Restaurant experiment: Madangsui

Madangsui

35 West 35th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues

New York, NY

212-564-9333

madangsui.com

It was freezing, and we had to wait outside. All K-town restaurants seem to be way crowded on weekend nights; the small waiting area already had throngs of folks waiting for tables. This better be killer food! I guess it didn’t help that we were a large party of ten. Annie, the Constitution State hostess, had picked out this place and assembled a motley crew of dinner eaters. Korean food, new friends, can’t go wrong there!

Eventually we were seated. I stayed out of the ordering process so I probably won’t be able to name what we/I ate. I’ll look at the menu and try to make do. I am kinda hopeless when it comes to remembering Korean food names. Once the massive order was placed, the side dishes/appetizers began to make an appearance. One of my favorites, the baked? egg dish, showed up, yes! Love that stuff. Then the raw meat came to the party and got things cooking. The best in show meats for me were the hyeomit-gui (thin sliced all natural beef tongue) and the wine sam-gyeop-sal (1/4 inch sliced fresh pork belly marinated and aged in merlot). The chicken was just okay; it’s all about beef for yours truly. Annie ordered some bibimbap for all of us. Madangsui’s uses red [purple] rice for a slightly different take; I mistakenly told Jenny it was red bean rice.  Whoops, sorry Jenny.

Nick and I observed this woman sitting by herself at the four top adjacent to our end of the table. We overheard the lady tell a waitperson that she was waiting for her date. She waited so long that the staff moved her over to a smaller table, and our group was well into our dinner by the time her date finally showed up. The patience of a saint; Nick and I would have been outta there.

We inquired about dessert and were flabbergasted to learn that there was no dessert menu. Huh? The waitress told us that oranges were dessert. The complimentary citrus slices accompanied the bill which wasn’t too heart-attack-worthy for a party of our size. My wallet was pleased.  Huzzah.

Restaurant experiment: Mara’s Homemade

Mara’s Homemade

342 East 6th Street between First & Second Avenues

New York, NY 10003

212-598-1110

marashomemade.com

It was Wayne’s birthday, so a gang of us invade Mara’s Homemade the other night to help celebrate.  The first thing that you noticed was a smell, not of welcoming vittles but of something less savory.  I liken it to a couple of steps above mildew, a damp odor.  The woman who I assumed was Mara put down some candles which helped dissipate the smell to the relief of all.

Mara’s offers up Cajun plates and Arkansas BBQ with heaping helpings of southern hospitality.  Following my rule to avoid BBQ, I went with Cajun dishes: okra gumbo with crab and shrimp, and a side of fried okra.  Yes, I like okra.  The fried okra was fine, with a thick coating that was crunchy and maybe even garlicky.  The gumbo was not really my thing, and I will admit that I am not a Cajun cuisine connoisseur, but it was too peppery for me and that’s because I am a spice wimp.  I tried a crab leg of an appetizer some folks ordered, and it was buttery garlic goodness.  The large menu offers something for everyone, even alligator.

However, I know my sweet tea, damn straight, and this made me feel like ordering it was a regretful experience.  There is such a thing as too sweet.  It’s like the kitchen poured a pound of pure cane syrup into the small ball jar mug.  Ew.  If you can find sweet tea in NYC, it’s usually not up to snuff. 

Mara’s Homemade has the atmosphere down pat, with southern sports playing on the flatscreen, napkins in yellow and green, blinking Christmas lights, a light purple wall: all Mardi Gras colors all the time.  The birthday boy even got some beads to wear but didn’t have to flash anyone to get them.

Restaurant experiment: Lookout Hill Smokehouse

Lookout Hill Smokehouse

230 Fifth Avenue at President Street

Brooklyn, NY 11215

718-399-2161

lookouthillsmokehouse.com

My rule of BBQ in NYC is to not eat BBQ because it’s way better and tastier and cheaper back where I come from.  I usually end up disappointed.  With that in mind, my roommate and I headed to Lookout Hill Smokehouse for their burgers.  We both ordered the Angus burgers with fried onions, the latter which reminded me of green bean casserole because they were small fried onion bits.  You have to order your sides separately, so I ended up with $4 of fries, luckily a generous portion.  Good fries.  I got blue cheese on my burger, and damn, the cheese sure was blue.  It’s not a huge meat patty but satisfactory.  My roommate requested mayonnaise, and it came with rosemary.  He ordered the macaroni and cheese which came with rosemary.  That’s rosemary overkill.  Who puts rosemary in mac and cheese?  The cheese is supposed to be center stage, not an herb.  At least I didn’t order that.  No fried okra as a side.  Boo.

The meat is sold by weight, just like Fette Sau up in Williamsburg, and the bourbon selection looked respectable, if you’re into that.  The decor is John Deere meets sleek modern cabin.  Outdoor seating would have been lovely if it hadn’t been 1000000 degrees outside yet again.