Restaurant Week/Summer Promotion: 6 course tasting ($38)

As I was paying the check last night, I mentioned to Sabrina how in our two+ years of knowing each other, our dinners and brunches have progressed- from $20 meals, to $60 meals, to now $100+ meals. In other words, we’ve now been able to complement our meals with alcoholic beverages. This is how we stimulate the economy.

That being said, we’re always wary of Restaurant Week menus, so we do our research before we go. The standard restaurant week menu is a mediocre three-course meal that doesn’t necessarily showcase the restaurant’s best food. In fact, the point of restaurant week is to sell by volume. If you can attract enough people into your restaurant while guaranteeing that they have to spend $50 (including tax & tip), then you can be quite profitable.

I chose Matusugen for Sabrina’s long overdue birthday dinner for two reasons. First, it’s a Jean-Georges restaurant (well, we’ll get more into that later) and second, their restaurant week menu offers a 6 course tasting menu.

Matsugen is located in the triangle below canal (Tribeca!) and while Tribeca can be lively, some streets are desolate. This is exactly the case with Matsugen. I think we passed by one other person on the street walking into the restaurant, and walked out without seeing a soul until we crossed to the next block. It’s almost a trek just to make it out to Matusgen.

We used that logic to attempt to reason why Matsugen was nearly 75% empty on a Saturday night around 7pm. Our dinner reservations were for 6:30pm, and when we arrived, only three tables were occupied. But what’s strikingly different about Matsugen is the layout of the dining room. Almost everyone has commented on this whether it be on Yelp, NYMAG, or other blogs. Instead of a large, single flowing dining room, the room is partitioned into three sections. Mesh-wire fence like barricades are planted on top of the benches (which is very, very odd if you ask me). There’s a large fish tank that wraps around the corner above the benches in the back right of the dining room. Overall, instead of creating an intimate feeling, the emptiness made the restaurant feel cold, almost isolating, and this was multiplied by the partitions. Halfway through our dinner, a couple got seated right next to the wall even though a two-top was clearly empty near the prime spot next to the window. A terrible choice by the hostess if you ask us.

Raspberry-Lychee Bellini ($11) & Cucumber Martini ($12)

We started off the night with cocktails. Originally, I was going to order a Riesling, but the Raspberry-Lychee Bellini sounded really delicious. It’s a really fruity, sweet drink and you can taste the raspberry more than anything else. This is definitely one of my top favorite cocktails. Sabrina asked for recommendations and the server recommended the Cucumber Martini. He promised her it would be light, but we both felt it was a bit on the strong side. I’m not a big fan of cucumbers, but even though the martini obviously had hints of cucumber, it was oddly refreshing. I’d get the Bellini over the Martini, though.

Fried Soba & Edamame

It seemed as if the other two tables next to us also got the restaurant week menu because we saw these rolling out one after another. The edamame (which sells for like $2 at any other Japanese joint) is lightly salted and spiced. Nothing special there. The fried soba, though, was interesting. Definitely a very low cost and high margin “first course,” but I’ve never though about frying soba. I think I might do that at home and then lightly salt them as a snack. They tasted like potato chips.

Edamame

I’d reckon this is their most profitable plate margin wise…

Appetizer Sampler

Within moments, the appetizer sampler came out. I love it whenever tapas sized plates are grouped together on a square dish. It justifies the measly amount of each portion.

Crispy Shrimp, Spinach Gomae, Homemade Soft Tofu, Uni with Yuzu Gelee

Crispy Shrimp: My definite favorite of the four. It’s served with a fried jalapeno (even though it wasn’t spicy) and sits on a generous portion of this spicy mayo-esque sauce. The shrimp is perfectly crisped. I usually don’t eat shrimp because of the texture, but I loved biting into this because I couldn’t even feel that bouncy, chewy texture you usually get.

Spinach Gomae: Aka, creamed spinach with sesame (goma is Japanese for sesame). Again, very well executed. The cream is light to the point of being delicately there in the background, but not enough to make you feel grossed out. The sesame adds a nice touch and a nice contrast to the usual bitterness from the spinach.

Homemade Soft Tofu: Honestly, there was no taste to this thing. And it jiggles.

Uni with Yuzu Gelee: Aka, sea urchin (Japanese for sea urchin is uni). See below.

Sea Urchin (Y U C K)

Holy mother. That thing was repulsive. Sorry if I can’t appreciate fine dining, but I’d rather eat another serving of monkfish liver (that didn’t score nearly as high on the “repulsiveness scale” when I went to Bond St. for some exotic sushi). Yuzu is a Japanese citris.

• The texture: Ugh, it almost makes me want to squirm as I’m typing this right now. The Uni is just mushy and creamy at the same time. I think it was the jelly that nailed the coffin for me. Think about those two together. On a spoon!
• The taste: It’s like tasting the dirtest part of the sea- the part that’s covered in BP oil spill gunk.
• The aftertaste: UGHHHH!!!

But that’s just me. Sabrina thoroughly enjoyed it. Maybe that says something about her…

2 pieces of Tuna Zuke Sushi

The Tuna Zuke Sushi was much welcomed after that sea urchin experience. Zuke means to ‘pickle’ or ‘moisten’ in Japanese. Here, the tuna is moistened with a sweet miso/soy sauce. Note that this is only served with ginger and wasabi and no soy sauce because it’s not necessary.

I could have eaten 20 more of these. They were so good. The tuna was such a deep crimson of red. There’s a common misconception that the redder the tuna, the better. That’s not necessarily always true. But I will tell you that this tuna was definitely of a high grade. You can usually tell first from smelling. Fresh fish should never have a scent (and that’s when you know when to walk away from a sushi joint; when you can smell the fish!). Second, the texture from chewing. The raw meat should effortlessly melt into your mouth.

Black Cod with Miso

I can’t tell whether the tuna course or the black cod course was my favorite. The serving size is a small strip, but enough to do the job. It’s lightly seared and drizzled with some miso. The fish had a natural, what I’d like to call, buttery taste to it. What I absolutely loved, equally as much as the cod, was the seared vegetables. The lotus is crunchy and the sweet potato was simply divine.

Cold Soba with Sesame and Chicken

One of the things that we did not appreciate was the soba. On the restaurant week menu on the website, there’s supposed to be a choice between ‘Chicken Nanban’ or ‘Cold Spicy Sesame Inaka’ for the soba. We did not get either. Instead, we were asked whether we wanted it cold or hot.

Regardless, I enjoyed the soba while Sabrina did not. What we both agreed on was the texture of the soba. It was served al-dente and perfectly cooked. What we disagreed on was the toppings. I thought the sesame oil complemented the minced chicken very well but Sabrina thought otherwise. There’s a regular serving for one of soba in that bowl and it’s enough just for you to get a good taste of what Matsugen is known for.

The thing is, beyond the precise texture of the soba, there wasn’t much else special about this dish. After eating the soba, they present a red kettle with a broth that you’re supposed to pour into the rest of the sesame infused soba broth. I tried it and if I were a soup person, I would have enjoyed it. I think.

Vanilla Caramel Pudding

The last course- dessert. I wish they served some sort of green tea cake, but instead, the set menu presents a small cup of pudding. This was definitely interesting. My facial expression was supposedly priceless. I made this odd face and then cringed a bit. The caramel was immensely bitter and then we realized that we had to mix the thing. The vanilla pudding on the bottom tasted like custard and if you dug all the way to the bottom, it tasted like flan. So even though it may have just been pudding, it was by far the most intricate pudding I’ve had.

Can you blame this on the ‘recession’? 9:30pm on a Saturday night and the bar is empty!

The whole experience was really lovely especially for the price. A few remarks though-

• Several items were changed from the menu online to the menu presented to us (there was supposed to be sashimi in the appetizer sampler but instead got substituted with lowly tofu).
• The servers didn’t exactly explain the menu. Unless if you asked about something (like a recommendation), they went straight to the point. We also had alot of difficulty understanding the runners. I nearly had to ask every runner to repeat something because either they were muttering or I just couldn’t understand them. At one point, when I asked a runner where the restroom was, he said in this accented husky voice, “follow mez.” Sabrina and I were like, ‘excuse me???’
• We definitely would not have enjoyed the food as much if we were seated in a different area and table. We were lucky to have been seated at an L-shaped booth, directly facing the window. Going back to what I was saying before about the design of the restaurant, there are clearly some seats that would have detracted from the experience.
• Matsugen, though under the Jean-Georges name, is technically run by the Matsushita brothers (who are renowned for their Soba). So for a restaurant that prides itself on ’soba-cuisine,’ I was a bit disappointed that throughout the six course-tasting, there was only one course with soba and the dish did not shine from the six. In fact, it was probably the most average dish.

Would I come back again? No. Would I recommend this for restaurant week? Possibly. Possibly because if you’ve had good soba or good sushi, there is no need to come here. You can pay the same price at another restaurant for a better experience. At the same time, there aren’t many places that offer a six-course tasting menu for this type of price. Choose your poison.

Nonna’s Pizza: (Grandma’s) extra thin crust pan pizza layered with mozzarella and spotted with a flavorful herbed San Marzano tomato sauce. ($15.95)

I’ve had many a good pizzas in my life, and I think I’ve narrowed it down to what makes a pizza great for me. Well there actually isn’t much to narrow down. Pizza is essentially broken down into three parts anyway…

The crust- Most pizzerias (those that sell $8 pies or $1 slices) tend to have dry and chewy crusts. Ever shell out $15-20 for a pie? I love crusts that are crunchy on the edges, yet soft enough to retain some moisture on the inside.

The cheese- The stringier the better. The more the better. Heck, just give me a Bianca pie sans tomato sauce and I’ll be perfectly content.

The sauce-  This is a new one. Only until recently have I warmed to tomato/marinara sauce (ketchup is different!). But as I’ve explored different pizzerias, I’ve realized that the sauce really does make a difference. Good quality sauce is not only flavorful with hints of herbs peeking through in each bite, but it has this sweet tasting touch to it that compliments that saltiness from the cheese quite well.

So Nonna’s? Jon raved about it while he was working with me and I asked him- “How good could it possibly be?” The first time we went to Nonna’s, it was with my group from work. We ordered Grandma’s pie, which is the house pie. Even without any toppings, it was so good that Esther and I went back.

Can you guess what we ordered? The same thing! It’s a whopping huge Sicilian pie with cheese bubbling and oozing from the edges. The sauce is slightly sweet and even though they pile it on, there’s enough cheese to compensate. We ordered it with half mushrooms and half sausage. Here’s our take:

• The crust! Ah, it’s so amazing, especially when you get a corner slice! Words can’t even do it justice. Just the fact that you’re biting into a crispy slice with the sauce and cheese oozing down the slice is enough to make me want to go back this very instant for more



• The sausage! Clearly, the meat side was better than the vegetarian side but it’s probably because of how much sausage they lay on. It’s thin, but there’s enough to decently cover most of the surface area.

• It’s bang for your buck! For a large and with 2 toppings, we escaped paying $11/person including tip. We couldn’t finish it all so I think we even took back four slices or so. Okay, maybe that’s a bit expensive for pizza, but have you ever had pizza in the city? You have to pay an arm and a leg for thin crust!

The only negative part is that if you wait long enough, the center slices aren’t as good because they get a bit soggy. Oh wells! I guess it’s the price you pay for eating the good slices first!

The service at Nonna’s is awesome. They immediately bring your water and take your drink order. The runner brings out the bread within a minute and they’re only glad to give you more. Even when you leave, the pizza guy inside the open-faced kitchen thanks you and waves goodbye! Overall, a very solid pizzeria and I’d definitely come back again to try the rest of their pies.

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176 Columbia Turnpike
Florham Park, NJ 07932
(973) 410-0030

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“18% gratuity for table service? $8 for a latte that was just average? A 45 minute maximum loitering time? The M should stand for moneybags, lady!”
- A numbers guy prior to head exploding (taken from Yelp)

That’s probably as negative as reviews for Lady M get.  The cakes are undoubtedly divine, the displays are gorgeous, and the service is genuine. At the same time, I walked out of the boutique bakery thinking- should I be concerned that I just shelled out more money for a slice of cake and coffee than my brunch at Delicatessen?

It’s a rare occasion that I actually drive into the city, but I did so this past Sunday morning and let me tell you- driving in the city on a rainy Sunday is awesome. I guess everyone just stays indoors because there was absolutely no one on the road. When the streets of New York are bare, you begin to see the genius behind the architects of the grid system and the programmers behind the traffic lights. All you need to do is wait through one red light because when that light turns green, the rest do so in a sequential succession, like God parting the Red Sea for Moses. I got us from Union Square to the Upper East Side (78^th St) in literally 5 minutes. I kid you not. According to Yun, I’m more efficient than a cab.

The other great thing about Sundays is free parking! So we were easily able to find a spot a block and a half away on a residential street. Lady M is pretty low key. If you’re not looking for it, you could easily miss it. It was a lot smaller than I thought it’d be. Essentially, it’s a large glass door that enters into a long narrow display of cakes and tables lined against the walls.

We walked in, with the Mille Feuille prominently displayed by the window, followed by a Strawberry Shortcake, a Meringue Cake, and then the Green Tea Mousse Cake. I asked permission to take photos (I read somewhere on Yelp that photos were forbidden but since I didn’t see any signs, I figured I might as well ask) to which they readily honored my request.

Lady M Mille Feuille ($40-75)

Strawberry Shortcake ($80)

Strawberry Mille Feuille ($70)

Lemon Meringue ($80)

If you just want a slice of cake, you’ll have to decide long and hard because sitting down will cost you 18% of whatever you pay. That’s right. An automatic 18% gratuity tacked on to the bill of ALL parties. That’s a bit ridiculous, but anyway… They do serve brunch but most people grab slices of cakes and dessert with tea or coffee. I can’t even imagine trying to eat brunch on those tiny round tables that barely fit our three coffees and three slices of cake. The cakes aren’t labeled with prices per slice, but I think as a general rule of thumb, you can count on them being around $8.

Here were my thoughts:

Lady M Mille Feuille: $7.50/slice

This is Lady M’s signature cake. In fact, our server said that most people come in with their hearts set on a slice of this beauty. Translated literally from French as a thousand leaves, think about layers of crepes delicately stacked on top of one another with a thin layer of sweet crème. There’s a sugary glaze on the top most layer to seal the deal. Each bite is light though clearly, this is somewhat of a dense cake. While I thought it was absolutely delicious, it actually fell a bit under my expectations, especially for a $7.50 slice! At $7.50, I would have much rather ordered a slice of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory.

Blasphemy you say? Well, even so, I guess it’s one of those things that you have to try if you’re at Lady M’s.

Strawberry Mille Feuille: $8/slice

This is another type of Mille Feuille, and at Chinese bakeries, we call this a “Napoleon.” Our server told us that while fewer people order this cake, those who do always love it. This was the cake that I chose and I have to say, it was indeed delicious. It’s a bit messy to eat just because of how flaky the layers can be, but the flakes of pastry crust are just so delectable with the slightly sweetened cream. There’s a thin layers of free strawberries on the top most layer (I wished they weren’t so stingy and actually used some slices on the bottom layer) but oh wells. It was like floating on clouds, eating strawberries and whipped cream.

However, at $8 a slice, I think next time I’ll go to Chinatown and buy a Napoleon cake for $10. Clearly, the cake won’t be as good, but there is only so much of a difference that I think that quantity makes up for the lack in quality.

Green Tea Mousse Cake: $8/slice

If you like matcha flavored desserts, this is for you.  The matcha is really strong and you can tell that a good grade of matcha powder was used. The cake itself is spongy and light and the mousse compliments it really well.

Once again at $8 a slice, I’m not sure if I’d ever order it again. It was good, but not fantastic. I think even a slice of cake at Magnolia sells for around $5.

As expensive as the slices are, if you want to buy a whole cake, that will really set you back. The Strawberry Shortcake will set you back a whopping $80. The Strawberry Mille Feuille will set you back $70. The signature Lady M Mille Feuille will set you back anywhere from $40-75 depending on the size.

So looking at it from that perspective, I feel like we got off relatively cheap. The slices aren’t huge, but I don’t think that they’re really making any extra money off of you if you order by the slice.

Iced Cafe ($4.50)

We all also got coffee. I got the iced version, which is priced the same as the hot coffee. The coffee was actually a bit sour; I doubt it was cold brewed. But I do have to admit- when they brought out the liquid sugar,  I was like WHOA! This is awesome and so clever! It totally solves the problem of sugar not being able to dissolve in cold coffee! They also bring out a ton of milk, cubed sugar, and even rock sugar. So even though it was the most expensive coffee I’ve ever bought, that liquid sugar almost justified the price.

Cafe ($4.50)

Yeah, rock candy!

My conclusion? Come here once, but not again. It’s an experience in itself but that’s it. The only time I’d ever buy a cake from there is for a really special occasion. Even so, there better be flakes of gold garnished on the frosting for me to pay that much. I’m willing to pay for good food, but I realized that philosophy does not extend to slices of cake…

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41 E. 78th St.
New York, NY 10075
nr. Madison Ave.  See Map | Subway Directions
212-452-2222 Send to Phone

No, it’s not a deli, contrary to what you or Neha may have thought.

It’s “international comfort food.”

Yeah. Say what? Even more confusing is how the menu is completely American. Okay, maybe the ‘Fish & Chips” qualify as British, but still. I’d probably rename it to “American comfort food.” Even as such, the only thing ‘comforting’ on the menu is the ‘Fried Chicken in a Bucket.” But at $16, that’s not very comforting, is it?

But don’t let that deter you from trying out Delicatessen.

First off, it’s a beautiful restaurant (they also have a beautiful website, integrating flash in an innovative way).  It’s actually bi-level, which we didn’t see until we were about to leave. Glass doors surround the exterior and during today’s humid, muggy Sunday, they pulled them up so that dining indoors had an al-fresco element to it. Even though I love dining in an open space, it was sticky and flies were swarming all over the place. That’s my only complaint. But the interior is just simply gorgeous. There’s a long horizontal strip of a mirror that adorns the wall right before it meets the ceiling. The chairs are wood but modernistic; they curve inwards and are sleek. The booth is made of a leather-like material that’s hard but quite comfortable to sit on. There’s really nothing not to like about the ambiance.

Second, the food is decently priced if you’re not ordering from the entree menu and just from the “All Day Breakfast” menu. You can easily get away with under $15 for brunch, even including an appetizer if you have a party of four.

Third, the service is wonderful and the runners are timely. They refill your water. They honor your requests for Tabasco sauce and more jam within 30 seconds, and if you talk about gambling in Pennsylvania casinos, the cute runner might just stop and chat with you. Wait, actually I almost forgot. Our server chased us out the door thinking that we underpaid. She just couldn’t add. We tipped her around 23% and she didn’t even realize it. Man, it sucks to tip someone well without them even knowing it…

Fourth, Delicatessen in on the “crossroads between SoHo and NoLita.” It’s like being in two places at once!

Cornbread with jalapeno butter and cheddar ($8)

The five of us were promptly seated a bit before noon. We started off with cornbread for the table. It comes in this small pan, still warm from the oven. The butter is magical. It doesn’t even taste like butter. All you get is that kick from the jalapeno and the silky texture it brings to the bread.

I’d say that slice of cornbread is studly looking. Wouldn’t you agree?

There’s a discrepancy with their menu. I don’t think they’ve updated their menu outside (hanging on the door) or their menu online. Several items offered on those menus included:

• The Breakfast Burrito
• Smoked Salmon Plate
• Sliders
• Grilled Lamb Kebab (this is starting to sound more international now)
• Giorgio’s Meatballs
• “Sticky” Ribs

Um yeah. There were nowhere to be found on the menu today…

Fines Herbs & Vermont Goat Cheese Omelette ($11)

I had my heart set out on the Breakfast Burrito, but since it didn’t appear on the menu, I went ahead with the herb omelet with goat cheese. I have to say, that was some darn good goat cheese. There must have been at least 3-4 eggs in there. It was so fluffy yet somehow dense at the same time. It was a decent sized serving, perfect actually, because I finished everything without feeling overly stuffed. The potatoes also hit the spot. Slightly crunch on the outside, and soft on the inside. I loved how there were bits of tiny pieces of caramelized onion.

Butter on toast, melted (included in all breakfast dishes)

All of us received toast with our dishes. Even though we expected to each get a plate of toast, they stacked all of them on one plate. Somehow, that made it more appetizing. That also meant that any piece of toast that belonged to a carb-conscious eater eventually made its way into my stomach, except for that lone 1.5 piece that I could not stomach. They serve it with butter and jam, which of course, is the only right way to do it.

Eggs Florentine ($12)

This actually wasn’t on the menu. The difference between Eggs Florentine and Eggs Benedict is the spinach v. the Canadian ham. I think you can figure out which has which through the pictures here.

Jenny asked Angela if the hollandaise sauce tasted weird, to which Angela replied no. Then they both resumed back to eating…

Eggs Benedict ($12)

Either way, they both looked really delicious and it helped that both were photogenic.

Delicatessen Scramble smoked atlantic & caramelized vidalia onion ($12)

Neha and Lisa ended up getting the scrambled eggs with smoked salmon. I almost got this, but I’m actually glad I didn’t. I had a bite from Neha’s and while it was good, I don’t think I would have been able to down the whole thing. It was a bit too salmon-y and hence, salty.

Brunch ended up being around $15 a person, including an appetizer and an breakfast entree. All of their main entrees are in the mid to upper teens with Steak Frites being $27. I’d recommend coming here as an experience over the food. After all, how many other ‘international comfort food’ spots do you know of?

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54 Prince St.
New York, NY 10012
nr. Lafayette St.  See Map | Subway Directions
212-226-0211 Send to Phone

Caprese Slice (Large pie $20)

I’m a firm believer that less is more, especially when it comes to pizza. For me, it’s not the oozing tomato sauce that warms my heart, it’s the stringy cheese that seems to stretch infinitely when you pull that first slice from the pie. So the fact that I fell in love with Gino’s Caprese pizza is a testament to how genuinely delicious it was. Their Caprese is simply diced vine tomatoes tossed with fresh mozzarella cheese, a bit of chopped basil, a pinch of salt, and cracked black pepper. That’s all stacked on top of the most fragrant flatbread you can imagine. To finish it off, you drizzle your own balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

It’s strange, because Gino’s is not at all what you’d expect as a pizzeria that offers such a high quality pizza. For one, the tables are McDonalds reminiscent and the plastic salt shakers are in a second-hand, passed-down white shade. Two, the glasses showcasing the pizza are anything but sparkling clear and the oven has those old grease stains that are a hassle to get rid of. But as mother probably taught you, never judge a book by its cover, because sometimes the best things come from inside the ugly duckling. (I do however, believe they may have another dining room inside that is more “upscale” but it was blocked off when I went).

My cousin ordered a gourmet pizza, half and half. One half Caprese and the other Spinach, Garlic and Sundried Tomatoes. They were both delicious in every way.

The Caprese: There is something to be said about fresh ingredients, and if tomato and mozzarella could be captured at its finest, it’s in Caprese. Caprese is usually served as an appetizer (what I described above but without the flatbread; you probably see it all the time at Italian restaurants with slices of tomato laid on top of slices of mozzarella) and the saltiness from the cheese blends wonderfully from the muted sweetness captured by the tomato. The mozzarella absorbs the balsamic so well, and the acidic tinge is quite welcoming. It’s not at all a hard pie to make and after this escapade, I returned home, looking for recipes for a simple flatbread. I have yet to find the perfect recipe, but I promise I’ll post it when I do. However, that didn’t stop me from bringing my version of Caprese pizza for two weeks straight to work.

The Spinach, Garlic, & Sundried Tomato: This was delicious in its own right and completely different from the other half of the pie. The pizza dough was smothered in olive oil and the sauteed garlic left traces of its scent on every part of the surface. It was a bit more difficult to eat, considering how it’s difficult to break apart sauteed spinach with your teeth, we were often left with patches of oiled bareness. And I don’t think I need to explain how the sundried tomatoes complimented the pizza because we all know how sundried tomatoes can make just about anything taste that much better.

Situated across from Queens College, the people at Gino’s are are nice and humble. Maybe it’s because my cousin was a frequent customer back in the day when he was a student, they seemed awfully nice for such a pizzeria. If you talk to any student from Queen’s College, mention Gino’s and undoubtedly, a smile and a nod of approval will appear.

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6501 Kissena Blvd
Queens, NY 11367