Casellula

I hardly ever see J. And by 'hardly ever', I mean about twice a year. But our outings are always happy occasions where we play catch up over really good food.

Neither of us know how to choose wine, so we opted for red, answered a few of the waiter's questions, and ignorantly agreed to a glass of his recommendation: Terra Andina Reserva, a Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile (2008). I actually loved it.

Their tapas menu isn't large, but it's still difficult to choose. We didn't even attempt the cheese menu, but cheese lovers would probably have a ball. In the end, we settled on a "medium" and two "large" dishes: Chicken Liver Paté, Meatloaf Shepherd's Pie, & BBQ Chicken Sliders. I highly recommend the paté - if you like paté, that is. It was topped with crème fraîche, with a side of fig marmalade. The fig was so refreshing against the paté, making the contrasting combination completely delectable.


I'm not a meat-eater, but the mashed potatoes completely lured me in, and I had to at least try the meatloaf. It was so soft, it really was like pie. The beer braised onions gave off somewhat of a sour taste though, that I didn't entirely love. I was most surprised that the sliders were easy to eat. They were neat, with just enough bbq flavor to make a civilized burger. Loved the jicama slaw. The only thing I was kinda upset about was the fact that there was a big ole bone in one of my sliders. That puts quite a bummer in the eating experience. ps. I attempted to try the pickled jalapenos (first bite of the meal!), but one little nibble of a slice burned my mouth until dessert.


Which brings me to...dessert! Our tummies had just enough space to share a plate of the Pumpkin Ice Cream Sandwich. Pecan Crunch. Bourbon Caramel. Cinnamon Wafers. Uh yeah, you should try this.

The place is tiny - smaller than my living room - but luckily we didn't have to wait for a table. They don't take reservations, so it's probably best to go on a random weekday, with a really small crowd.

Thanx N for the great recommendation!

Casellula
401 W 52nd St
(btwn 9th & 10th Ave)

5 Napkin Burger

How many times have I walked past this restaurant heading to PA after a filling Thai dinner?! Many.


So I was pretty excited when B chose this as his belated b-day lunch outing :) He went with the Original 5 Napkin Burger, which he declared really was the best burger in town. I and I split the Italian Turkey Burger (pictured) and Milanese Chicken Tenders. M decided on the Pork Taquitos (pictured), and we all shared some yummy tuscan fries and tater tots (which are nothing like what you'd expect tater tots to be. nothing.). I went all out and even ordered a vanilla milkshake (and if I could have dairy, I would've been all over that)!

Everything was exquisitely yummy. I can't wait to go back and eat more fries.

five napkin burger
630 9th Avenue
(@ 45th St)

Kyotofu

Let me tell you - It was REALLY difficult sitting there with everyone, and NOT ordering a dessert dish for myself. :( After coming off an incredibly filling, Italian meal, there was just no way. But thank goodness I have great friends (& family!) that SHARE. =D


A went with the: warm mochi chocolate cake / kuromitsu creme anglaise, green tea shiro-an, candied violets. The waiter saved us from drinking the creme anglaise. =P

Before L could even finish saying "warm sweet potato cake"[satsumaimo, vanilla bean ice cream, pecan tuile], the waiter had already chosen it as the recommended dish - it was just THAT good. Really, it was.

E decided on the raspberry lychee "anmitsu" / housemade mochi, agar, langue du chat - always a yummy dessert dish :)

J spent the entire night trying to figure out which "daily selection" housemade sorbets [served with Kyotofu cookies] he actually got. One was obviously peach, and another passion fruit, but the third was a mystery. Once again, the waiter saved the day and informed us that the "funky"-tasting one was cranberry yuzu.


I'm surprised the waiter was still in good spirits at the end of the night, after we tortured him so -.-; It wasn't bad enough that I didn't order anything, but I also (accidentally!!) elbowed him in the stomach. GOMENASAI!

Kyotofu
705 ninth avenue
(between 48th and 49th)

"thank you"

Despite the fact that they completely screwed up our order delivery the first time we tried this place, everyone else still gave it so much praise, I decided to try it for myself. I went with the SHREDDED BRAISED CHICKEN, and it was much larger than I anticipated! Needless to say, I ate this for two days. The chicken tasted really good, as expected, but my intense dislike of parsley (and the immense amounts of it in the sandwich), put me off. Attempts to pick it out were met with difficulty, but even more difficult was trying to eat the sandwich - it's SO MESSY! Although I'd recommend this place, I probably won't be ordering lunch from them again - I like to avoid messiness, thank you very much :p





Xie Xie
645 Ninth Ave

Thailand Restaurant

Despite it's super unoriginal name, the Thailand Restaurant serves some pretty good food. They also sensed our urgency to eat and leave, and served our curry dishes at lightning speed. I had the Massaman curry with veggie duck - an interesting concoction that tasted good, albeit nothing like duck. It's not the best Thai I've had, but I'd go back.


Thailand Restaurant
856 10th Ave
(b/t 56th St & 57th St)

wondee siam 2

There are no less than 5 Thai restaurants within a three-block span down ninth avenue, and this is one I'd recommend. In all honesty, I have no idea what time we showed up to this place. It was unplanned and visited out of convenience after a long bout of drinks at Bar Nine. But it sure hit the spot! I had a craving for some good ole Pad Thai, and it was quite yummy :) I was amused by the cone-shaped rice, so I had to take a photo :p












Wondee Siam II
813 Ninth Ave.
(near 54th)

YUM YUM

is YUMYUM ;p


Yum Yum Bangkok is a choice place to fill your Thai food cravings. I could've gone for some Pad Thai, but decided on the King Chicken instead - oh what a good choice that was! Grilled chicken smothered in an ample amount of peanut sauce (!!!), with side of curry rice. The peanut sauce was mixed in with some red curry sauce, giving it just a tinge of spice - the perfect amount to be tasty without firing up your mouth. Free refills on the hot jasmine tea was much appreciated in the 30 degree weather, though I probably could've done without the odd sea video.


Yum Yum Bangkok
650 9th Ave (b/t 45th + 46th)
(Not to be confused with the Yum Yum 3 less than a block away)