raysrestaurants

Hi everyone,

Today’s featured restaurant is a fondue place in Midtown called “Swizz Restaurant.”  In addition to a fine collection of wine, the restaurant has some of the best fondue that I’ve tasted in a long time.  For only, 46 dollars, you can get a filling dinner for two by buying the Fondue Provencale, which is similar to traditional fondue but adds herbs to the mix to make for a great tasting fondue.  The fondue was made of delicious Swiss gruyere cheese and melted very well (not too think and not too watery).  In addition to the cheese, customers have the option of ordering side dishes to accent the fondue for 3 dollars a dish.  Eri and I opted to get mushrooms and air-dried beef, both of which were good choices.  The mushrooms in particular were very very good with the fondue.   The cubed bread that came with the fondue was really tender and was good for dipping.   In all, the experience was a great one - one of the simplest meals that I’ve had in awile, but also one of the tastiest.

I highly recommend this restaurant.  The service was nice, and the mood was romantic.

Here’s the info:

310 W 53rd St
New York, NY 10019

Get Directions

(212) 810-4444

 - 1291swizz.com

Happy eating everyone,

Rayray

Hi everyone,

I hope everyone is doing well.   Today’s featured restaurant is a nice Vietnamese place in New York City (MidTown Manhattan) that is both cheap and very good - two qualities that are definitely a plus in my book.  After Eri got her haircut at this Japanese hairstylist’s shop called “Ueno,” she asked the stylist where we could get some good pho.  Luckily, the hairstylist had a quick suggestion and it was in the area.

Since Eri was craving some pho, we decided to chance Pho Bang, which was located on Mott between Grand and Broome.  The place isn’t the most luxurious of areas, to say the least; however, it inside was nice, and the restaurant was Zagat rated, so we weren’t phased.

The menu was extensive, and the most expensive item was 10 dollars, which was awesome.  Eri chose the classic pho, while I got the Hanoi Beef on Vermicelli Rice.  Both of our choices were very very good.  The pho broth was full and was accented well by the meat (and vice versa).  The beef on vermicelli rice was well-marinated and the vinegar sauce they give you adds the perfect touch to the saltiness of the steak.  I though that in all, the meal was a very good one.

The service was mediocre, perhaps somewhat attributable to a language barrier; also, they only take cash which was kind of a hassle, but in all it was a great experience and I loved the food.  The bill ended up being only 25 dollars for two people and an appetizer (summer rolls  for 3 bucks!).

I highly suggest venturing out there to get some cheap, tasty food.  Here’s the info:

157 Mott St
New York, NY 10013

Get Directions

(212) 966-3797

Happy eating everyone,

Rayray

Hey everyone,

Hope today is going well for everyone! Today, I want to feature a restaurant called Golden Unicorn, a great Chinese place on East Broadway and Catherine. So this past weekend, a group of me, my cousin, my girlfriend and her friends decided that we were craving some Dim Sum. Luckily, one of my girlfriend’s friends knew a Dim Sum place in China Town that had great food so we decided to try it out.

Golden Unicorn is deep in China Town, and it’s a nicely decorated and designed two floor restaurant. When we went around dinner time, there was a wedding reception on the first floor, which was nice, except for when I accidentally entered the first floor from the elevator during the bride’s speech. That was more embarrassing for her than it was for me, I can assure you.

Unfortunately, they only serve Dim Sum until 4pm so we were only able to order from the regular menu, which was still great, but still a let down because I wanted Dim Sum. To compensate for this, we just ordered an appetizer with Dim Sum style dumplings, which was quite delicious. We ended up getting 5 dishes for 6 people and some soup. We had orange beef, garlic chicken, Szechuan Shrimp, Shrimp with Mayonnaise, and a crispy noodle seafood combination. All of the food was very good, and the bill wasn’t that expensive either. In all, it ended up being 25 dollars per person, which was a good deal because we all had our fill.

The overall experience was a good one. The bill two quite some time to come long after we were finished eating, but it was fine because we were all talking and having a good time. I’d say definitely check it out, but try to get there before 4pm so you can try out the Dim Sum!

Here’s the info:

18 E Broadway
New York, NY 10002
Get Directions
(212) 941-0911

goldenunicornrestaurant.com‎

Happy eating everyone,

Ray

Hey everyone,

Hope all is well! Today’s feature is a nice little steakhouse that I ran into in Gramercy while walking on the sidewalk.  Actually, Eri found it because she is very observant and saw a sign on the walk that said “20.99 three course lunch special.”  (Actually, she almost ran into it because she does that sometimes…haha). Anyways, I’d heard of Angelo and Maxie’s, but I had never had the urge to pick myself up and spend $100 per person on a meal. But this offer just sounded too good to be true.  We went in and ended up getting two lunch 20.99 lunch specials.  The place was relatively empty for lunch, and the service was nice.  We started off with some pretty delicious bread, followed by our first course.  I got the Caesar Salad, and Eri had the House Salad. Both were delicious, and I think that the Caesar salad was one of the best that I’ve had in awhile. 

After the salad, our entrees came out (the second course).  I had the 12 oz. New York Strip Steak, and Eri had the Filet Mignon (because she’s high class like that hehe).  My New York Strip Steak was delicious, cooked perfectly, seasoned perfectly, and a little bit browned (the way I like it).  I tasted Eri’s, and hers was very good, but not as greasy as I like my steaks.  In any case, we both enjoyed our steaks thoroughly. 

For our desert course (third course), Eri had the assorted fruit (boooooooring!), and I had the New York Cheesecake (mmmmmm deliciousness).  Though the fruit was very fresh and tasty, I’d have to say that I definitely made the better decision with the cheesecake, which had chocolate in it and had cranberry syrup on it!  

Anyways, for two people, the bill ended up being 55.00 with tip and tax included which was a phenomenal deal for a restaurant that usually charges 40 dollars per entrée.   I highly suggest that you all take advantage of this great deal as it’s something that you just can’t pass up.  Overall, it was an excellent experience, and I definitely want to go again sometime soon!

Here’s the info:

Angelo and Maxie’s

233 Park Ave S
New York, NY 10003
(212) 220-9200

Happy eating everyone,

Ray

Hi everyone,

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! I know I sure did. I went to New York again, as I noted in my Weekly Rant # 2, and while the bus ride wasn’t necessarily a phenomenal experience, by any means (mostly because of the obnoxious girls who took Sarah Jessica Parker as their role models), I did have a great time in New York (mostly eating of course!).

The first restaurant I want to feature this week is a Korean gem called Wonjo. I’m not really sure what that means precisely, but it did have Chinese characters below the name, and the translation of these characters (thanks to my girlfriend), is “the origin” or “the very beginning” – something like that at least. Of course, that put me in a good mood because any place that claims to be the origin of something has to be authentic…right?

Well, the food definitely was! We started off with the free banchan/panchan (the Korean word for the free side dishes you get with every meal), and they were great. There were eight in all, and the ones I was familiar with were the kimchi, daikon radishes, potato salad, veggie pancake like cakes, and some crab in pepper. I liked all of them and wished there was more, but I’m glad that I didn’t fill myself with the banchan because the entrees were delicious.

For entrees, Eri and I ended up getting three things and shared them. We started off with seasoned raw beef called Yuke/Yook Hwe over rice and veggies. The dish was called Yook Hwe Bibimbap, and it was definitely a delicious dish. Along with seasoned raw beef, it came with carrots, sliced cucumbers, shitake mushrooms, rice, hot Korean sauce, and a raw egg. After that, we had Budae Chige, which was a spicy soup that was filled with kimchi, meat, a mochi-like rice cake, noodles, and other vegetables. It tasted very very good. The meat gave the broth a very rich flavor, and the spicy soup went well with the assortment of vegetables and noodles. Finally, we had a dish called Kimchi Naeng-myun (I’m not sure if I spelled that right). Naeng-myun refers to noodles, and this particular cold noodle soup had kimchi, beef, a boiled egg, apples, and of course buckwheat noodles. It was a great complement to the previous dishes because it was served cold and had a sweeter taste to it, which balanced the saltiness and hotness of the dishes before it. Also, the dish itself was a pretty tasty contradiction because it was spicy and cold at the same time, which always makes for a good time.

The food was great, and I wanted to eat it all, but it seemed as if we ordered too much. The service was average, but the food was so good that I didn’t even care about the service at all. I will definitely re-visit this place. It gets busy at night time, and the soju bottles come out for those inclined to drink strong alcohol, but it was a fun and authentic environment, and I look forward to dining there again.

Here’s the info:

Wonjo Korean Restaurant

23 W. 32nd St.,

New York, NY 10001

212-695-5815

Happy eating everyone!

Ray

Hello all!

Hope the weekend treated everyone well! Today, I’d like to feature a great sushi joint that I checked out recently while hanging out in NYC for the weekend. So, to preface this feature, I just want to put it out there: I hate Sex and the City…in fact, I hated it so much that anything and everything done in the show pretty much deserved no respect from my part. That is, of course, before I went into Sushi Samba (which is a place where Sarah Jessica Parker and her annoying female cohorts go and talk about worthless things or complain about how much money they have to spend).

Well, in any case, I thought I’d hate Sushi Samba because for the most part, I thought that anything featured on a show I hate was by nature also deserving of my hate. But when I walked in and saw a couple of Japanese and Latin guys jamming out on a drum set, guitars, and a saxaphone, I knew that things would be okay. Add onto that the cool interior design and the great service, and I realized that I really liked the place.

Sushi Samba is a Japanese-Latin fusion which features creative dishes that combine the cuisines from both cultures. My girlfriend and I tried out the Tuna ceviche which tasted pretty delicious and followed that up with a couple of sushi rolls (each of which cost about 12 dollars).

It’s a little pricey, but for the great food and service it was well worth it. At night, the scene gets a little more hip, I hear. But I’m glad we went at lunch because the night scene would probably just include a lot more patrons who are Sarah Jessica Parker wannabes who would annoy me thoroughly.

Anyways, I suggest that you try out the Gramercy location if you like low-key dining, but of course, if you want the more trendy scene (here, read annoing), then check out the West Village location:

Sushi Samba

245 Park Ave S
New York, NY 10003

Get Directions(212) 475-9377

Happy eating yall!

- Ray

Hi everyone!

Today, I wanted to feature a great creperie in New York City that I went to two weekends ago. Normally, I’m not a huge fan of crepes, mostly because I think they’re slightly over-priced for the deliciousness that they offer; however, I’d say that The Crooked Tree is a great place to go if you’re looking for great-tasting, affordable crepes.

My girlfriend and I were checking out an apartment that she would be subletting for the rest of the summer, and it happened to be right across the street (which, of course, means that I’ll be visiting it daily when I go to visit her).

When I got there, I was surprised at how small the place was, but I was even more surprised to see how cheap the food was given that I was, indeed, in the city of ridiculously expensive EVERYTHING. Anyways, each of th savory crepes was about 8-9 dollars and came with a side of mesclun salad with a vinaigrette dressing. I happened to get the smoked ham and jarlsberg cheese crepe, which was delicious. My girlfriend had the chestnut syrup and strawberry crepe which was delicious (and pretty light, despite it’s heavy sounding name).

In any case, I thought I’d share this place because it has great crepes and an awesome vibe to it. If you want to check it out, I put the information down below:

The Crooked Tree
110 Saint Marks Pl # 1
New York, NY 10009
(212) 533-3299

Happy eating everyone!!!

-Ray

My girlfriend is living in Gramercy for the summer, and having been there for a month, she’s beginning to familiarize herself with the local eats (she usually gets lost so I’m happy that at least she’s wandering over to the tasty places…haha).  Jokes aside, she did take me to this great French bistro for breakfast one morning called L’Express.  It’s a 24-hour place that has breakfast, brunch, lunch, and late-night dining (and a bar if you want somewhere to drink in the later hours).  

The meal I had was pretty affordable, only $12 for Eggs Florentine, home fries, and Orange Juice.  My girlfriend had an omelet and orange juice for about the same price so we couldn’t complain.  The service was great and particularly fast, but what else can you expect from New York?  Other brunch menu items included Eggs Benedict, Pancakes, French Toast, Eggs Copenhagen (Eggs and Salmon and Hollandaise Sauce).  The dinner menu had some French classics including pig’s feet, blood sausage, and tripe – all of which have been talked about highly from the local patrons. 

The bar seemed pretty cool when I passed by it later that night.  People were pretty well-dressed and good looking.  I don’t know if I’m allowed to say that though, because my girlfriend might read this later! 

The next morning, she took me back there because we both loved it.  I had the Eggs Copenhagen, which was also delicious.  I really liked this restaurant, not only because of its delicious food, but also because of its friendly vibe and good service. 

Here’s the info, check it out!

L’Express

249 Park Ave. South,

New York, NY 10003
at 20th St.

212-254-5858

Happy eating yall!

Ray

 Hello there everyone,

When I visited my girlfriend in New York two weekends ago, I was lucky enough to go to a great Ramen place next to Astor place’s metro stop.  I’m sure most people are quite familiar with Ramen, the microwaveable noodles that you can heat up in Styrofoam bowls…MMMM MMMM Delicious! And by delicious, I mean gross.  No, I’m not talking about the bastardized form of Ramen that seems to have achieved predominance in American college cuisine. I’m talking about serious, authentic Japanese Ramen, stuff that makes you wonder why you ever thought it would be a good idea to flavor your noodles with artificial chicken powder.  This particular Ramen restaurant is called Ippudo, which means First/One Wind Eatery or something hardcore like that.  In any case, you should definitely check it out. 

Unlike the Ramen that I have increasingly come to despise, the ramen served at Ippudo is filled with meat, miso paste, green onions, tofu, veggies, seaweed, and egg.  The chefs specialize in creating the perfect combination of ingredients to produce soup that far surpasses microwaved water and chicken bullions.  My girlfriend had the chicken-based soup while I had the pork-based broth.  Both were delicious, but the latter was heavier and saltier (which I tend to like).   Afterwards, we had buns rapped around pork, which was great.  In the end, we spent about 35 bucks for the both of us, but it was well worth it for two ramen dishes, pork buns, and a glass of plum wine. 

I highly suggest you check it out. I’ll leave it at that since the food pretty much speaks for itself.  The website and location information are below. 

65 4th Ave.

New York, NY 10003

(212) 388-0088

www.ippudo.com/ny/

Happy eating all!

- Ray

In early February, I went to New York City for an internship interview, and I met up with a friend who attends New York University. I asked him to take me to some local hotspots that weren’t too expensive but still well-known and delicious, so he took me to an interesting place called Café Habana, a Cuban-Mexican eatery on a residential corner of Elizabeth Street. Most of the things on the menu were under 15 dollars which is a great deal for the quality and uniqueness of the food you can get there.

One drawback was the small size of the place. Space is limited so expect a wait of about 20-30 minutes if you drop-in, and when you do get in, you’ll be eating on a pretty small table. First impressions regarding the size aside, however, the food was awesome. I would suggest starting off with the Mexican style corn, which was corn topped with chili powder, cheese, lime and butter. It was messy, but delicious!!! After that, I had the Cuban sandwich – a 7 dollar treat that was quite filling (I brought half of it home because I was full after the corn and half of the sandwich). Other specialties included the skirt steak with rice and beans, the pollo mirador, and the mango and jicama salad. Personally, the corn was my favorite, and when I go back next weekend, I’m planning on buying two orders.

In any case, I hope you have the chance to visit what I consider one of New York’s gems. The service was friendly and fast, and the crowded environment was balanced by the very familiar feel of the restaurant. It wasn’t the best eating experience of my life, but it made my belly really happy.

Here is the info:

Café Habana

17 Prince St., New York, NY 10012
at Elizabeth St.

212-625-2002

Happy eating everyone,

Ray