Always Hungry: Strip House
March 10, 2010
Roasted Bacon with Boston Lettuce & Russian Dressing, Sliced Rib Eye Steak, Black Truffle Creamed Spinach, and the Strip House Chocolate Cake.
In today’s review, Sam Sifton gets seduced by Strip House’s “generally marvelous” food and “often superb steak,” awarding the restaurant two stars. Well-deserved. In fact, we recently named it New York’s best steakhouse in Always Hungry’s Restaurant List: A Strategic Guide to New York Eating:
“The best steakhouse in New York. Not only is the steak great, but the appetizers, sides and desserts are next level as well. It is so rare to find a Steakhouse that performs from beginning to end. Order as follows. To start: a dozen Oysters, followed by a Tomato & Onion Salad, a Shrimp Cocktail, and an order of thick-cut Bacon. Consume all in combination. For steak, get the 22 Oz. Bone In Rib Eye. For sides, the Black Truffle Creamed Spinach and Crisp Goose Fat Potatoes. For dessert, the world famous multi-layered Strip House Chocolate Cake.”
Best of 2009: Trends and 2010 Predictions
Jeff Zalaznick — December 23, 2009
It’s that time of year again. Time for reflection and prediction. As we leave the aughts behind, we look back at the trends that changed New York City’s food landscape in 2009 and ponder what’s in store for 2010. We are going to take a positive spin: those that we hope will remain and those we eagerly anticipate.
TRENDS 2009
1. Best Steaks, Not From a Steakhouse New York has always been known for our steakhouses, but this year the best meat was ripped from the house’s hands and put into the control of some of the city’s best restaurants. Much of this loosened grip has to do with the all-star quality and distribution ability of Pat LaFrieda (watch video). Though I love me a Porterhouse at Peter Luger’s, a Rib-eye at Strip House and a Double Eagle Strip at Del Frisco’s, they have been surpassed by the Côte de Boeuf at Minetta Tavern, the Rib-eye for Two at Locanda Verde, the Strip at Marea. The list goes on and on. It was also the year that the bone in rib-eye finally rose up to overtake the porterhouse as King of all Steaks. It was only a matter of time. This is a major advancement across the board.
2. Haute Dogs The hot dog went gourmet and I am not complaining. Crif Dogs has been doing impressive things with the genre for a while now (though their new usage of “everything bagel spice” is very exciting), but restaurants like DBGB, Fatty Crab UWS and Cabrito are jumping into the mix with some seriously delicious contenders. This is one that I think will continue to grow in the next year.
3. Omnipresent Octopus Seriously, think about every restaurant you’ve visited lately and ask yourself if there was octopus on the menu. I guarantee that more often than not, no matter the cuisine or price-range, this cephalopod was probably present. And why not? It’s economical to serve, and recently, the average rendition is fabulous. I am so happy that chefs have finally learned how to prepare it so well, leaving the chewy childhood memories behind. Also, keep an eye out for sweetbreads, I think that they are starting to fall into the same category.
PREDICTIONS 2010
1. Artisanal Italian beer everywhere.
2. Large-format alternative (not steak or chicken) proteins for two.
3. Lamb belly becomes the new pork belly.
4. Italian Small Plate (aka “Stuzzichini”) Restaurants
5. Brain is the hot new Offal
6. Mexican Infusion: Fusion Cuisine and Sandwich Revolution.
AlwaysInformed: Yuk Hoe
GutterGourmet — December 08, 2009
Yook Hoe Moo Chim from 8st Kitchen.
It’s the classic school lunchroom situation. One kid sees the contents of another’s lunchbox and can’t hide his obvious disgust: “Yuck!” The admonishment of a teacher in earshot? “Don’t yuck his yum.”
Well my yum actually is yuck, or to be precise Yuk Hoe (alternatively spelled Yook Hwe), a Korean raw beef dish that everyone compares to steak tartare though the French had nothing to do with it. It’s traditionally served with thick-cut strands of raw beef, julienned Asian pear, sesame oil, soy sauce, chili paste (gochujang) and topped with a raw egg yolk—we’re talking Seoul food.
Yuk Hoe is easily found in Koreatown. The traditional version at Kang Suh is massive, featuring thick-cut beef. It’s served with crunchy Asian pear, raw egg and lots of chili paste. The recently opened 8St Kitchen also serves a very good version (above), but it comes sans egg, mixed with a peppery Korean shiso salad and a sweet soy sauce in lieu of the chili paste and pear. The Kobe flank steak was so marbled with fat that the cold beef nevertheless instantly melts on the tongue.
Surprisingly, one of the city’s best is the traditional rendition served at Korea Palace on East 54th Street, which caters to a more American midtown lunch crowd. It’s a good place for the uninitiated to familiarize themselves with “safer” Korean staples like bulgogi or kalbi and a nice variety of banchan with the de rigueur kimchee.
Of course the more courageous can order Yuk Hoe. Just don’t be surprised if the person next to you looks over and instinctively says, “Yuk.”
Featured Desserts: Porterhouse Cake & Baked Potato Ice Cream
The Gluttoness — September 30, 2009
Dylan Prime’s Chocolate “Porterhouse” for Two: Red Velvet “N.Y. Strip,” Frozen Mousse “Filet,” and White Chocolate Bone, $24.00.
Porterhouse and a baked potato are a classic steakhouse combination. The steak’s bloody juices mix with the melted butter used to cook it, creating an obvious dipping sauce for the potatoes. Things don’t get more savory than this. But this classic combination of steak and potatoes is now getting even sweeter. Two restaurants have cleverly turned them into decadent desserts made to satisfy even the most demanding sweet tooth.
Dylan Prime’s (view) clever Chocolate Porterhouse is just as big as the real thing. The dessert even mimics the steak’s proportion of N.Y. Strip to filet: a white chocolate “bone” separates Red Velvet Cake and Chocolate Mousse Cake. Both are covered with a dark chocolate shell as if they had been seared on a flaming griddle, and raspberry purée replicates the natural juices that seep from a freshly cooked steak. A cross-section reveals how the red velvet cake emulates a rare steak, while the chocolate mousse appears more well-done. This cake can’t compete with what you’ll find in the best bakery, but whipped cream and raspberry sauce make everything better, and you won’t have to worry about taking your Lipitor.
HungryChefs: Chefs Love Lupa, Mixed on Hot Dogs
The Gluttoness — June 11, 2009
Roasted Pork Shoulder “Gyro” with Pickled Cucumber & Yogurt from Anthos at Street & Savory
Some of the country’s best chefs attended Citymeals-on-Wheels’ Street & Savory Tasting Event. We’ve already brought you pictures of all the dishes and rounded up our favorite plates, but we were also able to speak with the chefs.
Our questions were obvious: What are you AlwaysHungry for? Which New York City restaurant do you crave? And in keeping with the night’s theme: what would you serve if you opened your own street cart? Some chefs took the easy route, promoting dishes they had prepared for the evening, others were quite creative with their responses.
HungryHamptons: Bagatelle Out, T-Bar In at Savanna’s
June 08, 2009
Before Memorial Day Weekend began, we reported that the Bagatelle crew was going to be taking over at Savanna’s in Southampton. We were NOT wrong. On that Memorial Friday, the Bagatellians were in the restaurant, but unfortunately, they did not even last the whole weekend. After an immediate disagreement with ownership, the deal was over before it started.
Finally, we have more information. Instead of Rosé & EuroTrash, Savanna’s plans on bringing you delicious Steaks & Upper East Side Cougars. This past weekend, Tony Fortuna and the crew from T-Bar Steak & Lounge took the reigns. They spent this weekend working on service, and we can expect menu changes to be made over the next few weeks. More details to come…
Click here to see the dishes that we recommend at T-Bar’s Manhattan restaurant—hopefully most of them will make it out East.
AlwaysInformed: Harry’s Italian Pizza Bar
The Gluttoness — June 05, 2009
Eggplant Parmigiana Hero at Tuesday’s Dine Around Downtown
Gold St. may have seemed like a good idea in theory, but the 24-hour diner/bar/sushi concept wasn’t exactly embraced by locals in the financial district. As previously reported, the father-son team of Harry and Peter Poulakakos, is refurbishing the 2 Gold St. space and reverting to their successful “Harry’s” brand, this time with an Italian spin: Harry’s Italian Pizza Bar. If the term “pizza bar” sounds familiar, that’s because they’re also responsible for the perennially packed, Adrienne’s Pizza Bar.
We’ve gotten the early word on some of Harry’s new signature dishes. The menu will elaborate on Adrienne’s and include its renowned Old-Fashioned Pizzas. Aside from pizza, the big draws will be: family-style pasta portions (fitting considering this family-owned venture is under Peter’s management), a Meatball Hero, Steak Pizzaiolo, Stuffed Artichokes and Baked Clams. If you can’t wait until the June 15th opening, assuage your cravings for Italian at Adrienne’s in the meantime. Try the eggplant topping on your next old-fashioned pie— the thin slices make for a great Eggplant Parmigiana Pizza.
AlwaysQuestioning: Sazón’s Genaro Morales
The Gluttoness — June 04, 2009
We recently sat down with Genaro Morales in TriBeCa at Sazón, the second location of his Midtown, Puerto Rican restaurant, Sofrito, to find out how he plans on spicing up the neighborhood.
Click here for the full interview with Genaro Morales >>
AlwaysTraveling: Cal Pep (Barcelona, Spain)
Jeff Zalaznick — June 03, 2009
Cal Pep is synonymous with the great Tapas and seafood of Barcelona, and has been nestled in a small square just north of the Plaça de Palau since 1977. There is no question that its chef and owner, Josep “Pep” Manubens Figueras (now approaching 60), serves Barcelona’s best tapas. Pep is known for his seafood, specifically, Razor Clams and Frito Misto, (one taste will inform you why) and in a way, his prowess is partially responsible for the abundance of those clams that we currently find being served around New York. Yes, I am giving him credit for Razor Clams. The trick to Cal Pep is go for lunch (if you’re a tourist, it’s near the Picasso Museum, which makes for a nice morning), and show up 15 minutes before they open their doors. It’s important to play close attention to the time, because if you show up ten minutes before they open, you’ll be waiting for more than a full turn to be seated. This has now been proven three times— take it for what it is.
The restaurant itself is tiny—you sit at the 20-stool bar and eat what they give you from the open kitchen. It’s also well known for its frying prowess and some fixtures of the seasonal menu not to be missed include the Fried Artichokes and the plate of fried-egg topped, deep-fried, inch-long fish, called Llengeta. In my mind, what they should be most famous for is their Tortilla Tempana. I can say with great confidence that it is the best that I have ever had in my life. It is served warm, which seems obvious but is so rarely done, and is truly a slice of Spanish heaven. When they are done with their work, they encourage you to request more. I was applauded for my last minute addition of Steak and Butifarra, and received a departing hug from Pep himself.
You can go to Cal Pep for dinner, and you can even make a reservation for large parties in the back, but the place you want to be is at the bar for lunch. To continue the seafood extravaganza into dinner, you should try their more formal restaurant nearby, Passadis del Pep, which serves one of the finest seafood meals I have ever ingested.
This is the Mecca. This is where Mario and Joe went to get inspiration for Casa Mono. This is where the tortilla at Mercat is copied from. This is the place.
Restaurant: Cal Pep
Address: Plaça Olles 8, 08003 Barcelona, Spain (view map)
AlwaysHungry Grade: A+
AlwaysHungry Recommends: Tortilla, Butifarra con Foie a l’Oporto, Almejas con Jamón, Fritto Misto
Razor Clams
Foie Gras Butifarra Sausage with White Beans & Port Reduction
Dine Around Downtown: Steak Sandwich Face-off
The Gluttoness — June 03, 2009
Fifty of downtown’s best restaurants served up their signature dishes at Chase Manhattan Plaza yesterday for the Downtown Alliance’s 11th annual Dine Around Downtown. A live jazz band entertained the sea of hungry diners who sampled the $3 and $6 plates. With all the lobster (rolls, bisques and BLT’s) and meat (burgers, beef ribs and steak sandwiches) it almost seemed like a surf and turf event. But it was the trio of steak sandwiches that demanded our attention and comparison.
Click here to find out who had Dine Around Downtown's best Steak Sandwich >>
First Look: Mesa Coyoacan
Arthur Bovino — June 01, 2009
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Finally, somewhere to take visiting Californians who lord Mexican food over you as New York’s missing culinary experience. Mesa Coyoacan, officially opens today in Williamsburg, steps from the L’s third stop into Brooklyn. And it isn’t shy—372 Graham is the metal and glass building with rectangles that yank your view up from the neighborhood’s weary vinyl siding.
The restaurant is chef and owner, Ivan Garcia’s (right) first solo venture. Full disclosure, I know Ivan through another of Mesa’s owners, Gerardo Zabaleta, with whom I worked in a restaurant several years ago. If you love Mexican food, you’ve likely tasted his—he designed the original menu for Barrio Chino and was chef de cuisine at Mercadito Cantina (of which he is also part owner). His focus is the traditional Mexican cuisine he first learned from his grandmother. The name, Mesa Coycocan, is an homage to Mexico City’s trendy but historically rich neighborhood, where Chef Garcia was born.
AlwaysQuestioning: Terrance Brennan & Bradford Thompson of Bar Artisanal
The Gluttoness — May 26, 2009
Together, Executive Chef, Terrance Brennan (of Artisanal and Picholine) and Consulting Chef, Bradford Thompson (formerly of Lever House) are delighting diners with their ““French”:http://www.alwayshungryny.com/thought-for-food/tag/French/ inspired” interpretation of Mediterranean small plates in an extension of the Artisanal brand, Bar Artisanal. AlwaysHungryNY recently sat down with these two chefs who have turned the failed Trigo space into a grand bistro in TriBeCa. When the kitchen at Bar Artisanal has settled into a routine, Brad hopes to open a restaurant with French and West Indian themes. In the meantime, the two are perfecting dishes, and eating plenty along the way.
AHNY: Are you Always Hungry?
BT: I’d say so, yeah…for adventure.
TB: No, because I nosh all day, especially with the new restaurant.
AHNY: So, what did you eat today?
BT: Two espressos and a cappuccino. We had a photo shoot all day. Oh, and granola.
TB: We had the photo shoot, so I tasted the Pizza, Chutney, Steak Tartare}thought-for-food/tag/Steak-Tartare/, Roquefort Parfait, Chickpea Frites, Oysters and Hangar Steak.
Brennan & Thompson on trends, snack foods and 'must-have' ingredients >>
HungryHamptons: Memorial Weekend Food Gifts
Jeff Zalaznick — May 22, 2009
If you are staying at a friend’s out East this Weekend, it is important not to show up empty-handed. It is even more important that you bring something that has to do with food. Despite these economic times, it is still important to bring something over the top, so here are three recession-friendly alternatives to the bank-breaking lobster salad, wagyu beef and caviar, that you used to bring.
1. Wagyu Beef from Japan Premium Beef
To me, Memorial Day Weekend means one thing: that it is time for me to go back to the place that I feel most comfortable. The place where I can really be myself. That place, is behind the grill. As a guest, there is nothing better than showing up with some prime cuts to help this process along. In my mind there is no better gift. If you used to bring American Wagyu Dry-Aged Boneless Ribeyes from Lobel’s Prime Meats (around $100 for 12 ounces), then this year switch to the 12-oz Washugyu Ribeyes from the newly opened Japan Premium Beef (57 Great Jones Street), which are available for around $70. If you want to be even more creative, choose from their impeccable array of other Washugyu cuts. Sixteen ounces of ground beef costs a reasonable $7.99, and could definitely make for some good burgers.
SEARCH: Fun & Fish with Outdoor Seating
May 22, 2009
Just because you’re stuck in the city this Memorial Day Weekend and not charring some steaks on the grill at a beach barbecue doesn’t mean you can’t create your own surf and turf situation.
Use AlwaysHungryNY’s easy VERY ADVANCED SEARCH to find fun, fish-centric places for a leisurely outdoor meal.
Or turn your staycation into a Steakation and head over to Delmonico’s. They’re offering a $35 dollar (plus tax and gratuities) special, which includes a three-course dinner and a complimentary glass of champagne.
Dish by Dish: L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon
Jeff Zalaznick — May 18, 2009
Les Burgers
Beef & Foie Gras Burgers with Caramelized Bell Peppers
It seemed as if I had missed the work of Chef Joël Robuchon when he closed, Jamin, his small, three Michelin-starred restaurant in Paris. I had never been. The food became something that I dreamed about, his famous mashed potatoes, purée de pommes de terre, haunted me in my sleep. Lucky enough, my prayers were answered, and six years after retiring, Robuchon’s L’Ateliers began popping up. First in Tokyo, then Paris, Las Vegas, and finally at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York City.
They could not have found a better home for L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon. The bar at the Four Seasons has always been a power drinking scene, but it had never really had the food to go with it. A Michelin-rated restaurant where one can order Asian and French influenced cuisine from one of the world’s most renowned French chefs seemed to fit the bill. As the location will reinforce though, this restaurant blurs the distinction between bar and restaurant, just as it does between bar food and fancy french. Over half of the menu is offered as small plates, including a game-changing rendition of sliders topped with seared foie gras (pictured above). This dish could be interpreted as a symbol for the restaurant as a whole.
The remarkable presentations, ingredients and flavors of Chef Joël Robuchon’s cuisine consistently impress, and since they opened in 2006, there is no question that L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon is one of New York’s best restaurants. It is what it’s supposed to be—excellent— and it does what it’s supposed to do: fine dining with out the fancy. It could be that you can sit at one of the twenty bar seats and watch Robuchon-protegé and genius in his own right, Yosuke Suga at work, or it might be that you can order an entire meal as tapas, but either way it is incredibly successful at making you feel comfortable eating foie gras in your jeans. And everyone is served a dish of mashed potatoes alongside the meal.
The world has gained more Ateliers (London and Hong Kong) since, and there is another one planned to open in Philadelphia in 2010. If you have one in your city, and enough money in your wallet, go there now.
Signature Small Plates: Les Burgers (Sliders), L’Anguille (Caramelized Eel Layered with Smoked Foie Gras), Le Calamar (Sautéed Squid with Violet Artichokes & Chorizo in Tomato Water)
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