Pho Fans

March 18, 2008 — wecouldeat

Bao Noodles
391 Second Ave (22/23), NYC

I have been wanting to try some good Vietnamese food for a long time. My only other experiences with the cuisine have been at Penang, Saigon Grill and Vermicelli, all on the UES and all not very authentic, from what I could tell. As soon as saw the facade of Bao Noodles, I immediately liked it. The window has the lettering and vertical type of a French bistro and the red paint on the frame is bold. The vibe inside is not like a typical staid Chinese restaurant, but laid-back and filled with interesting looking people. Everything on the menu looked enticing and we finally settled on two different types of pho and a sandwich to share. I had the beef stew pho which was filled with chunks of tender beef and slippery noodles. Spud went out on a limb and had pho with shrimp, squid, quail eggs and noodles. They were both deeply satisfying and counteracted the freezing weather outside. We are now pho fans. We didn’t need more, but of course we had to try a sandwich. I have been hearing a lot about these sandwiches, and although the typical is pate and meat, we got a chicken one, because we were scheduled for pate later in the day (life is tough). It was flavorful and light with red onion, carrot, lettuce and a typical vinegar sauce. It was tasty and will get me to try other Vietnamese sandwiches, like Nicky’s, quite soon. Bao deserves a Golden Bonzone. The food was interesting, cheap, tasty and flavorful, the atmosphere was enjoyable to boot. I will definitely return.
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Posted in GOLDEN BONZONE, gramercy, vietnamese. 3 Comments »

Such a dainty name for such hearty food….

March 18, 2008 — spud

Pink Tea Cup
42 Grove Street (Bedford/Bleeker), NYC

We are the anti-Valentine’s Day couple…..I mean, not completely. We acknowledge its existence and WeCouldEat and I are always willing to take the opportunity to say how much we love and appreciate one another (yes, we are annoyingly happy and even more frustratingly not afraid to admit it!) But, we do refuse to pay double the amount for food in Manhattan just because of the Hallmark Holiday (we feel similarly about New Year’s Eve). So, we use it as just another excuse to find a fun hole-in-the-wall establishment to raid in the city. This year we went to The Pink Tea Cup, a small Southern soul food joint. Do not be fooled by the unassuming name……The Pink Tea Cup is small in size, as is the menu, but the food packs a heavy calorie laden, deep fried wallop. Fans of soul food will be exceedingly happy here. If you are watching your diet, just keep walking and don’t stop in. If you’re like us and you believe that you need to eat large amounts of every type of food every once in a while, then journey in and take a seat. The service is friendly and you can take a look at all of the famous people who have dined here over the years as you debate between fried chicken, smothered pork chops and chicken fried steak. I went for the smothered pork chops and my hubster had the fried chicken and we both had the collard greens and black eyed peas to go along with it. It came with heavily buttered corn bread and a very salty chicken soup and just when you could not handle any more food, they serve you a large hunk of super-sweet bread pudding. Now, we don’t get stuffed easily, and if you know my husband’s love affair with pudding, than you would not believe that we couldn’t eat more than a bite or two of that dessert. The smothered pork chop was heavenly……covered in a hearty batter and deep fried and smothered in a rich dark gravy. The sides were flavorful and meaty (as all good southern greens should be!). I just loved watching all of the other diners ingest large plates of fried foods and mac-n-cheese. The music was perfect, as well. Check this place out when you’re in the mood for a completely soulful night……what better way to say “I love you”!?
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Posted in down home, west village. 1 Comment »

Pirogies and Borscht at 3AM?

March 18, 2008 — wecouldeat

Veselka
144 Second Ave @ 9th, NYC

I have been going to Veselka for a long time. In fact, whenever I am out late, hungry and in the East Village, Veselka is the first place that pops into my head. For one thing, it is open 24/7 and is always packed with young, drunk people, although not annoying ones, somehow. It’s pirogies, potato pancakes, burgers, and desserts are all good late night drinking comfort food. On this particular night, Spud and I had not been drinking (only coffee) and it wasn’t really late, only 11 pm, but we had a jonsing for some good Ukranian cuisine. Generally, I order the six-piece pirogi sampler. But this time, because we weren’t drunk, most likely, we ordered the Eastern Europe vegetarian combo platter. We both got borscht – served warm – that was actually pretty tasty. We got a huge platter of three pirogies (cheese, potato and spinach), kasha (which is definitely NOT my favorite) and stuffed peppers. It was a ton of food, although not sure why we didn’t get meat at an Eastern European place? But it was interesting to venture out. Plus, the prices are dirt cheap. Veselka remains a favorite of mine, partially for nostalgic reasons and partially because it’s a New York original. It’s food quality isn’t spectacular, but it gets a Golden Bonzone anyway. I mean in what other city can you order Pirogies and Borscht at 3AM??
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Posted in GOLDEN BONZONE, east village, eastern europe. Leave a Comment »

Local Italian Rocks, Baby!

March 18, 2008 — spud

Il Bambino
34-08 31st Avenue (34/35), Astoria

Go to Il Bambino if you live in Astoria. Even if you don’t live in Astoria, you should go to Il Bambino. Why? Because it’s exactly what a local eatery should be. The menu is small…..only a few crostini, salads and paninis. The establishment is small, it only seats 24. The man who runs it is behind the counter and there is a large pig painted on the wall to illustrate where every cut of delicious pig meat is from. Really, it’s quite educational. As you dive into your crusty panini with a small layer of salty prosciutto, arugula and lemon oil you can stare at the pig and learn that that cured delicacy you are eating is found in the flank of the beast. The vibe here is cool, as are the wait staff who are attentive, yet laid-back. We dined on a salad of chickpeas and spicy arugula with croutons and shared the egg salad crostini sprinkled with white truffle oil and crunched into a perfect panini. It reminded us exactly of how wonderfully simplistic and fresh real Italian cuisine is. In fact, I believe that Il Bambino is as close as you will get to the real thing……those of you that have been to Italy understand the simplicity and beauty of the food, and Il Bambino respects that.
Best and certainly not least, you must have one, (or more) or the delicious cupcakes that Il Bambino makes. We eat a lot of cupcakes, but Il Bambino’s are some of the best we’ve had! We have tried all different kinds (thanks to Litza for bringing so many to our SuperBowl gathering)…..there are cherry cheesecake, PB&J, Brownie, lemon, strawberry, chocolate, snowball…..ect. So tasty and super-worth it! The coffee is rich and lovely as well.
Go there and live la dolce vita!!!
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Posted in GOLDEN BONZONE, astoria, italian. 1 Comment »

Southwest/Manhattan comes to Astoria

March 18, 2008 — wecouldeat

There have been several Manhattan style restaurants that have come to our part of Astoria (north of Triboro and GCP) in the past few years. Places like Wave Thai and Athens Tavern have fit in well and have been positive additions to the neighborhood. When we first came across Mojave, it surprised us like no previous restaurant. We are big fans of Southwestern flavors and were more than a little excited to have this new trendy looking eatery on our main street.

Mojave
22-36 31st Street, Astoria

We have now tried it twice for brunch and have been disappointed. On our first visit, I enjoyed the huevos rancheros very much- although it could have been the giant margarita talking. Spud thought her peccadillo of beef was flavorless, as it was just a large bowl of rice and beef that should have been much more flavorful. The service was decent considering it had just opened and the chips were warm and homemade.

On our second visit a couple of weeks later, we were both thoroughly disappointed. The menu had changed a little and there were some new interesting items. I had this eggs benedict crab dish, that the waiter assured me was fantastic, even though he doesn’t eat crab. It was completely flavorless, and not just lacking spice, but I couldn’t even taste the crab. For a SW restaurant, there should be some flavor. I am not saying every dish needs habanero peppers, I am saying it should taste like something, not some bland dish that I could order at any brunch anywhere. Spud ordered another signature dish, the hash with three kinds of meat. Again, it was flavorless and mostly chunks of potato. The guy at the next table sent the dish back because it had too many potatoes. The chips were not the same quality as the first time and the waiter was trying too hard, and not in a good way.

So, while Mojave is not awful, it’s brunch at least, is nothing out of the ordinary and it does not really fit in with this neighborhood. Restaurants in our Astoria are neighborhood joints that put the food and hospitality as primary importance. Trendy is fine, if it can be backed up with solid food and service. Mojave is trying to capitalize on its big space (which is quite nice), drinks and trendy vibe. I would try it again for lunch, or happy hour with friends, but sadly I can’t imagine that it will ever be grub-worthy. Why are there no genuine SW cuisine in NYC??? Mesa Grill comes closest, but it’s not like anywhere in Santa Fe….it’s quite odd…..
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Posted in astoria, southwestern. 3 Comments »

Follow Me to the Cafe….

March 18, 2008 — spud

Follow Me Cafe
145 East 62nd Street (Lex/3rd), NYC

After working on the Upper East Side for the second year in a row, I’ve come to realize that lunch options are ridiculously over-priced and hardly appetizing. Sure, I’ve found a great local coffee shop by Hunter College that makes wonderful chai lattes and has incredible homemade soups, and the street meat surrounding the college always smells tantalizing, though I’ve yet to try any yet, and I definitely support my local fruit vendors…..but when it comes to a great sit-down, reasonable establishment that suits my style and decor and not one of an uppity east sider, it’s taken me a while. Luckily, I happened upon the “Follow Me Cafe” located on East 62nd off of Lexington. Now, it is not super-cheap…..nothing in this neighborhood really is, but the decor is awesome……very small, seats only 18 people, but it’s dark and comforting (you’ll be shocked by how deeply you sink into the cushions on the chairs!). The best part of this place is the food. They serve fresh sandwiches and salads and wonderful crepes. It is not only open for lunch, it serves breakfast starting at 8am and serves food all day until around 10pm at night. The prices range from $8 through $13, but the ingredients are fresh and interesting, like goose pate with caramelized onions, or a panini with proscuitto, black mission figs, gorgonzola and rosemary oil. All sandwiches are served with a nice amount of organic greens and a lovely light salad dressing. When we went, we tried the balsamic grilled chicken with arugula, roasted bell peppers and avocado spread and the ratatouille crepe. Both were wonderful and the crepe was surprisingly large and filling. They have a lovely sweet crepe section for desserts and a nice menu with coffee drinks. Overall, I will definitely return to try other offerings on the menu and feel fortunate to have found a wonderful cafe with great food that does not make my skin crawl!
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Posted in american, cafe, ues. Leave a Comment »

“A place between Naples and France”

March 18, 2008 — spud

Istria Sports Club
29-08 Astoria Blvd, Astoria

Kaoveve
Hoyt Avenue South near 23rd Street, Astoria

Despite what you might think, this is not an entry about Italy at all. In fact, it is an entry about overcoming fear and trepidation in Astoria……there have been two places that the Astoria Crew has been curious about for some time. One is a restaurant called “The Istria Sport Club” located on Astoria Blvd, sporting a tantalizing menu of Istrian classic dishes, but also looking exceedingly unwelcoming with a large metal door with no windows and the impression that it is only a male establishment. The other, a new wine bar located on Astoria Park South called “Kaoveve” and pronounced “Kaf-en-ay” phonetically. This place was originally called “Steve’s Place” and was filled to the brim with older Greek gentlemen with cigars and cigarettes drinking expresso and playing cards every day. This was a place where little ‘ole Spud had to walk by on her way to the subway where she could actually feel the men’s eyes boring holes into her…..the testosterone simply creating a large barrier and unwelcoming spirit, no matter how many times Bleff said that they had the best Frappe’s ……Spud could not stand the thought of entering the establishment.
So, imagine the Astoria Crew’s surprise when we decided to tackle both of these haunts in one night! And, of course, lots of fun ensued. In order to get to the restaurant portion of the Istria Sports club, you need to walk down a narrow staircase, whereupon you will enter a small room with quaint Croatian overtones……and then onto the back room, which is large and opens out onto a full patio, which must be awesome in the summer time. Overall, the interior was not in the least scary or intimidating.
Finally, the food! We asked our waiter to bring us out some house specialties and so he brought us some fried fish, fried calamari, a soup (massive bowl) with kielbasa, beans, barley, and vegetables in this smoky broth. Then the main dishes of meat, veal and assorted sausages, and a handmade pasta dish with a slow-cooked veal sauce…..they were all amazing and highly recommended. All of this with a huge bottle of wine kept us quite satiated and the best part being that the food and drink was dirt cheap! Overall, this was a hugely wonderful experience and everyone in the neighborhood should go.
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On to Kaoveve! We were already a little drunk as we walked through the door and were met immediately with a warm welcome from all of the locals and the wait staff practically fell over each other helping us out. The owner (Costas) immediately set us up in the back room with free appetizers of hummus and vegetables and cheese and pita and a really tasty sausage with beautiful glasses of free champagne with blueberries and strawberries floating in them. The glasses of wine we ordered were gigantic and delicious. The back room is enclosed and there is semi-loud music playing, but it is a nice place to hang out with friends.
Since I started this post, Kaoveve has actually grown to be an actual restaurant. WeCouldEat and I have not been back to dinner there yet, but we run into Costas all the time and some of our friends have been back and said that although the new menu is small, the food is quite good. We are looking forward to checking it out!
By the way, the explanation of the title of this post is that there was an older Greek woman in Kaoveve when we were in there, and we asked what the name meant and it sounded like a heavily accented “Place between Naples and France”……we later realized that she had said, “A place for your neighbors and friends”…..very fitting.
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Posted in astoria, eastern europe, greek. Leave a Comment »

Devouring the Spring

March 14, 2008 — wecouldeat

After more than a month of uninspired eating, the WeCouldEaters are back!! Spring is one of the best times of year for feeding frenzies, and the GrubHub has all kinds of plans. Last spring, was a BBQ bonanza, which was quite enjoyable. This year, we are going to concentrate on outer-borough ethnic eateries. Who needs to cross the globe? Pho, Pirogies, Arepas… We’ve got the genuine Grub in our backyard. We will have some new eating tours around NYC, and we may even take WeCouldEat on the road! Eat your heart out…

A big shout-out to Mr. Headphones for keeping the Inside Dishes flowing…

Posted in cuisine, neighborhood. Leave a Comment »