TABLE FOR ONE: GARI

Tuesday night I decided to go to a new Japanese restuarant that opened on up on Restaurant Row (46th street bet. 8th and 9th) called Sushi of Gari 46. There is a Gari on the Upper East Side and Upper West Side and I had heard great things, so I was very excited to hear one had opened up down the block from my apartment.

The restaurant is modern and a touch sleek. I sat at the sushi bar. The lighting at the sushi bar area is very bright, and unromantic, I'd guess to highlight the art being produced at the bar.

The first thing the waitress asked me when she approached me was if I were going to order the Chef's Omakase Special ($75). I felt she was trying to push this on me and it was a total turn-off.

I always order sushi deluxes when I eat sushi. It's the best way to taste a restaurant's sushi because it comes with assorted pieces of different sushi. I ordered the deluxe here which came with 9 pieces of sushi and one roll. I also got an appetizer of monkfish liver in ponzu sauce.

The monkfish liver, which I had never had before, was good. The ponzu sauce was tangy and was the perfect complement to the interesting textured liver. I even slurped all the sauce after I had eaten the entire liver. It was a unique dish, which I enjoyed.

Then my sushi deluxe ($30) arrived. It was sublime. All the fish was fresh, great, and excellent. Some of the best sushi I have ever encountered. I will admit it is a tad pricier then your average sushi spot, but, it's also better. You definitely get what you pay for.

I would love to come back to Sushi of Gari 46 and try their other dishes and even their Omakase special- on my own terms.

Sushi of Gari 46

347 W 46th Street (bet. 8th and 9th ave.)

New York, NY 10036

TABLE FOR ONE: BOQUERIA

Friday night I decided to go to a new tapas spot that opened up in the Flatiron district called Boqueria. I walked in to a packed house which I expected. There is a nice looking bar up front with various cheeses enclosed by glass. Some small bar tables along the wall, and then a room in back with a long communal table in the middle. This was one of the draws of the restaurant that drew me. I envisioned myself eating at this long table and striking up a conversation with the neighboring diners. Alas, when I told the hostess it was just me she pointed to the bar area, where she said I could eat. All the seats were taken so I took up the only spot available; standing in the corner by the entrance in front of the gal in charge of the cheese. It was very uncomfortable but I didn't mind as long as I could try some food.

I started my meal with a $9 glass of Spanish wine. The wine was good, but the bartender, (who by the way needed to smile more-he seemed nice but I wished for a more positive vibe) I feel underpoured the glass. He finished what was left in the bottle, and I thought he might come back to add some more-he didn't. I struck up a conversation with the "cheese" gal, and asked her for some recommendations. Her being the "cheese" gal she started talking to me with her Spanish accent about the various cheeses they had. I didn't really understand her, so I just nodded and told her to give me three of her recommendations. The cheeses came with three pieces of toasted rasin bread. I honestly have no idea what I type of cheese I was eating, but can tell you all were good. I liked how they were all different from each other, in texture as well as taste. This was definitely a nice start to a meal, and at $4 per cheese, I found it to be a great deal. This is definitely a nice spot for a date.

After fifteen minutes some seats opened up for me at the bar next to me, so I got to sit. I decided to order another glass of wine and some tapas. Alas, my wine was poured to the same amount. I'm either not experienced enough in proper pourage or I was being ripped off, either way, the wine still tasted nice. I decided to order the three creamy croquetas and the grilled lamb tapas.

The croquetas came with serrano ham, chicken and mushrooms. They were very creamy and tasted nice. Although there was much more cream flavor then chicken or ham, I still enjoyed them.

The grilled lamb was marinated in lemon and cumin and came on two skewers on two pieces of small toasted baguettes. The lamb was tender and tasty and the lemon and cumin gave the flavor a nice kick.

That is all I ordered. I just wanted to get my first look into this new tapas joint. I think I'll come back with some more people and order some more of their bigger dishes. But I'll make sure, before we go, to drink one or two bottles of wine first.

Boqueria
53 W. 19th Street (bet. 5th and 6th Ave.)

New York, NY 10011

TABLE FOR ONE: BLT BURGER

Today for lunch I decided to go to a new burger joint that opened up in the West Village; BLT Burger. BLT Burger is the lastest restaurant from popular NYC restaurateur/chef Laurent Tourondel (BLT stands for Bistro Laurent Tourondel).

The place is not fancy or stylish at all like his other restaurants (BLT Steak, BLT Fish,
BLT Prime). Its plain and simple with a bar up front, then walls lined with booths and some tabels in the middle. At the end wall there is a huge mirror with a huge stuffed bullhead with huge horns on it. The place reminded me of any bar or burger joint you might find in the suburbs.

The menu consists of your typical burger joint classics; regular burgers, turkey burgers, and ups it up a notch with a lamb burger , an "ahi" tuna sandwich, and a kobe beef burger. They have have a few salads and appetizers too. There is also a large beer selection and milkshake section, which you can get "spiked".

I went with the classic burger combo which came with a burger, fries and a fountain soda for $11. The burgers are 100% Beef Burgers and a combination of Sirloin, Short Rib, Chuck & Brisket Cut and are served on a Soft Bun with Tomato, Red Onion, Iceburg Lettuce, Pickles, Ketchup, Mustard & Mayo. I got mine with Monterey Jack Cheese. I was expecting a massive burger, but when it came out it was much smaller and flatter then I expected. This wasn't a bad thing. It tasted fine, but it didn't blow me away.

I also got some waffle fries with melted cheddar on them. They were crispy and tasty. My coke was perfect.

I ended with the peanut butter milkshake which was sweet but fine.

BLT Burger is a nice burger joint and I'll probably come back some time to try another type of burger or some chicken wings with some beer. The prices are fine which is nice cause it gave me an insight into what is turning out to be the BLT Empire.

BLT Burger
470 6th Avenue (bet. 11th and 12th st.)

New York, NY 10011

TABLE FOR ONE: THE ORCHARD (this restaurant has closed)

As I was wandering around the Lower East Side on Friday night, in search of a culinary destination, I passed by The Orchard. This is a restaurant I have read about, and decided to dine there.

I was told it was BYOB, and although I had spent the whole fashion week drinking, and told myself just to order coke, I pursuaded myself to go across the street and buy a bottle of wine (a great $11 red) for myself. 

I sat at a table of four by myself. The dining room is casual and modern. The lighting is brightly dim, if that makes sense; almost orange. It was a large square room, which made me think of it like a fancied cafeteria. It looked good though.

I wasn't too hungry but did want to try some dishes. They have a nice selection of flatbreads, and I went with the Braised Short Rib flatbread with marinated cherry tomatoes and sweet horseradish cream ($12). It was excellent and delicious.

I also had an entree of Butternut Squash Agnolotti with brown butter, sage and toasted hazlenuts ($22). The dish was sweet, and was definitely an autumn/winter dish. But, it was still very good.

I felt obligated to try a dessert, and went with the Orchard Chocolate cake with dark chocolate outside, warm milk chocolate inside, and mascarpone whipped cream. This was a great dessert, especially for a chocolate lover. I dont know how they did it, but the inside was really warm, and delicious. The marscapone whipped cream was the best whipped cream I have ever had in my life-deliciously perfect!

The Orchard is definitely a place I'd like to go back to and try all of their dishes. I definitely recommend this place!

The Orchard

162 Orchard Street (between Stanton and Rivington)

New York, NY 10002

TABLE FOR ONE: THE LITTLE OWL

Friday night I decided to head to The Little Owl in the West Village, a restaurant I had read a lot about; all good things. Frank Bruni of the NY Times was raving about it's pork chop, so I figured I may as well head on down to see what he was raving about.

Before I left, I called to see if they took reservations, and let them know I would be dining alone. I asked if maybe I could sit at the bar, for I didn't want to take a table away from more people. The guy on the phone, Gabrielle, who happened to be the manager/co-owner said to me not to worry, we'll do whatever we can to accommodate you. This was already a good sign of what was to come.

The Little Owl sits on the quiet corner of Bedford and Grove in the West Village. It's a small restaurant, and when I walked in the first phrase that came into my mind was "Neighborhood spot". Although small, it is very charming. My favorite aspect of the restaurant is that there are large windows inside where you can look into the kitchen. I love this!

There were four barstools at the bar, all taken. Gabrielle got a chair for me and put me at the head of the bar to accommodate me. I ordered a $12 glass of wine from the Shinn Estate on Long Island, called Wild Boar Doe. It was sweet, and great.

For my appetizer I started with the Ricotta Cavatelli ($11) with fava beans, tomato broth and pancetta. It was excellent. The pasta was perfectly cooked, fluffy almost. The broth was soothing.

And then I had the Pork Chop ($19) with parmesan butter beans and wild dandelion. I must admit, Bruni was right. It was actually the best pork chop I've ever had. Crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. It was a massive hunk of deliciousness!

For dessert I tried the chocolate brownie with espresso ice cream. Well, at least that is what it said on the menu. In fact, I was given chocolate ice cream, and when I brought this to the server's attention she told me that they had run out of espresso. This was minor, the chocolate was fine, but I do wish I was told this before I ordered, for I was really looking foward to some espresso ice cream. The brownie was fine, but nothing too spectacular.

But, I left The Little Owl feeling very satisfied, a big smile on my face. I couldn't wait to come back. The Little Owl is the perfect neighborhood restaurant, and in fact, is not even in my neighborhood! Thus, The Little Owl is the perfect restaurant-period.

The Little Owl

90 Bedford St, At Grove St

New York 10014

TABLE FOR ONE: LE MIU (this restaurant has closed)

When I heard that four sushi chefs from big and popular sushi restaurants in NYC (Megu, Nobu 57) teamed up to open a new, smaller Japanese spot in the East Village I was intrigued.

Last night was my first encounter with Le Miu. It is a long restaurant with a bar up front, not overly chic. It was nice and simple which suited me just fine. The restaurant was not crowded at all, it was a Tuesday night, and I decided to dine at the sushi bar. I had sushi on Sunday (from Haru-very good), so opted not to have it again. They had a special tapas menu which looked good, so I decided to try some tapas.

The first one I tried was the Rock Shrimp tempura with the chef's sour cream. I've had great rock shrimp tempura appetizers both at NOBU and Bond St. and was eager to compare Le Miu's take on the dish. I sat alone at the bar, staring into the sushi windows waiting for the dish. I'm not sure if it was because I was just tired, lonely and bored, but it seemed to have been taking a long time. I kept looking around the restaurant to confirm with myself that there were probably only around eight other tables full. When it finally arrived I encountered a hot and somewhat tasty dish. The shrimp were perfectly cooked, and the sauce had a nice kick to it, but for some reason it left a weird after-taste, almost like cheddar cheese! So, the dish was fine, but I prefer Nobu and Bond St.'s Rock Shrimp tempura.

My next tapas was recommended by one of the cooks there. It was called chicken karage, which tasted almost like a General Tso's chicken dish, with it's sweet sauce. It was hot and fine as well.

My final tapas was the best of the night, and was quite intriguing, and more of what I expected in creativity and taste. It was cubed pork infused in soy sauce with Japanese pumpkin tempura. It was excellent. Tender, tasty, perfect.

For dessert I decided to have a spicy tuna roll, just to get my sushi fix in, and use it as a comparison to other spicy tuna rolls at other sushi spots. The roll was fine, and the interesting touch they added was cucumber in it, which I never encountered in a spicy tuna roll. It gave it a nice crunch and snap to it, but I felt it was also a bit too cold and wet, and would have preferred just the tuna, no cucumber.

Would I go back to Le Miu? Yes. They have a chef's tasting menu for $55 that sparked my interest. They also had interesting dishes from the kitchen I wanted to try as well. But, the entire time I was there, during my Japanese tapas experience, I couldn't stop thinking about Oga Japanese tapas, my pick for one of the best hidden treasures in NYC, and great Japanese tapas.

So for a low-key, different Japanese restaurant experience I recommend Le Miu. For the best and most unusual Japanese tapas in NYC, Oga is the spot.

Le Miu

107 Avenue A, (Btwn 6th & 7th St )

New York, NY 10009

TABLE FOR ONE: MA*YA (this restaurant has closed)

Friday night after a comedy show in the East Village I decided to head to a Ma*Ya, a thai restaurant that was recommended on Time Out NY on Demand - channel 1112.

Ma*Ya has a few tables on the first floor, and a bunch more downstairs. I sat upstairs, and I felt as if i were in a hut on the outskirts of Bangkok, as I watched the rain pour down.

As I perused the menu I was given a complimentary basket of shrimp chips with peanut dipping sauce. I always love free snacks and food. And I loved this snack, with its delicious tasting sauce. What a great start!

The menu is made up of tapas, appetizers and entrees. I tried a tapas of stir-fried panang curry peanut with beef ($7.50) (which I believe is actually Malaysian). It was very good, and I enjoyed the vegetables that came with it as well.

I asked both waiters what their favorite dish was, and both told me it was the appetizer of crispy ribs in spicy tamarind glaze ($8.95)-so I ordered it. They were really good too. It was very sweet, but also had a nice kick of spiciness to it. It was cooked perfectly, the meat fell off the bone.

I really enjoyed the food and atmosphere here. The place is cool and hip, with a real homey feeling though. In fact, I enjoyed my experience so much, I went again with my family on Sunday.

I was very excited to try more of Ma*ya's dishes, and they didn't disappoint. We asked Kevin, my waiter from Friday night for recommendations, and we heeded his advice. We started with the Malaysian flat breads with chicken curry dipping sauce, the spicy thai chicken lettuce cup, and the Asian crusted Ahi Tuna.

The flatbreads ($4.95) were excellent. Warm, crispy, and the dipping sauce was addictively tasty. The chicken lettuce cups ($7.95), were refreshing, flavorful, light, and also tasty. The tuna ($7.95) was rare and simple, but very nice.

For entrees we had Grilled skirt steak with Thai chili dipping sauce, Jumbo Shrimp and Japanese eggplant in red curry coconut sauce, and the Crispy filet whole fish with Thai long bean basil spicy three flavor sauce.

The steak ($16.95) was perfectly cook, tender, and didn't even need the sauce, which was too tangy for me. The Jumbo shrimp ($16.00) was excellent. The red curry sauce had the perfect balance of sweetness and spiciness and I loved the dish. The standout of the night was the Crispy whole fish ($18.95). The meat just fell of the bone and the flavors were powerful and amazing; it was truly a great dish.

I really love this place and recommend it for anybody in the neighborhood, or if you want to go on a cool date with your signifcant other, family, or by yourself, it's worth the trip to the East Village. The prices are great, and it truly is a great bang for your buck. So for great flavors in a great atomosphere Ma*ya hits the spot. 

Ma*Ya (Hurupan Kitchen)

234 E 4th St, New York 10009
Btwn Ave A & Ave B 

TABLE FOR ONE: FATTY CRAB

Last Saturday I decided to head downtown to one of my favorite restaurants in NYC; Fatty Crab. It's a Malaysian restaurant in the West Village helmed by chef/owner Zak Palaccio (who also helms 5 Ninth and is creating a Malaysian menu at a spot on the roof at 230 Fifth Avenue. I actually partied with Zak a few months ago too).

Fatty Crab is very casual and makes you feel as if you are dining in a hut in Kuala Lampur. I like the lack of superficiality the restaurant exumes unlike many of it's nearby neighbors, a stones throw away in the Meatpacking District.

I've been here on many occasions and each time all the dishes are extremely flavorful. The one big setback I will say about the food here, is that although flavorful, many dishes are extremely spicy too. I am a fan of spicy food, but I prefer a balance between hottness and sweetness, and hate it when spiciness is overpowering, takes over the dish, and lingers in my mouth after each bite. I've had many dishes here where this lingering of spice occurs, and Saturday was no exception. I would assume that this is probably typical of Malaysian cooking, where Mr. Palaccio spent some years studying and cooking. There are also dishes that you can order that aren't as spicy, which is a good thing. So, despite this setback, I am always drawn back to the Fatty Crab for the flavors, the ambiance, and the inexpensive prices.

On this occasion, I started with a dish that won the 2006 Eat Out award for "Most deliciously unhealthy salad" from Time Out NY, which was the Watermelon pickle and crispy pork salad ($7). Now, I'm not a huge fan of watermelon, but this dish actually works splendidly. The watermelon is such a refreshing balance to the crispy tender pork. It also had some greens to make it more salad-like. It is a delicious and tasty salad.

For my entree I tried the Fatty Duck ($9). The duck was very tender, very flavorful, but of course very spicy, and the spice did linger around my mouth for a while. 

They have a nice selection of Asian beers at the Fatty Crab and I decided to accompany my meal with a large Morimoto Soba Ale. It was excellent.

So if you are looking for flavorful food, with a huge kick of spiciness, and for a good price, the Fatty Crab is a perfect place to go. Sit back, grab a large beer, let the spices flow and remember to have a fun time. I always do.

Fatty Crab

643 Hudson St (Btwn Horatio & Gansevoort St)

New York, NY 10014