NYC Tastes

The Hell's Kitchen restaurant scene grows bigger and better every day, most recently with the arrival of Badshah, a restaurant helmed by Babu Ji veteran Chef Charles Mani. The small space is bright and lively with an open window overlooking the hustle of 9th Avenue and a playful mustache mural on the back wall depicting the whimsical characteristic of Chef Charles himself. The menu here is listed as Modern Indian cuisine but Chef Charles will tell you that's he prefers the term "inauthentic".  He learned the foundations of Indian cooking from his mother growing up in Chennai but has since furthered his academics with a culinary degree and is constantly tinkering with classic dishes and remaking them in his own "inauthentic" style. The meal began with Gol Goppa, a traditional Indian road side dish of crispy semolina stuffed with chutney.  This bite sized snack was surprisingly beautiful with bright red and green chutneys hidden in in the center.  I...

Finally- my favorite little Korean spot in Hell's Kitchen has starting serving brunch!  Which means I don't have to wait until 5:00 to get their incredible Ginger Scallion Tofu  or the wonderful Beef Bulgogi Sliders. Two potato buns stuffed with beef then topped with a spicy thick sliced pickled cucumber and scallion salsa- delicious! Along with those classic Danji staples they've added three different styles of Korean, Filipino and Mexican breakfast and a small list of brunch cocktails. This was only Danji's third week of brunch service and the place was already packed so make a reservation to ensure a seat or be prepared for a wait. Danji 346 West 52nd Street New York, NY 10019

Monday birthdays are usually the worst.  Actually all of my birthdays are usually the worst but surprisingly this one turned out quite great.  It started out having to go to work (worst) but then I ditched out early for a late solo lunch at Sushi of Gari 46. Chef Matsatoshi "Gari" Sugio is probably one of NYC's most well known sushi chefs.  He opened his flagship restaurant Sushi of Gari Upper East Side back in 1997 and has continued to open spots all over the city and beyond including Tokyo and Los Angeles.  His signature style of sushi topped with various sauces has created a cult like following. Tuna with creamy tofu sauce, Japanese Snapper with salad, Black Snapper topped with seaweed and the crazy combination of Fluke with mushroom risotto were just a few of the interesting pieces. Of course there was the standard Spicy Tuna Roll but all of the other nigiri had a fun little twist.  Nothing completely blew me away but it was a tasty,...

Sunday of 4th of July weekend felt like a magical snow day of sorts to me.  We had zero obligations, the city was completely empty and there was no work the following day. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to take Mr. T to lunch at one of my favorite Korean spots Danji.   I'll admit maybe somewhere in our area may have been a better choice. Both of us had a few too many beers the night before and traveling up to the westside didn't exactly seem like fun but I was determined.  I really, really wanted to eat at Danji.  So I dragged Mr. T off the couch and onto the excruciating hot train up to Hell's Kitchen; through all of the tourists and sailors in Times Square finally to Danji where we found the grate pulled shut and lights off.  CLOSED! I couldn't' believe it! I had even checked the website to make sure they were open however in my holiday weekend excitement I kept thinking it was Saturday not Sunday and yeah...we wer...

The weather is finally getting a bit blustery but up until Sunday it's been absolutely heavenly.  So heavenly that we got to have an al fresco brunch on Saturday...the weekend after  Thanksgiving!   We stopped into the Marshal; a farm to table restaurant known for sourcing all local NY ingredients.  I highly suggest starting any meal here with the biscuits.  These were straight out of the south with a buttery golden brown outside and a fluffy middle served with both pumpkin butter and whipped honey butter.  Two butters are always better than one :) The brunch menu had everything from savory Meatloaf Sandwich's to bright Brussels Sprout Salads with Cesar Dressing.  We were all on the egg game that day; Mr. with the Lobster and Bacon Fritatta and me with the classic brunch order of two scrambled eggs and bacon. I'll admit this sounds like a boring brunch order but I wouldn't change it for the world. These eggs w...

I don't make it up to Hell's Kitchen nearly enough as I should.  There are so many spots I still need to try out like Bar Bacon, The Marshal and of course Anejo from one of my favorite chefs Angelo Sosa.  Yet when I found myself in the area just yesterday I immediately gravitated to my old haunt Danji.  This cozy little spot churns out amazing Korean food like crunchy Fried Chicken Wings in both spicy and garlic honey flavors; the best Bulgogi Beef Sliders in the city and one of my favorite vegetarian plates of all time the Tofu with Ginger Scallion Dressing. The tofu is lightly fried giving it a crispy warm exterior that gives way to such a silky smooth interior it can only be described as luxurious.  Then it's all topped off with slivers of jalapeno, crunchy tempura flakes and a sweet & salty soy vinaigrette.  This is an absolutely banging dish that I will  always find hard passing up. Danji 346 West 52nd between 8th & 9th Avenue New Yor...

The next two days of Memorial Day weekend were completely boat themed.  The first was a stop at North Boat Lobster Company in Hell's Kitchen.  This place is basically just a version of the Frying Pan but with better food and drink prices and a boat that actually moves. I'm not saying the drinks were fantastic but they had a few additional beer options than just Bud Light and Corona plus a few decent bottles of wine perfect for sharing with a group. The menu is all about seafood with Lobster Rolls, Fish and Chips and some Cajun Spiced Peel and Eat Shrimp. The boat leaves dock at various points during the day for a 45 minute sail up the Hudson River.  The views were fantastic and not having to pay an extra ticket for the ride was a downright steal.  It got really crowded and a little bit like a Frat House at certain points but I would do it again for sure. On the opposite end of the spectrum from North River Lobster Co. is the Grand Banks,...