Rice

292 Elizabeth St, Manhattan (also Dumbo and Ft. Greene locations)
www.riceny.com


Oh my! I've been away too long.

But Rice brought me back. I love this place. I've only been to the Nolita location, although my friend Kristy lives right around the corner from the Fort Greene one (call me!). I was introduced to Rice by Anna, and most recently took my sister Liz to show her one of my favorite corners of New York. It doesn't hurt that I saw Moby the first time I went in...but enough name dropping, let's get down to the food.


I must admit I've only had the vegetarian meatballs, because they are so good I can't fathom trying anything else. The first time I went I ordered the thai black rice with edamame (at an additional charge), although I've since had the meatballs (seasoned tofu balls) with brown rice and still love them. The small size is enough for lunch, unless you are super hungry. I order the sweet rather than spicy sauce (sweet is still a tad spicy), and you get a fun sauce caddy so that you can add spiciness or soy sauce as you wish. I also sampled Liz's black beans and rice--a classic, like she said, although I must say Ryan and my black beans are rather peerless--and Ryan liked his pad thai...even though he was disappointed it didn't come with rice, but R's literacy is another blog topic.

Since we had a visitor (and my mom as absent patron), we decided to turn our humble lunch into a feast. Ryan had an iced Jack's coffee (yum!), and since Liz was fighting a cold, she and I each ordered tea and sampled the variety of honey test tubes (all great, but all just good quality honey at the end of the day). I loved my lavendar mint tea. And if beverages weren't enough, we each had a dessert--Ryan had the molten chocolate cupcake (warm and gooey and absolutely fantastic), and Elizabeth and I had the ice cream sandwiches (you get to pick three of four varieties), which are actually made with gelato. My favorite was an oatmeal cranberry cookie with ginger gelato--que magnifique! (I just had a mild panic attack when skimming their web menu, because it appears as if the ice cream sandwiches have been removed....let's all ask Santa to make sure they reappear if this is true. Seriously.) Strikingly spicy ginger candy also comes with the check, helping remind me that ginger is a favorite of mine (now where did I set that dark & stormy?).


All said, I'm sure I will return to Rice many, many times (the bottomless mimosa brunch, while lacking in actual rice, sounds fantastic), and if you take my advice, you just might spy a vegan electronic music nerd as icing on the....gelato sandwich.

4 petals
ethnic variety, affordable, veg-friendly, fabulous desserts

Photos by me (two top) and Liz (bottom).

Clover Club

210 Smith St, Brooklyn
www.cloverclubny.com


Speakeasy part two.

Earlier this summer Ryan, Sara, Bryant and I brunched at the Clover Club in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. We were delighted by the steampunk vibe, the dark wood and eclectic antique furniture. We were treated to a corner booth in the back room, which was empty except for us. Having read that the Clover Club is known for their cocktails, I sampled a Blackberry Collins ($9), and Sara had the Sloe and Low ($10). I'm no connoisseur and am new to gin drinks especially (having previously been a vodka grrl), but I can honestly say that was the BEST cocktail I have ever had. I dream about it at night, and on Saturday mornings I think longingly of revisiting Clover Club's liquid brunch. The blackberry-ness was perfect and rich and a beautiful color to boot. I also sampled Sara's drink, which was its own version of loveliness, but I would order another Blackberry Collins in a heartbeat.

Enough syrupy goodness. I loved my food--the special omelette ($10), which was asparagus on the day we visited. I even drooled over the jam that came with the sourdough toast. Everyone else liked their food although they weren't quite as enamored as I. It must have been something in the gin that colored my senses. Added to the steampunk vibe--illustrated a bit humorously when the staff attempted to pull out a hidden television to show the World Cup, yet it took about four employees to figure out how to turn it on--and I had quite a magical brunch experience.

But then I always was one for anachronisms, asparagus, brunch, and blackberries. Worth making the journey back to Brooklyn any time.

4 petals
fantastic cocktails, steampunk decor, tasty brunch options

Photo of Sara and I by Ryan Warner.

Death & Company

6th St btwn 1st Ave and Ave A, Manhattan
www.deathandcompany.com


With the launch of HBO's much heralded Boardwalk Empire, there has never been a better time to visit a modern speakeasy. The Lower East Side's Death and Company will meet your every Prohibition-era desire, and then some. (Yet something tells me the cocktails weren't nearly this elaborate or tasty while liquor was officially on the lam.)

Ryan and I met my cousin Katy at Death and Company for dinner, and nearly walked right past the cleverly boarded-up storefront. A host, who resembled Jude Law prior to hair loss and turning orange, leisurely stood on the sidewalk and quickly shuffled us inside. We lucked out with a corner booth, and the service was prompt and friendly.

The bar isn't the greatest place for dinner if you want a wide range of options, but we found enough to meet our needs: Ryan and Katy both chose the pulled pork sliders ($12), which were served with little dollops of apple potato salad. (Actually Katy originally chose the lobster brioche rolls, but they were out.) I had the truffle macaroni ($10), which was served on a tray in a row of soup spoons. The macaroni was garlicky and great, if not hugely plentiful (I ended up eating again once back in Queens). While my companions stuck to beer, I tried the bella luna cocktail ($13): gin, st. germain elderflower, lemon juice and creme yvette. It was petite and red and pretty in a tiny glass, and tasted like a more complicated version of gin and grapefruit juice.

We once again had to wait awhile for our check, which gave us time to scope out all of the couples on date night (is every cocktail they make red? Katy said she felt like we were in a vampire bar, which prompted a True Blood discussion) and the dark gold flecked walls. One curiosity: the menu does not feature any vodka cocktails (although vodka recipes are included on their website's handy do-it-yourself cocktail list). Was vodka impossible to find during Prohibition?

Perhaps Nucky will let me know.

3 petals
speakeasy charm, great cocktails, good food; small portions

Photo by Kevin Gray

A Note about the Photography.

To launch the blog I have been borrowing photos from other sources online--some, like Ben Shirai's, are used with permission from his Flickr folder, while others are (shhhh...) stolen--but in spite of my anti-copyright leanings I do want to respect the creators' wishes and rights. That said, I can't promise to be a perfect angel from here on out, but henceforth I will do my best to keep my camera with me at all times and create original photography as well as text. And anything I create can be shared or reproduced under my Creative Commons license.

This photo by Ryan Warner, which (almost) counts as me.

Tulcingo del Valle

10th Ave near 47th St, Manhattan
www.tulcingorestaurant.com


I might be a more devoted blogger if every restaurant was as inspiring as Tulcingo del Valle. Ryan and I met Demond at this 10th Avenue gem for a pre-show bite before Mrs. Warren's Profession, and it dutifully provided more than a bite--indeed, bites overflowing. (The play, by the way, was good, and I especially enjoyed Shaw's feminist monologues and the political undercurrent of the dialogue.) I never truly found a Mexican restaurant that satisfied my comfort-food-from-home cravings while in Boston (for gourmet Mexican, or fare from southern Mexico, does not taste of home). But now I can catch a train to Hell's Kitchen every time I need an enchilada fix, at least until I discover a place closer to my digs in Queens.

Tulcingo del Valle is a combination bodega/grocery/restaurant, with an extra dining room in an adjoining storefront (that was closed on the Sunday evening we visited). We sat next to soda refrigerators and under a TV that played telenovelas and world news in Spanish. The chips and salsa are not free, sadly, but are crunchy, fresh, and spicy; you'll have to go elsewhere for margaritas, but Tulcingo does serve beer, wine, and sangria (Demond had a Negro Modelo). We perused the expansive menu and were delightfully surprised by the size and quality of our plates: Demond had enchiladas Suizas with chicken and verde sauce; I had queso blanco enchiladas with mole; and Ryan had what he likes to call "the Mexican chicken," or the pollo a la mexicana plate. I loved the beans and rice, which came with a lump of guacamole, and even the mole was a bit spicy--much to my liking. Although I arrived hungry I couldn't quite finish my enchiladas, and I'm excited to go back and try many more vegetarian options. All three meals, plus appetizer, one Coke, and one beer, came to just over $50.

And the best perk? The check arrived, from our highly competent waitress, with three tiny boxes of Chiclets. ¡Dios mío! I might not have to move back to Texas after all.

4 petals
spicy, tasty Mexican; plentiful; cheap; off the beaten path (no tourists!); beer and wine

Photo by me.

Film Center Cafe

9th Ave btwn 44th and 45th, Manhattan
www.filmcentercafe.com


Ryan and I met Demond at the Film Center Cafe for brunch last weekend. It was surprisingly uncrowded for 12:30 on a Saturday (we've been other times on the weekends and had to wait, but this time we got a sweet corner booth). The cafe plays old movies on its tvs over the bar, which adds a bit of charm. Demond stuck with his regular--eggs benedict--and I got my semi-regular, eggs florentine. Ryan had three eggs with hash browns and toast. The boys had iced coffee, each with their own tiny pitcher of cream, and I pretended to be European and ordered an unlimited bellini ($15). So of course I had to get a refill to get my money's worth, which led to me needing a nap later in the afternoon (granted, Ryan and I also walked down to the High Line Park at 20th & 10th, so my poor toes needed a rest).

The eggs florentine ($12) was delightful, if the potatoes were a bit greasy. The eggs were poached just right and the spinach was seasoned well. I was only put off by the canned-peach-on-a-toothpick as garnish...not quite fresh fruit, but then maybe with my bellini it was just a syrupy peach overload. The service was prompt up until the end--once again, we had to wait an eon for the check--but that allowed for time to visit the swanky bathroom downstairs. All in all a lovely Saturday brunch outing.

3 petals
plentiful brunch options and beverages, film ambiance

Photo by John Saponara

Neptune Diner

31-05 Astoria Blvd at 31st St (Astoria Blvd N/Q Stop), Astoria
718.278.4853


If random internet trivia (from an unverified user review) is to be believed, a scene from Goodfellas was filmed at the Neptune Diner circa 1990. True or not, the diner is a neighborhood institution due to its longevity and high visibility from Astoria Boulevard (with two sides of the roof touting banners "Best Diner in Queens" and "Best Diner in New York City"--year unmentioned). I appreciated the nod to the (characteristically un-hip) diner in last year's NYTimes article about the prevalence of comedians in Astoria.

I've been to the diner twice now, the last time with Ryan, Sara, Bryant, and visitor Sam in tow. The best part of the experience may be the tacky-yet-coordinated decor, with colored lamps, blue vinyl furniture, a wall of mirrors and plentiful windows. The waiters (all are male) wear navy vests and bow ties, even at 2 a.m. Our waiter was a bit of a curmudgeon who shouted orders to a nearby underling and seemed resentful when Ryan pointed out that he had ordered a strawberry daquiri, not a strawberry milkshake. We found ourselves envying the overly friendly service by a different waiter directed at the table of semi-drunks next to us. Apparently nightlife at the Neptune depends upon the luck of the draw.

The most the diner has going for it is its 24-hour service, complete with lengthy cocktail menu (unlike other Astoria diners that don't serve alcohol). The food is cheap and plentiful, if poor quality, with pages and pages of menu ranging from breakfast to sandwiches and burgers to seafood and Greek specialties. The fresh sesame bread served prior to meals isn't outstanding, but it is warm and filling. But both times my entree has been underwhelming at best: a Swiss omelet that did justice to the description "greasy spoon," and a grilled cheese with tomato--the tomatoes were hard to the point of being inedible, and the accompanying cole slaw not to my liking. Ryan claims that the chicken and broccoli, doused in cream of mushroom soup, was just like something his mom or gramma would make--for better or worse. Bryant concurred that his food was like something you could eat at a family gathering--of dubious origin and nutritional value, but at least you didn't have to make it yourself.

There will probably be other late nights at the Neptune, but I certainly won't seek it out when craving actual sustenance. For vegetarians especially, a liquid-only order (the diner is named after the god of the sea) might be the best route.

1 petal
cheap, amusing decor, all night, alcohol; bad food

Photo copyright Ben Shirai, used with permission

Gallo Nero Wine Bar & Grill

44th St btwn 9th and 10th Aves, Manhattan
www.gallonerony.com



On a rainy evening in Manhattan, Ryan and I met up with the ever fashionable and feisty Taylor, who was in town on official business. We chose an Italian eatery near her hotel: Gallo Nero, which promised reasonably priced comfort food (and touted a critics' pick by New York Magazine). We sloshed through puddles and sidestepped drippy tourists to escape a bit of the Times Square din, landing upon this small eatery tucked around the corner from 9th Avenue. The big storm had not yet set in, so the glass doors along the front of the restaurant were open, and we received a cozy table in the back corner complete with miniature oil-lamp votives.

The wine list was plentiful although a bit pricey--I chose a $9 glass of cabernet, the cheapest option on the menu. Ryan wanted beer but opted to avoid the $30 craft offerings, with nothing less expensive available, so he stuck with water. I had the gnocchi, which was superb--soft and warm in a surprisingly spicy marinara sauce. Taylor finished off her mushroom risotto, which was served on a plentiful platter and had a richly chewy texture. Ryan opted for the grilled chicken/arugula salad, which he claims was "awesome," and I have to take his word for that one. Prior to dinner we were served bread with oil, which was okay but a bit too tough on my pearly whites.

My wallet prevented me from sampling the tiramisu, which was just as well since we had to wait an eon for our check. A lengthy discussion ensued about the availability of a restroom, which it turns out was tucked away beyond entrance to the kitchen. All in all a cozy rainy-day meal, but not an experience I'm enticed to repeat.

2 petals
cozy, nice ambiance, good entrees; pricey drinks, slow service, less-than-stellar bread


Photo by Shanna Ravindra

El Centro

54th St and 9th Ave, Manhattan
www.elcentro-nyc.com


On this bank holiday, the milagros of El Centro welcomed Ryan and I for lunch with cold air, free chips and salsa, and comfy bench seats. The chips are excellent and the salsa somewhat spicy--our only immediate disappointment was Ryan's flat Coke. I ordered the cheese enchiladas for $11, which come with plain black beans and Spanish rice, but the enchiladas themselves are excellent. They have a spicy red sauce and shredded lettuce and radish garnish on top. Ryan gave me his guacamole (from his chicken burrito as big as his head). All said we left very full and satisfied. No waiting and the air conditioning a major plus. Will surely visit again for sangria or margaritas at a more appropriate hour.

3 petals
reasonably priced, air, good decor, chips and salsa included

Birch Coffee

27th St between 5th and Madison, Manhattan
www.birchcoffee.com


Today I met Anne V., her brother, and his Aussie wife for brunch at Birch Coffee. The cafe is adjoined to the uniquely fronted Gershwin Hotel, and it was spacious and virtually empty on our nation's birthday. I sampled the vegetarian sandwich (smoked tofu, walnut pesto, tomatoes, and carrots on house-made focaccia) and a large iced coffee with milk. The veggie sandwich was good but too salty, as was the side salad, and my companions remarked that their food was mysteriously salty as well. Aussie Stacy had the grilled cheese sliders, which she described as little butter nuggets. I might stop in again for a beverage but I'll avoid the sandwiches. Maybe waffles next time.

3 petals
inexpensive, good beverages, not crowded