Sidecar Brooklyn

Sidecar works. Its bar and restaurant is cohesive; creating a laid back atmosphere that fits unanimously with Park Slope. On a Friday night, the bar is occupied by crowds of young twenty-something year olds. For dining, seating options are booths and a long high stool counter overlooking all the kitchen action. The décor is casual-Brooklyn but with great intention and an eye for solid comfort food. The menu is American with a twist of bistro fare i.e. rare oysters, pate, etc. Its turkey bacon signature club featuring granny smith apples and cave aged gruyere is different and scores points. The menu consists of common and familiar food but if you look closely at the ingredients it’s much more exciting and refined. It's choice on grass fed beef for its signature burger was not a random draw moreover its level of food consciousness.

No need to dress up, Sidecar wants you to dress down and be down with its casual yet keen veneer. It’s a place to come back more than once to relax, drink and be merry.

Sidecar 560 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215 (718) 369-0077

Little Havana

Not too many Cuban dining choices in NYC. So when one finds a place and sees 'authentic,' one feels joy. Tucked in the middle of Cornelia street, a petite size room that holds no more than 20 people makes some feel like home. A tight space--where one server can cover the entire evening shift--creates a nice intimate atmosphere as couples whisper. The modest and simple decor accommodates very well to the family style dishes. Neither pretentious nor sophisticated yet the prices are.

I had mistaken my Jumbo Shrimp Ceviche for a lunch salad, initially. The dish did not showcase the shrimp at all, in fact the petty shrimps of four were buried under a bed of greens--resembling a generic salad--which lost its appeal and essence of the ceviche. I did enjoy the shrimp as it was nicely cured in lemon.

If there was one dish to praise, it would be the side dish: maduros. The sweet plantains fried in perfection, literally; leaving a caramelized layer over the sweet tender center that will have you coming back for more.


Little Havana 30 Cornelia St (between 4th St & Bleecker St)
New York, NY 10014 (212) 255-2212
www.littlehavananyc.com

Bossa Nova Brazil

It’s one of those Hell’s kitchen's establishments that continue to exist on its ethnic appeal; cheap happy hour drinks and outdoor seating. Doubtful a foodie goes out of his/ her way to seek out Bossa Nova Brazil's food. Overly salted, muddy rice texture and overcooked cod in its Seafood Paella. Shouldn't paella be served on paella pan? Plated on a dull white flatware—stripping away the intensity and excitement of the dish.

Can one go wrong with empanadas? Yes. Regrettably ordered three beef empanadas that resemble frozen supermarket ones. Dismayed that not a single garnish was used to accompany those lonely patties—no embellishments whatsoever, nothing. The flavor was exactly how it looked: boring. Perhaps one thing that was worth mentioning in a better note was the Brazilian sausage served with yucca. Fried crispy yucca cut into neatly tapered torpedoes; shockingly tender in the inside served with bite size sausages.

If you’re meeting a meaningless date and in the mood for some $5 dollar happy hour 'Brazilian cocktails,' this is your place. Dine al fresco, people watch and hopefully not look tacky.


Bossa Nova Brazil 772 Ninth Avenue New York, NY 10019 (212) 586-5008

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Gahm Mi Oak

A friend with an extensive knowledge on Korean food suggested we go to Gahm Mi Oak for some selected authentic Korean dishes--dishes that are just as good as in the homeland.

Must dish:

Sul Long Tang, a snowy white ox-bone soup with white rice and white noodle, accompanied with scallion, salt and pepper on the side. A clear yet beefy flavored broth with thinly slices of beef. Add salt as you go. Next: Abai Soon Dae korean style pork sausage, steamed. Texture similar to a healthy version of a light meatloaf minus the bread crumbs, add in some rice vermicelli served in diagonal slices. Steamed intestines and cattle stomach were accompanied.

Gahm Mi Oak gets it right. It emphasizes and practices healthy Korean cooking, the way it should be. None of that fried stuff. You don't need the load of oil/ fat to accentuate food to satisfy the taste buds. If need compared, Gahm Mi Oak makes the usage of oil from conventional restaurants/ fast food joints look like the Hades of Grease, as Gahm Mi Oak would be portrayed as a monastery for capturing the simple and minimalistic approach to good eating.

So if there is anything we've learned today, kids, is that: Tasty food come steamed too. Who'd ever thought?


Gahm Mi Oak 43 W 32nd St # 1 New York, NY 10001 (212) 695-4113

Sarge’s Deli & Restaurant

Dined at Sarge’s for less than an hour—45 minutes to be exact. A Jewish deli with an enormous restaurant menu—that should be cut down since they lack pedigree on the basics. The pastrami and rye was standard deli fare—similar prototype from your corner deli for lunch with half the price. The pastrami was thinly sliced through the machine slicer, which lost the essence of the carnivorous characteristic. Personally, pastrami should be carved by hand; nothing beats the thick and uneven slabs of meat as you sink your teeth and tear into the flesh. Aside from the lackluster food, Sarge’s tawdry façade claims to portray Old New York time warp. But in reality it’s rundown and tacky. Something you can expect from a tourist trap but worse. Décor for a deli is not important; food is, but Sarge’s is flawed on both.

That said, Sarge’s can not, thus should not be ranked in the New York deli elite category—it’s not practical. Given that it is 24 hours, Sarge’s can possibly and literally be the last place to get your pastrami fix--thats of course when all the delis are closed for the night.

548 3rd Ave New York, NY 10016 (212) 679-0442

The banh mi explosion

Whether it's traditional or a reinvented twist of the banh mi, one can't go wrong.

AN CHOI 85 Orchard Street (Broome Street); (212) 226-3700.

BANH MI SAIGON BAKERY 138 Mott Street (Grand Street); (212) 941-1541.

BAOGUETTE 61 Lexington Avenue (25th Street); (212) 518-4089.

BAOGUETTE CAFE 37 St. Marks Place (Second Avenue); (347) 892-2614.

BA XUYEN 4222 Eighth Avenue (42nd Street), Sunset Park, Brooklyn; (718) 633-6601.

NHA TOI 160 Havemeyer Street (South Second Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn; (718) 599-1820.

NUM PANG 21 East 12th Street (University Place); (212) 255-3271.

PARIS SANDWICH BAKERY CAFE 113 Mott Street (Hester Street); (212) 226-7221.

SAU VOI CORP. 101 Lafayette Street (Walker Street); (212) 226-8184.

SILENT H 79 Berry Street (North Ninth Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn; (718) 218-7063.

THANH DA I 6008 Seventh Avenue (60th Street), Sunset Park, Brooklyn; (718) 492-3253.

THANH DA II 5624B Eighth Avenue (56th Street), Sunset Park, Brooklyn; (718) 492-3760.

Sylvia's

For many visitors who venture out to Harlem would most likely make a stop to Sylvia's. Everyone has a little soul food crave in them, and many are satisfied by Sylvia's. I was partial. Perhaps it is because my long anticipation for this Harlem iconic eatery accrued high expectations over the years, and so, the food did not soothe my soul.

The load down:

The white meat fried chicken had a crispy and well seasoned crust and tender white meat center. Served with Buttered Corn which was a delight: glossed with butter and sweet in flavor. Though, sweeter than candy can pose a lack of desire on ones consumption as one of my dinner companions found on her Candied Yams.



Aside from their famous Waffle with Fried Chicken, any other dish would be a toss up. Such as the ribs; poorly executed and a lackluster flavor— from the taste of it, one can notice that the ribs have been sitting in the kitchen warmers for quite some time; I call this the sitting taste. Served with a side of nicely whipped creamy yet not too heavy mash and Baked Macaroni & Cheese; a generous dose of cheese, giving this side bolder taste.



Another disappointment came from the Smothered Chicken Leg: the leg was slaughtered and then slattered with Sylvia’s salty gravy, though the chicken was perfectly cooked but the flavor was buried and bathed. This was essentially a fried chicken soaked in buttery brown sauce. With a side of Collard Greens: One would have a hard time just eating the Collard Greens alone, granted it is a side, but it was bitter and slightly over salted.

If your only reason to come to Harlem was just for Sylvia’s, I would second think that move. But if you’re in the area and have the time to chow down, then it is worth the stop but it is not a must-stop. Great for large groups, and expect all types of people i.e. locals, tourists, very obvious tourists, and etc.


Sylvia's 328 Lenox Ave. nr. 127th St, New York, NY 10027 212-996-0660 http://www.sylviassoulfood.com/


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