Obao - you're better off not staying

Obao is a hotspot in Midtown East for some southern Asian cuisine. Mainly run by Thai people, but make quite spot on dishes. I usually order takeout from them because it's faster and slightly cheaper (because I don't have to pay tip).

One odd summer day, my coworker and I stopped by for lunch. We were seated all the way in the back, in their garden, no worries because they have a roof for some shade. Service was extremely slow. I understand that it's the busy lunch hour but having just 3-4 staff waiting the entire restaurant is quite unacceptable.

We got our glass of water after the table next to us got their's and they came in after us. I asked for the beverage menu and a few minutes later they didn't come by again to ask me if I wanted anything. Is it me or am I expecting too much from a restaurant in midtown? Maybe I'm just too spoiled...

Obao has these lunch specials that are pretty good, they range anywhere from $8-15 and if you want an appetizer, just tag on another $3-5. If you ask me, that's one pricey lunch.

The salad was pretty standard. Nothing special or worth mentioning here.

For appetizer, I ordered the Spring Rolls. It was quite good and was already drizzled with some fish sauce over it, which I wished came separately. Nonetheless, it was crunchy and filled with a nice amount of meat and vegetables.

The Pork Belly with Chinese Broccoli is what the rave is about here. I had it once for takeout and it was amazingly good, so it just had to be better fresh out from the kitchen right? Well, to be honest it wasn't any better, it tasted just like the time I had it as takeout. Don't get me wrong, it was good but I guess I expected more. Very powerful and flavorful dish, you can really taste southern Asia in this dish, no lie.

My coworker ordered the Thin Cut Vietnamese Pork Chop and it tasted just like the ones you would get at the Vietnamese restaurants. Marinated and packed with flavor, the lime gave it a nice kick which I like.

Overall, I wouldn't dine here again. Even though the food was pretty darn good, the service was really poor. I would rather order takeout and not deal with the service and still get some kickass food.

Obao
222 E 53rd St
New York, NY 10022
(212) 308-5588

 

Spumoni - Chef's Table to cure my deep and uttermost hunger

J's cousins came to NY to visit, dinner was always on the cousin so we really didn't care where we ate. We also know that the cousin likes Spumoni. No reservation for 5 people, waited around an hour for a table. Crazy packed and busy on a Friday night but definitely worth the wait.

The cousin chose the Chef's Table, better for us since we all don't have to decide on any dishes. Just keep it coming...

I was insanely hungry, waiting that long really got me grumpy. Good thing the bread and butter came, but the butter was rock hard. So glad my boyfriend's hand is so warm, he warmed up the butter in no time. Love me some salted butter with bread. They took it away from me after 3 slices because they were afraid I would get too full...

I never thought I would enjoy Artichokes this much, the lemon-y sauce was so good. Too bad each person only gets one...

This dish was really different. The Mozzarella in Carrozza pan-fried with mozzarella cheese in the center, covered in sauce-y and tomato-y bed. Oily and unhealthy but extremely delicious.

Moving on to the Chef's Salad so we don't feel too guilty. It was a simple salad with greens, tomatoes, onions, cheese and olives in a vinaigrette dressing. Good palate cleansing dish.

So much for cleansing 'cause the next dish was Shrimp Two Ways. The shrimp cocktail was really good, big pieces of meaty shrimp. I think I actually prefer the fried shrimp with tartar sauce, so good...couldn't really speak at this moment cause everything was just amazing so far.

J's favorite Baked Clams. I love it also, with some lemon on top it was so perfectly summery. The breadcrumbs didn't over-power the delicate clam meat. J and I can probably eat endless dishes of this.

And if that clam dish wasn't enough, the Linguine in White Clam Sauce came. So effin' good. Pasta cooked al dente which is how it's suppose to be. Sauce was light yet flavorful and so many little clam meats. I would totally be a happy camper if I can have this all to myself, I wouldn't need anything else...just this dish and me.

So, that wasn't even the entree. The entree for the night was Grilled Steak, 2 plates of that sucker above. Could've been more on the rare side but it was good, like meaty carnivore goodness. All it need was a bit of salt and pepper, perfect.

Sides were mashed potatoes and broccoli rabe. I totally devoured the broccoli rabe, love it! Mashed potatoes lacked some flavor tho...

This moment, we were done. Hoping there wouldn't be more and just carry on to the finale.

Massive dessert. I don't even know if there's a name for this, Chef's Dessert will be the name. There was like 3 scoops of spumoni ice cream, those wedges of ice cream wrapped with chocolate, 2 slices of cheesecake (which I didn't care for - me no like cheesecake), and whip cream! We were all in the stage of comatose and had to struggle to lift ourselves off the seats to leave.

Excellent meal. It's even better when you don't need to pay for it...well we did pay for tip but that was probably nothing compared to the bill.

L&B Spumoni
2725 86th St
Brooklyn, NY 11223
(718) 449-1230

Spina - Rose Wine Tasting Dinner

J and I never had a wine tasting dinner before and this was a first that definitely didn't disappoint. Spina was one of the places we loved and when I got an e-mail from them about a tasting menu with wine, I immediately made the reservations.

We came a bit earlier than our reservation, but the manager of Spina was extremely nice and had us seated right away. He also asked us if we would like to start and we eagerly said yes.

Starting off...

Each dish was paired with a delicately selected rose wine to match the taste of the dish. I wasn't able to take a photo of each glass but know that it was paired perfectly. Rose wine is one of the more difficult wines to pair because it's a mix of white and red.

Delicious foccaccia that was made in-house along with the ricotta cheese. I never love cheese this much and this is on the top of my list. Creamy and light, I can eat this every day.

First up was the Fluke Crudo. Simple but extremely well done. Thinly sliced fluke with olive oil drizzled over, the sea salt really brought out the freshness of the fluke and the chives added a great crunch. Love anything crudo.

Second was the Heirloom BLT Salad. Pretty much what it is is what it sounds, fried tomatoes, bacon and some arugula. Tomatoes were really fresh, there was two kinds - heirloom and regular.

Third, the Goat Cheese Gnocchi got me a little worried because it was gnocchi and it had goat cheese. I had a bad experience with gnocchi and I'm not a big fan of cheese in general, mix them together and I start to get a bit skeptical and panic a bit. But, surprisingly the dish was really good. I can find myself really liking goat cheese gnocchi...haha

Fourthly, the main entree was the Scottish Salmon. Got some mushy peas there and more bacon! I can really learn to love these kind of tasting menu if majority of the dishes got bacon in it. Salmon was a bit bland but it was good, since the bacon totally offsets that with its saltiness.

Ending the rose wine tasting dinner was the Passion Fruit Panna Cotta. Absolutely perfect to end the meal with. Had a nice melon puree around the panna cotta and it was paired with a sparking rose, one of the hardest to pair.

It was a great evening and a superb meal. Spina can definitely host a fantastic wine tasting dinner. The manager was extremely knowledgeable about his wines and the staff was attentive and friendly. They know exactly when to bring out clean glasses and help us move onto the next dish.

J and I came to Spina the first time with no high hopes, but Spina seems to surpass our expectations each time. I can see myself really loving this restaurant.

Spina
175 Ave B
New York, NY 10009
(212) 253-2250

Paprika - we wanted to but we didn't know why

It was one of those nights where J and I couldn't possibly decide what to have for dinner. While walking around the East Village, we saw Paprika. Totally forgot why we wanted to come here, we also had no idea it was here all along. So, we just shrugged and went in.

Luckily, they have a table open for us because it looked quite full, plus they asked if we made reservations...errr

Starting off with some bread and olive oil. We literally finished off the olive oil with two slice of bread, that's how crazy we were and how good it was.

J insisted on getting the Beef Carpaccio ($13) which I was fine with. Boy, it tasted amazing...like the bomb! You really couldn't tell it's beef, raw beef. It had a nice citrus-y flavor to it and the arugula, truffle oil and shaved parmigiano cheese worked so well. I mean, how can you say no to truffle oil?! I need to go back for this.

We also got their Special Cutting Board ($16). I was surprise at how much meat there were for that price, total win. There were also 2 pieces of cheese, I'm really assuming it was mozzarella but it was on the melted side, it tasted creamy and milky...meh I'm not a fan of raw cheese.

Moving onto entrees, I got their special. I really need to stick with my first decision. But the Spinach Fettucine in Pesto sauce w/ cherry tomatoes and brussel sprouts ($16) was too hard to resist. Very clean tasting and healthy, maybe a little dash of salt would've made it a tad bit better.

J stuck with his original dish he saw on the menu, Buckwheat Tagliatelle w/ cabbage, cheese and garlic ($16). His dish was on the heavy side, full of flavor. It's a type of dish where you would want to eat slowly, take a sip of wine and then go back for another bite. There's no way you can wolf this dish down.

Paprika is nice. It's busy but nice. Don't think we'll be heading back but I won't say no if someone invites me...

Paprika
110 St Marks Pl
New York, NY 10009
(212) 677-6563

Cutting Board - taking mom out for a nice run

I originally wanted to come here with J but I took my mom instead...haha

It was a mother and daughter day, didn't really want to eat the generic Chinese food so I took my mom out for something new and different. Heard good things about Cutting Board, the fusion of it.

Spacious inside but there were only 2 waiters, really? But they were quick, so not exactly any complaints about that.

I don't think my mom has ever experience mussels like this. The CB Mussels ($8) were quite delicious, served in a saffron broth, one breadstick was definitely not enough. Mussels were plump, which was a good thing. Generous portion too.

My mom had the Curry Beef w/ Rice ($6) which also had a fried egg. I liked the idea of how they separated the meat sauce from the rice, this gives the person utter control of how much meat they want and plus it doesn't sog up the rice this way. A sunny-side up egg is always a good addition to any dish.

I had the Pancetta & Cream over Linguine ($6), not bad at all. I was afraid it would be too creamy and weird tasting since you know, Asian places don't do creamy. But this was pretty good, kind of impressive if you ask me. I've been wanting carbonara but this will do for now until I actually find a place that serves up good carbonara.

So far, I kinda like Cutting Board. It's different and pricing is really reasonable, not to mention the taste isn't bad at all. I still need to take J here.

Cutting Board
53 Bayard St
New York, NY 10013
(212) 528-0188

Cafe Henri - the best surprise a girl can get

On a Saturday afternoon, pretty much around brunch time, J took me to Cafe Henri as a surprise. All I knew about the place was, it had a blue door. It was a long walk from where we were but the weather was so beautiful that it didn't seem far at all. Ok, maybe a little far since I was feeling hungry.

Cafe Henri was a cute little French place. Limited seatings but it felt so quaint and familiar. J told me they're known for their big latte cups and really good food.

J ordered their Mocha ($4), we decided not to supersize anything since the large was literally a size of a soup bowl. The Mocha was pretty good, had a nice cocoa finish on top.

I had their Latte ($3.50), so creamy and delicious. I wished it stayed hotter throughout the time I was having it, it got lukewarm pretty quick.

We knew we had to get this when we saw it on the menu...

The Escargot ($11) was so aromatic and plump. They were definitely heavy on the spices here which we both love. The toast accompanying the dish was amazing also, soaked up all the delicious herbs and garlic butter...we were practically in heaven.

Then our entree rolled out and we were at our most happiest place.

J had gotten their Crepe Henri ($9.50) which gives you a choice of 3 different add-ins for your crepe. He chose goat cheese, mushrooms and spicy sausage - these combination was perfect. Never thought I'd say this but the goat cheese was bomb in the crepe, I absolutely loved it.

My dish wasn't bad either, actually I really really enjoyed mine. The Eggs Benedict ($10.50) which I got with bacon was insanely good. How can everything be so perfect?! I loved how the English muffin didn't get soggy from my eggs and the hollandaise sauce. The poached egg was literally the most perfect ones I've ever had, still had that egg white surrounding the egg yolk. I was left speechless.

And even that wasn't enough, we got another crepe for dessert.

We were definitely greedy at this point because we both know well that we were full but still wanted to try their sweets. Decided on the Crepe de Marron ($7), chestnut paste inside the crepe. It was a little strange but in a good way. It wasn't too sweet and it balances out with the fruits and the creme fraiche.

This meal was so satisfying. I was extremely happy. I can't wait to come back for dinner or just the latte.

Cafe Henri
27 Bedford St
New York, NY 10014
(212) 243-2846

Cafe Orlin - we left but came back for more

Yes, we returned. It was gonna be sooner or later and this was the chance to get our hands on their delicious foods again.

It's something about Cafe Orlin that makes me like it so much. Maybe because of the great food and the fact that we don't have to wait too long for a table. I mean, they're usually packed for breakfast/brunch but for dinner, they don't fill up until around 9ish and we get there way before that.

The last time I remember, we started with a bottle of red and here we are starting our meal with another bottle, but of white. Went for a Riesling ($32) this time, nice and subtle.

I think it's official that we love ordering things from the Specials Menu. The Black Sea Bass Ceviche ($11) was delicious. Just enough lime, onion, tomato and spices. It was quite the gamble that we ordered it because we usually only order ceviche at Mexican restaurants.

I've been hooked onto calamari lately. The Grilled Calamari ($11) was excellent. Spritz some lemon on top and it's the most perfect appetizer. I really like the watercress that came with the dish, balances out the spices that the calamari gives off.

For entree, J had the Hanger Steak ($18). Same thing as last time because it's that dam good. Always comes with fries and some greens, just do you feel a bit healthy. Steak is great as usual, add some tabasco and ketchup to really bring out the flavor and tenderness of the piece of meat.

This time around, I ordered something different. Actually, last time I wanted pasta but their fish special totally steer me off to the other direction. The Linguine with Shrimp ($13.50) was interesting. The sauce was a bit on the heavy side but very aromatic, lots of garlic in it. It was good, I enjoyed it but I got extremely full from the carbs.

Even though I said I was full, once I glanced at the menu I knew I wanted the Tres Leches Cake ($6.50). Such a fatty! It was just mediocre, definitely could do without it but everything we had was just exquisite.

Cafe Orlin
41 St. Marks Pl
New York, NY 10003
(212) 777-1447

Two Door Tavern - the latest brunch I've had to cure my hunger

This past Saturday, J and I slept in - like really slept in. We were deciding where to brunch and that totally took like 2 hours to do. After much yelping on my side and J just browsing around on the web, finally we agreed on Two Door Tavern.

By the time we got there, it was around 3pm already. Never had I ate this late before. Two Door was cute, modern and chic bar. They have a second floor that opens up and you can see the first floor. Staff there were very polite and attentive.

They had a huge brunch menu, which was why we chose this place. Also, the brunch prixe fix came with coffee and your choice of alcohol beverage.

Truthfully, I think I'm hooked onto coffee now. No longer do I worry about using the bathroom when I drink it (and I tend to go like every 10 minutes when I intake coffee) because it just taste so good. The bellini was alright, I'm not a fan of champagne. J had coffee also along with his Brooklyn Season Ale, again, me no like beer.

I ordered the Two Door Eggs Benedict ($15.95), been craving a good one lately and this one didn't really cut it. I liked how it had tomatoes and spinach but the tomato sogged up my English muffin! Making it extremely un-enjoyable. Home fries were good though, yummy onions.

J had the Marinated Skirt Steak ($18.95), freaking amazing dammit! Steak was nicely cooked and had that burnt charred taste, loved it. I can just eat a whole plate of skirt steak made by them.

I'm coming back, for the steak. I hope they have this option for dinner. So rare that we find a restaurant that cooks the steak perfectly, Two Door is definitely one of the few places that does it right.

Two Door Tavern
116 N 5th St
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 599-0222

Flea Market Cafe

J and I went to Flea Market Cafe when we were on the wine binge. We still love wine now but we sort of mellow out of the phase. I found the Flea Market Cafe somewhere on the web, besides the interesting name, they have cheap escargot.

Their menu was straight forward and sounded really appetizing. We ordered a lot of appetizers to go with our wine. Loved that we sat near the front of the restaurant where we felt a nice breeze since they had their windows down.

Decided on a bottle of rose wine. Clean and fresh.

We love escargot and these Oven-baked Snails in garlic and butter were pretty decent. Definitely cheap, only $7.50 but it definitely was missing something. Maybe it's the salt? Maybe some extra butter? Some more garlic? But for its price, it's a steal.

I saw this on the menu and wasn't too sure if we should've gotten it but J made the final decision and placed the order. The Goat Cheese Tartine was delicious. Nicely toasted with goat cheese, sundried tomatoes, olives and honey drizzle. This amazing combo went perfectly well with the wine.

So, I really didn't want this Cheese Plate but J was so persistent about it so I just gave up and let him order it. I really don't like cheese, especially uncooked cheese but I am slowly giving them a shot. Currently, I really like mozzarella...progress! These were way too creamy and cheesy, I just couldn't do it! J ended up eating all of it, which he should've expected.

I wanted the Saucisson and Cornichons because it had the gerkins. I absolutely love gerkins and pickles now, something I never thought I would like until J introduced me to them. The cured french sausage were great munchy food. If I had just this and wine, I would be in such a happy place.

Beautifully presented entree, I was so happy when I saw it because I ordered something so dam pretty and good-looking. This usually happens with J's dish but this time, I ordered the better dish (you have no idea how happy this makes me). The Sauteed Codfish Filet over chive risotto and lobster sauce was perfect. Cod is my favorite when it comes to fish and the risotto was so dam good. This is also my first time having risotto and it blew me away. All the flavors worked so well, I would have this entree again in a heartbeat.

J's ordered the Moules Provencale which had tomato and parsley. The mussels were really tiny which was a big disappointment.

Fries came with the mussels which weren't bad. I would rather have better mussels and lose the fries, but that's just me.

Overall, I really like Flea Market Cafe and I can't wait to return. The ambiance is relaxing and really laid back. You can prob sit there for hours with a glass of wine and no one will bother you.

Flea Market Cafe
131 Ave A
New York, NY 10009
(212) 358-9280