Wonjo Restaurant.

A trip to Korea Town was due upon my return to the United States, but we wanted to try a place that we hadn't tried before, so we looked at the menu at Wonjo and saw that the prices were reasonable, so we went in. We were pleasantly surprised by the polite service and decent food.

As with all Korean restaurants, complementary banchan (appetizers) were brought out after we ordered our food. From top to bottom, left to right, are bean sprouts, radish kimchi, pickled spinach, kimchi, squid, mushrooms, and crispy sardines. It was alright, but I found the assortment offered at other restaurants to be better.

Both Squishy and I got the bibimbap, mixed rice and vegetables. It comes in a sizzling hot stone bowl with plenty of different vegetables and a fried egg on top.

You first add Korean hot pepper paste and then you stir until everything is well mixed.

This is what you get! The bibimbap was actually pretty good here and they gave us a huge portion. There seemed to be more toppings offered here than at other places where I have been before. Both Squishy and I were very full after this meal.

H got the Spicy Soft Tofu Stew. He said it was alright, but didn't particularly like it. From the looks of it, this dish is probably trumped by that of other Korean places we have been to.

Dre got a Spicy Lamb Stew and noted that the dish was extremely spicy and to her liking. She couldn't finish it, but like the veggies and lamb, which was very tender. Paired with rice, it was good.

Overall, the food here was alright. I would recommend the rice dishes, but better stews could probably be found at other places. It is to my understanding, also, that the restaurant has also raised their prices since we went there, so the more expensive prices may dissuade us from returning there.

Price: <3<3<3

Taste: <3<3<3<

Atmosphere: <3<3<3<

Opinion: OK to try

Woorijip.

In the Spring of 2010, H and I went to Woorijip for a very quick and light appetizer to a meal that we planned to share with friends later on in the evening. We had to wait for them, but we were starving. So Hector knew of this place, which I had always wanted to try, and we went in to the packed buffet-style restaurant.

Woorijip has a wide range of selection of Korean favorites, from kimchi pancakes, pictured above, to gimbap, similar to sushi, and fried rice, rice cakes, fish, beef, soups, and korean desserts. The kimchi pancakes were excellent. Freshly made and still warm, it was crisp and moderately spicy, the cabbage crunching with cool freshness, while also having a nice crust from pan-frying. Cheap and yummy!

H got some sort of fried gimbap. Inside, there was bean thread noodles and shrimp. H ended up not liking it, though. It was very oily tasting from being deep fried.

Lastly, we tried a Korean steamed cake. It was presented wrapped in cellophane with a cute little sticker. When I picked it up, it was still warm.

From the time that I picked it up, however, until the time we ate it, the cake had already started to cool. Though still soft and sweet, with a nice almost chewy texture, the cake was starting to cool. I feel that it would have been better if we ate it when it was still warm, but it still gets props!

Overall, this place is a great place to pick up a quick bite to eat or even take things out for a reasonable price. It will definitely satiate your cravings for Korean food. It gets packed during lunch and dinner time, but with patience, you can find yourself some chairs and a table if you wish to eat the food there.

Price: <3<3<3<3

Taste: <3<3<3<3<

Atmosphere: <3<3<3<

Opinion: Recommended

Petite Abeille.

Unfortunately, our stay in the city was drawing to a close. Mic was leaving New York to head home to Hong Kong for the summer and from there, she would return to the United States to transfer to Indiana University. To celebrate this bittersweet moment, we had a going away dinner at one of our favorite little spots, Petite Abeille, which is situated right on the edge of the Gramercy neighborhood.

To start our meal off, we ordered two appetizers. Above is the Petite Abeille Crab Cake. It was a very light crab cake, the meat very tender and not chopped, with an excellent crispy crust. The saffron-aioli sauce was tangy, a French twist on tartar sauce, and it complemented the crab cake very well.

The other appetizer that we ordered was the Croquettes de Fromage. The gooey cheese in the middle wrapped in a lightly breaded crust was like a mozzarella stick for grown ups and sophisticated folks. It was simply luxurious.

Roomie, who was feeling dietary, ordered a Salade Mesclun, a salad of mixed seasonal greens, with balsamic vinegar dressing. This was nothing out of the ordinary.

Kitty wanted to try the Petite Salade de Betteraves et Fromage de Chevre, a roasted beets salad with goat cheese and watercress. She complained that it was small, but said that it tasted good.

H wanted to try the Petite Abeille, a cheeseburger with the restaurant's namesake. H was very unhappy about the size of the burger, but that's what you get at some of these higher end restaurants. He didn't complain about the taste, but was also unhappy about the price of the "tiny" burger.

Roomie also got Le Potage du Jour, the soup of the day, which was a chilled gespacho. He seemed indifferent to the soup, but he did say it was refreshing in the warming weather.

Squishy and I shared the Grand-Mère Moules, the steamed pei mussels in a cream beer sauce with essence of bacon. It came in a small pot and we ate out of the pot. The mussels were delicious and tender. The sauce was not as salty as I had expected it to be and it did not overpower the taste of the mussels. It was a well-balanced dish and wins great approval for me for presentation. I must go back there to try their other flavors.

The mussels come with a side of pommes frites, Belgian fries. These were probably some of the best french fries that I have ever eaten in my life. Period. They were so crisp, but were not dry on the inside. They were perfectly sized and had just the right amount of salt. I would go back to this restaurant just to have the fries! That's how good they were.

Dessert soon rolled by after a great meal and we indulged. I got the Crême Brulée. Though good, I actually think that the crême brulée from the Dessert Truck was better. This one was not creamy enough. Even though the taste was good, the texture was off this time.

Squishy got the Fondue de Fraises et Marshmellow au Chocolat, a chocolate fondue with marshmallows and strawberries. This was a fun dessert and it was well presented. The chocolate was warm and rich.

Last, but not least, was the Belgian waffle with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Mic was in heaven while she was eating this. It was warm and fluffy and the chocolate was decadent.

Overall, the experience in this restaurant is great. The staff is very friendly and the service is excellent. The entries were generally delicious, though I would not stay at the place for dessert. I really liked the ambience in this restaurant. It has really great atmosphere and a great soundtrack playing.

Price: <3<3<

Taste: <3<3<3<3<

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

Opinion: Highly Recommended

Balthazar.

As our semester living in Manhattan came closer to the end, we all wished to really make one of our food outings really special. Shortly after deciding this, we decided to go to Balthazar in Soho to sample some exquisite French food.

This exclusive restaurant is situated slightly off of Broadway and Lafayette St., but it is quite close to the hustle and bustle of the nearby shops. You can't miss the bright windows which provide you with a view of the warm room within.

We decided to start off with some appetizers. Above is the Chicken Liver and Foie Gras Mousse with red onion confit and grilled country bread. This was the first time that I have ever tried foie gras of any kind and was pleasantly surprised. It had a salty flavor, and you can definitely taste a meat flavor. When spread on the crisp toast, it was a nice match, the cold spread contrasting with the warm and toasty bread.

The other appetizer that we ordered was the Escargots in garlic butter. The snails were so tender and the flavor of the garlic was wonderful. I mean, what's not to like? The critters were sitting in butter and garlic. A great way to start the meal.

Mic's friend Al got the monkfish, which was wrapped in strips of bacon. Though small, Al said that the fish was tender and the bacon flavor permeated through the fish, though, not overpowering it. He approved of the dish.

M got the Steak au Poivre with spinach and pommes frites. The steak was very tender and the sauce complemented the flavor of the meat very well, according to M.

W got the grilled brook trout. The fish, with the crisp skin, was extremely moist and the warm potatoes beneath were tender and delicious.

Mic got the Roasted Cod with gigante beans, onions, tomato, and basil. Mic had meant to order something else, but picked the wrong thing on the menu. Likewise, though the fish tasted good, she felt that it was a little dry and needed a sauce of some kind.

Squishy and I both got the Steak Frites with béarnaise sauce. The steak was alright, but I felt that it was a little too charred, with the burnt parts taking away from the steak. Overall, it was tender, but the char was disappointing. The fries were crispy and yummy and the tart béarnaise sauce was a great accompaniment to the steak.

H got the Duck Confit with crispy potatoes, wild mushrooms, and frisée salad. H never had eaten duck before this moment and he praised the dish, stating that the crisp skin of the duck encased the moist flesh below. He enjoyed this dish very much.

Overall, this was our foray into fine French cuisine. It would be a rare occasion for us, so we savored the moment. The service in this restaurant was excellent and food was superb, for the most part. It is definitely a place to check out because you might even spot celebrities if you're lucky.

Price: <3

Taste: <3<3<3<3

Atmosphere: <3<3<3<3

Opinion: Recommended

Dessert @ Big Daddy's.

Following our hummus excursion, we still craved dessert. We wanted something simple, because we weren't that hungry. Diner dessert was thus conveniently located down the block at Big Daddy's.

I got the "She's My Cherry Pie," a la mode. The pie was tasty, but you could definitely tell that it was simple reheated. The crumbs on top were disappointingly soggy, but it still tasted great. The tartness of the cherries contrasted very well with the sweetness of the whipped cream and vanilla ice cream. The portion, here, was also perfect. As seen in some of my previous posts on Big Daddy's, there could be potential for huge portions at this popular New York City eatery.

Mic and Roomie wanted to experiment this time around. They contemplated intensely about what they could do. Waffles and ice cream came to mind. So they ordered a Belgian waffle, which is picture above. The waffle was fresh and fluffy, and Roomie proceeded to slather butter all over the face of the waffle.

The waffle would soon be combined with the "Big Daddy," a sundae of three scoops of ice cream, with marshmallow fluff, hot fudge, Oreo cookies, and whipped cream. They chose to have coffee ice cream. When combined with the warm and buttery waffle, it was sinful bliss. The contrast of warm and cold is always exciting and rewarding for our taste buds.

So we were finally able to sample the dessert at Big Daddy's. Usually, after a huge burger and tots, one could not fathom ordering dessert at Big Daddy's. Luckily, however, we were able to give it a try. As always, we were greatly satisfied.

Price: <3<3<

Taste: <3<3<3<3

Atmosphere: <3<3<3<3

Opinion: Now, Recommended for Dessert

Big Daddy's

in Upper East Side

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

(212) 717-2020

Hummus Kitchen.

On a surprisingly warm evening in early March, Mic, Volatile, Roomie, and I had a free evening to grab dinner, so we ventured out to further explore our new temporary home of the Upper East Side. We wanted to eat a place that had outdoor seating, so we looked at the various menus outside the restaurants along 2nd Ave. After very contented debate, we all agreed to go to Hummus Kitchen. After all, all four of us are pretty much well-versed in the tasting of hummus and this restaurant also opened up two weeks earlier. It was in need of a taste test!

We first started off with appetizers. This here is the Bureka, a puff pastry stuffed with feta cheese, eggplant, and dry tomato. It was very flaky and fresh with a very moist filling. It was buttery and crunchy. What's not to like, right?

Volatile loves feta cheese and is a vegetarian, so she had to order the Shredded Feta Cheese & Beets. The size of the dish was very disappointing because we all wanted a little bit, but overall, it was fresh and tasty.

Roomie, our resident health nut, got the Super Healthy Salad, a salad of quinoa, apricot, walnuts, and yogurt served on butternut squash. He said that it was really good and consumed it quite quickly.

Lastly, Mic wanted to try the falafels, so she ordered them. These were really good. They were really crisp and fresh and delicious.

For dinner entree, I ordered the Mushroom Hummus, fresh hummus with sauteed mushrooms finished off with olive oil drizzled over the plate. The hummus was warm and fresh, not too salty and combined very well with the spices from the mushrooms. It was nice to eat this, being that it was pretty cool outside.

You can't have hummus without warm pita bread to dip into the hummus. This regular bread was warm and refreshing, but I do believe that they charged us for extra bread. They do get points, however, for it coming to the table fast!

Overall, this was a very simple and healthy dinner. The food was fresh and the service was fast. The outdoor seating was beautiful on the wide street of 2nd Ave. I would say that the best place to have an outdoor restaurant experience would be in this area of the Upper East Side. Unfortunately, with the current construction of the 2nd Ave. Subway line, outdoor seating is no longer present along this stretch of 2nd Ave. In the future, hopefully we could all enjoy outdoor seating in this neighborhood again. For now, we'll just have to enjoy the food on the inside.

Price: <3<3<3

Taste: <3<3<3<3

Atmosphere: <3<3<3<3

Opinion: Recommended

Hummus Kitchen

in Upper East Side

1613 2nd Ave. (between 83rd & 84th Streets)

(212) 988-0090

Cafe Español.

Thanks to fellow foodies Roomie and AM, we were able to begin to sample some more expensive fare with the use of discount coupons! After dreaming about really good paella, we ventured on down to Cafe Español to sample there well-known paella.

We started off with fresh green olives. They were soaking in fresh olive oil and were very tasty. The flavor was smooth and slightly sour and salty, just how a good olive should be.

A very simple bread basket full of soft bread great with a smidgen of butter.

Our paellas came with a complementary salad of fresh greens. It was very cool and refreshing. It was also a huge portion!

These are Champinones Rellenos, or stuffed mushrooms. It was presented to us in a cast-iron platter and it was sizzling hot. The mushrooms were fresh and the stuffing was not too salty, very good for a dish that too often salted too heavily.

Next we got sauteed octopus. It was very good. The meat was not chewy, as I had expected it to be, but was rather firm and tender. It was nicely accented with garlic.

This is the Paella Marinara, paella with mussels, shrimp, scallops, and clams. H and Mic split this dish and said that it was good, though salty.

Here is the Paella Valenciana, paella with scallops, mussels, shrimp, clams, sausage, and salmon. The rice was very moist and had sweet peas spread throughout. The seafood was fresh, though I am not a big fan of gritty shellfish, sometimes. The salmon, however, was quite dry and I did not finish it. I was hoping that the salmon would be as moist as the accompanying rice. The whole dish, in general, was extremely salty for my taste and was, in the end, very disappointing.

After suffering through over-salted entrees, we hoped that the dessert would save the meal. Thankfully, the dessert was actually quite good. Here is the flan, which came with dollops of fresh whipped cream. The flan was very smooth and creamy and the caramel sauce was perfect.

Here are churros, dusted with powdered sugar, with a chocolate fondue. The churros were crispy and, when dipped in rich chocolate, they were so good. A great combination of chewy, crunchy, and soft textures and sweet and salty tastes.

Last, but not least, was the Tres Leches, a cake that is soaked in three different kinds of milk. I thought that this was quite good, but H said that he has had better tres leches before.

Overall, I was quite disappointed by this meal. I was expecting the paella to be better than it turned out to be. The dessert save the meal, slightly, but I do not know if I'd return to this place. Their menu, however, is vast, with many other options besides paella. If another coupon were to arise, I will perhaps return to Cafe Español.

Price: <3<3<

Taste: <3<3<3

Atmosphere: <3<3<3<3

Opinion: OK to try