Category Archives: Midtown West

Midtown West, Porterhouse, Press Reviews, Rib Eye, Steakhouse Reviews

Hunt & Fish Club

February 15, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

Hunt & Fish Club overall score: 90

Just a quick FYI about the format of this review. I was under the impression that this joint didn’t seek to be classified as a steakhouse. But now, everywhere I see this place mentioned in print, it is being called a steakhouse. SO I’ve taken my restaurant review and stuffed it into a steakhouse review format. That’s why it looks like a Walmart fatty stuffed into a runway model’s dress.

My wife surprised me with dinner here for Valentine’s Day.

What an incredible meal! We started with some cocktails. Gin martini for me, and some sort of sparkling apple drink for the wife.

A nice unexpected surprise was a pair of big popovers. These were pretty good, but not quite up to the standard set by BLT Prime. One was very airy and light, while the other had a crispy outer shell with a lop-sided, more dense, doughy bottom.

There were several items we wanted to try from the app menu, so we just ordered them all. First was the filet mignon tartare. This rivals the Quality Meats tartare. Easily one of the best in Manhattan. The plate was ringed with minced red onion, boiled egg whites and egg yolks. The beef itself was extremely soft and tender despite being hand cut. It was topped with a raw quail egg for that needed fat. So fucking good when spread onto the little waffle chips that came with the plate.

Next up was the bacon. These were nice and thick: we had a strip each. I’ve had better in other places, but this was an excellent way to chase that delicious tartare.

Our third starter was the oxtail and bone marrow French onion soup. This was really delicious and rich. The broth had such a nice flavor from all that beefy goodness. While I still like the French onion soup at Le Village better, this was an exciting, innovative take on what is frankly a boring item.

For my main course, I had this delicious, perfectly cooked bone-in rib eye steak. Aged prime all the way, people. So fucking good. Easily in my top steaks. The crust had a great sear. There was a slight amount of bleed-out, but it was not due to lack of rest. It was just juicy as fuck.

My wife had a halibut dish that was cooked with king crab for a nice flavor boost. I can see why they call this place Fish & Hunt – both the meat and the fish are spectacular and deserve to be featured prominently.

My wife and I basically said FUCK YOU to greens in this meal. Instead of sharing one healthy veggie side, we went with two unhealthy, starchy, carby veggies. First was horseradish mustard mashed potatoes. Really fucking tasty. The horseradish gave it a good kick in the balls.

The other was truffled tater tots. Holy shit these were decadent and earthy. They were cooked with truffle oil, and the creamy dip sauce that came with them had minced truffle in it as well. BOOM!

For dessert we shared a yogurt based panna cotta. While the texture was really not the kind you associate with panna cotta, this flavor was really light and delicious. It was creamy, airy from the berry foam on top, and it had an awesome crumble made from brown sugar on top. Then topped with some fresh berries. Fucking nice.

The bill came with a pair of freebie signature hibiscus vodka cocktails that tasted like adult fruit punch. I liked it. Also two golden boxes with chocolate candies inside. One was coffee dusted, and the other was salted dark chocolate truffle. REALLY rich and flavorful.

We ate like royalty in this place. Definitely worth trying despite a pricey total bill. Give it a shot!

UPDATES

The rib eye is still nearly perfect. Here are some updated pics:

I also tried the porterhouse, which was a solid 9/10.

I also tried the carpaccio, herb fries, bacon, brussels (with more bacon), and the carrot cake. Everything is great.

Flavor: 9 – very near to absolute perfection

Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 9 – could use a few more cut options. Quality is fantastic though.

Portion Size & Plating: 8 – steaks are a good size, but slightly thin, and certainly mismatched when looking at price.

Price: 8 – this is an expensive joint, but the rest must be expensive too.

Bar: 10 – great street-side drinking, elegant, fancy, and nicely decorated. Plus there’s another bar downstairs for more intimacy.

Specials & Other Meats: 9 – solid showing of alternative meats on the menu.

Apps, Sides & Desserts: 10 – everything we had was awesome here.

Seafood Selection: 10 – with a name like “Hunt & FISH Club” you expect no less. The presence of Alaskan King Crab as an entree is impressive.

Service: 8 – perhaps because we went on Valentine’s Day, which is super busy, we didn’t get the five-star treatment we expected.

Ambiance: 9 – very elegant and glamorous. I can understand why celebs have been flocking to this place.

HUNT & FISH CLUB
125 W. 44th St.
New York, NY 10036

Flash Deals, Japanese, Midtown West, Non-Steakhouse Steaks, Other Cuts, Restaurant Reviews

Inakaya

February 14, 2015 Johnny Prime 2 Comments

Inakaya gets some flack for being a big, thematic Japanese joint that’s right near the armpit of NYC, Port Authority. The area is essentially a wretched hive of scum and villainy, the likes of which make the Mos Isley Cantina look like a comforting, safe place.

But the restaurant? Really nice. I was thoroughly impressed with the six course tasting menu for two that my wife scored for less than the price of one.

We essentially tried one of each, with the exception of the roasted rice ball, which looked delicious.

We started with drinks. I guzzled down these two Asahi beers, a dark and the super dry, while my wife sipped on a traditional box o’ sake.

I loved the fact that the guys cooking behind the bar would serve up each drink or food course on a long wooden paddle that they stretched out across the bar table. Pretty fucking mint:

Starters were the tempura (shishito pepper, fish, and shrimp with shredded nori) and the tuna and yellow tail carpaccio with salmon tartare. These were delicious. The tempura was perfectly crispy and light, and the fish dish was garnished with paper-thin salt flakes that really made the flavors pop.

Next were the quad-color mixed seaweed salad and seared tuna spinach salad. Also delicious, deftly dressed, and wildly flavorful.

Next came the grilled veggie assortment: asparagus, eringi mushroom, and eggplant. I liked everything here, but the eggplant could have benefitted from a skinning or peeling. That skin can be a little thick at times. The asparagus and mushrooms were awesome though, especially when sprinkled with some of the Japanese spicy pepper condiment.

After that came the surf and turf: grilled half lobster and a generous portion of kobe beef (the menu says 2oz but it was more like 4oz). The beef was served with a nice dipping sauce that brought out the earthy flavors of the meat. I generally prefer a steamed lobster but the grilled one here wasn’t too bad. Lots of times places will mangle the grilled lobster and overcook it. Not the case here.

Our sides were the yellowtail and scallion roll, which was just okay. Nothing too fancy. And the double steamed rice with mushrooms. THAT was yummy. In hindsight, I wish we had gotten the roasted rice ball instead of the sushi roll, but hey.

Shit there was even good miso soup! It came with a good amount of tofu skin in it (my absolute favorite for soup fodder).

Dessert was really simple. Green tea ice cream and fresh fruit with whipped cream and a sprig of mint. Basic, fresh and good. The fruit plate was a little small, but otherwise no real complaints here. We were full anyway.

This place is totally worth it, in my opinion. $65 is a good deal for one. My wife nailed it with $55 for two through some crazy ass deal she found online. If you can do the same, I highly recommend doing it. Total win.

INAKAYA
231 W. 40th St.
New York, NY 10018

Burgers, Midtown West, Pub Food, Restaurant Reviews

The Irish Pub

February 5, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

I’ve walked by this place a bunch of times on the way to work and wondered: what an incredibly generic name!

I checked out their menu online, and I was intrigued by the Diablo Burger – a burger topped with buffalo sauce, jalapeños and sautéed onions.

Mine was cooked a little over, but otherwise it was good:

The bun was fantastic: strong, supple, yet soft and pliable. It even had a nice branded logo on top:

The cajun fries that came with it were great too. Old Bay seasoning, if I had to guess, and nicely fried to a golden crisp.

Wash that down with a pitcher of brew and you’re all set. No happy hour specials though. Lame.

THE IRISH PUB
837 7th Ave.
New York, NY 10019

Eastern European, Flash Deals, Midtown West, Restaurant Reviews

Balkanika

February 3, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

I nabbed a Groupon deal for a seven course tasting for two at this joint, with wine pairings. At $75, it was a steal.

The meal opened with a lightly sweet Macedonian Muscat and a delicious tomato soup. The soup was smooth and velvety, and reminded me almost of a vodka sauce.

Next was the Balkanika salad, which was mixed greens, beets, pine nuts and prosciutto, and served with a light red Macedonian wine. This was a hearty salad. The addition of the beets and prosciutto means that you could easily eat this dish as a main course in a larger portion.

Next was a yogurt, feta, mint, garlic and dill dip/spread served with toasted whole wheat pita bread. This shit would be amazing on an everything bagel instead of cream cheese. It came with a shot of this absinthe/sambuca type of liquor, on the rocks.

Next up was an eggplant and zucchini tapenade with pine nuts, onions, garlic and red peppers. I wasn’t too thrilled about this dish, but then again my wife and I are not bigs fans of eggplant to begin with. This course did not come with a wine pairing.

My favorite course of the night was this spiced beef wrapped in grape leaf and cabbage. Each had its own flavor. In one, the meat was perfumed and spicy. In the other, it was mild and comforting. Both very good in their own way. This dish came with a red; Shiraz.

The last savory course was chicken kebab with yogurt sauce and potatoes. The chicken was nice and tender on these, and the yogurt sauce was thicker than the typical runny white bullshit you get with a kebab. The potatoes were delicious as well. Soft, yet still firm enough to pick up with your form, and deeply flavorful. This came with a white Gavi wine from Italy.

The dessert course was, of course, baklava. It was a little tough to break through with the tiny dessert forks, but the nutty flavor was excellent. It was a bit too sweet, however. Perhaps too much honey. It was served with a flute of Prosecco.

The place even serves their mezes and sides by the pound in what looks like a deli counter. Nice!

BALKANIKA
691 9th Ave.
New York, NY 10036

Italian, Midtown West, Non-Steakhouse Steaks, Other Cuts, Restaurant Reviews

Marea

January 30, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

After seven months of living on top of this restaurant and pining for a bite of the cuisine within, my wife and I finally got a chance to check it out.

I had heard insane things about this joint: “Best restaurant in the city;” “Best Italian food in the country,” and so on. The place has been awarded two Michelin stars, and with a four-course price fix menu at $99/pp, it was a no-brainer that we’d hit this place up.

First off, excellent fucking martini – one of the best in town actually, garnished with three perfectly soft Castelvetrano olives.

And amazing table breads like fresh olive or black pepper focaccia:

First was an amuse of smoked fish on a sesame cracker. This was a nice bite:

My wife started with six oysters, one of each available variety; two from Massachusetts, two from Washington, one from Rhode Island, and one from Virginia. She preferred the two from Massachusetts. They were served with a balsamic mignonette that cut the fishy flavor of the west coast jammies, and the other sauce was a bright citrus motherfucker that I liked a lot.

I had the grilled octopus with smoked potatoes. This was really nice and soft, with a great char flavor, though I HAVE had better grilled octopus around town.

For the pasta dishes, we tried the red wine braised octopus fusilli with bone marrow. This was a little heavy, but full of flavor. The octopus wasn’t up to snuff in this dish, which was depressing, but the pasta itself was perfect.

The winner of the pasta dishes was this gramigna (small, extra long, curly, elbow style pasta) with wild boar sausage and savoy cabbage. It was lighter than you might expect, perfectly dressed, perfectly seasoned, and absolutely fucking delicious – especially with the addition of some bread crumb crunchy shits on top. I could eat vats of this, and THIS ALONE is why I can get behind their two star Michelin rating. Amazing plate of pasta.

For the entrees we had duck breast and steak. Let’s start with them duck titties.

The duck was served with a crispy polenta, which was nice but lacked a little flavor. The greens were overly tart, as if overdone to cook the bitterness out of the broccoli rabe (which was a little overcooked anyhow). The duck itself was nicely cooked, but after digging into my steak for a bit I really couldn’t take the iron-rich, blood-riddled, gamey flavor of the duck for too long. It was good and everything, nice crispy skin, etc. I just couldn’t go there, because I was busy with this:

It was cooked nicely to medium rare.

This is a sirloin, 50-day dry-aged, served with braised romaine lettuce and a fucking wonderfully fatty bone marrow panzanella bread. I sometimes dislike the grain and texture of this cut, but I really didn’t have any other choice for beef. I’ve had better strip or sirloin preparations elsewhere, and I suspect this cut was not from the “NY-Strip” side of a proper porterhouse. Perhaps it was from the T-bone area, which is less desirable (hence the 50-day dry-aging, to give it a boost). In any case, I ate all of it, so there’s that.

Dessert was nice, but there was some unexpected tartness in my wife’s panna cotta (from the green apple, not the roasted pineapple sorbet). Despite the tartness, this was still the better of the two desserts that we sampled, in my opinion.

I had the lemon tort, with which I totally expected the tartness. It had a cheesecake texture, and I loved how the ginger, citrus, and cinnamon gelato cut the lemon flavor.

When the bill came, there was a small amuse of candies to try. A passion fruit marshmallow, a tart white chocolate sort of thingy (which I didn’t like), and a white grape granulated sugar gelatin (also very tart). Actually, I wasn’t really a fan of any of these, now that I think about it.

In sum, we will definitely be coming back to try some more stuff, particularly the fish items, which, maybe, we should have gone with on this first visit. We’ll definitely sample more pasta dishes as well. Some of those things must really shine, and I suppose that’s why they received two Michelin stars. Otherwise I’m sort of baffled.

UPDATE: 6/25/16

My wife and I cashed in some OpenTable rewards points to the tune of $70, which we used toward dinner here. This time we stuck strictly to pasta and fish, with the exception of dessert.

First, we had this lovely crab meat paccheri pasta, which was the big winner for the night. The sauce was a rich butter and tomato concoction that I went wild for.

This tagliolini with clams and calamari was nicely executed as well, with a texture and shape that was similar to ramen. Other than that it was a classic riff on a white clam sauce dish. Very nice.

For the fish courses, we had halibut and monk fish, both roasted. The halibut was served on a bet of sautéed spinach and topped with shaved water chestnuts and an olive. The fish itself was just slightly overcooked, but I didn’t mind because the spinach and water chestnuts added that moisture back in.

The monk fish was similar in texture to catfish. Nice and hearty, with a snap that almost resembles lobster meat. This was served with beans, trumpet mushrooms and hazelnuts. While I liked this a lot, my wife wasn’t a huge fan of the flavors. We both liked the halibut better in any case.

For dessert we had blueberry doughnuts, or bombolini. These were absolutely delicious. They were stuffed with blueberry filling, and dusted with blueberry sugar. They came with lemon curd and honey for dipping. Only downside is that this order, which came with five “munchkin” or “doughnut hole” sized doughnuts, was a pricey $14.

MAREA
240 Central Park S.
New York, NY 10019

Burgers, Midtown West

Smash Burger

January 25, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

This fast casual joint is on 33rd just west of 5th Avenue, and it packs a wallop of flavor for a burger and fry combo of under $9.

I got the Classic Smash, the 5oz patty (I was on my way to lunch, so I didn’t want to fill up too much). For $1 more you can upgrade to a 7oz patty. Not bad!

That’s an egg bun you see there. Very supple, strong and soft at the same time. This is a quality burger. The only down was that they put a bit too much mustard and ketchup on the fucker, so it got a little messy. The Smash Sauce alone would have been fine.

The fries are incredible. They’re shoestring fuckers, but they are slightly thinner than your typical Mickey D’s girth. This makes for a nice crisp texture without going overboard like them shits at Spotted Pig (which are, essentially, Potato Stix).

SMASH BURGER
10 W 33rd St
New York, NY 10001

Midtown West, Pho, Restaurant Reviews, Thai

Obao

January 23, 2015 Johnny Prime 2 Comments

I’ll definitely be heading back to this part-Thai, part-Vietnamese joint VERY soon. My wife and I dropped in to sample some of their noodle soups. We were greeted by a gigantic bar.

But we first stated with an app of fried tofu.

These were awesome. If this is what being a loser vegetarian is like, then I’m in! They were coated with a nice and tangy lime-fish sauce, but still retained their great crisp coating.

The soups were all amazing. I had heard great things about the pho here, so I had to give that a try.

This baby was LOADED with beef brisket and eye round. You can add meatballs for an extra $2.

The pho was good, but the noodles were a bit busted up and not the best quality. When tasting it side-by-side to the bun bo hue, there was just no comparison.

This “Vietnamese ramen” was jammed up with generous portions of thick-cut, soft, juicy pork belly AND thin sliced beef brisket. The noodles were a soft, thick buckwheat style.

The tangy bun bo hue broth was contrasted with the milky-white, creamy laksa broth.

This, too, was PACKED with meat. This soup came with thick sliced pork belly and jumbo shrimp – both of which were cooked to perfection.

It’s tough for me to choose a favorite between the bun bo hue and the laksa. Regardless of which you choose, you will be a happy eater.

UPDATE 1/31/15

As promised, I returned to try some more shit. First, a pair of really nice apps.

Sambal spiced fried squid. These were really tasty. Perfectly cooked, although the breading was a little soggy due to the drizzle of fish sauce.

The other was pork rib wrapped around sugar cane. This was excellent. The meat was similar to a braised belly more than what I expect from rib meat. The sugar cane was not quite as sweet as I had hoped.

For the entrees we tried the Southeast Asian fried rice, which included shrimp, pineapple, tomato, onion, and Chinese sausage. I liked this a lot, though there were too many large pieces of tomato.

The other entree was Pad Kee Mow, or “drunken noodle.” When put up side-by-side to nearby Noodie’s version of this dish, I would shave to choose Noodies. That doesn’t mean this dish isn’t good, however. Quite the contrary – it was delicious. But Noodies has ground shrimp in the dish in addition to the chicken, so that just takes it up a notch over this one.

OBAO
647 9th Ave.
New York, NY 10036

Midtown West, Pizza

The Best Pizza

January 23, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

This little category 2 and 3 joint is on 9th Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets in Hell’s Kitchen. They serve dollar regular slices, but they also offer toppings as well for an up-charge. The dollar slice was a little doughy for my liking, but the sauce and cheese were flavorful. If you like a more filling slice due to the dough being thicker, then this is a great buy for you.

THE BEST PIZZA
748 9th Ave
New York, NY 10019

Midtown West, Restaurant Reviews, Thai

Noodies

January 22, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

Noodies is a tiny Thai joint over in Hell’s Kitchen that serves up some excellent shit. My wife and I have only ever ordered takeout for delivery, but we’ve been meaning to get in there to see how the dining experience is.

My standard order is the “drunken noodle,” which consists of bread, flat noodles, ground shrimp, chicken, fried Thai basil, Chinese broccoli, tomatoes, onions and peppers. It’s just the right amount of heat in the spice department too. Really fucking delicious, and it always satisfies.

The Thai fried rice is a real treat. It has shrimp, bacon and egg in it. So good. The tomatoes add a burst of juiciness to the dish as you get down on it.

My wife has been brave enough to try several of the “vegetarian duck” dishes. Surprisingly, these are very good, hearty and satisfying. It really eats like meat. The “material” is some kind of tofu or seitan product, cooked or marinated in a sauce of some kind that adds a ton of flavor. The curries are good, as was this noodle dish that came with a robust vegetable broth on the side incase you want to make it a soup.

My wife and I finally got a chance to eat inside as well. The inside is TINY, but nicely decorated and eclectically.

Plates and bowls fastened to the wall:

Chandeliers made from glasses and strings of glass balls:

We went for a lunch deal where you get a salad and an appetizer free with your entree. We started with some Thai iced teas. Mine was regular (on the left, prior to stirring it up) and my wife’s was lychee:

The salad was simple and light. A little watery at the bottom of the bowl, but the dressing was yummy:

We both got the steamed dumplings app, which comes with two large and dense meat-filled dumplings that are sprinkled with some crispy fried garlic and shallots:

For my entree, I picked the ba mee duck noodles. This was a generous portion size of good quality crispy fried duck breast meat atop some nicely dressed noodles and greens, with a light but tasty broth on the side:

Next time I will try the roast pork and crab meat version. This was great shit.

My wife had the vegetarian duck again, which came with a fried egg on top of the little mound of rice. This is a VERY satisfying dish despite it being meatless:

NOODIES
830 9th Ave.
New York, NY 10019

Midtown West, Rib Eye, Steakhouse Reviews

Empire Steakhouse (54th)

January 11, 2015 Johnny Prime 3 Comments

Empire Steakhouse (54th) overall score: 84

This joint is right near my apartment, so it was just a matter of time before I wandered in. I’d been to the other Empire location a while back. It was okay; room for improvement there, but I still wanted to try this other location. I went with my wife for a quick dinner. Check it out:

Flavor: 8
I had the bone-in rib eye. It had a great sear and crust on the outside, and it was cooked to a nice medium-rare on the inside. There was not one drop of bleed-out, as the steak was properly rested before it was served. Aside from a bit of gristle in one spot, this was a great cut of beef. Better than the other location (which is now closed).

Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 9
Empire covers the basics in a plentiful way. They offer porterhouse for two, three, or four; ribeye; filet; strip; and even prime rib. To top it off there are veal and lamb chops too.

Portion Size & Plating: 8
Portions here are average to good. The creamed spinach is enough for two to share at $11. Even the creme brûlée dessert is probably big enough to share. At 22-24oz, the steak is a good size too.

Price: 8
Great prices here. Our bill was just over $100 because my wife didn’t have much of an appetite.

Bar: 10
This is a great bar to hang out in. The bar room itself is beautiful, but not only is the atmosphere cool, but they have over 400 different bottles of wine and over 100 different single malt scotches – not to mention a serious bourbon and cognac selection.

Specials and Other Meats: 9
The great thing about this place is their pre-dinner price fix menu. At $49 you get a soup or salad to start, then either a filet or strip with crab cake or grilled shrimp, a side of either broccoli or mashed potatoes, and dessert. Awesome. I will definitely be back here for that deal.

Apps, Sides & Desserts: 7
Unfortunately, the chilled seafood platter missed the mark for us. The shrimp and lobster portions of the dish were just really bland and lacking in flavor. The lump crabmeat was excellent though. I noted the same problem in the review of the other location as well.

I had to drown it in their steak sauce to get some enjoyment out of it.

The creamed spinach was really good. It may have been a bit too salty, but I didn’t necessarily mind too much.

This creme brûlée is the best in the city. I’m serious. I’ve had them all over the place, and this shit was perfect. So creamy and light. Amazing texture and flavor, and just the right amount of broiled sugar on top.

Seafood Selection: 8
Aside from the chilled shellfish platter, I really can’t make an assessment on this here. The shrimp and lobster cocktail in that shellfish tower were just no good. Not rancid or “bad,” they just had no flavor whatsoever. It is my hope that, based on the greatness of the lump crabmeat, some of the other seafood selections are better. I recall liking the oysters a lot at the other location, so there’s that.

Service: 10
Our waiter, Tim, was awesome. We got to talking about cameras and photography when he noticed my camera, which he is currently in the market to get for himself. The rest of the staff were all very courteous and kind, and the service was FAST! We got our meal very quickly, and the servers were very happy to refill our plates with spinach and/or shellfish from the tower when we ran low. Decent bread basket, though not warm.

Ambiance: 7
This place was a little stale for me. I did like their private dining room, and loved the front of the house and bar, but the main dining hall was just lacking a little oomph for me. That said, does it really matter, as long as the food is good?