Tag Archives: restaurant reviews

Going Dutch

13 Jul

I am not overly familiar with the east 50s area of NYC, so when we found ourselves up there at FAO Schwartz to make a Muppet (best. birthday present. ever!), we wandered until we found an interesting place to eat.

Danku caught my eye with their tag line “Naturalicious Dutch Eatery” and my inability to recall what Dutch food exactly consists of.

Each table had a cute wooden tulip and Mike and I both tried the “Steaz” which were soda-like green teas with fruit flavoring.

Their trendy, digital flat screen menus were quite flashy and offered a lot of tasty sounding options from gluten free rice wraps to healthier frozen yogurt to splendid looking krokets.

I went with the “New Amsterdammer” hot sandwich that consisted of chicken, canadian bacon, arugula, tomatos, and “Danku Sauce” (which appeared to be a slightly more mayo version of Russian dressing and tasted pretty good.)  I really enjoyed my sandwich, and the flavorful canadian bacon really set it apart.

Mike went with the hot steak sandwich which consisted of grilled steak with tomatoes and lettuce and more danku sauce.  The steak was very tasty.

The shining star of this meal, however, was the kroket.  Mike ordered a spinach and artichoke version that came with the Danku Sauce (again) for dipping.  I would absolutely make a meal out of these and they could be served at a 5 star restaurant as a appetizer for a lot more money and they would be all the rage.  I may make my way back to West 57th between 5th and 6th Avenues just to have the kroket again!

Total Nom Points: 7 out of 10

Quick and Average Italian

12 Jul

A random night in the East Village left us with only an hour to eat but craving something filling.  We stumbled upon Three of Cups on 1st Ave and 5th Street and it seemed to have a good menu.  We sat outside but upon going through the restaurant, Mike and I both realized we had been to the bar at some point in the past.  Mike ordered some classic spaghetti and meatballs while I had an artichoke, chicken, and mozarella calzone.  Overall it was decent, and quick, but everything needed a bit more flavor.  I’m not sure where the garlic was in this Italian cuisine, and I’d venture to guess that they do not use fresh ingredients.    While they didn’t do anything wrong, they really didn’t do anything right either.  Overall, however, it probably wasn’t worth what we paid for it.



Total Nom Points: 5 out of 10

Pongsri Thai

7 Jul

One of my best friends (and fellow food blogger) Lori and I have a good old standby Thai place that is always good… and cheap.  Pongsri Thai’s menu is famous between Lori and I for laughs with dishes named “Prince Kermit” (frog’s legs) and “Big Bird’s Love Nets” (hard noodle nest with chicken, pineapple, and veggies inside).  The teenage boys inside of us also get a kick out of reading the spice list that mentions the “erect” nature of the plants and some terrible English translations.  As a person allergic to peppers, I have to be careful with Thai food (although I love it), so I usually go with the Pad Thai or Pad See Ewe.  This time I went with Pad Thai and it didn’t dissapoint. 

Lori went more creative and ordered The Big Bird Love Nest (which she had eaten and enjoyed before).  She found it very enjoyable (no comment from yours truly due to the peppers).

We managed to save room for dessert and Lori got the pumpkin coconut custard while I went for my old standby favorite, mango and sticky rice.  The pumpkin coconut custard had great flavor (and even texture! which was concerning upon first glance).  My mango and sticky rice could have had riper fruit and stickier rice, but I still enjoyed.


Reliable and cheap.

Total Nom Points: 6.5 out of 10