2009 March « WeCouldEat @ the GrubHub

Not Your Mama’s Banh Mi

March 26, 2009 — wecouldeat

I have only been familiar with Vietnamese sandwiches, Banh Mi, for about a year, but I think they are pretty special. They are traditionally made of pork, beef, pate, or chicken, covered with pickled carrots and daikon, onions, cucumbers, cilantro, jalapeño peppers and a mayonnaise spread. The salty meat combined with the sweet, acid, and spicy flavors combined on a crusty French baguette, makes for a truly original sandwich.

Baoguette
61 Lexington Ave (25/26), NYC

I have had Banh Mi a few times, but none better than Baoguette. This little shop, a renovated Blimpies, offers a few salads and noodle dishes, but the standout, as the name suggests, is the Banh Mi. The bread come right from the oven and the toppings and flavor combos are unique and very satisfying. We had the BBQ CHICKEN: Pickled Daikon, Cilantro, Cucumber, Garlic Aoli; SLOPPY BAO: Spicy Curry Beef, Green Mango, Basil, Lemongrass; and CAT FISH: Cucumber Relish, Pickled Red Onion, Honey Mustard Sauce. From some reason we skipped the namesake Baoguette, but there’s always next time. As Spud said, if this place was a block from work, she’d eat it daily. She could too, as all the sandwiches are $5-$7. Besides the food, I like that the owners try hard, and know their customer base. They have a nice website, are interested in getting press and may be affiliated with Bao Noodles and Bao 111, although I’m not sure. I wouldn’t be surprised if one ends up on Spud’s block, the owners seem ambitious. I think Baoguette is superior to Nicky’s Vietnamese Sandwiches and deserves a GOLDEN BONZNE for its quality, value, and converting an old Blimpies.

Posted in gramercy, one trick pony, vietnamese. 1 Comment »

An Amazing Restaurant Week Meal…

March 26, 2009 — wecouldeat

Nobu Next Door
105 Hudson Street (Franklin)

The two month extended NYC Restaurant Week is now over, but before it ended, we were able to get in one AMAZING meal at Nobu Next Door. Now I have never been to Nobu, but was at Next Door over 10 years ago and have dreamed about the Miso Black Cod ever since. I can’t imagine Nobu is much different than Next Door since the menu and decor are very similar, and to eat a 3-course meal here for $35 is something special indeed. We arrived early, 6pm, so there were a few tables filled with kids, but well-healed Tribeca kids, used to weekday Nobu meals. The decor is dark and elegant, modern and serious, and so is the food.

The first course was crab meat tempura in broth with pickled jalapeno slices. It was fantastic as the coating melded with the meaty crab and bursted with flavor in the sweet, salty and spicy broth. The second course was Nobu’s signature dish, Miso Black
Cod. It is my favorite fish dish of all time, and somehow lived up to the hype in my head. The cod flakes with a fork and the flavor is unbelievably rich, which it should be, considering it has been marinated for three days. Many other eateries have imitated this dish, but no one I know of can equal it. Surprisingly, the dessert was not a let down, as it often can be in Asian restaurants. The mystery box turned out to be a delicious chocolate souffle with green tea ice cream. A perfect, decadent dessert to end a perfect meal. Restaurant Week is always a risky bet, but if Nobu Next Door appears again, do not hesitate. It is the best RW dinner we have ever had.

(We felt too intimidated to take photos, so your imagination will have to suffice.)

Posted in japanese, tribeca. 1 Comment »

Ever have Druse cooking?

March 4, 2009 — wecouldeat

Gazala Place
709 9th Ave (49th), Hell’s Kitchen

We recently went to Gazala Place a little storefront in Hell’s Kitchen that has been getting significant press as a quality cheap eat. Mediterranean food always sounds good to us, as it is generally flavorful, cheap and healthy. Even before we walked through the door, we saw a woman baking burekas right in the front window, and knew we were in for a treat. Apparently, Gazala Place specializes in Druse cuisine, food from the mountains of Syria, Lebanon and Israel. We had some familiar basics: a platter of falafel, baba ghanouj, hummus and tabbouleh. All contained bright, fresh flavors. We also tried a few dishes new to us: Mankosha Zatar Pie – fresh baked pita shell topped with oregano, olive oil and sesame seed and Lahem Bel Ageen Meat Pie – fresh baked pita shell topped with chopped meat, tomato sauce, sun dry tomato and pine nuts. Both were excellent. The Zatar pie was so simple, yet so flavorful. The sesame seed crust provided a rugged texture that brought out the olive oil and oregano. The meat pie balanced all the flavors by adding pine nuts and sun dried tomatoes. Of course we had to finish with one of those big puffy burekas. This one had goat cheese(!), our most hated food, yet it was mild and combined with super flaky, doughy goodness, it was delicious.

So next time you are in Hell’s Kitchen and want to try a new cuisine, Gazala Place is very approachable and comforting. I’m giving it a Golden Bonzone.

goldenbonzone