8th Street Wine Cellar - Relaxing in a dim room until the night gets dark

Wine is great, especially during happy hour.

J told me that 8th Street Wine Cellar had a happy hour where a selection of their wine bottles are only $18, from 4-7pm. When we got there around 6pm, the place was already packed. We got seated half an hour later but at a great spot. Snuggled up in a corner of the bar, perfect.

I like how we're nestled in the corner where we won't get bothered much but can still get the attention of the bartender if needed.

We started off with a bottle immediately since time was tight.

Our food came pretty quickly. I love me some white wine, I decided on the Riesling. It was light and crisp, delicious.

Charcuterie ($16) board. Now we're talking.
From left to right -- mystery meat (no idea what it is, not that great anyways), kielbasa, gerkins, soppresata, pepperoni, and mortadella.

Baked MacDougal n' Cheese ($9) was pretty impressive, very cheesy and the secret ingredient was mozzarella cheese.

We ordered some extra Bruschette ($12) since we had some more wine. From top to bottom -- ricotta and jam, mushroom and white truffle oil, squash with goat cheese and chutney, and hummus with cucumber and tsastiki.

I would love to come back because of the great happy hour deal. But to secure a seat would mean to come early. This spot will definitely be on my list when summer comes since there's summer Fridays!

8th Street Wine Cellar
28 W 8th St
New York, NY 10011
(212) 260-9463

Wild Edibles - An early affordable aphrodisiac coming my way

One of the best places for happy hour since it occurs everyday from 12-6pm. It's early but totally worth it.

J and I came for lunch around 1pm, good thing we were able to snatch seats at the bar because it was quite packed.

There was a small section of a fish market inside the restaurant. They sell their seafood by the pound there and during our lunch there, 2 people came for this...interesting.

I had a glass of Reisling White Wine ($9) while J had the Narrgansett Lager ($4) that came with 1/2 dozen of oysters. Quite a good deal for him.

We started off with a dozen of oysters, that day's special were Bluepoint ($.99 each). So delicious and succulent. For less than a dollar an oyster, we placed another order of a dozen oysters. They were so plump and meaty. Usually at happy hour, restaurants would give you the puny and meatless oysters because you're paying a cheaper price for it, but not here. Wild Edibles gives you quality even if the price they charge you is low.

For main, I got the Oyster Po'boy ($12.99). Going to avoid the next time I go there. The wrap was filled with cole slaw which made it taste like I was eating a plain lettuce wrap. I wasn't too impress with this. On the other hand, the fries were amazing...too bad I couldn't finish it.

A round of applause for J again for choosing the best dish (rolls eye). The Grilled Tuna Steak Club ($14.99) was the best fish sandwich I had ever devour. Hands down the best. The tuna was tender and grilled lightly so you can taste the fishy flesh within the sandwich. Tasted a bit like chicken if you ask me. I need to go back for this. I had to share half with J, at least he gave me half right?

I'm returning for sure, maybe some time soon since I can't stop thinking about the tuna club now.

Wild Edibles
535 3rd Ave
New York, NY 10016
(212) 213-8552

M Star Cafe - Reminding me of what I once had

Occasionally, J and I would go out for breakfast. It's easy to find a diner here but for an authentic Hong Kong style breakfast, it's a challenge. What I mean by authentic or even close enough to an HK breakfast would be ordering by the letter. That's right, you didn't read wrong...ordering by letters. HK is all about being quick, so just saying the letter A, B, C, D, E, etc...can mean 2-3 items in your meal.

J went to M Star before so he knows what to expect. M Star is actually the closest you can get to some authentic HK breakfast. If you want to know how it feels like in HK, this place can definitely give you a glimpse/feel to it.

J got the C meal and I got the D meal. Both includes a drink, coffee or milk tea unless you feel adventurous, then go ahead and mix the two (there is a such a thing). Both of our meal include toast, but J got the egg...

My Satay Beef w/ Instant Noodle came in a decent size bowl, but it was packed with noodles. The satay beef gave a nice kick to the entire dish. Even though this might be really simple to make as home (I mean, hello...it's just instant noodles right?) but the idea of going to a restaurant for it just makes it that much better knowing that I didn't have to cook it and I wouldn't have to clean it, yay!

J's Macaroni w/ Ham, yet another simple dish but so comforting. This is refreshing and tasted clean, hearty and filling at the same time.

And because that wasn't enough, knowing our greedy-asses we got the Pan Fried Steamed Rice Noodle ($3). We both never had rice noodle pan fried before so it instantly caught our eyes. Deliciously crunchy and smothered in the sweet sauce and peanut sauce. I just wished they cut it into smaller pieces...

Overall, great place for some Cantonese breakfast. Might be a bit packed in the morning but if you're a small group of 2-3, spots open up within 5-10 minutes.

M Star Cafe
19 Division St
New York, NY 10002
(212) 966-8988

Hong Kong: Rice Noodles

Prior to dinner, J wanted to take me to 林記小食 for a quick bite. We were in Sai Kung (西貢) for a seafood dinner and since we were in the area, 林記 was a must visit.

It's very much like your average Dai Pai Dong (大牌檔) that has rice noodles with the sauces, fish balls, chicken, etc all on skewers.

We got the rice noodles with fish balls. I think why J likes it here is because of the peanut sauce. We don't have that here in NYC much and seeing it in its glory is quite satisfying. Plus eating everything with just a skewer stick is quite fun. It's a great snack and quick too. The perks of being in Hong Kong - never be hungry.

Hong Kong: - Tai Hing "Fast Food"

What Hong Kong-ers call fast food is totally different than the states. We usually consider burgers and fries fast food because they're quick, easy, and can be consume on the go. HK's fast food is quick also, the process of ordering and arrival can take less than 5 minutes, pretty close to the wait at McDonald's for a Big Mac. But instead of a messy burger, I can pretty much get a gourmet meal and be seated (and no top required).

These fast food like cafes are really popular in HK, so don't be surprise to see it packed with people. You have to look through the menu quick, they usually have specials that are pretty cheap and includes a drink (score!).

At Tai Hing (太興) J and I ordered the hot and iced Milk Tea (奶茶) because we were curious. And plus, because his uncle said they had the best milk tea...

The Hot Milk Tea was nothing special, though it desperately needed sugar.

Ah...their well-known Iced Milk Tea that is kept in a bowl with ice around it. Clever way to keep the milk tea cold but doesn't dilute the flavor. Because of that, it tasted really strong which I don't like. J on the other hand prefers this much more.

I had this delicious thin rice noodles sauteed with beef, bean sprouts and green onions. Classic dish in HK, aka 干炒牛河. I never usually order it here in NYC just because it looks like the noodles are swimming in oil and there isn't much flavor. But having it in HK is totally different, everything just taste better there. I kid you not.

J's had the 8 Precious Rice (八寶飯), this was a first. I only see 3 in the states, but 8 different kinds of ingredients totally caught our eyes, especially J's. The meal was extremely satisfying and everything was excellent. This is some good fast food, I'd eat this every time someone ask me to go out for fast food.

Dassara Brooklyn Ramen - Disappointment comes with a well worth price

Dassara was on Serious Eats and totally got J and my attention when they featured their infamous Deli Ramen. But I was pretty disappointed...

We got greeted right when we got through the door and got seated right away, no need to wait here. Our waiter was extremely friendly and ended up making one of our dish complimentary because it came late. Excellent service!

I knew J wanted to try the Tendon Tots ($8) because it was something out of the ordinary and the name was quite appealing. The dish contained only 6 pieces of tots, tendon that was deep-fried and paired with a "coke" sauce. It wasn't anything special, crunchy on the outside and gelatinous ont he inside.

This was my favorite dish and also the one that became complimentary, which made it taste even better! This Winter Chicory Salad ($10) had a lot going on in the dish but everything worked so well with each other. I thought the tofu croutons was a genius idea and a pouched egg in a salad, now that's a first.

My Deli Ramen ($15) which wasn't worth the price at all. I would save that $15 and spend it on another Winter Chicory Salad. The ramen was very plain with only 2 thin pieces of pastrami from Mile End, 3 mini matzo balls, a pouched egg, a few bamboo shoots and a ton of scallions. Even though everything was a thumbs down for me, the noodles was very good. Cooked perfectly al-dente, the wavy noodles were the best part.

J's Curried Goat & Bone Marrow Mazeman ($14) was the bomb! So aromatic and delicious. This bowl didn't have much broth which is perfectly fine because it tasted even better like that. This is a must order for Dassara.

So, screw the Deli Ramen and get everything else on the menu. Trust me, you won't regret it. Getting the Deli Ramen will be regretful.

Dassara Brooklyn Ramen
271 Smith St
Brooklyn, NY 11231
(718) 643-0781

Restaurant Week: Brasserie Ruhlmann

J's friend decided to make reservation for Brasserie Ruhlmann, I didn't know about it until after the reservations were made. To say the least, I wasn't that thrilled about this meal. But nonetheless, I tried to enjoy it since it's right in the center of Rockefeller Center.

We came a bit earlier than our reservation but got seated anyways. The service here was pretty dam great.

Complimentary Bacon Poppers, not bad but not so great either.

Bread came also, which wasn't that bad. The butter was a bit bland but very creamy, wish I had some salt on the table for the butter.

Since the menu had 3 appetizers, 3 entrees and 3 desserts to chose from. We thought of getting all of them and just share it among each other but our waiter said one of the entree wasn't worth getting and somehow persuaded J's friend to order the same thing as J...

Starting with appetizers, there was the Mushroom Veloute, Winter Squash Risotto and the Asparagus & Bucheron Salad. The salad was the lightest whereas the soup and the risotto was very heavy in taste and felt overly seasoned.

Entree came right after our plates of appetizer were taken away. I had the Free Range Chicken Fricassee (left) while the others had the Braised Short Rib (right). The short rib was too sweet for my liking but I did enjoy my chicken. Still a bit salty but not too bad.

The moment we were waiting for, the menu on the website stated they would have the Passion Fruit Crepe Souffle but instead it was replaced by something else! Extremely disappointed. From the left going clockwise, Banana Tart & Maple Sauce, Bittersweet Chocolat Pudding and Winter Fruit Panacota. None of the dessert stood out which made it just a mediocre meal.

We did get some fresh macarons on the house. They were actually a lot better than the desserts we had, odd.

Two main reasons why this meal wasn't up to par --
1) It's a tourist trap, literally right across from the skating rink of Rockefeller Center.
2) Restaurant week menus are usually quite dull and never presented the best (but there are exceptions!)

Being it was $38 per head, the price went up from $35 from last Restaurant Week. Another reason not to participate in RW because of the price increase and quality of food. If I'm going to a restaurant, I want to be able to enjoy the food regardless of the price. I'm willing to pay for good quality. If I didn't care, then I would be going to McDonalds...

Brasserie Ruhlmann
45 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10111
(212) 974-2020