Izayoi - 10.17.08

Location - 132 S.Central Ave, Los Angeles / Downtown, Lil Tokyo

Style of Cuisine - Japanese Izakaya

TOTAL SCORE - 41

Food: 18 (all very good, very adventurous)

• Homemade Tofu with Sesame: creamy, great flavor
• Giant Green Clams w/Sake Broth: delicious, rich broth
• Miso Braised Pork Belly: the best dish, a bit too fatty, but still great
• Garlic Sauteed Scallops and Mushrooms: awesome, mushrooms and scallops perfectly cooked
• Monkfish Liver: good (for Monkfish Liver)
• Tempura Large Oyster Mushrooms: perfect tempura coating
• Earl Grey Iced Tea: best iced tea i've ever had (great orange flavor)

Service: 8 (attentive, concerned, little personality) 

Atmosphere: 6 (clean, simple, dull)

Value: 8 (fair, but not special)

OVERVIEW -

All the reviews I had read beforehand raved about this place and they were all spot on.  The place itself is rather dull, but the menu is exciting and the dishes do not disappoint.  We dined at the sushi bar (although did not order any), but it looked top notch. It will definitely be on a short list of visits whenever I return to LaLa land. 

Contact Info - (213)613-9554

JG Melon - 10.09.08

Location - 1291 3rd Ave, New York / Upper East Side
Style of Cuisine - Burgers

TOTAL SCORE - 34
Food: 14 (very good burger, but not great. lame sides)

• Chili Cup - decent flavor, nothing special
• Cheeseburger - solid burger, great bread, fairly small
• Cottage Fried Potatoes - egh, sad
• Pecan Pie - average

Service - 8 (fairly slow, but very friendly and helpful)

Atmosphere - 7 (looks exactly like a burger bar built in 1932)

Value - 5 (average, some decent, others over-priced)

OVERVIEW -

I guess I can see why so many rave about this haunt. It has character (without being boring or hokey) and the burgers are solid. I still think people need to broaden their horizons before declaring it "Best Burger Ever" or "Best in NYC." Having said that, I do understand that its all a matter of taste and opinion. I'm still perplexed why all of these NYC Institutions have to be so one-dimensional. Maybe the burgers are good, but does that give them a license to make everything else so poorly?

Well, the line out the door (which is quite commonplace) says they're clearly doing something right. So who am I to judge? Oh wait, screw that, this is MY blog! :)

The Corner Bistro - 11.05.08

Location - 331 W.4th Street, New York / West Village
Style of Cuisine - Burgers (Neighborhood Bar)

TOTAL SCORE - 29
Food: 12 (Slightly above average burger)

• Bistro Burger - tasty, but small and bacon was undercooked, bread was very generic.
• Side of Fries - generic.
• House Draught Ale - very good and very inexpensive (I believe it was $5).

Service - 5 (perfunctory)
Atmosphere - 5 (neighborhood, hole-in-the-wall bar)
Value - 7 (decent, the beer saved the day)

OVERVIEW -
Again, don't belive the hype. I also heard that this place is supposed to be one of the best burgers in NYC. Wow. Really?? I'm guessing this must have been started by the guy who wrote Super Size Me and has never eaten a burger other than McDonalds. It was fine for something close, reasonably priced, and for that day when you have no standards (especially for a great burger)...

Contact Info - http://www.cornerbistro.ypguides.net/

Strip Steak - 11.08.08

Location - 13 E.12th Street, New York / Greenwich Village

Style of Cuisine - Steakhouse

TOTAL SCORE - 40

Food - 19 (outstanding across the board)

• 20oz. New York Strip: perfect wet-aged flavor, well-seasoned, little fat, perfect charring, outstanding flavor all around
• Pan-Seared Scallops - the only disappointing dish but still good, no presence of truffle (which was in the description), sauce a little one-dimensional
• Black Truffle Creamed Spinach - outstanding, perfect consistency, apparent truffle flavor but not overpowering, over-priced based on portion size at $12
• Crisp Goose Fat Potatoes - good but a little heavy, a bit bland internally
• Creamed Corn with Pancetta - very good, a little bit more runny than I would've preferred but still delicious
• Glass of Coppola Claret - delicious
• Glass of Bearboat Pinot Noir - very good

Service - 8 (solid, but nothing special)

Atmosphere - 6 (poorly lit, mildly kitschy, boring lay-out)

Value - 7 (delicious, but over-priced sides)

OVERVIEW -

Alright, so I've heard enough people stomping about this place that I had to give it a go.  Let me say, it lived up to it's billing and then some.  I'll just cut to the chase and say that everything I put in my mouth from the free bread to wet-aged 20oz strip steak ranged from really good to "wow."  It was one of the best meals I've had in a very long time.

I've never been a huge fan of the banquette seating where the two-tops are so cramped together the host almost needs assistance pulling out the table so your guest can wedge themselves in (especially when there were other tables available which would've allowed them to seat every other one and provide a bit more privacy - albeit temporarily).

Look, I'm not going to waste cyberspace looking for things to be critical of.  It was delicious and I'm already missing some of the dishes... what more can I say?

Contact Info - www.striphouse.net

 

Peter Luger Steak House - 11.01.08

Location - 178 Broadway, Brooklyn, New York
Style of Cuisine - Steakhouse

TOTAL SCORE - 34
Food - 17 (very good porterhouse and great cheesecake)

• Porterhouse for 2: Massive, delicous, great flavor & charring
• Side of Creamed Spinach: A complete joke. Tasted like canned spinach with no other discernable flavors (except water).
• French fries: Average
• Cheesecake: Oustanding. Rich, fluffy, great crust.Best ever.
• Pecan Pie: Average. Served with an obscene amount of whipped cream on the side ("schlag" they call it) - way over the top.

Service - 6 (slow, unattententive, but friendly)
Atmoshpere - 4 (no excuse for bright lights and dull)
Value - 7 (the prices were very fair considering portion size)

OVERVIEW -
Don't believe the hype. I know New Yorkers seem to suck at the tit of Peter Luger, but give me a break. It was a very good porterhouse - but nothing I could not find at a dozen other steakhouses in the country (many of which can be found in NYC, btw) and the sides (all 3 of them) ranged from shitty to ok. And no, I am not someone who thinks a steakhouse needs to filled with pomp, circumstance, and 39 different menu options. I just think that if you're playing the minimalist, "quality versus quantity" game, then the few offerings you provide had better be fucking stellar. The cheesecake I must say, however, was hands down the best I've ever had.

As for the place itself, Kitschy would have been a vast improvement. Their German-American vibe falls painfully short when the lights (which are set on "10" at 8:00 pm) shine so bright that you can actually read the "Made in the USA" stamp on the Beer Steins.

All-in-all, it was worth the visit, and the porterhouse was very good. But New Yorkers, like metro-centrists everywhere, seem to bestow their local eating institutions with delusions of grandeur rarely befitting.

Contact Info - http://www.peterluger.com/

In n Out Burger - 10.08

Location - Los Angeles / W.Hollywood
Style of Cuisine - Fast Food, Burgers

TOTAL SCORE - 39
Food: 17 (best fast food burger - period)

Service: 7 (good, consistent)
Atmosphere: 7 (clean, adequate for a ff burger joint, good patio space)
Value: 8 (very affordable)

OVERVIEW -

Contact Info - www.in-n-out.com

Mozza Pizzeria - 10.08

Location - 641 N. Highland Ave, Los Angeles / West Hollywood
Style of Cuisine - Italian Pizzeria

TOTAL SCORE - 38
Food: 17 (interesting, great quality and very tasty)
Service: 8 (solid, friendly)
Atmosphere: 7 (nice, but poor lighting & music selection)
Value: 6 (fairly expensive based on portion sizes)

OVERVIEW -

Mario Batali

Contact Info - www.mozza-la.com