Entries Tagged 'Good' ↓
August 24th, 2007 — Beer, Good, Indian, Reviews, restaurant reviews
The Walman Restaurant Report
Chola
Rating: A+
Copyright 2007 by Punch In International Syndicate.
Chola, an attractive restaurant offering eclectic Indian cuisine, is one of the best small Indian restaurants in New York. Singular appetizers include "iddly," a southern specialty of steamed lentil and rice patties and "uthappam," a vegetable pancake. Also, masala "dosai," the magnificent crepe made with lentils and rice flour, wrapped around potatoes and a fiery chutney is a hard-to-find dish uptown.(See recipe below) For entrees, the standout is a wonderful chicken in a mild sauce with raisins & nuts. Curries are wonderful as well, and it’s wise to experiment with the Chola signatures, such as Roasted chicken tenders, raisins, bay leaf and cashew sauce and Lamb Pepper Fry (Spicy) Everything is special, including some terrific vegetable dishes (three versions of dal) and succulent seafood.
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August 5th, 2007 — Beer, Casual, Good, Inexpensive
ZIPPER FACTORY
Location/Phones: 336 W 37th at 9th Avenue NYC
THE ZIPPER THEATER 212.563.0485
ZIPPER FACTORY TAVERN & BALCONY BAR (212) 695-4600
Date Established: 3/2007
Concept: Zipper Factory is an converted factory housing a theater, tavern and bars. It is located at the edge of New York City’s Garment District and the intersection of one of its oldest ethnic food shopping strips, 9th Avenue.
The Space: Theater: 200 seats; Tavern: 80 seats; Balcony Bar-50 seats; outdoor bar-25 seats.
Cuisine: 9th Avenue Butcher Shop inspired Gastropub with a focus on charcrouterie.
Chef: Larry Kolar
Price Range: $25 and under
Signature Dishes: Home made sausages, kielbasas, salumi and condiments; pastas; meat balls.
Beverage Program: Focus on beers and whiskeys
Hours: Lunch, Pre-theater, Dinner, Late Night
Policies: Credit Cards: Visa, MasterCard and Amex.
Reservations: Recommended.
Wheelchair accessible
Zipper Theater and Zipper Factory Tavern & Balcony Bar
Award-winning website & blog, Punchin-dot-com, features the Walman Report and reviews of restaurants, travel, wine and theater. The building is an old zipper factory on the edge of the garment district. Home to The Zipper Theater and Zipper Factory Tavern & Balcony Bar.
Zipper Factory is inspired by London’s growing trend to mix pub culture with playhouse art. There are 3 bars, fabulous food by New York’s most versatile chef, chef Larry Kola, and history is recaptured through his home made charcuterie: sausages, kielbasas, salumi, meats, pastas & burgers.
Homey entrees include superlative roast chicken, home made kraut (the best I’ve ever tasted), potato chips that are to die for, AND the town’s best dessert: A Beer-Based-Frozen-Fudgesicle. With its really bellow-the-belt bar, great beer & wine list & late night menus, Zipper Factory Tavern & Balcony Bar, 336 W. 37th St., at 9th Avenue, is open from happy hour to pre-theater, through theater and into late night & is one of NY’s most unique restaurants.
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August 2nd, 2007 — Chile, Good, Wine
We just tried three wines from Chile that were "Carmenère-centric," meaning they had some of this offbeat grape in the blend or were based on the grape itself, as in the Rose, which was the most seductive of the lot. While we found the Sauvignon Blanc somewhat "green" to our tastes, the Cab was big, lush and full of lovely tannins. Want the whole story?
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June 24th, 2007 — Good, Inexpensive, restaurant reviews, upper East Side
Location/Phone: 1409 York Avenue @ 75th Street
New York, NY 10021
212-249-3700
Date Established: April 2007
Owner/Chef: Simon Mann
Cuisine: Intercontinental. Global sauces from around the world; French, Italian, Indian, Chinese and Greek sauces all paired with either a protein (chicken or fillet) or pasta of your choice. There are over 50 sauces to choose from. Each sauce is available with fish, meat, vegetable and pasty choices. Several desserts bear same trademark style.
Price Range: Appetizers: $5.00 – $12.00
Main Dishes: $16.00 – $21.00
Desserts: $7.00 – $10.00
Signature Sauces: Orange-Classic (French Orange Caramel Sauce), Vodka (Classic Italian Pink Vodka Sauce), Indian (Classic Indian Tandoori Sauce) Turquoise (Classic Italian Pesto & Cream) Shrimp (Classic Italian Shrimp Sauce)
Beverage Program: Wine & Beer
Designer/Architect: Roy Nachum www.roynachum.com
Policies: Credit Cards: Visa, MasterCard and Amex.
Reservations: Recommended.
Wheelchair Access: Restaurant, Bar, & Restrooms all at street level Hours: Lunch & Dinner 7 Days: 12:00PM – 11:30PM
The space is all about smell. Large burlap bags of various spices are hung from the ceiling, allowing a sweet aroma to take over the enclosed space. There is a mirror above the spice bags that allow patrons to see the reflection of the spices from their seats. The room seats 75. There is a large banquette covered in distressed brown leather placed around the right side of the room. The tables and chairs are all mahogany.
Despite the wacky concept, this friendly neighborhood restaurant has a lot to recommend it: supportive service, an owner that mixes with the customers and runs a neat ship, pleasant atmosphere and , wonder-of-wonders, order right and you’ll a have a very good meal.
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April 29th, 2007 — Expensive, Good, restaurant reviews
On December 5th, 2006, pioneering chef Dennis Foy opened his eponymous Contemporary American restaurant in Tribeca (313 Church Street). Estella Quiñones-Foy, Mr. Foy’s wife and longtime business partner, will oversee the front of the house. Mr. Foy, a self-taught chef, is “one of the [Garden] State’s founding fathers of haute cuisine” (Anthony Giglio, New Jersey Life, 3/1/06). He has owned and operated critically acclaimed restaurants in New Jersey and New York City for more than 30 years, including Mondrian and EQ in Manhattan and The Tarragon Tree in Meyersville, New Jersey.
In addition to being a chef, Mr. Foy is an accomplished landscape painter whose work is regularly exhibited at galleries. The walls of DENNIS FOY are lined with his seascapes and landscapes, painted in a vibrant, “Abstract Realist” style; all of the canvases are available for purchase. Complementing his paintings are multi-colored vaulted arches and silk-ribbed, cranberry-hued chandeliers that lend a warm, serene feel to the 60-seat dining room. In addition to the main dining room, there is an elegant, 30-seat private dining room downstairs in the wine cellar.
Estella and I want to imprint our personal stamp on the dining experience here. From the food on the plate to the paintings on the walls to the warm service, it all reflects our sensibility,” Mr. Foy said. “What’s more, we hope that through my style of cooking, the prices, and the atmosphere, the restaurant will be a great local spot for Tribeca residents and a dining destination in its own right.”
The cuisine at DENNIS FOY is satisfying, seasonal, French-influenced Contemporary American fare. Examples include: Warm Crabmeat Tian; Sea Scallops with Savoy Cabbage, Cèpes, and Parsnip Puree; and Roasted Loin of Lamb with Acorn Squash, Broccoli Rabe, and Black Pepper Gastrique. Some of the dishes are classics with an offbeat accent, such as Torchon of Foie Gras with “Eis and Snow”—a traditional treatment of foie gras served with an Eiswein gelée (a creative twist on the common beverage accompaniment), and a garnish of a “snow” powder made from foie gras.
The restaurant’s pastry chef is Kimberly Bugler, a French Culinary Institute graduate, who employs modern techniques in her globally-influenced desserts. For example, her Coconut Caramel Bar with Mango-Lime Sorbet receives an experimental touch with a small nest of “Lychee Ribbon,” made with agar and resembling miniature pappardelle. Ms. Bugler was a competitor in the 2005 National Pastry Team Championships and 2004 World Culinary Olympics.
The restaurant’s global wine list was crafted by Ivan Ruiz, a sommelier and wine consultant who has worked with Mr. Foy for almost two decades and spends part of the year in his native Argentina making his own wine. Highlights from the 100-label list are a 2005 Clos de la Vierge Jurancon Sec2002 Saviah Cellars Red Mountain Syrah (France, $40); a (USA, $70); and Mr. Ruiz’s own wine, a 2003 Moviada Cabernet Sauvignon (Argentina, $36).
DENNIS FOY is open for dinner Monday–Saturday, from 5:30–11 PM. The restaurant will open for lunch and weekend brunch in the Spring. For reservations, call 212-625-1007. To reach DENNIS FOY by subway, take the A, C, E, N, Q, R, W, or 6 trains to Canal Street, or the 1 train to Franklin Street.
