Cafeteria

Cafeteria is one of those trendy restaurants that aims to make comfort food fancy. They serve some classic things like meatloaf and fried Oreos; they retain the great homey taste and feel of comfort food, but they're just prettier because they're in an all-white restaurant.

My appetizer was the meatballs; beef meatballs in marinara sauce with toasted bread. These are so good--really moist and flavorful, and the sauce is really nice too. Although you don't have a lot of options in meatball dishes (they also have a pork meatball slider) these are definitely better than the ones at The Meatball Shop. My only criticism is that the bread was mostly crust, and was way too crunchy and charred to be good with meatballs--you need a soft, chewy bread to dip into the sauce.

My entree was the chicken and waffles--cheddar tabasco waffles with chili butter and maple jus on the side. The waffles were so good; they're incredibly fluffy, and they have a mild cheesy flavor. The fried chicken itself was great too--the skin was incredibly crispy and well-seasoned. You get practically a whole chicken; I got two legs and what appeared to be a wing still attached to the breast. The meat was really juicy--and as moist as chicken breast can be, this was it. Though, the highlights of this dish were really the skin and the waffles, and I would be really happy just eating them with the chili butter.

They're fancy and they grill the lemon, although I can't taste
any difference once you squeeze it on your food.

So fluffy!

For a side, I got the parmesan truffle fries. I've had a lot of truffle fries where the potato is actually fried in truffle oil--this was not one of them. These were just drizzled with truffle oil, and they really skimped on the oil, too. The result is less than a third of the fries having that amazing truffle aroma. I don't think it was worth the $6; you could just buy some McDonald's fries and a bottle of truffle oil and it would be better than this.

Cafeteria makes some really nice, classic American dishes. If you can only get one thing here, it would definitely have to be the chicken and waffles. I also recommend the meatloaf! Save your money on the side dishes though; they're not really unique or something you'll be particularly thrilled with.

Cafeteria
119 7th Ave., at W 17th St.
http://www.cafeteriagroup.com/

Shilla

I have a rule against eating Asian food in America, because I can get it so much better back home, but I'm willing to break my rule at Shilla. This place has three floors, so you literally never have to wait for more than five minutes. It also helps that the other Korean places on West 32nd are overrated, so everyone in K-Town crowds in Woorijip or Gallery 32.

You know it's a legit Korean restaurant when they have terrifying, threatening signs like these:

"Shilla is NOT a playground or daycare. Please watch your children.
We check ID from EVERYONE. It's the LAW!"

They're very generous with the variety of small dishes, but whether the wait staff is willing to refill them, really depends on their mood.

We got the house special marinated beef ribs--kalbi or galbi, I can never tell the difference. Anyway, the beef is so juicy and flavorful, but a little on the salty side, so I eat it over rice (I never trust NYC restaurants' raw lettuce, and Shilla's looks a little limp and brown). It is quite a pricy item--about $30 for one portion that can feed two skinny Asian girls--but it is worth the occasional splurge.

My main dish was duenjangjigae--soybean paste stew--the pronunciation of which I've perfected, thanks to having ordered this a million times. This version is one of the better ones I've tried; it's very, very savory and not too thick, so you can drink it as soup. The ingredients are also a lot more appealing than some other ones I've had, with zucchini, potatoes, and tofu. There's also onions and some questionable shreds of beef in it, but I'm guessing they're only in there for flavor, because they're cooked to death and don't taste great on their own.

Overall, Shilla is kind of a pricy place, so come with a large group if you plan on getting barbecue. It does have great, authentic Korean food and fun drinks (yogurt soju, anyone?) so it can be worth the occasional fun night. The best part about Shilla, though, is that it is one of the few Asian restaurants in Manhattan where the waiters will not ask you for additional tip, which is really tacky. Two years ago some friends and I went to a different Korean place on the block, and we were literally chased out after leaving only 12% tip. I doubt they serve Chinese people anymore.

Shilla Restaurant
37 W 32nd St.

Cha-An Japanese Tea House

Cha-An is an occasional indulgence for me for afternoon tea. I would usually only get one item each trip, but for blogging's sake, I got two.

My first dessert was the scones. Each plate comes with one earl grey-flavored scone, one chocolate scone, sake-chantilly cream, and blueberry compote. The scones are very different from what you would expect from a regular, English scone. They're not flaky or buttery, but rather moist and crumbly, kind of like a dense cake. I prefer the earl grey scone; the chocolate is just a bit too sweet, while the earl grey is aromatic and has a mild, slightly woody flavor. The sake-chantilly cream is amazing--really light and airy, and just sweet enough to add flavor to the scones. The blueberry compote, on the other hand, is just fine. It has a nice, smooth texture and a warm, sweet flavor, but it's nothing special.

My second "dessert" was the smoked salmon toast. It's a thick toast with smoked salmon and watercress, and the sauce is mayo, mustard seeds, and lemon. It's one of the more expensive items on the menu--$12--but well worth it. The smoked salmon was perfectly fatty, and the bread was fluffy and moist and had an incredible buttery flavor. The dish was also nicely balanced--the sauce added an acidic kick, and the watercress added lightness and crunch.

Overall, Cha-An is not the most necessary place to go eat (you don't have to have dessert or afternoon tea) but it's well worth a trip and the price.

Cha-An Japanese Tea House
230 E 9th St, between 2nd and 3rd Ave.
http://www.chaanteahouse.com/

Peels

I've had my eye on this place for months; every weekend, I see hoards of people lining up outside for brunch. I knew I had to try it when, a few weeks ago, the same number of people were waiting outside when there was supposed to be a blizzard that day.

Whenever I eat brunch with my boyfriend, I always get biscuits with gravy, because it is delicious. But then by the third bite I always make him promise to never let me get it again, because it's so heavy and rich that I will never finish it. The version at Peels, however, is much, much lighter--biscuits with sausage gravy for skinny girls, if you will. The biscuits weren't too special; not buttery or flaky, just kind of beginner's biscuits. The gravy wasn't as thick or flavorful as I would've liked, but it was light enough that I could finish the whole plate (but judging from the gummy, sticky texture, the thickness comes from cornstarch, rather than from fat). The dish also comes with poached eggs, which were perfectly done--firm whites and runny yolks. However, the egg whites were a bit sour; you can put a capful of vinegar in your poaching water to help the egg white set, but any more and you can taste it.

For dessert, I got the chocolate hazelnut pudding. The pudding itself was smooth and creamy, and not too sweet. The hazelnuts were so nicely toasted that it left a nice roasty aftertaste. However, you will almost definitely feel gross and greasy and fat after you've eaten half of it--after all, a good two-thirds of it is whipped cream. There are not nearly enough hazelnuts to balance the creaminess of the large amounts of fat. My suggestion is, take off the whipped cream on top, and add another tablespoon of hazelnuts.

I'm not sure if Peels is worth the brunch hype or an hour-long wait, but it is the place you imagine yourself in when you think of lunch in East Village. It's the perfect place to go for a lazy-afternoon lunch.

Peels
http://peelsnyc.com/
325 Bowery, at 2nd St.

Blue Water Grill

First of all, I need to apologize for the food pictures taken with flash--Blue Water Grill is one of those pretentious NYC restaurants that is too cool for proper lighting. However, this restaurant would make for a really great romantic date spot, since all your flaws are hidden in the dark.

Our appetizer was the fried calamari with zucchini and chilis, which was my favorite part of the meal. The calamari was perfect--so tender and not greasy at all. The batter was a little less crispy than I would've liked it, but the texture of the calamari itself makes up for it. If you can take spicy food, try the fried red chili! They deseed it anyway, so it's not really that spicy.

In general, I would call Blue Water Grill inconsistent. Just on one plate, you get a mix of good and mediocre elements. I got the scallops, shrimp, and gnocchi. The scallops were nicely seared (a bit too opaque in the center, though), the gnocchi had a great fluffy texture, but the shrimp were rocks--literally rock shrimp. I mean, it was just cooked to death and hard and crunchy.

The lobster mashed potatoes were, again, mixed. The potatoes were so nice--perfectly smooth and buttery--but the lobster, which sat on top of the potato, was cold by the time we got it. I was also really confused by the single cilantro and tarragon leaves just floating on top; nothing agitates me more than nonfunctional garnish. I understand that color and presentation are important factors in a dish, but they could've used a garnish that both looks good and makes sense, flavor-wise. I expect a lot more from a BR Guest restaurant, especially when I'm paying $12 for a tiny plate.

I didn't even bother taking a picture of the profiteroles I got for dessert, because they were covered in chocolate, and under flash they would've just looked like mounds of poo. So basically you get three cream puffs without the cream, with vanilla ice cream, strawberry compote, and chocolate. The profiteroles were really, really not good--the puffs themselves were dense and dry, the ice cream was crunchy and grainy from all the ice crystals, and the strawberry compote had a strange, bitter aftertaste. I'm usually never this disappointed with dessert. When I think of profiteroles, I think of moist, airy puffs, and I got the opposite. I would be a lot more forgiving if Blue Water Grill just called it brioche with ice cream.

I'm not sure if the chef just had an "off" night, because BR Guest restaurants have a really good reputation; however, for the price point, this was really a disappointment, and I would have to think long and hard before coming back.

Blue Water Grill
http://www.bluewatergrillnyc.com/
31 Union Square West, at 16th St.

Luke's Lobster

My friend and I have been talking about eating here for over a semester, and we finally came on a less-cold day.

We each got a lobster roll and I got a clam chowder as well. It's a standard, simple lobster roll; really fresh lobster with butter, mayo, salt, and pepper. But even better than the lobster, I think, is the bread. It's so nice, buttery and toasted. I just wish that they would toast both sides, though (they only toast the outside), because if you don't eat it fast enough the inside can get a bit soggy.

The clam chowder was pretty nice--not the best one I've ever had, but it's good (my trip to Boston last year really ruined a lot of seafood for me). It's not too overly thick or salty, and the clams don't have that "fishy" taste. I did bite into a few grains of sand, though.

I don't know about the other stores, but the one in East Village is really, really tiny. It has nine seats, but because some seats are awkwardly cramped into corners, it can only really seat five or six people. It's a great place for two or three friends to come during the week (on weekends, people really cram in there and will eat standing).

Luke's Lobster
http://lukeslobster.com/
Various locations

The Meatball Shop

I went to the Meatball Shop on a cold rainy day--I needed something homey and rich.

The menus here are super cute; you get a laminated menu and a dry-erase marker and check the items you want.

I got the spicy pork meatballs with mushroom gravy with rigatoni--it's a really unattractive plate of food, but it was really nice and satisfying, and the pasta was perfectly al dente. However, one criticism I have is that there isn't really a balance; everything is heavy and savory. From the meatballs to the sauce to the sides, there isn't a single item that is on the lighter side (except the "Simple Salad" and "Market Salad," but why would you get that here? You could make that yourself). I recommend getting spaghetti or rigatoni (instead of risotto) under the meatballs, since the sauce can get very salty.

For dessert, I got an ice cream sandwich with brownie walnut cookies and mint ice cream. This thing was, like, four feet tall.

The cookies were beyond mediocre--they're dry and crumbly and not very flavorful. However, the ice cream was amazing. It's everything you want from mint ice cream: it's actually made with mint and tastes like mint, as opposed to the horrible generic artificial green ice cream. If you don't like mint ice cream, this one could change your mind.

I'm not one to factor service into my opinions of restaurants--I think a restaurant is really defined by its food--but my experience the last time I came here was so terrible that I have to share it:

Each plate of meatballs comes with a toothpick (I'm not sure why... you already have a fork) but mine didn't. While I was eating the risotto, which came under the meatballs, I bit into part of a broken toothpick that got mixed into the risotto, and immediately told our server, who then pretty much said that I just wasn't careful and ate the meatball and the toothpick in one bite. Ten minutes later, she came back and said, "Well, because of your, um, thing, I'll get you guys some desserts." Should've been free right? She charged us for it.

So, in short, I almost swallowed half of a broken toothpick, and I got charged for an ice cream sandwich in return. It was only $5.00, but come on.

But, the food is still nice and I still came back. I would come for lunch, though, since this place is absolutely packed for dinner, with an hour-long wait that is hell in New York winter weather.

The Meatball Shop

http://www.themeatballshop.com/

Hours: Saturday to Wednesday 12:00pm to 2:00am, Thursday to Friday 12:00pm to 4:00am

Momofuku Milk Bar

Milk Bar is right across the street from Momofuku Ssam Bar, which is why Ssam Bar doesn't offer dessert!

Momofuku Milk Bar is most famous for the compost cookie and the crack pie, both of which I got.

The crack pie, I think, is the most oversimplified item on the menu. The filling is butter, sugar, cream, and egg yolk, which is quite off-putting for some people but is also the point of the item: it is a blend of everything that is good about dessert. But to balance the buttery sweetness of the filling is the crust, which is salty and made with oats (which also adds some texture to an otherwise smooth, creamy pie). It's sticky, light, and the pie equivalent of a sugar cookie.

The compost cookie is just a mix of everything: chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, potato chips, coffee grounds, graham crumbs, and pretzels. People will usually make faces when they hear the potato chips and coffee grounds part, but all the flavors meld together to make a really balanced cookie. All the add-ins are fine enough that you don't get one very large chunk of anything. The texture is perfect; the edges are quite crisp and chewy, and the center is malleable and soft.

I feel like many of the other items on the menu are overlooked. My favorite underdog is the blueberry and cream cookie, which is pretty much a soft plain cookie with blueberries.

Overall, I really like Momofuku Milk Bar. Although the items and combinations are unusual, each dessert is really balanced and mild--I hate when a dessert is overly sweet. I will definitely come back when it's warmer to try the ice cream and milkshake!

Momofuku Milk Bar
http://milkbarstore.com/
Hours vary by location