Gramercy Tavern Bar & The Modern Bar Room

Two of my favorite places to go are the Gramercy Tavern Bar and The Modern Bar Room.  The food is consistently good,.  the atmosphere inviting and the staff knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly. I have no reservations about recommending either of these places on a consistent basis' I bet most of you don't know that if you ask you'll find The Modern has a no corkage policy on Sundays.  The staff loves to see what the clientele is bringing in next.

Just so you know, I"ve eaten in the Gramercy Tavern restaurant many times and always enjoyed the food.  The bar is just more relaxed though it might be too noisy for some, I enjoy it more.  I've never eaten at The Modern restaurant aside from the bar room.

At Gramercy Tavern Bar, not all the dishes are excellent all of the time.  Sometimes a dish isn't quite up to expectations.  I've had a pork chop a touch over cooked now and then but the melding of flavors and other ingredients adds another dimension that makes up for it.  I'm always satisfied and happy after a meal.

The menu at The Modern Bar is full of small plates I love to share. Generally the dishes are the same. But the chef changes them up by substituting a different fish or a new preparation. If you have any dietary restrictions ask your waiter, they will help you out, if the kitchen can leave something out or put it on the side they are very accommodating. This is what I love about this place. The sausage with house made sauerkraut has become my new comfort food. Sunday has become the best time to get together with friends for no corkage Sundays.  It's a great place to get together and do blind tastings as a couple of my friends love to do.

Not sure what to have or what something is?... ask the staff,  Debating between two dishes, share, you might find the kitchen gives you more than you actually ordered.  It's customer service at it's best.

These two places have become my 'go to' places whether in a pinch or not in the mood for anything else. It's best to make a reservation in advance if going to The Modern, though they do take walk-ins. Gramercy Tavern Bar only takes walk-ins but the restaurant takes reservations.

Gramercy Tavern Bar
42 East 20th Street
New York, NY 10003-1300
(212) 477-0777

The Modern Bar Room
9 West 53rd Street
New York, NY 10019-5401
(212) 333-1220

Eating Tacos in Corona Queens

This past Friday night my friend and I decided to head out to Corona, Queens for tacos.  We hopped on the 7 express and took it to 103rd street. Corona must have the highest concentration of Mexican and Latino food, anywhere in the 5 boroughs (please forgive me if I'm wrong). Walking along Roosevelt Ave between 104th and 90th Streets there were so many Taco StandsTaco Stands, Equadorian Food Tucks, Mexican and Latin Restaurants,. The area looked like it was getting ready for partying after a huge sports game. You can find taco stands on every corner and the only way to find the best... follow you nose. And, oh yeah, and see how many people are lined up out front.

We wandered the area eating for about 2 1/2 hours.  Our first stop was Tortilleria Nixtamal on 104th Street and 47th Avenue known for making fresh tortillas. They are very friendly and clean.  The skate taco and carnitas taco are both delicious and I enjoyed the red and green salsas. Then we headed to a place formerly called La Espiga Bakery  that had been written up in the NY Times back in 1998.  It's not clear as to it's current name but it's still the same place. It might not be anything to look at, it's a bit run down and looks as though it hasn't been painted or had the menus replaced since it first opened. The tables are communal and the prices dirt cheap.  We ate tamales, tacos and something I don't remember the name of.  It was a flour tortilla filled with beans, grilled and then topped with cheese- I'll call it delicious! This place has fabulous, authentic food. The next time I'm in the mood for tacos I'll take a trip out here.

Walking around at 8pm the barber shops and beauty salons were still busy. The area had this feeling that the streets were about to be jam packed with people and the taco stands were just getting set up. The atmosphere was on the verge of being almost electric, but not quite.

Next we headed back to Roosevelt Avenue and began to walk under the elevated train back towards Junction Blvd.  At 99th street and 39th Avenue there's an island where a typical looking taco truck is parked, except this one is making exceptional food.  They had a plastic entrance covering the front with 3 people standing behind the grill.  The woman on the right took our order and our money (she also seemed to be taking orders on the phone). The woman on our left was making fresh flour tortillas and the man in the middle was helping her cook.  If you've never had fresh tortillas let me tell you they are nothing like the ones you buy in the supermarket or are served in most restaurants..  Fresh flour tortillas are light and delicious, nothing like the heavy leaden ones that wraps are made from.  I never knew they were so delicious. We ordered a zucchini flower quesadilla and an al pastor taco.  The quesadilla was divine.  Light and cheesy,sweet and just delicious. The pastor, tender and tasty!  I wish we hasn't eaten so much at the other places.  This taco stand is worth the trip here alone, if just for the quesadilla.  I'll be back to this stand for sure.


Best Taco Stand (in my opinion)
99th Street and 39th Avenue
Under the Elevated Train on Roosevelt Ave.

La Espiga
4213 102nd St
Queens, NY 11368
(718) 779-7898

Tortilleria-Nixtamal-Corona
104-05 47th Ave
Corona, NY 11368
(718) 699-2434

Roman's Fort Green Brooklyn

Last week during the snow storm (you know the one to dwarf all others -heeheehee), my friend and I hopped on the B train and headed out to Fort Green, Brooklyn to Roman's, (named for owner, Andrew's younget son).  They've only been open for about 2 months. 

Yes, the trains were empty and the streets in Brooklyn, unlike Manhattan, were snowy & the wind was icy cold but nothing someone from the boros couldn't handle. The residential streets off Dekalb looked magical with the snow draped over all the big trees and the stoops, it was the perfect time to have this adventure. 

Late last summer we took a trip out to this area just for some ice cream at the General Green Ice Cream cart, also on Dekalb.  Roman's hadn't opened but there were some other restaurants that looked worth trying. I plan on coming back to this area to check them out, so I'll let you know.  On your way up or down Dekalb Ave you can also stop a Bitter Sweet a hole in the wall coffee shop that also has some very interesting ice cream flavors as well  (Momo Milk Bar eat your heart out).  

When you first walk into Roman's you notice the walls at Romans are mostly white tile (except for the colorful mosaic tile in place of a painting).  This place has a lovely atmosphere, the music is inviting and hip and  you can still have a conversation and hear the waiter too. The staff is welcoming and friendly and the feeling is easy going. The lighting is romantic, the tables and chairs are very comfy. And on our way out I counted the tables and including the bar this intimate place seats 47.  This is also one of the few times we didn't take a seat at the bar which looked grand.  The kitchen is a large open room with a wood burning stove similar to the one they're using at Vinegar Hill House  (only wood fired no gas).  Even the bathrooms have character. 

I know I'm blabbing about things other than the food so yes, yes, yes the food is outstanding.  The menu is hand written and yes, that can be a little hard on older eyes too but as my eyes adjusted to the light I was able to read it. So far this is a dream restaurant for anyone who likes simple delicious food, or someone who eats out a lot or a little and like to have the chefs tasting menu without the huge expense. As I've read in other reviews dishes don't repeat on the menu.  My response to that is, so many restaurants have their menu staples & here's a place that so reminds me of the restaurant scene in San Francisco.  They're innovative and I'm all for it. (I wanted to say "lovin it"  but I didn't want to sound like a commercial!) It's all about farm to table, seasonal and local foods and that's alright by me. The locals have a star here in Brooklyn.  I wish this place were in my neighborhood.   

The waiter was friendly and very easy going. Unfortunately he really didn't know much about the wine we ordered.  It was a Barbera that we'd never tried before and the waiter didn't know that it really needed to be decanted before drinking. Apparently someone was paying attention because he came back to decant it.  As you all know I'm just starting to learn about wine and I'm very grateful to have had this experience.  Some red wines have a slight effervescence to them that some people think is a flaw but in some cases it adds something to a red wine in this case it didn't. This bottle probably shouldn't be on the menu or it should only be by the glass.  This in fact is my only real complaint about this place.  I'm sure the owners will be expanding their wine list as most of it is French.  For a place serving local and organic foods they need to step up the wine list to reflect the smaller producers out there making amazing wines.

 Ok, so back to the food, we started with the puntarelle (chicory family) salad, with a delicious yet simple tangy lemon dressing.  We moved onto the Maine shrimp, which are in season right now, this very moment, I'm sure they will be on the menu for at least a couple of days.  The most delicious shrimp I've ever eaten, fried so delicately, drizzled with a lemon aioli the shells so crispy and tasty, were a pleasure to eat.  The pasta must be homemade if not in house by someone nearby served with a pork ragu to showcase the pasta, The prices on the menu we saw ranged from $5-$18.  Items off the menu can run on the high side $48.  But $48 gets you two Veal porterhouse steaks that are one and a half inches thick, served with a fabulous local creamy polenta.  In fact we were full enough to take 1 home.  We ordered the cookie plate for dessert and took most of them home. I ate the fig newtons for a snack before lunch the next day.

When it comes to dessert I can't eat it right after a great meal.  It pushes me over the edge and makes me feel over full and uncomfortable.  So, I'd rather have something an hour or two later but not always.  Some might complain about the small dessert list which in other reviews seemed to only be chocolate sorbet.  In fact I think the desserts at Romans will reflect the seasons as well.  So let's give them a break here and see what happens.

 Romans
243 Dekalb Ave.
Fort Green, Brooklyn

718-622-5300

Open Tuesdays - Sundays 5pm-11pm
Corkage is very friendly, hey'll probably waive it if you buy a bottle..... but don't quote me on that!

UPDATE Thursday March18th, 2010
Had dinner the other night with some friends visiting from Italy.  I've also been following the reviews on this, and I commented on the  New York Times review.

Soba Koh

Soba Koh is the only place to go in New York City for fresh home made buckwheat soba noodles.  Not only are they the best you can get, in the winter they get local buckwheat from upstate New York and make "special soba" (it's more special because it's winter buckwheat and it's local, so it's better for you too). Contrary to popular belief buckwheat is not only not a grain it is in no way related to wheat.  So anyone who has a wheat allergy and misses pasta, you can eat 100% buckwheat soba noodles.

Immediately to the right of the entrance is a one person window enclosed area where you can watch the master at work rolling and cutting the soba you will be eating.  It might look easy but this gentleman has the technique and I can tell you every time I've eaten here the food is fresh, tasty, satisfying and the soba is always perfect. Soba Koh is not a fancy place it is a humble place to come for a delicious meal alone or with some friends, in the winter or the summer.  It is a respite in the middle of a very busy area.  The tea they serve in the winter is a delicious roasted blend (I didn't ask exactly what it is).  They also carry a variety of bottled sake.

The name Soba Koh may give you the impression that all they make is soba but they make much more. Their tempura is light crisp and delicious.  They have a variety of appetizers from marinated Octopus to tofu made with a combination of soy and buckwheat.  The desserts are simple from vanilla and green tea ice cream to an amazing black sesame pudding that I ate so fast I forgot to take a photo.

If you get there before 7 they have a 5 course meal for, shusssssssh, $19.50 that includes tea, salad, tempura, hot or cold soba, and dessert.  When the meal is over you will feel great and want to eat here every night.

I highly recommend this place.

Soba Koh
309 East 5th Street
Between 1st & 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10003
(212) 254-2244

Call to make a reservation.

Matsugen NYC

My two friends and I decided to check out Matsugen during restaurant week.  It's a place I've been curious about since it opened and I love Japanese food so I was happy when it was suggested.

Most places only offer a set menu for restaurant week and that's ok for me.  Of course I would prefer if they offered their whole menu at a discount, then I would be more likely to come back.  Anyway, the food at Matsugen was ok but nothing incredibly special.  There are better places to go for AMAZING Japanese food at a much lower cost. Soba-Koh for example is one of the best kept secrets in NYC.  Shusssssh don't tell anyone.  Luckily it's a neighborhood place on 6th Street in the East Village that makes the best homemade soba and they offer a 5 course meal for $20 every night of the week before 7pm.  It's not a large place but you can get a table for 6..  I'll take humble sweet service any day to inconsistent service at what should be a polished restaurant any day.

At Matsugen the staff tried to simultaneously serve us two at a time.  That's fun and nice and everything but if you're going to do that at least make sure you're serving  the correct person. (not all of us ordered the set menu). Then somewhere toward the end of the meal our waitress came over and said she was leaving.  She informed us that her "friend" would take over. One of my friends looked at me and said her "friend"  whose her friend?  It was not clear to us whether there was even another wait person in the house. Possibly the management was sending staff home early. The least the waitress could have done was to introduce us to our new server because she never introduced us to her "friend".  Not that it mattered, because she never left.

Okay, onto the food.  We started off with fried soba, fun and tasty, and a bowl of edamame served family style. The second course was 2 pieces of tuna sashimi. Then we each received a plate with four bowls, spinach with a peanut type sauce, tofu skin, fried shrimp, and smoked uni with something jelly like. Next came the black cod served with vegetables. And finally the soba.  I ordered the cold soba (that was silly since it was cold outside but....) Usually when I've ordered cold soba it comes with the sauce on the side so you dip it in, this cold soba dish was pre-mixed. I should double check and see if Matsugen is closed on Mondays because on Tuesday nothing tasted particularly fresh; everything had that just taken out of the walk-in feel to it.

So, if you've got to try it go ahead but don't go out of your way. It's way over priced for what you get and the ingredients.  Though the set restaurant week meal was filling, you're better off going to Nobu Next Door or better yet, go to Soto in the East Village.

Matsugen
241 Church Street at Corner of Leonard
New York, NY 10013

212- 925-0202