Restaurants in NYC - Restaurant Reviews & Ratings

Gwynnett St. – Reviewed

Posted on Apr 25, 2013 in Reviews

I’d return to Gwynnett St. for the whiskey bread alone. It may sound silly, but it’s that good. Served warm, this crusty, homemade loaf is as sweet as cornbread, soft on the inside, and dosed with plenty of whiskey. It’s also the simplest thing on the menu… by far. The food at this newish Williamsburg spot is entirely complicated, and yet utterly satisfying, a rare feat as far as restaurants go.

Restaurant Spotting – The Wallace

The Wallace

Brooklyn

Posted on Apr 8, 2013 in Hottest Newcomers

Ringed by a barbershop, a Subway franchise and a bodega, Brooklyn’s The Wallace seems an unlikely spot for Seared Sea Scallops with Hazelnut Cauliflower Puree, or Duck Breast with Fingerling Potatoes, Shaved Brussels Sprouts and Duck Demi Glace. And even though the restaurant is in coveted proximity to the Barclay’s Center, the massive new sports and entertainment complex on Atlantic Avenue, it’s not a place you’re likely to just stumble upon. But it’s one you might want to make a concentrated effort to seek out.

Carbone – Reviewed

Carbone

Greenwich Village

Posted on Apr 1, 2013 in Reviews

There’s just something about a “red sauce” joint that feeds the soul more than any kind of restaurant imaginable. I love going out to dinner and trying new restaurants (after all, I am a restaurant girl), but that often involves concepts that are a modern twist on a classic, like Modern Mexican, a fusion of two (or more) cuisines, or a purely Greenmarket play of seasonal, local eats. Rarely do you come across a buzzy, new restaurant that peddles in Veal Parmesan, Linguine with Clams, and Lobster Fra Diavolo. It sounds almost like a contradiction in terms, but Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi have made an art of Red Sauce Italian, and by doing so, have made Italian-American cooking hot.

Le Philosophe – Reviewed

Le Philosophe

NoHo

Posted on Mar 14, 2013 in First Bite, Reviews

Le Philosophe doesn’t look much like a French bistro. Aside from the French food lingo printed on the walls, like “Plat Du Jour” and “Bouillabaisse,” there’s nothing particularly French about this spot, located on a chic stretch of Bond Street in NoHo. Instead of tin ceilings, tiles and red banquettes, there’s black ceilings, a sea of twinkling little votives to light up the dimly lit space, and an open kitchen with a teeny bar in the rear. (It ain’t no Balthazar.) The crowd is interesting and eclectic.

The NoMad’s Killer Fruits De Mer

Posted on Mar 6, 2013 in Dish Spotting, Reviews

Some restaurants just ride the buzz of their openings, becoming the hot restaurant by nature of being brand new. The mediocre and less than mediocre spots quickly peter out and fall off people’s radars while others settle into their groove. But few stay as hot as when they first opened. The NoMad is one of those delicious exceptions that’s managed to be as relevant and hard to get into now as it was when it opened just less than a year ago.

The Marrow – Reviewed

The Marrow

West Village

Posted on Feb 11, 2013 in First Bite, Reviews, What I'm Loving

There is marrow on the menu at Harold Dieterle’s new West Village eatery, of course. It comes roasted and topped with sea urchin, teeny nibbles of fried potatoes, a few wisps of baby celery greens, and a drizzle of meyer lemon aioli. Looking for a light bite? Consider eating elsewhere. But if you’re looking for some heart-warming (or stopping) cooking to cozy up to this winter, The Marrow has quite a few terrific options.

Louro – Reviewed

Posted on Jan 22, 2013 in Reviews, What I'm Loving

More people should be talking about Louro in the West Village. It opened in a space that was once home to Lowcountry, and before that Bar Blanc, which opened was ultimately a bust, too. (Ironically, Bar Blanc’s chef, Cesar Ramirez, went on to open one of the hardest reservations in town better known as Brooklyn Fare.) But the past is the past and the space now looks less flashy.

El Toro Blanco – Reviewed

Posted on Jan 10, 2013 in First Bite, Reviews, What I'm Loving

I know it’s cliche to say, but good Mexican really is hard to find in New York. I’m not saying there aren’t good dishes...

Restaurant Spotting – Mayfield

Posted on Dec 11, 2012 in First Bite, Reviews

Brooklyn has been beckoning Manhattan-based food journalists and foodies across the river for awhile now. But there are still plenty of under-explored neighborhoods in the borough. Case in point: Crown Heights, which is perhaps one of the most rapidly changing sections of Brooklyn right now. The latest addition to the neighborhood is a New American restaurant called Mayfield.

What I’m Loving – Yopparai

Posted on Dec 6, 2012 in First Bite, Reviews

It’s not easy to surprise me with a great, new restaurant that’s not really new at all. It makes me feel like I’ve...

First Bite: L’Apicio

Posted on Nov 27, 2012 in First Bite, Reviews

It ain’t easy to open a restaurant in this city, nevermind a successful one. First, there’s the task of finding a space with...

What I’m Loving – Ootoya

Posted on Nov 20, 2012 in Reviews

I had nearly given up on eating at the new Japanese izakaya Ootoya in Gramercy. Every time I tried to stop in for dinner I’d...

What I’m Loving – Center Bar

Posted on Nov 8, 2012 in First Bite, Reviews

I never thought of the Time Warner Center as particularly warm and cozy. Some people liken it to a cold, glossy mall in the middle of the...

Salumeria Rosi Parmacotto

Posted on Oct 18, 2012 in First Bite, Reviews

What’s with the sudden restaurant migration to the Upper East Side? First, the guys from The Lion made the trek uptown to open The Crown last year, then came Il Mulino’s recent fall, “red sauce” debut and now Salumeria Rosi Parmacotto. Except Salumeria Rosi didn’t exactly move uptown. Instead, partner and chef Cesare Casella made his way across Central Park from the West Side to open a second Salumeria Rosi outpost, a partnership with Parmacotto meat purveyors.