NY Eats – Page 10 – Food & Pixels

Marta- my new fav pizza place

Yup, I said it. Marta is my new favorite pizza place. Danny Meyer and chef Nick Anderer has delivered a slice straight to my heart. Oh why? You say. New York has endless choices of pizza. Yes, I have not sample them all. But I’m just saying, the thin crust pie at Marta has won my heart over, thus far.
Roman style, the pies coming out from the black tiled chimneys is light, thin, and crispy. Yes, new yorker pride over our thin-crust pizza. But this is thinner than the thin we know of. And crispy, almost cracker/ chip like. And it is not floppy!!! It holds its own. And stays crisp, unbend-ed. Whatever the toppings might be, won’t be dropping everywhere when you lift it one handed at the edge. And that tip of the triangle held its head too!!

It appears that Chef Nick Anderer and his crew has mastered this thin, cracker-like crusted, roman pizzas. But it is hard to imagine Marta as a pizza place. We are in the open lobby of the recently renovated framed Martha Washington Hotel, which once was the first women only hotel in the whole USA. A pioneer of its time, now a trend setter. Like any Danny Meyer’s establishment, it is high end. The room is light and bright. High ceiling, marble bar, floor to ceiling window that can be open into sidewalk, the décor is a bit cold but elegant. Don’t have a table yet? Grab a drink at the bar. And plenty of people just eat there. Or even better, grab a seat at the marble “breakfast” bar, where you can oversee the whole kitchen including the 2 wood fired pizza ovens, where the pizza god is smiling.
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Marta not only serve pizza. It is a full restaurant and appetizers as just as good. The green risotto croquettes is a little heavy, but very tasty. The golden crust croquettes is every bit of crunchy. At the night we were there, Marta didn’t have the revved rabbit meatball, but the chicken meatballs is very good as chicken goes. Moist, juicy and the soft ricotta is incredible. We didn’t order any entree, but we had a red pie and a white pie. The sauce in the stracciatella pie is superb. Flavorful tomatoes and fresh basil, it is simple, but yet so balance. Just the right amount of sauce so the crust stays crunchy, and not dripping all over. Fantastic!!! the carbonara is more filling and nothing less of excellent. It didn’t have an egg on it like all the picture we have seen on instagram. When asked, we were told that the egg has been beaten and mixed into the pie. Want that yolk flowing egg on top? That would have to be requested.Well, could have let us know. And since we are on the topic, we found the service though friendly, but a bit slow. It is a big crowded room, but doesn’t seems to have enough staff. We often have chase down (with our eyes) to get our orders in or water refilled. And by the way, although Danny Meyer said he has implemented the no topping policy at all of his establishment, we later confirmed that is only at Modern. Gratitude is still very much appreciated at all restaurants under the Union Square Hospitality group except Modern.

SUPPLI ALLA TERRAZZA • Green Risotto Croquettes, Mozzarella, Mixed Herbs — SUPPLI ALLA TERRAZZA •
Green Risotto Croquettes, Mozzarella, Mixed Herbs

POLPETTINE DI POLLO • Chicken Meatballs, Black Olives, Ricotta, Pizza Bread — POLPETTINE DI POLLO •
Chicken Meatballs, Black Olives, Ricotta, Pizza Bread

APPLE CARAMEL TORTA, FIOR DI LATTE GELATO

Marta | 29 East 29th St | Jan, 2016

root & bone

This year’s restaurant week came early. Instead of starting in February, it surprised us in mid January. And as winter weather finally arrive, we are in need of comfort food. So screw that new year resolution, I need some fried chicken.

Root and bone is a cute little place in Alphabet City. This much hyped place open back in mid 2014, offering southern comfort food. Mainly fried chickens and waffles, grits, devil eggs, the goods. Afterall the chef/owner couple did made their reputation at Yardbird, Miami. I am a big fan of Yardbird by the way. However, it seems like Chef Jeff Mclnnis and Janine Booth didn’t want to be linked to the South Beach restaurant that earned them the James Beard nomination. Check out the root & bone website, there were no mention of the framed restaurant on their website. Perhaps they didn’t want to be compared?

Yardbird isn’t the only place we got to know this pair of picture perfect couple. They did both appeared on “Top Chef”. Jeff was on 5th season, and Janine was on the 11th. They didn’t win. But looks like they won each other. It’s an interesting read, their story, it’s like reading page 6 of the cooking world.

But enough of the gossip, i’m here for fried chicken.
Restaurant week menu is offered for both lunch and dinner at Root & bone. But both are the same. In that case, of course I show up for lunch. The little narrow door on 3rd street opened into bakery like front- take out counter. Small “foyer”, just enough to stand 4 people with no apparent Reception area. Thru a small door way, it’s the main dinning room, with open kitchen and a eating bar. I chose to sit in the smaller dinning room by the bar. It’s like a little breakfast nook. With sunlights beaming in, and heat blasting, it feels more like a chill spring morning than a freezing winter afternoon.

different horns double as tap handles at the bar

The place is adorable, feels like I am sitting in the kitchen in an farm house. Aged White oak or birch wood cupboard and bar; exposed brick painted in white, edison light bulbs hanging from the sliver polished tile ceiling. Little birch wood tables paired with steel chairs, rustic, warm and comfortable.
I sat down by the bar and watched the room slowly warming up.

rnb07 Promise ring– white whiskey, green apple, elderflower and lemon.
It’s very light. Perfect for early afternoon drink. What. Too early?!? It’s 1:00 already.

root & bone Drunken Deviled Eggs– Catskills farm eggs, pickled roots and chips
Egg white is pale pink. Creamy yolk is stabbed by a crispy chip. I don’t think there is ever a deviled egg that’s not good. So simple yet so satisfying.

rnb17 Root & Bone’s award winning fried chicken and waffles, sweet tea brined, lemon dusted, spiked Tabasco honey and buckwheat cheese waffles with whiskey maple syrup.

This is the dish that supposedly earned chef McInnis the nod. The dish that I’d fly to Miami for (among other things).
Chicken and waffle arrived in a basket, along with whiskey maple syrup and tabasco spiked honey. The wheat waffle is placed with a piece of cheddar, half melting. The zest of Lemon made the whole plate smells good. And so, the famous chicken… Here at root and bone, they let you chose white/ dark meat. Me? Always dark meat. Dark meat tend to be more tender. If root & bone is anything like Yardbird, given my experience there, it should not matter whether it’s dark or white. Sorry, hard no to compare. I got a thigh and a leg. However, this famous chicken was a bit of a disappointment. Dry… And too much crust. The skin was fried too long and had became tough. Can’t even cut through with a knife. There’s no moisture in the meat anymore. Where is that faintly sweetened, juicy, tender, award winning chicken? That should be where the house made spicy sauce came in. The sauce taste like a mild spicy version of the sweet and sour duck sauce.

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On the positive side, root and bone’s restaurant week menu comes with more than 3 course. Other than the appetizer and main course, they also give the table a side dish. Two choices, Mac and cheese or grits. I got the grits.
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rnb26 Citrus custard- blood orange sorbet, pistachio grahams & crunchy meringue.

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All in all, for $25, it is still a good deal! Wait, there’s still dessert to come. And after a heavy meal, the blood orange sorbet is a better choice.
So, since summer 2014, New York has upped the chicken game. There are way more choices and players in the game. Looks like Jeff and Janine have works to do. But for the moment, let’s just say, I just planed a trip to Miami.

root & bone | 200 E 3rd St | New York Restaurant Week Winter | Jan, 2016 | lunch

An Choi- a noodle place for hipsters

Because of the cold weather; because my friends been bombing me with Instagram photos; because, just because… I’ve been craving for a bowl of pho…
Imagine the goodies in the hot simmering broth. Sweet onions, soft tendon, moist homemade beef balls, tender brisket, meaty thinly sliced flank, oxtail…..
Awwww… Just thinking about it makes me drool. So on this cold afternoon, I travel to lower east side to get a taste of An Choi, a much revved about place in LES.

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From outside looking in, it’s tough to get a sense of what I am walking into. It is dim lighted. The darkness gave the place a mysterious vibe. Bare dry walls, pipes, and an immobile street cart in the front double as take out counter. Little table with little steel stools, the place reminds me of those noodle stalls or street hawkers in the alleys of Asia. Where it’s dark, shady even dirty, but have unbelievable good food. I did spent a fair amount of my teen years squatting at those places. An choi seems to disguise itself as one of those places. Especially the bathroom. The red lighted room totally feels like those questionable back room, where graffiti and posters are on top of each other, you’d walk half way in, took a peek and walk back out. This however is a more coordinated effort and it do the trick. I applaud the effort, the place is cool…… The food….. Not so much….

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Price is about a dollar or two more than my “go-to” Viet place on Bowery street. I ordered the pork and crab spring roll, and the deluxe pho, the stable of any Vietnamese noodle place.
Spring rolls came in 3s, arrived just minutes after my order was taken. By the look of it, immediately I have my doubt. The color is not right. Too light, looks like they only took a dip in the oil and didn’t swim long enough to get the color nor the crispy skin… And only a piece of lettuce? The roll itself…. Blend.. Without the fish sauce, absolutely tasteless ?

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The pho landed the table not long after spring roll. It came with a separate bowl of pickled onions and the usual side plate of bean spout, pepper, basil and cilantro. The pickled raw onion was crazy good. A little sour, a little salty, and fresh, sweetness.

At first look, this deluxe pho looks great. Nice amount of thinly sliced flank, the broth is clear, and there’s even oxtail in it…. But once the chopsticks sunk in… Mayday! Mayday! Houston, we have a problem. The rice noodle stickers together!!!!? why!?!?! This is a number one offence of any noodle dish!!!! Certainly should not happened to a hot bowl of pho…I can feel my heart tying up as I try to untangle the noodles. And because the noodles didn’t get the cold water treatment, they are on top of each other and continue to cook. And some broke in pieces, some became mush. Ugh!!! At this point, I’m very annoyed. No matter how good this bowl will be, the crime has been committed. And the bowl wasn’t nearly as good as I hope it to be. It’s not rich enough To carry the noodle. Most place use tons of msg to make up for not enough time in slow simmering the broth. An choi seems to have hold back on msg, but time still need to be spend…. Although they have oxtail into the soup, which should add creaminess and enrich the broth, but the oxtail I had seems to have just been in the soup for less than 2 hours. What a shame… I’m speechless, disappointed…. ?

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