katz’s delicatessen

houston & ludlow (btwn 1st & A)

i finally made it to katz’s, after hearing my sister rave about her trip there. apparently, this famous tourist-destination deli stayed off my radar screen. fortunately, it’s also not near typical tourist areas, so a little more remote and not as ridiculous as times square. and boy, was it worth the mild shitshow inside the deli (crowded, etc). lacey & i split an enormous reuben which was delicious. the corned beef is to die for, and the sauerkraut was appropriately mild for me with a delicious russian dressing. we got both the “sour” and the regular pickles, both of which were much better than the regular sorts of pickles you get most places (of course). we also split an order of potato pancakes with sour cream & applesauce. those were also incredibly good. one thing to note: it is worth to spend the extra $1 for either lean or extra lean (a  tip from lacey that we followed and it was delicious), you order the potato pancakes & lemonade at the back counter, and coffee at the middle counter). DEFINITELY go if you are a meat-eater. :)

dos caminos (park)

park ave between 26th & 27th sts

i felt like i had heard of dos caminos somewhere…and so i was delighted to go last weekend for alison’s birthday dinner. the atmosphere is hip and trendy, although a little poorly lit for my taste (maybe good for a date?). it reminded me a little bit of rosa mexicano both in decor and in food options and tequila specialization, but i thought the food here was quite good (if a little trendy-pricey) and i’ve heard mediocre things about rosa. they have hte same at-your-table-guacamole which is DELICIOUS, similar to rosa. i ordered strip steak that came with frijoles borrachos which were some sort of regular bean with a bacony sauce (also delicious). i’m not sure what hte sauce on the strip steak was, but overall i felt like it was a delcious, if pricey meal. and if you like margaritas, it’s a good place. the only downside is that everything is a overpriced, but if you’re willing to overlook it, or want to go on a trendy date, it’s a pretty good place.

71 Irving Place

Irving btwn 18th and 19th (Irving is btwn 3rd & 4th aves)

Although I’ve spent a lot of time at 71 Irving, I just thought of blogging cafes as well (Since cafes are always a handy thing for the resident and visitor of any locale). I spent a lot of time here when I was writing my secondaries, going there pretty much every evening after work for a couple of hours. Good, standard drinks, delicious pastries (even Balthazar croissants if you are indulging), and at prices comparable to Starbucks. Furthermore, it’s got a great cozy environment, although it can get pretty crowded and a little loud during weekday evenings. (Bring headphones if you really need to work.) Oh, and there’s no wifi. Which is a great thing if you need to work but are easily distracted by internet (like me). I haven’t gone much since finishing my secondaries, but I think I’ll start going some weekends as a nice place to sit with a friend and/or read the Times.

kanoyama

11 st & 2nd ave

look at all these lovely eateries just down the street from me! well, i suppose this one is too nice to be called an “eatery.” regardless.

i had noticed before the excellent zagat ratings posted outside kanoyama, so on chich’s suggestion as a dinner destination last sunday, we all headed here. first: it’s not as big inside as i thought it would be. second: the food is delicious! the best dish of the entire evening, in my opinion, was the fluke appetizer. razor-thin slices of fluke accompanied by a ponzu dipping sauce. we later looked up recipes for ponzu dipping sauce, which are actually quite simple, although i believe the best ones use yuzu sauce. our other appetizer was good as well, an oshinko one, with picked vegetables formed into a sushi roll and sliced. i got the chirashi sushi, which is always my backup sushi order when i can’t be bothered to pick and choose. here, again, it was a little different and notable! in addition to the standard fishes, i got some unusual ones, such as a marinated mackerel (which got rid of most if not all of the fishy taste) and a buttery-tasting pink-red fish that i couldn’t identify. overall, a very delicious restaurant. i didn’t pay, so i can’t recall how much it was…but i would say that it fell in the usual sushi price range. also, i hear the sake was quite good, if you like that sort of thing.

spice cove

6th st between 1st & 2nd aves

after borat (slightly disappointing, actually), cynthia and i went for indian food along the strip of 6th st. indian restaurants. on the south side of the street, we went for the best bargain – a place offering a $9.95 prix fixe of soup, appetizer, naan, entree, and dessert! spice cove is a tiny (nearly clautrophobic) restaurant with a kind of intensely decorated atmosphere. the service is friendly, though, and the food is intensely spiced in a tasty way! the tomato-lentil soup was delicious, the meat samosa a little less spiced than i would have liked, but the lamb curry also very tasty. the naan is soft and slightly salted. i wouldn’t say it was amazing amazing food, but i think for the combination of price and food quality, it is a recommended east village location. and also such a short walk away!

prune

54 e. 1st st (btwn 1st & 2nd aves)

i first read about prune in the one issue of CHOW magazine i’ve ever bought. then i heard about it some more (and saw that nymag gave it “best brunch with parents” in 2004). so for brunch with my parents today, we went to prune. well, we went, signed up on the list, went to w. village, and came back about an hour later for brunch. it was good, but i’m not sure i’d want to wait everytime for that long. i had the sausages and oysters, which was pretty good, but i think my parents’ dishes were better – steak and eggs (REALLY good steak) and the lower east side appetizing (smoked fish plate). a tad pricey for brunch ($13-19), but nice once in a while. good atmosphere too.