WD-50

Occasion: Dinner with Edward at one of my bucket list New York restaurants.
Location: WD-50 on Clinton between Stanton and Rivington (wd-50.com)
Edibles: The 9th anniversary 12-course tasting menu, fully described below.

Musings: The first thing that surprised me was the décor. The furniture is made of thick wood and the walls are painted in these saturated jewel tones. There's a vibrant emerald green wall, a rusty red one and a purple one. The light fixtures look like lava lamps. I was expecting it to look more cold and modern and surgical.

Another surprise - Wylie Dufresne is actually in the kitchen. He's there five nights a week, we're told.

I waffled for the longest time over which menu to order. The $75 5-course "best of" menu or the full $155 tasting menu? My brother supplied the winning argument of "If you're only going to come here once..." We got a very modest bottle of white to nurse throughout the meal.

First course was nigiri sushi with salsify (kneaded with hazelnut oil into a rice-like substance), trout roe, seaweed "roe" and sesame. I loved this. What a great start to the meal. Except for the piece of fish, all of the ingredients were non-standard, but together gave the strong message of sushi.

Next, lobster roe ribbons, lobster meat, charred lemon, green grapes, coriander brown butter. Really delicious and harmonious. The grapes were a nice touch and really brought out the sweetness of the lobster.

Faux pho (or pho gras). Beef and foie broth, terrine of foie gras and a puffed piece of beef tendon. My favorite course of the night. As soon as the waiter poured the broth in and the heat hit the herbs, it was like a flashing neon sign that said "PHO." The broth was insanely rich and concentrated. My own quibble about this course was that the noodles were too slippery to eat with a spoon and fork - it really need chopsticks. The puffed beef tendon, I fancifully thought, tasted like an alien cocoon.

Amaro-cured yolk, chicken confit, "peas" and carrots. The carrot was in ribbons and the "peas" were actually little spheres of cooked carrot, coated in pea powder. Ingenious. It absolutely had the texture and taste of a regular pea. I think this was supposed to be a deconstructed roast chicken dinner. The egg was a revelation. We surreptitiously checked it up on Wikipedia and it turns out that amaro is an herbaceous liqueur. The curing gave the egg yolk a very thick, velvety texture and slightly grassy flavor notes. I ate my dish with the egg smeared on everything and it was great, but my brother thought the carrot was a little bitter on its own.

Veal brisket, za'atar, plum, mustard. I thought the brisket tasted like bologna and the mustard overpowered everything. Couldn't taste the za'atar or the plum at all. Edward got more plum than I did but he also thought the mustard was too strong.

Peekytoe crab toast with saffron and kaffir lime yogurt and arare. My portion had way too much lime; my brother thought his could use more. We both thought the saffron was too strong and overpowered the crab.

Sole, black licorice pil-pil, fried green tomato and pickled fennel. The sole was made into a roulade, steamed and then flash fried. However they cooked it, it was overdone. Mine tasted very mealy. I also hated the licorice sauce - SO strong. I actually scraped it off the fish. Edward liked the sauce more than I did; he thought the different elements came together nicely but didn't stand alone very well.

Lamb sweetbreads, nasturtium buttermilk, zucchini and pistachio. This was one of those dishes that I thought was absolutely well conceived but just didn't appeal to my palate. One of my sweetbreads was way overcooked and rubbery. Edward loved it - he likes sweetbreads in general - but didn't understand why the pistachio brittle was on the plate.

Root beer ribs, caraway spaetzle, apricot chutney. The pork was marinated in root beer, deboned, formed into a roll, and then cooked sous-vide for almost 20 hours. It was pretty tasty, but here's my problem with the preparation: ribs are delicious because they're on the bone. If you cook it off the bone, you've kind of missed the point of eating ribs, no? I also hated the caraway spaetzle - it was the first thing I left on the plate entirely uneaten. Edward liked the apricot.

Jasmine custard, cucumber sorbet, honeydew and chartreuse. I put a spoonful in my mouth and immediately blurted out, "That tastes like shampoo!" The jasmine was too pungent. Edward like the sorbet a lot.

Yuzu milk ice, hazelnut crumble, strawberries and basil. This dessert was a lot of fun. The "ice-cream" was puffed in a vacuum and so it was the ice-cream equivalent of cotton candy. Very light and airy and melted as soon as it hit your tongue. My pretentious comment about this course: "It tastes like dessert you'd get on a hydroponic farm on Neptune."

S'mores with bitter cocoa ganache, frozen meringue filled with marshmallow fluff, black currant. I thought this dessert was badly balanced. The "marshmallow" was too solidly cold, there was too much of the fudge ganache and the blackcurrant brought out the bitterness of the chocolate and made it taste chemical-y. Edward disagreed with me on this one, and thought it worked overall.

Finally, there was a white chocolate truffle with goat cheese, covered with freeze-dried raspberries. Edward and I both agreed that it was tasty and unusual.

So there it is - the full tasting menu at WD-50. It was not exactly what I expected. The use of the science-y stuff was actually pretty restrained. I did feel like taste and flavor were his first priorities. I thought the seasoning got a little bit aggressive in the later courses. It wasn't all to my taste, but I was challenged and surprised.

Kashkaval

Occasion: Last stop in the tapas crawl (after a visit to Tia Pol, an old favorite)
Location: Kashkaval on 9th Ave between 55th and 56th (kashkaval.com)
Edibles: cheddar and ale fondue; some cold salads; salmon wrapped in grape leaves, donated by friendly fellow diners

Musings: I've loved this place since the first time I came here, brought by a Hell's Kitchen resident in the know. From the street it looks like a Greek deli, but there are a number of tables in the back as well as a bar area. It's close quarters - most of the tables will seat a maximum of four. There is a long table with benches that will seat one party of six to eight, which you can reserve.

The dining area is dim and cozy and comes across as very European to me. Kashkaval is open late - until 12:30am Friday and Saturday, 11pm other days of the week - making it a great option for after theatre.

The cold salads (in the case at the front of the shop) are excellent. I like the eggplant, the elephant beans, the beets. The hummus is good, if somewhat more mundane choice. They usually have a few daily specials as well.

For the hot, I usually get fondue. The Kashkaval house blend is good, as is the cheddar and ale. It's a matter of personal taste of course, but I find Swiss fondue a bit plasticky and the gorgonzola, too strong.

Yining and I were eating at the bar. The couple next to us ordered these divine-smelling salmon dolmas. I asked them how they were, and they very kindly gave us one of them to taste. I'm happy to report that they're as yummy as they smelled. I'll definitely be getting some next time I come.

Terroir Murray Hill

Occasion: Spur-of-the-moment tapas crawl with my shenanigan buddy Yining
Location: Terroir on Third between 30th and 31st (wineisterroir.com)
Edibles: Breaded and deep-fried lamb sausage; beet salad

Musings: Hey! There's a Terroir three blocks from me! The original location is lovely, but too crowded on a regular basis and too far to be a regular hangout for me.

The new Murray Hill location has more seats and it's not too crazy yet - though it's only the opening weekend so who knows what it'll be like in a few months. (Since the meatheads found Hofbrau, it's been a complete madhouse.)

Food's good. Serving sizes aren't huge - they're really just to munch on while you drink. Be prepared to spend a lot if you're wanting the equivalent of a full dinner.

A note on the wine: They pour pretty generously on their tasting size. At half the price, Yining's tasting was just a splash less than my (supposedly) full pour. Happy hour prices are great - $6 for their wines by the glass ($3-4 less than regular prices) and free tastings of sherry. BUT... it's only until 6:00. I get out of work earlier than anyone else I know, and even I would be hard-pressed to make it there in time.

[Postscript 2/3/12: The friseé salad with duck confit, shallots and gorgonzola is AMAZING. They were warming up some duck and I literally smelled the delicious aroma from fifteen feet away. Of course, I had to have some.]

Porsena

Occasion: Winnie's birthday!
Location: Porsena on E 7th between 2nd and 3rd
Edibles: pea risotto and baby octopus starters to share; various pasta mains (more detail below)

Musings: There's a lot to like about this restaurant. It's a cute, cozy space. The staff couldn't have been nicer to us. The food gave me the impression that the chef really has a strong food philosophy, and cares about good ingredients.

That said, I'd give it an average score of B+. There was a something about almost every dish that was just a little bit off. With a few small tweaks, it could be amazing. (Or at least amazing to me. It's entirely possible that the chef and I just don't have the same palate, whereas you might find the flavors perfect as they are now. Porsena is kind of place where you tend to give the chef the benefit of the doubt.)

The pea risotto, for example. The perfect spring dish, it was competently prepared. I did find it oversalted, and texturally it needed to be a bit looser. (You can tell by the way it's mounded up in the picture that it's too stiff. A perfect risotto would slowly ooze into shallow puddle.)

The octopus was great. No problems there.

I also ordered the beef tongue appetizer, more out of curiousity than anything. I liked the concept of the dish; I think the pickled vegetables were absolutely the right side to serve with the meat. The tongue itself was a little mealy. Maybe it should have been served cold instead of room temp? I'd skip this dish, at any rate.

For my main, I got the pasta with spicy lamb sausage. The pasta was very interesting, a wide tube shape with ridges on the inside. It was cooked perfectly al dente. The lamb sausage had a great flavor - unfortunately, I could only enjoy the complexities of the flavor for a few bites before the aggressive spiciness numbed my mouth.

I also tasted of Winnie's uni pasta and Gabrielle's pasta curls with many cheeses. The sea urchin sauce was too rich and too fishy for my taste. I don't think I could have finished a whole dish of it. Winnie loved it, though. The cheese sauce was likewise too rich, though I loved the whimsical pasta shape.

I give this place at least one more try. Start with the octopus and maybe try another pasta.

Big Apple BBQ

Location: On the streets bordering Madison Square Park

Met up with Winnie, Erin and Hsinpei for another meat-a-palooza. I swear I eat vegetables too. (I do! Sometimes.)

Stop #1: Ubon's - $8 for pulled pork shoulder sandwich with a side of coleslaw

Nice enough. Very tender and moist. Most of the flavor I got was from the sauce, though.

Stop #2: Pappy's - $8 for ribs and a side of beans

The ribs were, once again, undercooked for my taste. The meat was hard to chew and I was not impressed with their flavor (which was basically just bbq sauce slathered on at the end and brûléed). It was also unfortunate that we happened to get the stubby little ribs that come at the tip of the rack. The ends always get a little burned and dried out, compared to the bigger ribs further up. And the beans were sort of watery and sad. Thumbs down, Pappy's.

Stop #3: Blue Smoke Bake Shop - $6 for blueberry crisp à la mode

Now, I'm normally hating on Blue Smoke for their crappy food. And I stand by that. But I will say that they serve a nice dessert. (We weren't quite done with the meat yet, but passed right in front of Blue Smoke Bakery while waiting in line for Ed Mitchell. So we dispatched Erin to pick up... let's call it an unusual palate cleanser.)

This was the first dish of the day that made me go, "WOW!" Really good crisp topping and not too much of it, a light hand with the sugar in the berries, and a scoop of perfectly textured vanilla ice-cream. Yum.

Stop #4: Ed Mitchell - $8 for a chopped whole hog sandwich, with a side of coleslaw

While waiting in the long-ass line (after the blueberry crisp), I saw someone making pork rind crackling. At this point, my head pretty much exploded with joy. I had to get me some. When it was ready, they passed out a few shards to the people in line. It was amazing.... and so I had to get some more.

I went up to the lady and shamlessly played up my bacon-themed t-shirt and love of all pork products. Happily, she found me at least moderately amusing and rewarded my antics with a *massive* piece of crackling almost as big as my head!! Oh, happy, happy day!!!!

Yeah, we also got some of their whole hog, but nothing could really compare to that crackling. Here they are chopping it up:

And here's the sandwich:

I liked the more varied texture of the whole hog, but it was also sort of bland. Coleslaw was pretty generic, not as good as Ubon's.

But the crackling..... oh, the crackling.......

Macondo

Occasion: Huijin's birthday dinner, with Yining and Melissa
Location: Macondo, on E Houston and Allen (macondonyc.com)
Edibles: clam ceviche; chorizo and shrimp; pork belly flatbread; mofongo de pulpo (mashed plantains and octopus), feijoada (a Portuguese stew) and duck tacos; two desserts to share - chocolate cake filled with dulce de leche and French toast stuffed with lemon cream cheese

Musings: I've passed this place a hundred times and never felt the urge to go in. That sign, maybe - it just looks cheesy.

But now that I've been, I'm definitely going back. The reason? Their awesome and totally addictive pork belly flatbread with tomatoes, lima beans and mahon cheese. It's super crispy and savory... just wonderful. If we hadn't ordered so much other food, I'd've insisted we get another one.

If the flatbread was the winner of the table, the feijoada was the loser. It was a special, not on the regular menu. One of the most expensive dishes of the meal at $15, the stew just sort of muddy and didn't have any depth or pizzazz.

Everything else was tasty. The portion on the duck tacos is perhaps a bit small and hard to share, but they were delicious. I also really liked the clam ceviche. Very refreshing, and it's a generous serving.

The French toast dessert (torrija) is HUGE - even with four of us eating it, we barely made a dent. Both it and the chocolate cake (brazo de gitano) were very, very sweet. I personally would have had trouble finishing a whole dessert by myself but it was great to have just a few bites.

With a round of cocktails, tons of great food and two shared desserts, our dinner came out to a very reasonable $40 per person including tip and tax.

Libertador

Occasion: Cinco de Mayo! Dinner with Brigid after an Opera Hispanica showcase.
Location: Libertador on Second and 89th
Edibles: chicken, beef and spinach empanadas; skirt steak

Musings: All the Mexican places were crazy packed, natch. We were too hungry to wait out the crowds and so ended up at Libertador, figuring that Argentinean was sort of in the ballpark.

It had been a long and frazzling day, so I took full advantage of their fantastic half price Cinco de Mayo drink specials. (I think they offer the awesome prices for regular happy hour too.) I had something that tasted like boozy Welch's grape juice and then their sangria. Both packed quite a punch. I like a bartender who pours generous.

Good empanadas. I liked the beef the best; Brigid liked the spinach. But all were yummy.

We sat at the bar around the grill, and watched quite the parade of sizzling meats before our dish came up. By that time, I was positively drooling and pretty much dove in headfirst. Awesome skirt steak with some nice garlicky fries on the side. Not cheap but so very, very good. Meat-tooth happy.

I'll definitely be back. I've been looking for another restaurant within walking distance of Brandy's for ages!

Northern Spy, part II

Occasion: Pre-movie (Cinema Komunisto at TFF) brunch with Josh
Location: Northern Spy Food Co. on 12th between A and B (northernspyfoodco.com)
Edibles: I had the biscuit and sausage gravy, with two baked eggs; Josh had the sausage, egg and cheese sandwich.

Musings: I've been wanting to come back here, ever since that first dinner with Winnie and Gabrielle - gosh - a year ago. Not too much to add. The décor is as charming as ever, and the food is hearty and unfussy. My gravy was good, the biscuit was nice and fluffy, and the egg yolk provided the perfect amount of unctuous ooze over everything.

One niggle. They did seat their dining room sort of awkwardly, i.e too many people at once. The kitchen got slammed and our food took ages to come out.

Social Eatz

Occasion: Lunch with Meredith and Mike, with lots of ex-Death Star crew
Location: Social Eatz on 53rd between 2nd and 3rd (socialeatz.com)
Edibles: I had the bulgogi burger and fries, and a bite of Meredith's spring rolls and chop salad

Musings: Social Eatz is the new eatery of Top Chef Season 7 finalist Angelo Sosa. It's Asian fusion - not exactly a shocker for anyone who's seen Angelo cook on TV. But I actually like the concept here - Asian-inspired burgers, tacos, etc. Casual streetfood, in a yuppie diner setting. The menu's got some cheeky, fun items like the Imperialist Hot Dog, and some cringingly pretentious ones like the Chili-Kissed Tilapia Tacos.

The shrimp and chicken spring rolls were flavorful, but surprisingly heavy considering the ingredients. The chop salad not a hit with the table - it's a tiny little portion, and the so-called six minute egg was barely cooked long enough to hold together. Meredith rightly avoided the egg; the runny yolk would have completely drowned the small amount of lettuce.

I got the bulgogi burger with a side of fries. First of all, potatoes are dirt cheap, Angelo - your burgers should come with fries. Second, my burger was way underdone. I mean, it was literally half raw. Not rare. Raw. I practically like my steaks still mooing, but that burger was on the borderline of what I'd eat (v. what I'd send back and ask them to cook longer). Another person in our group left her burger patty half uneaten for the same reason. So please ask your diners how they like their burgers.

That said, I think the concepts of the bulgogi burger, bibimbap burger and Korean taco are genius. I love the salt-sweet flavor of the beef, accented by the tart bite of the pickles. I'd come back to try those latter two.

Pylos

Occasion: Dinner with Josh
Location: Pylos on 7th between First and A (pylosrestaurant.com)

Edibles: beets; saganaki; octopus; lamb chops; walnut cake and Greek coffee

Musings: Really funky interior - the ceiling is strung with hundreds of clay pots. Very distinctive.

They start you off with some warm pita and hummus, and it was soooooo good. Possibly the best part of the meal, in retrospect. Which is not to say that the rest of the food wasn't great - because it was. But that pita was REALLY amazing. Mmmmm.... warm bread.... one of life's simple pleasures.

The beet salad was massive - definitely good to share. The octopus was not - just two smallish tentacles for $14. It was cooked perfectly, though, not rubbery at all and with the perfect amount of char. Saganaki's pretty uniformly delicious and hard to mess up. Pylos' tasted pretty much like every other one I've ever had, but it did go great with that warm pita.

Since we got so many apps, we just shared a single main. The lamb chops we got were yummy. Also perfectly charred, and they got the doneness spot on.

I really just had a bite or two of the walnut cake. It doesn't say anywhere in the description, but it's got tons of cinnamon. Gag. The Greek coffee was tiny but incredibly potent - the kind of stuff that's often described as being able to float a horseshoe. I'd get the unsweetened, and try to do it myself next time; the pre-sweetened version was too much even for me, and I put about five sugars in my regular coffee.

Pylos is a good option for fancy Greek. I'd definitely come back to try some of the other things on the menu. And hey, if you want to keep it economical, just load up on that maaaaarvelous pita....

La Follia

Occasion: Drinks with Amy... that sort of slid into dinner.
Location: La Follia on Third between 19th and 20th
Edibles: prosciutto, caponata, and burrata crostini to start; then we shared an arugula salad and the pappardelle with braised pork ragu

Musings: La Follia has a good selection of wines by the glass, and the food is very cheap compared to the likes of Bar Jamón. The prosciutto, caponata, and burrata crostini (two pieces of it) were all $6 a plate. It's good, too. I particularly liked the caponata, which had a few more ingredients than the standard version, but tasted wonderfully bright and fruity.

The pappardelle is also worth a mention. A mere $15, the homemade pasta is great and they're generous to a fault ladling the sauce on.

The décor is understated but classy, and it looks like a place for adults. Hopefully, that will keep the NYU hooligans at bay. I did see a lot of banker-looking guys, but I guess that's not too surprising considering the proximity to Credit Suisse.

In general, a nice addition to the neighborhood. If only it was ten blocks further north....

Part II, 5/2: I came back here for dinner with Mamie after an anniversary showing of Top Gun at AMC Village 7. I ordered a bunch of the same stuff - can't resist caponata! - but Mamie got the salmon main. I can report that it was masterfully done - a gorgeous, tender piece of fish with a nice hard sear on the skin.

I'm really liking this place. Hope they can keep their quality up and their prices where they are.

BXL East

Occasion: Another Tax Day under our belts! This clearly calls for beer....
Location: BXL on 51st between 2nd and 3rd (bxlcafe.com) [Note: There's another one on the west side on 43rd]
Edibles: moules à la Grand Mère (mussels with cream, onions and bacon)

Musings: With our tax returns zipping their way to the guvmint electronically, and our third annual Tax Day an official success, Yining and I headed out for some celebratory beer. Sadly, as we feared, Hofbrau Bierhaus has been completely overrun by obnoxious frat boys. We slunk out to find quieter environs.

We found BXL pleasantly deserted. Because we're suckers for a cute logo, I started with a Delerium and Yining, with La Chouffe. Man, those Belgian beers are strong! Halfway through my second Delerium, I decided that we needed some food or I'd be asleep in an hour. And, of course, nothing goes better with Belgian beer than moules frites.

The mussels were fantastic. I don't think I've ever had a cream-based mussel broth before, but it's AWESOME. (The bacon probably helped.) I was flat-out drinking it with a spoon towards the end. It's also great to dip your bread into, if you're not as willing as I am to be uncouth in public. Yum!

Hofbrau Bierhaus

Occasion: Another random food shenanigan with Yining
Location: Hofbrau Bierhaus on 3rd Ave between 44th and 45th, above the OTB (that detail is particularly delightful) (bierhausnyc.com)
Edibles: beet salad; sauerbraten; schnitzel with mushroom sauce; apple struedel

Musings: I think this place really has Hall of Fame potential. From the random location to the massive communal benches, the uber-cheesy waitress uniforms, the fried foods, the beer boots - I'm tickled by it all.

As it was a school night, I restrained myself and just got a 1L stein. Yining, showing even more restraint (or what a less generous soul might call wimpiness), got the half stein. See below - the big and the little. (Sort of like Mike and Gerald. Hee!)

I was more than happy with the food. The schnitzel was outstanding. Don't know if you need the mushroom sauce. The sides were also excellent and noteworthy - purple cabbage with just enough bite, a nice mellow cucumber salad, and a scoop of German potato salad.

The beet salad was massive - more than enough to share - and very tasty. If there was a weak link, it was the sauerbraten. The meat was tender enough, but it needed a few fat pinches of salt for flavor.

And who would walk away without some strudel? Not us. It was decent, but too cinnamon-y for me to really get into.

The homemade pretzels also looked good. (They're why all the tables are covered with salt.)

I'm definitely going to be back - that 2L boot and I have a date with destiny.

Cafe Orlin

Occasion: Post-movie (Battle LA - absolutely execrable) brunch
Location: Cafe Orlin on St Marks between 1st and 2nd (cafeorlin.com)
Edibles: salmon omelet with dill, cream cheese, cucumber and red onions - came with salad, home fries and toast

Musings. In short - long wait; close quarters; exotic menu; great coffee.

My omelet had WAY too many onions, but it was fine after I removed them. In retrospect, I should have ordered something more adventurous. I'm sure there's something amazing on the menu that they don't serve anywhere else. Like maybe the Middle Eastern Eggs? The Tunisian Eggs? It's worth a few more exploratory visits.

[Side story: Josh brought me some layered marzipan squares from his favorite bakery. I gamely tried one, even though sweets like that aren't really my thing. I should probably have been more diplomatic - still, he seemed to take it pretty well when I told him I thought it tasted like toothpaste. Something like 30 seconds later, he had inhaled the three remaining pieces in the box - and those things were not small. It was very cute. I don't think I've ever met anyone who likes marzipan quite so much.]

OBao

Occasion: Lunch with my mom before some furniture shopping
Location: Obao on 53rd between 2nd and 3rd (obaonyc.com)
Edibles: fried tofu app to share; I had the pho and Mom had the Singapore-style laksa with spicy coconut broth

Musings: My mom loves Ariyoshi, and that's where we had planned to go, but it turns out they're not open for lunch on weekends. Boo. We walked in to OBao, a new place in the old work 'hood.

First thing I noticed was that the restaurant is very dim, so if your seat faces the windows, the light will hurt your eyes. You will not want to linger. (Which I guess works in the restaurant's favor.)

As for the food, the fried tofu app was a nice big portion, about 15 cubes piled into a little wok. Good to share. Unfortunately, both noodle dishes were mediocre at best. The broth on the pho tasted like it came from a can and was loaded with MSG. The noodles in my mom's laksa were mushy.

Finally, an Asian restaurant charging $4 for tea is nothing short of highway robbery. Just ridiculous.

If I still worked at the Death Star, I'd probably find myself eating lunch here occasionally, if only for variety's sake. But OBao is certainly nothing to go out of your way for.

Hatsuhana Park

Occasion: Dinner with Jon
Location: Hatsuhana Park, in the little passageway between Park and Lex, 45th and 46th (hatsuhana.com)
Edibles: Jon got the sushi dinner; I got the Ladies' Set

Musings: It was pretty empty for dinner, but I bet this place is hopping at lunch. (Not that I'm complaining - it was nice to be able to chat without having to shout over ambient noise.)

I got the intriguingly named Ladies' Set. Upon seeing it, I was immediately curious if they would actually refuse to serve a man who ordered this, but Jon didn't put them to the test.

The first course was a trio of pickled okra, a bite of egg omelet and tempura salmon with pickled carrots and daikon. All very nice. Next, I got some broth noodles, and a little sushi plate with four pieces of nigiri and a roll (diner's choice). There was also a little scoop of vanilla ice-cream for dessert. Good value at $18.

While it's nothing spectacular, Hatsuhana serves a nice dinner set - for women, at least. The restaurant and sushi counter were scrupulously clean and the fish was of a decent quality. Our waiter was also funny and personable. All in all, a solid option for a quiet weekday dinner in midtown.

Café Sabarsky

Occasion: Pre-Met (the museum one) brunch
Location: Café Sabarsky, inside the Neue Gallery on 5th and 86th (kg-ny.com)
Edibles: weiner schnitzel, followed by lemon mousse cake for me; goulash and chocolate marzipan cake for Josh

Musings: A restaurant in an art gallery? Love it! How did I not hear about this place until now?!

As you might expect from a restaurant located in the former residence of Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt, it's a fancy, formal place with professional waiters in vests, ties and full-length white aprons. But the prices are not too crazy, considering. My dish was $20, and included a massive, perfectly golden weiner schnitzel, lingonberry preserve and a scoop of tangy German-style potato salad. Yum. I had a bite of the goulash and it was pretty tasty too - great depth of flavor.

By the way, I'd skip the wursts if you go - they come from Schaller & Weber (says so right there on the menu) and you can therefore get them yourself direct from the source.

The desserts, displayed pretty much everywhere you look, were too beautiful to pass up. Mine was inexplicably called a lemon biscuit but was really more of a mousse cake. What I liked about it was that they weren't afraid to let the mousse was be really tart and lemony. I think it's a European thing - their desserts generally aren't laden with sugar like American ones. Josh's cake was okay, if a touch dry. I think he liked it better than I did; I'm not a huge fan of marzipan in general.

Food get an A-; décor gets an A+. I'll be back for sure.

[Note: There was a whole episode of "How I Met Your Mother" about how hard it is for single hetero guys to do fun things like have brunch or go to a Broadway musical. One of the reasons it's nice to be a girl.]

Ben & Jack's Steakhouse

Occasion: Dinner with Josh, after a NYCB Gilbert and Sullivan recital
Location: Ben and Jack's Steakhouse on 44th between 2nd and 3rd (benandjackssteakhouse.com)
Edibles: steak (natch), a side of creamed spinach, and a hot fudge sundae for dessert

Musings: Doofus that I am, I invite a boy out for a casual night of Victorian-era operetta... and then realize after hitting 'send' that it's on Valentine's Day. Josh was a good sport about the awkward date and not only found a found a last-minute reservation, but one involving giant slabs of red meat! Yay! (Hey, I offered to foodcart it, but he insisted.)

As soon as I walked into the place, I knew I was in for a good meal. Ben and Jack's smells like a steakhouse should smell - liked seared cow and high cholesterol. The décor is pretty stodgy and Republican; if you like the look of Sparks or Ivy League alumni clubs, you'll be more than comfortable here.

The steak is presented starkly on a huge plate with no garnishes whatsoever. Doesn't need it, though. The chef got the doneness on mine - the rare side of medium rare - spot on. The beef was juicy and tender and robust. Pure heaven.

The creamed spinach was a nice side; a single order was plenty to share. I think they must make it with chicken broth or bacon or something - it tasted too savoury for a purely vegetarian dish.

The finale was a decadent hot fudge sundae. They'd run out of their famous schlag (whipped cream) by then, but I didn't think the sundae was in any way diminished.

What a meal! Thanks, Josh!

[Postscript: Just so you know, I picked up the check on the next dinner. I'm a modern girl and all.]