If you haven’t already seen them, check out my Ride & Review shows on YouTube, in which I ride an ebike to and from restaurants and review what I just ate while riding.
I also have a show called Around the Hood in 8 Minutes. In that series, I explore the different neighborhoods of NYC, from sights to bites, in just 8 minutes!
Below is a trailer for the first season, but that link above will take you to the entire playlist of two full seasons, plus bonus material and “lost episodes!”
First, check out my Ride & Review HERE:
Funny Bar just opened up nearby. The Cake Dealer and I recently wandered in here and had a few drinks, and we knew we wanted to come back.
It’s a live jazz bar with no cover charge, and a really sleek, streamlined menu of STEAK!
Literally, there are like four items on the menu: steak for one, steak for two, french fries, and a wedge salad. Oh and they surprised us each with a free small chocolate brownie sundae at the end of the meal, but it wasn’t on the menu.
We started with the wedge salad, which is simple but delicious.
The steak for one is a petite filet, or shoulder tender/teres major. I love this cut.
It has all the flavor of the chuck, from where it hails, and all the tenderness of a filet mignon. At $29 for about an 8oz steak that comes with fries, this is a great deal. 9/10.
The steak for two is a larger cut. The server told me it was a flatiron, and the host told me it was a strip steak. I don’t think either is correct.
At first I thought maybe it was a tri-tip based on the shape, but the muscle striations seem to go the wrong direction for that. Based on the muscle fibers, I think this is in the sirloin family. Perhaps top butt/sirloin, or top sirloin. Either way it was perfectly cooked, had a great crust, and was artfully topped with a maitre’d butter and herbs. At $69 this is also a great deal for people to try the best of what can be on an otherwise under-utilized cut. 8/10.
Although it might be better to get two of the steaks for one instead of one of the steaks for two, satisfaction will be guaranteed. The fries are perfectly cooked as well. This is the large plate that comes with the steak for two:
They even brought us a free dessert on the house afterwards – miniature brownie sundaes!
I will be back for sure.
FUNNY BAR
133 Essex St.
New York, NY 10002
This hot pot spot in Flushing took over where Baidu Shabu Shabu left off (same location), and upped the ante on quality and dining experience. Check out the video HERE.
What a beautiful interior! And this was easily one of the best hot pot meals I’ve had. We split the pot between medium spicy beef tallow broth and mushroom broth. Absolutely delicious. Go give it a shot!
LAO ZAO CHONGQING
37-04 Prince St.
Flushing, NY 11354
First, check out my Ride & Review video HERE:
The folks behind Mister Paradise, one of my favorite burgers of all time, just opened up Highlife Burger a street or two up from Mister Paradise. The cake dealer and I went in to try it out, and we were very happy with the food!
The burgers are reminiscent of “In n Out,” a California staple. They’re much better, though.
The hot dog is pretty great too. It comes covered in melty cheese sauce and potato chips.
The fries are great too, though I didn’t get a photo. They’re sort of like a batter-fried McDonalds style.
I will definitely be back here for more. $7.50 for a single and $10.50 for a double are great prices!
HIGHLIFE BURGER
135 1st Avenue
New York, NY 10003
First, check out my Ride & Review video, HERE:
My wife and I came here with another foodie and social media influencer couple to try out some of this new restaurant’s menu. Aqua has both Italian and Japanese menus, so you can have a full-on omakase here, or you can dine a la carte and dig into some pasta or veal Milanese.
We selected eight items from this menu, and then had two versions of their tiramisu (one classic Italian, and one Japanese):
First off, they make some really nice cocktails, which is clutch since they have a gigantic bar (the whole space is pretty massive, actually).
We started with the mushroom and truffle arancini. These were delicious bites.
The lobster bisque pizzette was really unique. I’ve never had something like that. It makes for great table bread to share as a snack.
This red prawn carpaccio was absolutely incredible. This is a must order when you go here.
These little nuggets of fried rock shrimp were really tasty. They don’t look like much, but I was hooked. I could not stop popping them.
The oxtail and truffle mafalde was perfectly cooked and seasoned, and the oxtail was super tender and savory.
Here’s a shot of their 12-piece sashimi omakase, which has all of your favorites, salmon belly being my favorite.
This eight-piece roll had salmon and scallop, which was nice.
And finally, the yuzu shiso marinated lamb chops. These were awesome. After the red prawn carpaccio, this was probably my favorite item.
For dessert, we tried the classic tiramisu and the matcha/green team tiramisu. I think we all agreed that the classic version was better. I didn’t snap any photos of that, so you’ll just have to watch the video to see them!
AQUA
902 Broadway
New York, NY 10010
First, check out my Ride & Review video HERE:
The Cake Dealer and I decided to give this new joint a shot. We really liked everything we tried, so let me get right into it.
First, the cocktails were excellent. We tried three, and they were all delicious.
The shellfish platter is a bit expensive as $38 for six pieces, but each and every item was a masterpiece. I think my favorites were the hot items on the pebbles (oyster cooked with beef fat and topped with horseradish, and the clam with garlic chips.
The shrimp toast was so delicious. Buttery, crispy, and with lump shrimp meat instead of the paste-like texture that you might see at Chinese spots. The tarter-like sauce was definitely not needed here.
The mortadella tartine was really tasty. I could eat about 30 of these.
We also did their caviar service which was a generous heap of high quality caviar, cream, whipped bean puree, onion, chives, avocado and potato chips with a large bowl of fresh tortillas. This was really nice. I would definitely get this again.
For our mains, we did the fries and fish, which is a medium sized bowl of french fries and fried anchovies.
The anchovies were fresh, plump, light and crisp – not very fishy at all, and really tasty white meat.
We also did the Peekytoe crab omelette on rice, which I really loved.
This, the shellfish and the shrimp toast were probably my favorite items of the night. One thing I wish the omelette had was a crunch texture somewhere. Maybe some crispy fried shallots on top would do the trick. But I did appreciate the texture pops from the salmon roe on top. So good!
Finally, we finished off with their cinnamon toast sundae. The ice cream tasted like the cereal Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and the crunch element came from the tiny fried bombolini doughnuts on top. Absolute crack!
We can’t wait to go back to try more of the menu. The service was really great here too, as they gave us complimentary glasses of Lambrusco since we were celebrating our anniversary.
CACTUS WREN
98 Rivington St.
New York, NY 10002
First, check out my Ride & Review video HERE:
The Cake Dealer and I finally made it over to Beauty & Essex after living down here since late 2020. She had been to the bar once before, but I had only ever been inside to make a meat delivery when I was working at Golden Packing in 2021. The chef, Derrick Prince, was on some cooking competition TV shows back in the day, and since then, I’ve always enjoyed following along on his social media and trying out his food whenever I could. He’s a really talented chef.
First off, the service here is impeccable. This is the same for all Tao Group properties. Really great staff that genuinely cares. They started us off with complimentary glasses of bubbly. It was a nice glass too, not some cheap garbage. I ordered a martini as well, and it was made very nicely.
We ordered two apps, but Derrick sent out three more! We had the pleasure of trying the French dips on toast. the shishito peppers, the sea bass tacos, the grilled cheese and tomato soup dumplings, and the steak tartare quesadillas. I think my favorites were the French dips and the sea bass tacos, but The Cake Dealer preferred the dumplings. All of them were great though.
For our mains, we ordered the Peruvian chicken and the beef Wellington.
Both of these were delicious, but I think the winner for both of us was the chicken. Shocker! But there was just something about the jalapeno salsa verde, the squash, carrot and zucchini ribbons underneath, and those little shreds of crispy potato and peas on top that just came together in a magical way. Incredible.
And that’s not to trash the Wellington at all. It was cooked to an absolutely perfect, butter-knife tender medium rare. The sauce was velvety smooth, the pastry was crispy and light. A really great representation of that this dish is meant to be. This is a 9/10, especially since the price was shockingly low to me at like $65. The beef alone would cost more than that at a steakhouse, not including all the prep and labor to make it into a Wellington. Great value.
On the side, we ordered the caulilini, which consisted of broccolini and cauliflowerini (a cross between cauliflower and broccolini), served in a parmesan broth. This was really nice, but Derrick sent out these roasted Kyoto carrots that blew us away. They were roasted for hours and served with some sort of blood orange agrodolce sauce. Good enough to make you understand vegetarians.
For dessert, we tried these beauties that were shaped like cherries, which had either a vanilla or white chocolate mousse inside of a chocolate shell that was covered in a cherry glaze and plopped on top of a hazelnut and chocolate crumble. Perfect way to end the meal.
I highly recommend this place, and I will definitely be going back to try more of the menu. They even offer a brunch pre fixe, which comes with an app, an entree, a side, and a glass of sparkling rose for $35. Another steal of a deal in my opinion.
BEAUTY & ESSEX
146 Essex St.
New York, NY 10002
First, check out my Ride & Review video HERE:
I finally got over to Foul Witch, named for the strange character in David Lynch’s “Mulholland Drive” (one of my all time favorite movies). I had heard good things about this place, as it’s a sister restaurant to the popular pizza joint Roberta’s.
Like Roberta’s, they offer an item called Fire & Ice. This is basically the same thing at Foul Witch, but instead of being toppings on a pizza, it is a bunch of deliciousness on a plate. Stracciatella cheese, fresh pepper, extra virgin olive oil, and a Calabrian chili paste spread.
Absolutely delicious, especially when stuffed into their sesame focaccia with cultured butter as a makeshift sandwich (I didn’t snap a pic of that mashup).
We also did a side of their Sorana beans with salsa verde, which ate like cannelini beans with an avocado mousse on top. Very nice.
In the middle, we housed two pastas and their Dutch Baby.
The Dutch Baby is a cross between a pop-over and Yorkshire pudding, topped with duck liver mousse and apple. As tasty as it was pretty.
The first pasta was turnip and poppyseed caramelle. This was nice, but the broth had a little bit of a burnt, bitter flavor (likely from the turnip). Otherwise very unique.
The second pasta was Pici al Peposo, which is like extra thick spaghetti served with a peppery meat, horseradish and Parmigiano cheese. We sort of identified the meat as short rib, but traditionally this dish is made with either stewed short rib or shank. This was really nice, although a bit heavy.
Finally, we finished with their wagyu chuck steak.
This was perfectly cooked, super tender, juicy, flavorful, well-seasoned and just over all delightful. 9/10. It was served with a Bearnaise sauce and various types of allium (onions, garlic, chives, shallots, leeks, etc).
We would have tried a dessert, but the charcoal grilling going on in the kitchen set off the smoke alarms, and it just became unbearable to stay any longer. FDNY showed up. Haha! In any case, I would definitely go back to try more things here.
FOUL WITCH
15 Avenue A
New York, NY 10009
First, check out my Ride & Review video HERE:
Chef Harold Moore recently re-opened Cafe Commerce on the upper east side. I came up with my friends Jay and Jeremy, who you know better as “The Dishelin Guide” and “NYC Food FOMO” on Instagram. We tried a bunch of shit.
First, I started out with an ODB (dirty gin martini with blue cheese olives and olive brine) at the bar. This was delicious, so I had another with dinner.
To start, we went in on some beef carpaccio, which is served with horseradish, mayo and capers on top of a flat tater tot. Incredible!
These scallops with mushrooms and escargot butter were a smash hit, too.
As a middle course, we did the rabbit papparedelle with bacon and olives. This was really nice, but it could have used a pinch of finishing salt on top.
For the mains, we went big. First, Harold’s famous roast chicken. This is huge, and comes with a side of whipped potatoes and foie gras stuffing.
You can see the potatoes in the video, along with the other side of nduja Brussels sprouts that we ordered.
Next, we had the Thursday night rack of lamb special. This was the winning dish, hands down.
It came with a decadent fig and pistachio mustard glaze that paired nicely with that perfectly cooked lamb.
Last up, Harold’s famous coconut cake. A massive slice!
Everything here is great. I can’t wait to go back to try more stuff.
CAFE COMMERCE
964 Lexington Ave.
New York, NY 10021
First, check out my Ride & Review HERE:
Rocco’s recently opened up a new location on 57th just east of Park Avenue. My friend Dom Pepe is the head chef there, so I went in with some other friends to visit.
Flavor: 9
We tried the porterhouse and the rib eye. Both were mildly aged, but perfectly cooked.
Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 8
Everything here is prime except for the filet, which is common at most steakhouses. I only know of two that serve prime filets (Keens and Lugers). There’s a great selection of cuts here.
Portion Size & Plating: 8
This place is on par with most midtown steak joints when it comes to portion sizes and plating. Nothing is too small, and if anything the portions tend to lean toward the large side.
Price: 8
Again, this place, like their first location, has pricing that’s on par with all the big major steakhouses in the area. I feel like, with Dom at the helm, you’re getting much better bang for the buck, since he is an amazing chef.
Bar: 8
The bar here is actually nice. Big. I would definitely have a drink there again, and the cocktails, spirits and wine selections were excellent.
Specials and Other Meats: 9
The lobster ravioli special was incredible!
I would definitely go back to try more from their specials. Especially if they’re in the meat department.
Apps, Sides & Desserts: 9
We tried the creamed spinach, sauteed broccoli rabe with cherry peppers, beef fat german potatoes, and the mac & cheese for sides. All were incredible, particularly the mac and cheese being my favorite. It was crack!
For starters, we did shrimp cocktail, baked clams, thick cut bacon and the crab cake. All were great, but I think my favorite were the baked clams!
For dessert, we had a tray of assorted cakes, pies, ice cream, and fruit. Classic.
Seafood Selection: 9
Every piece of seafood we tried was delicious, from the cold starters, to the cooked apps, to the pasta.
Service: 10
Service was excellent. These guys are the real deal. They also serve a nice basket of fresh/hot potato chips at the bar, which I love. And the bread basket is a good mix of Italian bread and onions rolls.
Ambiance: 8
They did a really nice job with the build out here. It definitely feels like a mix between midtown and mom and pop steak joints. They have private rooms available upstairs, and a really cozy dining room in back.
ROCCO STEAKHOUSE
106 East 57th St.
New York, NY 10022
