Kin Shop (469 6th Ave btwn 11th & 12th) / Rating: 5/10

Not super impressed. For the amount of time it took me to get a decent reservation, it should have been a) more accommodating [even with a reservation, you have to awkwardly wait in the pint size doorway area until your whole party arrives] b) more consistent [the food all sounded appealing but only 50% tasted appealing].

The Winners - appetizer: Warm Snap Peas with Diver Scallops (produce was fresh, texture was splendid); entree: Roasted Duck Breast (tender and flavorful)

The Losers - appetizer: Squid Ink & Hot Sesame Oil Soup (if you want the look and taste of the BP oil spill, this is your dish); entree/noodle dish: Egg noodle with poached duck egg + Chiang Mai Curry Noodle Soup (I love noodles and lamb but not when the combination tastes like a shoe)

I give this place a 5 out of 10.

Da Mikele (275 Church St. btwn White & Walker) / Rating: 8/10

I took an unintended sabbatical from this blog but I am recommitting to cataloging my food adventures in 2011.

Last Saturday I went to Da Mikele the newest pizza spot by Michele Iuliano (Luzzo's & Ovest) because of its location. Hillary 2009 would shudder at this "point-and-shoot" methodology (I didn't read any pre-dinner reviews!) but my approach in 2011 is to be a little more relaxed.

If Da Mikele is any indication, my approach seems to be working. When I arrived unprepared for BYOB "no problem!" was the hostesses' response, they had house wine that they would be happy to give us for free. When we got our food, every dish was as exemplary as the pizza. When I spilled the exemplary food on my shirt, the (very attractive) waiter speedily arrived with club soda.

But back to the food. We ordered a special fennel salad that was crispy and fresh, a special orechiette pasta with sausage that was perfectly al dente, a grilled octopus appetizer that I would order again and an awesome Diavolo pizza with oozing cubes of mozzerella and an ample amount of spicy salami.

The one thing that was a little confusing about Da Mikele was the decor-- half barn/half bistro, like a labrodoodle--but by the end of the meal it was growing on me.

I will definitely go back and, when I do, I'll snag the table for 10 up at the front. More people more tasting!

Pass the Pizza

The best part about moving into a new neighborhood is all of the exploration that comes with it. Where do I go to drop off my laundry? what drug stores are open past 10? and most importantly where can i get a good meal.

Gonzo answers the good meal question in so many ways: 1) that it is less then 20 paces from my doorstep 2) that there is an unassuming outdoor area where you can get an "everybody knows your name feeling" 3) the pizza's are not only good but they are economical-- on Mondays you can get two for the price of one.

Because Gonzo is very service-oriented, they allowed us to split two pizzas in half thereby creating four different pizza tasting options--a piz piz platter if you will.

We got the sopressato, the sausage, the mushroom and the shrimp. While the textures of all of them were good (the dough tasted a lot like parathea) the flavor was lacking in the shrimp iteration. That puppy need more spice. the other 3 pies though were delish. if i were to rank in order of my favorites i would go with: sausage, mushroom, soppressata and then shrimp. WE also got a praline cookie dessert which was good but not earth shattering. when i go back i have my eyes set on the dessert pizza which is smeared with nutella and whipped cream--all ingredients i find helpful to lose weight

I have to admit, I may begin trying to convince my friends to take this a regular dinner spot. This will be like small town. convenience, pizza and dessert pizzas oh my!

Macao Trading Company

My subconscious was clearly trying to tell me something when I unintentionally walked by the entrance of Macao Trading Company--twice. Macao refers to a Portuguese colony that once existed in China and therefore the menu reflects both Chinese and Portuguese influences. The militancy with which the theme is reinforced, however, is more akin to Communist China-- the words "Portuguese" and "Chinese" appear around 20 times.

The basic gist of the restaurant is that you can have dishes in equal parts Portuguese to Chinese. The first part of the menu offers a fraternal twins style of options-- dishes share a common "base" (shrimp, mushrooms, clams) but come in two different "flavors" (Portuguese & Chinese)-- while the second part of the menu contains dishes strictly cordoned off by their cultural affiliations--Portuguese or Chinese "Plates" respectively. The menu reminds me almost of Grand Sichuan where they separate American Style Chinese from Authentic Sichuan Style Chinese, except it is a hell of a lot more confusing. Not only does it jump willy nilly from Portuguese to Chinese back to Portuguese again but it also provides unhelpful descriptions, such as the classification for Shrimp Portuguese Style: "with green sauce." Indeed, when my friend turned to her menu to find out what type of cheese was in her cheese-stuffed Meatballs Portuguese Style, she was gifted with the answer: "lamb balls filled with cheese".

The menu is not the only element of the restaurant that suffers from confusion. Let's go back to that hidden front entrance. It is meant to evoke exclusivity but when I walked in I found the bar practically empty, granted it was 7pm on a rainy Monday night, it seemed a bit farcical. Also farcical was the following exchange I had with the hostess:

ME: Our party is here for our dinner reservation.
HOSTESS: Great I can get you seated. You are going to be eating downstairs in the Bar Room tonight.
ME: Actually, I'd prefer to eat up here.
HOSTESS: This is the dining room. When you make a reservation you need to specify that you would like eat in the Dining Room.
ME: I've never eaten here so I wasn't aware of that policy but isn't it implicit when someone makes a dinner reservation that they want to eat in the Dining Room?
HOSTESS: You needed to make a special request.
ME: What about those 3 open booths?
HOSTESS: Booths are reserved for parties of 6.
ME: The booth behind you has 4 people, 2 of whom are infants.
HOSTESS: Yes, they have small children so they received the larger booth.

At this point I gave up. When we got downstairs to the (empty) Bar Room we were assured it would fill up. We chose a table against the wall because we thought it would be better than the museum bench style seating at the entry way--it wasn't. In fact the only thing I could relate our seating arrangement to was Alice in Wonderland. It was as though I was a giant at a tea party. The incredibly high bench was coupled with a low vintage table that reminded me of a desk that Louisa May Alcott could have used--or maybe the repetition of "Little" in my mind led me to this conclusion. Also uncomfortable was the fact that I had to sit sideways due to the excess bars connecting the legs of the table. Woe to my friend who thought she could "squeeze" her legs in only to have them get stuck, whereupon a staff intervention occurred in order to release her.

It was all getting a little comical at this point, what with the Bar Room designation, throne-style seating and maze-like menu, but a small part of me still hoped that the food would come in strong, like that little Kerri Strug, and save the day. Alas, I'm no Bela Karolyi and I will not be able to hold up Macao's food as the key to victory because, on average, it was mediocre. Some things were delicious--Bacalao Fried Rice was soft and delightful, like eating clouds, and African Chicken (don't ask, I don't know how Africa was relevant) was moist and flavorful--but the croquettes were crispy but too soupy in the middle and the octopus was well seasoned but overcooked.

I'm sad about Macao because I wanted a new, hip fusion place--I'm not being sarcastic-- but with the number of missteps at this restaurant (I did not even get into the pornographic Asian art!), I don't think it is salvageable.

Charles

Charles is a name I have always liked. I even feel a kinship towards it (had I been born a boy you would now be reading the blog of Charles Logan Billingsley), maybe that's why I feel so offended that this restaurant is so unoriginal. I realize that truly unique restaurants are few and far between but Charles manages to rip off so many recently opened "cool" restaurants that it ends up having no personality of its own.

The copycat theme starts with the lighting (Bobo) is emphasized by the back bar (Smith's) and is driven home by the prices (Waverly Inn).

The menu is interesting enough, there were quite a few items I wanted to order: Grilled Herb Stuffed Whole Branzino, Grilled Lamb Rack with caponata & pomegranate, Pan Roasted Cod Fillet with poached san marzano tomatoes & cerignola olives, were among the few but I was disappointed to see the Charles Burger, yet another reminder of the great New American menu rip off.

We ended up deciding on two appetizers (Grilled Octopus; Endive Salad with blue cheese) and two entrees (Salmon with Citrus Salsa and a special Stuffed Red Snapper). The food was good--octopus was flavorful and served in full tentacle form, salad was fine, snapper tasted moist and must have been cooked sous vide and the salmon was meaty with a nice char on the outside--but for the price ( mid teens for apps and $30+ per main course) it was not special enough.

Long Waits, Delicious Plates

I went to the new Inoteca in Gramercy--word to the wise: bring your patience as well as your appetite. My friend and I arrived on time for a 9pm Tuesday reservation and were not seated until 9:45. I could have spent my time complaining to the hostess but there was also a wait for that. Instead I passed the time alternatively talking to my friend and protecting my body from stray elbows and misplaced feet of waiters and diners alike. Indeed, the restaurant was in such chaos that at one point, I looked into the dining room only to see the manager lunging toward an office chair (the ugly swiveling/adjustable type) that a waiter had hastily fetched in order to seat a party of four at a table meant for three.
All of that said, the food was delicious. The octopus was tender and served in their tentacle entirety, the arugula salad with bresaola tasted fresh and had a lemon flavor to it that was not overpowering, and the meatballs were a nice hearty size and consistency. The menu itself was filled with appealing items--paninis, pastas, cured meats, cheeses--and I will most likely go back once the hype has settled down. For now, however, I will stick to the original LES location where I can wait without fear of bodily harm and traveling furniture.