Getting "Red"-dy
...But we now have a new chef, who is putting his on take on items we already had, such as fried calamari and chili, and coming up with some new grub, such as a fried pickle spears appetizer (served with chipotle mayo!) and the teriyaki-glazed pan-seared salmon I recently posted about.... [Full Post]
Ooze and Ahs
...the meal-sized, hot sandwich showcased the best of its ingredients and their harmony. Juicy, tender chicken, coated in crispiness nicely tinged with cayenne pepper, supported nicely by the aromatic jalapeno jack cheese, which as by its nature creamy enough when melted to slightly temper the heat, all heightened by crispy, vinegary red cabbage slaw and the proper crunchiness of the grilled, buttered toast to give every part of the mouth—every taste bud and tooth—something to enjoy with each bite.... [Full Post]
Maine Stay
Luke's Lobster (UES) | 242 East 81st St. (bet. 2nd & 3rd Aves.) | 212.249.4241 | lukeslobster.com | 
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Oh. Mah. Jong!
....My favorites were the Spanish Breakfast (you had me at "chorizo", then kept me at "runny, poached egg"!), and the Run Forrest, with its simple prep, letting the shrimp flavor flow through the tender, only slightly toothsome dumpling skin, complimented nicely by the mellowed citrus kick of the tomato salsa, and needing only the smallest dip into the the side dipping sauce.... [Full Post]
Trash Is Now A Greater Treasure
...This is the beautiful kind of tender, juicy, flavorful burger that requires you to eat it over your plate as the burger's clear juices run over your fingers and down your chin. It will force me to reconfigure my top NYC burger list, but not while I was enjoying it. Even the bright but not too sweet or sour pickles were a pleasure.... [Full post]
For Kristen
...I needed to head to the supermarket for some 85/15 ground beef, and make a plain and simple bacon cheeseburger, medium rare, with American cheese, bacon, a slice of raw onion, a leaf of Boston lettuce, and a quick and easy burger sauce (tomato paste, mustard, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce, cider vinegar, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, fresh cracked pepper, and salt).... [Full post]
Tuna Fish Can Can
...So the drained tuna got stirred with my default mixings of mayo, a little bit of mustard, some lemon juice, chopped onions, salt and pepper. Instead, however, of using relish, I chopped up some jalapeños from the jar in my fridge.... [Full post]
Too Much Of A Good Thing
...The lightly buttered, toasted bread a more than capable dais on which to perch its tasty ingredients. The shrimp was prepared perfectly, firm but not tough. The cooling crab was nicely flaky and lumpy and full of deep sea taste. The lobster was so fresh you it took us out of the city and somewhere where sea mists cooled off our faces.... [Full post]
Luke's Is On A Roll
...Save a few gems, dining in his area was serviceable at best, offering a paucity of variety in types of cuisine and too many inconsistent purveyors if each. I was getting tired of having to travel down to the Lower East Side/East Vilalge for authentic dishes of arepas, currywurst, Italian roast pork, artisinal pizza, a decent plate of meatballs, and, yes, a yummy lobster roll... [Full Post]
Luke's Is On A Roll
...I was first impressed with the impact of genuine Maine lobster flavor, even with it seeming to be minimally seasoned, though seasoned quite properly. The tail and claw meat chunks were firm yet tender, moist, and were well served by an evenly and lightly toasted bun, and an extra dash (after a few bites) of their "secret" seasoning, cutely contained in a lobster claw-shaped dispenser.... [Full post]
Branching Out West
...Both apps (yes, we shared of course) were quite good, a step up from the kind of finger food you get at upscale corporate dinner functions (is that really a complimemt?). The grougeres—I hardly expected so may—were lighter in texture and taste than they looked, with the taste of Cheddar hit the taste buds last without any of the texture of cheese.... [Full post]
Fond of Defonte's
... No pimply-faced, faux slacker "sandwich artists" here; the real art obviously happens in the kitchen, and the proof is in the ingredients' presentation, and in the exquisite smell of the place: more like a kitchen and less like a store. They were even baking cookies from scratch during my visit!.... [Full post]
