoyed these grits as they were - salty and savory. The biscuit, as Laurel said, was salty and delicious, and the moderately runny egg on top was the perfect combination. I over-salted the egg (broke the first rule of dining, I salted before I tasted). It doesn't need any more salt when complimented with the biscuit.

As Laurel mentioned, you should definitely get there early if you want the breakfast offerings mentioned here. We went one day around 3pm or 4pm and they were completely sold out of every pastry, including baguettes. They did have sandwiches, which they made on regular sliced bread, but I was craving that biscuit, so I was disappointed. I'll go back soon - I'm still craving it even now... -Jennifer

Address: 20 Columbia Place (btw Joralemon and Atlantic Ave)

Website: Yelp

Payment: Cash Only

Delivery: no

Open Late: no

Large Group Friendly: no

Bar/Happy Hour: no alcohol

No. 7

2010-06-22T10:00:00.010-04:00

(Photos by Davis Cox)

In the past, I’ve always been fond of dive bars. But lately, as I don’t want to meet a dude who’s crashing on his pal’s couch and smoking a ton of weed in lieu of say, working and I’m going more for an employed guy who wears clothes without holes in them and has well-kempt hair, I am also going for a bar that doesn’t smell and looks nice. I guess as my taste changes in men, so does my taste in bars.

No. 7 in Fort Greene is the perfect place to go for a nice hybrid of non-divey, non-yuppie vibe, complete with laid back dining and drinking. The dimly lit dining spot is, dare I say, handsome, with a long bar leading into a few large bar tables and some quieter tables in the back. They have a small menu, that changes with the seasons, but always includes their famous fried broccoli (broccoli deep-fried, stuffed with cheese and served with slices of grapefruit and onions) – a crowd favorite among my friends. They always give bread, amazing pickles (everyone who hates pickles loves these), and white bean dip (creamy, tastes a bit like cheese). They rotate out different types of sandwiches on their bar menu and larger meals and appetizers on their table menu, always including some sort of tofu concoction, as well as some asian fusion and heartier options, like their chicken fried steak sandwich (below - it’s the BOMB, but unfortunately was taken off the menu for a while. I’m praying steadily for its return).

Their drink menu rotates as well, and my favorite one was taken off last I checked (was my lucky number - 21), but yet again, praying for its return. They have a nice wine selection, and the bartenders are knowledgeable. However, I ignored their suggestions and picked the bottle I liked the most and fell in love with a wine that cost $11 a glass (I discovered later an entire bottle is only $12 from Astor Wine & Spirits, but it doesn’t stop me from getting it on occasion anyway).

Now – the service. I absolutely love all of the wait staff in the back, they’re always helpful and nice. But as a warning, if you want to sit down, get there early. If you want to drink only…get there early. They are always quite busy.

BTW, you might remember my writing partner mentioning No. 7 in her TONY interview (that’s right, Laurel, I’m bringing it up) back in February. This is the perfect place to take her on a date, just don’t do it on a Friday or Saturday night because it’s so crowded it’s almost hard to breathe (also because she’s probably hanging out with me!). - Jennifer

Since the theme of this post seems to be dating, then yes. Take me here on a date. If you don't, I might be here anyway, having a cocktail and eating bread and cheese. YOUR LOSS.

If you didn't know No. 7 was there, you would likely pass it by. It sits behind a subway entrance, and the facade is painted black and dimly lit. The front has a small sitting area with couches in the window, and the bar lining the left wall and proper seating beyond. It feels dignified, but inviting and relaxed at the same time. The crowd ranges in age (but no kids/strollers during my experiences, which is a plus in my book), with an overall neighborhood-y feel.

The menu is small, but big enough for options, and changes slightly with the season. Be sure to order a cocktail, and ask for a bar menu. You can order from it anytime without being at the bar, but they don't provide the menu unless you request it. It has roughly half a dozen more options, all smaller plates but very affordable. My favorite items are the plate of free bread, dip and fresh pickles, and the fried broccoli. The fries (below) are also good, and a hefty portion to share.

Jennifer covered it pretty well (it can get crowded), so I'll leave it at that. Try it out! And take us with you! -Laurel

Address: 7 Greene Avenue at Fulton Street (Fort Greene, Brooklyn)

Website: No7Restaurant.com

Payment: Cash, Credit

Delivery: No

Open Late: 'Til 2am

Large Group Friendly: Not gigantic, but can accommodate large groups

Bar/Happy Hour: Full Bar, Wonderful cocktails

Fairway Cafe

2010-06-19T12:12:00.001-04:00

I know what you're asking yourself. What the hell are they doing all the way up at 75th street? It's true, we're both Brooklynites now, and I rarely venture above Rock Center, where I'm (un)fortunate enough to work. But on this lovely day, we were participating in The Race for the Cure in Central Park at the ungodly weekend hour of 8AM. We burned off some calories during the 5K, and decided we should get them immediately back by eating at Fairway for brunch.

The Fairway Cafe is located above the Upper West Side's Fairway Market, and serves breakfast and lunch. There is also a proper restaurant up there, offering semi-fancy dinners, which we did not venture into. The space is fairly large, with one side lined with sunny windows. It's very much has the feel of the melding of a cafe and a diner, and the service is.. meh. But I've had much worse.

The brunch menu includes exactly what you'd expect from a breakfast/brunch menu (pancakes, eggs, meat, waffles, sandwiches, coffee, tea, etc), and we did we what we always do with such a menu- we split. We ordered a special that included a waffle, eggs and bacon, and each got a coffee. The prices are as you'd expect: more than I like to spend on things like eggs, but that's partially because I'm from middle of nowhere America where food is just cheaper (often times boring, but cheaper).

The food was good, nothing incredible and a little bland, but good. It's much like what your Mom would make you if she had time to make you a big breakfast. Except for my Mom, because her omlettes are aaaaaawesome. The coffee was especially good, which, like everything else, is sourced from the market downstairs.

I would like to return sometime, I hear their sundaes are yummy, and--if you're a lobster roll person--I hear theirs is a bargain. -Laurel

My old coworker, Roland, raved about this place all the time. He lives in the UWS, so understandably it is convenient for him. However, as Laurel mentioned above, it’s not so convenient for us.

Nonetheless on that fateful day after I walked and Laurel ran (I’m the much lazier of the two of us), we decided to go to Fairway Café and grab a bite of brunch. If you’ve never been to Fairway Market, you’re missing out on the awesome market, and you should make a point to go there on a less crowded time (a Monday around say, 2pm would probably work). They have virtually everything you can think of, and not too expensive either, with lotsa deals. If you don’t want to go to the UWS, don’t fret. There’s one in Red Hook that has an awesome view of the Statue of Liberty, although a not-so-great café to go with it.

The UWS Fairway Café is much better than the one in Red Hook. The décor simple, but nice – a large open space with mirrors lining the walls and ceilings. As Laurel said, they have a lot of options for brunch and dinner. They are famous for their steak, although it's pricey (which makes sense and yet is kind of weird - it's above a grocery store, after all). The food wasn’t lackluster, but it wasn’t the best meal in the whole world. The waffles were tasty and the eggs cooked how we wanted, but honestly how can you screw that up? The coffee was delicious, but didn’t come in the promised French press that was on the menu.

When we walked in we were barked at by the owner to sit down wherever we pleased then barked at again because we apparently sat in the wrong spot (although it was where we pleased). The server was distracted, not in a my-cell-phone-is-more-important-than-you way, but more so he just seemed stressed.

The best part of the trip was an adorable dude who had just finished playing tennis. Out of everything, I remember this the most (men before food? I'm such a terrible food blogger). If you were playing tennis on the day of the Race for the Cure and ate at Fairway Cafe, meet me back there after this year's race on Sept. 12. I'll be drenched in sweat - I'm actually running this year...

Eat here, fall in love, and buy some fresh coffee from the market below. -Jennifer

Address: 2127 Broadway between 74th and 75th St.

Website: FairwayMarket.com, Yelp

Payment: Cash, Cards

Delivery: No

Open Late: Til 1am

Large Group Friendly: Yep

Bar/Happy Hour: Beer and Wine Only

Sweet Revenge

2010-06-16T10:37:00.002-04:00

I have an unspoken (until now) goal to eat practically every dessert in New York, and this most definitely includes cupcakes. I love cake, and cupcakes are tiny cakes! Tiny cakes for my big mouth!

So when I heard about Sweet Revenge ages ago, I knew I'd have to give it a try. I wasn't that excited, though, until I heard about their happy hour: a cupcake and a glass of wine for $10. I've gone a couple of times since then, and although it's not my favorite cupcake or drinking spot in the city, there's something to be said for a successful combo of the two.

Their cupcakes come in several flavors, of which I have tried the "pure" (vanilla/vanilla), the "dirty" (chocolate/chocolate), and the "very strawberry" (special of the day). The vanilla has a great real vanilla bean flavor, and wasn't sickeningly sweet as this flavor can often be. The chocolate similarly had a great chocolate flavor, nice and deep but not overwhelming. The strawberry wasn't as flavorful as it could have been, but the batter and icing both had fresh strawberries, which was a nice touch. For all of these varieties, the cake is dense and rustic, but a little dry and very crumbly. The icings are thick and not too sweet, but thick.

Overall, they're good, but not mind-blowing. Sweet Revenge scores points for quality ingredients and flavor, loses a few for price (the cupcakes on their own are pricey) and texture. The wine and beer options are nice, and during happy hour you get a glass of white, red or sangria with your cupcake (all decent wines). It's an intimate space, I'd recommend it for a date or after-work meet up with a friend. It's a pretty great way to wind down at the end of the day. -Laurel

When Laurel first proposed going to Sweet Revenge before dinner with some friends, I was instantly down. I’m a big monetary supporter of the Dessert Before Dinner fad sweeping the nation.*

Sweet Revenge is a cute place, with a few tables, some bar seats and a large selection of booze. It’s not huge, and generally has a steady flow of people so snagging a seat is sometimes difficult at certain times, but we’ve never had a problem. The owner was there the first time we went, and she was pretty awesome, walking us through the different cupcakes and talking about the wine & beer pairings.

Since my favorite ingredient probably in the whole world is chocolate, I of course got their “dirty” cupcake. I ate it in about three seconds, but I can say – it’s delicious. However, as a warning, to most people it would probably be too much chocolate. I also tried the “pure” cupcake. As Laurel said, it’s the perfect amount of natural vanilla bean flavor. They’re most famous for their namesake cupcake, which has peanut butter cake, peanut butter ganache, and…fudge. It’s awesome, if you love peanut butter. Like a cake form of a Reese’s peanut butter cup, only I think you’d like it a lot more. Because I know you and your tendencies, obviously.

As for the booze and cupcake pairings, Sweet Revenge has it down to a fine art. I’m not an avid wine or beer drinker, but I’d say it’s because I’m not the best at pairing such drinks with food, and instead usually just wash everything down with my signature whiskey and ginger. Last time I got the Very Strawberry with their Lunetta prosecco, and it was absolutely perfect. Or you could go for the Dirty cupcake and Kopparberg Pear Cider (love that cider like whoa). Highly recommended if you have a sweet tooth. If you’re not into sweets, they do have a few savory options to pair with beer, including croque monsieur and a chorizo and manchego cheese...cake.

Sweet Revenge is the perfect place to go for after dinner drinks (or like I said, for DBD) or as Laurel said, on a date. Actually, scratch the date - it’d be best to take a friend there after a nasty break up. It’ll get them out of the house, and they’ll get to munch on sweets and drink a lot of booze. Hell, there will probably even be a cute guy or girl there who can be their rebound. Best post break up remedy ever, if you ask me (how's that for sweet revenge?). - Jennifer

*There is no DBD, although I think we should start one.

Address: 62 Carmine Street at Bedford Street

Website: SweetRevengeNYC.com, Yelp

Payment: cash or cards

Delivery: Nope

Open Late: Mon-Thurs at 11pm; Fri-Sat til 12:30am; Sun til 9pm

Large Group Friendly: Nope

Bar/Happy Hour: Yes! Cheaper beers/wine, and a cupcake and a glass of wine for $10

New Mexico Place (By Guest Reviewer Gabo Rodriguez)

2010-03-24T11:25:00.001-04:00

You always seem to find that authentic flavor in everything you order.

It seems to me that at this rate, if this page has another Mexican restaurant review it will probably explode. Hopefully, this one isn’t the tilting point. As a young and humble resident of East “Willburg” (all gaudiness aside) finding a Mexican place to get a taco isn’t exactly the hardest thing in the world. As it’s been made exhaustively clear, there are Mexican restaurants in Brooklyn! It’s quite unusual, however, to find one that really stands out from many others. At New Mexico Place you always seem to find that authentic flavor in everything you order. Since my first visit, when I curiously stumbled into the restaurant looking for a cheap, decent place to have a meal, I became an instantaneous fan. For this article, I really wanted to test what the restaurant had to offer.

A friend and I got there fairly early, to which we were greeted, in Spanish, by who appeared to be the owner. I, being a native Spanish speaker (mind the ego), answered “una mesa para dos” (a table for two). We sat down in fairly comfortable chairs, blasted by “Norteño” music coming from a sound system and ordered two Modelos, a basket of chips (free) and some guacamole ($3.00). To our surprise, the chips were freshly fried and the guacamole had the perfect flavorings of salty and spicy joined into one; an avocado with onions and cilantro mix that balanced itself out.

For the main course we went all out, ordering almost every dish that seemed appetizing, we asked for what seemed to be a meal for 4. I ordered a chicken burrito, my friend ordered vegetarian tacos, a gordita (which we shared) and a tostada, way better choice. When they brought the food, everything seemed extremely appetizing. The burrito came with chicken, rice and beans, a crema-cheese-on-top-combo with a side of guacamole and salad all for $5.75?! (nuts!). To be honest the other dishes were the best; the vegetarian tacos ($2.25ea) came with a mix of sautéed mushrooms, some salad and crema giving it great texture and consistency, a good variation from the same old rice and beans veggie tacos. The tostada ($2.00ea) came with beans, salad and crema in a freshly fried tortilla that was not utterly amazing but it was crunchy and savory nonetheless.

Lastly, the gordita ($2.50ea) was the real revelation of the night. Having never ordered such a dish, I was skeptical on how would turn out. To our surprise it was AMAZING; it had a soft texture, also fried, with beans and salad, it was almost indescribable; similar to an empanada but a little thicker, all in all a great dish. The bill came to about $30.00, not bad for so much food. We left with full stomachs, full wallets and a good mood. What else do you need from a Mexican place? - Gabo

(Photos by Tamara Wise)

Address: 189 Graham Ave., between Meserole and Scholes (East Williamsburg, Brooklyn)

Website: Yelp

Payment: Cash, Credit

Delivery: Yes

Open Late: Open until 11pm every day

Large Group Friendly: Yes

Bar/Happy Hour: Beer and Wine Only

Buttermilk Channel

2009-09-28T12:12:00.001-04:00

Buttermilk Channel is a classy joint, so I made a classy pose. Shut up, I'm working on it.

But seriously, first off, it's well decorated. The navy exterior, the interior painted the color of buttermilk, the wooden bar and brick wall. Lovely and relaxing. The service is attentive and generally friendly, and the owner is very nice (he chatted with us for some time after he saw my aunt measuring the bar with an actual measuring tape, and then gave her some tips on sconces...yep).

The brunch menu is southern-tilted, with house-made sausage, biscuits, scrambles, pancakes, pork chops, and more. They also offer your usual burger and salad options, and all entrees are $6-15, and include coffee/tea and a mimosa or bellini. One of the better brunch deals I've had, considering the menu, atmosphere and complimentary beverages. I ordered the ABC Grilled Cheese, with apples, bacon and cheddar. It came on grilled bread, and was predictably salty and could have used more apple, but the bacon was good quality and perfectly cooked. The tiny salad that came with it was actually very good.

We ordered a side of biscuits, which I was fairly impressed with and would repeat order. I also sampled a bit of Jennifer's pork chop and cheddar waffles (the pork chop was HUGE), and it was really delicious-- juicy tasty pork, and predictably delicious waffle (how can a cheddar waffle be bad..I'm sure it could happen, but it shouldn't). The tiny bit of Rich's corn beef hash I tried was also good (below) and my cousin Walker gave their fries his seal of approval.

I will note that I had dinner there once, and though this is not that review, it was also good. I will definitely be back for another relaxing brunch (note that it is only served on Sundays) time and time again. -Laurel

One afternoon, our friend Rich and I were going to meet up and head over to Reis 100 in Park Slope, where they have a 100 different types of sandwiches. Since Rich is a sandwich fiend, I thought he would thoroughly enjoy it. However, due to the MTA induced fate we often find ourselves wrestling with, it was going to take forever for him to get there from LIC. So Laurel was kind enough to invite us along with her family to Buttermilk Channel.

To be honest, I might have lured Rich to the restaurant under false pretenses...I promised him Country Fried Steak, as well as biscuits and gravy, both of which they do not have (but hopefully due to us meeting the owner and begging him to add them both to the menu, I'm hoping this might change). Either way, I do not think he was disappointed at the vast array of food we ordered and sampled off each other. I mean, seriously, he looks so happy in that picture above, right?

So, the food. This place definitely takes the first part of their compound word to heart. Everything had a ton of butter. That's what made the porkchops so tasty at least...the coating of butter and crumbs on the outside. The meat inside was less than spectacular - tasted a bit bland in fact. But coupled with the coating and the cheddar waffles, it was absolutely delicious. I highly recommend this dish. It is the most expensive one, although at $15 and including coffee and alcohol, it's not that bad.

The biscuits were good, and I wish I had eaten a whole plate by myself, but alas, I had to share with everyone else. Also, we ordered a coffeecake, which came out in the odd form of a small muffin. Soft and gooey, with great flavor. They also have donuts, which we didn't try, and now I can't remember why...

The wait staff is super nice and very patient. Our waitress was nice enough to give me my alcoholic beverage after we had all eaten, because apparently I can't read and didn't realize a free drink comes with the meal. This place is well decorated, and everything has a very classy feel to it. Before even meeting the co-owner outside, I got the feeling whoever owned the place knew exactly how he/she wanted it to look and feel: homey and inviting. A lot of restaurants don't think it out, and just slap a bunch of tacky crap into a room and wonder why no one comes. This guy really knew what he was doing - he even remembered the name of the paint he used on the front.

Go here and enjoy.- Jennifer

Address: 542 Court Street between Nelson and Huntington (Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn)

Website: ButtermilkChannelNYC.com, Yelp

Payment: Cash, Credit

Delivery: No

Open Late: Open for Dinner, Sunday, Tues-Thurs, 5pm-11pm; Fri-Sat 5pm-12am; Open for Brunch on Sundays only 10am-3pm

Large Group Friendly: Somewhat, they take reservations for 6+ people

Bar/Happy Hour: Full Bar, Drink included in the brunch price

reBar

2009-09-24T12:00:00.000-04:00

In yet another attempt to eat at Superfine and finding it closed, Laurel and I ventured over to reBar after we were told by our friends Davis and Amanda that they served brunch. We walked in to find a small coffee bar set up beside a staircase. We were pointed up the stairs to a large open area with a bunch of tables, and a divided bar, as well as another off et dining area. After being told to sit wherever we liked, we chose a table as far away from everyone else as possible so the waitress would have to walk really, really far, and our food would be room temperature (okay, not really, but we could have done that because there were a lot of choices).

The menu offers pretty standard brunch, along with salads and pressed sandwiches. And as we always seem to want the same sweet/savory frenchtoastpancakeswaffles/scrambledeggsomeletbaconsausagepotatoestoast, we decided on this particular trip to mix it up a little bit. Instead of the typical, we chose pancakes with strawberries and walnuts, and chose an omelet with BBQ pulled pork, manchego cheese and carmelized onions. That's right. We're different.

The pancakes were very tasty - soft on the inside, slightly crunchy on the outside. The walnuts were candied and a nice touch, although quite the texture difference from a soft pancake. The reBar omelet was the real risk taker here, obviously. And I must say, I kind of liked it, but it was really, really weird. In fact, as Laurel and I were eating it, we kept saying over and over "I'm not sure what is happening in my mouth right now." It's basically a flavor explosion that is neither amazing nor disgusting, despite the list of ingredients mixed with eggs. It's just...yet again, really, really weird.

Also, as a recommendation: if you decide to get the reBar omelet, don't get something sweet. It will just make your taste buds keep going 'WHAT THE HELL?!' as you switch back and forth. Also, the BBQ in the omelet is a little sweet, so the extra isn't needed. But I do recommend trying it, if any of those ingredients sound good to you. Your mouth just kind of...has to adjust to the difference. Once it does though, I promise you'll be satisfied.

I'm dying to go back to reBar and drink, actually, as I think it would be a great place to dance (if they have dancing?) and/or get in a fight (as a note, I need large spaces for my fights). Go to DUMBO and try it! -Jennifer

reBar was a second choice for brunch one weekend, but the menu looked encouraging and the space is kind of awesome. It's huge and open with tall ceilings and wood floors, a place you'd want to have a party in and then have a break dancing competition. These are how all of my parties end, but it'd just be more convenient/classy at this joint.

The menu is your standard brunch, with a little higher than they should be prices.. like most places. I have to agree with Jennifer's assessment of the reBar Omelet.. it was just plain weird. I don't think I'd order it again, I'm still weirded out by that thing. It's just.. unnatural. The accompanying salad greens and potatoes were just okay, and the pancakes were also okay. Nothing was amazing, or even overly noteworthy, but not bad, either.

The service was lacking. The waitress did the classic disappearing act, where she started out attentive and then completely vanished. So much so, that we had to walk around for a while to find someone to pay. Did we mention that there was NO ONE there? Two other tables the whole time we sat there. But I think they have wireless, so it'd be a cool place to sit with coffee and a laptop during the day without be bothered (by anyone, including the waitstaff), or, as I said, break dance. -Laurel

Address: 147 Front St. between Pearl St. and Jay St. (Dumbo, Brooklyn)

Website: reBarNYC.com, Yelp

Payment: Cash, Credit

Delivery: No

Open Late: Mon-Tue. til 2:00 a.m.; Wed-Sat. til 4:00 a.m.; Sun. til 2:00 a.m.

Large Group Friendly: Yes

Bar/Happy Hour: Full Bar

Tue Thai Food

2009-09-22T10:00:00.001-04:00

Recently, an adventure over in the West Village proved to be a rather yummy discovery. One night, Crystal, Laurel and I decided to grab a bite to eat after a comedy show. After much walking, we found a cute, somewhat cheap little Thai place somewhere in the midst of the confusion that is the West Village.

One of my all-time favorite appetizers of Chinese restaurants (I say this because I've never seen these in a Thai restaurant until we went here, and I just read the Wikipedia page and apparently it's a new commodity in Thai restaurants), is Crab Ragoon. Fried wontons (or just the pastry that makes wontons) stuffed with crab and cream cheese, which you dip in duck sauce. They are de-licious, and not usually offered in authentic Chinese restaurants. At Tue, the crab ragoon is a bit spicy, which added an extra flavor I thoroughly enjoyed. They're not too expensive either, six pieces for $6.

For dinner, I ordered the "World Famous" Pineapple Fried Rice ($9). Although being apparently famous throughout all the lines, it was pretty standard. It had pineapple, raisins, cashews, onions, roma tomatoes, lime, and a choice of meat. I went for the chicken, which was a bit tough to the bite, but had a good flavor. Either way, while good, and not too expensive, I'm pretty skeptical that this restaurant's pineapple fried rice is actually heard of in say...Thailand.

Either way, the decorations are adorable, and rather inventive. The light (pictured above) was really cool and gave the restaurant a bit of an arty feel. Also, the staff was super nice and very attentive. I recommend it if you're walking around the West Village. -Jennifer

Our visit to Tue was born out of a bout of incredible indecisiveness. We walked around and around the West Village, declaring this too expensive and that too whatever, when we finally came upon Tue. Thai didn't sound too bad, the prices were good, and it looked cute. Aaaaaand done.

The menu is largely standard (price and selection-wise), with appetizers, a couple of soups and salads, curries, noodle dishes, and rice dishes. I ordered a yellow curry with chicken, which was $10ish.

It was a hearty portion, with a good amount of veggies (onion, cabbage, green beans, carrots) and chicken, which was a little overcooked, but fine. The sauce was lightly sweet from the coconut milk and a nice amount of spice, but it didn't wow me with flavor. The rice was perfectly cooked in a ball on the side. Overall, it was solid, but, as Jennifer said, nothing amazing.

The service was friendly and dependable, and the decor is way cute-- not your standard too modern and plastic Thai place. If I lived in the area, or needed a quick bite of Thai food in the area, I would recommend--but nothing to go out of your way for. -Laurel

Address: 3 Greenwich Avenue, between Christopher St & 10th St

Website: Yelp

Payment: Cash, Credit

Delivery: Yes

Open Late: Til 11pm Daily

Large Group Friendly: Yes

Bar/Happy Hour: No Alcohol

Autour du Monde (with Guest Reviewer Davis)

2009-08-20T15:31:00.005-04:00

Always on the lookout for a great brunch place close to our apartment, Amanda and I popped by Autour du Monde one weekend. It was a bit late for brunch, so we wound up being alone in the place with the owner (whose name is sadly escaping me). We chatted him up while enjoying our meal, and left very satisfied.

The atmosphere inside is comfortable, with large windows along the outer wall, looking out onto the street. A large semicircle of a bar sits in the middle of the room. As far as the menu consisting of items "around the world," you can expect French and American-influenced entrees.

When Jen suggested we grab something go eat for lunch a few Sundays ago, Autour du Monde sounded like a great idea, and I'm glad I had another chance to try this place out.

They offer a free drink with most of the items on their brunch, though I had the burger, which isn't on that list. It came on a massive, buttery brioche bun, and cooked to perfection. The heavy bun helped absorb the overly juicy patty, avoiding the sad, soggy mess you typically get during the second half of even the best burgers. The side of fries served their job suitably.

If you're in the mood for an affordable, tasty brunch off the beaten path, I definitely recommend dropping by Autour du Monde. - Davis

Autour du Monde is a cute little French spot in Clinton Hill near Clinton Ave. I love their logo, although it's done with the Kristen font, and that font kind of sucks. Still cute enough to make me want to pop in. I had the pleasure of going with my friend Davis, who had been there before. Autour is locally run - Davis pointed out the owner during the meal - with a large, open space, and a large bar.

They've got brunch down pretty well. I ordered the omelet with a side of bacon. It came with home fries and a small salad. I also ordered a large glass of fresh orange juice. Everything came out fast, and was cooked just right, although it's not hard to mess up this standard meal. The omelet however, was a work of art considering it had nothing in. I'm always impressed when people can flip omelets or pancakes just right and this cook obviously can.

The waitress was very nice and attentive. This place is good and worth checking out if you are in the area. I'd like to go back another day soon; I feel like what I got was basic and I have plenty of room to explore. - Jennifer

Address: 860 Fulton Street at Clinton Ave. (Clinton Hill, Brooklyn)

Website: RestaurantAutourduMonde.com

Payment: Cash, Credit

Delivery: Nope

Open Late: til 10:30pm every night

Large Group Friendly: Yep! and doesn't seem to be too crowded

Bar/Happy Hour: Yep, and brunch includes a drink if you so choose

Madiba

2009-07-12T14:30:00.001-04:00

Simply put, this might be one of the coziest and most satisfying restaurants I've ever been to. Unsure of where to dine on a recent Monday afternoon, we stumbled upon Madiba quite haphazardly. We decided to walk to Dekalb Ave in search of some brunch - Autour du Monde was closed, and most of the other restaurants were crowded. We went into Madiba because it was considerably less crowded and the tables and umbrellas outside were cute and inviting.

Unfortunately all the umbrellas were taken, so we had to settle for inside. Luckily, however, we got to enjoy two musical artists warming up for that night's performance. They were absolutely fantastic and very nice. Also, the inside of the restaurant is adorable, with its wooden tables and old glassware, as well as the awesome coke bottle chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The restaurant is named after Nelson Mandela; Madiba is the honorary title South Africans gave him. Therefore, the entire restaurant is decorated in his honor.

As for the food, the restaurant has quite a collection of comfort food and spicy delights such as curry. A few of us jumped at the offer of Sangria, while Laurel went with coffee. Laurel and I both went for the Meal in a Pie - chicken on bottom, mashed potatoes and gravy in the middle, and a flaky crust on top ($10). It definitely lived up to its name. I was unbelievably full afterward. Davis went for the Fatcake with the savory mince. Yes, it looked as unhealthy as it sounds (pictured above). He seemed to really dig it, although I didn't get to try a piece.

Definitely give Madiba a taste if you're in the neighborhood - or take a special trip out to Fort Greene just for this little South African gem. - Jennifer

I have to agree that Madiba is super cute and from my experience, pretty tasty. I ordered the same thing as Jennifer, which we don't normally do, but it looked too good. And it was good, the mushroom gravy was especially delicious. I practically licked my plate and was pleasantly full.. but not too full to pass up dessert. I ordered Koeksisters to share, twisted little buttery pastries with a sugary lemon-ginger sauce. They were rich and light at the same time, and deliciously sweet. My coffee came with adorable little jar containers of milk and raw sugar, and was nice and smooth. My stomach was happy when we left, as was the rest of me.

The prices are reasonable for brunch (standard), and can get a little pricier for dinner, but I would be willing to venture that the price fits the quality. The wait staff is friendly and the atmosphere is airy and festive. They have lots of events and music, so I'm sure we'll be coming back to check that out as well as more of the menu. You should too. -Laurel

Address: 195 Dekalb Ave. between Carlton and Adelphi (Fort Greene, Brooklyn)

Website: http://www.madibarestaurant.com

Payment: Cash, Cards

Delivery: Yes

Open Late: Yes

Large Group Friendly: Yes

Bar/Happy Hour: Yes

Bocca Lupo

2009-07-08T20:22:00.000-04:00

I've been to Bocca Lupo several times over the years, as my aunt and uncle live a stone's throw away. We went here a few times during visits, and I rediscovered how much I liked it upon moving to NY. Jennifer and I have gone a couple of times together, so I'll stick to those experiences.

The first visit was a Sunday afternoon, and we needed a quick-ish meal between visiting my family and going to the movie. They were uncrowded and the wait staff was super friendly.The menu consists of several bruschettas that change seasonally, cheese plates, meat plates, paninis, sides (mostly veggies), and one daily pizza, pasta and risotto. We ordered some bruschetta-- butternut squash with hazelnut, tomato, mozzarella and basil, poached pear, and a sausage one. They were all delicious, but note that they are difficult to split (i.e., cut in two). The standouts were the butternut squash (nutty, lightly sweet, so good) and the sausage (salty porky goodness), but they were all worth trying.

We also ordered the banana and nutella panini for dessert to go. We were in a rush, so we ate it as we walked to the theater. Picture this: each of us stuffing pieces of said panini into our mouths while walking briskly down the sidewalk, powdered sugar EVERYWHERE, us both incomprehensibly mumbling about how freakin good it was. Yeah, we got some looks. But if we had been run over by a bus, we would have died happy in that moment.

On the next visit, the bruschetta menu was totally different, and we were disappointed. I ordered a sausage and broccoli rabe panini and we split a side of zucchini with almonds. The panini was definitely good, a stand-by for my uncle, but a little overly salty. The zucchini was a nice side, enough for two.

Probably the best part about Bocca Lupo is that it is a small neighborhoody place. The menu is dependable and has just enough options. Great place to take a date or a small group. -Laurel

As Laurel said, the first time we went to Bocca Lupo, we were amazed. From the moment we sat down and looked around at other people's plates, I was itching for some good food. The woman to the left of us was eating asparagus, and I instantly convinced Laurel we must have some. Glad I did. Lemony and cooked just right - not too squishy and not too hard - the asparagus was a great compliment to our many bruschettas.

Speaking of which, the bruschetta. All of them were supremely delicious. The butternut squash was my favorite - sweet and not at all stringy like a lot of squash can be, and the hazelnut was a great touch. The pear was the perfect amount of sweet and salty, the sausage was the perfect amount of unhealthy, and the tomato, mozzarella and basil was the perfect amount of...um, tomato, mozzarella, and basil. We ate one at a time, each going in a different order and ranting and raving about how good they were. Ambiance wise, The wait staff were helpful and patient, and the people dining there were nice as well.

Of course, the nutella panini was off the charts delicious, especially when walking fast down a street and laughing about the intense amounts of whipped cream, chocolate, and powdered sugar all over our faces, clothes, hands...everywhere.

The second time wasn't terribly disappointing, but I was very sad the menu had changed. The bruschetta we had before was sooooo good, and I couldn't eat a lot of the options they offered second go around because of one or two leafy ingredients. And the asparagus was also gone.

We quickly searched for a substitute for the asparagus, and decided to go for the zucchini with pine nuts. Unfortunately, the zucchini was cold. It was also slightly limp and had almost no flavor. Sad. As for the panini, I desperately wanted the sausage, but I couldn't have broccoli rabe. Now that I think about it, I guess I could have asked for it without the rabe, but I remember how I wanted to preserve the flavor. That was dumb. Either way, I chose the Triple P (ok, plus M) panini: proscuitto, porchetta, piave, and mascarpone. Pretty good. Wasn't blown away, but it definitely fulfilled my appettite.

And of course we got the nutella panini. Must admit, not as good in a civilized fashion...on a table, with a fork. I actually prefer to have my food all over my body. I think it tastes better. -Jennifer

Address: 391 Henry St (Brooklyn)

Website: http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/Bocca-Lupo/

Payment: credit or cash

Delivery: no

Open Late: 2 AM on weekends

Large Group Friendly: better for small gatherings, does not take reservations

Bar/Happy Hour: full bar

Beast

2009-07-03T15:03:00.002-04:00

Jennifer had been to Beast once before for drinks and dessert, and was impressed enough to try the full menu. She was nice enough to let me tag along for dinner one Sunday, and it was pleasantly uncrowded. The front is flanked by a large bar with small tables, a large back area has lots more seating, and when the weather is nice there are a few sidewalk tables as well.

The menu is tapas-style, but with heartier fare, largely American in style and includes seafood. The prices are on the upper end of moderate, with the starts/snacks running $3-18 and proper small plates running $7-14. You're going to need at least one and a half per person, get two or include a dessert if you're hungry like we were. The wine list has a nice variety, with quatrinos (1/3 bottles) and full bottles offered at reasonable prices.

Jennifer will talk about what she ordered, but I tried it and it was delicious. You should order it. I ordered the Sweet Onion and Ricotta Tart, which came with a pear salad (pictured above). The tart has a nice light texture and a pleasant taste, but wasn't overly memorable. The pears were nicely cooked and a good compliment. All-in-all a solid vegetarian dish, but nothing to write home about. We also shared a burger, which was a solid meaty dish, and one of the better bargains on the menu. We of course ordered dessert, which was a caramel-y rich bread pudding. Very sweet, but gooey and tasty.

Check out Beast if you're looking to splurge just a bit and have some drinks and share foods with friends. Like me, for instance. -Laurel

The first time I went to Beast was after a Target First Friday at the Brooklyn Museum. The lot of us were absolutely starving and looking for cheap drinks, and stumbled into Beast after an unsuccessful search down Vanderbilt for an empty bar. This place wasn't all that empty either, but reasonably less crowded, possibly because I assume most people are a little freaked by the outside. First of all, the place is called "Beast." Secondly, the front doors are large wooden doors you would see outside of a castle or fort. Not necessarily inviting. Surprisingly nice door man, though.

We waited around for a while for a table, and it was far too crowded for the bar, so three of us were standing by one of the exit doors that leads to a small amount of street seating, directly by the kitchen, which is open into the bar. The smells and sights of the food were making all of us absolutely famished. We finally got a table, to find out they had just stopped serving dinner. The staff was absolutely fantastic, however, and after sharing my obvious disappointment at the lack of food, brought a dessert menu.

Davis and Amanda chose a raspberry cheesecake, while I automatically ordered the Bread Pudding with a Pecan Praline in it. The person I was sharing it with was completely unsure about my choice. However, after the first bite, he was hooked. Everyone at the table then dug their spoon in, and the entire table was filled with "hmmmmm," a.k.a. pure happiness. The pudding melted in our mouths and the sticky pecan praline was a nice addition to the smoothness of the pudding. Definitely a must have.

As any good restaurant should do, Beast's menu changes every so often. So when Laurel and I ventured back to try a few things I had picked out from the menu last time we went, they were no longer on there. However, they were replaced by a multitude of other scrumptious sounding foods. And of course, I had to make her try that Bread Pudding, which I was glad was still on the dessert menu.

While Laurel stuck with her tart, I chose the roast with potatoes, corn and green beans. I made a joke that I would get 3 green beans, and then I did. However, it was absolutely delicious. Small, but delicious. The meat was tender and the perfect compliment to the mashed potatoes and corn in the middle. And the 3 green beans were nicely cooked as well.

Still hungry, of course, Laurel and I ordered the burgers. They were pretty standard and I devoured them quickly, still hungry. And then we moved on to the heavenly dessert. Not quite as heavenly as I remember, but still virtually perfect. I was in a food coma at that point and forgot to take a picture, so just close your eyes and picture bread pudding that has been stabbed in the heart with a pecan praline lightning bolt and covered in sugar.

A good place to go with a large group of ravenous, slightly well to do, companions who like to drink and watch movies Sci-Fi/Action movies on USA Network. Because that's what they show in there. - Jennifer

Address: 638 Bergen St at Vanderbilt (Brooklyn)

Website: http://www.brooklynbeast.com/

Payment: cash or credit

Delivery: no

Open Late: bar open until 3 AM on weekends

Large Group Friendly: yes

Bar/Happy Hour: full bar

Pukk

2009-06-30T23:00:00.001-04:00

Despite my intense love for meat, I also love tofu quite a bit. I also love Thai food, although I can't eat most of it because of my pathetic tummy. Pukk is the perfect place to go for that combination.

Suggested by our friend Crystal, Pukk is a vegetarian Thai place with a unique blend of flavors, spices and choices. They offer everything from to the regular Thai food - curry, fried rice, dumplings - but with they also offer an array of other options and twists on old favorites: spinach toast, mushroom puff, massaman curry with sweet potatoes, onions and peanuts. All the "meat" is made of soy - soy chicken and soy duck.

On my first trip to Pukk, I decided to sample as much as possible. I chose before I left work: coconut mushroom soup ($3), spicy spring rolls ($4), and market fried rice with tofu ($4). The soup was good - sweet and a bit tangy, the perfect compliment to the spice and saltiness of the spring rolls. The market fried rice was standard - with onion, chinese broccoli and black pepper, as well as eggs and a cherry tomato. The tofu was delicious, not too spongy but also not tough; it was cooked just right. The second time I went back with Crystal and got the market fried rice with tofu again. Although I like to try new things, I also get nervous at Thai food places...so it's better to stick with what I know won't make me sick.

A little small, but not usually too crowded, Pukk is a good place to go if you want to try a different spin on Thai food, and also enjoy modern decor and multicolored lights. The servers are very nice as well, and they're super quick. Might be why it's not usually too crowded. You get your food fast and then you're out of there. -Jennifer

We went to Pukk with some friends one night for dinner, and it was overall a crowd pleaser. The space is very long and modern with small tables and banquet seating lining one wall. The service was friendly and fairly attentive, but several people came by the table at different points which made it slightly confusing.

The menu is large, with lots of appetizers, soups, rice dishes and noodle dishes, and very reasonably priced. It's all veggie, but they offer meat-like options (chicken, pork or beef) and tofu. I ordered some spring rolls to share, which were crispy and had a nice dipping sauce. As my main dish I had the "chicken" Pad Se Ew, my Thai standby. It was very good, the fake chicken was fairly chicken-y and was a nice texture (weird texture is usually my issue with veg meat), and the noodles were yum. All-in-all, solid Thai food at nice prices.

I would definitely would recommend if you're in the neighborhood and in the mood, and aren't ravenous for meat. Then again, if you're ravenous for meat, I wouldn't recommend you leave the house. Order some mail-order steaks and do the world a favor. -Laurel

Address: 71 1st Ave (between 4th St. and 5th St.)

Website: http://www.pukknyc.com/

Payment: Cash, Cards

Delivery: Yep

Open Late: 11:30pm Sun-Thurs; 12:30am Fri-Sat

Large Group Friendly: Somewhat

Bar/Happy Hour: Wine, Beer

Kush

2009-06-11T12:09:00.000-04:00

It is surprising how long it took me to eat here, considering Kush is literally across the street from my apartment. I had heard that it was good, and the menu looked interesting, and yet.. well.. the point is, I have finally been a couple of times for brunch, and now you lucky people get to read about it.

Their brunch menu has lots of options, one of my favorite being that you can get a plate with pancakes or french toast and eggs/meat. And you know that is what I did, being as I'm always torn between salty or sweet brunch. The french toast was standard but tasty, and the eggs were fluffy. The chicken sausage was good, but a little over-cooked. I loved that they served it all with fresh fruit, and it all made for a satisfying meal. The next time I went back I ordered the banana pancakes with sausage. The pancakes are big and very tall and fluffy. Honestly, they are more like cake, and were too sweet and cakey.. not my favorite.

One thing to note about Kush is the service. The seemingly main lady there is super nice and fairly attentive when she's overseeing your table. She also recognized us not only in her restaurant the second time, but on the street one night. There are some issues, though. There has been something wrong with the bill both times we've gone-- the first time they left one whole meal off, the second time they charged us weird prices.

Either way, Kush is still someplace we'll most likely be back to. For one thing, it's across the street. Also, the food is pretty good, and it has a nice and relaxed neighborhood feel. We'll report back once we try dinner sometime. -Laurel

This place is apparently known for its jerk chicken. At least that's what the girl who works there said. A lot. She was super nice, but slightly less attentive than I like. As Laurel said, she did recognize us, and that was cool. I like to be known in my 'hood.

The food is pretty standard, and tastes pretty standard. I was impressed the first time we went simply because of the fresh fruit. You can't find a healthy option like that in the city most of the time. It's usually just a bunch of greasy (yummy, but greasy) food thrown on a plate. I, too, got the french toast with eggs, and instead of chicken sausage, I got turkey bacon. It was gross - really tough and chewy. Not a fault of Kush, as I probably should have just gone for pork. So that's what I tried to do the second time around, but the other nice, slightly inattentive waitres got it wrong, and brought me turkey sausage. It too was tough and chewy. However, the eggs were good, and the french toast was crunchy and super sweet, which I was in the mood for.

As for the problems with our bill - the first time was fine, we just told them to add on the meal they missed. However, the second time was kind of a strange nightmare. Laurel got something far cheaper than me, and we both got "unlimited" mimosas. However, after I accidentally spilled mine on Laurel (thank GOD we live across the street so she could go change. We haven't always been that lucky), she didn't replace mine. At all. She didn't even offer to until the end of my meal when we had to go. I was kind of miffed. The miffation (Is that a word? It should be.) continued when we got the check. Our meals were both $14.95, although she got something far cheaper than me, and she got a side, which they charged an extra $4 for, so hers totaled out to $18.95. I'm honestly just confused and think that the waitresses make up their prices as they go. But let me reiterate: they are very nice.

Despite the bill confusion, I will be back. It is very near our apartment, first of all, and second of all, they apparently have GREAT jerk chicken. I just won't be getting any unlimited drinks. We weren't anyway so I guess there's no real difference. - Jennifer

Address: 17 Putnam Ave, at Grand Ave (Clinton Hill, Brooklyn)

Website: http://www.kushcafe.com/

Payment: cash

Delivery: no

Open Late: 'til Midnight Monday-Saturday, 11pm on Sunday

Large Group Friendly: Yes

Bar/Happy Hour: Unlimited Mimosas or Bloody Marys for Weekend Brunch

Relish

2009-06-06T11:00:00.005-04:00

This was the night of all nights. This was the night we were in Williamsburg to see King Khan and the Shrines. We decided to meet up early and grab a bite, and Erin from Laurel's work suggested Relish. I had seen it before, as it's a pretty noticeable place: it looks like a really swanky... trailer.

The inside has an expensive vibe, and it kind of is, but boy is it tasty. This diner-type restaurant offers a little of everything, much like any other diner in New York. However, it is set apart by its upscale and unique blend of all kinds of different foods: French, Italian, Greek, etc., all with a bit of an American splash. They offer everything from a Grilled Cheese Sandwich (with mozzarella instead of American cheese, and some basil, fennel and marinara) to Spicy Pan Roasted Grouper with grits. Their selection keeps going with a mix of different kinds of seafood, steak, pasta, and omelets.

Ravished with hunger, I wanted everything on the menu. Laurel and I decided to split the pork tenderloin, brussel sprouts and potatoes ($21). We also ordered a side of mac and cheese with bacon in it. I was skeptical about the mac and cheese, mainly because it seemed overpriced ($12). However, when it came out, I was in noodle heaven. Creamy in the middle with a crusty top (and perhaps a little too much bacon), this mac and cheese was the perfect meal in itself, if you are a big carbo loader. Our dining companion Casey got what I really wanted (mainly because I was still starving after splitting all that food with Laurel): Half Roast Chicken with Lemon and Thyme, with a side of yukon gold mashed potatoes and asparagus. The picture below makes it look small, but trust me: it was enough food for two people.

Top this off with Elderflower cocktails and you have yourself one slightly expensive but extremely delicious meal. Definitely check this place out if you're looking for a new spin on some old favorites. Maybe you'll even find a new favorite. - Jennifer

Things I remember most about this place: it looks like a big trailer, and the mac and cheese. As for the first, the inside has a long bar across one side and booths across the other. It's dark and pretty comfy, definitely nicer than any trailer I've been to. The service was fairly attentive and efficient. The menu is classic comfort food, but a bit fancier. It's a little on the pricey side, but the portions are big and we were pleased with everything we ate, so mostly worth it.

The entrees skew towards the heavier side, with options like meats and potatoes accented with creams and sauces, mac and cheese, and so forth. I would suggest you try the mac and cheese--it was excellent, and didn't need all that bacon (for once, I'd suggest sans pork). It is super cheesy and the crust on top is yum. The pork tenderloin had nice flavor but was just a bit over done, and the brussel sprouts were nicely cooked (as in, not too cooked). It was all-in-all a very satisfying (if not a bit much on the calorie-intake) meal.

Try this place out if you're feeling too skinny, or just want to wrap yourself in the comfort of cheesy goodness. -Laurel

Address: 225 Wythe Ave at N. 3rd Street (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)

Website: http://www.relish.com/

Payment: cash, cards

Delivery: no

Open Late: Sun-Thurs til 12am, Fri and Sat til 1am

Large Group Friendly: yes

Bar/Happy Hour: yes

Superfine

2009-06-03T12:07:00.000-04:00

We attempted to go to Superfine once for Sunday brunch, and after having such trouble locating it, we found it closed for a wedding reception. We made it back another Sunday during the 5 Borough Bike Tour, and found the huge space crowded with bikers and locals. We put our name on the list (they take reservations, and I'd recommend if you have more than two people or don't want to wait) and hovered by the bar. After about 20 minutes of being thoroughly entertained by bikers getting tanked before their last 12 miles, we were seated.

The space is huge and cavernous, with raised seating and the bar sunken down on the side. Paintings and colorful lighting adorn the walls and ceiling, and a pool table sits at the front while a stage anchors the back. The stage happened to have a 50's-style bluegrass band playing on it that day. They were great, and even told corny jokes between songs. If I could play slide guitar, spoons, anything, I would have begged to join their band.

The menu is standard prices, with some nice brunch options and a slight Mexican tilt. I ordered the Eggs to Order, which comes with homefries, salad and fruit ($6.50). The eggs were cooked just so, and the home fries were good. Solid brunch plate, all-in-all. I tasted Jennifer's breakfast burrito, which was huge, and totally delicious. They also offer homemade granola and yogurt, french toast, huevos rancheros, fish tacos, etc.

I would definitely recommend this place for brunch-- have some tasty food, a little hair of the dog, listen to some bluegrass, and head to Brooklyn Bridge Park. A perfect afternoon in DUMBO. I'll be back to do just that, and maybe get some drinks and dinner one night. -Laurel

The first time we ventured into Superfine, as Laurel mentioned, it was closed for a wedding reception. When I walked in to talk to the guy, though, he was very nice and explained that coming back next week would probably be best. So that's exactly what we did.

Full of eclectic decorations of bright lights, different leveled floors and slightly awkward pseudo family portraits, this place reminded me of a delightful country western, almost beach-y place from back in the day. And the band added a lot to that too. They were so cute, and if I ever had the chance, I would totally make them be my best friends.

Unsure of what I wanted, I decided to go off my normal path of either eggs and homefries or french toast, and go for something that I never before attempted - Mexican breakfast. Granted (and admittedly) I'm usually slightly hungover when I'm eating brunch, so Huevos Rancheros has always sounded so gross to me. However, I'm still warming up to the idea of Huevos Rancheros, so I went for something a tad milder - the Breakfast Burrito, filled with scrambled eggs, sausage, green chilies, pinto bean all in a flour tortilla topped with jack cheese and salsa fresca. There is no turning back on the mixture of Mexican food and breakfast food now, it was absolutely delicious.

Although I wasn't very hungry when I sat down, I ate the whole burrito, which you can tell from the picture, was huge. It was the perfect combination of greasy Mexican and well, breakfast. Exactly what a Breakfast Burrito should be, I suppose. I'm definitely interested in venturing back to this place. In fact, just last week, I had a craving for some more. Will do soon, and would love to go back for dinner. Honestly, however, the band better be playing, because the experience just wouldn't be the same without. - Jennifer

Address: 126 Front St, b/t Adams and Jay (DUMBO, Brooklyn)

Website: http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/superfine/

Payment: credit, cash

Delivery: no

Open Late: restaurant 11pm on weekends, bar until 4am

Large Group Friendly: yes

Bar/Happy Hour: full bar

Doughnut Plant

2009-05-31T19:00:00.001-04:00

If I could define my hopeful perception of Heaven in two words, they would be "Doughnut Plant." The first time I was lucky enough to try this place, Roland had so graciously brought a ton of different ones into work one afternoon. After eating and thoroughly enjoying the selections, I knew we had to venture to Doughnut Plant and try more. And boy did we.

Conveniently located near the LES, this place offers a variety of standard doughnuts including regular glazed and jelly filled, but they also offer something more for those looking to have something special in their maefs. Their Tres Leche doughnut is just like its name - a perfect mixture of evaporated milk, condensed milk and cream. Although a cake doughnut, it is in no way dry, and is very rich and has cream in the middle. Another famous one is their creme brulee yeast doughnut, completely sweet and perfect. And of course, my absolute all time favorite of any doughnut ever, their Blackout - a chocolate cake doughnut with chocolate cream in the middle oozing out into my mouth. They also have specials of the day, but they always seem to run out before you get a chance to try them.

The small, cute building gets rather full fast of hungry customers, so it's a good suggestion to get your doughnuts and run. We got a LOT on our visit, making sure to savor every bite. The pudgy guy behind the counter was ranting and raving over the Carrot Cake doughnut he was shoving in his mouth, so I might have to try that next time.

Yes, it's that good. - Jennifer

Oh man, I love this place. Their doughnuts are just so... good. Jennifer once brought me a Tres Leche donut, and it was all over after that. I had to have more.

To this day, the Tres Leche is probably my favorite donut pretty much ever. I'm not a huge donut eater, and I notoriously go for the glazed, but I think the general rule at Doughnut Plant is to go for the cake varieties. Although nothing I've tried has ever led to me regretting trying it. The Tres Leche is a nice consistency, not as heavy as you'd think, and lightly sweet with a bit of cream in the middle. I've also tried their seasonal strawberry yeast and cake donut-- both delicious, but not quite strawberry-y enough-- and the coconut creme yeast donut, which has a cream filling and coconut on the outside. Their iced chai tea is also good, but a little too sweet (especially when you're eating donuts).

If you haven't been, you have to go. Yes, I love my sweets, but I've never been donut-crazy, and I'm close to needing an intervention because of this place. Glad I don't work/live nearby, for my arteries' sake. -Laurel

Address: 379 Grand St, near Marcy Ave

Website: http://www.doughnutplant.com/

Payment: cash only

Delivery: no

Open Late: no, 'til whenever they sell out, between 5-7

Large Group Friendly: no

Bar/Happy Hour: no

Di Fara

2009-05-26T22:31:00.001-04:00

Di Fara is a place I have heard/read about ever since moving to NY and started learning about the food here. I love pizza, and NY has some awesome pizza.. and I knew that if I wanted to pretend I knew anything about it, I had to eat here. It took me a while, but it finally happened. One Saturday I convinced Jennifer to hike out with me to Midwood and try Di Fara's legendary pizza.

It is a bit of a hike, especially if you're not in Brooklyn to start with, and especially if the Q is skipping some stops due to construction. You can call in your order (no delivery), but from what I can tell it doesn't mean that much. See, speed is not something you should expect here. The wait is part of the experience. And yes.. you will wait.

The man seen below, Domenico De Marco, has been at it for more than 40 years, and he is the only one making the pies. He uses authentic Italian ingredients, some sourced from his native village, and he's in no hurry. No. hurry. But you get the idea that he makes each pie as it he would want it, and I respect that. It's also fun to watch him drizzle the olive oil, grate the cheese and cut the basil (as he is doing to our pie below).

We ordered a meatball and artichoke heart regular pie, which cost roundabout $30-- a bit pricey, but also huge. The crust was crispy-chewy, not too thick and not too thin, and held it's own against the toppings. The sauce was bright and perfectly portioned, as was the cheese-- a mix including fresh mozzarella and parmesan. The fresh basil finishes it off perfectly. And of course, one of the draws of this place is the imperfections-- the wait, the lightly uneven toppings-- it's not perfect, but it is perfect in my mouth.

Di Fara is about the experience, and about a handmade pizza you're willing to wait for. I'll be back, anyway. -Laurel

Eating at Di Fara's reminds me of when I was little and I would wait (im)patiently to open presents from my grandfather at Christmas. He always gave me the best presents, remembering what I wanted from a mere mention or giving me some new, "high tech" gizmo that he read about in Consumer Reports. He gave me my first calculator watch, a pen with a clock on it, and he even gave my family our first computer.

In much the same way, Domenico De Marco makes some of the best pizza I've ever tasted, and I very much (im)patiently waited for the final product. He could sort of be called a pioneer...although he hasn't changed his ways in 40 years. He still laboriously (and yes, very slowly) makes each pizza by hand, and finishes them off with fresh ingredients. Also, he's a sweet old man, just like my grandfather, although Pop wasn't even remotely Italian.

Despite the expensive price and the long wait, this pizza was absolutely DELICIOUS - thick, crispy crust and fresh tomatoes, and the perfect mixture of mozzarella and parmesan. Most of all, artichokes are one of my favorite things to put on pizza (along with feta cheese and pesto), so I almost lost it when I realized they had the hearts. As you can see below, and as Laurel mentioned, one big complaint would be the uneven portions. One piece I got, I literally had to pick half off another piece, but it was so worth it.

For future reference, the pizza 100% stays warm until you get to Prospect Park (or wherever you're going, because eating in the actual restaurant is a hard thing to do). Make sure to get extra napkins and ask for a smaller box for leftovers - the box and pizza they give you are HUGE. Also, to avoid such a long line, go at an odd time - like 3pm or 4pm, but just know this will only shave 10 minutes or so off your hour or longer wait.

So go visit my Italian grandfather, and make sure you record him putting the finishing touches on the pizza...they call your name beforehand so you can watch. - Jennifer

Address: 1424 Ave. J at E. 15th St. (Midwood, Brooklyn)

Website: http://www.difara.com/

Payment: cash only

Delivery: no

Open Late: no, closed at 9 (last orders taken at 8:30)

Large Group Friendly: no, unless you take your pie and eat it elsewhere

Bar/Happy Hour: no alcohol

Choice Market

2009-05-22T14:26:00.002-04:00

Choice Market is a great option in a neighborhood that can feel lacking in good pick-up-and-go options. They have tons of delicious looking things in their glass cases, of which I have tried their croissant and chocolate croissant (I have a long way to go). Both are excellent, and note to other cheaps like me, they are marked down after 5. They also offer muffins, scones, loaves, tarts, quiches, cupcakes, breads, and other options along those lines. Prices are standard and so far have proved fair for the quality.

On the far end they offer real food options, like egg dishes in the morning, and salads, sandwiches, paninis, soups, and hot foods by the pound the rest of the day. Of this I have only tried the quiche (individually sized, with mushroom and spinach that day) and a side salad ($7), which made a nice dinner. The quiche was a creamy texture with good flavor, but the crust was a bit limp by the time I got to it. Granted, they were about to close and it was reheated.

I can't wait to try the many other items they have to offer, since they all look delicious. They are also expanding-- you may recognize them from either of the Brooklyn Fleas. They recently opened up Choice Greene a couple of blocks away, which offers carefully picked grocery items, along with fresh fish and meat and cheeses. It's very cute and nicely stocked for the space. More recently opened (so much so that we haven't been yet) is Choice Atlantic, which should prove an oasis on a gross strip on Atlantic. They are setting up their catering operations there but are keeping a small storefront open offering their normal fare. I will be there ASAP. -Laurel

Choice Market is a cute bakery/restaurant that is either really packed or closed. We had walked past it on multiple occasions late at night since I moved here, always craving a tasty snack and always met with a CLOSED sign. Finally, one morning when we were both up earlier than needed, Laurel was kind enough to walk the few blocks to Choice and pick us up some chocolate croissants. From then on out, I've been hooked. True chocolate croissants don't have chocolate chips in them or chocolate on the outside, they have chocolate bars on the inside. And that is exactly what the flaky, buttery delicious pastry had inside.

After that, I went back to Choice Market on the way to my friends' house, and picked up some cookies for my friends and Country Cake for breakfast the next morning. The cookies were amazing. Not too greasy but not dry to where they didn't taste homemade, with chocolate chips and pecans. Absolutely delicious. The country cake I was not too impressed with, however. Not that it would necessarily sound all that appealing to an average person. It contained a lot of different ingredients from what I could tell, including carrots and pineapple. It also contained more butter/grease than most anything I've ever had. So much so that it soaked through the bag in my purse. Let's just say, I didn't eat much of it. However, my co-worker Celia ate it all and enjoyed it thoroughly, prompting her to buy country cake muffins from Trader Joe's and eat them all the next week.

Finally, I tried some of their food-food. I got a chicken salad sandwich. The "salad" consisted of chicken with salt and pepper and onion, and it was topped with avocado. It was the perfect combination sandwich, and I sucked it down pretty fast. Like Celia, it prompted me to attempt (and fail) at making my own chicken salad. Yes, I know it's not hard to make chicken salad, but I suck at it apparently. Guess I'll just have to leave it to the professionals. - Jennifer

Address: 318 Lafayette Ave at Grand (Clinton Hill, Brooklyn)

Website: http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/choice-market/

Payment: cash

Delivery: yes

Open Late: no, 9pm

Large Group Friendly: no

Bar/Happy Hour: no

Batch

2009-05-10T00:30:00.001-04:00

I had never been to Batch before, and when I saw on the Cupcakes Take the Cake blog that it was moving and would be closed for a while, I decided to give it a try. Batch is the brain child of Chef Pinchet Ong, who also owned the recently closed P*ONG. Cool part: he was actually the person who assisted me with my choices. He was super nice, and I was actually kind of excited that he was helping, even though it didn't seem like it was an anomaly.

My choices were Lemon, Lemon, Lemon, made of lemon cake, lemon curd filling and Lemon buttercream frosting, Carrot Salted Caramel, made of carrot cake, filled with lime cream cheese, and topped with salted caramel, Dragon Devil's Food, filled with caramel, and topped with chocolate icing, and the White and Black, chocolate cake with vanilla frosting.

Guess what, they were all absolutely DELICIOUS. The cake was soft, and every cupcake was a perfect combination. Even the Carrot Salted Caramel, which sounds weird, tasted fantastic. The tanginess of the lime and the saltiness of the caramel was the great balance. And yes, I tried all of them. Luckily, I didn't eat them by myself, but I would have. Chef Ong was pushing cookies on me too, but I opted out. But I think it was because they were closing the next day, so I figure he was trying to get rid of as much as possible.

Unfortunately, the new, yet to be disclosed, location in Chelsea isn't open yet, but should be soon. I hope! - Jennifer

I was visiting family down South when Batch was getting ready to close, but luckily I received word from Jennifer that she had picked up some extra cupcakes for when I got back. PHEW.

I won't say much since I only tried two of them, and it was two days after the fact out of the fridge.. but they were still tasty. I love lemon and anything with lemon curd, so of course I liked the Lemon (x 3) variety. The cake was a bit dry by the time I tasted it, but I can imagine it was extra delicious fresh. I also tried the carrot cake variety, which had a really interesting combo of flavors, but it somehow worked. Salty, sweet and sour, all working together. Genius.

Can't wait for the new storefront to open-- we'll be there, and you should too! -Laurel

Address: Currently nowhere, but stayed tuned.

Website: http://www.batchnyc.com/

Payment: Cash, Credit

Delivery: no

Open Late: no

Large Group Friendly: no

Bar/Happy Hour: no

Brown Betty

2009-05-07T21:33:00.000-04:00

Brown Betty is literally visible from the windows of our apartment, so it's surprising how long it took me to visit (about 6 months after I moved in). I've been a couple of times since and was satisfied with each visit.

The space is tiny. As in, about 3 tables very close to each other and a couple of stools.. and you're still going to run into each other. It's cozy and has a nice feel, but can be too cramped. They add a bit more seating under an umbrella outside when the weather is nice. The service is friendly but a little inconsistent. The guy usually working is very nice and your food comes in a reasonable amount of time, but sometimes things are forgotten and it's not overly attentive. But nothing to dissuade me or ruin an experience.

I've had the Eggs Any Style (2 eggs, fried in my case, grits and toast), I think it was about $6. The eggs were perfectly cooked and the grits were as well. Nothing fancy, but well executed. I've also had the lemon waffles with chicken sausage (above). It's a bit pricey at $12ish, but the waffles are so good. Lightly lemony with caramelized bananas. Except that the pic above is from Jennifer and apparently they didn't give her bananas. LAME. The sausage is good but almost too salty.

All-in-all a solid little brunch spot. Prices are standard and the coffee is good. It's a fun place to relax if you can snag a spot, since it is so cozy and very neighborhoody. I think they have an $18 prix fixe dinner menu-- I will report back once we walk our asses the 10 steps it takes to get there and try it. -Laurel

Two people work at Brown Betty. The cook, who is nice but a little curt, and the waiter, who is nice, but a little all over the place. Every time I went, one of us would order something, but he would deliver it to someone else. The second time I went with my parents, and he asked where I was from. I said across the street, but my parents are from Tennessee. When I left, he made some comment along the lines of "Have fun in Tennessee!" to me. Let's just say, very friendly, but definitely a space cadet.

The first time I went with Laurel, I got the two eggs with grits. The eggs came out just right, granted I got them scrambled, but they weren't overdone or underdone. The grits and bacon were good as well. When I went with my parents, I tried the Lemon Waffles. As Laurel mentioned, they forgot my caramelized bananas. They also forgot my father's side order of bacon. However, upon mentioning both, the waiter happily brought it out. Otherwise, the Lemon Waffles are delicious, and if anything, a reason to go. The chicken apple sausage, however, has a slightly odd flavor, and is a little tough, but I still enjoyed it. My mother was really impressed by their salmon croquettes. An odd choice, but she was feeling quite adventurous during that visit.

This is definitely a local spot. And everyone in there seemed to really want the jerk chicken, although it was 86'd on that particular visit. Definitely worth a visit if you have a chance to come out to Clinton Hill. If you do, come get us and we'll go with you. - Jennifer

Website: http://www.yelp.com/biz/brown-betty-cafe-brooklyn

Payment: cash only

Delivery: no

Open Late: no

Large Group Friendly: no

Bar/Happy Hour: no

Loulou

2009-04-29T23:23:00.000-04:00

We went to Loulou for Easter brunch and they happily accepted our reservation for seven about 30 minutes before the fact. The interior was small-ish and homey, with another small outdoor space in the back. We opted for inside since the wind was crazy.. think moving to Oz crazy.

The options were pretty standard for brunch but with a French twist. Per usual, Jennifer and I ordered a savory item and a sweet item and split. This time it was the French Toast, which came with some fruit and nuts and syrup, and the French Burrito, which was a crepe stuffed with egg, chorizo, and veggies. The french toast was solid, reasonably fluffy and the fruit was a nice touch. But during our many brunch excursions, I've had better. It was not melt-in-your-mouth, melt-in-my-shoes good.

The burrito was interesting, and pretty tasty. It was a hefty portion, more than enough for one, and the balance of the burrito, potatoes and salad was nice. Like most things, it could have used more chorizo. Overall, the prices were standard for a NY brunch.

The service was attentive, and refilled our coffees pretty often. Although he only refilled half way every time. Seemed like he could have saved some trips by being a bit more generous, but no biggie. He was nice and we all left full and satisfied.

Loulou is a good option for brunch if you're in the neighborhood, and the atmosphere is relaxed. I'm not sure it's my favorite around, but I think I'll be back, perhaps to try dinner. -Laurel

Davis and Amanda have been raving about this place for weeks, so I was excited to try it. As Laurel said, we called 30 minutes before we decided to go. Normally, we just wing it, but it seemed like a brunch day (you know, it being Easter and all), so I figured it would be full. Luckily, it wasn't so much.

Our sweet/savory split proved successful yet again. However, if I had gotten the French Toast alone, I would have been disappointed. See, it was good French Toast, thick cut, egg soaked, and grilled to perfection, but it wasn't great French Toast. Great French Toast, in my opinion, has a bit better toppings or maybe one more piece of toast. Something about it was just off. Not taste wise, just overall satisfaction wise. The burrito was good, but seemed a bit...overrated. No offense to my lovely friends, but their ravings about that burrito just didn't live up to expectations. It was good, and filling, and the potatoes were delicious, but the chorizo (as small a portion as it was, as Laurel mentioned) was...not very good. It was a lot of fat, rather than a lot of meat. I've had lots of chorizo, so while I was not an expert, I do feel like I can say - it just wasn't up to par.

However, I will say, the place was absolutely delightful and very cute. And the waiter played along with me when I made my usual terrible jokes (I can sometimes be an embarrassing uncle when we go out to eat). Either way, I would love to try Loulou again some time, and maybe try something different. They have a lot to offer, and everyone else seemed to really enjoy themselves.

Worth a try, if you're around the neighborhood. - Jennifer

Address: 222 Dekalb Ave (Ft Greene, Brooklyn)

Website: http://www.louloubrooklyn.com/

Payment: credit, cash

Delivery: no

Open Late: midnight on weekends

Large Group Friendly: yes, they take reservations

Bar/Happy Hour: yes-- no corkage fee on Mondays (BYOB) and 20% wine list on Sundays

Kings County BBQ

2009-04-26T14:03:00.002-04:00

A barbecue truck near our house? Yes, please. The Kings County BBQ truck rests on Quincy Street near Bedford Ave. in Brooklyn. We were unsure how it would taste considering the website is a little tacky, but of course, we're up to give anything a try - especially if it's barbecue.

When I called, the woman was extremely nice and explained that they were out of beef brisket, but that they had everything else. She also was patient when I made sure with Laurel that we ordered everything we needed, and they were patient when we called back to add some things on. We ordered enough to try everything.

The pork is smoked to perfection and they are very generous with their servings. The barbeque sauce is sweet with a touch of twang to it, a great compliment with the slaw, which was also sweet and had vinegar in it (exactly how I like it). I have since then ordered again, with some friends, and tried the pulled chicken. It was tender and juicy, but I prefer the pork. Our friend Davis tried the beef brisket, and it was thick cut, tender and absolutely delicious. Also, the second time around, they forgot our jalapeno cheese grits, but the guy was nice enough to go back and get them, so it was no big deal.

Definitely ordering from here as much as possible, and if you're near the 'hood, you should too. -Jennifer

The faithful Southern in me explodes all over the place when it comes to barbecue. I love barbecue, especially when done right. Pork is a magical meat. These feelings accounted for, I obviously was pretty excited to find out that there was a BBQ truck equipped with a smoker near our apartment, and that it would deliver to us. Deliver barbecue. To me. M-A-G-I-C.

We called to order and the people were super nice and let us know how long it would take. They were even courteous about us calling a few minutes later and adding on to our order. About 30 minutes later a nice guy showed up with our order and we dug in like it was a limited time offer.

The pulled pork and pulled chicken were very good-- pretty moist and flavorful, and even better with the accompanying barbecue sauce. Only complaint was that they were a little cold when they got here, but it was a cold night and they didn't seem less than fresh. Both came with slaw and pickles and a bag of chips for $6 (barbecue can be expensive in NYC, so this is a much fairer price IMO). We also tried out their jalapeno cheese grits, which were a bit thick but oh-so-delicious.

We will obviously be ordering from these guys again, I can't believe we haven't yet. If you're lucky enough to live close or be nearby when the truck is moving, you should try it out too. -Laurel

Address: Moving location, usually in BedStuy (delivers). Check Twitter/call for info.

Website: http://kingscountybbq.com/

Payment: cash only

Delivery: yes

Open Late: yes

Large Group Friendly: no, but you could order for a crowd

Bar/Happy Hour: no

Coco Roco

2009-04-22T10:00:00.003-04:00

Peruvian food at its best. Filling, delicious, and cheap. Located on both Smith Street in Carroll Gardens and on 5th Avenue in Park Slope, Coco Roco offers the standards: rotisserie chicken, black beans and rice, fried sweet or green plantains, and yuca. But they also offer some different choices for those feeling a little more adventurous, such as Pulpo Al Olivo (rosemary octopus with olive sauce) or Choros Chinos (wok roasted mussels with a ginger, pepper, onion sauce). They also offer a number of other different shrimp, squid or oyster choices, paella and empanadas.

Laurel's family orders from here quite often, so we've had the opportunity to give it a try more than once. We usually order the whole chicken with two sides, which we get with two giant orders of rice and beans, and then add a side of sweet plantains. The order comes with two different sauces: one a light cucumber type sauce with a slight fire to it (salsa verde) and the other a red sauce, but actually on the non-spicy side despite its color and contents (salsa roja). The chicken is tender and juicy with just the right amount of spice, the beans and yellow rice and plantains are the perfect compliment.

The coolest thing about this place would have to be its salsa nights. They do salsa lessons from time to time and then have nights were they just DJ into the wee hours. If I had any ability to dance whatsoever I would be the first in line, but I don't. Who knows though, maybe I'll be "So You Think You Can Dance" one day...but I'll be slightly bloated because of all that delicious Peruvian food I ate to get there. -Jennifer

I have had numerous encounters with Coco Roco by way of my aunt and uncle, since we generally order one of two things when my aunt and I aren't cooking: Joya or Coco Roco. I love Peruvian food because really, what's not to love. Anyone I've introduced to this cuisine has at least like it.

I must admit I've only ever tried their delivery and takeout. I've been inside the restaurant once to pick up food, and the interior is a little cheesy but the atmosphere is still nice. They have a small area set up for music at nights and a long bar. Every time we've ordered delivery from them, they've come pretty quickly, and sometimes super quickly (in 10 minutes). The value is really great, seeing as a whole roasted chicken with two large sides and a salad is $15 and enough for four people. Our party of four also ordered a large side of plantains for $6, making our grand total $6 apiece with tax and tip, and plenty of food.

The food is nothing fancy, but is totally comforting and satisfying. The chicken is flavorful and moist, the rice and beans pair so well, and I just love love fried plantains. I also love their white-ish-green sauce (I think it probably has sour cream and cilantro in it.. I just know it tastes good in my mouth).

Try it out-- not sure about the dine-in experience, but they have music and dancing, so can't be that bad. Definitely worth it for delivery/take-out if you're in the area. -Laurel

Address: 139 Smith Street (Boerum Hill, Brooklyn) or 392 Fifth Ave. (Park Slope, Brooklyn)

Website: http://www.yelp.com/biz/coco-roco-brooklyn-2

Payment: Credit or Cash

Delivery: Yes

Open Late: Yes, open to 2am for salsa nights

Large Group Friendly: Yes

Bar/Happy Hour: Full Bar, with different drink specials throughout the week.

Baked

2009-04-16T21:11:00.004-04:00

I had been to Baked once before on a rare trip in a car while on the way back from Fairway. I had a coffee, which was good, and a taste of the Sweet and Salty cake, which was especially good. I was looking for a chance to go back, and over a year later that chance came in form of Ikea+Fairway+Jennifer's parents rented a car=return trip to Baked.

Inside Baked is cozy with a bit of seating, and a long counter and glass case displaying their goods. They also have their cookbook on sale, which I will one day buy. They offer all sorts of treats: bars, brownies, cookies, cakes, pastries, etc. I ordered another coffee, a slice of their famous Sweet and Salty cake, and a couple of homemade marshmallows. The Sweet and Salty cake is a chocolate cake with chocolate icing and salted caramel hidden in the cake and the icing. It's chocolatey and not too sweet, which is why it's so good. Each bite tastes of chocolate, espresso, and a hint of sweet and salty from the caramel. It's reasonably moist and the icing is nice and light. One piece is big enough for two (as you can see below). A definite try.

The marshmallows were perfect marshmallows. Soft, pillowy, sweet. I especially enjoyed the peppermint one, although I can't say eating just marshmallows is my favorite thing. These were excellent if you're a fan.

Baked is definitely worth the trip, especially if you're in the neighborhood. I just found out that they stock their treats at Green Grape in Fort Greene and I am stoked. -Laurel

Baked is a cute shop - one that I wouldn't mind sitting in to work on homework (if I had any) - and it's run by cute artsy types who were really nice and helpful when we were trying to decide what to eat...but it's not exactly close to a train. However, it is close to Ikea, so if you take the free ferry over and buy a bunch of Swedish things, you can carry your smorgasbord to Baked and enjoy a treat...smorgasbord. I think smorgasbord is the only Swedish word I know.

While Laurel and I always agree to try something different, I couldn't resist the large chunks of salt on top of the chocolate-y Sweet and Salty Cupcake. From the first bite, the mix of salted caramel and chocolate lifted my taste buds and made me feel better after a long day of shopping at Fairway and Ikea. My mother got the Sweet and Salty Brownie, which was even more tasty than the cupcake. My bite of Laurel's marshmallow was soft and delicious. I'm not a big fan of marshmallows solo, but I would probably eat many more of those if I got a chance.

Baked is definitely worth a try, and as Laurel mentioned, if you can't get a car, or don't feel like taking a bus out to Red Hook, definitely make a trip to the Greene Grape and give it a try there. - Jennifer

Address: 359 Van Brunt Street (Red Hook, Brooklyn)

Website: http://bakednyc.com

Payment: Credit or Cash

Delivery: No

Open Late: 7pm

Large Group Friendly: No

Bar/Happy Hour: just coffee and tea and such

General Greene

2009-03-26T10:00:00.000-04:00

Laurel found the restaurant on Yelp after diving through some other choices. Across the street from Loulou, a place our good friends Davis & Amanda like to go and we will soon try, General Greene is the kind of place I can get behind. It's in the centralized Fort Greene area, features some southern options, and had a short wait. The only downside is that it's slightly more expensive than other places.

The menu offers a number of choices, including everything from smoked trout pressed sandwiches and cobb salads to sides of mac & cheese, candied bacon or a ham and gruyere bread pudding (which was tempting). Or you can get what I was most excited about - a three-egg skillet, filled with your choice of sausage gravy and a biscuit, or chorizo, zucchini, and chickpeas, or blood sausage and apple, topped with creme fraiche, among a number of other options. Laurel and I immediately decided to get the 3-egg skillet with sausage gravy and a biscuit ($13). Normally we try to get something different to share multiple opinions, but we couldn't resist the urge of sausage gravy. And boy was this gravy smooth - with chunks of sausage and the right amount of pepper, and a big thick biscuit to soak it up. Honestly, I expected more of a scrambled egg as opposed to them just cracking three eggs in a skillet and was perhaps a little unwelcome to the fact that it was slightly crusty. Overall however, it was a nice balance. Our dining companion decided on the skillet with blood sausage, apple and creme fresh (pictured below). He seemed rather satisfied with his choice as well.

General Greene overall has a nice light to it, with a majority of the walls being windows, and the wait staff is somewhat attentive. Granted, when we got there, a couple decided to get up and leave after only ordering water because they had apparently been waiting so long. We didn't have that problem. And there was a little boy in there who was playing with dinosaurs, and then started pretending to be a dinosaur, stomping around and growling. He was the best kid ever.

If you are in the neighborhood and the mood for a slightly different approach to brunch, check out General Greene. -Jennifer

General Greene is a place I've read about multiple times and have made many-a mental notes to eat there one day. The stars finally aligned and we went for some Saturday brunch.

There was a short wait, but we were there at prime brunch time. Our server was cute and friendly and reasonably attentive. As Jennifer pointed out, the menu has a nice range of options, and I need to try to the ham and gruyere bread pudding for my life to be complete. They also have a bar and featured on the board above were fountain floats. The skillet (as seen below) was pretty delicious, but too freakin hot to eat upon arrival. And for about 10 minutes afterwards. And being me, I was too hungry to wait, and therefore blew on each bite repeatedly and lightly burned my mouth.. repeatedly. But according to the tastebuds that were not too singed to taste, it was pretty delicious. The sausage gravy was very good, and the biscuit wasn't bad either. The eggs were a bit overcooked, but not terribly so, and all of it together tasted comforting.

I will be back to General Greene to try some different options and different meals. The space is nice and airy and the atmosphere is relaxed. They have some moderately priced, comforting options that have the potential to keep me coming back. -Laurel

Address: 229 Dekalb Ave. at Clermont Ave. (Fort Greene, Brooklyn)

Website: http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/general-greene/

Payment: credit, cash

Delivery: no

Open Late: til 11pm

Large Group Friendly: Yes, I would say so

Bar/Happy Hour: Yes

Fat Hippo

2009-03-23T15:52:00.000-04:00

Fat Hippo is a recent comfort food-focused opening in the Lower East Side that has garnered a fair amount of buzz. I heard about the place from Matt, and upon inspecting the menu, a consensus was made that we needed to try this place out. We made a reservation (rumor was that it was often crowded), and gathered five peeps to fill out the minimum needed to keep said reservation. And then we ate.. a lot.

The space is smallish with low lighting, modern booth seating, and a bar along one wall. The bar is currently full of glasses, since they are awaiting a liquor license and are BYOB. Luckily there's a convenience store across the street (although I think the guy working there literally makes up the prices on the spot judging by what size bill you pull out of your wallet), and they will happily supply the glasses and chill your remaining drinks until you're ready for them.

We decided to order two of the chocolate and chili ribs appetizers ($8) and a side of mac 'n cheese ($4) to share. The picture above looks a little sad because we devoured half of everything before we remembered to snap one. The ribs were tender and had a great taste from the glaze. We all ended up wanting more, but my only issue was the small portion (2 big ribs) and I could have used a bit more kick. The mac 'n cheese was some of the best I've had in a while-- cheesy, creamy, well-cooked pasta, with crusty Parmesan on top. I'm going back for this if nothing else.

I ordered the Grilled Marinated Pork Chop (above, $13), bone-in and cooked to order, with pulled-pork stuffing and brussel sprouts with bacon and maple-jalapeno mustard sauce. See what a healthy meal this is shaping up to be? I'm eating greens. Anyway, the pork chop was delicious. Flavorful and tender, and a large serving even with the big bone. The stuffing was slightly sweet and tender, and a great pairing with the pork. The brussel sprouts were perfectly cooked, but the sauce was a bit strong and acidic, competing with other flavors on the plate.

Overall the food was very good and ultimately satisfying, and the service was attentive. They did awkwardly ask us to finish our drinks at the bar after we ate in order to free the table for another reservation, and then didn't seat anyone there for the rest of the time we were there. There was also really no good place to stand since the bar was crowded, so it was awkwardtown for a while before we left. That, and a lady got very sick outside of the bathroom I was in and an ambulance was called. But that is not a story for a food blog.

Fat Hippo is worth a try if you're in the mood for some semi-fancy comfort food in the LES for decent prices. Get in while they're still BYOB and save even more! -Laurel

As Laurel said, Matt recommended this place, and I was perfectly enthused to try it. When I called to make the reservation, they were very nice, explaining the perfect times to come (during the week, or if you choose the weekend try and come at 7pm or 10pm, if you can't get a reservation, as they only take them for parties of 5 or larger). The food is Southern comfort mixed with a splash of class. Not to say that Southerner's don't have class, but Southern food can be a bit...messy.

Case in point: the chili and chocolate prime ribs. They were absolutely delicious, but considering I didn't remember to take a picture until after I had already dug my grubby hands into them, I had to hold my camera with my pinkies and take the picture with my ring finger. This proved to be difficult, and made the picture look pathetic. However, trust me, the food is not pathetic. Upon the first bite, the mixture of the sweet and spicy hit my tongue with a surprise. The meat wasn't falling off the bone as I like, but it was still tender and juicy. The pickled watermelon, carrots and slaw on the side were a nice balance, although I wasn't a fan of them alone. The macaroni and cheese was some of the best I've had in a while. The cheese smooth, yet a little crusty on top, and the pasta was cooked to perfection. The waitress recommended it, and it was a great recommendation.

Something the waitress didn't recommend was the meatloaf (not to say that she point blank said, "Do not get this," but she didn't mention it when we asked for her favorites.) However, the Turkey Meatloaf with Taramind Ketchup and mashed potatoes and green bean casserole ($12) sounded like exactly what I wanted that night. After trying everyone else's food - Laurel and Lauren's porkchop, Stan's fries from his burger entree and Matt's chicken (below), I have to say I made the wrong choice. The meatloaf was good, not great, but good. It was exactly what you would expect from meatloaf - tender, juicy and not overly flavorful. The mashed potatoes and green bean casserole were very tasty - exactly as your mother would make them.

However, Laurel's pork was oh-so-tender, and the piece of chicken I tried from Matt's plate made me die and go to heaven. He ordered the Trailer Park Chicken Sampler ($15). This included beer can roasted chicken breast, southern fried drumstick, smoked thigh meat, sautéed collard greens, raisin sauce and corn bread. A lot, right? I believe I only tried the beer can roasted chicken breast, but it was enough to make me want all of it. The only reason I didn't order it was because it seemed like a lot of meat. Bad decision.

One thing that none of us tried and I wish I had been in the mood for, was the Burger Fondue. Even though the restaurant has only been open for a short while, they are already famous for it. I'll be back, definitely. - Jennifer

Address: 71 Clinton Street (at Rivington)

Website:http://www.yelp.com/biz/fat-hippo-new-york

Payment: cash only

Delivery: no

Open Late: yes

Large Group Friendly: Not really, but they do take reservations of 5 or more if you plan ahead

Bar/Happy Hour: Coming Soon! (BYOB)

Crif Dogs/PDT

2009-03-18T16:00:00.002-04:00

When I used to work near downtown in Nashville, there was this amazing place where we would always go to get hot dogs - Hot Diggity Dog. Every dog was $2.50, regardless of what you got on it, and I was always completely satisfied and stuffed. (I actually just looked on their website, and their hot dogs cost 25 cents more now...hmm, stupid recession.) The people who worked there were from Chicago, and knew how to grill a dog, not to mention how to smother it with unhealthy things. And they had veggie dogs, which is hard to come by.

So when I moved to New York almost 2 years ago, I was excited. Hot dogs are New York's specialty, right? However, after getting a cart dog, I was grossly disappointed. No flavor, who knows how long the dog had been sitting there, and no selection of toppings. That's when someone at our office mentioned Crif Dogs.

You can get your dog with literally anything you can think of on top, and you can also get it wrapped in bacon and deep fried or, like Hot Diggity Dog, as a veggie. I've ordered from this place more times than I can think of, and also stopped by for a snack in the middle of the day, as well as late at night. Honestly, I haven't ventured too far from how I like my dogs: covered in chili, onions and slaw. My favorite thing to order is the Spicy Redneck (a house dog wrapped in bacon, with onions, slaw, chili and jalapenos, $4.50). I've also tried the Chihuahua (a bacon wrapped dog with sour cream and avocados, $4.50) and it was one of the best things in the world, and I've had a corn dog ($4.50), which might have been the largest corn dog I've ever had in my life. The breading was delicious and deep fried golden brown, and slightly sweet. The fries are delicious, fresh waffle fries (which I have had plain and covered with chili and cheese), and the root beer float is good too, but one time we ordered, the girl forgot the float part, and only sent the root beer.

PDT (Please Don't Tell) is a bar connected to Crif Dogs, and although some people don't know about it, it's not a super exclusive club, just hard to get into (literally and figuratively). We finally did one fateful night and snagged a booth. I had a There Will Be Blood cocktail with chocolate liqueur, blood orange liqueur and bourbon. It tasted like bourbon, until I got to the cocktail part, but I wasn't complaining - it cost $13. And you can get special hot dogs in there - I remember reading that one of them had hummus on it. YUM.

Go here. You will be a changed person. - Jennifer

Crif Dogs is a place I have admittedly never seen during the light of day. Actually, I'm not sure I've ever eaten here before 2 AM. But boy does it sound like a good idea at about 2 AM.

They offer a myriad of options, but all of the hot dogs are cooked in the deep fryer. Some are wrapped in bacon and then fried (for good measure). Toppings include chili, onions, cheese, peppers, avocado, sour cream, and a host of other combos. Last two visits I've had a Philly Tubesteak (with cheese and onions, $3.75) and a Chili Dog (mustard, onions and chili sauce, $4). They also offer corn dogs, fries and burgers, along with shakes and beer.

All of the dogs are admittedly tasty, and the topping combos are excellent. There's really nothing better when you're hungry and it's late, and that's why you can find us there in these situations. Another thing about Crif Dogs is PDT (Please Don't Tell), a bar hidden inside the hot dog joint. It's hard to get into and we've tried multiple times to no avail, but on this particular night we struck gold. And possibly sat at Justin Timberlake's table (eh?). The drinks are a bit pricey ($13 cocktails), but are interesting and stiff. You can even order dogs in the bar.

Craving something meaty late at night? Then this is where you should be. -Laurel

Address: 113 St. Marks Pl (Near Ave. A)

Website: http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/crif-dogs/

Payment: Credit ($10 min) , Cash

Delivery: Yes!

Open Late: Sun-Thu, noon-2am; Fri-Sat, noon-4am

Large Group Friendly: Not really, but sometimes there's a little space

Bar/Happy Hour: Cheap beer at Crif Dogs, amazing drinks at PDT

Cake Man Raven Confectionary

2009-03-15T12:38:00.004-04:00

Cake Man Raven is a legend in Brooklyn, and for those in the know, in all of NYC (see celebrity photos). He's know for one thing: red velvet cake. That's practically all his shop offers, and that's what they are famous for. And boy, do people love red velvet cake.

I am certainly not as big a fan as many of the die hards out there, but I can't deny liking it, and living so close I knew I had to give it a try. Multiple times upon walking by the storefront was closed, so contrary to the hours listed on their website catching them open seems to be a bit of a gamble. So when I was walking by headed to Target and I saw they were open, I had to go in and try this place out.

The interior is small and taken up almost entirely by a glass bakery case, and it was filled with big slices of red velvet cake, packaged and ready to go. Two options: with or without nuts, both costing $6 even. I got a no-nuts and went on my merry way. As you can see below, the slice was huge and the cake was definitely that distinctive red color. The cake was fairly moist with a slight cocoa taste, and the cream cheese icing was very creamy and in perfect proportion to the cake. Upon taking a couple of bites I was fairly impressed, but not wowed. After a couple more bites, I was more impressed. After eating half of that slice, I was hooked. I don't know if he puts crack in that cake or what, but it's delicious for no specific reason other than it just is. I would definitely recommend for red velvet lovers in the area-- and make sure you check out their annual parade down Fulton Street. Last year featured free cupcakes. -Laurel

One of my mother's best friends makes a to die for red velvet cake. So rich and creamy, everything is made from scratch, and she puts lots of cocoa in it, to where it looks like chocolate sauce between the cream cheese icing and the red cake. And that cream cheese frosting is absolutely delicious. I've had my mother order it for me more than once (they're so good she sells them). Therefore, my expectations for red velvet cake are rather high, but I still love it no matter who makes it.

When Laurel first moved to the Clinton Hill neighborhood, she mentioned this Cupcake Parade, and I was inherently interested, however, I was immediately disappointed that we missed it. And as she said, every time we subsequently passed this bakery they were closed, so I was even more disappointed.

So when we finally got this infamous red velvet cake, my hopes were really high. Luckily, they weren't completely dashed. Their red velvet cake is good, not great, but good. The icing was absolutely delicious, so rich you know it can't be good for you. The cake was not overly moist as I like my red velvet cake - in fact it was a touch (just a touch) too dry for me, but the flavor was delicious. I only took a few bites as I couldn't pry it from Laurel's hands (kidding - she left half for me, but I opted out). Honestly, I think the cake was only a bit dry because it was sitting in a cardboard box behind the counter with a ton of other cakes, which means who knows if it was made that day, or another day. I'd like to try it again fresh, but who knows when I'll get that chance again. - Jennifer

Address: 708-a Fulton St. (Brooklyn)

Website: http://www.cakemanraven.com/

Payment: Cash for in-store purchases

Delivery: no

Open Late: Mon-Sun 9-10pm (not entirely true..it's a gamble sometimes)

Large Group Friendly: no, unless you're taking them cake to another location

Bar/Happy Hour: no

Dessert Truck

2009-03-12T10:00:00.003-04:00

First of all, they should rename this truck HEAVEN ON WHEELS, and I seriously doubt I'm the first person to say that. As a frequenter of the St. Marks area, I've seen the Dessert Truck a few times, and always thought, "Man, I should totally try that." However, I am uncomfortable with food carts and trucks just because I'm untrusting of where they came from. Basically, I'm an idiot. The Dessert Truck is a place where good things are reincarnated into magic things. Melt in your mouth, can't get enough, MAGIC.

Okay, now that I've sufficiently made you think I'm exaggerating, let me explain. The Dessert Truck really is gourmet desserts on wheels. Everything is $5, but they're all worth every cent. This is not your normal dessert shop. Firstly, it comes from a truck (duh), secondly it's not just the standard cupcakes or cookies (still welcomed and delicious, just can't compete), and thirdly, they beat Bobby Flay on a Throwdown! for Chocolate Bread Pudding.

After perusing over their choices (warm brioche doughnuts, vanilla creme brulee, warm slow baked apples, and well, more), I chose the crowd favorite - Chocolate Bread Pudding. However, I picked the vanilla custard sauce rather than their famous bacon one. A choice I debated on, but am ultimately completely and utterly satisfied with. The first bite of the warm pudding with vanilla custard made my head explode. Gooey and not overpoweringly chocolate, the pudding glided down the back of my throat making my entire body happy. In fact, after almost getting hit by a car, Laurel and I decided that the Dessert Truck is dangerous because it would make you willingly die just because you'd be so happy at that exact second. I scarfed the rest of it down a little too quickly making sure I got every last drop which made my stomach want to explode, but I was still unquestionably happy. Next weekend I'm going to drag my parents there and I'm 100% trying it with the bacon custard.

This discovery is bad for me, because as a now patron of Yoga to the People, which is just down the street, I'm going to end up going there more often. But I'll have just burned off the calories, so that's okay, right? RIGHT? - Jennifer

PS - In the picture below, doesn't it look like a beam of light is coming out of Laurel?

I want to go to there.

That pretty much sums it up. I had just eaten a gigantic burger and still decided it was time to finally try this baby out. My life will forever be changed.. largely meaning my body mass and sugar intake. Oh Dessert Truck, where have you been all my life?

First off, the guys are really nice and happy to make suggestions. I had been craving a donut for I don't know how long and they had "warm brioche donuts" on the menu (which are really just bombolonis, but apparently people couldn't pronounce it). Everything about that sounds good. Warm... yep, I like warm things. Brioche... eggy bready goodness. Donuts... well, of course. Put it all together and you get sugar dusted, fluffy donut holes filled with a lightly sweet custard. So very delicious.

I also got a taste of Jennifer's bread pudding and it was so very good. I'll definitely be back to have either of those again or try something new, and I suggest you do the same. But beware! You might become addicted like us. -Laurel

Address: St Mark's Place and 3rd Ave (Mon-Sun, 6pm-midnight); E 55th St, just off the NE corner of Lexington (Mon-Fri 12pm-3pm), or check their website or their Twitter for their updates.

Website: http://www.desserttruck.com/

Payment: Cash

Delivery: No

Open Late: Midnight

Large Group Friendly: As many as the sidewalk can hold

Bar/Happy Hour: Nope

Veselka

2009-03-08T23:40:00.001-04:00

We decided on Veselka for dinner one night because one of us wanted a burger and one of us wanted pierogies, and we were headed for Union Square. It worked out kind of perfectly. They were busy but not crowded, and we fit nicely at the bar without a wait. As a bonus, we had a nice view of the prep cooks fixing up orders.

The menu is a combination of classic diner food (burgers, salads, soups, sandwiches) and classic Ukranian dishes (perogies, potato pancakes, blintzes). I had been craving a burger, and ordered a cheeseburger with sweet potato fries. The burger was huge, with melty cheddar cheese and the fixings on the side. I must say it was delicious-- nice beefy flavor, cooked right at medium with a squishy bun. It was one of the messiest burgers I've ever eaten. The juices ended up all over my plate, my hands, my face. I'm surprised Jennifer wasn't effected by this from just sitting next to me. The fries were also very good-- they tasted fresh and had a nice strong sweet potato flavor. Not overly crisp but not limp.

The ambiance is diner but nicer. Our waitress was an older lady and very nice. She was there when we needed her, and that's what counts. Note that they are open 24 hours, and because of that I hear they can be a bit crowded late nights on the weekends. But one of those greasy burgers would be tops on a night like that. -Laurel

There are two staples in my weekly diet, and they both involve potatoes - gnocchi and pierogies. Without a doubt, Veselka is the perfect place to go when you are craving the latter.

Open 55 years, Veselka makes some mean Ukranian food. Because we opted for immediate seating at the bar, we had a prime view of all the different foods on the menu. Their potato pancakes looked melt-in-your-mouth delicious, and the blintzes looked soft and crispy and yummy as well. However, I had my heart set on those pierogies, and I was unbelievably excited to get them.

Here you can mix and match seven different kinds of pierogies (potato, sweet potato, cheese, spinach and cheese, meat, and sauerkraut and mushroom, all for $9.50) as well as how you would like them cooked (boiled or deep fried). They come with sauteed caramelized onions and you can request apple sauce and/or sour cream as well (50 cents extra if you choose both). I decided on four sweet potato pierogies, and three reg. potato pierogies. I have never in my life had deep fried pierogies or pierogies filled with sweet potatoes and as soon as I took my first bite I wondered aloud why. Crunchy on the outside yet soft on the inside, with that hint of sweetness (with the sweet potatoes) and hint of saltiness (with the reg. potatoes) these were perfect, especially when topped off with all of the previously mentioned fixings (all three are MUST HAVES if you are getting pierogies). My heart melted and all I could think afterward was More! (said in the voice of the alien at the beginning of Men in Black).

As a note, I had a bite of Laurel's sweet potato fries and they were probably some of the best I've ever had. They were a bit squishier than ones I've had in the past, and not overly salty. Just thinking about them makes my mouth water.

Ambiance-wise, the wait staff was quick but didn't bustle you out. One complaint would be that after taking our plates it was hard to get a check, but we didn't have to wait too long, and made friends with the guy sitting beside us who ordered some sort of beet soup. However, if you decide to go here, I strongly suggest sitting at the bar (unless you are on a date and want to see them) simply because the guys who work behind the counter were cracking me up. They were calling on some of the wait staff just so they could make fun of them. Dinner and a show (actually maybe that's good for a cheap date?). - Jennifer

Address: 144 Second Ave (at 9th St)

Website: http://veselka.com/

Payment: credit, cash

Delivery: no

Open Late: 24 Hours

Large Group Friendly: Yes, but doesn't take reservations

Bar/Happy Hour: beer and wine

Pequena

2009-03-05T12:00:00.001-05:00

We decided to try Pequena one night on the way home, especially since they deliver to us (for future reference). The space is small with just a few tables and fairly cramped, but the mood was festive and the decor interesting to look at (as in, I don't get it, but it's shiny and colorful so I don't need to). We ordered our food to go and sat on a bench in the covered area out front.

It took a while, but there seemed to be only two girls working the phones and the tables and a couple of people in the kitchen. By the time we got home it the food was room temperature so we had to do a bit of reheating, but it was still tasty. We ordered some stewed pork tacos (appetizer size, which was two tacos with guacamole and salsa, $5) and a full order of black bean and sweet plantain quesadillas (two with cheese, rice and beans, $12).

We split everything, and even with us being ridiculously hungry we couldn't finish it all. The pork was good, flavorful although not overly tender, and was a nice combo with the salsa and guac. The quesadilla was also good, but lost a little in transport, since the crispiness from the grill was gone and it was a bit dry.

The food was fresh (when we got it) and filling and we'll no doubt be going or ordering again. If you're looking for some Mexican-ish food in the area, especially if you need delivery, I suggest you try it out. -Laurel

This night I was really craving Mexican food, and since Habana Outpost is closed until it gets warmer, I was excited when Laurel took note of this place one day when we were walking around the neighborhood. We were greeted by two nice but slightly flustered waitress/hostesses who were running around so much it took a few tries before we could get out that we just wanted our food to go. Not to mention the fact that the phone was ringing every five seconds so it was hard to get their attention.

After we ordered, we stood/sat in their waiting area with some people who seemed to be pissed about how long they had been waiting. We heard almost the same two conversations by two groups of girls, basically saying that the food was worth the wait, so I was pretty excited to get my food. However, after waiting for 30 minutes, I started getting that same level of annoyance. When I walked in to ask if there was any hope (Lost was coming on and seriously - we needed to get home), our food was there.

As Laurel said, it was lukewarm by the time we go home and a bit soggy, but still tasty. And for whoever reads this on a regular basis probably knows our shared love for plantains and black beans, so a quesadilla as such was an amazing thought. The guacamole was super spicy and kind of overwhelmed the sweetness, so I think next time I'll get it without, but otherwise the quesadilla was delicious. The pork tacos were quite spicy as well, but the pork was full of flavor and the salsa was unique in its own right. The best part of the tacos were quite larger than I expected so I was really full by the end of it all.

We'll definitely be back to this place, and order from there a lot. If anything, I know I'm going to be wanting a margarita soon. - Jennifer

Address: 86 S Portland, b/t Fulton and Lafayette (Ft Greene)

Website: http://www.pequenarestaurant.com/

Payment: cash only

Delivery: yes

Open Late: midnight on the weekend

Large Group Friendly: no

Bar/Happy Hour: yes, 2 for 1 margaritas, M-F 12-6

Luzzo's Restaurant

2009-03-02T22:00:00.002-05:00

Luzzo's Restaurant is Casey's favorite pizza place (see him above, almost hopping up and down in his seat with excitement), so we thought we'd give it a try. We got in super quick for a Saturday night. I was feeling quite lousy, and pizza actually sounded like the last thing I wanted to eat, so I decided to opt out of this one. However, when the pizza was placed in front of me, I couldn't say no. Look at it. Doesn't it make you hungry?

It wasn't the best pizza I've ever had, but it was old school, with a real coal oven and a wait staff that was quick to get you in and out (so quick in fact, that they took Laurel's and my plate when there was pizza still on the table). The ambiance was nice and homey, even though the owners kept yelling at the busboys.

My dining companions chose two large pizzas - the Salsiccia (tomato, mozzarella, sausage and basil) and Casey's personal fave, the Diavola (tomato, mozzarella, spicy salami) for $22 a piece. I absolutely loved the Salsiccia, and I wanted to eat more but I knew I would get sick. The sausage was ground and spiced just right (but not spicy). It wasn't what I expected it to taste like and I was at first disappointed, but then I realized the taste was better than I expected. I wasn't a big fan of the Diavola, but I could see why it's a crowd favorite in theory. I believe I'm not a spicy salami type of gal.

Definitely try this pizza. It will not disappoint. - Jennifer

PS - Their website is total crap and has a really weird comic book strip with a guy with a mask on that probably has some historical significance that I don't know about, but I started to like the song on it after a few minutes.

Luzzo's was hopping (it was a Saturday night), but we were seated fairly quickly. The menu boasts several different options that should please most anyone, including an arugula pie that is supposed to be excellent. We opted for all meat on this particular evening (yes, I made that call).

Our waitress was a little unusual (she was dressed like a gypsy, and never smiled) but attentive enough, and the pizza came out quickly piping hot. The four of us had no trouble polishing off two large pies (if Jennifer had been in top condition, and I hadn't been going to an event with free food, it might not have been quite enough. But we're quite the eaters). The bus service was a little too attentive, and they kept looking for things to swipe off of our table.

The crust was nice, firm enough all the way through that it didn't buckle, with just enough weight and a smoky flavor from the charcoal. The toppings made just the right mix of crust, sauce, cheese and meat. The sauce could have been a little more vibrant for my taste, but overall it was good eats. I don't think it's my favorite pizza in the city, but it's a solid contender for some of the best I've had. It isn't cheap, but quality pizza in this town almost never is, and is usually worth it. Because you're worth it. -Laurel

Address: 211-13 First Ave (b/t 12th and 13th)

Website: http://www.luzzomania.com/

Payment: credit, cash

Delivery: yes

Open Late: 11pm

Large Group Friendly: sort of. They take reservations

Bar/Happy Hour: yes

Pane E Vino

2009-02-23T21:07:00.000-05:00

Pane E Vino was, quite honestly, not our first choice. As you may have guessed, it was my birthday, and Jennifer and I were meeting up with my aunt, uncle and cousin to eat brunch. We were going for Cafe Luluc for some pancakes, but it was packed, so we wandered up the street a bit and found this place. The decor is a little unusual, with chandeliers and lounge seating up front, but they have a large covered garden space in the back where we were seated.

The menu offered several standard brunch options and some pretty basic Italian fare. It was a nice brunch deal: $10.50 for an entree and a standard alcoholic brunch drink or coffee/tea. Jennifer and I did what we do best-- ordered two things and split them. I ordered the veggie omelette, which came with a few potatoes, and she ordered the french toast which came with strawberries (there was the option of fruit or meat) and a small side salad.

The blob on top of the omelette below was mozzerella, and overall it was pretty tasty. I liked the julianned veggies mixed in, and the potatoes here are mysteriously delicious. I'm not sure that there's anything special about them, but they taste so good. The french toast was the standout this time, just the right texture and flavorful enough on it's own.

The service was attentive, but not overly friendly. We had at least 4 people at our table taking orders, bringing food and bussing, so it was a little confusing. They did notice my inconspicuous birthday hat, though, and brought be a free tiramisu with a candle. I'd come back for some standard brunch fare while other places are over crowded, especially for the french toast. -Laurel

You always take a chance at a place that has an Italian name, but Greek/American confusing decor and a waiting area reminiscent of your grandmother's sitting room. However, the deal sounded good, and of course, we're always up to try new things - especially when we're drunk or starving (we were starving in this instance).

Luckily, the food was better than the deal. The omelet was delicious. I always take a chance with veggies, without knowing for sure what veggies are in it, but this was perfect. And the buffalo mozzarella on top was the perfect addition to the already tasty on its own eggs. The potatoes were amazing, definitely. Cooked to perfection - not too soft and not too hard, something that brunch places seem to have a hard time with. You don't want your fork to sink right into your potatoes, or have to try too hard to cut them. And they were slightly crunchy. The french toast was soft on the inside and slightly crunchy on the outside. The strawberries were fresh and absolutely yummy.

The staff was sweet to give Laurel tiramisu pudding, and it was the perfect combination of a cinnamon light bottom and a creamy middle. I was absolutely full or I would have stolen it from her birthday hands. She was nice enough to let me have two bites though.

This place taught me to not be afraid of unknown brunch places...however, I've been to enough terrible places to know that you should at least be careful. As long as the place is a good value, you won't be pissed when it's gross. But if it's a good value, it's more likely to be gross... -Jennifer

Address: 174 Smith St (Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn)

Website: http://www.yelp.com/biz/pane-e-vino-brooklyn-2

Payment: Cash, Cards

Delivery: Yes

Open Late: Midnight on weekends

Large Group Friendly: Yes

Bar/Happy Hour: Full bar, brunch specials

Motorino

2009-02-11T16:14:00.011-05:00

I read about Motorino a few different places, and upon deciding where to go for my birthday it's the first place that came to mind. Boy am I glad it came to mind.

We called them up and found out that they do in fact take reservations for large parties (we had 12). They do a prix fixe deal for big groups, which was an initial turn off, but turned out to be a great deal. They offer a few levels, $20 per person being the lowest and what we chose, and included antipasti and pizza. You can opt for more money and also buy yourself some meat and cheese and dessert. They don't currently serve alcohol, but (score) it is BYOB.

The staff was very friendly every step of the way, confirming my reservation and happily supplying us with wine glasses and a bottle opener. The bread was placed and soon the antipasti starting pouring in, a couple of plates of everything they were offering that night. This included some kind of tasty meat, arugula salad (with pear, bacon, bleu cheese and a light dressing), brussel sprouts (roasted with what I think was bits of pancetta and shaved parm, soooo good), beet salad, roasted butternut squash, mussles, and olives. It was a bit of a feast all by itself, but then came the pizza...

They brought us a couple of several varieties in constant waves. It was almost over whelming. This included: Margherita (bright tasting sauce, good quality mozzarella, and fresh basil), Soppressata Picante (nice and lightly spicy with chili oil and a meaty kick from the spicy soppressata), Brussel Sprout & Speck (chopped sprouts and bits of meaty speck with parm), and Buffaline (mozzarella, olive oil, basil and sea salt). Every one of them was delicious. The crust is not too thick, but pillowy with a nice bit of crunch, and a little smoky from the hot oven. The toppings are top notch, and under normal circumstances one pizza would feed about one person. We had more than enough food, and considering how many different things we each sampled and how much we ate (or me, anyway, I ate an ungodly amount), it was money well spent.

Their pizzas run $9-16 and antipasti $5-15. They have lots of specials every day and also offer meats and cheeses, as well as gelato and sorbet (P.S. I've been back, and the amaretto gelato and blood orange sorbet are to die for). I also heard they are serving brunch now, which cannot be bad. I'd definitely suggest trying this place out, I'm going back ASAP. -Laurel

This place is perfect for large groups and parties. I mean, bringing your own liquor, a prix fixe price so it was the same for everyone (which is the BEST in large groups, because usually someone/everyone ends up paying more than they should because of other people don't pay as much as they should), and the food was awesome.

Unfortunately, as far as the antipasti goes, I couldn't eat a lot of it because of my Crohn's Disease, but it looked good and everyone else seemed to like it! There were some things I could eat, and they tasted great. For someone who doesn't like squash, I was really liked the way they prepared it here - it was sweet and very decadent. Not a big fan of sprouts either but I tried one (can't really have more than that anyway) and the way they prepared it was perfect. I think they may have almost converted Amy - a prominent sprout hater. The meat seemed to be a ham that was cured and very juicy and delicious. The mussels I heard weren't the best ever, but what do you expect for a pizza place?

Speaking of which - the pizza. Not too greasy, a thicker fresh crust, and tasty fresh ingredients all the way through. Normally I add salt to pizza to give it a little more flavor (and because I'm apparently obsessed with salt), but this wasn't needed. I wasn't feeling well so I wasn't going to eat any, but I ended up having three slices because after my first I couldn't stop.

Also, since the place is BYOB, you will save a lot of money, and if you think the waiters did a superb job (as we did), you could give them your leftover wine (as we did). They'll love you for life. - Jennifer

Address: 319 Graham Ave. (at Devoe Street, Williamsburg), Near the Graham Ave. L Stop

Website: http://www.motorinopizza.com/

Payment: Cash, Credit Cards

Delivery: Yep, to a pretty large area, too.

Open Late: Open everyday until 12am

Large Group Friendly: Yep!

Bar/Happy Hour: No, but it's BYOB

La Superior (with Guest Reviewer Davis)

2009-02-11T14:45:00.018-05:00

La Superior is apparently a new addition to Williamsburg, and a few of us decided to stop by and try it after bowling at Gutter on Saturday night.

The wait was short and we got in and out rather quickly, even though it seemed like quite a few people were in there. Everyone that works there is rather attentive, but Davis ordered a Jarrito midway through the meal and didn't get it until he re-asked at the end of the meal. BUT they gave it to him free of charge, which was super nice. And, I tried making friends with Danny who worked there, but I was apparently being annoying as shit, so it didn't work.

Either way the food was AMAZING, although be warned: the portions are a little small. And we all ordered something different, so Laurel and I decided to invite everyone else to give their opinions as well! -Jennifer

Conchita de Pollo Taco, Carne Asada Taco, Rajas Taco ($2.50/piece)

Jennifer: I ordered the Conchita de Pollo taco, and it was absolutely delicious. The chicken was tender and tasted slow cooked, and was very spicy, but not to where I couldn't stand it. I actually ended up mixing it with my Rajas Quesadilla (pictured/reviewed below) and the combination was delicious. I snagged a bite of Laurel's Carne Asada Taco, and the beef was perfectly spiced and oh-so-tender and juicy. (And yet again, anytime steak costs the same as all the other meats, I'm definitely game.)

Laurel: I ordered the other two little tacos. The Carne Asada Taco was, well.. it was good enough that I ordered another one before we left. The steak was as Jennifer described, and topped with some pico that was fresh tasting with a bit of a kick. The Rajas was roasted poblano peppers with onions and Mexican cream. It was delicious, definitely good for a vegetarian, but not as good as the steak for a meat eater like me.

Sopa Tarasca ($6)

L: I didn't try this. But I remember Amanda saying that is was really good, but it was really spicy. Then again, I remember her also dumping all of the peppers they gave on the side in at once. So try it if you want some soup, but be sparing with the peppers.

Sampler of Salsas ($4)

L: This colorful collection of 6 fresh salsas (3 green, 3 red) and some pico will only set you back $4. I loved this, since you got to try all different types and variances on flavor and hotness. I generally liked the spicier ones, but I enjoyed tasting all of them. The chips are also freshly fried and crispy, and they brought us more upon request when we ran out. Great for sharing.

Rajas Quesadilla - Street Style ($3.50)

J: This might have been my favorite thing that I ordered. Laurel and I chose this style (her in taco form, mine in quesadilla) for the same reason. In the description it says: de-li-cious. It contained roasted pepper strips and diced onions, and was flavored/topped with mexican cream, a sort of sour cream substitute that was welcomed by my taste buds. The quesadilla was crispy - fried rather than cooked in a pan (Street Style as it says on the menu). This just intensified the flavor and tastiness of the quesadilla as a whole.

L: I got a small bite of this one, and I liked the Rajas better in quesadilla form. It was definitely tasty, and one of the best values on the menu. It was nice combination of crispy and creamy.

Flautas de Pollo ($5.50)

Davis: The chicken flautas came with topped with one of their salsa verdes - after that huge sampler of salsa I wasn't sure which was which anymore, but all of them were great. Flautas tend to get overly oily or so crispy they fall apart, but these were pretty much perfect. I'm writing this a week later, and I kind of need another order right now. Also, the Tamarind jarritos was the perfect sweet to go with the spicy. I don't know why that soda hasn't caught on yet with all of the health-conscious nuts... Sure it's a soda, but it's dirt cheap and made with pure cane sugar. Delicioso.

Panuchos de Cochinita ($8)

Casey: Panuchos de Cochinita = Excellent. It was a little spicy, but didn't hit you until afterwards.

(L: Thanks Casey, but this review does not earn you byline status.)

(J: Agreed)

Address: 295 Berry Street at S. 2nd St. (Williamsburg)

Website: http://www.lasuperiornyc.com/

Payment: cash only

Large Group Friendly: Somewhat, we fit 5 people and there was definitely room for more.

Delivery: yes

Open Late: 2 am on the weekends

Bar/Happy Hour: Nope, but it is BYOB

Butter Lane

2009-01-29T12:40:00.001-05:00

Butter Lane is a new cupcake shop that opened up in the East Village recently, and upon reading about their fruit frostings I knew I had to get a bite. I love fruit, and I love cupcakes, and there is definitely a lack of successful marriages between the two. Jennifer and I convinced some buddies to tag along with us to taste test some cupcakes (it's hard being our friends), and we were pretty happy with what we put in our mouths.

The shop itself is small with just a few stools, but inviting and cozy all the same. One wall is covered some lovely wallpaper, and the other features a chalkboard with the day's offerings. They had frosting samples out while we were there, and I tasted almost all of them. One thing of note is that Butter Lane offers American or French style vanilla and chocolate frosting. French style contains cooked egg whites and is fluffier than it's American counterpart.

Amy and I split the banana cupcake with cream cheese frosting, and a white cake cupcake with raspberry frosting. The banana cake was moist and banana-y, like a really good banana bread, and paired very well with the cream cheese frosting. It made for a pretty delicious cupcake that I would take a trip back for. The raspberry cupcake was also good-- the cake was a little crumbly but flavorful and fluffy, and the icing tasted like fresh raspberries. I really wanted to try the strawberry kind, as I'm a big fresh strawberry cake and/or icing fan (not the fake kind, and only when it's done right), but they were out for the night. I will be back!

If you're craving a cupcake, Butter Lane isn't the cheapest (about $2.50 a cupcake), but their focus on quality, fresh ingredients and their creative frostings make it worth the trip and the price. -Laurel

Butter Lane is the perfect addition to my cupcake fetish. And it's in an area I frequent quite often so I'm pretty excited. And fresh fruit frosting = YUM.

This place was pretty awesome. The super nice ladies behind the counter invited us to try all of the different icings to pick the one we liked the most, while discouraging double dipping (just good to know in general. I mean, there's no one at Sephora who makes sure no one double dips the lipsticks and that makes me nervous.). The French style was yummy, but wasn't my favorite. They were out of pistachio, but they had just made the recipe for the first time the day before we visited anyway, so definitely be on the lookout for that. And apparently the peanut butter icing is delicious.

However, I opted for the fresh-off-the-icing pan lemon icing with vanilla cake. The cake was moist on the bottom and hard on the top, not dry, but hard (a reverse muffin top perhaps?). The icing was delicious. Not too tart, but just the right amount.

Definitely stop by Butter Lane and pretend that one of the cupcakes counts as your carbs and fruit serving for the day. - Jennifer

Address: 123 East 7th Street (btwn Ave A and 1st Ave)

Website: http://butterlane.com/Butter_Lane_Site/Welcome.html

Payment: Cash, Cards

Delivery: Yep! You just have to place your order the day before like all the other bakeries.

Open Late: Totes, 11pm is pretty damn late for a bakery.

Large Group Friendly: Nope

Bar/Happy Hour: No! But definitely coffee and tea.

Neptune Diner

2009-01-13T17:50:00.008-05:00

We picked up Laurel from the airport and she automatically said 'You guys hungry?' I had just eaten waffles, but of course I have a mental problem where I must always stuff food in my mouth, so I was down for some more grub. I remembered the Neptune Diner because as Laurel said, it's famous, and because Dan had wanted to go there the other day (shout-out to Dan).

Even though I had already had waffles, I opted for french toast and bacon. The bacon was crispy and not too soggy which is rare to find at a diner. The french toast was amazing. It was an egg coated thick cut toast (the way french toast is SUPPOSED to be) fried to a crispness on the outside and a softness on the inside, and like the bacon, not too soggy. It tasted just like the way my dad used to make it.

Only complaint would be that the owners/servers were way too curt. I'm just not into that. Granted, I'm used to it at diners in New York, but it doesn't mean that I like it. However, I will say that Brett getting yelled at for having his feet in the seat was pretty much hilarious.

I would say that if I lived closer to the Neptune Diner, I would go there all the time. Too bad it's a little too far from my house. - Jennifer

PS - I just remembered that I'm pretty sure they had octopus on the menu.

Neptune Diner is rumored to be the best diner in Queens, and we ended up there because 1. Jennifer suggested it, and 2. it had parking and we were in a car. Upon walking inside you are greeted by an unappetizing fish case on your left, a long counter and lots of booth seating. The service was hasty and Brett was scolded for putting his feet up (again), but in a way you expect that from a diner. Diners are not where you go to be coddled.

The menu is classically ridiculously big. Pages are filled with sandwiches, salads, soups, egg dishes, Greek dishes, hot plates, french toast, drinks, milkshakes, and more. Pretty much anything you can think of (so don't take someone who is notoriously bad at making up their mind). In our true fashion, Jennifer and I ordered breakfast-- I the blueberry pancakes (above) and she the french toast (below). Brett got a milkshake and said it was okay. My pancakes were nice and fluffy, and the large helping of blueberries was nice, but it was really just blueberry pie filling tucked inside. I would have much preferred frozen or fresh blueberries inside the actual batter. I think overall it was too sweet, and just not as good as I had hoped.

I would be willing to try Neptune again and order something different. If you're craving classical diner grub and are in the area, it's worth a try. -Laurel

Address: 3105 Astoria Blvd, Astoria (Queens)

Website: n/a http://www.yelp.com/biz/neptune-diner-astoria

Payment: Cash or Card

Delivery: Yes

Open Late: Yes

Bar/Happy Hour: Full bar

Dessert Club ChikaLicious

2009-01-13T17:33:00.013-05:00

Dessert Club ChikaLicious is a spot that's been on my list of places to try for a while, and one night after work I decided the time was right. I trudged over to their bakery outpost, across the street from the well known simply ChikaLicious, which serves a three-course prix fixe menu of desserts along with wine (don't worry, I'm going soon). They are formerly known for their bread puddings, but I thought we should sample a few of their other offerings.

I picked up three chocolate chip cookies ($1.50) and four cupcakes: red velvet, coconut, black and white, and s'mores, making my total $9. The cookies are standard size, not huge, but not a bad deal. They also taste great, boasting a lightly crispy edge, chewy inside, and quality chocolate. Don't get a three pack unless you expect to finish them off.

The cupcakes were a little smaller than standard size, but a nice one serving and with most options at $1.60, also not a bad deal. The cake on all of them wasn't overly moist, but was still a nice texture and the cake to frosting ratio was spot on. The best part of these cupcakes was often the frosting, which was super smooth and not overly sugary like most. I enjoyed all four, but my favorite might have been the red velvet. The s'mores cupcakes is a nice take on the classic flavor combo, though, and I haven't seen it's equal elsewhere.

The space itself is small with a little seating and you can eat in if you so choose. They also offer bread pudding, cheesecake, soft serve, smoothies, and coffee drinks. If you're in the area, definitely give it a try if you need a sugar fix like I do every, oh, 3 hours. -Laurel

I'm always up for dessert, of course. I'm always up for cookies, cupcakes, ANYTHING. So when we find a new place, I get oober excited. Especially a place that has a cute name, and when Laurel brings it to me so I don't have to do anything.

The cookies were good, but there was perhaps a little too much butter in them - they were very greasy. The chocolate was pure and delicious though, and there was just enough.

As for the cupcakes, I took one bite of the red velvet cake and freaked out. Best cream cheese icing I have ever tasted. And the cake was moist and (as red velvet is supposed to be, even though i like it when people put a tiny layer of chocolate between the cake and the icing) generally flavorless, but the icing would have overpowered it anyway. The black and white cupcake was good - pretty standard - soft and the icing was very sugary (in a good way). The coconut one was delicious - if you like coconut. It was mushy and the coconut was perfectly cooked. I, unfortunately, didn't try the s'mores one because I ate way too much.

I simply cannot WAIT to eat at the Dessert Bar. I was looking at the menu just yesterday and my mouth was watering. It looks sooooooo delicious. - Jennifer

Address: 204 E 10th St b/t 1st and 2nd Ave

Website: http://www.dessertclubchikalicious.com/

Payment: Cash or Card

Delivery: no

Open Late: midnight on the weekends

Bar/Happy Hour: no, but they have alcohol at ChikaLicious across the street

Wafels and Dinges Truck

2008-12-29T18:00:00.003-05:00

Laurel has been raving about this place for quite a while, and working in Chinatown, I can never find a food cart that I trust. Seriously, for all the crap I put in my mouth, I just don't trust these carts.

Either way, I finally got to experience the fantastic Wafels and Dinges this past Sunday at the Brownstoner Flea Market in Fort Greene. Made how you want, you have a choice of a few different types of wafels: Brussels (light n' crispy) or Liege Vanilla or Cinnamon (soft 'n chewy, packed with a lil' extra flava) and more. I chose one with Cinnamon cooked inside, and "dinged" it with melted Nutella (totaling $5, $4 for the Wafel, $1 for the Dinge) and powdered sugar (FREE). It was yummo mcgee. I walked around attempting to eat it with a melted (recycled) fork. Not a good situation, but it slowly turned into more of a knife rather than a fork, so it almost made it easier to cut.

Also, I hear they do some pretty cool "get free dinges" promotions, but I'll let Miss Laurel tell you about that, since she's actually experienced it. - Jennifer

Seriously, people. What about a WAFFLE truck is not totally great? When I heard about this dream come true, and learned that they often park near work, I pretty much ran all the way there.

I've tried a couple if different combos: the Brussels (which is similar to your standard Belgian waffle) with strawberries and whipped cream, and later the Liege (chewier and, as Jennifer said, more flava) with strawberries and powdered sugar, as seen above. They offer other toppings like chocolate, bananas, honey, and now I hear they have a savory waffle with BBQ on one side and cole slaw on the other. As you've noticed, I haven't been able to pull myself away from my love affair with strawberries and waffles. So good!

These waffles are definitely tasty. They make them when you order, so they are fresh and delicious. My favorite type is the Liege; I could eat this waffle all by itself, no toppings necessary. The value isn't too bad-- $5 for a waffle, $1 per topping. The waffles aren't huge, but they are good for a breakfast or dessert.

Also, they often have something every day that if you repeat or answer, you get a free topping. I've done this three times: once I said the word of the day, once I answered a trivia question, and once a few co-workers and I sang The Muppet Show theme song on 45th Street. Totally worth it.

Check out their website to see where they are parked in real time (and what today's word or task is), and go get one. You deserve it. -Laurel

Address: parks in Midtown and near Union Square usually, call the number on their website or check their Twitter for updates.

Website: http://www.wafelsanddinges.com/

Payment: Cash Only

Delivery: no

Open Late: nope

Bar/Happy Hour: nope, no drinking on the sidewalk allowed

Desserts by Michael Allen

2008-12-21T15:00:00.002-05:00

You better believe that I was excited when I discovered a little bakery opening up around the corner from me (they are literally located in the next building over). I went in on the first day they were open, and they were starting out slow with just a few items to sell. We sampled a bit of brownie, madeline, and Michael handed us a little almond-flavored treat hot out of the oven. It was all delicious, and we left with a baguette and brownie, having spent $4.

An issue I often encounter with brownies is that they are not chocolatey enough. His brownie was very chocolately and not too sweet with a lightly crispy crust and almost gooey underneath. Delicious! The baguette was good, but not the best. I decided I needed to try a few more desserts.

So far, I've tried their mini tartlets, which were delicate and lovely and would be pretty at a cocktail party, chocolate croissant, which wasn't quite flakey enough but the chocolate filling was yummy, and the cupcake and truffles pictured below. The cupcake was a little dry, the icing was very good, and the truffles were rich amd smooth. And the bit of their chocolate chili we sampled was really, really good.

He offers lots of items, including muffins, pastries, tarts, cakes, cookies, bars, and fancy chocolates. They also have two soups a day, coffees, breads, and offer free wi-fi. The space is cozy and rustic, and the service is friendly. I would definitely recommend giving them a try-- I'm hoping this lovely little bakery with thrive.. I'm doing my part. -Laurel

First of all, I must point out that the cupcake looks like it had little babies - but those are actually truffles. I wish cupcakes could have babies.

So Desserts by Michael Allen just opened literally around the corner from Laurel's house. And since I'm sure many of you have either A) Ever been to Clinton Hill or B) Don't plan on going any time soon, I'm about to do my best to convince you otherwise. The combination of this and Brown Betty (which we are reviewing later) will make you hop a train right over.

This little shop is run by Michael Allen (SURPRISE!) and his wife and their son. When you walk in you are greeted with a friendly "Hello!" and told everything you should eat. I, of course, being as easily swayed as I usually am, wanted EVERYTHING. Luckily, I was totally satisfied, and they like giving out a little bit of sampling.

On this particular visit (the picture visit), I purchased a half dozen espresso truffles, which are pretty much as amazing as they sound, and oh-so-fresh. YUM. And I also got the chocolate-iced vanilla-cake cupcake, which wasn't the best cupcake I've ever had, but certainly not the worst. The cake part was moist, but obviously cooked on the bottom rung of the oven, because the bottom was a little burnt. We also sampled the "Chocolate Chili," which consisted of beans, vegetables, and cocoa - kind of like a mole sauce. Michael apparently put a whole chocolate bar in the soup. Excellent decision - it's absolutely delicious.

The next time we stopped by for me to grab a quick brownie - which Laurel had been raving about. Moist, but not overly decadent. it was definitely one of the best brownies I've ever had.

Okay, here's to hoping that I've convinced you to take the A/C to Clinton Washington or the G to Classon and eat at this place. Or, since they don't deliver, maybe we could convince Laurel to deliver some for you. Just ask nicely. - Jennifer

Address: 1015 Fulton St, Brooklyn (Clinton Hill)

Website: http://www.michaelallendesserts.com/

Payment: Cash or Credit

Delivery: no

Open Late: nope

Bar/Happy Hour: no, but they have coffee and an espresso machine

Lil' FRANKIE'S

2008-12-17T15:44:00.007-05:00

We came upon Lil Frankie's quite by accident the other night when Momofoku was too crowded (we're going there soon, don't worry). It looked so cozy and smelled delicious and the price was right., so we decided to give it a try. While we waited by the bar for our table we ordered a round of beers. Amy and I had the cream stout on tap, and though I don't know what it was, I would suggest it (a lot of help, I know). After about 20 minutes, we were seated by the kitchen (or the one that makes the pasta, anyway), which luckily wasn't too loud or ridiculously hot.

We decided to order a couple of pies and share, the choices being the Pizza Margherita ($10) and the Pizza Polpettine ($11) which was topped with baby meatballs, tomato, mozzarella, and sage (although they used Italian parsley the night we went). Amy and I also ordered a side of Spinach al Forno ($5.25), although the two pizza were enough for the three of us.

The pizzas, which came out really quick, were cooked in a wood-burning oven, and were pretty freaking delicious. Not the best pizza I've tried in New York--that would be quite the feat-- but nothing to shake your head at. The dough had a nice chew, the ingredients were fresh and quality. The little meatballs were tasty and adoreable. The spinach was really good, kind of like a fresher creamed spinach with a nice crust of parmesean cheese on top.

I would recommend Frankie's from what I tasted for sure, especially if you're looking for some late night dish, since they are open until 4 AM on the weekends. -Laurel

Lil' Frankie's was quite the find, especially considering we struck out twice with Momofuku Noodle and Tuck Shop, which were both overcrowded. And considering we were panged (pung?) with hunger and pretty much broke (after all it's the holidays, and I just bought myself some clothes...I mean, starving children presents).

This restaurant was a little crowded as well, but we got in fairly quickly. We ordered a round of beers (I didn't particularly care for the wheat beer, but I'm not that much of a beer person), and I just got a simple Paulaner. Either way, while we were standing there waiting for a 3-person table, I realized that sticking out the short 15-20 minute wait is worth it - if you have only 2 people in your party. I say this because as we were standing there, a 2-person table became available, and they went through FIVE sets of names before they found someone that hadn't left. And while that sounds like people had waited a long time, that's not true. We had been there when there was only 2 people on the waiting list before us and they were both parties of 2. So I know 15-20 minutes sounds like a lot, but really - this place moves fast.

So fast in fact, that by the time that it took for us to get a table (took much longer for us, pays to have a significant other and that's it, I guess), as soon as we ordered, literally 5 minutes later, the pizzas were on the table. I must admit, either I was in a little bit of a tipsy haze (beer does that to me, that's why I don't drink it) or it was just really dark in there so maybe I just lost my sense of time, but it was like magic. POOF. And the pizza was DELICIOUS, but as my counterpart said, wasn't the best in NY. The pizza was made well and the dough was soft, and the sauce just right. The meatballs were a tad spicy (Thatza spicy meat-ball!) but we figured that's why they were so tiny - so they didn't overpower the pizza. That sage/parsley was weird, so I just picked it off, but I'm sure it would have tasted okay. And I can't eat spinach...so...there you go! Eat here. That is all. - Jennifer

Address: 19 First Ave (btwn 1st and 2nd St)

Website: lilfrankies.com

Payment: Cash Only

Delivery: Yes

Open Late: Totes, Sun-Thurs, 2am / Fri-Sat, 4am

Bar/Happy Hour: Full Bar

Shanghai Asian Cuisine

2008-12-12T12:00:00.008-05:00

At work, we call this the "Awesome Soup Place." Mainly because, as the name suggests, the soup is Awesome. Said soup is Wonton Noodle Soup, with hand-prepared wontons that instead of being too thick and filled with some weird gray meat, are made more like dumplings with fresh, homemade dough and delicious pork and chives. Also in the soup has noodles and the broth has scallions and bok choy. It also comes with a side of fresh chilis. All this for only $4.75.

Most of the people who work there don't speak English very well, so be prepared to point. And also, they really, really, really want you to sit down, eat, and then leave. But take your time and wave them off and it will be fine.

The time I went there with Laurel I tried their dumplings. They were exactly right. They were basically the wontons deep fried, which is fantastic. The other day I decided to step outside of the box and order something different. However, I wasn't in to the Sesame Chicken. The rice was delicious and there was fresh broccoli. However, the chicken was tough, and the sauce wasn't sweet enough. However, it was definitely some of the more authentic Chinese I've ever had, so maybe I'm just too Americanized.

Seriously, go by the Awesome Soup Place. The woman who owns it is adorable and always there, and the people around you will probably be eating crab, lobster, and about 100 billion other things that I'm not sure are on the menu. Or there will be middle-aged white women talking about how good CSI is. -Jennifer

P.S. - The first one to spot "The That's What She Said" in this review, I'll buy you the soup.

Jennifer has a lot of experience with this place, but I'll give my two cents. We went here one night after work for some din, and were greeted fairly enthusiastically by the staff. The space has about 8 tables or so, and two of them were taken. We were asked if we were ready to order about 3 times, and one of the times the lady taking our order tried reeeeally hard to get us to order lobster. We must look like we're made of money. Instead, I ordered the wonton soup with noodles ($4.50). I'm worth about $6.00 including tax and tip, as she found out.

The soup came out after a few minutes and was very hot. It was a big bowl--I ended up taking half of it for lunch the next day--and had ramen-like noodles, bok choy and wontons floating in the broth. The wontons were really more like little dumplings with tasty filling, nothing like the cheap Chinese take-out place on the corner's wonton soup, which contains tough noodles, mystery meat and not much else. I could have eaten a whole bowl full of these little dumplings, and the broth was pretty good too. I love bok choy, so that was a welcome addition, although I have to say I'm not sure the noodles were necessary. I'll take them, though!

Since all I've had is the wonton soup, I'd definitely recommend it. It's tasty and the price is right. -Laurel

P.S. I spotted THREE that's what she said's in Jennifer's review.. what does that say about me?

Address: 14A Elizabeth Street (btwn Canal and Bayard)

Website: No website...it's not listed anywhere

Payment: Cash Only

Delivery: Yes

Open Late: Somewhat

Bar/Happy Hour: A few beer selections

Neighburrito

2008-12-08T21:00:00.008-05:00

We found this place nestled between Tiny's Giant Sandwich Shop and Welcome to the Johnson's (world's darkest bar) when we finally stumbled out of the bar starving last week and saw that our fave sandwich shop was closed.

I was most excited by the fajita quesadilla (aka fajita-dilla, $6.50), and even more so by the fact that you could get spiced steak for the same price as chicken or any other meat. And it was greasy and pretty unhealthy looking and tasting, but everything was fresh and I'm going to pretend that means it's healthy. Also, the tortillas and chips are seem homemade (clarification: they aren't :) ), and you get your choice of mild, medium or hot salsa. The mild is simply pico de gallo without the spicyness, and then it slowly gets hotter from there. I actually dig that, because most of the time mild means it burns my tongue. But if you want more flava, go a little hotter.

The next time I went I built my own neighburrito, with chicken, soy cheese, black beans and rice. This one didn't have as much flavor, even with the medium salsa, but it was still good. The next time I had it was today, when it was delivered to my office. I'd like to pretend like I got something other than the spiced steak fajita-dilla, but 1) I LOVE steak, and 2) there isn't really a two. I just love steak.

Meanwhile...there are also lots of vegetarian and vegan options for those with special diets, whether chosen or otherwise. -Jennifer

Neighburrito is a tiny spot in the Lower East Side near some of my favorite places, including Sugar Sweet Sunshine, so it was only a matter of time before we discovered it. The spot largely serves as a take-out and delivery spot, but there is a saw-horse like counter dissecting the restaurant with a few stools for those who choose to stay. Food is made when you order it, so they aren't the speediest.. or the slowest, either.

Their menu offers various signature burritos (including a "breakfast" burrito, served all day, that included eggs and chorizo that I need to try), quesadillas, tacos, and make-your-own options. The meat options include carnitas, steak, chicken, and marinated tofu.

I also ordered a fajita-dilla with steak during our first visit, and it was pretty delicious. It was a good portion, sliced into four piecesand contained peppers, onions, cheese and steak. The steak was cooked just so and pretty generous. On my next visit, I ordered a fajita burrito, which contained black beans, cheese, peppers, onions, corn salsa and steak. It also came with sour cream and salsa, as well as chips. This was a pretty big burrito, big enough that I couldn't eat my chips, but mine also wasn't as good as the quesadilla. It lacked a little.. something, and the steak wasn't as good this time. Still a pretty tasty burrito.

All-in-all, I like Neighburrito. They use fresh ingredients and make things to order, and have lots of options. The prices are also good, and they're open late. I'd recommend for take-out or late night nosh. -Laurel

Address: 127 Rivington Street (btwn Essex and Norfolk)

Website: http://www.neighburrito.com/

Payment: Cash, Cards

Take Out: Yeppers

Delivery: Pretty big delivery area

Open Late: Sunday-Wednesday, open til Midnite, Thursday-Saturday, open til 2am

Bar/Happy Hour: Nope, but there are horchatas!

Golden Mall and Yipin Chinese Cuisine

2008-11-28T11:55:00.003-05:00

So begins a photo-heavy post about our adventures in Flushing one Saturday evening. We ate and we ate and we ate.. our main targets handmade noodles and dumplings. Our comments will follow each picture, since otherwise we might all get a little lost.

Liang Pi ($3.50), Xi'An Small Delights, Golden Mall

L: Golden Mall is one of many "food courts" around Flushing. You enter and walk downstairs, where there are tightly packed vendors and a few tables squeezed in. There are people having hot pots, ordering dumplings and noodles to go, and even some shoes for sale. Nothing quite like it.

This cold noodle dish came out quick (no heating required), and featured bits of squishy tofu. I don't eat a lot of cold noodles, but this was pretty good. The spices were well done, but I'm not a big squishy tofu person.. more like a firm person. It was lightly spicy and had an interesting flavor.

J: As for the Golden Mall, a couple of us agreed that it smelled like a pet store. I think it was just all the fresh fish, etc. and they were frying it. Not that the frying it had anything to do with a pet store, but I'd say it was just all the fresh food. There were lots of people down there though, and everyone wanted us to eat at their booths...but when I looked at a pair of boots in one little booth, I thought the woman was going to cuss me out. She did not want me in there.

As for the food...The boys were raving over this one, but I have to say I wasn't a huge fan. I like my tofu more firm than squishy, and I wasn't overly impressed by the taste. And it was cold, which David kept saying it was the Chinese Tuna Salad, but I didn't really like that either.

Sauteed Lamb with Cumin Burger ($2.50), Xi'An Small Delights, Golden Mall

L: This was like a delicious, more interesting Sloppy Joe. The lamb was finely chopped with some bits of onion and pepper and spiced with cumin. It was a nice meaty snack for 2.50. It really could have been any meat, though, as it didn't taste overly lamby (yummy either way).

J: This was probably my favorite. The meat was so tender, with a little bit of cumin and other spices - but there wasn't too much. And the pita was fantastic - soft and flavorful, and the perfect combination with the spicy lamb.

Stewed Pork Noodle Soup ($4.50), Xi'An Small Delights, Golden Mall

L: I ordered this one, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The broth tasted like beef and veg, and was loaded with lots of hand cut noodles, chunks of pork, onions, bean sprouts and cilantro. The noodles were big and chewy, and I must say they were difficult to eat with chopsticks. The pork was delicious and falling apart it was so tender. It's a lot of soup, plenty for a meal (or, in my case, for leftover lunch the next day). My only problem was it could have used more meat and veg-- this soup was mostly noodle.

J: I liked Laurel's little pot roast soup. It was good. The broth was tasty, and with all the other ingredients, it was definitely better than mine. And those noodles were so LONG they were really hard to get in my mouth (that's what she said?).

Lamb Noodle Soup ($4.50), Xi'An Small Delights, Golden Mall

L: This soup was very similar to my soup, but with lamb. It was milder, and a good warm up for a cold day. I liked it, but it really needed more lamb, and a bit of added spice.

J: There was almost no lamb in this soup (the amount pictured above as about how much was in there, and I had to pull that up for the picture), and unlike Laurel's, the broth wasn't very good. And as for the lamb meat - it wasn't very tender and was a little hard to chew. However, I did like the bits of green onion and cilantro, it made it have a little more flavor. And of course those crazy long noodles were hard to eat. I attempted to take mine home, but after carrying it all over Flushing decided that I would never eat it, and threw it away.

Qishan Saozi Noodles (can't remember, I think $4.50), Xi'An Small Delights, Golden Mall

L: Check out them noodles. This dish was hot and had handmade noodles, scallions, lamb and a midly spicy sauce. I think the sauce had cumin it it. It was hearty and pretty tasty, and had an interesting not-overly-spicy flavor.

J: I loved this one. This was probably my second favorite dish. The little bits of ... whatever the meat was, probably chicken....was so tasty (I don't think it was lamb). I can't even explain the flavor though - let's say a mixture of spice and a little bit of vinegar. There was also lots of green onions, etc. The boys debated over this one and the top one being their favorite for a while. While they did that, I snuck bites.

Sichuan Dumplings, Chengdu Tianfu Small Dishes, Golden Mall

L: These dumplings were handmade, your standard pork and chive variety. They were a nice texture, but lacking in filling, and were drowned in chili oil. A little chili oil=good. A mouthful=greasy overload.

J: These were hard to eat. You couldn't take a bite, because the rest would slip out of your mouth and fall on the floor. The only real alternative was eating the whole thing at once. Which means having grease run down your chin. Also, I didn't like the way they were shaped, or their filling that much. If anything, they just tasted like noodles with chili oil...and a lot of it.

Handmade Cold Noodles ($4 or $5), Yipin Chinese Cuisine

L: This place was small, and the lady that was serving us was cute. The cold noodles were thinner noodles (than seen previously in this post) bathed in a chili sauce. These are definitely good and surprisingly fairly mild. They are pretty oily, but if you haven't been eating oily food all night like us, then these won't set you over the edge. Like they did me.

J: I loved the little old lady at this place. She was like the Chinese grandmother I never had. I believe these were the noodles where everyone started feeling a little sick. They actually reminded me of the dumplings, but they were in noodle form, and they were cold. These had just a very mild chili sauce taste and not much more.

Pork and Thistle Dumplings ($4 or $5), Yipin Chinese Cuisine

L: These pretty handmade dumplings tasted similar to pork and chive dumplings, but with a slightly different, sweetly bitter taste. They were excellent. Not too doughy, great with a bit of soy sauce. Boy do I love dumplings.

J: These dumplings were just right. Exactly how you think of dumplings. The dough was soft and not overly chewy. And the filling was your traditional pork and chive, and there was more than enough.

Address: Golden Mall: 41-28 Main St; Yipin Chinese Cuisine: 40-04 Union St

Website: N/A

Payment: Cash

Take Out: Yes

Delivery: no

Open Late: Not sure! We were in Yipin at 9 pm and they weren't closed, though

Bar/Happy Hour: I think I saw some beer at Golden Mall..

Caracas Arepa Bar

2008-11-05T23:39:00.001-05:00

Lines, Lines, Lines. Those are the first three words that I think of when I think of Caracas Arepa Bar. But like rollercoasters and voting (Yes, we can), they're worth the wait.

The first time we ate from Caracas Arepas, Laurel picked it up from the to-go side (to the left. the "Bar" is to the right, and there is a closing thrift shop between), and met me in Thompkins Square Park so we could pretend we are homeless. The second time was a mere attempt on my part. My friends were going to meet me but even though they were running late, and I had already waited about 30 minutes for them, with our names in with the hostess, we were still going to have to wait an hour to an hour and a half. The third time was successful. We showed up, and got inside in about 30 minutes. We had to sit at the bar, but it wasn't bad at all and the waiter was attentive. The only bad thing was that my camera died, so we couldn't get a picture of the food. I attempted to draw them, but I am completely untalented in every way when it comes to art. And instead of looking like arepas, they looked like diapers.

At least they didn't taste like diapers! In fact, let me move on from the "Line, Line, Line" part to the "Worth the Wait" part. On my first visit, I had ordered the La Del Gato with beans. The La Del Gato ($5.75) contains guayanés cheese, fried sweet plantains and avocado slices. With beans, it would be all of my favorite foods COMBINED and GRILLED. BOOM - Flavor explosion. It's like a Taco Bell commercial, but the food is actually good. The third (and most successful) time Laurel and I shared the De Pollo ($5.75), which contained grilled chicken breast with caramelized onions and cheddar cheese. It was surprisingly sweet, tasted a little like barbecue, and was the perfect combination of flavors.

This place is delicious. I strongly suggest at least attempting to get in. Isn't too busy before around 7, it seems, but you never know. - Jennifer

[Insert awesome picture of food here.]

Caracas is a delicious place. Arepas are relatively new to my food world, but I'm happy to welcome them to my eating out diet. So good!

So, for those of you who don't know, arepas are a South American dish and resemble a cross between a sandwich and a taco. Fillings are stuffed inside a handmade fluffy grilled corn tortilla, and include black beans, slow-cooked pork and beef, chicken, fried plantains, avocado, cheese, and more. I ordered the De Pabellon ($6.75), filled with shredded beef, black beans, sweet plantains, and aged cheese. This is the arepa they are famous for, and there's a reason why. It's delicious. The flavor combo is different and slightly complex, but the salty-sweet-chewy-meaty combination is just good.

One arepa doesn't seem big, but it's pretty filling. However, if you're starving like we were, I'd suggest getting three and splitting one, or starting out with an appetizer. Note that there are lovely pictures of their arepas and other items at Caracas' website below (sorry for the lack of photo evidence).

The take-out location has a bit of seating, but a bit is it.. not to say that the proper location is much better. The space is tight and the wait can be long, but the staff is friendly and the food is tasty, so, as Jennifer said, it's worth it. Note that they make everything fresh when you order it, so don't expect real speed, even at the to-go location. But sit back and relax-- it's part of the experience. -Laurel

Address: 93 1/2 E 7th St (at 1st Ave)

Website: http://caracasarepabar.com

Payment: Cash, Cards

Take Out: Yes

Delivery: no

Open Late: 10:30

Bar/Happy Hour: Yes, wine and beer

The Usual

2008-10-28T18:34:00.003-04:00

Jennifer and I came upon The Usual on the way to go running in Prospect Park (no--we didn't eat instead of run), and made note for brunch. We returned later with big appetites, and found a table for two right away.

The atmosphere is casual, but doesn't have squeaky plastic booths but rather cafe style seating. The menu is pretty classic diner, though, with lots of options. We did what we do best in brunch situations: ordered something sweet, ordered something savory, and split them between us. Above you see the waffle with strawberries, and below an omelet with turkey sausage, onion and cheese with home fries and toast. Prices are standard, our bill came to about $19 with all this and hot tea.

The waffle wasn't unusual or over-the-top, but well done. It was crisp on the outside, pillowy and chewy on the inside, and the strawberries were fresh. The omelet was also good, not as fluffy as it could be, but good with a good portion of tasty toppings mixed in. The homefries weren't my favorite-- I like them crispy-- but not bad, either. The portions were appropriate, especially since we were so hungry. We ate it all, but were full afterwards. All-in-all it was a solid brunch.

I would recommend this place as a solid brunch spot in Prospect Heights if you live in or are visiting the area. Nothing spectacular, but still pretty delicious and sometimes nothing will do but some eggs and a waffle. Nice place to reverse your calorie burn after a run. -Laurel

Yes, we ran. I was unbelievably proud of myself. We decided in that run to start training for mini-marathons. Since that day, Laurel has continued to run, and I've...not. But here I pledge myself to start running for realz.

Ok, now that that's out of the way. Exercise really does burn calories to give way to starvation, and while The Usual isn't that mind blowing, the food is definitely filling, tasty and cheap. Our waffle was sweet and flaky, just like a belgian waffle should be, and the omelet wasn't spectacular, but the sausage inside was the perfect counterpart to the onions and cheese. And unlike my dining companion, I love home fries soft or crispy or pretty much any way (I love potatoes), but these potatoes lacked a certain pizazz. Nothing ketchup and salt won't solve, but my favorite homefries are those that don't need any extras.

The Usual is cute inside, and while the place is very diner-y menu wise, but it's more reminiscent of a down home local family joint, rather than the diner from Seinfeld, which had more of a ... dirty feel (is it just me that thinks that?)

Either way - if you're ever around going for a run, you should stop by. Or if you live somewhere close, you should make it your place to hang. Or if you have to pee, you should check out the tiny bathroom. - Jennifer

Address: 637 Vanderbilt Ave, Brooklyn

Website: http://www.menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp?areaid=0&restaurantid=41632&neighborhoodid=0&cuisineid=31&home=Y

Payment: Cash, Cards

Take Out: Yes

Delivery: Yes

Open Late: No

Bar/Happy Hour: No

Dogmatic Gourmet Sausage System

2008-10-19T13:07:00.008-04:00

Dogmatic Gourmet Sausage System.. quite a mouthful isn't it? (pun intended) This newly opened storefront, lovingly referred to as simply Dogmatic, was formerly a street cart I'm ashamed to say I never visited. The new space is located right off of Union Square and is small and modern. The storefront is all glass, and the seating consists of a communal table in the middle with pull-out attached stools, and some seating on one side up against the wall (not big group friendly). When David and I went on a Thursday night they weren't busy, and we had no problem finding seats and our food came out pretty quickly.

The concept is fresh, locally made sausages (chicken, pork, beef, turkey) in little baguettes with your choice of "topping." They skewer the baguettes on these hot pokers, squirt in your sauce, and slide in the sausage-- and ta da! a fancy hot dog. The small-ish menu includes these variations of sausages, several fillings (see below, plus some), chips, ice cream, and various handmade sodas.

I ordered a turkey sausage with chimichurri sauce, David ordered a pork sausage with horseradish mustard, and we ordered an asparagus (as the menu says, "not a sausage") with truffle gruyere to share (each $4.50), along with a homemade grape soda ($2.50). The turkey sausage was tasty, but somewhat overpowered by the chimichurri.. albeit the chimichurri was yummy and fresh-tasting, if you like that sort of thing. The baguette was crusty and very good. I had a bite of David's, but mostly got the mustard--which was good, but there was too much of it. The asparagas was lightly grilled, but the star was the truffle gruyere sauce. The soda was creamy and, honestly, a little medicinal tasting. I kind of liked it, but David wasn't a big fan.

My advice is to try it if: you like sausage (shame on you if you are a meat eater and you don't), you like baguettes, and you don't mind paying $4.50 a pop for some good quality. One isn't quite enough, so if you're ravenous go for two, if you're with someone share a second one, or order some chips or ice cream to accompany. And please, try the truffle gruyere, but word to the wise: let it sit a moment, and eat with caution. Hot cheese may come shooting out when you least expect it! -Laurel

Address: 26 E 17th St (near Union Square)

Website: http://eatdogmatic.com/

Payment: cash or credit

Take Out: yes

Delivery: don't think so

Open Late: I'm not sure and I can't find it anywhere online. Sorry folks, I've failed you

Bar/Happy Hour: No alcohol, just homemade sodas.

Angelo's Pizza (with guest reviewer Matt Litman)

2008-10-10T15:05:00.015-04:00

First things first. Take serious look at that pizza and tell me it's not good. They don't call it fat people porn for nothing.

When you're looking for good pizza I think geography must play a factor. If you're from Chicago you will favor the deep dish. New Yorkers like their "New York" style pizza, and if you're lucky and from Italy, thin crust and fresh ingredients conquer all. If you're from Knoxville and stuck with the unlucky decision between the $5-$5-$5 deal from Domino's or Papa Johns drowned in a butter dipping sauce then I guess anything that signifies New York will do just fine. Midtown New York normally does not get much in the way of recognition when it comes to pizza, but two relative powerhouses still remain - John's and Angelo's.

Friday we took a visiting co-worker from Knoxville out to Angelo's - Better known as the coal-oven joint famously attached to the hip of Letterman's Studio on Broadway. Today's Angelo's is probably a far cry from what put it "on the map" but it still a pretty good pie. Between 5 of us we got two large pies, one pepperoni and one sausage...sometimes it's good to eat with a bunch of porkaholics. For the first couple bites you'll need a fork and knife to deal with initial entry thanks to the piping hot delivery, stringy cheese and flimsy pointed end. After that, put down the fork and knife and dig in.

Angelo's is a good pizza. It's one of those pies that you can relate to the good old college days in the sense that you were drunk and before you know it you've just housed the entire $5 large pie. The difference this time is that you're older, sober and the pie costs $17.50. The will to eat the whole thing is still there.

Now, for what we all came here for - From order to delivery took about 15 to 20 minutes. From delivery to leaving nothing in sight takes another 5 minutes. The sauce is mild and the cheese is fresh, but not over powering...just enough to leave that much anticipated string from the pan to the plate. All this gives way to what I thought was the surprise of the pie itself - the sweet and soft crust. It's not too thick and not too thin...like Naan bread compared to a tortilla wrap or pita. The crumbled sweet Italian sausage was spot on, but sparing. The little pepperoni discs were great as well and they were a little more liberal with their application leaving for another greasy pie. All in all, I'd go back. And if it were a rainy day, I'd order in. -Matt

I can't say I have all that much to add to Matt's thorough review [his views on overweight individuals' sexual preferences are not necessarily those of the blog], but let me lay it out plain and simple. It's coal oven, which is a good thing. The pizza is good--not the very best I've ever had, but nothing to shake your head at. Definitely satisfies that pizza craving, and the prices are on par with Lombardi's and Grimaldi's (kinda high, but the norm for coal oven). It's in midtown, a quality pizza wasteland. And they have tons of seating, which is always rare around these parts.

We went around 1:30 and were immediately seated. Service was prompt and our pizza came out quick and hot. Two large pizzas was just right for five hungrys, and we all left happy, albeit without any Letterman spottings. I'd recommend this place if you're looking for coal oven pizza in midtown and don't mind paying the price. The crowd is mostly tourists, but it's still especially good if you have a group! -Laurel

Address: 1697 Broadway near 54th St (with two other locations)

Website: http://www.angelospizzany.com/

Payment: Cash & Cards

Take Out: Yes

Delivery: Yes

Open Late: Midnight on the weekend

Large Group Friendly: Yes

Bar/Happy Hour: Yes

Grey Dog's Coffee

2008-09-30T22:41:00.015-04:00

The Grey Dog Café was just starting to fill up as we arrived one evening after work. We were lucky enough to snag a table and I decided to browse the extensive menu before getting in line to order. They serve everything from breakfast entrees to burgers, wraps to pb&j, and also serve a variety of coffee drinks, smoothies, and even beer and wine.

I wasn’t feeling overly hungry so I opted for the chili. I headed up to the counter to order and was pleasantly surprised at how efficient and speedy the staff was. Once I had placed my order, I returned to the table to wait for my meal to be delivered. A few minutes later everyone else at the table had gotten their orders. It hadn’t been long and I wasn’t concerned, but the next thing I knew, a waitress approached our table to apologize to me for misplacing my ticket in the line and causing me to have to wait so long for my food. She offered me a free desert for waiting and I chose the oatmeal raisin cookie to the disappointment of my table.

The chili arrived about a minute later and was served with a helping of cornbread. The chili itself was spicy and very hearty but the cornbread was a bit dry. The oatmeal raisin cookie was the size of the desert plate when it arrived. I highly recommend sharing these monster sized cookies. I tried to get my tablemates to share it with me, but I guess I was the only one who enjoys oatmeal raisin cookies so I ended up taking most of it to go. The cookie was perfectly crunchy around the outside and chewy in the middle.

The Grey Dog Café is a great place to go if everyone is in the mood for something different. The only drawback is that the music can be a bit loud so it may not be the perfect place to go and attempt to carry on much of a conversation. -Amy

The first time I went to Grey Dog's, I got my food to go because I was running to a movie. The sandwich was a little greasy, and I ate it so quickly, I didn't really remember what it tasted like. The second time, luckily, I got to sit down with some friends and enjoy myself, even though I was late. Laurel was sick this day, so she didn't do much eating, so we asked our good friend (who has reviewed before for us) and soon to be fellow New Yorker, Amy to help us with this review.

I wasn't feeling that well, and had decided to eat healthier, but I have never been able to resist a reuben, and dove right in. It came with chips and a pickle, all for $9.25. It might seem expensive for a sandwich, but it was huge, and I only dug through half. And surprisingly, the second half held together well for my next day's lunch. Laurel and I then split homemade apple pie ($5 for more than enough) - a tasty end to a great meal. I also got a hazelnut iced coffee, but it was not very tasty.

Also, as I'm one for ambiance, I certainly loved the music and decor. It was a cool, folksy cafe place where you can just chill with your friends. As a warning though, it gets very, very busy - there was a line to the door by the time we left, so get there early for dinner (around 6:30 works)! And supposedly if you go in the morning, there's a hot male barista working, and the same person who gave me that tip also says there's a hot chick barista too. Might be worth a peek - Jennifer

Address: 33 Carmine Street (@ Bleeker) and 90 University Place (@12th St)

Website: http://www.thegreydog.com/

Payment: Cash, Cards

Take Out: Yes

Delivery: Yes

Open Late: Til 12:30am on Fridays and Saturdays, til 11:30am other days

Large Group Friendly: Not really, and it fills up quickly

Bar/Happy Hour: Yes

Fiore

2008-09-23T11:49:00.010-04:00

I discovered Fiore through one of my favorite sites, Serious Eats, via one of my favorite critics, Ed Levine. Upon drooling at the tasty looking pictures and reading about their reasonable prices, I was sold. So far, I've been here twice.

The first time I took my friend Erin and her fiance during their visit to NYC. We ordered a bottle of wine and the fried calamari to start. The wine was reasonablly priced and well presented. The calamari ($6) was excellent-- it was easily a big enough appetizer for four people (cheap!) and included fried thin strips of zucchini and some marinara for dipping. It was light and crispy and addictive.

For my main dish I ordered the Cavatelli Broccoli E Salsiccia ($9), AKA cavatelli pasta with broccoli rabe and sauage. It was a perfect portion with al dente pasta, chunks of savory sausage, shaved parmesean, and crisp-tender, lightly bitter broccoli rabe. I enjoyed the simplicity of it, the pronounced flavors--you could taste each ingredient, and the execution, as everything was cooked perfectly.

During my second visit I had the Penne Carbonara, which was not as successful as my previous choices, but tasty nonetheless and well executed. I admire the thoughtfulness of the menu here, and it feels and tastes more expensive than it is. The atmosphere is pleasant and the service is very good. Try it! -Laurel

My first trip to Fiore was after a trip to a bar somewhere in Williamsburg to participate in The Onion Society for the Preservation of Alcohol Meeting #39 (sponsored by Jameson). Needless to say, by the time we went to the restaurant, I was stumbling - just a tad. Totally in the mood for something greasy, I decided against my normal toasted ravioli or some sort of pesto sauce or gnocchi (my favorite!) and went straight for the lasagna.

I'm not sure if it was the alcohol or that it really did just taste this way, but the lasagna resembled Stouffer's to me. However, I loved the beef inside - it was just right and completely juicy. Other than the food, I really dug the ambience...it was very romantic, especially with Laurel looking at me across the way. It was also crowded, but not until later into the night, oddly enough. I'm definitely interested in eating there again to try something different. - Jennifer

Address: 284 Grand St near Roebling (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)

Website: http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/fiore/

Payment: Cash Only

Take Out: No

Delivery: No

Open Late: Midnight on weekends

Bar/Happy Hour: Full bar and wine list

RICE (at Brooklyn Bridge Park)

2008-09-16T22:49:00.006-04:00

This is an odd review to write, as my experiences with Rice have never involved the physical restaurant or their normal menu. Nonetheless, here I go giving my opinion again.

This review is specifically of Rice's offerings at Brooklyn Bridge Park, including the outdoor movies this summer, and their set-up on Pier 1 (not the home goods store, that would be silly). The movies are one of my favorite things about summer in Brooklyn-- free, fantastic view, good movies, pretty good food. Rice offers food at each of the movies in addition to the standard popcorn and candy. This includes grilled corn, hot dogs, chicken and veggie burritos, salad, chips, grilled meats, and juices.

The first movie I went to I had grilled corn and a hot dog (I think it was about $5 for the two). The grilled corn was really very tasty-- well-cooked, slightly charred, covered in Mexican cheese. Just how I like it! The hot dog wasn't bad, but not spectacular. I did like the grilled red onions on top. During my second visit I got a chicken burrito ($5), which contained chicken, tomatoes, rice, and lettuce. It was pretty good, but was small, and in need of some beans if you ask me. Finally, when I visited the pier, I had some more corn (still good!) and some white wine sangria, which was refreshing ($7 I think).

The movie food review is a little out-dated, but I highly suggest you hit one up next summer. As for Pier 1, it ends on the 28th, so get yourself out there pronto! The view is awesome and the atmosphere is fun. The food is pretty solid and there's a bar, so can't beat that. -Laurel

As Laurel said, our experiences with Rice have been outside near the water. Probably a pretty good place to give something a try, if you ask me. The first time we ate there, I also had a hot dog. I wasn't too into it. It was a little cold and with little to no flavor, but it was outside from a tent/table, so I'll excuse it. However, the sweet onions were a delightful addition. I'm interested to try it at their restaurant, but I'm not sure it's available.

Either way, the next time we went, I snatched up some fish tacos and chips with guacamole salsa. They were all right. The slaw on the tacos were pretty good, but not much flavor. The fish was smoky, but otherwise, also lacked flavor. I had to add the guacamole salsa onto the tacos, to give it a little more flavor. Also (and I never say this), they could have afforded for it to be a little spicier. All in all, the separate parts of the taco were pretty bland, but together, they were...really bland. I think with a little bit of spice, it would have been delicious! (PS - I just realized I said "flavor" 3 times.)

One awesome thing about Rice is their environmentally friendliness. Their delivery van is filtered with Waste Vegetable Oil, from the food they cook. And they also use the van to transport 1000 lbs. of organic waste to the Red Hook Farm in Brooklyn each week! Pretty righteous, to quote hippies...and myself. - Jennifer

Address: Manhattan - Pier 1 at Brooklyn Bridge Park, 115 Lexington Ave @ 28th St (Murray Hill), 292 Elizabeth St. (Nolita) Brooklyn - 81 Washington St (Dumbo), 166 Dekalb Ave (Fort Greene)

Website: http://www.riceny.com/

Payment: Cash Only

Take Out: Yes

Delivery: Yes

Open Late: hours depend on location

Bar/Happy Hour: Yes

Soule

2008-09-09T21:36:00.000-04:00

Soule is right down the street from my new apartment, and I pass the orange-hued, modernly decorate soul food restaurant daily. One night I finally ventured in, along with a few hooligans (including Jennifer, of course) for some dinner.

We were the only customers, which would normally be worrisome, but I had read some promising reviews. The menu includes all kinds of soul food staples: fried chicken, curry goat, catfish, and lots of side dishes. Dishes range from $7-15. I went for the jerk chicken with string beans and macaroni and cheese ($10).

The chicken was cooked well, and while the sauce was a blend of sweet and spicy, it wasn't my favorite. The macaroni and cheese was pretty good-- also not the best I've ever had, but executed well. The string beans were especially tasty, fresh and simply cooked with garlic. The service was attentive and our food came out fairly quickly. I will most likely go back, partially due to the location, and also because there is definite potential there. I think I just picked the wrong thing for my personal tastes, and will try try again. If you're in the area and in the mood for the menu, might be worth a stop in! -Laurel

I love ginger ale. When I was younger, my mother used to give me it all the time when my stomach was hurting and it never worked, but I acquired a taste. A few months ago, a woman who works in my office, made homemade ginger ale and was so excited to bring it in for me. I was excited too - I had never had homemade ginger ale.

However, when she brought it in, and stirred ginger (juice) with the club soda, it wasn't what i expected. My throat burned so bad I started crying, which made it go through my nose, which made me start sneezing ,which in turn made snot drain down my face. All this to say, that's exactly how the homemade Ginger Beer affected me at Soule, with a little less sneezing and drainage. Also, I was dying for some fried plantains, and as you probably know from reading our Habana Outpost...post, I LOVE. Unfortunately, they were out. Otherwise, their green beans were amazing. And I didn't try the salmon and rice (pictured above), but our dining companion was apparently very impressed. I'm down to go again, if they have plantains that day. - Jennifer

Address: 920 Fulton Street (Clinton Hill, Brooklyn)

Website: http://www.soulerestaurant.com/

Payment: Cash Only

Take Out: Yes

Delivery: No

Open Late: 12am on weekends

Large Group Friendly: Yes

Bar/Happy Hour: Nope (don't be fooled by that wine glass on the website)