Newcomer Ginny’s Supper Club is one of your many Easter options.

Seems like these spring holidays always sneak up: One day it’s freezing and then suddenly Easter (not to mention Passover) is upon us. If, like us, you’ve been too busy (read: lazy) to get around to making any plans yet, here are some places where you might enjoy an Easter meal — be it Italian, Greek, lamb-y, or boozy. As of today, all of these places still had tables left; scope out the options straight ahead.

Ai Fiori
400 Fifth Ave., 2nd fl., at 36th St.; 212-695-4005
When: 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
What: Ai Fiori’s Easter offering will include a four-course prix fixe menu with four options available for each course. Seafood options — butter-poached Nova Scotia lobster with root-vegetable fondant and château-chalon sauce; and line-caught atlantic halibut with baby romaine, guanciale, white-bean purée, and lemon jus — will also be available.
Price: $94 per person

Aquavit
65 E. 55th St., nr. Madison Ave.; 212-307-7311
When: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
What: Make your way around the abundant seasonal spread for deviled eggs, pickled-beet salad, Swedish meatballs, cheese pie, and much more. Smörgåsbord favorites, like herring and salmon, will line the table in many variations. Top it all off with traditional Swedish Easter sweets.
Price: $65 per person

A Voce Columbus
10 Columbus Cir., 3rd fl., at Broadway; 212-823-2523
When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
What: A Voce Columbus will celebrate Easter Sunday with a special prix fixe brunch menu, in addition to its regular menu items.
Price: $50

Bistro The Tea Set
235 W 12th St., nr. Greenwich Ave.; 646-476-8731
When: 10 a.m. to midnight
What: The Tea Set will feature an Easter three-course prix fixe menu, first course being a Lavender Vodka cocktail. Diners can then sink their teeth into the restaurant’s light and creative take on the traditional lamb dish: Grilled Rack of Lamb over a bed of house-made tabouli with refreshing flavors of mint and parsley basking in lip-puckering lemon and olive oil. And for dessert, macarons, bien sur.
Price: $34 per person

Bouley Restaurant
163 Duane St., nr. Hudson St.; 212-964-2525
When: 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
What: Bouley will offer a spectacular Easter Sunday feast. The menus will showcase the freshest, most seasonal ingredients for a spirited medley of truly celebratory dishes — so seasonal, in fact, that the menu will not be known until the day of!
Price: À la carte

Fishtag
222 West 79th St., nr. Broadway; 212-362-7470 ?
When: Noon to 10 p.m.
What: Guests can order from a special Easter-themed menu for brunch or dinner. For brunch, Fishtag will offer a spring-leek omelet, leek-top fondutta, patatas bravas ($12); and Stuffed Leg of Lamb with baby asparagus and smoky Hollandaise ($16). For dinner, “Red” Easter Egg pickled and deviled, white anchovy, romesco ($9); Lamb Trio, grilled lamb ribs, stuffed leg, and house-made Merguez with roasted eggplant puree, baby leeks, skordalia ($30); and Greek honey cake, amaretto crunch gelato ($8) options will be available.
Price: À la carte

Ginny’s Supper Club
310 Lenox Ave., nr. 125th St.; 212-792-9001
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
What: Ginny’s inaugural Easter celebration will begin with a full Gospel choir performing during brunch on Easter Sunday. As the choir performs, guests can enjoy the special dishes that have been crafted for the occasion including pain perdu, duck hash, steak and eggs, and chicken and waffles.
Price: À la carte

Jones Wood Foundry
401 East 76th St., nr. 1st Ave.; 212.249.2700
When: Brunch, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; dinner, 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
What: The Brit gastropub will serve a special of roast leg of lamb with potato gratin, house-made mint sauce, and red currant jelly at $18, in addition to its regular à la carte brunch and dinner menus.
Price: À la carte

La Mangeoire
1008 Second Ave., nr. 53rd St.; 212-759-7086
When: Noon to 4:30 p.m.
What: Join chef Christian Delouvrier and for his French Country cooking, and enjoy grilled Cornish hen with bitter radicchio, shallot and a fresh herb; or eggs Benedict served with a choice of Canadian bacon or house-smoked salmon alongside Yukon gold potatoes, caramelized onions, and asparagus tips.
Price: $38 per person

La Promenade des Anglais
461 West 23rd, nr. Tenth Ave.; 212-255-7400
When: Brunch, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Dinner, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
What: Chef and owner Alain Allegretti has designed four Easter specials in addition to their à la carte. Dishes include tomato-and-goat-cheese-crusted roasted lamb with prosciutto, earthy fava beans, artichokes, Boston lettuce, and lamb jus, and a rich Black tagliolini prepared with Serrano chili, shrimp, and sea urchin.
Price: À la carte

Lincoln Ristorante
142 W. 65th St., nr. Broadway; 212-359-6500
When: Brunch: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Dinner: 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
What: Serenity awaits at the glass-enclosed, light-drenched dining room at Lincoln. Festivities begin at brunch with a braided sweet, rich Easter bread from pastry chef Richard Capizzi. On the savory side, Chef Jonathan Benno decorates his menu with Spring Lamb, a must for any Italian Easter, with a leg of lamb with ramps, and rosemary fingerling potatoes topped with a lamb jus. Milk, white, and dark chocolate eggs will be given to all children.
Price: Brunch, $32 two-course prix fixe; Dinner, $70 four-course tasting menu and à la carte options

Lupa Osteria Romana
170 Thompson St., nr. Houston St.; 212-982-5089
When: 11:30 a.m. to 10:45 p.m.
What: A Roman-style Pasqua celebration will feature a four-course menu with two to three options for each course, including Slow Roasted Vermont Baby Lamb, Hunter’s Style Bird with Pancetta and Forest Mushrooms, and Roasted Black Sea Bass with Charred Ramps & Fava Beans.
Price: $75.00 per person, $120 with wine; children’s options available

Lyon
118 Greenwich Ave., nr. Jane St.; 212-242-5966
When: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
What: Lyon in the West Village will offer a specialty three-course pre-fixe menu in addition to its regular à la carte menu items. Entrees include roasted lamb; salade composee; seared salmon with quinoa, wild rice, spinach, and aged balsamic; Benedict; steak-frites; and artichoke ravioli with arugula pesto. A kids’ menu will also be available.
Price: $39 per person; children’s options available

The National
8 Rivington St., nr. Bowery; 212-777-2177
When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
What: Hop on over for Easter Brunch with The National and GODIVA. Chef Geoffrey Zakarian and Executive Chef Paul Corsentino add a modern spin to classic bistro dishes such as Herb Risotto, Steak Tartare with Quail Egg, Leg of Lamb, and Trofie Pasta.
Price: $45; à la carte options also available

Neely’s Barbecue Parlor
1125 First Ave., at 62nd St.; 212-832-1551
When: Brunch, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Dinner, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
What: Neely’s Barbecue Parlor is hosting a live gospel brunch on Easter Sunday, which makes for a thrilling soundtrack to Executive Chef Wade Burch’s soulful Easter specials. Kids can also enjoy complimentary Easter-bunny cookie pops.
Price: À la carte

North End Grill
104 North End Ave., nr. Vesey St.; 646-747-1600
When: 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
What: The grill will offer a three-course meal with five choices per course, which will include selections from their regular menu as well as Easter specials. Vegetarian options will also be available.
Price: $55 prix fixe; children’s menu available

Red Rooster Harlem
310 Lenox Ave., nr. 125th St.; 212-792-9001
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
What: Red Rooster Harlem will celebrate Easter with veteran Gospel singer Boncella Lewis on hand to pay tribute to music, food, and spirituality. The restaurant will feature their brunch specialties on Easter Sunday including Rooster Scrambled Eggs and French Toast with Nutella Whip.
Price: À la carte

Smoke Jazz and Supper Club Lounge
2751 Broadway, nr. 106th St.; 212-864-6662
When: 7 p.m., 9 p.m., 10:30 p.m.
What: Enjoy Executive Chef Patricia Williams’ refined comfort food, such as Lamb Sliders with Pinot Noir red-onion marmalade, to the sound of vocalist Annette St. John, and more.
Price: À la carte

Thymari
32-07 34th Ave., nr. 32nd St.; 718-204-2880
When: Noon to 11 p.m.
What: Thymari celebrates Greek Orthodox Easter on Sunday, April 15, with a special Easter menu that features traditional lamb dishes and other Greek Easter delicacies.
Price: À la carte

Veselka Bowery
9 E. 1st St., nr. Bowery; 212-387-7000
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
What: For a heartier Easter brunch of the meat variety, Veselka Bowery will offer a four-course prix fixe menu featuring an assorted smoked-meat platter and either braised lamb shank with mint sauce and scalloped potatoes, sweet-potato spoon bread & haricot verts; or Baczynsky’s smoked glazed ham with roasted red-bliss potatoes, sweet-potato spoon bread & asparagus.
Price: $38 per person; the special will also be available without the appetizer at Veselka’s Bowery location for $28

Wall & Water
75 Wall St., nr. Water St.; 212-590-1234
When: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
What: To celebrate Easter this Sunday, the restaurant will be offering a delicious farm-to-table menu. In addition, Wall & Water will also be converting their Private Dining Room into an Easter Room for children complete with coloring, egg painting and holiday cartoons.
Price: $50 per person; half price for children 6 to 12 years old and complimentary for children under 6 years old.

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Filed Under: grub guides, easter

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Ryan Sutton is unimpressed with the service and noisy atmosphere at Il Buco Alimentari and Vineria, where he “almost walked out.” However, despite spotty service and a long wait for a table, he calls the ribs “epic,” and the pastas “Sicily in a bowl.” Sutton recommends the foie gras, quail, or fried rabbit, which he says, “requires persistent and satisfying finger licking.” [Bloomberg]

Steve Cuozzo admits that the new ACME “tastes better than most,” adding “it’s flawed but quasi-fabulous.” Acme’s tender Maine lobster “dazzled with hedgehog and black trumpet mushrooms,” writes Cuozzo, adding, “Don’t be afraid of beer and bread porridge, a bleak-sounding but sparkling affair sprinkled with nutmeg and anchored by a ball of caramel ice cream.” [NYP]

Tables for Two wines and dines at Soho’s Rouge et Blanc, where “preparation is imaginative, and presentation often exquisite.” “A mildly spiced Vietnamese sausage is loosely formed around a licorice-root stick, like an upscale corn dog,” writes Leo Carey, but “[t]he star of the show is a whole rouget, served dorsal fin upward as if the fish were still swimming.” [NYer]

Betsy Andrews checks out Brooklyn’s Pete Zaaz, where pizzas are prepared as “crazy-quilt, globalist style as No. 7’s dishes and subs.” At Pete Zaaz, the “[R]esults are smart and charming,” writes Andrews, “restless creativity means menu changes — a fairly uncommon phenomenon in a pie shop.” She recommends the Brooklyn Pizza ($13), which she calls “[A] basic but expert marriage of tangy sauce; soft, sweet house-made mozzarella; and aromatic marjoram sprigs.” [NYT]

Pete Wells loves RedFarm, where “the menu has been tailored for a Western palate, with none of the bland and slippery specialties that non-Chinese eaters find so enigmatic.” He particularly enjoys the dumplings, though he also likes “a plate of snow-pea leaves,” “the dessert of carved fruit in light ginger syrup,” and “as many glasses of water as you can manage” to balance your palate and favor-packed meal. He gives the restaurant two stars. [NYT]

Wells also samples Pok Pok Wing. “The wings ($12.49 for a full order or $7.25 for a half) seem to have an extra measure of meat on them, which makes them more filling in theory,” he writes. “But in practice, that does not stop anybody from chewing on the bones, gnawing on the crunchy wing tips and then licking the garlic, fish sauce and caramel from their fingers.” [NYT]

Robert Sietsema takes a table at Mercado on Kent, where he has mixed opinions. “If the restaurant’s menu confined itself to small dishes, it would be an unqualified triumph,” he writes. He’s not keen on Mercado’s attempt at entrées such as the chicken stew, about which he says, “I don’t care whose mother’s recipe this is — it’s not very good.” However, he does comment on the un-Basque chorizo burger ($14) served with homemade potato chips, calling it “the best entrée.” [VV]

Lauren Shockey stops into Talde, where “[A]ll the grub is served family-style on kitschy plastic plates adorned with Far Eastern motifs.” She calls the Saigon crêpes ($12) “awesomely good,” and says to “double up on shellfish with an order of the classic shrimp toast ($11).” Though she’s so-so on the fried chicken ($23) and the pork shoulder ($18), she does recommend the restaurant’s pad Thai, made with bacon and deep-fried oysters ($15). [VV]

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Filed Under: the other critics, acme, il buco alimentari, pete zaaz, pok pok wing, redfarm, rouge et blanc, talde

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Ryan Sutton writes that at Takashi, “where diners squirt cow brains out of toothpaste tubes, you might have to wait 4 1/2 hours for a table.” So is it worth it? Sutton calls the Japanese barbeque cuisine “unparalleled in its breadth of bovine off-cuts.” Try the “chewy and delicious” Tongue Experience, or the shank, which Sutton dubs “required eating.” [Bloomberg]

Steve Cuozzo is foreshadowing the fall of “neurogastronomic” bistro Romera, noting that the basement restaurant has been “lonely,” and adding that “[s]everal well-known chefs say they’ve been approached about taking over the space.” Cuozzo writes that the “insanely expensive” $125 and up prix fixe menu, and “awful-tasting” flavored waters may have contributed to Romera’s pitfalls. [NYP]

“Tables for Two” steps into Brooklyn’s Battersby this week, where the restaurant’s four-course dinner menu changes on a day-to-day basis. “To turn out anything beyond buffalo wings in a space this small is remarkable,” writes Amelia Lester, “that the food is this good makes it all the more so.” She enjoyed the Triggerfish with an aromatic vegetable broth, which she called “the hit of the night,” as well as the “already Yelp-famous” puréed potatoes. [NYer]

Ligaya Mishan visits authentic Thai spot, Ngam, for this week’s $25 and Under pick. At Ngam, the “food is not pure Thai, the kind you find in the firepots of Woodside, Queens,” writes Mishan. Instead, “it takes Western notions about food and accommodates them, while staying true to the Thai palate.” The rustic chicken soup is “clear and consoling,” but you can skip the corn chowder, which “bears little resemblance to its namesake.” The critic’s pick? The “whole branzino (market price), deep-fried and curled on the plate as if biting its own tail.” [NYT]

Pete Wells takes a table at Tribeca’s Jungsik, where, unlike other Korean restaurants in town, “the food is plated, and plated with a vengeance, with bits of this and that marching in neat, colorful chorus lines across expansive white plates.” Regarding the upscale cooking and over-the-top service, Wells writes, “In the shadows of refinement, though, lurk dullness and pretension, and Jungsik sometimes slips into one or the other.” [NYT]

Robert Sietsema visits Chinese spot Coluck, a hidden and unmarked eatery in the Chinatown Arcade. After a series of visits and a number of “strange” dishes, Sietsema comes to the conclusion that “they’ll feed you cheaply and copiously with foods that seem like a merging of neighborhood Chinese and the cooking of a culinarily challenged English mom who, strapped for time, pulls a box of prefab something or other out of the pantry.” [VV]

Lauren Shockey stops into two banh mi joints this week: Sao Mai and Xe May. “While Sao Mai dishes up the classics, the tiny Xe May Sandwich Shop, a few blocks away on St. Marks Place, is decidedly 21st century.” At Soa Mai, “get down with the grilled chicken ($12), super moist and singing with carbonized char,” she writes. And at Xe May, “the most intriguing menu items? The banh mi tacos ($2.50).” [VV]

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Filed Under: the other critics, battersby, coluck, jung sik, ngam, romera, sao mai, takashi, xe may

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Ryan Sutton calls Taavo Somer’s Isa “endearingly odd, if a bit self-important.” He likes the vibe and the “primitive modern” food (plating is “precise yet natural, as if a forest floor was tidied up by an interior designer”), even if there is a yoga studio upstairs and, some nights, “menus are Magic Markered in the same, hard- to-read script as high school Battle of the Bands flyers.” [Bloomberg]

Steve Cuozzo proclaims, “I told you so!” today, listing off a bunch of places that he’s hated, which are now closing. See ya later, Walle, Le Caprice, and Nuela. [NYP]

Tables for Two also reviews Isa this week. Silvia Killingsworth writes, “the over-all feeling is that of a hippie ski cabin,” but “[t]he food is anything but rustic.” She’s into the restaurant’s whole-squid entrée, as well as its “less challenging options: ‘ham,’ ‘cheese,’ and ‘wings in sticky caramel,’” calling those wings “easy to understand and even easier to eat, if a couple of notches too sweet.” [NYer]

Oliver Strand stops in for a bite at Caffe Bene, a recently opened Korean-import coffeehouse near Times Square. He describes the joint as “a supersize independent shop: two hulking Marzocco GB5s are staffed by baristas who skillfully pull shots, steam milk and serve drinks with a cheerful, Have a bene day!” But, “On the bewildering side: so many pastries, so few worth it,” he continues. At Bene, he says it’s “Better to keep it simple. Get a waffle and a misugaru latte, or an Americano ($2.25), the order of choice in Seoul.” [NYT]

As we told you yesterday, Pete Wells takes on Shake Shack: “To answer two obvious questions right away: Yes, I would give stars to a hamburger stand. No, probably not four stars.” Wells says the burgers can be inconsistent, and the fries are awful, but he’s into the custard and the service. [NYT]

Wells also visits Allswell in Brooklyn: “When I tasted little canapés he had made of spicy chard stems wrapped in ultrathin bacon, I didn’t want the recipe. I wanted to pass a law making it illegal to cook chard leaves without doing this to the stems.” Too bad the good times didn’t last: “A meal in early December hit its marks all around, but at a second dinner in early February, some dishes made me wonder if maybe [a] television had been installed in the kitchen.” [NYT]

Robert Sietsema stops in for a slice at pizzeria Barboncino, where, he says, the “small pies often flaunt big flavors and can be a buck or two cheaper than similar products in Manhattan.” He adds that starters “are totally predictable, and that’s how it should be.” But make sure you get the peppers, which are “glistening with olive oil in pretty shades of red and yellow.” [VV]

Lauren Shockey reviews Caffe Storico, where “One of the best starters happens to be the most expensive: a $16 portion of lightly fried, intensely sweet langoustines, served with tart pink grapefruit and ricotta.” Her favorite dishes are the ricotta cavatelli with lobster and mushrooms, and the artichoke mezzaluna with porcinis.” [VV]

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Filed Under: the other critics, allswell, barboncino, caffe bene, caffe storico, isa, le caprice, nuela, shake shack, walle

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Ryan Sutton has mixed impressions of Saxon + Parole, and writes that it’s “where New Yorkers become unwitting participants in blind beverage tastings,” adding “You become suspicious when they don’t even offer a standard taste before making you buy one of those wallet drainers.” “Order a $14 Four Graces pinot noir for some acid balance,” he suggests, “or muscle up and knock back a spicy Manhattan on draught and the $18 burger.” Regarding the Blue Point oysters, he says, “you might find yourself grinding bits of shell and sand.” [Bloomberg]

Steve Cuozzo is unimpressed by Bowery Diner, where he says, “A huge wall photo shows an old subway car being dumped into the sea,” adding, “Better they deep-six the menu, which mingles burgers and whelks.” He continues, “Although pricier than a true diner, the lineup’s at least reasonable enough. And straightforward desserts hit the spot — sweet, unpretentious and perfectly turned out, especially crisp-crusted cherry pie. But they’re too few, too late.” [NYP]

Pete Wells calls Il Buco Alimentari and Vineria “New York’s most complete realization so far of a powerful myth: the simple and convivial spot that tastes just like Italy,” adding, “there were a dozen little tastes that made me fall for this restaurant.” He continues by saying, “The work they are doing now, […] is the kind of exceptional reward Manhattan bestows on people who are stubborn, tireless and have the right timing.”
[NYT]

Julia Moskin visits the recently opened Machiavelli, which she says “is like visiting a museum of Italian food — complete with long-winded exhibition catalogs.” She notes, “It’s possible to have a lovely evening and a very good meal here,” but adds, “With high prices across the board, it’s equally possible to leave feeling underwhelmed by bland food and listless servers.” [NYT]

Robert Sietsema also stops into Bowery Diner this week, where he says “the menu’s bedrock is seven hamburgers, priced about twice what you’d expect to pay in a diner. Nevertheless, the hamburger deluxe ($14) is opulently good.” He also prefers the French onion soup ($9), but calls the clam chowder “less satisfactory.” [VV]

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Ryan Sutton finds that at Eleven Madison Park, the “telepathic wait staff” and “luxe Art Deco space” haven’t changed with Danny Meyer’s departure. He takes on the seventeen-course, wine-paired $340 tasting menu, and while the critic thoroughly enjoys the foie gras and lemon lobster, he calls the dry-aged duck for two, “the belt-loosening deal closer.” [Bloomberg]

Steve Cuozzo outlines a number of “fancy but affordable” eateries, where restaurantgoers can save a few bucks by “dinging outside the box.” At Boulud Sud, guests can get away with a few appetizers and a large soup, and at Bar Boulud around the corner, “three charcuterie items plus one order of pommes frites will do for two.” At Kibo he suggests the “robata lineup,” while at La Promenade des Anglais, “you can have a grand meal starting with one of chef Alain Allegretti’s signature creations, Provencale fish soup” ($14). At SD26 he prefers the half-portions of the “jumbo”-size dishes, meanwhile at T-Bar Steak & Lounge, he prefers the appetizers or burgers. Lastly, when dining at the Mark, “you can spend little more than at nearby diners if you go with starters, salads, pizza (not the strongest category) and splendid pasta in half-portions.” [NYP]

Tables for Two visits Ciano, where “the service can be more than sloppy,” but “who cares if a Martini lands in your lap when the food on your plate tastes like heaven?” The restaurant’s wine cellar “runs the gamut and offers an extensive list of half bottles.” To start, try the veal meatballs, “so earthy they give dirt a good name,” and finish with Honeycrisp Napoleon, which boasts an “unexpected kick of spiced apple.” [NYer]

Dave Cook enjoys the “mouth-watering” chili at farm-to-table joint and meat market Butcher Bar, saying the “string beans sautéed with onion, garlic and bacon are terrific.” Dry-rubbed St. Louis ribs are “great,” and Chef Orlando Sanchez’s pork chops “take a simple Greek approach.” [NYT]

Pete Wells checks out Catskills offshoot Kutsher’s Tribeca. He writes, “when the kitchen isn’t trying too hard, Kutsher’s turns all the jokes about Jewish cooking upside down.” While “the pink, soft, delicately hot-smoked veal tongue; the peppery, cold-smoked pastrami of duck breast; and the chopped chicken and duck liver, all repay the effort,” The gefilte fish “is the most striking example of overcompensation I’ve ever tasted, and the blandest.” [NYT]

Robert Sietsema loves the pickle platter at Coney Island’s Kavkaz, as well as kebab “made from big oily swatches of sturgeon, which absorbs smoke like all get-out and arrives thoughtfully strewn with raw onions and fresh dill.” At the Central Asian restaurant, he also enjoys the fresh “stuffed grape leaves (dolma, $9),” and the “Mutton eggs,” which “refers somewhat evasively to some impressively large and undoubtedly semen-filled sheep testicles.” [VV]

Lauren Shockey stops into Pulqueria, where “it doesn’t take much to get sloshed — especially after you realize pulque is stronger than beer and you’ve already chugged three of ‘em.” The restaurant’s “namesake is served in its natural glory ($6), but the infusions ($12) are the way to go.” With regard to the food, she writes, “definitely skip the vegetables escabeche ($7, meh) and all the tacos ($11) — especially the tongue one, oily and bland ($12). The food is certainly better here than you might expect, but the libations are what will lure you back.” [VV]

Jordana Rothman also visits Kutsher’s Tribeca this week, and likes the veal tongue and pastrami. In contrast to some of her critic colleagues, she enjoyed the “lacy potato latkes (topped with caviar if you wish) and an opulent gefilte fish revision with wild halibut, beet-horseradish tartare and tendrils of micro-greens.” Instead, she dislikes the “leaden black-and-white cookie ice cream sandwich and cloying babka bread pudding,” calling them “missteps that verged on parody.” [TONY]

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Filed Under: the other critics, butcher bar, ciano, eleven madison park, kavkaz, kutsher’s tribeca

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Super Bowl Sunday is a bad day to be a chicken.

For some, the Super Bowl is about watching two great football teams have at it in the culmination of a terrific season. And even though Grub Street loves football — go Giants! — the fact is: The Super Bowl is really all about the food. There’s no other day when it’s acceptable — even expected — for people to pile their plates with wings, chili, chips, salsa, guac, burgers, and hot dogs, most likely all at the same time. It’s the American way! Lucky for us, chefs around the city are more than happy to help with the revelry. We’ve rounded up the two dozen most awesome-sounding football-food venues in the city (and even mapped them), so all you have to do is find your favorite, place your order, and enjoy the action.

Bark Hot Dogs
474 Bergen St., nr. Flatbush Ave.; 718-789-1939
The Package: Bark & Sixpoint Tailgate
Highlights: Unlimited Sixpoint ales, pre-game snacks, tailgate classics, choucroute garnie, shells and cheese, bark nachos, and more
Price: $75 per person
Dine-in or Take-out: Dine-in
Reserve by: Sunday. Call 718-789-1939 or e-mail events@barkhotdogs.com

La Birreria
200 Fifth Ave., at 23rd St.; 212-229-2560
The Package: American Football Needs Italian Food & Beer at La Birreria
Highlights: Eight flat-screen TVs, unlimited traditional Italian dishes, and unlimited Moretti beer
Price: $100 per person
Dine-in or Take-out: Dine-in
Reserve by: Sunday. Call 212-539-0204, Ext. 304; or e-mail privatedining@eataly.com

Blue Smoke
116 E. 27th St., nr. Park Ave. South; 212-447-7733
255 Vesey St., nr. North End Ave; 212-889-2005
The Package: Super Bowl at Blue Smoke
Highlights: $5 bottles of Brooklyn Lager, $5 bottles of Sam Adams, and $16 pitchers of draft beer
Price: Varies
Dine-in or Take-out: Dine-in
Reserve by: Sunday. Call 212-447-6058

Buttermilk Channel
524 Court St., nr. Huntington St.; 718-852-8490
The Package: Fried chicken and ribs
Highlights: Eight-ounce bag of maple & bacon roasted almonds ($10), fried half-chicken ($13), baby back ribs: half rack ($13) or full rack ($24), and sides by the quart ($6)
Price: Varies
Dine-in or Take-out: Take-out
Reserve by: Before Sunday; limited supplies. Call the restaurant or order in-store.

Clubhouse Cafe
155 W 46th St., nr. Seventh Ave.; 212-354-3838
The Package: Clubhouse Café Kicks-Off with Kosher Cuisine
Highlights: Large, flat screen TVs, rib-eye sliders, chicken wings, mini-dogs in a blanket, fried chicken, chili fries, and an extensive burger menu
Price: Varies
Dine-in or Take-out: Dine-in
Reserve by: Call the restaurant for reservations

David Burke Kitchen
23 Grand St., at Sixth Ave.; 212-705-3800
The Package: David Burke’s Super Bowl Tailgating Package
Highlights: Ten pieces of fried mac and cheese, one quart of the general manager Evan’s family recipe scrumptious bar mix, one pound of buffalo-chicken-and-blue-cheese meatballs, one dozen pig-in-comforter with fresh mozzarella, and more
Price: $139 for package
Dine-in or Take-out:Take-out
Reserve by: Friday. Call 212-705-3800

Dino
222 DeKalb Ave., nr. Clermont Ave.; 718-222-1999
The Package: Dino’s Barbeque Super Bowl Package
Highlights: Jumbo BBQ chicken wings, racks of BBQ ribs, and celery with bleu cheese dip; additional à la carte options available.
Price: $79.95 serves six; $159.95 feeds twelve-plus
Dine-in or Take-out: Take-out
Reserve by: Before Sunday. Call 646-213-1709

The Dutch
131 Sullivan St., nr. Prince St.; 212-677-6200
The Package: Andrew Carmellini’s Super Bowl Fried Chicken Feast
Highlights: Hot fried chicken (sixteen pieces) and sides of collards, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, honey-butter biscuits & AC hot sauce
Price: $99.95 and feeds 4-6 people
Dine-in or Take-out: Take-out
Reserve by: Friday at 4 p.m. Call the restaurant for information about placing an order.

Épicerie Boulud
1900 Broadway, at 64th. St.; 212-595-9606
The Package: Daniel Boulud’s Game-Day Take-Out Menu
HighlightsHouse-made hot dogs, Thai lime gaufrettes, “DB 5-layer dip,” two-foot subs. Full menu here.
Price Varies
Dine-in or Take-out: Take-out
Reserve by: Order in store or by phone before 7 p.m. Saturday

Fatty Crab
2170 Broadway, nr. 77th St.; 917-727-0179
The Package: Super Bowl at Fatty Crab UWS
Highlights: Special dish of a half-dozen chili claws ($12) as well as happy hour at the bar during the game, featuring $5 draft beers and free shots for every Giants TD or FG
Price: Varies
Dine-in or Take-out: Dine-in
Reserve by: No reservations

Fonda Nolita
267 Elizabeth St., nr. Houston St.; 917-727-0179
The Package: Super Bowl with Tacombi in Fonda Nolita
Highlights: Enjoy traditional Mexican cuisine at an affordable price from Tocombi while you watch the big game in Fonda Nolita
Price: Varies — there will be game-day food and drink specials.
Dine-in or Take-out: Dine-in
Reserve by: No reservations

GO Burger
1450 Second Ave., nr. 76th St.; 646-577-3762
The Package: Super Bowl Burger Showdown
Highlights: The Big Blue Burger ($14) is a six-ounce prime-beef patty topped with Maytag blue cheese, bone-marrow-shallot jam, and sea salt and black pepper potato chips. The Brady Bunch Burgah ($14) is served with maple-glazed double-smoked bacon, Vermont cheddar, Boston lager mustard, Boston lettuce and Old Spice-seasoned tobacco onions
Price: Varies
Dine-in or Take-out: Dine-in
Reserve by: No reservations

Hill Country
30 W. 26th St., nr. Broadway; 212-255-4544
The Package: Watch the Giants Play in Grandpa’s Basement Rec Room
Highlights: Big Blue Beer Special, a32oz. Labatt Blue ($15), the Big Blue shot special of twelve blueberry-moonshine shots ($65), and the Giant beer bucket of 24 assorted Brooklyn longnecks ($140)
Price: Varies
Dine-in or Take-out: Dine-in
Reserve by: Call 212-255-4544

Kutsher’s Tribeca
186 Franklin St., nr. Greenwich St.; 718-393-5500
The Package: Super Bowl and Kosher Cuisine at Kutsher’s
Highlights: KT Pastrami Sandwich, house-smoked turkey, chopped duck and chicken liver, vinegar slaw, and pickled veggies all served with a side of mustard and Russian Dressing
Price: $250 feeds 10; $525 feeds 25
Dine-in or Take-out: Take-out
Reserve by: Friday. Call 212-431-2065 or e-mail info@kutsherstribeca.com

La Esquina Brooklyn
225 Wythe Ave., nr. N. 3rd St.; 718-393-5500
The Package: Super Bowl XLVI Fiestas
Highlights: $3 Tecates, $5 Tecate and shot, as well as $5 house margaritas
Price: Varies
Dine-in or Take-out: Dine-in (catering also available)
Reserve by: No reservations

Lowcountry
142 W. 10th St., nr. Waverly Pl.; 212-255-2330
The Package: Lowcountry’s Southern Super Bowl Take-Out Menu
Highlights: Fried chicken (entire bird in pieces), baked beans, mac ‘n’ cheese, and spicy scallion corn bread ($65 for all)
Price: Varies
Dine-in or Take-out: Take-out
Reserve by: Friday. Call the restaurant to order.

Maialino
134 Reade St., nr. Hudson St.; 212-777-2410
The Package: Pigskin Classic — Superbowl at Maialino
Highlights: Roast suckling pig for pre-order to pick up on game day
Price: The half-pig feeds eight people ($180); the whole pig feeds up to sixteen people ($300)
Dine-in or Take-out: Take-out
Reserve by: Saturday. E-mail GThomas@MaialinoNYC.com

Mile End
97A Hoyt St., nr. Atlantic Ave.; 718-852-7510
The Package: Mile End Super Bowl Menu
Highlights: Smoked meat ‘poutine’ potato skins, and cows in a blanket (housemade mini-dogs wrapped in flaky pastry)
Price: Varies
Dine-in or Take-out: Take-out
Reserve by: Friday. Call 718-852-7510.

No. 7
7 Greene Ave., at Fulton St.; 718-522-6370
The Package: Super Bowl Fried Chicken and Party Subs
Highlights: Six-foot party sub of your choosing ($75), or ten pieces of fried chicken and a large broccoli salad ($20)
Price: Varies
Dine-in or Take-out: Dine-out
Reserve by: Friday. Call 718-522-6370

Parm
248 Mulberry St., nr. Prince St.; 212-993-7189
The Package: Let Parm Feed Your Super Bowl Party
Highlights: The Superbowl Heroes ($40) is an Italian combo three-foot sandwich; the Super Bowl platters ($80) include chicken parm or sausage and peppers and comes with ten rolls and fixings to make your own sandwiches
Price: Varies
Dine-in or Take-out: Take-out
Reserve by: E-mail superbowl@parmnyc.com

Salón Hecho
354 Bowery, nr. E. 4th St.; 212-937-4245
The Package: Salón Hecho Hosts Super Bowl Sunday
Highlights: Salón Hecho will be projecting the game on their thirteen-inch screen and serving traditional Mexican interpretations of tailgating classics
Price: Varies
Dine-in or Take-out: Dine-in
Reserve by: No reservations

Smith Canteen
343 Smith St., at Carroll St.; 718-422-0444
The Package: Smith Canteen Super Bowl Party Package
Highlights: Ready-to-assemble Frito Pie, four dozen hot wings, spiced tortilla chips and dip
Price: $150 feeds 8-10 people
Dine-in or Take-out: Take-out
Reserve by: Friday. E-mail canteensuperbowl@gmail.com, or stop by Smith Canteen

The Tea Set Bistro
235 W 12th St, at Greenwich Ave.; 646-476-8731
The Package: Special Champagne-filled Afternoon Tea Super Bowl Alternative
Highlights: Trio of sandwiches, assorted pastries and macaroons paired with a unique flight of three tea-infused champagne cocktails
Price: $40 per person
Dine-in or Take-out: Dine-in
Reserve by: Sunday. Call 646-476-8731

The Windsor
234 W. 4th St., nr. W. 10th St.; 212-206-1208
The Package: Special Super Bowl menu
Highlights: Truffled grilled cheese on brioche, Guinness-battered cod, traditional English breakfast, turkey burgers, beef sliders, and chicken pot pie
Price: Varies
Dine-in or Take-out: Dine-in
Reserve by: No reservations

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Ryan Sutton sheds light on Mas La Grillade, where, he writes, the squid is “brilliant,” but the service is “perfunctory and the room isn’t what you’d call inviting.” He suggests it as a date place, and adds, “Back on My Own Dime? Absolutely, for the oysters.” [Bloomberg]

Steve Cuozzo calls Caffe Storico at the New York Historical Society “the belle of the museum’s coming-out party,” but is displeased with the quality of its cuisine, calling some dishes “hit-or-miss.” He adds, “Let’s hope that in a few months, Caffe Storico has a better story to tell.” [NYP]

“Tables for Two” visits Nights and Weekends, where “the bar’s Latin-American theme makes the hands-off attitude seem fitting, even inviting.” The food is “better than any bar’s should be” and “worth waiting for.” [NYer]

Dave Cook profiles Singaporean-influenced eatery Masak, where he finds that with most items on the restaurant’s menu, “there’s more to it, the deeper you go.”
[NYT]

In his one-star review of Crown, Pete Wells writes that the restaurant “has no intention of frightening anyone” with its unoriginal cuisine. “Roast chicken with bacon and warm cabbage seems to be intended not for people who like the flavor of chicken but for those who aren’t aware it is supposed to have any flavor at all,” he laments. [NYT]

Lauren Shockey has mixed thoughts on new Japanese restaurant Family Recipe, finding that the mushroom salad tastes like “lemon Pine-Sol assaulted the plate.” She does, however, favor the okonomiyaki, which she calls “Family Recipe’s do-or-die dish.” [VV]

In Robert Sietsema’s summary of the modern-day French dip sandwich, he finds Walter Foods’ “not a bad bar sandwich, but not a real French dip, either,” and regards Joe Dough’s much the same way. At Waterfront Ale House, the meat served on his sandwich was “stone cold and none too tasty.” While he enjoyed the French dips at Hudson Diner, and Brennan and Car had Cuozzo’s approval for elements of authenticity, he most enjoyed the one at Minetta Tavern. [VV]

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Filed Under: the other critics, caffe storico, crown, family recipe, french dips, mas (la grillade), masak, nights & weekends

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Masak’s roasted quail stuffed with rice, chestnut, lotus seed, salted duck yolk, and kale.

If you’re not in labor, consider digging into some traditional good-luck dishes for Chinese New Year, which begins Monday. According to the Chinese zodiac, the dragon is considered the most powerful sign, and these restaurants have created unique menus to incorporate traditional Chinese cuisine that represents the joy, prosperity, and fortune expected in this New Year. A few symbolic dishes include clams to represent wealth, noodles to signify longevity (the longer, the better), whole fish to indicate a wish for abundance, and lobster, for which the Chinese translation is “dragon shrimp.” And what’s a new year without fireworks? Many restaurants will be serving firework-inspired desserts to symbolize warding off evil spirits!

An Choi
Join An Choi on Monday, January 23, for a celebration of Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, with a special $40 prix fixe menu featuring traditional Vietnamese dishes, such as Banh Tet — Sticky Rice Tamale stuffed with Pork Belly and Mung Bean; Vietnamese Charcuterie Plate — Homemade Gio Thu & Gio Bo (Headcheese & Beef Sausage) with Vietnamese Pickles; Thit Heo Quay & Thit Kho with Xoi Gac — Roast Suckling Pig Caramelized Pork Belly with Red Sticky Rice; Goi — Vietnamese Salad; Sup Mang Cua — Crab & White Asparagus Soup; and Che — Sweet Rice Soup with Silken Tofu & Ginger Syrup. No vegetarian options will be available.

Annisa
Celebrate the new year with a special lucky six-course tasting menu featuring Chinese-influenced delicacies like Maine Sweet Shrimp Sashimi with Sea Urchin Roe and Fat Choy, Seared Foie Gras with Soup Dumplings and Jicama, Steamed Whole Butterfish with Scallions, Ginger and Baby Green Vegetables, Wagyu with Kumquats and Chilis, and a Raspberry Firecracker Pavlova. This special will be available for a prix fixe of $105 in addition to Annisa’s regular menu items.

BuddakanFrom Sunday, January 22, through Thursday, January 26, Buddakan will honor the lunar new year with additional menu items such as Monk’s Vegetables “Fat Choy” with Chili-Ginger Sauce ($12); Mandarin Slow Steamed Halibut with Shaoxing Wine, Scallion, and Twice-Cooked Bean Thread ($26); 2 ½ Pound Wok Seared Lobster in a Tangerine-Anise Glaze, served with a Sesame Shark’s Fin Salad ($42); and a whole Pressed Suckling Pig Terrine with Sweet Rice Dumplings to be shared ($38). Finish up with the Firecracker Bombe — White Chocolate and Cherry Mousse, Dragon Pearl and Chocolate Sorbet ($12); the exploding noise of the firecracker is thought to scare away all evil spirits and misfortunes.

Café China
On Monday, January 23, join Café China for three traditional Chinese New Year specials. In addition to their regular menu of authentic Chinese cuisine, the restaurant will be serving a Lamb Hot Pot ($28), Steamed Pork in Lotus Leaf ($19), and Lightly Sautéed Chinese Broccoli ($14), as well as a special cocktail.

FOUR at Yotel
To celebrate the Chinese New Year, and to honor the Chinese culinary influences throughout the menu, FOUR is offering a special four-course sharing menu at $32.50 per person (also available à la carte). Each course symbolizes Chinese New Year traditions: Good Fortune Rice Dumplings with sweet miso and tamarind; Long Life Oriental Long Noodle with lemongrass broth, shrimp, Chinese long beans and hibiscus; Prosperity Whole Roasted Poussin water with chestnuts, cashew, snap peas, and carrot; and Wealth Lychee Panna Cotta with orange sabayon and orange fan. This dinner menu is available from January 23 through February 6. On Wednesday, January 25, from 10 p.m. until late, FOUR will host “Enter the Dragon at Yotel’s Kung Fu Palace” featuring Lady Gaga’s Tour D.J., Lady Starlight, D.J. Steve Lewis, dancers, contortionists, and more.

Joe’s Shanghai
On Monday, January 23, Joe’s will be honoring customary Chinese New Year specials with traditional sauces in symbolic color schemes. Expect a Lean Pork dish ($20.35), Good Luck Dried Oysters served with traditional roots ($26.95), a Fresh Mushroom Medley in a golden house sauce ($26.35), Fresh Lobster with Dried Egg Yolk ($32.95), and Fish Cake with a Tofu Skin Wrap ($25.35).

La Mar Cebicheria
Starting on Monday, January 23, La Mar Cebicheria will offer Chinese cuisine with Peruvian ingredients used in the Chifa style. In Chinese culture, the number eight is believed to be lucky, and executive chef Victoriano López has created eight bar bites in the Chifa style for $8 each. Cocktail director and resident pisco expert Saul Ranella is mixing a special pisco cocktail infused with Chinese spices for $8. The menu will be available in the downstairs bar area Monday through Friday, from 3 to 7 p.m. through February 3.

Macao Trading Co.
The restaurant will be preparing several Portuguese-influenced specials to commemorate the year of the dragon, including a Seafood Hot Pot ($24); Buddha’s Delightful Spring Rolls Buddha’s delight ($8), a traditional new year’s dish, wrapped in a spring roll; Golden Curried Clams, Crispy Noodles, and a Black Bean Lobster Sauce ($15); Whole Steamed Fish For Two—Steamed with Ginger and Scallions served with your choice of two sides (market price).

Masak
Beginning Tuesday, January 24, join Masak for an intimate dinner featuring a special menu by Chef Larry Reutens. Chef Reutens will use his own unique culinary experiences to offer a one-of-a-kind interpretation of traditional Chinese New Year cuisine, featuring Yue Sang Salad with arctic char, carrot, radishes, pomelo, peanuts, sesame seed, and a blood orange vinaigrette ($15); Bamboo Mushroom and Crab Soup ($12); and Roasted Quail stuffed with rice, chestnut, lotus seed and salted duck yolk, and kale ($22). Finish up with either Carrot Cake or Tang Yuen Dumplings (both $8). A preview of this menu will be available Saturday, January 21 and Sunday, January 22.

Mehtaphor
Indulge in a six-course dinner of Chinese-inspired dishes on Monday, January 23, from 5:30 to 11 p.m. A prix fixe of $75 will include a Cucumber Ginger slaw, Sesame Scallion Shrimp, Crab Almond Roll with Chili Reduction, Garlic Tomato Pork Dumplings, Persimmon Green Chili Duck Mirin Bokcho, and topped off with a Chocolate Steamed Bun with Red Bean Ice Cream for dessert. Each dish will be complemented by an elegant wine.

TALDE
Monday, January 23, TALDE will be serving a whole lobster steamed in XO sauce and Chinese beer accompanied by fingerling potatoes, corn and scallions ($32) as their Year of the Dragon special. TALDE will don festive Chinese New Year decorations, and Chinese newspaper will serve as a tablecloth for guests who order the lobster. TALDE bartender and partner, John Bush, will create a special cocktail for the evening as well.

Ted and Amy Supper Club
Ted and Amy Supper Club will ring in the Chinese New Year this Sunday, January 21, at 8 p.m. with guest chef Diana Kuan of Appetite for China. At a prix fixe of $45, guests will enjoy Shrimp and Chive Dumplings with Ginger-Soy Dip, Mushroom and Watercress Noodle Soup, Red-Cooked Chicken with Chestnuts, Black Sesame Ice Cream with Almond Cookie Crumble, and Bulldog Gin Welcome cocktail.

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“Tables for Two” enjoys Bed-Stuy’s Do or Dine, even though you may be hard-pressed to find any trace of a vegetable on the menu, and the joint itself is pretty “berserk.” “Some of the best dishes are actually the least outlandish,” Ariel Levy writes, but “it is unlikely that health-consciousness or even a sense of balance will become a preoccupation of the proprietors anytime soon.” [NYer]

Steve Cuozzo praises Kutsher’s Tribeca for its “generous portions of smartly realized favorites” with “just enough Jewish inflection.” He claims the Matzo ball soup may be the “best in town,” while the gefilte fish made of halibut reminds him that he’s had “none this good.” [NYP]

Pete Wells visits Romera New York, deeming it “a restaurant that wants to be admired, not enjoyed.” To eat at Romera, he writes, “is to be told repeatedly that you are in the presence of greatness, while the evidence of your senses tells you that you are in the presence of, at best, okayness.” He gives the restaurant one star. [NYT]

Betsy Andrews praises two Brooklyn connoisseurs of the clam roll, Littleneck and Sea Witch, both of which she says are retiring the lobster-roll trend with their clammy update. At Littleneck, Andrews enjoys bicoastal oysters, which she claims are “even better than their compadre shellfish.” At Sea Witch, the kielbasa sandwich, served “supremely garlicky and smothered in raw onions, mustard and sauerkraut,” wows her. [NYT]

Robert Sietsema gets his spicy fix at Land of Plently, where “there’s nothing tepid or restrained about the seasoning … [Sichuan peppercorns] turn your tongue into a numb, tingling lump of flesh as surely as a dentist’s shot of Novocain and make a sip of water taste like metal.” He suggests the “rather verbose” braised whole fish filet with soy bean sprouts in roasted-chile-spiced broth, or the “infernally hot” braised lamb filets with napa cabbage and roasted chile. [VV]

Lauren Shockey loves the “hodge-podge” of Italian-American classics at Parm, where “the grub is comfortingly familiar yet executed in a way that makes you realize what you’ve actually been missing all along.” She does advise against the “super mayo-heavy” Saratoga club, though “my inner fourth-grader appreciated the chips tucked in between the toast slices.” Among her favorites, the ice cream cake with rainbow sprinkles, “a/k/a your must-order dessert.” [VV]

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Filed Under: the other critics, do or dine, kutsher’s, land of plenty, littleneck, parm, romera, sea witch

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Julia Moskin visits Corkbuzz Wine Studio, where over 30 wines provide “something for everyone,” though when pairing menu items with wines, “it’s not easy to form a coherent meal.” Her advice? “Skip the clumsy desserts. Sip a raisin-scented Madeira or plummy Porto instead.” [NYT]

Robert Sietsema raves about Felidia, which he names as “really one of the best Italian restaurants in the city.” His favorite dishes included the tutto crudo, which he calls “unforgettable,” as well as the “dope” chicken liver appetizer. [VV]

Pete Wells was “all smiles” at Nice-influenced La Promenade des Anglais, where the prosciutto and clam croquette has a “riotously creamy, molten core that was something like a clam brandade.” Though “there are dull spots on the menu,” Wells claims that “the charms of La Promenade des Anglais are real and abiding,” and gives it two stars. [NYT

However, Wells was unimpressed by Onegin’s selection of alcohol and food, such as the "disheveled assortment of smoked fish looked as if it had been sliced with hedge clippers and dropped on the plate from a great height," and little variation in side dishes of "cold" grilled veggies. His overall impression was that of "going to a wedding reception where the caterers had been told minutes before dinner that they weren’t going to be paid." [NYT]

Lauren Shockey loves the American-Mediterranean cuisine at Battersby, where she enjoys chicken liver toasts and crusty flatbread with whipped ricotta, as well as the pommes puree with braised oxtail. She does suggest skipping over cauliflower soup, which she calls “slightly watery and devoid of the promised curry notes.” [VV]

Steve Cuozzo calls Kibo a “fine, party-time place that will be even better when it stops trying so hard to be a party,” and says its menu is “anything but cutting-edge.” However, he does add that most of the entrees are “merely delicious,” and “fun to share.” [NYP]

Ryan Sutton visits Kibo as well, and compares the spicy tuna rolls to “the maki I used to eat at a Columbia University cafeteria.” Crispy shrimp “could easily substitute as an appetizer at the Outback Steakhouse.” The restaurant’s redeeming quality? Menu items are on the “cheap side.” [Bloomberg]

“Tables for Two” gets a taste of London at Whitehall, where the oysters Kilpatrick “may be New York’s only example of the Antipodean speciality,” and the Honeycrisp-apple charlotte is “enough to make the nine-to-fivers feel like they belong to a different class altogether.” [NYer]

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Filed Under: the other critics, battersby, corkbuzz, felidia, kibo, la promenade des anglais, onegin, whitehall

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Robert Sietsema visits Kutsher’s Tribeca, a Jewish-American eatery where “general Danish-modern decor … makes it seem like Mad Men on vacation.” He isn’t fond of the chopped liver or duck pastrami, but does suggest the smoked veal tongue or matzo-ball soup, which he claims is “close to perfection.” [VV]

“Tables for Two” wines and dines at Tertulia, a tapas bar that boasts an “Asturian-cider-house aesthetic” and “straightforward standards as well as imaginative twists on classic tapas.” The restaurant’s interpretation of cojonudo (quail eggs and chorizon on toast) “falls somewhere between brilliant and ballsy,” while cabecero, sobrassada, and chorizo “afford a chance to see a manual fly-wheel Berkel slicer in action.” [NYer]

For his first review as the paper’s new critic, Pete Wells pens a rave about Wong, saying, “it’s been a long time since Asian fusion cooking has promised thrills of this sort.” Wells suggests the tender and crispy duck tongues, as well as the wreckfish and pork plate. But for a thrill? Try the duck-fat ice cream, he suggests, because “best dishes at Wong have a where-did-that-come-from quality.” [NYT]

Dave Cook is impressed by Peruvian joint Lima Limon, where one can choose from a half-dozen varieties of ceviche, with additions such as octopus, squid, and corvina. Cook also suggests the papa a la huancaina, “slabs of boiled potato swamped by spicy, creamy cheese sauce.” And for dessert? “Ring-shaped fritters called picarones,” though “their gently spiced syrup remains a mystery.” [NYT]

Steve Cuozzo is less than impressed by Casa Nonna, an Italian restaurant which he claims is truer to suburbia than that its claim to Italian roots. Cuozzo mentions only the swordfish, which will run you $41 and is “sloppily topped with greens, heaped like a teepee, and random chunks of lobster.” [Catch, where the food is “part fancy French seafood spot, part Japanese sushi bar and part Italian-American clam shack with Chinese influences,” and runs you a not-cheap $100 per person. Sutton is underwhelmed by the “mediocre” shrimp cocktail, “flavorless” chicken Parmesan, and warns readers to “avoid” the overly sugary alcoholic drinks. [Bloomberg]

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Filed Under: the other critics, casa nonna, catch, kutsher’s tribeca, lima limon, tertulia, wong

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