Digital Chaos Media

Michael Psilakis gets a lot of reppage these days; partly due to his take on classic and bold Greek flavors, and partly due to his partnership with one Donatalla Arpaia.  Kefi is the cheap Greek spot, formerly located in a cozy little townhouse on 79th street.  Because of high demand, they relocated to a larger, credit card and reservation accepting spot up the street.  It’s no Anthos, but they dont charge prices like Anthos either.

The Meze section of the menu is probably the best–really bold flavors of olive oil, garlic, lemon
can take you to another place.  The Mussels and gigante beans are my favorite, the feta melts into the mussel jus to create a rich and tangy broth that will have you asking for extra bread.  (Whether your server remembers to bring it is another question).  The grilled sardines and “greek salad” with garlic sauce matched the earthy, almost fishy sardine flavor with pungent garlic and clean olive and tomato.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, the stuffed cabbage was just mediocre–under cooked rice, tough cabbage on the exterior
were not saved by the spot on lemon dressing.  Sweetbreads were cooked just right, and the spreads and meatballs are rich and intensely savory treats. [Read more →]

In light of the Bruni dropping a tres on another Chang restaurant, I thought I’d review a restaurant that isn’t run by a pissed off Korean guy.  (Side note:  the new menu at Ssam and it’s three stars, in spite of all the love for  D.C., are probably due to Tien Ho and the newly hired Fran Derby since they do 95% of the cooking and menu planning while Chang gets fat eating cookies next door).  I digress, and promise NOT to use anything Momo as a reference point.  On to the main thrust of this post. Last week I had the pleasure of dining at Lupa, originally a project of the Batali-Bastianich restaurant team.  Back in the day it was pretty heavily managed by those guys,  and later Mark Ladner–heavy names in the food scene.  But now it’s a little more of the radar, Molto Mario is usually at Babbo, Otto, and sometimes Del Posto, while the real gems–Lupa and Dave Pasterneck’s Esca–are still busy joints but definitely don’t have that star-powered appeal.

All that being said, Lupa is a really charming place.  I dined at the bar–something I prefer as a back of house employee because 1) I’m closer to the alcohol that I so adore, and 2) Table service, refilling water, etc., turns me off, and I prefer the informality of dining at the bar.  Lupa is bustling place, with exposed wood panels, plain white tablecloths, a modern rock soundtrack, and very knowledgeable servers.  The wine list was robust, 100% Italian wines, my companion is a wine collector so I let him take care of our order; we had two bottles, each priced at or around $40, and both were excellent.  The menu is largely in italian but contains a glossary, a feature that I normally find offensive, because I think that the majority of diners just want Italian food but don’t necessarily speak Italian.  At Lupa it contributes to the informal, family-style atmosphere.  Bottom line here is that the energy of the place is relaxed, informal, and very friendly, which, for me, is a huge upside.  But often times that upside means that the food is subpar, especially at Italian restaurants.  When I say “chicken parm” how many of you think “Papa Gino’s”?

The food at Lupa was absolutely on point.  [Read more →]

For those of you outside the city, sorry…and for those of you in the city, I guess it’s too bad this blog wasn’t up earlier in the harvest for all the goods that summer has to offer.

Here’s what’s really really good, fruit and vegetable:

Obviously Apples, every type and stripe is available, crisp, and delicious right now.  And they’re cheap-$1 a pound.  Try to find that somewhere else in the city, I dare you.  My favorites are Cameos and Romes, but they’re all spot on.

Bartlett pears are just peaking, they’re at the point where you’d best bring a napkin for your chin.

If you hurry you can get the last of the Concord Grapes–the seed and the slip skin can be a little bit of a pain but if you just succumb to the fact that these things taste exactly like Welch’s grape juice, without the added sugar, you’ll forget about the seeds and pound them.  ** [Read more →]

So this week I am continuing my asian themed reviews but have moved from the east village to the west. Bar Q, the second restaurant from Chef Anita Lo, of Anissa fame, is an ambitious, loosely asian barbecue themed restaurant on Bleecker St. In the interest of honesty once again, I will admit that the kitchen is also helmed by my good friend and former colleague, Sean Scotese, formally the chef de Cuisine of Mai House. This however was not enough to swing my opinion of this restaurant completely in its favor.

I have been to Bar Q a number of times now and the food is consistant. Not consistantly excellent, but consistant none the less. The menu has not changed since they opened with the exception of their Raw Bar. And their raw bar often contains a few fresh seafood delicacies served with a trio of lovely dipping sauces. That is, if they remember to bring them. The service at Bar Q is iffie at best. The servers often seem overwhelmed even in a dining room that isnt that packed and can forget to solicit drink orders, refill water, or deliver the appropriate accompaniments. The dining room however, especially when empty, is very attractive. Stark white walls, white ceilings and gentle lighting permeates.

Bar Q

[Read more →]

Momofuku Ssam–part of the allure, what makes it so good, is that you walk in, the Zep Set is blasting, your server is tatted up, and you can wear whatever you want. It is the epitome of informal. You don’t get napkins, glossy bible-style menus, or even silverware. It’s no frills, no fancy table service, no formality. And yet the food that comes from that kitchen, the quality of ingredients used, and the thoughtful culinary concepts rival just about every restaurant in NYC, maybe even the world.

But is it really that good? Or is it the psychology of the place–you go in, you feel relaxed and chillin, and then you get hit with this food?

A fine dining establishment puts out the same food, but your server offers you sparkling, bottled, or tap water. There is a coat check, your seat has a back on it.  You expect more, you pay more, and often times it feels like you get less. [Read more →]

Allright, lets get it out there from the get go. I am IN the restaurant business in New York. I can’t promise that one of these days I won’t shamlessly plug one of my company’s restaurants or even review one straight up. I am biased. I am opinionated. I am also pretty damn good at recognizing a good eating establishment. That being said, I am gonna talk about David Chang’s Momofuku Ssam Bar this week. Yeah, yeah, I know I should be reviewing Momofuku Ko and all its Michelin starred greatness, but honestly, even with my connections, I can’t swing a rezzie and I am too lazy, or not interested enough, to click my way legitamately to a seat. That whole online reservation system deserves a post all its own.

As for Ssam Bar…I remember when that place first opened. Nobody was going there, not even Chang himself. The place was empty and was serving asian burritos to guys like me, hungry and adventerous neighborhood people (yes, I used to be able to afford to live in Manhattan, and in the east village too!). To be honest, the only reason I ever went there was because I liked Noodle Bar and I took my food handler’s certification class with the chef who runs the kitchen at Ssam Bar. Either way my brother and I quickly became addicted to those burritos (I guess I should call them ssam). They were damn tasty. I mean come on, take a look.

Regardless, these ssam were not enough and there were soon rumors of a new late night menu. That menu quickly became their full time menu. Then they got reviewed by Bruni in the times. Then the place blew up. I mean blew the fuck up. [Read more →]