Max Brenner.

To bring a sweet end to their stay in the Great Big City, Roomie and I took MY and S to Max Brenner for dessert after a nice steak dinner.  It was an excellent complement to a great meal.  It also was a meal and restaurant that captured the essence of the city: luxurious, trendy, sweet, and sexy.

Above is the cappuccino that I ordered.  It came in a very aesthetically pleasing coffee cup and saucer that encouraged me to be playful and embrace the child inside of me when it was appropriate.  The cappuccino came with two pieces of chocolate, which I proceeded to stir into my coffee, giving it a very pleasant hint of chocolate.  It was very creamy, warm, and comforting.

MY felt like getting a glass of milk.  It came in this very interesting glass with a metal straw.  Kudos for Max Brenner's use of the Helvetica font on the cup!  As a graphic design student, I feel that Helvetica is a font that characterizes New York's modern (and perfect) atmosphere.

The first of two desserts we ordered was the Sharing (Tasting for Two).  Clockwise from the lower left: very light and airy whipped cream with a touch of very tart raspberry sauce, chocolate fondue sauce in an Erlenmeyer flask, chocolate & peanut butter snack, pop rock candy chocolate lick, chocolate-covered ice cream, and a banana split waffle.  The whipped cream, as stated earlier, was extremely light and refreshing, with the raspberry sauce adding a special zing to the light sweetness of the cream.  You can try drinking the chocolate fondue, which was warm and rich.  The chocolate & peanut butter snack had interesting texture, but the peanut butter didn't seem present.  The chefs, perhaps, were trying not to overpower the chocolate, since this is a chocolate-themed restaurant.  The pop rocks combined with the chocolate was exciting, like exploring unchartered territory.  Ice cream was normal.  The banana split waffle was ok, but I felt it was just to dense for the dessert.

First dessert, part two: Chocolate fondue.  Came with a pot with melted chocolate fondue for dipping, marshmallows, strawberries, and bananas for dipping, and a small personal grill to toast the marshmallows.  I absolutely love fruit dipped in chocolate, and the fresh toasted marshmallows were soft and creamy.  It was also fun when some of the marshmallows started to flame at certain points.

The second dessert we ordered was The Ivory Heart, a chocolate cake with layers of warm white chocolate and chocolate cream on the inside.  It comes with the plain ice cream, an Erlenmeyer flaskful of chocolate fondue sauce, and fresh strawberries and blueberries.  The cake was very warm and extremely chocolatey, but it was extremely good.  It was extremely moist and not overly sweet, but had a very strong chocolate taste.  The fresh fruit helped to balance the sweetness by adding a tart flavor to the plate.

Overall, the dessert was very satisfying and it was a fun experience.  It is definitely the place to go if you are a chocolate lover.

Price: <3<3<3

Taste: <3<3<3<3<3

Atmosphere: <3<3<3<3<3

Opinion: Highly Recommended

Les Halles.

For our last dinner with MY and S on their visit, Roomie and I took them to the pleasant little French restaurant Les Halles.  It was an ideal restaurant for us to dine at because MY was craving steak and Les Halles' motto is "American Beef, French Style."

Our complementary bread basket.  It had a wheat type of baguette and a regular French baguette.  The regular baguette was very fresh, light, and fine just by itself.  I tasted it both with and without butter and noticed that the butter is not necessary.  Without the butter, you can taste how fresh the bread is.  I did not taste the wheat bread, but MY said that the bread was a little dense and dry.  The baguette definitely was sexier here.

I got the Onglet à l'Échalote, hanger (or skirt) steak with a shallot dipping sauce, ordered medium.  My meal, along with everyone else's, came with pommes frites, or french fries, and a wild greens salad with a very light vinaigrette.  The hanger steak was very tender and perfectly cooked, each bite of the steak melting in my mouth.  The dipping sauce had an interesting sour taste that complemented the cut of the meat.  The fries were nice and crispy, perfect with a dash of salt.  There was no need for any ketchup.  The vinaigrette didn't overpower the veggies and was very refreshing.  Overall, it was just the right portion and was very well executed.

MY got the Steak au poivre, Frites, or steak coated with cracked black peppercorn, cooked medium.  Despite being disappointed by the meager size of the cut of meat, he seemed to have enjoyed it.  I had a taste of it and though I agree that it was cooked well, I also feel that the black peppercorn overpowers the meat, masking the taste of the quality beef.

Roomie got the Poulet Rôti, Frites, or oven roasted Amish chicken.  Roomie was quiet about this one, but judging from the continued speed of his scarfing, I can only assume that it was good.

S got the Faux-filet Bercy, New York sirloin with red wine butter, ordered medium-well.  Unfortunately, it was a little dry and should have been ordered at simply medium instead of medium-well.  However, she said the butter was a nice match to the steak.

Overall, the restaurant presented some nice steaks.  Despite feeling that the portions were just perfect, I don't think I would mind if they were a tiny bit larger, but I think that I also shouldn't be too greedy.  The ambiance was pleasant and trendy and the staff was friendly.

Price: <3<3<

Taste: <3<3<3<3<3

Atmosphere: <3<3<3<3<

Opinion: Highly Recommended

Golden Bridge Restaurant.

In the continuing course of MY and S' vacation in the city, Mic and I took them out for yum cha.  Since our usual yum cha joint had about an hour wait, we all decided to go to Golden Bridge Restaurant since Mic said that their yum cha was decent.  I was pleasantly surprised.

Here's the first spread.  Clockwise from left: Chive Dumplings, pai gwat (Steamed Pork Ribs), siu long bao, and siu mai.  All were alright.  The pork ribs were tender.  The siu long bao were not true ones because there was no soup on the inside.

Here's the second spread.  Clockwise from left: ja lurng, cheong fun, and lo bok goh.  The ja lurng, Chinese donut inside a cheong, or rice noodle, topped with soy sauce and sesame seeds and with some hot sauce on the side, was very good.  The donut was perfectly crispy and crunched very nicely, while being wrapped in the texturally gelatinous noodle.  The churng fun, or pan-fried rice noodle with oyster sauce and sesame seeds, was alright, but nothing special.  The lo bok goh, or white turnip cake, was alright, but I felt that it was too floury and did not have enough turnip in the cake.  Plusses for the cheong fun and lo bok goh being freshly pan-fried in front of our eyes.

The final spread.  From left to right, chun gurn, ham see gok (mince meat pies in a chewy rice cake), and wu gok (taro fritters with mince meat inside).  The chun gurn and wu gok was pretty standard.  The ham see gok was a little cold and this was upsetting.

Overall, the yum cha was pretty good for the prices.  It was mostly fresh and there was a good variety of choices.

Price: <3<3<3<3

Taste: <3<3<3<3

Atmosphere: <3<3<3<

Opinion: Highly Recommended for yum cha

BCD Tofu House.

On the day of MY and S' arrival, Mic and I took them to BCD Tofu House for Dinner.  Here are a few pictures of what we consumed.

Here is a picture of the banchan that we received with our meal.  Banchan are like appetizers in Korea.  From left to right: fish cakes with a few small red chilis, regular pickles, some kind of spicy pickled octopus or fish, kimchi, pickled broccoli, and potato salad.  Overall, the banchan was tasty.  I especially liked the pickled broccoli and kimchi.  S, who is from Korea, said that the kimchi at BCD Tofu is one of the best kimchi that she has ever had, so the kimchi must be really good there.

With all of the Soondubu that we ordered, we were given a small fried fish and a cool and refreshing vinegary soup with some pieces of napa cabbage and cucumber.  The fish was nice and tender with a nice crisp outside.  The only thing that I can complain about is that the fish was so boney, but that's what you always get when you eat a fish like that.

MY got the Dolsot Bibimbap, which is one of his favorite dishes.  He enjoyed it and commented that he likes how the hot stone bowl crisps up the rice on the bottom.

S, Mic, and I got different variations of the Soondubum, or tofu stew.  I got the beef soondubu, pictured above.  It comes with a bowl of rice, which was cooked in a stone bowl, and a bowl of fan diu, the crispy rice from the bottom of the pot mixed with some water.  The soondubu was very delicious and came out piping hot, bubbling in its stone pot.  It was a very enjoyable and warming meal, great on that cold evening.

Overall, it was a good meal.  Everything was fresh and delicious, and the atmosphere of the restaurant was comfortable and trendy.

Price: <3<3<

Taste: <3<3<3<3<

Atmosphere: <3<3<3<3

Opinion: Recommended

BCD Tofu House

in Murray Hill

17 W 32nd St.

(212) 967-1900

Big Daddy's Diner.

Last weekend, Roomie's Bro, MY, and his GF, S, came to visit New York City and stayed with us.  As a result, this will be a start in a series of smexy food porn posts.

Since Roomie was away for his cheerleading competition , I had the pleasure of taking the Duo around the city for two days and show them some great spots and eats.

The Duo was hungry after their flight from Madison, WI, so I decided to take them to Big Daddy's Diner for some huge burgers.  It was also a return to Big Daddy's for me, so I was extremely happy.

I got the Bad Boy Burger with tater tots, cooked medium.  It comes with lettuce, tomato, bacon, and cheddar cheese, a pickle, and cole slaw.  The burger was cooked perfectly and the tots were nice crunchy.

MY got the Big Mac Daddy with tater tots.  It comes with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and special sauce, a pickle, and cole slaw.  It seems like scarfing down food runs in Roomie's family because MY cleaned his plate pretty quickly.  That also means that he enjoyed his food.

S got All American Burger 102 with tater tots.  It comes with lettuce, tomato, and cheese, a pickle, and cole slaw.  She enjoyed her burger, but was so full that she gave half of it to MY, to his great chagrin.

Here's the money shot of all of our plates.  Burgery and tottery sexiness.

Overall, great place for burgers if you're craving one!

Price: <3<3<

Taste: <3<3<3<

Atmosphere: <3<3<3<3

Opinion: Recommended

Big Daddy's

in Upper East Side

1596 2nd Ave. (at 83rd St.)

(212) 717-2020

Sugar Café; Moonstruck Diner.

On the late evening of Thursday, March 12th, 2009, a group of my friends and I ventured down to the grimy streets of the Lower East Side, that have places where you can find a cheap piece of food to get your groove on with and satisfy your wildest desires and tastes. We wandered these streets, shot for dessert first at Sugar Cafe, and had a happy ending at Moonstruck Diner.

At Sugar Cafe, the four of us split two different desserts. Mic and I got two different flavors of gelato, pictured on the left. We got Ferrero Rocher and something that tasted like vanilla chip. Both were nice a creamy for gelato, but in the end, were nothing special. Roomie and Squishy got the Red Velvet Cake with a scoop of Chocolate Gelato. The cake tasted normal, and gelato was similar to ours.

The sexy chocolate-dipped macaroon caught Roomie's eyes and he couldn't resist a taste, so he bought one.

Here's the mid-eating money shot. The coconut taste was nice, but the macaroon itself was a little dense and dry. It was alright.

From our post-dessert porn lust, we scampered on up to find Moonstruck Diner on 2nd Ave. around 1 A.M. (now Friday, March 13th in the morning) in the East Village and had ourselves some good old reliable diner grub. Above are the fixings for Roomie's burger. They were your standard dill pickle and cole slaw. The slaw was actually nice. It wasn't too heavy on the mayo and was light and refreshing.

I think Roomie got a turkey burger. I am not entirely sure, but do know it is some kind of burger. It came with some nice onion rings, fresh greenery, and crisp french fries. It seemed like he enjoyed it, judging from the speed at which he scarfed it down.

I was craving hash, so I got the corned beef hash with sunny side eggs and home fries. The hash was salty, but that was expected. The home fries were actually pretty good. They were neither greasy nor salty and they gave me a huge portion of it. They also added some fresh green bell peppers which gave it some great flavor.

Squishy got scrambled eggs with sausage and home fries. She said that it was good and that she would get it again. I must admit, though, that those sausages looked very dark and strange, and I was skeptical that it would taste good, but after she took a bite and we saw the inside, we realized that it was just an outside char.

Mic got got the corned beef hash with scrambled eggs and home fries. She was equally as satisfied with her hash as I was with mine.

Overall, it was a great night out. The desserts were fine and the diner hit the right spot. The diner was also very cozy and clean. I just love it when diners do that at 1 A.M. in the morning.

Sugar Cafe

Price: <3<3<3<

Taste: <3<3<3<

Atmosphere: <3<3<3<

Opinion: OK to try

Moonstruck on Second

Price: <3<3<3<3

Taste: <3<3<3<3<

Atmosphere: <3<3<3<3<3

Opinion: Highly Recommended

Moonstruck on Second

in East Village

88 2nd Ave. (b/t 1st Ave. and 5th St.)

(212) 420-8050

Ichi Umi, a.k.a. Todai Sushi Buffet.

On Tuesday February 24th, 2009, also know as Fat Tuesday, we ventured to Ichi Umi Sushi Buffet to engorge ourselves with highly priced, but also high quality sushi and food.  Some of you may remember this restaurant by its former name of Todai Sushi Buffet.  With the new name, however, it still looks exactly the same, has the same staff, and the same great food.

Here is my 1st Plate.  There is too much piled on my plate to identify certain things.  All you can do is admire and drool at the beauty.  The sushi is always good and they don't skimp on the fish and give you small amounts of rice.  Not cheap like other sushi buffets, so you basically get your money's worth.  The tempura is always crispy, abundant, and fresh.

Volatile likes to eat dessert first, so here is a plate of the various mini cakes that Ichi Umi offers.  All very good.

2nd Plate for me.  Less ambitious, considering that my first plate had two layers that I scarfed down.  I began to feel full very fast, but I surged on.  There are some spicy maki on my plate.  I particularly like the spicy maki here because they are always really spicy.

Volatile's veggie sushi.  Fruit sushi was interesting and something that I had never seen before.  Volatile said that she liked it very much, particularly, the pineapple one.

Fresh fruit for Volatile.  Nothing crazy here, but a sexy arrangement.  Kudos to Volatile!

Miso Soup.  It was pretty good, although the kelp that was used was a little more brown than I am used to, but it tasted fine.  I liked the fact that there were real pieces of tofu and you could add your own fresh scallions.

My dessert plate.  My favorites were the red strawberry and purple blueberry cakes.  The other desserts were OK.  I was just a little ticked off that there wasn't any green tea or red bean ice creams.

That is all of the pictures that I have.  Roomie came along, but he kept banging one plate after the other and I couldn't keep up with him and get pictures of his plates.  I'll just say that he left feeling very guilty, but satisfied by how much he put away.

Overall, very good variety of sushi here, even for lunch.  Dinner, though priced even higher, has an even greater variety of sushi.  Hot entrees are also very delicious.  The tempura is particularly light and fresh.  Great variety of fresh fruit and delectable desserts.

Price: <3<3<

Taste: <3<3<3<3<3

Atmosphere: <3<3<3<3

Opinion: Highly Recommended