Cafe Mogador (Morrocan, St. Marks)

NY Sidewalk Review
Menupages Review

Location:
101 St. Marks Place
north side of street, between 1st and A

Cuisine:
Morrocan

The lyrics, "Heaven, I'm in Heaven!..." totally run through my head when I think of their molten chocolate cake. Served with raspberry sauce that's not too sweet, not too tart, and a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream, the cake not only melts (when you crack open the crust) on the plate, but melts in your mouth. This cake rivals, or equals in goodness, the other cake that I love. The coffee is fantastic too. In fact, their other desserts (banana bread pudding, apple tart, and almond pear cake) are out of this world.

But I should start with their entrees. Or let me start with the decor. This is a charming, decent-sized restaurant with outdoor seating. The bar is decent, and the ambiance leaves nothing to be desired. Well, the chairs are woven, and that kinda sucks when you're wearing a really short skirt so you get that "waffle" look on the back of your legs.

Back to the entrees. They have classic dishes on the menu that won't disappoint. Their cous cous is their house specialty, served with fall-off-the-bone meat, the grilled dishes are just the right amount of spice (although the basmati rice is a bit on the hard side), and the more traditional bastilla and tagine dishes (the former is a phyllo-wrapped chicken/raisin/almond/yogurt dish, the latter is a stew served with a variety of sauces) shine.

They also serve various aperitifs that are off the beaten path, such as pistachio martinis and blueberry mojitos. Apparently the mojito was good.

Detractors to this place: service is damn slow. I think that they try to compensate by having a cute host flirt with you, but still, it's slow as molasses. BUT, they are extremely nice and accomodating there!

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Moustache

Morrocan
Cafe Mogador

Ginger (Chinese, Harlem/Upper East Side)

NY Sidewalk Review
Menupages Review

Location:
1400 5th Avenue at 116th Street

Cuisine:
Chinese

Let's start with a look at what TONY has to say about Ginger, which won their 2006 Eat Out Reader's Choice Award for Best New Upper East Sider (God...that's a long award name):

Big-name developers aren’t the only people breaking new ground in East Harlem. What’s novel about this recently opened organic Chinese restaurant—aside from the fact that it’s on East 116th Street—is what executive chef James Marshall (Vong, China Grill) won’t do to the food: There will be no deep-frying, no excessive usage of oil or salt. Instead, fresh vegetables and lean meats are doused in citrusy sauces; the menu lists a pineapple-and-mango-glazed pork chop as well as an apricot-glazed chicken. The decor mixes traditional with modern. Is it authentic Chinese cooking? You don’t care when the food is this good—and healthy. —

Unfortunately, we must agree to disagree. My co-diner and I did care. I have a feeling that TONY didn't have the chance to send an actual reviewer, judging from the fact that they only mention the menu selections, which certainly do look tasty on paper, as opposed to actually mentioning or recommending anything specific.

Upon being seated we were informed that it was, indeed, "authentic Chinese cuisine." If by that they mean "shockingly bland but good for you by virtue of its blandness because the fact that it's bland means that there's no bad stuff in it because everyone knows that anything bad for you tastes freakin' awesome", they're certainly not lying. I don't really know what else to say about the restaurant; bland pretty much sums it up. The atmosphere and decor are decent and it isn't difficult to get a table, but if the food stays the same I'd be very surprised if it ever is.

Pho Bang (Vietnamese, Chinatown)

NY Sidewalk Review
Menu Pages Review

Location:
157 Mott Street
west side of street, between Grand and Broome

Cuisine:
Vietnamese

My first post-college roommate is Vietnamese. I love her to death, and I will always love her for introducing me to Vietnamese food. In particular, there's a cult following for the Vietnamese noodle/soup dish called pho. There are many pho places in Northern Virginia, and they pretty much ONLY serve pho. These are the places to go (particularly Pho 75, and I think HAGMAN should blog about this!), if you want pho. For the number of years that I've been in this city, I've never found a decent pho place. NEVER trust a Vietnamese restaurant that serves pho on the side.

The traditional pho is served in a beef broth, with rice vermicelli. Meat toppings can include such delicacies as tendon, ribeye, navel (intestine), flank steak, (some people, like my former roommate, get chicken), seafood, etc.. I tend to go for only the beef-related toppings. 'Cuz they're good. But it's the broth that's the most important. Only true pho places can get the broth just so.

You dress your noodle soup with the following: a squeeze of lime, fresh basil, raw soybean sprouts, fish sauce, hot sauce (sambal olek, of course), and chilies if you want. Pho is the perfect blend of fresh and hearty. A cleansing broth worthy of complete attention. You won't be scared, or disappointed, if you're a foodie.

A friend took me to this restaurant, he is a gweilo, so I was a little skeptical of a non-Asian taking me to an Asian restaurant. For pho, of all things. However, another friend had recommended this place, and so I decided to try it.

I wasn't disappointed. The cha gio was a little not good (plus they hadn't completely washed the lettuce, so it was more gritty than savory for me), apparently the ban was good, and the pho, the best I've had in the city. The coffee was the best Vietnamese coffee I've had in this city.

So, if you're in the mood for some down home (hopefully formaldehyde-free) pho, check it out! Then you can get a massage down the street, at my favorite Chinese massage place. I'm not gonna tell you where it is, because I rec'd it to my friends, and they did the same, and now the place is so crowded sometimes you have to make a reservation in order to get in. I should get a referral commission.

Yaffa Cafe' (Fusion, East Village)

NY Sidewalk Review
Menu Pages Review

Location:
97 St. Mark's Place
northeast corner of St. Mark's Place and 1st Ave.

Cuisine:
Fusion

It's a 24 hour fusion cuisine restaurant. They have a garden out back, and front patio seating. The decor is kinda kitschy (chinese lantern), and the food is more on the middle eastern side. But not. 'Cuz I had some green tea and five spice chicken breast, which was absofrickinglutely fantastic. Co-eaters weren't as pleased with the other specials, namely the tuna steaks.

Standard fare, delish food, vegetarian friendly, so-so coffee. I'd probably go there again. If i weren't having a hankering for a Crif dog. Or Mexican. Or some stuffed cabbage.