Blogs : Manhattan Digest
Manhattan Digest Weekly highlights from the most interesting Chowhound posts on the Manhattan board, including restaurant and bar reviews, best-of lists, and hidden local spots for eating and drinking.
At Takesushi, Under-the-Radar Japanese
Takesushi, as one would surmise, is mostly about sushi. But what really grabbed E Eto’s attention was this kitchen’s sure hand with nimono, the subtle, deceptively hard-to-make Japanese simmered dishes. One with daikon radish and kabocha (pumpkin) was a recent case in point, he reports, delivering “the flavor that I’ve always wanted to approach when I cook.”
This little-discussed restaurant, occupying a Midtown space that once housed the excellent Ichimura and, most recently, the short-lived On, also specializes in kushi-age: Osaka-style skewered bites, dipped in egg and panko (breadcrumbs), then fried. “Takesushi does have a cook who’s quite the fry-master,” E Eto observes. comiendosiempre sampled pork, shrimp, and vegetable skewers, all crisp, tasty, and not at all oily.
As for the sushi, it’s quite good and sometimes surprising. Hikari-mono—shiny, silvery-skinned fish—were a strength at Ichimura; they still are at Takesushi. E Eto recommends aji (horse mackerel) and shime-saba (marinated mackerel), marked by wondrous texture and a very light dose of vinegar. And through a pipeline that bypasses Tokyo’s giant Tsukiji fish market, crossroads of Japanese seafood, Takesushi procures such relative rarities as seki-saba, a delicious variety of mackerel caught in the waters between Kyushu and Shikoku, served raw and unmarinated.
The sushi chefs are seasoned veterans, the clientele heavily Japanese. “This is not a sushi place to be revered on the levels of Yasuda or Kuruma,” E Eto writes, “but a good mid-level place flying under the radar.”
Takesushi [Midtown East]
1026 Second Avenue (between E. 54th and 55th streets), Manhattan
212-355-3557
Board Link: Takesushi, Midtown East
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Pho Intelligence from Chinatown
A bright spot on New York’s often-maligned Vietnamese scene is New Tu Do in Chinatown.
Its basic pho, number one on the menu (brisket, navel, flank, tripe, tendon, eye of round), outclasses nearby competitors Nam Son and Cong Ly, says SomeRandomIdiot. bigjeff enjoyed this too—“very very happy with the flavors, the portions,” he writes—but he’s especially high on hu tieu my tho, a soup that appears only on the special menu under the glass that covers the tables. It’s a Chiu Chow–style specialty of sweet, fragrant chicken broth with pork done several ways (sliced, ground, cracklings), quail eggs, a bit of seafood, and glass noodles.
Also recommended: suon nuong (grilled pork chop), crisp cha gio spring rolls, bun nem nuong (rice vermicelli with rich grilled pork meatballs), banh mi carry (curry chicken soup with bread), and a terrific appetizer of rice cake strips fried into a big omelet.
The main thing that’s new about New Tu Do is its address, across the Bowery from the old space where it was known as Pho Tu Do, but there’s a more inviting vibe as well. At the current location, SomeRandomIdiot marvels, “The utensils were clean!”
Two-year-old Xe Lua has also gotten some recent hound love. janethepain pronounces its pho “one of the best I’ve had in Chinatown, if not the best.” cimui singles out the broth: clean-tasting, with sharp flavors, way better than the one at nearby Nha Trang.
New Tu Do [Chinatown]
102 Bowery (between Hester and Grand streets), Manhattan
212-966-2666
Xe Lua [Chinatown]
86 Mulberry Street (between Canal and Bayard streets), Manhattan
212-577-8887
Board Links: Best Manhattan Pho
Xe Lua Vietnamese restaurant
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From Latin to Lunch at the Seaport
Onda might just be too good for its touristy neighborhood near South Street Seaport, financialdistrictresident suggests. This four-month-old pan-Latin place is one of her local haunts for a drink and a light bite. Good bets include ceviches, crab and arepa salad, Dominican-style roasted sweet plantains, and a delicious, springlike quinoa red curry with mushrooms, asparagus, and peas. Flatbreads make a nice nibble; if there is a topping of smoked duck and Manchego n offer, try it.
Across the street, Made Fresh Daily is another neighborhood bright spot, financialdistrictresident adds. She’s enjoyed the carrot-ginger soup, curried tuna salad on toast, and a spicy grilled cheese sandwich with caramelized chipotle onion. For dessert, there are house-baked fruit pies and cupcakes, and doughnuts from the Doughnut Plant.
Onda [South Street Seaport]
229 Front Street (near Peck Slip), Manhattan
212-513-0770
Made Fresh Daily [South Street Seaport]
226 Front Street (near Peck Slip), Manhattan
212-285-2253
Board Link: Seaport Newbies - Onda and Made Fresh Daily
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Paradise for Tiramisu Lovers
Paradiso in the East Village makes the best tiramisu in town, asserts a confident ttzur. It’s the house specialty at this cozy café, opened in January by the Venetian-born owner of the now-closed La Casalinga. Flavors include chocolate, amaretto, strawberry, banana-chocolate, and apple-raisin. ttzur, who suggests you start with the Classico, swears it’s “absolutely amazing.”
Paradiso [East Village]
105 Avenue B (near E. Seventh Street), Manhattan
212-777-0234
Board Link: Best Tiramisu in the City
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Austrian Feasts Without Wurst
Cafe Katja, known for wursts and meatballs, has something for the non-red-meat crowd, too. tljchw recommends the salads, including a delicious one with red cabbage, apple, lingonberry, and walnuts; others include endive and roasted beet. small h likes the marinated herring, served with potato-cucumber salad. And Bob Martinez says the soft pretzels with hot mustard are “not to be missed.”
For carnivores, smart orders include the cheese and cured meat plates and beef goulash with spätzle. Beyond what’s on the plate, hounds love the inviting vibe at this Austrian spot. “The entire place (from start to finish) has a warm, welcoming, wholesome feel about it,” tljchw writes.
Cafe Katja [Lower East Side]
79 Orchard Street (between Grand and Broome streets), Manhattan
212-219-9545
Board Link: Cafe Katja
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A Juice Break at Union Square
A fruit and juice cart rolled in last month just off Union Square, and bigjeff says it’s in the right place at the right time. Its fresh-cut fruit salads and fruit or vegetable smoothies are a refreshing break from the hot dogs and kebabs hawked by the dueling carts on the same block. Prices are “killer,” bigjeff reports, much lower than at your typical deli or the nearby Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. If you’re in the nabe, he says, this is “a great spot to get your fresh fruit and smoothie fix on.”
Fruit Salad & Juice Bar [Greenwich Village]
East side of Broadway between 13th and 14th streets, Manhattan
No phone available
Board Link: juice cart just south of union sq.
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Tagged with: manhattan, street food, juice cart, fruit, fruit salad, juice bar, restaurants and bars
