VIVA LA VIDA! New York

Hide chan Ramen

2010-08-02T01:19:00.003-04:00

Another ramen shop has opened in midtown east, called "Hide-chan Ramen".
Hide-chan Ramen came from Fukuoka, Japan. Obviously, Hide-chan Ramen is very famous in Fukuoka.

Hide-chan Ramen uses Tonkotsu base for soup, and I ordered "Black Ramen".

It looks like black squid sauce on top of this ramen, but it is not black squid. It is black spicy oil with roasted garlic oil. But it is not as garlicky as I expected. Somewhat soup was a bit sour, but it tastes good. Noodle was very thin, and I hoped it would be thicker noodle. But overall this ramen is worth trying.

My friend ordered "Tsuke Men" ramen, which comes with noodle and soup separately. You are supposed to dip noodle into soup. This soup was extremely spicy, but tasty.

They open lunch and dinner, and dinner closes 2am. I definitely want try dinner time, as they have gyoza dampling.

Hide Chan Ramen
248 E 52nd St
New York, NY 10022
(212) 813-1800

Abe & Arthur's

2010-03-27T21:00:00.008-04:00

Well, I wasn't expecting a great meal at Abe&Arthur. Former famous celebrity hangout spot "Lotus" location now became sophisticated restaurant & lounge in Meat packing district.

Decor is elegant and chic, and it is so much different from Lotus.

Food was surprisingly great. Hamachi Sashimi Tartar had a great balance with sweetness and creaminess from avocado and a hint of spicy from jalapeno. Yuzu vinegrate gave a nice acidity to the dish.
Chicken Liver Terrine was also awesome. Very flavorful liver terrine. I could eat this everyday. Seriously. This is dangerous menu before main dish...

Dry Aged NY Strip Steak was also good. You can choose special toppings from roquefort cheese to foie gras... We ordered Peekytoe Crabmeat and Asparagus.
I thought that was unique combination with crabmeat and steak, but actually it turned out to be delish!!!

If I had visitors from Japan now, I would bring them here.... Sophisticated atmosphere with great meal..... maybe celebrity watching too.

Abe & Arthur's
409 West 14th Street
(646) 289-3930

Maialino

2010-03-15T18:40:00.005-04:00

Maialino. A new Italian restaurant owned by Danny Mayer in Gramercy Hotel.
Totally renovated from Wakiya, dark and sexy Chinese restaurant.

I went there for lunch time around 1pm during a week day, and I didn't even have a reservation.
It was easy to get in.

But food was very good. Sauce of Rigatoni all’Amatriciana was a bit too salty, but tasty.
It has Guanciale inside of the sauce... I think that makes sauce a bit salty... but you don't want to waste it.. I had to eat 2 extra breads to finish up that sauce.. yummy.

Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10010
(212) 777-2410

Marea

2010-01-18T03:08:00.003-05:00

Marea is Italian seafood restaurant located just below Central park.
This is my second time, and came here for lunch.
You can choose primo (first course) and secondo (main dish) for $34.

This is grilled octopus with cous cous. Octopus was very tender and tasty.

I tried this last time, and I really enjoyed it.
Nova scotia lobster, burrata, eggplant al funghetto, basil.
Handmade burrata is perfectly matched with lobster and tomato. You don't really see eggplant much, but this cured eggplant gives a slight acidity taste to this dish.

Everyone ordered this fresh cut semolina pasta, crab, santa barbara sea urchin, basil.
There were tons of sea urchin last time I had.. but I did not see or taste so much of sea urchin this time.. hmmm. is that because of lunch time?? did they run out of sea urchin?

We actually told our waiter that we were expecting more sea urchin flavor, and they took our dishes back to the kitchen, and brought new ones.
This time, we could taste a little better than last time, but not as much as last time.

I really want to try this past again at dinner time, and see if there are any difference between lunch time and dinner time.

Of course it was still delicious, but we got more tomato flavors than sea urchin.

Overall, I like this place, so I will definitely come back and try some other food!!

Marea
240 Central Park South
New York, NY 10019-1457
(212) 582-5100

Window Farm

2009-11-20T10:06:00.002-05:00

This is how people enjoy growing own veggies in Manhattan... called window farm. Cool. They grow sweet basil, endive, snap peas...

Hahm Ji Bach

2009-11-18T16:27:00.006-05:00

I don't know what to say about this.....

This Flushing Korean BBQ joint looks a very ordinary place from outside.
Most customers are Korean, so it has to be good.

One of our friends suggested to eat "Sam Gyup Sal", pork belly BBQ.
This thick, beautiful pork belly is something I could eat every day... seriously.

Pork belly with grilled Kimchee and garlic, wrapped with sesame leaf. Great way to enjoy this.

Also, try "Kanjan Kejan" and "Kejan". Kejan is spicy cured crab. Kanjan kejan is marinated crab with soy sauce. Both of them are so tasty, and great match with Soju.

I am in heaven. We say "Korean Orgasm".

You can't miss this if you live in NY.

Hahm Ji Bach
4108 149th Pl, Flushing
(718) 460-9289

Ramen Sensation!?

2009-04-23T12:01:00.006-04:00

Ramen sensation is everywhere now.
Here is another ramen joint opened in near Park Slope, Brooklyn.

ZUZU RAMEN.

This is very unique ramen place, they don't offer authentic ramen, more like fusion.
But my favorite one was ZUZU Ramen with smoke dashi broth.

Pork has a lot of smoky flavor, so I think Bonito dashi and Pork smokiness give this broth unique.

Very unique, but irresistible..

I also liked their dumpling, especially the sauce with Shiso seeds.

Try this unique ramen place. Noodle man is Japanese, but owners are Canadian and Australian... unique enough?

Zuzu Ramen
173 Fourth Ave. at DeGraw St
Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-398-9898

En Brasserie

2009-04-15T13:59:00.003-04:00

A giant Japanese restaurant in West Village (is it West Village?)

There are several En restaurants in Tokyo, Japan. And they came to NY a few years ago.
Since open, there have been serving descent Japanese foods, and it became a neighborhood gem.

A popular dish here is Tofu and Yuba.

What is Yuba?
During the boiling of soy milk, a film or skin composed primarily of a soy protein lipid complex forms on the liquid surface. The films are collected and dried into yellowish sheets known as tofu skin or soy milk skin. That is Yuba.

Anyway, En Brasserie also serves fresh Sashimi.
I tried Horse Mackerel and Needle Fish this time.

After Sashimi, they even fry their fish bone, and serve you as Fish Bone Fry Dish.
Yummy!

Please try Japanese "shochu" with their food. Shochu is Japanese vodka? made with Potato, Rice, Sesame, Barley, and others.

En Brasserie

435 Hudson St

(212) 757-8070‎

Organic Ramen, SOUEN

2009-04-13T02:34:00.002-04:00

SOUEN has been offering natural organic food in Soho and Union Square location since 1971, and they just added a new location specializes for RAMEN.

Mucho Vege Ramen (Miso Base)

Stamina Ramen (Shoyu Base)

Stamina Ramen contains lots of garlic and ginger, and it was quite tasty even though they don't have animal protein at all.

Mucho Vegetable Ramen is Miso base, and it was a little bit too sweet for me. I believe Miso itself is sweet.
But vegetables on top were all fresh and yummy.

I might want to go back and try their organic Gyoza Dumpling made with Seitan (which is soy protein). They say that is the most popular dish.

Souen Organic Ramen
326 East 6th Street
(212)388-1155

Shojin Cuisine at Kajitsu

2009-04-11T13:25:00.003-04:00

Shojin Cuisine, an ancient Japanese culinary practice developed in Zen Buddhist monasteries.

Shojin Cuisine does not use meat or fish. Meals are prepared from fresh, in season vegetables, legumes, wild herbs, seeds and grains, chosen at the moment in the season that best reflects their flavor.

You can also enjoy Real green tea served by a chef, Nishihara who learned tea ceremony in Kyoto, Japan.

Kajitsu, NYC
414 E 9th St
New York, NY
10009, USA
+1 212-228-4873

2009-04-10T17:35:00.002-04:00

Kamo-Nanban Soba at MATSUGEN, NY.
If you go to Matsugen, I just recommend to eat Soba. Nothing else, really.

Kamo is duck. Then, what is Nanban?
Since Nanba, Osaka has been famously known to produce scallion (Negi), Japanese started to call Negi as Nanba.
Nanba turned into Nanban over time.

Matsugen
241 Church St
New York, NY 10013
212-925-0202

Matsugen New York

2008-07-09T23:43:00.003-04:00

Matsugen opened at old 66 spot in Tribeca.
Jean George had a partnership with Matsugen, so this restaurant does not look like authentic Japanese restaurant... but Jean George didn't even involve menu creation.
But I am surprised he was actually ther yesterday..

Interior was a little intimidating. Tall ceiling, huge and tall dining table, and almost too perfect decoration.

Matsugen Japan serves mainly soba noodle, but you can enjoy sushi, soba, and a little bit of every Japanese food here.

I only tried Soba noodle yesterday, but soba itself was really good.
My dish was Kamoseiro (you dip soba in duck soup)... Soup was a little bit too oily, but it was good enough to be worth coming back only for this.

I had a chance to look around a kitchen inside, and they have their own soba flour machine, as well as handmade soba creation performance in front of window facing to the street.

I will definitely come back here to eat more variety menus.
But I would rather sit on the regular table so that I can relax and eat next time.

Matsugen
241 Church St.
at Leonard St.
(212)925-0202

ZAGAT　America's Top Japanese Restaurants　Launch

2008-06-06T02:05:00.004-04:00

Zagat launched latest book called "America's Top Japanese Restaurants".
This shows top Japanese restaurants from major cities in US.
Also, Japanese unique ingredients are introduced in first section, so that American people can get more familiar with Japanese ingredients to use.

Unfortunately, this book is not for sale. 100,000 were produced, and distributed to major Japanese restaurants in US.
Guide book will be handed to customers who love to eat Japanese food.

Benoit

2008-05-29T15:48:00.007-04:00

Celebrity chef, Alain Ducasse opened 2 new restaurants on the same streets.
One is Adour at St. Regis Hotel. The other one is Benoit. French Bistro from Paris.
Benoit in Paris opened in 1912, and received 1 star from Michelin for the first time as a bistro.
in 2005, Alain Ducasse acquired Benoit from owner.

First, Alain opened Benoit Tokyo in Japan in 2005, then Benoit came to NY this year.

Benoit Tokyo has a great interior design, and it looks more like high end place... but Benoit NY is more like classic french bistro.... similar atmosphere as Balthazar, Pastis...

Menu is pretty simple bistro menu.

French Onion Soup

I always like when Onion soup comes to the table... smells great with cheese flavor.
This is very simple dish, but I can taste a lot of Sherry. Need a little salt, but I liked a taste over all.

Duck Foie Gras Confit with Parisienne Brioche

As you can see, there were so much fat, and taste was a little too greasy.
I am not sure they did this on purpose, but I think this is a way too over powering to your mouth for appertizer.

I actually did not order any main dish, so I ordered 2 above apps.
I did not feel for any of main dish unfortunately..

By having only 2 dishes above, I rather go to Balthazar, Pastis...
But I definitely would like to come back and try some main dish before I say anything further..

Benoit NY
66 West 55th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues
New York, New York
646-943-7373

15 East

2008-05-18T00:47:00.004-04:00

15 East is one of my favorite Sushi restaurants in NY.

There are only about 9 seats at sushi counter, so you must make reservation in advance.

Interior is very simple yet modern.

I always order "omakase" which is chef tasting menu.
Sushi chef is Makoto Shimizu from Japan. He used to work at Jewel Bako.
His sushi creation is very beautiful, and most of fish are imported from Japan.

Tuna (Maguro)

Sea urchin (Uni) is always good here...melting in your mouth. Very sweet.
15 East also serves great handmade soba noodle (see above picture). They are delicious.

$150-$200 per person. But I think it is definitely worth paying that much.
I go there every month, as I always crave their sushi.

15 East
15 E 15th St
New York, NY 10003
Phone: (212) 647-0015

Greenwich Grill OPEN!

2008-04-04T11:51:00.007-04:00

"Greenwich Grill" is opened in Tribeca today!!!

I had a chance to try their food last night with owner from Japan, and I can give you my sneak preview report.

It is located on Greenwich Street, between Vestry and Laight Streets.
Greenwich Grill has been carefully renovated to retain Romanesque Revival construction of the original 125 years old building which was bought by the company.

There is a bar counter on the right side, and seats on the left side.
It looks very casual, but you will find a very elegant dining after you walk through the narrow corridor.
A elegant dining space has great high ceiling with skylight.

1st floor offers "Pacific Grill" food.
Pacific Grill is a combination of Californian, Italian & traditional French cuisine.

You will see the menu at their website, and all of the menu sounds mouthwatering.

I tried Baked Tripe Stew. Only $10. Yes, it is a small portion, but you will enjoy full-body flavored tripe, chick peas, and tomato sauce. (see picture below)

Surprisingly (great surprise for me!!), there is a basement which offers completely different cuisine - authentic upscale sushi restaurant, called "Azabu".

You won't see any signs of the Sushi restaurant, so it is almost like hidden restaurant you don't anybody to know...

Sushi chef was brought from Japan, and he is only 29 years old.... his Sushi was amazing.
Great rice, great fish selection, and great atmosphere.

Also,,,, great price. What I mean "great" is "great bargain for NY sushi restaurant".

If you go Sushi Den, Sushi Yasuda, or 15 East, you pay $150-$200 per person easily including liquor. But here.... you pay $100 at most. That is much better price than all other high-end Sushi place in NY.

I definitely come back soon, and try many other dishes.
Greenwich Grill also offers lunch on Mon-Fri, and brunch on Sun.

Opentable reservation is already available, so that is a good news also.

Greenwich Grill
428 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10013
(212) 274-0427

Wakiya

2008-03-23T22:29:00.008-04:00

I went to Wakiya the other night. Wakiya is located in Gramercy Park Hotel, newly renovated by Ian Schrager.

It was 9 o'clock. I did not have any reservation, so they told me to wait at the bar

Bar was full of people. Nice looking people there.

Interior was very modern, elegant, and gorgeous.

After 15 minutes, we got the table.
Sofa table was very comfortable, and we were so happy we could get seats very quickly than expected.

Bang Bang Chicken

It was very good. I eat this dish in Japan all the time, but I could not find good Bang Bang Chicken in NY. But this one is really good. great sauce.

Lobster & Pork Juice Dumpling

These Lobster&Pork Soup Dumpling was phenomenal. Very juicy. Lots of lobster meat. Very yummy!
I can eat all of these 4 by myself.

We also tried Shark Fin Soup. It was also good too. SO much shark fin in the soup.

I have been reading bad reviews about this restaurant, like;

"Although food is not that good, price is outrageous"
"Service is awful"

Well.... price is high. But this is not like China Town. This is high-end modern Chinese restaurant. So it should be higher than China Town price.

I did not even think service was bad at all. As a matter of fact, there was a great waiter to take our orders.

I will definitely come back there. Next time, I would like to try much more food.

They also serve "Dim Sum" on weekend. That is also appealing to me.

Wakiya

2 Lexington Ave
New York, NY 10010
212-475-4320

Takashimaya

2008-03-15T22:07:00.004-04:00

I went to Takashimaya last Thursday.
Takashimaya is Japanese high-end department store located on 5th avenue/54th street.
I have not been there for 1 year, so I decided to check it out.
After cruising around inside, I went to downstairs to eat.
Yes, there is a restaurant offering great tea selection as well as some food.

I had this $18 afternoon tea set (I forgot what to call).
You can try several kinds of desserts, and there are also unique sandwich.

I have to say sandwich was not that good. rice was squished too tight. I needed some soy sauce.. but I didn't ask.
But all sweets are very good.

I also tried Japanese Sencha green tea.
This place is very quiet, and the great place to enjoy tea while you shop around this area.

Takashimaya
693 5th Ave
New York, NY 10022
212-350-0100

Kyoya

2008-03-02T16:06:00.004-05:00

Kyoya is one of my favorite restaurants in NY.

They offer very authentic Japanese food. I feel like being Japan almost.

I always ask if we can sit in front of chef Sono. Chef Counter.

He is very friendly person, and I always enjoy having conversation with him about his food.

If you go, make sure to check out their special menu.

This time, they have a great sea urchin, octopus, and a mackerel sashimi.

According to Sono, 80% of ingredients are from Japan, and 20% are from local.

Except sea urchin, they were from Japan. Sea urchin was from Prince Edward Island.

Sea urchin tastes very sweet and mild.. Texture of octopus was very crunchy, and it tasted very good with sea salt.

Presentation is gorgeous, and almost you do not want to mess with it.

I also tried "Karasumi". Karasumi is Bora fish's egg......

Ok... I didn't know what to call Bora in English, so I just checked.

......................??????

Mullet....?? Yes, it was MULLET.

Why? does Bora have long hair in a back? LOL

Anyway, Mullet's egg tastes yummy!

I also had Chawan Mushi (Egg Custard), Miso Marinated Beef Tongue, and Rice with Crab.

Those were very very good.

My favorite was Chawan Mushi. It has a lot of ingredients inside of custard, and enjoyed so much.

If you go, you should also try some desserts.

They have Houji Tea Ice Cream. Of course handmade by chef.

Houji Tea is roasted green tea, so it gives roasted aroma and flavor.. very good.

Kyoya is located in East Village, and you almost feel you find your own hidden place.

Kyoya

94 East 7th St.

Bet 1st & A

212-982-4140

Harry's Steak House

2008-02-26T18:47:00.000-05:00

There are several steak houses in financial district.

I went to Harry's Steak last night. Why? Because that was the closest place from my home :)
Interior is very classic. very classic.

Anyway, this is what we ate.

King Crab Legs

Beefsteak Tomato 3 ways

NY Strip Steak

Sautéed Wild Mushrooms

Creamed Spinach

Sorbet Selection

Berries and Cream

Well, I should suggest "just try main dish".

I can tell crab legs were frozen for a long time. Probably steamed with salt long time ago...so it was very salty, and of course did not taste fresh.

Tomato 3 ways dish were so boring.

Since appetizers were not appealing to me, I was not expecting main dish to be good.
But surprisingly (good surprise), main dish were really good.
I tried strip steak, but Reflection (my boy friend) tried rib eye steak, and I liked rib eye better.
very tender. good amount of fat. very juicy.
Steak sauce (probably house made) came with it. But that had too much vinegar, and I did not really like that sauce.
Also, side dish were both good.

I would like to come back again, but just for steak.

Harry's Steak
(212) 785-9200

VIVA LA VIDA! New York

Hide chan Ramen

Abe & Arthur's

Maialino

Marea

Window Farm

Hahm Ji Bach

Ramen Sensation!?

En Brasserie

Organic Ramen, SOUEN

Shojin Cuisine at Kajitsu

Matsugen New York

ZAGAT America's Top Japanese Restaurants Launch

Benoit

15 East

Greenwich Grill OPEN!

Wakiya

Takashimaya

Kyoya

Harry's Steak House

ZAGAT　America's Top Japanese Restaurants　Launch