Dishes of the Week: 2/24/16

WEDNESDAY, 2/24/16

Restaurant: Cho Dang Gol

Address: 55 W 35th St New York, NY 10001

Dish: Seafood tofu

Thoughts: Cold February weather meant sundubu, and what better place to have it than Cho Dang Gol. Located outside of proper Ktown, this old school eatery is known for serving freshly homemade, organic tofu. My friend Kat and I sat there in eager anticipation for the spicy tofu in bubbling cauldrons and it didn’t disappoint.

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THURSDAY, 2/25/16

Restaurant: Carbone

Address: 181 Thompson St, New York, NY 10012

Dish: Veal Parm

Thoughts: I didn’t fall in love with food until I moved to New York in June 2007. My world changed after tasting Mamoun’s falafel, NYC pizza, quality sushi, and other cuisines not available in Durham, NC. Like any other journey, my path to being foodie can be summarized in a few special milestones. Once you hit a milestone, you essentially level up and don’t look back. The tasting menu at Torrisi on 5/2/2012 was one of these milestones that changed my perspective on flavors and textures. Also, the chefs didn’t take themselves too seriously so the menu was whimsical in its riffs on traditional dishes.

I’ve heard a lot of good things about Carbone so when I met up with my friend Audrey, I didn’t mind the fact that we had to wait even though we had a reservation. Even when the wait stretched to 15 minutes, I smiled and wondered if the rigatoni vodka tasted as good as it looked on all those Instagram pics. (It was pretty good but not $35 good)

I really enjoyed the veal parm. At $55, the price was commensurate with size….this thing was Flintstonian in nature that Audrey and I barely finished. Nice sauce with breadcrumbs.

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SUNDAY, 2/28/16

Restaurant: The Doughnut Project

Address: 10 Morton St, New York, NY 10014

Dish: Everything Doughnut

Thoughts: I don’t like overly sweet pastries. That’s why this donut is everything. Savory toppings such as fried garlic and sesame seeds balance out that frosting.

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MONDAY, 2/29/16

Restaurant: Lowlife

Address: CLOSED

Dish: Yakitori Chicken

Thoughts:Met up with Matt who I met off of Instagram for the first time. A talented photographer and blogger - go check out his feed! We ordered a few dishes but the best dish of the night was a happy accident. Wilson Tang, owner of Nom Wah and Fung Tu was sitting behind us and ordered the chicken. The server brought his chicken to us (at the time, we didn’t know and thought it was a comp) and we were blown away by the flavor of the bird and the cook on it from the binchotan. Sorry not sorry Wilson! Unfortunately, due to a few reasons, the restaurant shut down a few months later.

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Last week's EATS

Dishes of the Week: 2/19/16

FRIDAY, 2/19/16

Restaurant: Hominy Grill

Address: 207 Rutledge Ave, Charleston, SC 29403

Dish: Shrimp and Grits, Charleston Nasty

Thoughts: In February, I went on a gastrovacation to charming Charleston with my friend Suleen. Our first stop was at Hominy Grill, a homey eatery specializing in Lowcountry classics. Our first dish in Charleston ended up being our favorite rendition of shrimp and grits for the trip. Sweet, local shrimp on top of a simple pile of grits. Sublime. If you have the best produce, you keep it simple and let the ingredients do the talking.

We also ordered the “Charleston Nasty” based off a recommendation of my friends, Ken and Christine. Huge slab of fried chicken slathered in sausage gravy on a biscuit. Pretty delicious but our favorite was still the shrimp and grits.

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FRIDAY, 2/19/16

Restaurant: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams

Address: 501 King St, Charleston, SC 29403

Dish: Ice Cream in a Cone

Thoughts: It wasn’t even planned but on our way back to the hotel, just across the street, was the sign for Jeni’s and I almost cartwheeled with glee. After having it a few times in NYC, and I believe once at a retail location in chicago, I was pumped to have my favorite ice cream again. After a few agonizing minutes of indecision, I settled on Pistachio and Honey + Pralines and Cream. An excellent choice. Since it was across the street from our hotel, we ended up going again 24 hrs later.

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FRIDAY, 2/19/16

Restaurant: The Ordinary

Address: 544 King St, Charleston, SC 29403

Dish: Fried Oyster Sliders, Squid Ink Shrimp and Grits

The Ordinary? More like The Extraordinary! -___-

As you walk in the restaurant, which used to be a bank back in the 20’s, you notice the soaring ceilings and the sheer amount of space. We were led to our table on the second floor and started off with these perfectly fried oyster sliders inside fluffy sweet Hawaiian rolls. The slaw added a an acidic tang that cut through the fried goodness. My favorite fried oysters in NYC is at Pearl’s Oyster Bar, but these come pretty close.

Another hit was their elevated rendition of juicy shrimp on a bed of squid ink grits. Compared to the simple and sweet shrimp and grits we had for brunch, Ordinary’s version was more smoky and tart from the sliced cherry tomatoes. I appreciate them experimenting but I still prefer the classic, lowcountry version.

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SATURDAY, 2/20/16

Restaurant: Leon’s Oyster Shop

Address: 698 King St, Charleston, SC 29403

Dish: Fried Chicken, Hush Puppies

Thoughts: Not sure how, but we were somehow hungry the next morning. We walked to Leon’s Oyster Shop and snagged a seat before the lunch crowd. We were rewarded with delicious fried chicken with extra crispy skin that encased two very juicy pieces (even the breast).

Even better than the fried chicken, was the BEST HUSHPUPPIES IN THE GALAXY with a side of honey butter. I’ve had my fair share of hush puppies, and most of the time the outside isn’t crisp enough. The inside if kinda flavorless or if it does have flavor, it’s pretty one note sorta like how the concertmaster plays that long A on the violin for the orchestra to tune up.

These freaking hush puppies was like the Rach 3. So many notes of flavor going on with each bite. I think i tasted onion, bell peppers, even a hint of spice in the fluffy cake-like interior. Crispy exterior too. These were so good, that we placed another order of hush puppies.

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MONDAY, 2/22/16

Restaurant: Martha Lou’s Kitchen

Address: 1068 Morrison Dr, Charleston, SC 29403

Dish: Fried Chicken

Nothing notable to mention for saturday dinner (Husk) and Sunday (Magnolia’s and Minero’s) so here we are. Monday lunch. Our first stop was Bertha’s Kitchen where we got a bunch of fried things. A bit too greasy, salty, and sweet (candied yams). We decided to walk to Martha Lou’s for 2nd lunch…. 2.5 miles and 45 minutes later, we arrive and my shirt is soaked. Debra takes one look at me and starts laughing. “Oooh, honey child, you look like you need some water!”. We then proceeded to chow down on probably my favorite fried chicken ever. Loved the seasoning and the crunch of the batter.

We then spent the afternoon with Keith from Charleston Photography Tours. He drove us to some great locations for picturesque shots such as this canopy of trees and Boneyard Beach.

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MONDAY, 2/22/16

Restaurant: Fig

Address: 232 Meeting St, Charleston, SC 29401

Dish:  razor clams, chicken liver pate

Thoughts: By the time dinner rolled around, we were famished. We had a reservation at the recently remodeled Fig and it was the best meal of the trip. Of particular resonance was a dish of chilled razor clams with a refreshing sauce with sweet and acidic notes. Another memorable dish was the best chicken liver pate I’ve had. Smeared a generous amount onto a small piece of buttery brioche and added Dijon mustard and pickles to cut through the buttery goodness. Obviously we ran out of brioche and asked for more.

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Last week's EATS

Next Week's EATS

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