by Ling on March 17, 2010
It was a funny feeling walking down St Marks street on a Monday night, purse in one hand, gym bag in other. A street synonymous with Asian restaurants, tattoo parlors, and late night college binge drinking, I was there that night neither for alcohol nor Asian food. We passed all my favorite restaurants – Pho 32, Klong, Boka, Je’Bon, Kenka, Zen, and turned the corner to find a tiny Kosher deli tucked away on 2nd avenue next to Pomme Frites and a newly renovated falafel stand.
I had actually checked out B & H Vegetarian Restaurant a little under a year ago when I used to live within walking distance, and I was comfortably welcomed back by the seemingly unchanged deli. The same weathered “Specials” signs hung on the cabinets behind the counter, and the clientele hungrily ate dinner while hunched over at the counter or seated at the tiny square tables lined up in the narrow hallway. We took the table closest to the door, and the platinum blonde waitress leaned over the counter to pass us our menus.
I already knew what I wanted – red borscht soup. Hot, of course. There are very few foods I’m unable to tolerate, and neon pink cold borscht one late night last summer happened to make that list. The piping hot soup was brought over almost immediately, but I was saddened that the thick slices of challah bread had to be ordered separately.
My friend and I dug into the soup, every spoonful laden with thick cuts of beets, cabbage, and potatoes. A particular type of beetroot is used for the soup, which gives it that rich red-purple color. We agreed that the soup was excellent and would have been perfect if we had some challah bread to soak up the broth. Then again, I didn’t want something too heavy after my gym workout. Who knew beets could be so good!
The white fish overstuffed sandwich came out next, and of course I had to try it. You really have to work to get your mouth around these sandwiches to get a little bit of everything in the first bite, but this one was manageable. An excellent alternative to tuna, the mixed in celery provided an additional crunch to every bite.
While the Jewish deli now seems out of place amidst the expanding food and entertainment empire that is Asia, it is a charming reminder of times gone by. A great place to dine if you suddenly get the strong urge for some good ol’ potato knish or pierogis. The deli also delivers if you’re too lazy to travel ;) ($10 minimum)
I wonder what the B & H stands for…
127 2nd Ave
(between 7th St & St Marks Pl)
New York, NY 10003
(212) 505-8065
by Ling on May 23, 2009
Ramen here, ramen there, ramen shops everywhere. I’ll truly miss all the amazing ethnic cuisines available within walking distance when I move out of the East Village come July 31. Ramen Setagaya was actually my first experience in a ramen shop, introducing me to the world of non-fried, non-instant ramen I had known my entire life. I returned to the 1st Ave location a few weeks ago when I craved something warm, soupy, and filling for lunch. The restaurant was surprisingly quiet on the Sunday afternoon, and we were cheerfully greeted by the cooks behind the counter when we stepped in.
We split a side order of Oyako-Don to start, which was minced chicken with rice, pickled vegetables, and a soft cooked egg. The egg cooked itself after being mixed into the rice, much like Dolsot Bibimbap. I ordered the Shio Ramen, which came adorned with slices of pork, bamboo-shoot, salt taste egg, seaweed, and scallions. The noodles were cooked al dente and the pork had a yummy proportion of fat to meat.
While the broth at Ramen Setagaya is definitely not as rich and flavorful as the one Ippudo boasts, presentation gets an A! (Probably because they use a smaller bowl so the ramen keeps the egg and pork afloat, but still, I remember my disappointment when my Ippudo ramen was brought out) I had to refrain from drinking all the salt-infused soup, since, well you know, I can’t help picking at food left in front of me. =/
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by Ling on April 7, 2009
Hello world! I returned from spring break in Dominican Republic about two weeks ago, and I finally found time to start writing again. While it was nice to be back in the city, I would be lying if I said that I enjoyed the cold weather and homework assignments waiting for me upon my return. I definitely have a lot more self control in what I eat in NYC though since food here isn’t all-inclusive. (But then there is still the ever-present issue of my binge eating while studying…)
Before I had set flight for the DR, we had Jihyun’s birthday celebration at NY Kom Tang Soot Bul Kal Bi in Koreatown. This Korean restaurant was one I had passed numerous times but never really noticed. The place is known for its old-fashioned charcoal grilling, with the meat grilled right at your table if you order two portions or more. There are two floors to the restaurant, and the staff politely greeted and seated us upstairs before our entire party arrived. The prices were on par, if not a dollar or two cheaper, with other restaurants in Koreatown.
The key to being treated well in Koreatown (which I will refer to as Ktown from now on) is to go with Koreans. There was a good variety in the ban chan served (the complimentary small side dishes of food that out before your meal), and with Ji on our side, we managed to get seconds (and even thirds of that cold crab!).
The pickled julienne daikon and seaweed are always crowd pleasers, and the egg/mayonaise/apple dish also offered a surprising blend of yolky texture and sweet flavor. Erring on the fiscally conservative side for the night, I went for the Gobdol Bibimbab as my main entree, which is beef, egg, vegetables with rice in a hot stone pot.
Birthday girl ordered Kalbi Gui, prime short ribs marinated in Korean barbecue sauce, and Naeng Myun, ice cooked vermicelli noodles in soup with thin slices of beef with cucumbers, pears, and radish.
I tried some of the Naeng Myun after Ji mixed in some vinegar – not the biggest fan of the dish, though it was probably because I dislike vinegar in my noodles or soup.
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by Ling on February 28, 2009
I finally had the chance to eat at the much anticipated, much hyped up noodle bar that is Ippudo. From the 400+ mostly positive reviews on Yelp to personal recommendations from friends, Ippudo had been on my list of restaurants to try for months now.
A group of us (friends from freshman year of college) decided to meet at the restaurant at 5:30 on a Friday evening for some ramen. I knew beforehand of the long lines that this place was infamous for, but fortunately for us we were seated as soon as our entire party arrived. I was greeted by a loud “Irasshaimase!” when I first entered into the restaurant bar area, and once again when we entered the main dining area. I loved the enthusiastic authentic Japanese welcome and the decor of the restaurant, especially intrigued by the ramen squares underneath the glass surface at the bar and the bowls stuck to the wall. I also discovered a tiny room in the basement on my way to the bathroom where a man was working at a machine thinning and slicing the flat sheets of ramen noodles. Awesome! :D
As with any restaurant I try for the first time, I decided to go with what the place was known for – ramen! I chose the Shiromaru Hakata Classic, which was “the original tonkotsu” soup noodles with sliced bamboo, simmered berkshire pork, kikurage, red pickled ginger, hard boiled egg, sesame, and scallions. The steaming bowls of ramen were brought out one by one by our waitress. At first glance, I was shocked and disappointed at the presentation of my bowl of ramen (since my expectations had become quite inflated). Everything from the pork to the egg and even the red pickled ginger were submerged in the soup, and I had to push all the ingredients to the surface for the photo. I had seen much better presentation at competing noodle joints Ramen Setagaya and Kambi. Despite my initial disappointment, I was still eager to eat.
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