Asian Fusion
October 28, 2008
The urban tropics, Malaysia by way of the Bowery.
316 Bowery, at Bleecker St., (212) 254-0350
Mon.-Thur., 6 p.m.-midnight; Fri.-Sat., 6 p.m.-1 a.m.; Sat.-Sun. brunch, 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
CUISINE: Fusion.
VIBE: Hip Bowery eatery.
OCCASION: First date, festive group dinner.
DON'T-MISS DISH: Duck steam bun, sea bream sashimi, Singapore laksa.
AVERAGE PRICE: Appetizers, $14; entrees, $25; dessert, $10.
RESERVATIONS: Accepted.
In the right kind of restaurant, eating out reminds you that you belong to a social world, something larger than yourself. Maybe it's the gentle haze of conversation, the buzz at the bar, or the music thumping in the background. There's a pulse, something electric in the energy darting about the room.
How do you create that feeling? In the case of Double Crown, down in the Bowery, it was designed right into the restaurant. It is owned and run by AvroKo, a design company that has created three other restaurants in the city. They practically invented butcher-shop chic at Quality Meats. At Public, they opened what looks like a big, sexy library serving Australasian food. And the Stanton Social is now a landmark of lower East Side swank.
There's something very alive about Double Crown. That's what I like most about it - the red neon lights in the corner, the subtle hum of the ceiling fans twirling overhead, turned round and round by a leather belt. Or maybe it's the Hindu screens propped up just so against the wall, or the warm, worn-in teak wood tables, or the imperfectly hung white panels in the dining room. Double Crown creates a fiction - the urban tropics, Malaysia by way of the Bowery. And they've hired a production staff to make the fiction feel real. There's a wine director and a cocktail director. From the look of the crowd, there might even be a casting director.In a room this lively you can't pay too much attention to the food. And at Double Crown, that's not necessarily a bad thing. The simple dishes here work well - duck steam buns, crispy whitebait, and wild boar bangers and mash. I would even return for the sea bream sashimi and its smoky bonito vinegar dressing. Or the Singapore laksa - a wonderful green tea noodle soup with crab, bean sprouts, and a spiced coconut broth.
But this isn't a restaurant given to simplicity. Where else would you find pheasant and licorice pie or wet pigs in a blanket?
Nobody wants to be in a wet blanket. Not even a pig. But out it comes stuffed into the center of a lychee fruit with a coconut dipping sauce. Pickled watermelon rind isn't a bad thing. But when you mix it with fresh watermelon and cilantro, it ruins everything that's good about watermelon.
The food at Double Crown is all over the map. Sometimes worlds collide right on your plate. One night, I had the venison Wellington. The venison itself was perfectly pan-seared. The hard part was unwrapping it. The meat in Beef Wellington is usually wrapped in pastry, mushrooms and perhaps a little foie gras.
But at Double Crown, the packaging is much more complicated - mushrooms, cabbage, mustard, a crepe, puff pastry, red currant jus and cranberry chutney. How does it taste? Like a British riff on Thanksgiving. Your tongue doesn't know where to begin. That's the trouble of eating in a fantasy food world.
Brad Farmerie proved he can cook at Public, where he unites Australia, Asia and Africa under a single roof. He proves he can cook here, too, as long as he keeps it simple.
But he has been led astray by exoticism. The secret at Double Crown is to order simply and enjoy the crowd.
March 24, 2007
Address: 226 W. 50th St., btwn. Broadway & 8th Aves.
Phone: 212.258.2988
Cuisine: Japanese-Italian fusion
Vibe: Typical modern Asian
Scene: Times Square escapees
Hours: Sun - Mon, 11:30am - 11pm, Tue - Fri, 11:30am-11:30pm. Sat, 12pm-12am.
Scoop: Separate bar & lounge with sushi-slanted lounge menu.
Price: Appetizers, $2.50-$15. Entrees, $16-38.
Reservations: Reservations accepted.
www.natsuminyc.com
Times Square's a tricky stretch to open an ambitious restaurant. The late 7Square, a modern chophouse with Lespinasse-trained chef Shane McBride, quickly comes to mind. With Ruby Foo's, Carmine's & the relentless bowl of pasta at the Olive Garden, tourists & theater-goers are pretty much covered. But with numerous successes under their belt, restaurateurs Barbara Matsumura & Haru Konagaya seem to know how to please the public at large. Inspired by a recent trip to Italy, their newest gig is a bold move: a Japanese-Italian fusion restaurant in the Theater District.
Separated by the lobby of Amsterdam Court Hotel, Natsumi doubles as a lounge & restaurant, both modernly furbished with the usual Asian accoutrements: natural woods, creamy leather chairs and rice paper light fixtures. While it looks like your run of the mill sushi haunt with your typical sushi offerings, it isn't. Instead of the token cheap glass of nondescript Chardonnay or Merlot (don't ask, don't tell), Natsumi actually has a decent wine list and homemade infused sakes to boot. Even more interesting, Natsumi will soon be serving their own brand of red & white wines as well as well balsamic vinegar and olive oil. (The plot thickens.)
And then there's the menu, mostly traditional Japanese fusion - tempura, sushi rolls, seafood toban yaki & miso black cod - with a sparse, but curiously notable sprinkling of Italian ingredients and flavors. For example, you'll be scrolling down the list of appetizers and stumble on a random chicken salad with balsamic vinaigrette, tuna tartar martini with basil pesto or beef asparagus maki with mozzarella cheese. Even more unexpected is the pizza nuova, a selection that includes tuna with spicy mayo atop baked thin-crust bread or seared salmon with cream cheese.
Seeing as I adore good Japanese and Italian food, I was more than game. Why wouldn't this marriage work? Afterall, Japanese & French techniques seem to blend wonderfully, especially in the hands of talented chefs like Bouley and Josh DeChellis. Like chocolate & peanut butter. But while eggplant & mozzarella tastes delicious, as does eggplant & miso sauce, eggplant with miso & mozzarella doesn't: they cancel each other out and you end up with muddled flavors and a mushy texture. Neither does pesto in the doppio toro roll (salmon, yellowtail, avocado, asparagus & pesto). As I bit into the puffed-up fusion roll, I was suddenly experiencing an unpleasant deja vu: Standing in my kitchen, I'd sprinkled what I thought was cinammon on an apple, realizing only post-swallow it was paprika. Not a good combination to say the least.
The traditional Japanese offerings are a better bet. They're also beautifully presented as evident in a salmon tartar: two stacked layers of varying tartar - the first a chopped shiso & salmon atop salmon & crunchy tobiko - separated by slices of creamy avocado and delightfully punched up by a zippy wasabi tobiko dressing. I'd also invest in a meaty miso black cod perched on nicely charred asparagus and sauced with a thick sake miso. It's not Nobu, but then again it is Times Square, and a lounge that serves decent sushi post-theater, isn't easy to come by in these parts. I would've finished with dessert, but they were out of the first three offerings as well as both tartufos.
I haven't given up on the potential for successful Italian-Japanese fusion. Rumor has it (by way of Food Talk's Mike Colameco) that Basta Pasta's mastered this union. I'm off to tempt spaghetti with flying fish roe and shiso...
Until we eat again,
Restaurant Girl
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November 20, 2006
151 West 54th Street, nr. 7th Ave.
(212)468-8889
website
With two successsful restaurants in London (Restaurant Gordon Ramsay & Maze), not to mention a reality tv show that's gained him temper tantrum notoriety, Gordon Ramsay sets his sights on NYC's London Hotel (formerly the Righa Royal). The London Hotel is officially now home to two Gordon Ramsay restaurants: Gordon Ramsay at the London, a 45-seat formal fine dining affair, and a more casual small plates experience in The London Bar, with seating for 80. Ramsay has put chef de cuisine, Neil Ferguson, in charge of overseeing both menus as well as a three-floor kitchen with 80 cooks.
As if I was passing through the gates of Buckingham Palace, I made my way through the well-guarded doors of The London Bar, surrounded by an army of hosts and doormen. An exercise in art deco elegance, The London Bar, is trimmed in silver, blue and wood hues with posh accents - a white marble bar, hammered silver wall panels, limed oak floors and powder blue banquettes - all the work of designer David Collins.
I was escorted to a table in The London Bar, in close proximity to the entrance for Ramsay's apparent better half, Gordon Ramsay at The London. As I eyed the opaque glass door, watching expats and a well-dressed bunch shuffle in and out, I couldn't help but feel like I was staring at the wrong side of the first class curtain on an airplane. After waiting over thirty minutes for a wine list and signs of waiter life on Planet Ramsay, I finally flagged down a server and begged her for a London Gimlet. While anxiously awaiting my cocktail and a damn menu, I was happily distracted by the sight of Gordon Ramsay, parading around the room in his white chef's jacket.
While the waitress explained the menu to be French with an Asian bent, there were notable Middle Eastern influences at play, many dishes seasoned with Moroccan spices, raisins, prunes and curry. I couldn't even humor the cliche appearance of scallops, prepared with golden raisins & cauliflower, a dish running rampant on every new restaurant menu this fall. Like the scallops, many of the dishes seemed to have that "been there, done that" familarity.
We began with a carpaccio of tuna and swordfish; paper-thin slivers of raw tuna and swordfish, delicately washed in a lime and cucumber marinade, and a gently sweet soya dressing. I even ate the bright pansies, which decorated the well-executed offering. Though I equally enjoyed the presentation of a peekytoe crab mayonnaise with avocado and sweetcorn sorbet, served in a tall martini glass, I should've been content to admire it from afar. 
The mayonnaise overwhelmed the crab, which was perhaps a good thing, seeing as the crab itself, was alarmingly fishy, and the sweet corn sorbet, too cold a complement for this disastrous dish. We quickly pushed it aside to concentrate on a warm onion veloute, a luscious buttery foam, topped with savory nibbles of duck ragout and fragrant shavings of Perigord truffle.
Next came the marinated beetroot, sandwiching a soft cloud of ricotta, then elegantly doused with pine nuts and a Cabernet Sauvignon dressing. The native lobster risotto, perfectly cooked, was nicely inflected with lemongrass and Thai basil. It would've been a lovely endeavor, if only it hadn't been topped by a gilthead bream, that like most of the fish I experienced here, was overly salty. Though the artic char suffered the same fishy fate, an accompanying strip of wonderfully flavorful pork belly, escaped unscathed.
Despite warnings from a New York Times interview, which quoted Ramsay saying, "any patrons trying to take pictures of it (the food) would be banned", I felt compelled to document an uninspired
lamb cutlet with braised neck. Still, I kept waiting for Ramsay to dart out from the kitchen to snatch my camera.
I finished my evening in "Hell's Kitchen" with a warm Valrhona chocolate fondant, laced with green cardamom and caramel. Sadly, a side of almond ice cream, was overpowered by bitter chunks of sea salt. It was a rocky opening night for Ramsay, but hopefully the kinks will be quickly worked out and Ramsay will be as critical of his own food as he was of the young chefs on his FOX reality show.
Until we eat again,
Restaurant Girl
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August 30, 2006
BAMN
37 St. Mark's Place (btwn. 2nd & 3rd Aves.)
(212)358-7685
BAMN reinvents the concept of the Automat with self-serve fast food, amidst the nocturnal bustle of St. Mark's Place. Owners David Leong, Nobu X and Robert Kwak, enlisted Chef Kevin Reilly (The Water Club) to consult on the on the menu after he answered a Craig's List ad for the best kroket recipe (a true story). Squint as you pass under the neon pink signeage into this giant food vending machine, dealing in modern American and Asian-inspired fast food. Come equipped with quarters or get change from the coin machine, then head directly to the heated fare of your choice. No tipping or talking necessary, unless you want fries or a drink, both requiring a counter order.
Gimmicky, yes, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, especially when you're craving a quick midnight snack. Think hot dogs, mac & cheese krokets, pizza dumplings and grilled cheese. And that's just the American offerings.
I sampled the gamut: an undercooked grilled cheese, an overcooked teriyaki burger, and a pb & j with frightening similarity to a microwaved hot pocket, filled with saccharine sweet peanut butter mousse and grape jelly. I did take great comfort in thick Yukon gold fries, not to mention a tasty selection of thirty dipping sauces: a savory truffle aioli (code for garlicky mayonnaise), and a lively salsa verde - rich with avocado, tomatillo, avocado and cilantro.
But the worthy investments are the Asian-inspired dishes - roasted pork buns, Japanese donuts, and Musubi. Bite and ask questions later when it comes to the musubi, a slice of mirin-glazed spam, yep spam, atop sushi rice. The roasted pork bun was a satisfyingly, doughy bun with savory chunks of pork tucked inside. As far as dessert goes, I'd skip the green tea ice cream, which left a bitter aftertaste. Instead, snatch up the scrumptious Japanese donuts, pleasingly puffed-up funnel cake of sorts, sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Despite the shortcomings that often come with the fast food territory, the Japanese dishes and bargain basement prices make this Automat worth a visit. The best part: nothing sits in a vending machine for longer than fifteen minutes. I taste a chain in BAMN's not so distant future.
Until we eat again,
Restaurant Girl
August 24, 2006
TYPE: Global fusion cuisine
VIBE: Basement lounge sleek
OCCASION: Get your social amusement fix
CHEAT SHEET:
DRINK: Sparkling rose
START WITH: Maryland lump crab cake
ORDER: Wild mushroom risotto
FINISH WITH: Stroll over to Billy's Bakery for a slice of peanut butter cake.
After the sudden & curious departure of co-owner Alex Freij (Industry), Diner 24 has literally overnight ditched its name and upscale diner menu for globally-inspired fare and the new title of Tour. As tables literally pour out onto the Chelsea sidewalk, this spirited venue begs to be the center of attention. With a windowed facade, stone walls and a tiled ceiling, the only thing missing's a disco ball to nostalgically whisk you back to high school for a game of spin the bottle (if only the lights weren't so damn bright).
After running the show at Ide Mae Kitchen-n-Lounge, chef Kenneth Collins is moving away from his Southern culinary accomplishments to try his hand at just about every other cuisine under the sun. Organized by country, the new menu spans the global map: Greece, Italy, France, Far East, Latin America, and America. At the stroke of midnight, Tour pays homage to classic comfort foods like mac & cheese with a dedicated late-night munchie menu.
Around the world in one meal, I began my trip in France with a Pierre Robert salad, tossed in a gently sweet walnut-sherry vinaigrette, which perfectly offset the saltiness of a decadent hunk of cheese. Then, onwards to Latin America where I sampled the pulled pork arepas, an overly smoky pork tangle atop an all too dense corn muffin, that tasted more like American barbecue than a Venezuelan dish.
In an attempt to show off his versatility, Collins fails to capture the authentic flavors of most countries. Dubbed Thai by Collins himself, the chicken spring rolls were reminiscent of mediocre Chinese takeout. Though geographically logical, the "Greek" baby lamb chops were unnaturally forced onto the same plate as overdressed eggplant and a feta salad.
The one diamond in the rough was an exceptionally light and flavorful wild mushroom risotto, speckled with sweet squash and fresh peas.
The desserts were nothing to speak of, so I won't other than to mention a so-called "peach cobbler" so indistinct, it could've easily been mistaken for apple. But the dessert and the rest of the menu are mostly beside the point at Tour, where diners seem too busy scanning the scene to even notice what they're putting in their mouths.
July 14, 2006
137 Essex St., btwn. Stanton & Rivington Sts.
(212)779-7923
TYPE: Asian-influenced Italian
VIBE: Supper club(by)
OCCASION: Lounging on the LES
GO WITH: A table service crowd
DON'T MISS DISH: Butternut Squash and Asiago Cheese Ravioli
DON'T BOTHER DISH: Sweet & sour tuna with berry puree
PRICE: $30
HOURS: Dinner, Tuesday - Sat., 5 PM-11:30 PM, Sunday, 11 AM-4 PM. Open every night for cocktails and bottle service until 4 AM.
doesn't get started until after dinner.
The Lower East Side's latest lounge hopes to be a one-stop shop for all things nightlife: food, drinks, DJ, & dancing under one roof. Rewind's refreshingly un-velvet rope attitude beckons a clubby crowd into a dimly lit urban angst-free zone. This minimalist chic supper club - a narrow, brick-lined space pours out into a back of the house DJ-centric lounge - that takes nothing too seriously, a welcome relief, except when it comes to food.
Drawing on his own multi-ethnic background,
co-owner Joe Torres rushes into a haphazard marriage of Italian &
Asian cuisine, often delivering a sensory overload of flavors,
seasonings and ingredients. Thankfully, the evening began with simpler
and slightly more successful kitchen achievements. The tender grilled
calamari arrived pleasantly doused in a simultaneously sweet &
spicy pineapple chili sauce. I admired a tasty grilled shrimp cake on
its own merit, but perched on a bacon-heavy potato rosti, it became all
but eclipsed by the overpowering smoky bacon chunks.
I moved out of the safety of the appetizers to
a more treacherous warring flavor zone amidst a team of entrees. I had
such high hopes for the cuttlefish carbonara, an ingenuiously
carb-conscious substitute for pasta, if only it hadn't been for a
poorly matched cream-burdened carbonara sauce with an oddly scrambled
egg crown (might I be so bold as to suggest a garlicky tomato sauce
makeover). And there were just too many flavors duking it out in the
sweet & sour tuna with berry puree, pickled onions, and sesame egg
noodles. But the squash ravioli shined - savory and supple pockets of
squash and asiago were sharply drizzled in a thick balsamic vinegar,
then topped off with crispy sage trimmings.
The music began pumping just in time for
dessert - I was partial to a silky pot of luscious and subtly earthy
green tea creme brulee. Ask for a side of the luscious macadamia nut
gelato, order a bottle, and ease into the lounge scene.
Until we eat again,
Restaurant Girl
May 19, 2006
Mr. Chow Tribeca
121 Hudson Street (at North Moore)
(212)965-9500
There's no place like Tribeca for Mr. Chow, the culinary wizard who has managed to open gourmet doors around the world to Chinese food, once not even considered haute cuisine by the dining elite. Having always attracted a fabulous downtown artsy crowd to his 57th street flagship for nearly three decades (from Andy Warhol to Puff Daddy), it would have seemed like a no-brainer to set up shop in Tribeca ages ago. Finally, Michael Chow has purchased a second home, or should I say 12,000 square foot mansion, only footsteps away from his Japanese counterpart, Nobu.
In his usual uber-glamorous style, Mr. Chow (a restaurateur-cum-artist-cum-designer) sets the stage for the greatest food show on earth in this new lavish setting with a sleek black bar (by reservation only), a 130-seat modern white lacquer dining room with a sparkly floating-panel ceiling and a 40-seat outdoor terrace to boot. You'll feel like you're on a movie set as silver champagne & dessert trolleys roll seamlessly around the stylish main room while waiters perform larger-than-life tableside theatrics in the background. But the main event is stargazing with throngs of celebrities and sometimes even a guest appearance by the legendary host himself, Mr. Chow, in his signature black-rimmed glasses, Hermes suit & all. There's no question that Mr. Chow will thrive in Tribeca admist a downtown crowd, hungry for high-end drama and pricey Asian cuisine. But the real question is whether he's bringing anything new to the table other than a sexy and bustling change of scenery?
I guess the answer is to quote Mr. Chow himself: "For change, you have to have no change." The classics remain on the Tribeca menu with 30 new Shanghai-inspired dishes, including a rather surprising venison appearance. However, Mr. Chow mostly rests on his laurels with satisfying but predictable dishes, like the chicken satay, a tangy chicken lathered in a creamy peanut sauce so addictive I considered pouring it into my purse. It's these pricey guilty pleasures like the chicken satay, crispy beef with a sweet and spicy batter glaze, and a defiantly greaseless flash-fried gambei (think seaweed) salad with a gentle crunch that turn A-listers into regulars.
Sadly, not all of the classics felt as comfortable downtown as I did. I would've sent back a lifeless and rubber(ry)-skinned Beijing duck with stringy meat, but I didn't want to make a scene in front of Jessica Simpson, who happened to be dining next to me with her entourage in tow. Likewise, a bland mound of diced squab with minced vegetables, shoveled into a quickly browning lettuce wrap, could only be salvaged by a thick plum sauce disguise.
For dessert, a refreshing and zesty melange of sorbets, some kitschily served in the shell, brought me to my happy place (my favorite was the lemon). I wonder: now that there's a downtown Mr. Chow, will the young and hip ever travel beyond 25th Street again? It's certainly food for thought...
**Feel free to email me to fulfill your every foodie fix or even ask me to go and review a restaurant for you! I volunteer my tastebuds, so you won't have to waste time on a mediocre meal ever again!
Until we eat again,
Restaurant Girl
March 24, 2006
When word spread about Buddakan, a practical legend in his hometown of Philadelphia, I threw on my hot off the Barneys' sales rack miniskirt and scurried down to his Meatpacking pied-a-terre. In my wildest dreams, I never imagined he actually owned the entire block. Rumor has it this mega-restaurateur, Stephen Starr, had magically transformed a 16,000 square foot lumber company into a dazzling two-floor dining mecca where the Asian fusion sizzles and all of Buddakan's a stage. A theatrical maze of candlelit corridors and room for every mood, his sleek palace was a feast for the eyes and mouth.
I don't know if it was the spectacular forty-step staircase, wooden chandeliers, or massive communal table fit for royalty and of course, a princess like me, but I was ready to move in with him. Hell, I would've happily settled for being his mistress, condemned to a life of dining on silky edamame dumplings in the secluded Library, furtively shuffled in and out through the secret 16th Street entrance. A restaurant girl can dream, can't she?
As I followed my hostess through the Lounge, I was able to size up my competition. It seems they had packed up the meat to make way for the models. I'd show this eligible bachelor, which girl deserved a rose tonight. I could eat half of these girls under the table and then easily come back for seconds. Clearly, they had no idea who they were messing with as they batted their eyelashes, sipping flirtatiously on Tranquility , a seductive elixir of vodka and lemongrass-infused oolong tea.
If I was in the mood to be social, I could take a seat in his Grand Hall at the city's largest communal table. There, I would rub elbows with the ultra-chic and maybe even made a friend, that is, if I was willing to share the divinely crispy Taro Puff Lollipops, Cantonese spring rolls, or exotic frog legs.
(left -- Cantonese Spring Rolls)
(right -- Deviled Egg Tuna Tartare)
But no, I wanted him all to myself. So I slipped into the romantic Red Vase Room where I got cozy on a bed of calamari pillow salad. Things got hot quick so he put my sake on ice to evoke its rich character. I loved it when he talked that way. I tried to play it cool, but I couldn't hide my true feelings when he fed me a dreamy charred fillet of beef with mustard sauce.
(left -- charred filet of beef)
(right -- wild mushroom chow fun)
When he asked me to stay for dessert, I knew this was it. I had died and gone to Buddakan. We celebrated over a heavenly lime tart accompanied by lemon custard ice cream and yuzu souffle.
(left -- lime tart with lemon custard ice cream and yuzu souffle)
(right -- mille feuille with caramelized bananas)
Whether we spent the night together, a restaurant girl never tells. And just like Las Vegas, whatever happens at Buddakan stays in Buddakan.
RESTAURANT GIRL RANKS BUDDAKAN --
NEW GUY ON THE BLOCK -- STEPHEN STARR
THE TYPE -- ASIAN FUSION
DON'T MISS -- A TIE BETWEEN TARO PUFF LOLLIPOPS & FILLET OF BEEF
DON'T BOTHER -- DEVILED EGG TUNA TARTARE
RESERVATION -- A MONTH IN ADVANCE
1-10 -- 6
$ -- A PRETTY PENNY
FINAL WORD -- WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Until we eat again,
Restaurant Girl
