Spicing up Brunch with Paprika

This past Saturday I enjoyed a hearty brunch at the East Village’s up-and-coming unassuming eatery Paprika. With a crowd shortly after their 12pm brunch opening, I figure that East Village dwellers are tweeting phenomenal reviews across the web or their $12 brunch is JUST that good. Could it be both? I was about to find out.

First off, arriving at Paprika at 12pm was the smartest thing we could have done. On my walk over I noticed enormous crowds waiting outside of other St. Marks favorites like Cafe Orlin and Cafe Mogador – tsk, tsk. By 12:45, Paprika was already packed with large groups of hungry brunch fiends like myself. And who could really blame us with a $12 brunch including coffee or tea, orange juice, and a healthy selection of main courses — we were pumped!

Our party of five ordered the Scrambled Green Eggs, Polenta and Salsa Cruda and the Mushroom and Fontina Omelette with Sausages and Tomatoes. Both dishes were absolutely delicious – beautifully presented, aromatic, and satisfying! The pesto in the green eggs made the dish bright and flavorful and tasted wonderful with the fluffy polenta and salsa cruda. The mushrooms and fontina in the omelet were also very tasty although I could have done without the accompanying sausage. But despite the richness of the omelet, the staff was polite enough to substitute egg whites for me at no charge – so I had no complaints!

I’d absolutely recommend this rustic, homey restaurant for brunch or dinner! I look forward to returning for their specialty – Northern Italian Cuisine! And in addition to their budget friendly brunch special, Paprika also offers a

two-course $15 prix-fixed dinner Monday – Thursday from 5-7pm. If you’re lucky, you may even experience a celebrity spotting!

PAPRIKA

110 St. Marks Place

Between 1st & Ave A

The Best and Worst of Aruban Cuisine

After spending three consecutive Christmases in Aruba I’ve had the privilege of surveying a great deal of Aruba’s restaurants with offerings varying from fanciful Italian delicacies to authentic Aruban prepared fruits of the sea. And I’ve found that despite the decor (elaborate or simple), the cuisine (Asian Fusion, Italian, or Aruban – or casual), or the service (which is mostly quite poor), all of these restaurants left me feeling equally disappointed, unsatisfied, and slightly cheated.

Living in New York has made me incredibly spoiled. If I want the freshest organic milk Manhattan has to offer its either across the street at the Food Emporium or a short subway ride away. If I get a sudden craving for delicious Indian food it is four blocks away. Good Italian food, one block – ten blocks for REALLY good Italian. And so on.

In Aruba if I want good anything I go to one of the now four Dunkin’ Donuts or a cute local shop called Dushi Bagels. I know, great name. A lot of things are coincidentally named Dushi in Aruba- boats, restaurants, drinks- you name it. And why? Maybe because in the native Arubian language of Papiamento, Dushi means precious. And let me tell you, on an island full of awfully plain restaurants, Dushi Bagels is a precious gem. This quaint, incredibly friendly “coffee shop”, located right outside of the Playa Linda, serves great salads (especially their crab salad), turkey burgers, egg sandwiches, and draft beer! Most importanly they have a lovely staff which is tough to come by in Aruba.

Aruba claims to be “One Happy Island” but their restaurants state otherwise. Despite the many duds I came across this past Christmas there were a few shining stars to be found.

Iguana Cantina

This causal Mexican eatery really hit the spot. With all you can eat fajita Wednesdays, the Levine family took advantage of this fabulous find which is centrally located across from the Holiday Inn.

Yemanja Grill

With Christmas vacation always comes my dad’s birthday and Yemanja Grill was a great place to celebrate! Aruban Decor and a sophisticated menu delighted our party of eight. And if you arrive early and stick to the appetizers and the grilled Salmon, you’re guaranteed to have a great meal. Just be sure to pay in cash as the service here is no better than the rest of the island.

Chef’s Table

Our favorite restaurant of three years. Ahi tuna appetizer and entree are excellent as are their salads and fish soup. The rest of the food is as plain and simple as is expected. But their desserts are a dime a dozen! Chef’s table uniquely serves all of their desserts in tall shot glasses!

Other restaurants I’d like to try….

Pago Pago

Screaming Eagle

Morandi

Places to stay away from…

Blossom’s (inside the Hyatt)

Cuba’s Cookin’

Scala

Summer Restaurant Week ’09 Recommendations

After a tough year Summer Restaurant Week is here and has officially extended its offerings from the get-go. New York City Restaurant Week is now three weeks long which gives us a better opportunity of actually scoring reservations at some of the better restaurants out there, or so I thought.

The two restaurants I had initially planned on trying out were 10 Downing and Daniel Boulud’s new East Village gastropub, DBGB. I’ve confirmed that these hotspots are the most desirable restaurants on Restaurant Week as I was unable to get a reservation at either of them before 6pm any day of the week. Honestly, I’m not too crushed over 10 Downing as I’ve heard they still have some kinks to work out but was sincerely disappointed about DBGB. And I was trying to make dinner reservations which doesn’t even offer a Restaurant Week menu. I guess I’ll try back next month.

In any case, all is not lost. Today my lovely grandmother treated me to lunch at Brasserie and will be trying out Opia this evening. Friday I’ll be at Amma and I hope to make it to Elettaria AND Centro Vinoteca before the end of the month. We shall see.

But for those looking to get a taste of the good life without spending a small fortune I recommend trying out some of these fine New York City establishments:

LUNCH

• Tamarind
• Dovetail
• Park Avenue Summer
• Brasserie
• Butter
• Del Posto
• Alto

DINNER

Oldies but Goodies

• Kittichai
• Apiary
• Rayuela
• Savore
• David Burke’s Townhouse

New AND Notable

• Bar Artisanal
• Elettaria
• Centro Vinoteca
• Convivio
• The Harrison
• Pranna (Recommended, since I haven’t heard much about their food)

Remember, often times the more expensive the restaurant, the better value you’ll receive. That is unless your meal is the size of a penny.

Midtown Lunch: Sushi A-No-Go

In lieu of my appearance on Midtown Lunch yesterday afternoon, I felt it was appropriate to talk about well, lunch in Midtown. Though I’ve officially only been a member of the Midtown Lunch scene for about five weeks, I’m slowly making my rounds about midtown. But as  someone who proudly brings a homemade lunch to work at least three out of the five workdays, I find myself in need of some consultation on where to go in my new hood.

Usually I ask my personal NYC Midtown Guide Erica for all things midtown but I decided to switch it up and go with a suggestion from my friend Justin who LIVES in midtown. Figuring Justin’s lunch suggestion would be a sure thing, I headed over to Tenzan expecting a fine sushi lunch special. And upon entering the restaurant I remained quite confident and pleased with Justin’s selection that was until we ordered.

Though Tenzan appears to be a well-respected chain sushi restaurant around Manhattan, it is anything but. Don’t let the sleek decor deceive you. Sure, two rolls along with a soup or salad is a great deal for $8.95 but that’s what it costs at most places these days. Inspire me, please! After being hounded to order my dish I suddenly became skeptical of how well-respected this chain really was.

I started off my meal with a mixed greens salad that was just pathetic looking. The leaves were slightly wilted and tomato and cucumber were more of a garnish than a part of the salad. The sushi quickly followed and I mean real quickly.

We’d barely finished our salad and soup when our sushi had been served. And though the sushi might look alright at best, it certainly didn’t reflect its appearance. Sloppily made, the sushi rice was holding onto its blanket of seaweed for dear life with the spicy tuna bits not falling far behind. I was optimistic about the salmon avocado roll with its shiny bright complexion but after one bite, my mood had quickly changed. The salmon was suprisingly chewy, though the avocado was luckily a nice smooth addition.

So please, if you’re looking for a well priced sushi lunch, be sure to steer clear of Tenzan. Next time I’ll try Tanaka.

Elegant Italian

I’ve been waiting some time to visit Bowery Hotel’s Italian hot spot Gemma. But since they refuse to take reservations for less than six, and are always mobbed with eager foodies I just gave up. But when the opportunity arose to dine at Gemma during lunch, I knew it was meant to be.

Gemma’s decor is rustic but elegant. Glistening candelabra chandeliers hang from high ceilings surrounded by wooden tables and candles adorned with dripping wax. This dark but beautiful space comes alive at night when all of the candles are lit and the room is filled with chic diners. In the early afternoon Gemma was fairly quiet with few diners other than ourselves.

Gemma’s menu is filled with wonderful Italian specialties such as Artichoke & Parmigiano Salad dressed with Truffle Vinaigrette, Papparadelle with Oxtail Ragu, and a vast selections of cheeses, charcuterie, and pizzettes. But having looked over their menu and read many reviews in preparation for my first goodbye lunch, I already knew I was ordering the Branzino Al Forno, which also happened to be the most expensive item on the menu. Oh, well!

My boss Andres suggested we begin our meal with the polenta fries and the calamari which were both delicious. The polenta fries were dusted with fresh parsley and served with a chipotle aioli that complimented the fries perfectly. And the calamari was cooked with garbonzo beans in a savory marinara sauce that I couldn’t stop eating.

Polenta Fries & Chipotle Aioli

Calamari with Garbanzo Beans sauteed in a Marinara Sauce

For our main courses we ordered the Branzino, Goat Cheese Ravioli al Pomodoro,  Rigatoni, & a Margherita Pizza.

Branzino Al Forno; Roasted Mediterranean Sea bass on Cedar with sauteed green beans

Goat Cheese Ravioli al Pomodoro

Margherita Pizza

Rigatoni; Procuitto Cotto, Peas, and Cream

All of the dishes, aside from the pizza were wonderful, especially the Goat Cheese Ravioli. The plump fresh tomatoes in the marinara sauce were phenomenal and were a great pairing for the goat cheese.

Gemma is a great place to go for both lunch and dinner and is probably worth the wait during peak evening hours. Definitely try the Goat Cheese Ravioli and the Artichoke salad which I unfortunately did not order this time around.

Porktacular!

As my career at Nielsen comes to a close, I come to the realization that I will in fact be leaving the East Village lunch of luxury. I’m heading uptown with the suits where I can only hope expensed business lunches await my arrival. And though the 50’s have wonderful restaurants, I’m weary of their unaffordable and stuffy lunch options. So I’ve spent the last two weeks hopping here and there and thoroughly enjoying goodbye after goodbye lunch. Maybe I should change jobs more often?

But all joking aside I’ve devoured some amazing meals, my favorite of the week being Porchetta. As a Jew raised to not eat pork, I’m pretty adverse to it being my meal’s main attraction. I’m totally cool with eating bacon, prosciutto, or even spare ribs. But ordering a pork chop at dinner is just going too far…until Porchetta!

Admittedly I had a few samplings of pulled pork at this year’s Choice Eats Awards, but I had never had a meal that was centered around pork. And since I’ll be starting a new chapter of my life in about a week, I decided that it was about time I Discovered Pork for myself.

Pork and more pork stared us in the face when we arrived at Porchetta. Porchetta makes 14 pork roasts every day that each take five hours to cook. Luckily they get their bread from the Sullivan Street Bakery, so they have one less thing to bake each day. Porchetta’s daily menu had only three main options:

1. Porchetta, Sandwich
2. Porchetta, Plate
3. Mozzarella, Sandwich

Porchetta Sandwich

I almost went for the Porchetta sandwich (along side Adam & Dave) when i saw the daily specials. With a mere 3 days left in the East Village,  I decided to try my luck on the Pork Ragu special. And was I glad I did!

Pork Ragu on Garlic Toast

This mouth watering ragu is one of the BEST I’ve ever tasted. The pork was succulent and moist; glistening on top of  a buttery toasted baguette. This harmonious pairing has a wonderful warming effect that warms the heart and soul. Porchetta’s Pork Ragu lifts the spirits. Oh how I love reminiscing about this sandwich! Adam and Dave were eyeing my pork ragu in hopes that I wouldn’t finish. Clearly they don’t know my appetite, as I nearly licked the bowl clean.

I only wish that I chose Porchetta as my last East Village meal. But even more reason for me to return…

Spring Greens at Vertigo

I don’t know about you, but after an indulgent Memorial Day weekend filled with barbeque and booze I need a rest from red meat. And with Spring in full effect, seasonal greens are the perfect antidote to get your body back in the swing of things. Sure, you can easily pick up some fresh arugula or mixed baby greens at the Union Square Market, but I have a feeling you’re still on your 3-day weekend high. So treat yourself and head over to Vertigo, for a delicious refreshing salad you probably couldn’t make yourself.

Last Friday I decided to take the day off and enjoy the first day of the summer season. I was meeting a friend for lunch in the Murray Hill area and figured that Vertigo would be a great choice, and especially because I had a two-for-one coupon.

In the summer time, Vertigo opens up its front window panes which allows for people watching and a nice breeze and often attracts quite a crowd during happy hour. But when we arrived around 2:30, the restaurant was fairly empty though there were a few diners finishing their lunches. Vertigo happens to have a great menu with assorted sandwiches, salads, fish, pasta, and small plates that they serve for both lunch and dinner. And since the salads of other Vertigo diners looked particularly good, both my friend Missy and I decided to see just how good they tasted.

Despite the fact that our drinks were nearly forgotten, the waitress having us repeat our orders (since she had not written them down), and Vertigo not accepting our lunch coupon, the salads were really tasty. Both Missy’s Southwestern Shrimp Salad and my Grilled Rare Tuna Nicoise Salad were incredibly fresh and presented beautifully. The shrimp and the Tuna were cooked perfectly and not overdone. Both salads were adorned with several ingredients and appeared as if each ingredient were precisely layered to enhance the overall flavor and texture of the salad. Given the awful service, I’m sure this wasn’t the case, but it’s nice to think they actually care about the presentation.

Southwestern Grilled Shrimp Salad - romaine, avocado, corn, tomato, red onion, tortilla strips

Grilled Rare Tuna Nicoise Salad - New Potatoes, Roast Peppers, String Beans and Caper Vinaigrette

So if you’re in the Murray Hill area and are watching your waist line, Vertigo is the perfect place to go for a refreshing salad with high quality ingredients. Their burgers and sandwiches are equally delicious, especially during their recession friendly happy hour, which is VERY popular. So get their early for a prime people-watching seat and a cool summer breeze. But if you’re looking to eat a quick meal then skip the service and get Vertigo to-go.

Pizza, Brooklyn Style

At this point in my life, it’s pretty embarrassing that before Sunday I’d never been to Grimaldi’s. I say “at this point” because

1) I’m a Foodie
2) I’m a New Yorker
3) Pizza is my roommate Sarah’s favorite food
4) My second favorite food is cheese

Though there are probably more Pizza places per block in the five boroughs than anywhere in the world (well maybe not Italy), Pizza is one of those foods that we can never have enough of. Thin crust, thick crust, marinara, white, sausage, veggie… the options are endless. And clearly if the perfect pizza already existed, a new pizza place wouldn’t be opening every other week, right?

So what makes Brooklyn pizza, or Grimaldi’s for that matter, better than pizza in Manhattan, well I’ll tell you…

According to Grimaldi’s, a great pizza is made with three things; fresh, quality ingredients, know-how, and a great oven. Once you’ve tasted Grimaldi’s pizza, you can attest to their fresh ingredients. Grimaldi’s original thin crust pizza is dressed beautifully with a slightly sweet marinara and topped with incredbly fresh mozzarella and basil. They also offer a choice of  16 toppings from their home smoked roasted peppers to sweet italian sausage. But as far as their know-how and great oven, you need to see it to believe it.

Grimaldi’s bakes anywhere from 300-400 pizzas every day and probably more on weekends. And how might you ask? Aside from their very capable staff they have a great coal fired brick oven that reaches a firey 850 degrees and pumps out pizzas in two minutes flat! Apparently, it’s the coal-fired oven that distinguishes Brooklyn pizza from Manhattan pizza, since coal-fired ovens aren’t permitted in Manhattan. But Serious Eats seems to have disproven this theory based on their coal-oven pizzeria map. So please, someone tell me how they are different?

But regardless of the Manhattan vs. Brooklyn Pizza battle, Grimaldi’s is a Landmark and a MUST TRY for tourists, New Yorkers, and anyone after a world-renowned pizza. After all, owner Patsy Grimaldi learned from the chef of America’s FIRST PIZZERIA, Gennaro Lombardi. (Lombardi’s is next on the list…I know I can’t believe I haven’t been there either!)

Grimaldi’s is certainly one of the best pizzerias for thin crust New York style pizza. Though I must admit that a standard slice of cheese pizza is more up my alley.

Lunch at Hasaki

Last Friday my boss was kind enough to treat me for an “off campus” lunch at a restaurant of my choosing. Since we were both in the mood for some Asian cusine I figured I’d show her the best sushi the East Village has to offer at Hasaki.

Dining out during lunch is somewhat of a priviledge for me since not many people in the office head out for lunch. Sadly we eat at our desks or trek up to the 14th floor to properly dine in our only lunchroom. Needless to say I was excited by the opportunity to take a nice long lunch and get to know my new boss a little bit better.

Though I’d only been to Hasaki once before, I was quite impressed by what appeared to be a hole in the wall. Since Hasaki resides on the bottom floor of a building, you need to walk down a few steps in order to enter the restaurant, making it easy to miss if you’re not looking for it. But after being well attended to by the waitstaff and enjoying some creative maki rolls, I was certainly glad I had stumbled upon this neighborhood gem.

Though Hasaki doesn’t serve traditional $8-10 maki roll lunch specials, I knew my boss would appreciate the quality of the fish and the authentic Japanese decor. After mulling over a few sushi specials we decided to start with the Shrimp Tempura and Miso Soup.

Shrimp Tempura

 Not having eaten shrimp tempura in a while, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But the shrimp were quite tender and embodied by a perfectly crisp exterior. It is common for tempura to be soggy, but not at Hasaki. The shrimp were accompanied by an assortment of tempura vegetables including broccoli, eggplant, carrot, and potato which were all equally delicious. We each also enjoyed a very tasty  Miso Soup. The Miso Soup had an incredibly rich color and flavor, where typically a Miso Soup lacks color and balance. And almost as soon as we completed our appetizers, we were on to our main sushi courses.

Sushi Adajo – 5 pcs. & spicy tuna roll, yellowtail w/scallion

Sushi Forte - 7 pcs. & spicy tuna w/ avocado roll

As expected, the sushi was incredibly fresh and beautifully plated. I usually stick to maki rolls, but I decided to mix it up that day with an assortment of sushi including salmon, tuna, yellow tail, and eel. The eel and the tuna were probably my favorites of the plate. I would certainly recommend trying a variety of fish because you really can’t go wrong. Be sure to ask your server what he recommends ordering that day.

Where one might gloss over this neighborhood gem, I’m glad I came across it and was able to introduce it to my boss. I think it’s safe to say she enjoyed it.

Lunching at Prune

PRUNE

I must admit that eating out all the time becomes exhausting! I usually cook at least two times a week, but I’m sure you’ve figured out, by my lack of recipe posts, that I wasn’t doing much of that this week. Wednesday afternoon I was actually taken out to lunch by a business associate that happened to ask me where I preferred to eat. Since these “business” lunches come far and few in between, I decided to take advantage of the opportunity and suggest Prune, a restaurant in the East Village that I’ve been wanting to visit for quite some time.

Prune is a quaint small eatery on East 1st Street that seems to blend in with the rest of the small neighborhood shops. It’s likely that you’d walk right past it, dismissing it as a boutique, if you hadn’t heard of it. Prune dishes out an eclectic mix of American cuisine and entertains a limited lunch menu consisting of about eleven “main courses”. Prune also houses a small bar that I hear serves up a mean Bloody Mary.

It seemed that my business associate and I were the only ones that were potentially doing business in what now appeared to be a 26-seater hang out. The other patrons were adorned in their street clothes and having leisurely lunches over coffees, newspapers, and political conversations.

Though we weren’t all business, we certainly knew what we wanted to order as soon as we sat down. I ordered a tap water and my colleague ordered an Iced Tea. The Iced Tea was served with a small shot-like glass of simple syrup, which I had never seen before. Apparently Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain serves their Iced Tea in the same manner. Our drinks were brought out with what I’d consider an amuse-bouche of celery, olives, and a side of sea salt. According to Wikipedia, an amuse-bouche is a single, bite-sized hors d’œuvre. Amuse-bouche are different from appetizers in that they are not ordered from a menu by patrons, but, when served, are according to the chef’s selection alone. These, often accompanied by a complementing wine, are served as an excitement of taste buds to both prepare the guest for the meal and to offer a glimpse into the chef’s approach to cooking.

We started with the Empress Crab Claws that were served with tabasco butter. Although I felt the tabasco butter was a bit overwhelming for the delicate meat of the crab, a sprinkle of lemon greatly enhance its flavor. I happened to like the way they were served, as the flesh of the Crab Claw seemed to slide right off its cartilage. Though I don’t think my colleague had as easy a time with them.

For our “main courses” we ordered the Grilled Tuna Club and the Beef Brisket. The Tuna Club was good, though it lacked an appropriate portion of Tuna. It also seemed that the Tuna Club was served on two different pieces of bread, one being sourdough and the other white toast. Though this didn’t bother me too much, the sandwich was good. But Prune’s french fries were probably the highlight of the meal for me. The french fries were perfectly crisp and salty, similar in style to McDonald’s french fries. My colleague’s beef brisket was good, though I found its flavoring somewhat overpowering. But the meat was certainly moist and falling off the bone as a good brisket should be.

Overall, I enjoyed lunch at Prune, though from what I hear, Brunch is what they are best suited for. I initially heard of Prune because of their rave Brunch reviews. Although I hear there is a long line for Brunch, I’m sure it’s worth the wait.

PRUNE

54 East 1st Street

(between 1st and 2nd Avenue)

Amuse Bouche?

Empress Crab Claws with tabasco butter

Grilled Tuna Club On Sourdough with aioli and arugula

Beef Brisket, Braised with Spanish paprika & rosemary

Crystalized Ginger

Le Check

Prune's Bar

Prune's Kitchen