Oro Bakery and Bar

375 Broome Street between Mott Street and Mulberry Street

New York, NY 10013

212-941-6368

http://orobakerybar.com/index.php

Post-L’asso, Shing suggested we give Oro a go because it would satisfy our needs for sweets and alcohol.  Yes.  And it didn’t hurt that Oro was close by, considering how Arctic-like the weather was that night.

When we showed up, Oro was pretty quiet: there was a dude at the bar and a table of three by the door.  There is some seating in the front next to the entryway of chilling winds, and there is also seating in the back near the bathroom.  The bar dominates though.

There was just one lady working the bar.  There were menus on the bar which we grabbed before seating ourselves in the front nook.  Lucky for us, the heater was going full blast and there weren’t too many patrons coming and going.

I wanted to keep warm, so I picked out the hot mulled wine and for my sweet tooth, the peanut butter and chocolate mousse.  Pretty presentation for the latter!  Notice the gold too.  I remarked that it was like Goldschlager.  I sampled Amy’s pumpkin cheesecake and Shing’s chocolate souffle which were both worth of being devoured.  Usually I’m wary of souffles but his was light and sweet, not too non-sweet.  Great.

The mulled wine, which Frank was very curious about, was a bit of a quandary.  Yes, it was warm and wine-y.  I guess the spices had steeped too long, as the first sips were sharply bitter.  It did not help that I accidentally bit into a clove, yuck.  But as the liquid levels lowered, either I got used to it or the bitterness relaxed.

The bartender was incredibly friendly, and she was keen on telling us background info, like how all the desserts are made on premises in a big secret bakery downstairs.  Apparently they open at 7am as a regular bakery and then morph into a cafe later on, followed by wine bar (not a full bar).

I don’t know if it was undercrowded due to the weather, but if that’s the normal crowd, Oro would be a swell place to relax and catch up with your friends without shouting or getting jostled.  Worked well for us!

L’asso

192 Mott Street at Kenmare Street

New York, NY 10012

212-219-2353

http://lassonyc.com/

AmyC invited me out to dinner as an early birthday treat.  She suggested this joint L’asso which I was unfamiliar with, but she had been several times and felt like it was a good choice.  Props to her for reading the blog to check if I had been there or not!

On a nippy night, I ventured into L’asso and met AmyC at the bar, and Frank, Shing, and Sophie showed up soon after.  We were then seated at our table in the middle of the floor.  The restaurant is cramped meaning both busy and with a lot of squished tables, and I kept getting bumped by people moving along in the aisle.  So that was unpleasant.  But typical.  The menu features pasta and other Italian items though Frank said it was wise to go with the pizzas.  Okay then, sounds fine to me.  I also ordered a dark and stormy which was reeking of rum, very stormy indeed.  I skimmed the pastas but spent most of my efforts on the pizza page.  The five of us decided to share a few pizzas.  My contribution/selection was the puta di mare which was garlicky sautéed shrimp and broccoli rabe on pizza with an artichoke sauce.  We shared a medium of that along with mediums of the margherita and the one with portobellos and truffle oil.  The bleached blonde bobbed waitress brought out complimentary appetizers which resembled tortillas soaked in herbs and olive oil.  That and the olives were quickly gobbled by me in anticipation of the pizza.  I also spent food waiting time playing with AmyC’s brand spanking new Droid phone (pretty kickass).

The margherita emerged first and we all pounced on it.  As you can see, there was a lot of sauce on it.  The crust is very airy and crunchy.  The margharita is a very safe pizza in general, and I found it to be tasty.

Second in the parade of pizzas was my pick, the puta di mare.  Nobody at the table had sampled it before, so it was an unknown entity but after the first few bites, all five of us were happy with my pick.  Whew, because I hate it when I pick bad stuff.  There was a hint of spiciness which I could have done without, but no matter.  Thumbs up.

Last was the portobello.  You can see my punchy Dark and Stormy in the upper left corner.  Since I’m not a huge fan of portobello in general, I would have to place this last, but still, I would eat it, not like I would avoid touching it with a 10 foot pole of anything.  This pizza, like the preceeding, also did not have a tomato sauce; it too was a white pizza.

Thanks to Frank and AmyC (and Shing and Sophie too)  for lassoing me into the L’asso fold and for the lovely dinner!

Gobo

401 Sixth Avenue between Waverly Place and West 8th Street

New York, NY 10014

212-255-3902

http://www.goborestaurant.com/

Gobo is a very beautiful restaurant with the name of an ugly Japanese root vegetable.  There’s an entryway, and then you walk through wooden doors to access the reception area with glass display cases filled with dried fruits and such.  The whole space is pretty bare bones or zen.  Walls are plain, there’s an open kitchen, also a communal table.  There was a wait too, even on a weeknight.  Gobo is a busy place.

Stacy, Kevin, and I squished into a round corner table.  Our server was a cheery gal who poured us tap water which I believe was spiked with a bit of lemon or lime.  Stacy and I ordered smoothies while Kevin opted for a sake mojito.  The smoothie was stellar!  I ordered the Tropical Mystic which was $6 and had kumquats, passionfruit, and ice and since I dig tart fruits, I was in heaven.

We shared an appetizer of the scallion pancakes with mango salsa ($9).  I was actually pleasantly surprised.  The pancake wasn’t too oily and was crispy, and the salsa added the right amount of sweetness and onion.  Good because it was my idea to have the scallion pancakes when it was suggested that we have an appetizer.  Whew, hate it when I pick something that’s not a win.

For my main, I went with the pineapple fried rice with sunflower seeds and soy protein ($14).  While this was fine, I wasn’t overly excited.  The texture of the rice was good (thanks to the seeds) but it just wasn’t all that and a bag of chips and verged on dullsville.  The chunks of fresh avocado tossed on top were a helpful touch.  I didn’t feel as bad being neutral on my food since Kevin the veggie wasn’t exactly super enthused himself.  We skipped perusing the dessert menu.

Could have used another smoothie though.  Mmm.  Except the spinach banana one.  That sounds a tad questionable.

Pho Bang

41-07 Kissena Boulevard at 41st Avenue

Flushing, NY 11355

718-939-5520

I found this place through my trusty Zagat, and even though it was late and rainy and cold, Dave and I ventured out to Pho Bang to sample its wares.  The service is efficient and bare bones.  The menu is sprawling so there’s something to suit practically anyone, or it would appear.

Since the name of the place has pho in it, naturally I wanted pho.  And it was the perfect weather for it too.  I forgot exactly which pho we ordered since there are about twenty zillion varieties.  Here is the visual.  Mmm.  Dave was entranced by the subtle cinnamon clove taste of the soup.

The vermicelli was also tasty, and as with the pho, I am not sure exactly what kind we got, but it contained beef and peanuts, as you can see here.  I should add that there were generous helpings of bean sprouts and mint for adding to your broth.

And our appetizers were spring rolls, even though they came out at the same time with all of the mains.  No big.  Crunchy and hot.  Will have to try the summer rolls during the next visit to Pho Bang along with the coffee (it was too late for caffeine for yours truly).  Even though we were the last patrons in the restaurant, the staff weren’t shooting daggers at us or cursing at us, or maybe they were since we couldn’t understand.  We wrapped up and left promptly, only to face the dreary chill and damp of outside but feeling satisfied with the Vietnamese delights in our bellies.

Rhong Tiam

541 LaGuardia Place between West 3rd and Bleecker Streets

New York, NY 10012

212-477-0600

http://www.rhong-tiam.com/

The Coding Philosopher had alerted me to the fact that a reasonably priced establishment had earned a 2010 Michelin star.  Wild, no?  And Thai food too.  Naturally I had to check this out.

So I took Dave and the brother to this joint on the eve before Thanksgiving.  It was very dead, guessing it was because of the holiday.  Rhong Tiam is very white (paint-wise), with a raised section of tables and a lower section.  And there are Christmas lights twinkling up the place.  And a Vespa greets you as you enter.  Banjo-type music plays, some twangy European sounding stuff.

The menu is ginormous and reminds me of a diner menu.  I had a Thai iced tea as is my want.  We started off with two appetizers which were about $5 each.  Dave suggested the roti canai “crispy and doughy indian style pancake served with curry sauce” (in the foreground), and I decided we should sample the Thai nachos “minced shrimp and chicken in coconut dipping served with crispy shrimp chips” (in the background).  Both were nice, and my dinner companions were rather fond of the sauces and kept them after the severs tried to take them away.

For my main, I selected the Singapore Mee which was thin rice noodles with bean sprouts, egg, shrimp, signature sauce, and I picked out beef.  Despite no chili pepper by its name on the menu, it was spicy and made my lips tingle after.  The thought of how spicy the spicy meals are scares me.  While the noodles were good, they didn’t make me want to close my eyes and think that I could just die right then and there and be satisfied.  Dave and the brother seemed to like their dishes fine.

Man, I wish I had room for dessert, because looking now, there’s something called Thai tea creme brulee.  Drool.  So Rhong Tiam: it’s not an upscale dining experience, but it’s a tasty dining experience.  I’ll have to suggest it to Lisa since she’s the Thai fan in my circle.

Fun fact: the receipt encourages you to write online reviews.  Hee.

Grimaldi’s

19 Old Fulton Street between Front and Water Streets

Brooklyn, NY 11201

718-858-4300

http://www.grimaldis.com/2/Index.htm

Supposedly Grimaldi’s is the top pizza place of all five boroughs.  Through the friend-vine, Nick and Lily have both been here, and Nick is Team Grimaldi’s while Lily think it’s aight.  My first trip here was with the brother since he had heard the rumors and wanted to try it out.  Of course I was game.

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, we arrived at this place at 11:10 AM and were not the first people there (they open at 11:30).  A line formed soon after.  I killed time by going through a box marked FREE which some bearded dudes had put out on the sidewalk.  Scored some CDs.  If you wanna know, the unofficial line forms away from the water as we learned as some woman in the line tried to act all high and mighty.  Shut up, lady.  These Italian tourists vouched for us, so there!

The doors finally opened, and it was kinda like Black Friday at Wal-Mart.  The place was full ten minutes later.  Wha?  The walls have pictures of famous folks who have eaten there, and the shirts read “I’m gonna make you a pizza you can’t refuse.”  I sat under a picture of The Godfather with this phrase.  The oven is out in the open.  As I waited in yet another line (for the bathroom), a dad was telling his son all about how the coal oven has to get super hot and such.  Free hand sanitizer, hey.

The brother and I decided to share a small pizza which was perfect for two people.  I had black olives and sausage on my half, and he had mushrooms and sausage on his portion.  The pie appeared pretty zippily.

Would I wait an hour outside for this pizza?

No.

Let me tell you why.  The black olives were bizarrely salty.  And I think they salted the underside of the dough.  What the heck?  Or since I just saw Fantastic Mr. Fox, what the cuss?  I ate everything, but I was craving water like the insane all the rest of the day.  Messed up.  Brother fared better, but he wasn’t exactly majorly impressed.  Oh well.  That’s what you get when you go to these hyped places.  Cash only, bleh.

When we left, there was a long line of pizza gobblers waiting outside.  Team Lombardi’s!  (Sorry Nick)

The Redhead

349 East 13th Street between Second and First Avenues

New York, NY 10003

212-533-6212

http://www.theredheadnyc.com/

Next time she’s in town, I’ll have to take The Redhead to The Redhead.

Jokes aside, I selected this place to be the food venue for a dinner with Stacy, the brother, and Mark.  Lately The Redhead was distinguished by being the final review for the outgoing New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni.  That boosted its popularity.  What also will help is the face that it will soon be in a feature on Thirteen about mom and pop restaurants in NYC (I saw a man filming the dining room and asked the waitress about it).

The Redhead is yet another establishment which doesn’t really take reservations, and you must show up early in order to avoid a ridiculous wait.  Around 6:30 on a Tuesday night was just about right.  I wasn’t too fond of the table, kind of an island in the flow of traffic, but beggars can’t be choosers.

We started off with the bacon peanut brittle which was not what we expected.  Because you think brittle and conjure up a sticky rectangular piece which will snap your teeth in two.  This peanut brittle was essentially beer nuts with tiny bacon pieces.  And some spicy taste.  More bacon please.  I’d probably pass on these next go round.

This fried chicken impressed me and I’m kind of skeptical about fried chicken in that if it’s not KFC, it’s probably not worthwhile.  I’m very picky about the dryness of the bird meat.  But The Redhead’s fowl was out of this world.  So moist and oily, with a crunchy buttermilk exterior.  And the cornbread and salad weren’t too shabby either.

I finished the meal with liquid dessert, a wee glass of moscato.  Perfect!  Mark had suggested moscatos during an earlier conversation, and seeing a moscato in the dessert section made it clear that I needed to order that.  Dessert wines are the best!  Stacy let me sample her toffee cake with buttermilk ice cream, delicious (liked the hints of lemon zest).  Also the best, take home goodies.  The espresso cookie was more like a brownie and had hints of sea salt.  Sweet.

La Giara

501 Third Avenue between 33rd and 34th Streets

New York, NY 10016

212-726-9855

http://www.lagiara.com/

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The parentals and the brother and I came here on a Monday evening because the mother unit wanted Italian within walking distance of the hotel.  Since I wanted to accrue more OpenTable points, I found this place La Giara which seemed to fit the bill.

I didn’t really need to make a reservation since the place was rather dead.  I’d rather have a place undercrowded that overcrowded though.  At least we could hear each other easily and had attentive service, though the waitress’s Eastern European accent was rather thick.  Lucky for us, Monday nights are $9 pasta nights.  Good deal since the usual costs are about $13 to $16.

The family shared the bufala caprese appetizer ($11.50) which was “bufala milk mozzarella, plum tomato, basil, oregano and extra virgin olive oil.”  It also came with bread and olive oil tomatoes on crostini.  Yum.  We also shared a red wine with was yum.

The brother and I shared a pear and walnut salad which was not too thrilling.  It was okay but needed more cheese since it advertised cheese.  As my main, I ordered spaghetti in lamb ragout and pecorino cheese ($13.50).  I found this dish to be comforting and satisfyingly lamb-y though it was toeing the line into blandness.  Plus I got extra freshly grated cheese on top, and we all know that cheese can improve nearly any dish.

I felt bad for La Giara since it could have used some more business.  At least we were doing our part.  And it’s an appealing cozy space, with candles on the tables, white walls accented with dark wooden beams, wine bottles as decor, and so forth.  You can do it a favor and go Mondays.

Oh! Taisho

9 Saint Marks Place between Second and Third Avenues

New York, NY 10003

212-673-1300

http://www.yakitoritaisho.com/main/

Though I’ve been to Takitori Taisho twice, I’ve never been to its sibling Oh! Taisho.  They’re basically the same place, though Oh! Taisho seems to get less love; it’s always somewhat less packed than Yakitori Taisho.  Luckily Oh! Taisho zipped to the rescue when Yakitori Taisho already had folks spilling outside when the parents and I arrived on Saint Marks.

We only waited a minute to be seated, and I ordered a frozen alcoholic Calpico to enjoy with the rest of my meal.  With the yakitori skewers, I ordered two chicken chunks, a beef, a pork, a shrimp, and a bacon wrapped scallop (initially I requested bacon wrapped okra but there was no okra to be found).  And for some greenery, a tuna and avocado salad.

The skewers were fantastico as usual.  The pork was fatty fat phat however, but we all know how fat=yum.  As a corollary, the bacon was also fatty, but delicious.  All the other skewers were lightly peppery and delish.

The tuna and avocado salad came with more, to my surprise, more meaning tomato and onion and spinach.  It was in a ginger dressing.  I liked how there was lots of avocado and the tuna wasn’t skimpy either.

Oh!  Oh! Taisho!  You rock just as much as your sibling, and I like you more even maybe since I’m awfully fond of underdogs and less crowds.

Ping’s Restaurant

22 Mott Street between Chatham Square and Mosco Street

New York, NY 10013

212-602-9988

Many months ago, I asked AmyC for dim sum places that she would recommend, and Ping’s was at the tip of her tongue.  I stored that important bit of knowledge in the back of my brain and waited for the appropriate time to whip that out.

The time came, as I insisted the parentals have dim sum with myself.  It was around 11:30 and already Ping’s was filling up.  By noon, there was nary a seat in the smallish house.  What I wasn’t too fond of was sharing a nine-seater circular table with complete strangers.  Awkward.

Pressing on, the dim sum was perfectly tasty so that compensated.  Since space is a premium, the servers at Ping’s mostly carry around the small plates on trays.  What was handy is the hardcover menu which has glorious pictures of dim sum foods along with the names in English and in Chinese.  Wish I could have swiped a copy since I am terrible with the names.  So you can get the big names from the trays or request the lesser wanted things from your waiter or waitress.  Nice!  This was how I got steamed pork buns.  They were smaller than I was used to and a little sweet almost.  Oh well.  And this was how I obtained my favorite slippery rice noodle with shrimp.  I didn’t get how you had to order this since every since party at our shared table ordered this.

As for the food that came out, shrimp shumai and veggie shumai were great.  Greens with garlic, yum.   That was the bulk of the food.  And then to exit, we had to do battle with the masses waiting to be seated, usually a reassuring sign.