Celebrate Pride Week at These 6 Restaurants

The Pride Parade was June 25th, but just because it's over doesn't mean you have to stop celebrating. Check out these 6 restaurants that are ready to continue the celebration with you!

1. Stonewall Inn: The Stonewall Inn is most famous for the riots that began the gay pride movement. Check out some of their deals for Pride and the weekends following.
2. Megu: Check out their rainbow dumplings! Not only are they beautiful, but they celebrate Pride and taste delicious.
3. The Meatball Shop: Order yourself a Kween cup: a cocktail consisting of Milagro tequila, coconut, lime, strawberry, cucumber and Peychaud's Bitters. They are even donating $1 for every cocktail sold. 
4. Ice and Vice: Last year they famously created the 'Love Wins:  ice cream sandwich and this year they came out with the 'Taste the Rainbow' menu, where each flavor is inspired by a color: red (hibiscus, rose, Swedish Fish fluff), orange (papaya, habanero, peach jam), yellow (buckwheat honey, turmeric, sunflower seed butterscotch chip), green (lemon verbena, cucumber, ginger basil seed), and blue purple (butterfly pea flower, coconut, yuzu). 
5. Big Gay Ice Cream: Located near the Stonewall Inn, Big Gay Ice Cream has delicious treats to combat this summer heat. They also do a lot of work for the LGBTQ community.
6. Hudson Terrace: With a retractable rooftop and rainbow lighting, this is the place to be to celebrate pride with your friends. 

I hope this post helps you and your friends to continue the Pride celebration!

5 Must Try K-Town Restaurants

Chances are if you live in New York City you have probably visited places such as Times Square, Central Park, Grand Central Station and Chinatown. However, there is a hidden street that is located in a lesser know area called Koreatown. It is 32nd Street between Broadway and 5th Ave. This street is jam packed with Korean restaurants and below I have listed a few of my favorites.

1.  Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong:  <baekjeongnyc.com> This was my favorite restaurant in Ktown and has remained so even after my trip to South Korea in May due to its authenticity. The entire experience is very traditional to any Korean Barbecue in Korea itself. My favorite item on the menu is the Beef Combo. For $130 (tax and tip included), you can feed 4 people and trust me, you will be full and it will be worth it.
2. Jongro: <www.jongrobbqny.com>  Jongro is another good choice for traditional Korean Barbecue. A less pricy option than Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong, but still a solid option for some delicious Korean food.
3. Five Senses:  <fivesensesnyc.com> Five Senses is not a Korean Barbecue like the above two options, therefore the food is not cooked in front of you. However, the food at Five Senses is nothing short of delicious. It is a bit pricey, but the portions are large and certainly worth it.
4. Izakaya Mew: <mewnyc.com>  Izakaya Mew is a Japanese restaurant located in Ktown, which means it is really a fusion of both cuisines. The food is very good and well priced so this is a solid option if you find yourself hungry in Ktown. However, the place is small so I suggest a reservation. 
5. Barn Joo 35: <places.singleplatform.com>  Barn Joo 35 is a Korean gastropub. The food is good, but to be honest, this place is known for its cocktails more than anything else.

So there you are. 5 delicious restaurants all located in one small (tourist free) area. Next time you are hungry for some Asian food, one of these 5 places is the way to go. Enjoy!!

The Truth About the Chef's Table

So I was on Wikipedia and I noticed something worthy of changing in regards to chef's tables within the information page for "Restaurants." As someone who has sat at the chef's table before, I was unsatisfied with the information that was being displayed to readers if they saw this section on chef's tables. Here is the original version: 

A chef's table is a table located in the kitchen of a restaurant,^[2][3] reserved for VIPs and special guests.^[4] Patrons may be served a themed^[4] tasting menu prepared and served by the head chef. Restaurants can require a minimum party^[5] and charge a higher flat fee.^[6] Because of the demand on the kitchen's facilities, chef's tables are generally only available during off-peak times.^[7

This is wrong for a few reasons. First, the chef's table is not always located inside of the kitchen, although it could be at certain places. Sometimes the chef's table can be located in the center of the restaurant or on an elevated platform. It is also not only reserved for special guests and VIPS. The chef's table can be reserved by anyone who is willing to pay the cost. It is true, however, that the menu is preselected by the chef, usually based on what ingredients are in season at the time. So I went ahead and edited the section so that it now reads like this:

A chef's table is a special table in the restaurant that can be reserved for special events or special guests. In some cases, the chef's table could be located in the actual kitchen. Most of the time, if seated at the chef's table, the patron will be served a themed tasting menu that is preselected by the chef. Restaurants are allowed to require a minimum party and can charge a flat fee that is higher then one would pay sitting at a regular table. Reservations are usually always required for parties to sit at the chef's table.

If you have never eaten at a chef's table before, I highly recommend it. It is a dinner experience unlike any other due to the intimacy between the chef and the patrons. There is something special about watching the chef prepare the food and skipping the ordering aspect of eating out at a restaurant.  

Up Thai

The next restaurant I want to suggest is called Up Thai. It is a more upscale thai place than you would expect, with prices that coincide with its atmosphere. The food was average in my opinion, except the Massaman Curry with beef ($14). This was phenomenal and I would return to this restaurant specifically for this curry. I also ordered the Pad Thai Woonsen ($12), which is a cold glass noodle dish and the Moo Dang ($12) which is Roasted BBQ pork, pork belly and Chinese sausage over rice.

The one thing that I feel is important to mention is the service was slow. I finished my meal and sat waiting for the check for at least 15 minutes. Then I waited another 15 minutes for the waitress to take my credit card and 10 more minutes for her to bring it back. The perfect way to ruin an already average meal.





My Rating: $$$ ***       (see sidebar for further explanation) 

Find the menu here: http://www.upthainyc.com/front/menu

The Right Way to Eat Ramen

Hey guys. So my last post was a recommendation for a ramen spot, and I was asked a very good question, "What is the correct way to eat ramen?"

I was in Japan just a short two weeks ago, and I must of eaten at least 4 bowls of ramen in my short 5 day trip. Here are a few things to pay attention to:

• The bowl of ramen comes topped with different ingredients, but usually always includes bamboo, bean sprouts, and an egg.  Before eating your ramen, use your chopsticks to mix around all the ingredients, so no one ingredient is in one corner of your bowl.

• Ramen is eaten using chopsticks and a spoon (called a Chinese Spoon). You lift the noodles with the chopsticks high enough that they separate from the bowl and the rest of the noodles. Then, you dip them back in the bowl to re-wet them with the broth before eating them.

• Most importantly: SLURP! In Japanese culture it is a sign that the food is delicious and shows a sign of respect towards the cook. So do not be afraid to make as much noise as you want while slurping up those noodles. And when you finish, it is proper to raise the bowl with two hands to finish any remaining broth which is is also a symbol that you enjoyed the food down to the very last bite.

Remember that ramen is meant to be enjoyed and eaten quickly, like pizza in the United States. When in Japan, I witnessed a group of four teenage boys slurp up their ramen loudly and quickly and they all finished their bowls of ramen in under 5 minutes. It was incredible.

If you want to know more about ramen, look here: http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/09/the-serious-eats-guide-to-ramen-styles.html  for some super helpful tips.

Meijin Ramen

The first restaurant I want to suggest is one off the Michelin Guide. It is called Meijin Ramen and the food is delicious. It was a small place that was super busy by 7pm on a Saturday night. I ordered the Nagoya Spicy Pepper Chicken Wings ($8), Crispy & Spicy Sesame Chicken Don ($13), and Curry Soy ($14). I also ordered a Lychee Martini ($8 during Happy Hour). The chicken wings were super good, and I highly recommend them; pro tip: Japanese cuisine revolves around the creation of 'umami', which is the perfect combination of flavor that gently satisfies each of the 4 tastes: sweet, sour, salt, and bitter. Translation: The wings are not spicy. The chicken don was tasty, however the chicken pieces were too big and should have been cut into bite size pieces. The curry soy was definitely the best thing we ordered. The broth was addicting, and the noodles were perfectly cooked. This is a must try if you go here. 

The mojito was decently strong and reasonably priced during Happy Hour. Worth a try, but not a must have.

My Rating: $$ ****    (see sidebar for further explanation) 

Find the menu here:  http://www.meijinramen.net

What To Pay Attention To

Hey everyone! Before I start suggesting restaurants, I want to give you guys a heads up about some of the basic things you should pay attention to.

First, the DOH (Department of Health) visits restaurants randomly at least once a year to rate the cleanliness of the kitchen. They check that the restaurant is in compliance with regulations regarding food handling, personal hygiene, vermin control and other guidelines that are listed here:
https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/about/healthcode/health-code-article81.pdf.

Every time a DOH officer spots a violation, he/she gives a certain amount of points. If a certain amount of points are reached, then the DOH can shut down that restaurant immediately. Otherwise,
at the end of the inspection, the points are totaled and a grade is given. The grading scale is A, B or C, with A being the highest score. The letter must be displayed in the window out front of the restaurant. Look for it!

Another thing to pay attention to is the staff. Restaurants are usually controlled by two sections. Front of House (FOH) and Back of House (BOH). The FOH staff are the people that you usually see, such as servers, bartenders, hosts and busboys. The BOH staff are the people who are actually preparing the food; usually consistent of a Chef de Cuisine, Sous Chef and the line cooks. If the initial impression given by the FOH staff is unimpressive or dissatisfying, it is usually a good reflection of the culture of that restaurant. If FOH isn't passionate about their position, it usually means that BOH doesn't care either- which will reflect in the quality of your meal.

Last, paying attention to how long a restaurant has been open can tell a lot about the quality. Due to the competitive nature and expensive rent in NYC, there is a 3 year mark in which many restaurants go out of business. Therefore, if a restaurant has made it past that three year mark- it is probably something worth considering as a viable dinner option.

Welcome to Restaurants of New York!

Welcome to Restaurants of New York! I created this blog to share with all of you my passion for good food. I have also struggled all my life with the question "Where should we eat?", so hopefully this blog can offer you some ideas into some of the best restaurants the city has to offer. I will include an array of options and cuisines to give my readers the best insight into the restaurant world of New York. Look at the labels accompanying each blog post to find out if that restaurant is $ or $$$$ and how many stars I believe it deserves. My stars will be based on taste, presentation, service and overall experience. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy my blog!