Restaurant experiment: Doc Watson’s

Doc Watson’s

1490 Second Avenue between 77th and 78th Streets

New York, NY 10021

212-988-5300

http://www.docwatsons.com

The UES=Irish pub land.

I was surprised by how big Doc Watson’s is; there’s a basement with an outdoor patio attached too.  We were too late for the happy hour specials, but we weren’t missing much judging from the menu.  Wednesday night specials include $8 well drinks.  That doesn’t really sound like a special to me.  Pshaw.

For a second, I spied bacon wrapped scallops on the specials menu and was tempted to order that, but eating scallops in a pub seems a little strange.  Or is it just me?

I got blue cheese on my burger (about 8 bucks).  Oddly enough, the menu states that the 1/2 pound burgers are presented on poppyseed buns, yet what we got were buns of the sesame variety.  These buns were structurally deficient and crumbled under the sheer weight of the patty.  I do like a pure beef taste, and this is what you got with your Doc Watson’s burger.

The cottage fries were pretty good, and they were even better when I added generous splashes of British vinegar.  This was a good night for discoveries.  Earlier elsewhere I sampled a Malibu rum and cranberry juice and was delighted, and then I tried vinegar with fries and was delighted.  Huzzah!

If I were to describe the dining crowd, it’d be business casual.  Very business casual.

Restaurant experiment: Curry Leaf

Curry Leaf

99 Lexington Avenue at 27th Street

New York, NY 10016

212-725-5558

http://www.curryleafnyc.com

Leslie and I met up for a weekday lunch.  I suggested Saravanaas but the line was flowing out the door, so we nixed that and wandered up Lex, ending up at Curry Leaf which was less crowded.

We both ordered the lunch prix fixe and picked out the tandoori platter: “chicken tikka, tandoori chicken, seek kabob & one vegetable curry” along with basmati rice, naan, salad, and rice pudding.  A fair deal for $9.95, considering that neither of us were able to finish everything.  Hello, dinner.

The salad was just iceberg with an oily dressing.  The naan was terrific, warm, airy, soft, and fresh.  The rice was good.  But I think not all of the items listed on the menu were included, and maybe they ran out because it just looked like tandoori chicken only.  Which is okay because I like it, but that was odd.  It was a teensy bit dry but still really delightful.  My veggie of choice was  saag paneer, “cottage cheese & spinach cooked in butter flavored tomato gravy.”  I’ve had saag paneer a couple of times and wasn’t expecting spicy.  Leslie and I are spice wimps and didn’t desire to have our taste buds lasered off, so I was surprised that the saag was a little spicy though it was certainly manageable.

The rice pudding wasn’t on the menu so it was  pleasant surprise and saved me from ordering a mango lassi.  It was slightly chilled, not too ricey, with strong coconut flavors and a smidge of sliced almonds.  I don’t even like rice pudding all that much, and I enjoyed this.

Bad: I saw a mammoth fly hanging out above a painting on the wall.  Ew.  Still, the food’s better than Banana Leaf.

Restaurant experiment: Pio Pio Riko

Pio Pio Riko

996 Manhattan Avenue at Huron Street

Brooklyn, NY 11222

718-349-5925

On our way to a party in Greenpoint on Halloween, Dave and I were walking up Manhattan Avenue but dismayed by the lack of appropriate dining options.  Granted, it was a little late, close to the witching hour, but still.  After a Polish place literally shut its door in our faces and an American joint was overflowing and pulsing loud music, we were relieved to unearth Pio Pio Riko.  The place was very dead.  Sometimes hipsters would pop in to use the restroom to change or to check the World Series game score, but the dining room was quiet.  Quiet in that there weren’t many people, but not really quiet, since a singer was belting out tunes in Spanish while playing a Korg keyboard.  ”Lady in red!”

The menu has a lot of seafood but Dave and I decided on the chicken because we love Dominican chicken, and rotisserie chicken in general.  Pio Pio Riko started things off on the right foot by offering free roasted corn.  Yum.  Our waitress placed the heavenly green sauce on the table in anticipation of our whole chicken.

Outstanding chicken!  The skin was salty much, but that could be forgiven, seeing as the meat was moist and well oiled and tremendously tasty.  Dip in green sauce, and you are good to go.  The maduros and rice and beans are good accompaniments too.  Thanks for being there when we needed a friend, Pio Pio Riko.  They have a couple of locations in Brooklyn and Queens but sadly not in Manhattan.  Tear.

Restaurant experiment: Park Slope Ale House

Park Slope Ale House

356 Sixth Avenue at 5th Street

Brooklyn, NY 11215

718-788-1756

When you’re stuck in a torrential downpour with no rain boots, you just want to find the nearest non-sketchy restaurant and just dine there.  And that’s precisely what Dave and I did.  Monsoons are not my friend.

Park Slope Ale House wasn’t too crowded, probably because no one else wanted to venture out in the rain without kayaks.  I’d never been here before despite having passed it a thousand times in my past life.  The place is dark but welcoming.  And you know what else is welcoming?  Burgers!  Dave and I both ordered burgers, and I got mine with blue cheese.  Mmm.  It helped me forget how soaked my socks and the bottoms of my jeans were.

As you can see, the kaiser bun they used dwarfed the patty.  Hey guys, you might want to either up the beef or shrink the bread.  Looks wrong.  The fries had skins which I’m not huge on but was fine. 

Once I was eating a baked potato at someone’s house, and I was asked why I wasn’t eating the skins, and I was confused because I thought you weren’t supposed to eat it.  My family didn’t eat skins and I assumed that’s what everyone did.  Huh.  Storytime over!

The desserts were tempting (chaos pie?) but I was too full from the burger goodness.  Thank for being there when we needed you, Park Slope Ale House!

Restaurant experiment: Gong

Gong

173 East 99th Street between Lexington and Third Avenues

New York, NY 10029

212-360-5874

gongnyc.com

That Girl endorses Gong, and so Dave and I had dinner with her one fine evening.  Despite the place’s small size, I still managed to miss That Girl who was tucked away in the corner by the door.

Gong is probably one of the prettiest restaurants in East Harlem.  Maybe even the prettiest.  Or at the least the prettiest one I’ve been to so far.  There’s dark wood juxtaposed against white walls and curtains, and there are nifty touches like bamboo growing in tin kettles and the wavy white plate holding the spring rolls that That Girl ordered.

I shared pad see ew ($8.50), “flat rice noodles, wok fried in black soy sauce with egg & Chinese broccoli” which I got with beef.  Good stuff.  Not too salty or dull.  Dave shared his grilled tofu in chili basil sauce ($8.95) which despite being a 1 out of 3 on the spicy scale, still made my lips and tongue tingle.  Doesn’t the tofu look like giant grilled marshmallows?

Cash only, bleh.  The irritation is lessened by the cool wooden frog percussion instruments which bear the bill.  Rub the mallet over the back, croaks emerge.

Restaurant experiment: Amor Cubano

Amor Cubano

2018 Third Avenue at 111th Street

New York, NY 10029

212-996-1220

http://www.amorcubanorestaurant.com

Mi amor es comida de cuba!  I don’t know if that was proper Spanish, but it’s fine for my purposes.  Amor Cubano on this particular evening featured a two piece band (percussion guy, keyboard cat, err guy) with guest cameos by a flute lady.  The music was a little too loud for me but it did add a pleasant touch to the atmosphere.

Dave and I shared a Cuban sandwich and two mini Cuban hamburgers.  I have never heard of a Cuban hamburger; they looked like breakfast sausage sandwiches.  Smaller than White Castle.  I think I goofed and waited until after the sandwich to eat the hamburgers which were naked except for a pickle.  Lots of various spices in the pork.  Not bad.  The Cuban sandwich was great.  I liked the special sauce they used to bring it all together.

There aren’t too many Cuban places in Manhattan, and I do believe I’ve been to a healthy chunk of them.  Amor Cubano luckily rates well amongst the others.

Restaurant experiment: T Poutine

T Poutine

168 Ludlow between Stanton and Houston

New York, NY 10002

646-833-7444

http://www.tpoutine.com

Many moons ago, Stacy and I, along with Julie and Thomas, attempted to come here for dinner but alas, it hadn’t opened yet.  I was disappointed since I wanted to try poutine for the first time ever.  I would have to be patient.

Flash forward a few months.  T Poutine had opened its shiny doors to the Lower East Side, but I wasn’t able to grace it with my presence right away.  But the appropriate opportunity to check out T Poutine came up, and I knew I had to seize it.

The place wasn’t very crowded.  They way it works is that you order at the counter and go sit down, and then the employees bring out the food to you.  T Poutine offers a diverse array of poutine options, but I went for the “Classic” since I’m a newbie to this Quebecois dish.  If you are unfamiliar with this treasure, it’s medium thickness fries covered with cheese curds and gravy.  Poutine had me at cheese and fries.  Oh yeah.  Dave, having lived in Montreal, approved.  I too approved, despite not having lived in Montreal.  The gravy was peppery than it usually is supposed to be, but I dealt with it.

The next day, poutine kept popping into my head.  Those French-Canadians surely are on to something.

P.S.  Swell bathrooms.  Very Zen, with a chalkboard too!

Restaurant experiment: El Paso Taqueria

El Paso Taqueria

1642 Lexington Avenue between 103^rd and 104^th Streets

New York, NY 10029

212-831-9831

http://www.elpasotaqueria.com

Lily told me that El Paso was pretty good.  The story goes that it used to be housed in a smaller space across the avenue, but then it outgrew that place and leaped on over Lex.  This space is very Mexican-looking, with windows/doors that can be thrown open in warm weather, tile, big beaded rosaries, and so forth.

I embarrassingly admit that I do not exactly remember what we ordered.  The website’s menu and MenuPages aren’t really helping.

Here is a picture, so you can at least look at what we ordered.  I am a fan of avocado and really liked the pork with pineapple and avocado.  Dave and I also liked the chicken enchiladas with green sauce though it was too spicy for me.

Now for the crowning achievement, the dessert.  Our server, who Dave declared was an aspiring actor, had sort of a polished way about him.  Was he playing a character?  A guy playing a waiter?  He kept saying the phrase “my friends” all the time which was sorta strange.  But anyway, he recommended a special dessert not on the menu called rollitos de canales.  It was described as a deep fried cinnamon tortilla wrapped around bananas and chocolate sauce.  Dave and I were sold.  And we weren’t disappointed after all the hype.  Mmmmmmm.  We left wanting more!  Our spoons were put to good use, wiping up every bit of the sugar and raspberry sauce left of the plate.

Witness:

Ay, dios mio!  Muy delicioso!

Restaurant experiment: Big Nick’s

Big Nick’s

2175 Broadway between 76^th and 77^th Streets

New York, NY 10024

212-362-9238

Dave raves about the portcheddar burger here.  Since I can’t pass up a strong burger recommendation, I just had to try it when we had dinner at Big Nick’s.  Big Nick’s is a diner on the Upper West Side with a menu as long as War & Peace.  Seriously.  If there’s something diner-esque that you want, Big Nick’s probably has it.  Also characteristic of this place is how every single inch is covered in some writing advertising some menu item.  It’s almost seizure-inducing.  And the bathroom is located in the kitchen.  And pickles are self serve from a bowl on your table.  Also, they have a really diverse staff.

Luckily for Dave, the burger did not disappoint.  I don’t really like port, but the cheddar wasn’t even that port-like.  It gave the cheddar a more delicate texture, not to mention a glowing color.  It was radiating.  The fries were crispy, and the staff obliged with Dave’s request to make his fries extra crispy.

Big Nick’s, big taste!  Ohhhhh, it’s good I’m not in advertising.

Restaurant experiment: Blondie’s

Blondie’s

212 West 79^th Street between Amsterdam and Broadway

New York, NY 10024

212-362-4360

Blondiessports.com

Wings are wonderful.  Dave agrees and told me all about one of his top wing purveyors, Blondie’s.  In my past, I consumed honey bbq wings as my flavor of choice, but I have been befuddled to not see this option at wing joints in the great city of New York.  So you can picture my utter delight to read on Blondie’s menu that honey bbq wings are available.  Score!  They also have some sort of garlic flavor which was very tempting as well, but honey bbq was to be my choice for the evening.

I ordered the ten wing deal in honey bbq.  These guys were rolling in sauce.  Yum.  Wings+blue cheese=so perfect.

If you like sports in addition to chicken and other bar food, you’re in luck since Blondie’s has TVs all over the place with various games blaring.  I don’t have wings too much nowadays, but I can and will definitely be going back to Blondie’s.  Hmm, might just be my go-to wing bar from now on.