Tag: east village

Categories
restauranting sandwich

Fuku Spicy Chicken Sandwich

I finally got to try David Chang’s Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich at Fuku in the East Village.

The line and wait wasn’t that bad around 7pm on a Friday. The line initially looks bad leading out the door, but it’s actually short. The person taking the order is only a few feet from the door. And they are quick. The menu is small (Spicy Chicken Sandwich $8, fries $3, a daily salad, a daily Milk Bar dessert and drinks –one beer choice, Tecate $5). Also they only take credit cards, so it’s quick. Also no gratuity option when you sign.

I got my Chicken Sandwich with pickled daikon ($1 extra). I thought that made it taste better, but possibly made half of my sandwich soggy. Half of it was great, but that soggy half wasn’t so much. The seasoning on the chicken is good.

I didn’t think the Ssam sauce they have in bottles on the counters helped the sandwich. I don’t think it was the right flavor for it. We saw a couple next to us that couldn’t wait to try their sandwich, but they doused it all over with ketchup and the Ssam sauce. They should have tasted it plain first, but I couldn’t say anything in time. They gave a face that didn’t look like they really enjoyed it, but were trying to be polite while inside the restaurant.

It’s a good chicken sandwich. A good deal at $8 for it’s size, particularly for NY prices and coming from such a popular chef. A lot of chicken. They use dark meat, rather than the breast.

I would say it’s more in the vein of Chick-fil-A –Seasoned Fried Chicken with pickles on a bun. Simple assembly. But I’m more of a lettuce and mayo type of chicken sandwich guy though. I’d eat this Fuku Chicken Sandwich again though.

Fuku – 163 1st Ave (between East 11th St & 10th St) New York, NY 10003 East Village

Fuku Chicken Sandwich - NYC

Categories
burger

The Brazen Fox’s Bone Marrow Burger

I came here really to just watch football, but ended up ordering the Bone Marrow Burger. It is freakin good. Buttery, rich. Probably ranks up there among some of the best burgers I’ve eaten, like at Fritzl’s. It does get a little messy because of the greasy goodness getting all over your hands, but it’s worth it.

Also look at this photo I took that Google decided to Googlefy for me. I never asked. Looks pretty cool. I assume they have some sort of algorithm that figures out if the composition is good and how to make it more creative/artistic. It’s interesting. I hope some day Google will just do everything for me. Who knows if I even took this photo. Maybe Google did it.

01 Brazen Fox - NYC

The Brazen Fox Kitchen & Craft – 106 3rd Ave (btwn 13th St & 14th)New York, NY 10003

Categories
asian

Oh! Taisho’s Deep Fried Baby Horse Mackerels

I went to see Andrew WK’s book reading/interview at the Strand for the new 33 1/3 book about his hit album, I Get Wet. Half way through, I realized I knew the author! …back from college and some early years of NYC. I felt so stupid that I didn’t recognize him. Well, glad to see he’s doing well.

03 Andrew WK - I Get Wet Book - Phillip Crandall

Then afterward, I went to Oh! Taisho. I got a few skewered things, like liver, scallions, garlic and quail eggs. Then I decided I needed one more thing on the menu. I got the Deep Fried Baby Horse Mackerel with Curry Seasoning. They were great. You can eat the heads and the skeletons —all of it!

01 Deep Fried Baby Horse Mackerel - Oh Taisho

Oh! Taisho – 9 St. Marks Pl (btw Cooper Sq & Astor Pl in East Village) New York, NY 10003

Categories
asian

Sushi Lounge – 50% off Sushi

Todd and I are like, “should we party?” It’s raining so hard outside. We did it because Andrew WK tells us to do it. We went to my friend Lisa’s comedy show at Niagra. All wet. I had a few drinks there.

Then Todd disappeared. I found him across the street at Sushi Lounge, where it’s 50% off sushi all the time. And it was late Happy Hour (50% off draft beers and cocktails after 10pm). Sounds like a great deal. But the sushi prices are jacked up, so 50% off is like regular price.

Todd got the Sushi Mania, which sounds awesome at $23.50. Quite disappointing though. Sushi was falling apart and it looked less mania than it sounded.

I got the Katsu Curry. It was alright. But dang, I forgot I’m cutting  back on the carbs. So I didn’t eat the rice, which was half of the plate.

We were still hungry, so we got a Sushi Deluxe.

I guess the late happy hour is a good deal, but we left pretty disappointed. Then we had to walk home in the heavy rain with broken umbrellas. I thought there were never regrets in life, but we really regretted going out this time.

Sushi Lounge - 132 Saint Marks Pl (@ Ave A) New York, NY 10009

Categories
brunch

Odessa

We met up for brunch in the East Village because we were going to see Shonali perform with the Moon comedy/variety show at Howl Festival 2013 (Thompson Square Park). I picked one of the more popular places, but the wait was so long. So we went to Odessa which was pretty empty. We realized that none of us have been there in like eight years …late at night, drunk and ordering pierogies.

There are two Odessa’s next door to each other. The bright diner and the dark bar (which also serves food). I kind of wanted to go into the dark bar, but it was early in the day. We went into the bright diner.

I got the Eggs Benedict brunch special that came with a Bloody Mary $11.50. I think it’s pretty much the same price if you ordered it separately. The English Muffins were hard and hard to cut. I ate everything on top, then somehow managed to chew the bread.

Mia and Todd got Chicken Avocado Salads in huge bowls. I probably should have gotten that.

The waiter was funny and a character. But I didn’t get how he added up the bill, especially when he said Mia’s salad was a special price for her …unless he was joking.

Even though the place kind of sucks, I do have the urge to go back soon. I’ve had good drunk memories there in my late twenties. Plus you can get a table during brunch real easily.

Odessa – 119 Ave A (btwn St Marks & 7th St) New York, NY 10009

Categories
indian

Malai Marke Indian Restaurant

Jeff was in town and we went out to eat Indian food on the 6th Street strip. Went to Malai Marke –a more modern Indian restaurant among all the Indian restaurant there. Prices are higher. No BYOB or free complimentary wine. But pretty dang good food. The quality seems better.

The Fried Okra (Kukuri Bindi) was good. It was like fried shredded bits of stuff that’s leftover from frying stuff that you’d pick at.

The least impressive was the Mulligatawny soup. It was weird, because Jeff asked a few times if it was Mulligatawny. It didn’t look like what any of us thought Mulligatawny was. It was kind of important to find out what it was, since he’s vegan. I tried it. It had lentils and a lot of flour. I think it might have been vegan. But still, we weren’t positive it was really Mulligatawny. We were thinking it was going to be more like a brown thin vegetable soup, instead of creamy yellow soup without vegetables. But after Google Image searching, it’s possible that it was Mulligatawny.

The other entrees like Lamb Curry and Saag Paneer were really good. I ate too much and really felt the pain. I could have stopped well sooner. I don’t know what it is with good food that you feel like you should stuff your face.

Malai Marke – 318 E 6th St (btwn 1st & 2nd Ave) New York, NY 10003

Categories
asian

Jeepney Filipino Gastropub

I went to a Dewar’s event where they were launching their Dewar’s Highlander Honey Whisky (DEWAR’S Blended Scotch Whisky Infused with Natural Flavors). They even had a bunch of bees in a display making honey in the bar. I got drunk and talked with the beekeeper for a long time.

12 Dewar's Highlander Honey

Then I walked to the L train and it was all messed up. So I walked out of the subway and looked for something to do and ended up at Jeepney Filipino Gastropub. I sat down, ordered a beer and was like “Whoa, what’s that guy eating” next to me. It was Bulalo (beef short rib with bone marrow, corn, cabbage, onion, lotus root and potatoes in beef broth $20) and $1 extra for coconut rice. I don’t know why I got the coconut rice when I’m cutting back the carbs.

It was pretty awesome. I loved the presentation with that big giant roasted bone marrow. The broth was good and the short rib meat was super tender.

I don’t remember what happened after.

Jeepney – 201 1st Ave (btwn 13th & 12th St) New York, NY 10003

Categories
asian bar/drinking

Sake Bar Decibel

Shonali invited me to come with her to see The Joy Formidable at Webster Hall. So I asked her if she wanted get free sake before. She suggested Sake Bar Decibel, NYC’s first sake bar. Turned out to be the opposite of free sake. It’s pretty pricey. Small bottles start at around $18. But I guess better quality than free sake.

I brought Sam along. We all ordered some small plates of food, two small $22 bottles of sake and a $9 glass from a $99 bottle. I was whoa, $99? But then I saw how huge the bottle was. Okay $99 is actually a good deal.

I made sure to get a Nigori, unfiltered milky/cloudy sake. I liked it. Sweet.

My favorite thing was the Wasabi Shumai. They packed a punch up my nose. Sam and Shonali thought it was too hot. That’s weird thinking that it’s hot/spicy. I feel like Wasabi, Horseradish, and Hot Mustard should have a different term for their type of spiciness. Because I don’t think it’s spicy. It just fucks up your nose.

They forgot to get give us our edamame. So we asked about it, but made sure to let them know we already ordered as the guy was writing it down like it was a new order. Dang it. I just noticed they charged us twice from looking at the photo of the bill. I was too drunk to notice. Cry to my mommy about the edamame.

Other than the Edamame mishap, it was a pretty cool bar. Fun drinking and wasn’t so super expensive, for Pete’s sake.

Sake Bar Decibel – 240 E 9th St (btwn Stuyvesant St & 2nd Ave) New York, NY 10003