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