Whether instant or for real, I love ramen. Of course, real ramen is much different and much better than the instant kinds you make at home. I've tried a few ramen joints here in NYC, so here's a bit of comparing and contrasting.
Rai Rai Ken - ok, I actually don't remember too much from this place because it was so long ago and probably the first time I had a real bowl of fresh ramen in the city. I think this place gets mixed reviews. At the time, I know I liked it, but I think I would have to try it again in order to give a real review of this place.
Minca - The broth for the shoyu ramen is definitely tasty, but it was a tad salty and heavy for my taste. However, the braised pork basically melted in my mouth. Out of all the places I've been to, this one had the best pork. They had really good gyoza.
Naruto Ramen - This place is pretty average, but it's nice to see a ramen joint in the UES. The first time I had it, I thought the Naruto Ramen broth was slightly on the bland side, especially compared to Minca. The second time I had it, which was a few days ago, the broth was much more flavorful. My one complaint about the pork is that the pieces they give you are a bit on the smaller side. The noodles are also somewhat too firm. I personally don't care about that too much. Better to be firm than soggy. Also, the egg yolk in the egg is very undercooked when they put it in the bowl, but the hotness of the broth cooks it a bit. I actually liked that quite a bit.
Menchanko-Tei - This is by far my favorite ramen joint. It doesn't have the ramen joint atmosphere where everyone just sits at the bar. It's more of a normal sit-down restaurant. The good thing is that they have a lot of variety, and you can actually order everything in half portions if you wish, which is nice if you aren't too hungry or would like to eat something else to accompany the ramen. The broth in the ramen was perfect - not too salty, not too heavy, and not too light/bland. This is the place I would recommend the most for a great bowl of ramen.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Katz's Deli
We went to Katz's Deli on a whim over the weekend since we were in the neighborhood. You just can't go wrong with the pastrami sandwich there. In spite of the hectic and sometimes questionable service, the meal is always so worth it.
The quintessential pastrami sandwich of NYC. I haven't had a pastrami sandwich at other places like Carnegie Deli or 2nd Avenue Deli, so I can't compare, but most people would say that Katz's is the best, and I totally believe that. If you haven't tried it yet, you MUST.
We also wanted to try something new, so we split a Knoblewurst sandwich. This is a garlic sausage. Not knowing much about it, I thought it would be served on a sausage bun, but it's actually cut up and served on rye as you can see in the photo. Normally, I really don't like mustard, but I put it on this sandwich, and I definitely think it tasted much better with mustard. I would highly recommend this sandwich as well - very tasty, and at least it's something different.
While Katz's Deli is a definite tourist attraction, it's one of the few in the city that's actually worth going to for us New Yorkers.
Katz's Deli
205 E. Houston St.
The quintessential pastrami sandwich of NYC. I haven't had a pastrami sandwich at other places like Carnegie Deli or 2nd Avenue Deli, so I can't compare, but most people would say that Katz's is the best, and I totally believe that. If you haven't tried it yet, you MUST.
We also wanted to try something new, so we split a Knoblewurst sandwich. This is a garlic sausage. Not knowing much about it, I thought it would be served on a sausage bun, but it's actually cut up and served on rye as you can see in the photo. Normally, I really don't like mustard, but I put it on this sandwich, and I definitely think it tasted much better with mustard. I would highly recommend this sandwich as well - very tasty, and at least it's something different. While Katz's Deli is a definite tourist attraction, it's one of the few in the city that's actually worth going to for us New Yorkers.
Katz's Deli
205 E. Houston St.
Friday, February 15, 2008
La Nacional
Instead of doing a pricey and super romantic dinner, Gabe and I decided to be low-key for Valentine's Day. We decided to go to La Nacional, a very under the radar Spanish restaurant that has traditionally been a gathering place for Spanish expats. We weren't expecting a romantic atmosphere or a place with awesome service. We just wanted good, traditional Spanish food.
The entrance is very unassuming and easy to miss. Once you step in, it's sort of confusing. Go there, and you'll see what I mean. In all honesty, the atmosphere isn't very inviting, but at the same time, I didn't care because I actually felt like I had stepped back into Spain. Madrid has a very soft spot in my heart because I spent a summer there, and La Nacional literally felt like a typical Spanish restaurant/tapas bar in Spain. People are just chillin' there, eating, drinking, or just sitting there watching soccer on tv. Because of the fact that I appreciate anything that makes me feel like I've gone back to Spain, I actually loved the fact that the atmosphere at La Nacional was what it was.
We were given bread, olive oil, and olives to start. Out of the many Spanish restaurants I've been to in NY, this was the only one that gave complimentary olives. We also ordered a small pitcher of Sangria - this was by far the best sangria I've had in the States. It wasn't watered down, not too fruity, not too strong, and not too much ice and fruit pieces. A small pitcher ($18) served 6 glasses which was pretty good.
We started with the Sardinas Plancha. Just the right amount of crispiness and saltiness. This was something we haven't had at a Spanish restaurant before, so it was a nice change from the things we tend to order again and again. The Sardinas were actually more like what I ate when in Greece. This was definitely a good choice though, and pretty well priced at $8 for 3 decently sized sardines.
Next we were given the Gambas al Ajillo ($9). I actually sort of liked this better than all the other ones I've had elsewhere because of the sauce it came in. Sure it didn't come in a clay bowl with the olive oil still sizzling, but the sauce was so perfect for dipping the bread in. I would highly recommend this as well.
Finally we got what we were wanting the most - Paella de la Casa ($18/person). This was a very well-sized portion for two people, and as tradition, it came in a big paella pan. The rice was perfectly al dente and not too dry nor too wet. It came with clams, chicken, shrimp, and mussels. The taste was perfect. It was by far the best paella I've had in the city (Sala's version is on par), and definitely as good if not better than anything I had while in Spain. Unless all you want is tapas, you can't go to La Nacional without some of their paella.
We were so full that we decided not to get dessert, however our waitress gave us a complimentary glass of dessert wine each! I'm all for anything gratis, and this was definitely a nice treat. I'm not sure if they always do that or if she gave it to us because it was Valentine's Day and we didn't order dessert. But hey, it tasted good, and it was a nice ending to our meal. In fact, it was ideal because after tapas and paella, sometimes you just can't eat anything else after that, yet you want that sweet taste in your mouth. So the free dessert wine was a plus.
If you want traditional Spanish food in a traditional Spanish atmosphere, go to La Nacional!
14th Street, btwn 7th and 8th ave.
The entrance is very unassuming and easy to miss. Once you step in, it's sort of confusing. Go there, and you'll see what I mean. In all honesty, the atmosphere isn't very inviting, but at the same time, I didn't care because I actually felt like I had stepped back into Spain. Madrid has a very soft spot in my heart because I spent a summer there, and La Nacional literally felt like a typical Spanish restaurant/tapas bar in Spain. People are just chillin' there, eating, drinking, or just sitting there watching soccer on tv. Because of the fact that I appreciate anything that makes me feel like I've gone back to Spain, I actually loved the fact that the atmosphere at La Nacional was what it was.
We were given bread, olive oil, and olives to start. Out of the many Spanish restaurants I've been to in NY, this was the only one that gave complimentary olives. We also ordered a small pitcher of Sangria - this was by far the best sangria I've had in the States. It wasn't watered down, not too fruity, not too strong, and not too much ice and fruit pieces. A small pitcher ($18) served 6 glasses which was pretty good.
We started with the Sardinas Plancha. Just the right amount of crispiness and saltiness. This was something we haven't had at a Spanish restaurant before, so it was a nice change from the things we tend to order again and again. The Sardinas were actually more like what I ate when in Greece. This was definitely a good choice though, and pretty well priced at $8 for 3 decently sized sardines.
Next we were given the Gambas al Ajillo ($9). I actually sort of liked this better than all the other ones I've had elsewhere because of the sauce it came in. Sure it didn't come in a clay bowl with the olive oil still sizzling, but the sauce was so perfect for dipping the bread in. I would highly recommend this as well.
Finally we got what we were wanting the most - Paella de la Casa ($18/person). This was a very well-sized portion for two people, and as tradition, it came in a big paella pan. The rice was perfectly al dente and not too dry nor too wet. It came with clams, chicken, shrimp, and mussels. The taste was perfect. It was by far the best paella I've had in the city (Sala's version is on par), and definitely as good if not better than anything I had while in Spain. Unless all you want is tapas, you can't go to La Nacional without some of their paella.
We were so full that we decided not to get dessert, however our waitress gave us a complimentary glass of dessert wine each! I'm all for anything gratis, and this was definitely a nice treat. I'm not sure if they always do that or if she gave it to us because it was Valentine's Day and we didn't order dessert. But hey, it tasted good, and it was a nice ending to our meal. In fact, it was ideal because after tapas and paella, sometimes you just can't eat anything else after that, yet you want that sweet taste in your mouth. So the free dessert wine was a plus.
If you want traditional Spanish food in a traditional Spanish atmosphere, go to La Nacional!
14th Street, btwn 7th and 8th ave.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Pamplona
I went to Pamplona for lunch with a friend today. It's a Spanish restaurant on 28th st between Park and Madison - a bit of a weird location, but at least it's close to my work! We decided to opt out of entrees and just get tapas.
1) Bunuelos de Queso - Iberico cheese, Manchego cheese, and Cider fritters. Each little bunuelo (fried ball) had a mixture of the three inside. I ALWAYS love fried goat cheese whenever i have tapas at other places, so this was a nice alternative and probably one of my favorite tapas at Pamplona. I really liked the cider that was mixed in inside.
2) Pincho de Chorizo y Gambas - the order came with 2 pinchos - one skewer over toast with goat cheese. I really liked this tapa/pincho as well, not only because I like all of the ingredients, but just the fact that it was on toast with a goat cheese spread. It really made the dish more tasty and interesting.
3) Patatas Bravas - unlike most things on Pamplona's menu, this is perhaps the most traditional/typical tapa ever. in spite of that, some places make really awesome patatas bravas. unforunately, there wasn't anything too notable about Pamplona's. it wasn't as crispy or tasty as the patatas bravas I've had at other places.
4) Bocadillo de Jamon - with Jamon Serrano and Iberico cheese. unlike bocadillos I've had before, this one used something more resemblant of Italian white bread with no crust. It was like the bread 'ino uses for their paninis. So this bocadillo was slightly different from what I've always had, but it was so good - very tasty, crispy, the bread almost dripping with olive oil which I do like. I just wish it were a bigger portion for the $9 price tag.
5) Bocadillo de Conejo - the same thing as above except with rabbit and crema de cabra. I loved this bocadillo too. It was the first time I've really ever had rabbit. The thought weirded me out at first, but rabbit just tastes pretty similar to chicken. While this bocadillo was more interesting in terms of ingredients, I think I still preferred the taste of the Bocadillo de Jamon.
6) Churros con chocolate - for whatever reason, not too many Spanish restaurants in the city serve this typical dessert. This one was pretty good. Nowhere as good as the ones I've had in Madrid, but it was good enough. I liked the melted Valhrona chocolate too.
Overall, this is a pretty good Spanish restaurant. It's not as traditional or Spanish in ambiance/atmosphere as all the other Spanish restaurants I've been to. It had a more modern decor. Since I spent a summer in Spain, a Spanish restaurant in NYC that actually has Spanish ambiance makes a big difference to me. Such restaurants would be Las Ramblas and Tia Pol, as their waiters and waitresses seem to be either Spanish born and raised or people who've spent a lot of time in Spain. Pamplona is certainly worth a try though. I wouldn't mind coming back again to try the chorizo with suckling pig hamburguesa and the paella.
1) Bunuelos de Queso - Iberico cheese, Manchego cheese, and Cider fritters. Each little bunuelo (fried ball) had a mixture of the three inside. I ALWAYS love fried goat cheese whenever i have tapas at other places, so this was a nice alternative and probably one of my favorite tapas at Pamplona. I really liked the cider that was mixed in inside.
2) Pincho de Chorizo y Gambas - the order came with 2 pinchos - one skewer over toast with goat cheese. I really liked this tapa/pincho as well, not only because I like all of the ingredients, but just the fact that it was on toast with a goat cheese spread. It really made the dish more tasty and interesting.
3) Patatas Bravas - unlike most things on Pamplona's menu, this is perhaps the most traditional/typical tapa ever. in spite of that, some places make really awesome patatas bravas. unforunately, there wasn't anything too notable about Pamplona's. it wasn't as crispy or tasty as the patatas bravas I've had at other places.
4) Bocadillo de Jamon - with Jamon Serrano and Iberico cheese. unlike bocadillos I've had before, this one used something more resemblant of Italian white bread with no crust. It was like the bread 'ino uses for their paninis. So this bocadillo was slightly different from what I've always had, but it was so good - very tasty, crispy, the bread almost dripping with olive oil which I do like. I just wish it were a bigger portion for the $9 price tag.
5) Bocadillo de Conejo - the same thing as above except with rabbit and crema de cabra. I loved this bocadillo too. It was the first time I've really ever had rabbit. The thought weirded me out at first, but rabbit just tastes pretty similar to chicken. While this bocadillo was more interesting in terms of ingredients, I think I still preferred the taste of the Bocadillo de Jamon.
6) Churros con chocolate - for whatever reason, not too many Spanish restaurants in the city serve this typical dessert. This one was pretty good. Nowhere as good as the ones I've had in Madrid, but it was good enough. I liked the melted Valhrona chocolate too.
Overall, this is a pretty good Spanish restaurant. It's not as traditional or Spanish in ambiance/atmosphere as all the other Spanish restaurants I've been to. It had a more modern decor. Since I spent a summer in Spain, a Spanish restaurant in NYC that actually has Spanish ambiance makes a big difference to me. Such restaurants would be Las Ramblas and Tia Pol, as their waiters and waitresses seem to be either Spanish born and raised or people who've spent a lot of time in Spain. Pamplona is certainly worth a try though. I wouldn't mind coming back again to try the chorizo with suckling pig hamburguesa and the paella.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)