Yo! NYC

YoNYC!  I will admit, the trendiness of the Momofuku empire, along with the supposed hassle of acquiring the necessary reservation, has kept me away from the empire in the past.  But I received good advice from a coworker and was able to “sneak in,” figuratively speaking, to the Momofuku Noodle Bar with no reservation or even much of a wait.  This feat is likely impossible with a party of more than two people.  However, our experience made me question the impossibility and elitist claims so lauded over the internet.  I’ve waited longer for a burger at Wendy’s.

Noodle Bar is a very barebones, crowded, and loud place.  It’s also fun in the crazy, frenetic energy kind of way.  If you’ve been to any popular Yakitori place, you will feel the same vibe.  Just don’t expect a quiet dinner – it’s just not that kind of place.

Pork Belly Sliders

Curry-Ya

Curry-Ya is a small little restaurant which basically consist of a bar table surrounding the open kitchen. It can accommodate about 12 people at the same time. So your intimate conversation will not only be heard by your fellow dinners but also the cooks and cashier, which makes it very cozy.

Their beef dry curry, and Berkshire pork cutlet are both very popular. The Berkshire pork cutlet is always perfectly cooked, moist and very flavorful. I also love hamburger curry, which is a very complex, moist beef patty with lot of depth . I can taste wine, onions, various herbs among the ingredients. You also get to choose the level of heat in your curry which comes in a separate cast iron mini pot. The heat level is very low, I’d call their “very hot” medium hot. All dishes come with a serving of short grain white rice which you can douse with curry as you please.

The small menu is well prepared and comforting, a really great place to have Japanese curry. The dishes are moderately priced around $12 per entree and they accept cash only so be prepared

Curry-Ya
214 East 10th Street
NY 10003
(212) 995-2877
www.nycurry-ya.com
Open Daily noon-11pm (1/2 drinks 4-7pm everyday)

Brooklyn Bowl is a fantastic spot for a party. The place has a chill vibe that is accentuated by the excellent food and alcohol options. What myself and the rest of my birthday entourage found interesting however, were the kids. I’ve been to Brooklyn Bowl once before, and no matter what time you go, there are always kids running around. And I’m not talking grade school or high school kids with fake ID’s; I’m talking toddlers chasing bouncy balls and falling because they haven’t learned to traverse stairs yet. It’s an interesting dynamic which you may or may not approve of – the place is still a bar after all and there are plenty of shitfaced patrons at any given time.

For us though, “Hipster Daycare” provided quite a bit of entertainment as we waited for a bowling lane to open up. As mentioned before, the food is excellent and we stuffed ourselves on homemade pork rinds, mac and cheese, and bbq wings. The true gem of the meal however was the Burbon Milkshake.

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Brooklyn Brewery

YoNYC! My birthday has been terrible for 4 straight years. Buried at the end of January, my birthday falls after the manic crush of Christmas/New Years but before Chinese New Year. (I’m Chinese) It’s also been the coldest day of the year, or damn near close to it, for the past 3-4 years.

This year would be different though. And although I wasn’t about to get my hopes up, my girlfriend had other ideas. She charged into the “Ryan’s birthday weekend challenge” with gusto. Looks like I’m going out for my birthday!

Brooklyn Brewery
79 North 11th Street
NY 11211-1913
(718) 486-7422

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The Doughnut Plant in Lower East Side is not your typical doughnut place. I would classify this place as a premium doughnut shop, there are two type of doughnuts to choose from yeast and cake.

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This dingy, steamy cart serves only one thing and that is rice noodle roll. They do it quite well and it’s made to order so it’s always fresh and piping hot. But if you want to try this cheap eats ($1.25 an order!), you need to be here early from 7am to 1pm. There are 5 varieties: pork, beef, chicken, dry shrimp, and plain. All are made by steaming in their special pan with the above mentioned ingredients. They are perfectly soft and practically melts in your mouth. The light soy sauce and scallions brighten this savory treat. I like mine with a little hot sauce on the side. Just remember to eat it right away and it’s perfectly fine to do so on the street.

(in front of 157 Hester st, Hong Kong Supermarket)
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There are two big Vietnamese sandwich shop in Chinatown, Paris Sandwich and Banh Mi Saigon, both well known for their fresh delicious sandwiches but which one has the BEST Vietnamese sandwich(Bánh mì)? My judging criteria are on presentation, ingredients, and taste.

1. Presentation:

(left)Paris Sandwich $4  (right) Saigon Sandwich $3.95

The Paris Sandwich took maybe less than 5 minutes from order to pick up. The Saigon Sandwich took about 20 minutes with close to 15 people waiting on line.

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Greetings!

Shanghai Cafe, located on 100 Mott Street, is a good eat for several reasons. It is cheap, colorful, and tasty.

The ambiance of the place makes it a good restaurant to bring friends, especially those of the Caucasian Persuasion. You know, it is not easy sometimes when figuring out where to bring such friends because they may not be as comfortable or accepting of the level of hygiene or taste of decor as you. You may feel right at home at a place whose walls are covered in dollar bills, where there is poor lighting or where the waitress/waiter throws, literally throws, you the bill when you’ve only just begun eating. But when you plan on going to Shanghai Cafe, cast aside your anxieties. Pastel colored lights line the walls and ceilings and the chairs and tables are modern metal.

In terms of food, I highly recommend the steamed pork buns; they are either number 1 or 2 on the menu. Get the cheaper ones, don’t get the ones with crab meat, it’s fake anyway. Below you will find a tutorial on just how to devour a steamed pork bun. It is rather like an art. ALSO, order the scallion pancakes; it’s simply divine and everyone likes them. They’re akin to French fries or mozzarella sticks in that they have a universal appeal.

Pronounced like you’re giving out a sneeze, “A Chau”, the only place in chinatown that just sells authentic Vietnamese sandwiches. A menu of 10 different sandwiches to choose from, each costing no more than $3.50, definitely a great place for a cheap tasty meal on the go. I typically prefer the classic Vietnamese Cold Cuts with Pate Sandwich which consist of Pâté(meat paste), Vietnamese ham, roasted ground pork, pickled carrots, cucumber, cilantro, and mayo on a toasted French baguette. The sandwich hit the spot and filled me up nicely.

A Chau Deli
82A Mulberry Street
(212) 766-3332
9am-7pm

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L’asso
192 Motts Street @ Kenmore Street
212-219-2353
http://lassonyc.com
Hours:
Sunday – Wedmesday 12pm – 12am
Thursday – Saturday 12pm – 3:00 am Happy Hour 5-7 pm
$3 beers on tap
$1 slices <—- Awesome F$%*@#ing deal

It’s been a pizza eating weekend for me, I had Grimaldis the other day and had Torcellos while I was at Northport but nothing compares to Lasso’s pizza. I’ve been dreaming all day of L’asso : )

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