Search results for 'broadway'

Broadway Bites: Pop-up Restaurants in Herald Square

15 Nov

Broadway Bites opened earlier this month, with pop-up restaurants in Greeley Square, right near Herald Square/Macy’s and the Manhattan Mall).  It’s just like Madison Square Eats (which just closed down a few weeks ago) and from the same team at UrbanSpace.

photo 1

There are a lot of vendors (full list here), and we went with some friends to try a few and I went back on a few days (since it’s so close to my office… dangerous).

I first went with Red Hook Lobster Pound and tried the Lobster Roll “Maine Style.”  Maine Style to them meant with a lemon mayo (though it also had some paprika or Old Bay on it, which was an issue for me since I’m allergic, but I scraped it off and made it work).  This was just okay. The lobster wasn’t as flavorful as I would have liked, but I AM super spoiled.

photo 1

I also tried the lobster macaroni and cheese from there, which was very good. The lobster was more flavorful in there and the pasta was nice and cheesy without being soupy. They took a torch to crisp up the top, but it felt more for show than for taste.  It was barely scorched when I opened it up, and I would have preferred much more, but it was still quite tasty.

photo 2

Mike went with a brisket sandwich from Mayhem & Stout.  He said it was tasty but it was served a bit cold.

photo 3

One of our friends stopped at Mrs Dorsey’s Kitchen for a smoked gouda grilled cheese sandwich. She enjoyed it, but I was surprised to see that the cheese was hardly melted at all.   A grilled cheese sandwich is not merely cheese on toasted bread. It must be melty!

Her take: “Tasty ingredients in the grilled cheese (good cheese, good crispy bread), but it wasn’t melty at all. All in all, just an average grilled cheese, I’d say…”

photo 4

And our other friend went with the veggie meatballs from Mighty Balls.  His feedback: “I’d say the balls themselves could have used a bit more taste and crust.  The bread made up for the crunch, but it was a bit too mushy in texture.  A bit more spring in the bite would have been welcomed.  The jalapeño jelly though was delicious.  Would like to try it separately.  I believe they sell it in jars.  Could see it being great on other sandwiches, and even lamb.”

photo 5

I don’t know if any of us were overly impressed, and there seemed to be a heating problem across the board.  But it’s a nice way to try some restaurants without having to travel too far and it’s great to go as a group so there is something for everyone. We happened to go on a very warm November day, so most of the hot food was not overly appealing to me.  I went back a few days later when it was quite chilly and I was more in the mood for hot food.

I chose a butternut squash and pine nut arancini (fried rice ball) from Arancini Bros.

photo 3

 

It had a great crisp and wasn’t at all greasy (a problem I sometimes have with arnacini).  The rice was perfectly al dente and there was a mild cheesiness in combination with the squash and pine nut flavors. A really great dish, and could probably be a meal in itself.

photo 5

But I also went in search of vegetables.  You know… to be healthy.  I didn’t find much. But I did find a zucchini and mozz sandwich from Cannibal (where I previously had a great pig’s head). Zucchini counts as a vegetable right? Even when on toasted bread with cheese?  Say yes…

Good.

Thanks.

Back to the sandwich.  I unwrapped it and was immediately displeased. I like the idea of wrapping in brown paper, but it always shows just how greasy it is.  And I was trying to tell myself that this was healthy!

DAMN!

photo 1

I opened it up and noticed that while the pesto and mozzarella looked good, I was surprised at the skimpy amount of zucchini. Two thin slices on the entire thing? Lame!

But holy hell. This was DELICIOUS.  Super duper ooper delicious.

Yes… ooper.

The bread and cheese and pesto and zucchini mixed together into something that didn’t seem feasible by the sum of its parts.  I guess this was the power of damn good ingredients.

Ooper.

photo 2

I would definitely stop by before it closes up at the end of November.  It was also lovely that there were very short lines across the board every time I went!

 

Blog_badge_s

Tenpenny- A surprisingly great meal near Broadway

23 Apr

We live near Broadway, so we go out in the area more than most.  The Broadway/Times Square area is not known for having great food. There are some gems, but almost the entire area is over priced, over crowded, and underwhelming.

We were looking for another hidden gem so I pulled open my Immaculate Infatuation app and found their recommendation for Tenpenny. They had a reservation at the right time (and wound up being pretty empty at the early, pre-theater hour we visited) so we went for it.  It is also within walking distance of Grand Central station, so it’s located near a lot of places where I am frequently asked to find restaurants.

Tenpenny is located in the Gotham Hotel on 46th Street. The restaurant has a great feel and you certainly wouldn’t believe you’re right in the middle of all the city action here.

DSCF1037

There is a skylight in the back that offers a lovely NY high rise view and lots of sun light on a nice day like when we went.

DSCF1038

Immaculate Infatuation also had mentioned crispy artichokes (which are one of my favorite foods ever), however, they were not on the menu this time. ::sad face::

The bread was a really nice crispy crust and fluffy inside. And I really enjoyed the garlic and rosemary sliced into the olive oil. (The other was red pepper flakes, so I had to stay away).

DSCF1043

We tried the OPP or “Other People’s Pinot.” It was a Pinot Noir and we really enjoyed it.

DSCF1045

It was from a winery called Mouton Noir and I really enjoyed the cap.

DSCF1049

We decided to start with the crostini and we tried the smoked salmon & dill creme fraiche crostini and the crispy pork belly, spiced yogurt & fuji apple crostini.  The smoked salmon and dill one was okay (though I’m not a huge fan of salmon) but I really enjoyed the crispy pork belly.

DSCF1046

The bread on both was fantastic and I really enjoyed the pork and apple combination on the second one.

DSCF1048

Mike went with the Lamb Porterhouse which was cast iron seared Colorado lamb with house butter. It had a great lamby flavor that we both really enjoyed.

DSCF1056

 

I chose the Heritage Pork Rach which was house brined, pan seared, and served with bourbon pork jus.

DSCF1061

There was a really nice sear on the chop and it was surprisingly juicy and tender all throughout. The bourbon jus was also a really great compliment.

DSCF1062

It also came with a small onion tartlet that I really enjoyed. The onions were perfectly caramelized and the pastry itself had great flavor.

DSCF1064

Tenpenny serves their entrees as mostly just the meat, so you do need to get a side on its own (which definitely puts the meal further into the pricey category). We chose the brussels sprouts. They were delicious and the way we like them (with pork) but weren’t as crispy as we like. We are quite particular about our brussels, however!

DSCF1057

We then decided to try some dessert, and we started with 2 glasses of after dinner drinks. I chose a dessert wine and Mike got a port.

DSCF1070

Mike chose the pecan pie with cinnamon gelato and caramel sauce. This was quite good.  The pecans were nicely cooked without being over sweet, and the  pastry was a nice compliment to the sweetness.

DSCF1073

I went with the chocolate caramel mousse with espresso anglaise and toasted hazelnuts.

DSCF1075

The mousse was the perfect texture with the crisp chocolate on top and cookie-like crust on the bottom.  Really nice dessert and looked beautiful.

DSCF1077

Overall, Tenpenny was a great find. A bit expensive (especially since the entrees don’t really come with any sides), but the quality is there to make it a worthwhile place to eat and worth the midtown price tag. It’s hard to get away from a costly meal in that area of town, but with the others being much lower quality, I think Tenpenny is a great place to go.  All our food had great flavor and was cooked and presented with obvious care. It’s also just a nice place to spend an evening. We sat and leisurely enjoyed our meal and drinks.

Total Nom Points: 7.5 out of 10

Total Nom Points: 7.5 out of 10

 

Broadway district dining

16 Mar

Anyone who has been to the Broadway district in NYC knows that it is a very hard place to find good, reasonable food. So when two friends, Mark and Sara, came up from Atlanta to visit and go see The Little Mermaid on Broadway, I first took them to one of my favorite bars in the close vicinity for a pre-show drink: BXL Cafe.  They are a small Belgian beer bar that has decent prices, pretty good food, and flights of beer.  As a lover of sampling, I always try a few when I’m there.  (This picture is from the fall, but you get the idea)

After the show, my friends did some digging to find food that would be safe for someone who is allergic to dairy.  They came upon Akdeniz, an affordable Turkish/Mediterranean restaurant that I actually had been to once before with some other out of town friends.  I managed to forget to photograph the entire meal with the exception of dessert, but the meal itself was really great.  We opted for the prix fixe which included an app, entree, coffee, and selected desserts for $21,95. Babaghannous and Hummus for dipping and lentil soup for Mark and Sara.  Sara then had the Vegetable Casserole, Mark had the Falafel, and I had the BBQ Meatballs.  My meatballs were more like meat pancakes, but they were quite tasty.  Everyone seems to enjoy their dishes.

For dessert the options were limited to 2 on the prix fixe, so we chose to sample both options.  The first was Turkish Custard, which tasted better than it looked, but not by much:

The second dessert was called Kadayif and looked and tasted like a mixture of baklavah and shredded wheat (instead of filo dough).  It was quite tasty:

Overall, this place is decent and a great value.  The food itself probably wouldn’t stand up on its own, but for the price, it gets an extra nom point:

Total Nom Points: 6.5 out of 10