Recipes: Entrees

American
Crab Cakes

Chinese
Ma Po Tofu

Ma Po Tofu

Ingredients
1/2 lb. ground pork (or turkey, or leave out if you want vegetarian)
1 pkg tofu, cubed (I prefer firm for hold-up-ability)
1 T hot sauce (chili garlic sauce, found in Asian food stores)
1 T corn starch
2-3 T soy sauce (I prefer dark, mushroom, cuts the salt)
ground pepper to taste
vegetable oil

Directions
Mix hot sauce, corn starch, soy sauce, and pepper with some water (1/3 cup?) in a bowl. Set aside.

Heat wok/pan. Add 2 T oil, and cook pork/meat til almost done. Add sauce. Add tofu. Mix to heat through and coat.

Serve.

Sezz Medi' (Italian, Pizza, Harlem)

NY Sidewalk Review

Location:
1260 Amsterdam Ave.
northeast corner of Amsterdam and 122nd.

Cuisine:
Italian Brick Oven Pizzeria

Fave Dishes:
where do i start?
Arucola and Pumpkin Salad
Any Pizza (margherita, filetto, campione, etc.)
lamb dishes
pasta.
everything. i swear.

Ambiance:
brick oven pizza, with a little lanai (oh, wait, that's a hawaiian term, i can't use that), back room, big bar, decent chairs...

but the food is da bomb. pricey, but da bomb. true neapolitan style food.

Detractors:
it's pricey. and the wait staff is a little bit on the slow? side. but very friendly. the owner is friendly, the chef is friendly, and did i mention the food is da bomb?

Cafe' Mozart (Cafe, UWS)

NY Sidewalk Review
Menu Pages Review

Location:
154 W. 70th St.
southeast corner of Broadway and 70th St.

Cuisine:
Viennese Cafe'

Fave Dishes:
Tea
Coffee
some desserts

Ambiance:
It's cute, it's live jazz, it's homey and cozy, it's a decent atmosphere that's great for dessert and either a play date or a date date. The wait staff's pretty attentive, and they let you stay as long as you want.

Detractors:
Yeah. Maybe it's because I went out on a date with a guy there once, I'm a bit jaded about the whole thing. I guess the dessert's good (the last time I went it was a little dry), the tea's bagged, the service is a helluva lot better than Cafe' Lalo (DON'T GO THERE. I DON'T CARE IF IT WAS IN A MOVIE, THE WAIT STAFF SUX THERE), but ... eh. I'd rather go to.. Serendipity, or Magnolia, or many of the other places around town...But, if you're in the area, and you're hankering for some dessert, it'll fix your sweet tooth.

Cuisine: Korean

Seoul Garden

Cuisine: Indian

Indian Cafe
Panna II

Cuisine: "Western"

Tout va Bien (uhhh, not really)
NYT Harlem Restaurant Review
Uncle Vanya
Cafe' Mozart
Alan's Marketplace
A Salt and Battery
Nook
Yaffa Cafe'
La Nacional
Casimir
Les Enfants Terribles

Cuisine: Italian

Ana Maria Pizzaria
Sullivan Street Bakery
Quartino
Sezz Medi'
Patsy's
John's Pizzeria Eastside
Luzzo's
Veniero's
Otto Enoteca and Pizzeria

Cuisine: Japanese

Roppongi
Ave. A Sushi
Shaburi
Matsuri
Bar Masa
Kion Lounge

Cuisine: Americana

Cafeteria
Hamburgers (all over NYC)
Bubby's 10/15
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
NYT Harlem Restaurant Review
Trailer Park
Dallas BBQ
Crif Dogs
Pop Burger
Five Points
Jazz Standard
Rare
Cafe Ronda

Cuisine: Thai

Rice
Joya
Cafe Spice
Pam Real Thai Food

Cuisine: Chinese

Golden Unicorn
NYT Shanghai Restaurant Review
NYT Harlem Restaurant Review
Hong Kong: Diner
Hong Kong: Yat Tung Heen
Chino's
Ginger
Congee Village

Cuisine: Latin American

Cafe Con Leche
More Cubanismo
Mexico, NY
Florencia 13
NYT Harlem Restaurant Review
Boca Chica
Hell's Kitchen
Rice and Beans
Krik Krak
Kion Lounge
Paquito's
Cafe Ronda

New York City: Queens

El Potro

China

NYT Shanghai Restaurant Review
Hong Kong: Diner
Hong Kong: Yat Tung Heen

New York City: Brooklyn

Ana Maria Pizzaria
Joya

New York City: Lower Manhattan

Chelsea
Cafeteria
Trailer Park
Matsuri
La Nacional

Meatpacking District
Pop Burger

Greenwich/West Village
Lupe's East LA Kitchen
Mi Cocina
Mexicana Mama
Blue Ribbon Bakery
Florencia 13
A Salt and Battery
Rare
Otto Enoteca and Pizzeria

Tribeca
Bubby's

East Village/LES
Cafe Habana
Barrio Chino
Festival
Cafe Spice
Ave. A Sushi
Boca Chica
Panna II
Kion Lounge
Luzzo's
Moustache
Casimir
Veniero's
Paquito's
Tsampa

East Side/Flatiron?
Jazz Standard
Chino's

St. Marks Place
La Palapa
Crif Dogs
Yaffa Cafe'
Cafe Mogador

NoHo
Five Points

SoHo
Sullivan Street Bakery
Rice

Chinatown
Golden Unicorn
Pho Bang
Les Enfants Terribles
Congee Village

Financial District
Quartino

New York City: Midtown Manhattan

Hell's Kitchen
Tehuitzingo
Los Dos Rancheros
Tout va Bien
Uncle Vanya
Pam Real Thai Food
Bali Nusa Indah
Hell's Kitchen
Rice and Beans
Nook

Midtown
Burger Joint
Alan's Marketplace
Bar Masa

Murray Hill
Shaburi

KoreaTown
Seoul Garden

New York City: Upper Manhattan

Harlem
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
NYT Harlem Restaurant Review
Sezz Medi'
Krik Krak
Ginger

Upper West Side
Cafe Con Leche
Sarabeth's West
Roppongi
Dallas BBQ
Indian Cafe
Cafe' Mozart
Monsoon
Patsy's
Cafe Ronda

Upper East Side
JG Melon
John's Pizzeria Eastside

Boca Chica (Latin American, East Village)

NY Sidewalk Review
Menu Pages Review

Location:
13 1st Ave
northwest corner of 1st Ave and 1st St.

Cuisine:
Latin American

Fave Dishes:
Plaintain Chips and Dip (Appetizer, free)
Camarones Chipotle (Entree, $13.50)
Moqueca De Peixe (Entree, $16.50)
Chuletas Salsa Negra (Entree, $13.50)
Chocolate Cake (Dessert, $4.00)
Red Sangria (Beverage, $18.00)

Ambiance:
While YumYum did mention this restaurant earlier, it deserves its own review. Conveniently located next to the 2nd Ave. F Stop, this place keeps the people well-fed and happy. Service is decent, food is excellent, and the turnover time to wait for tables was ... ok. The restaurant has a fairly large bar, which is good for socializing, and the warm lighting makes for a mellow atmosphere. The food, still, is excellent. I had the pork (of course, I'm a meat-eater), and while the servings were huge (two chops on my plate plus the sides), it took all I had within me not to lick the plate clean.

Detractors:
None, really. Well, the waiter did forget my coffee. But no one orders coffee t 11 pm...do they?

Quartino (Italian, Financial District)

NY Sidewalk Review
Menu Pages Review

Location:
21 Peck Slip
southeast corner of Peck Slip and Water Street

Cuisine:
Italian organic

Fave Dishes:
Avocado e Parmigiano (Salad, $8.00)
Focaccia al Formaggio (Specialty, $12.00)
Taglierini del Quartino (Entree, $12.00)
Apple Cake (Dessert, $4.00)

Ambiance:
Situated in the middle of nowhere, this restaurant may be (as is the sister restaurant to another Quartino further north) one of the only organic Italian restaurants in the city. The food is fresh, and of high quality. The restaurant has a solid feel, with wood paneling, high ceilings, and more of a rustic Italian mood. Gorgeous view (well, if there wasn't a film crew and a parking lot across the street). Don't expect bells and whistles. This is the restaurant where you'd want to be a regular, because it makes you feel at home.

Detractors:
It's really fricking off the beaten path. Which isn't really a detractor, since it's cozy niceness. As the owners say, it's a nice place to go so they don't have to wash dishes at home.