Archive for April 2008

Sidecar is just the kind of medium-priced bistro that Park Slope is overloaded with, but its location at the southern end of the neighborhood makes it a welcome new hotspot nonetheless. As I’ve written before, the South Slope has come a long way, but it still suffers from a drastic shortage of quality bars and restaurants (at least according to gentrifying yuppie standards). From the outside, Sidecar looks like just another generic bar and grill, but inside it’s filled with cute old-fashioned touches like a pressed tin ceiling, heavy wooden booths and a long retro bar. The narrow nature of the space and the reddish lighting make it feel somewhat like a cross between a speakeasy and a train car, but whatever it’s supposed to be, it’s a nice looking place.

You’ll probably want to start with one of their signature drinks, like the Ramos Fizz (with gin, lemon, egg white, cream and orange flower water, $9) or the eponymous Sidecar (with cognac, Cointreau and lemon, $8). They’ll delight your taste buds and get you tipsy before you’re even done figuring out what to eat. The small menu represents an appealing cross section of international influences, from French to Vietnamese to Mexican, all with modern American touches. The prices are reasonable enough that you can order a couple of courses, and I recommend pretty much all of the appetizers. My favorite is the white bean dip with tortilla chips for a reasonable $6 (add delicious bacon for $2), but if you’re into pate, the Chicken Liver Pate appetizer (with apples, currants, shallots, brandy, port and cream, served with toast points) is a steal at $7. The entrée I’ve found the most intriguing is the Bahn-De (a Vietnamese sandwich with grilled pork chops, pâté, carrots, cucumbers, cilantro and mayonnaise on a fresh baguette, $11). You can order it spicy or not, but I highly recommend the spicier option. The shot glass full of oily green sauce that accompanies the overstuffed sandwich is like a magical shot of spicy deliciousness, and once you pour it on, there’s no non-sloppy way to go about eating this thing. Just dig in and save your napkins for the end.

The food is all well and good, but surprisingly (for this neighborhood), the service is even better. The friendly servers and managers are always quick to offer a free drink for inconveniences like asking you to move tables to make room for a big party, or when the kitchen is backed up on a busy night. Food and drinks aside, that’s what will keep me coming back and bringing my friends. Even if it makes me a heartless gentrifying yuppie.

As someone who grew up in the Southwest, I have great respect for authentic Mexican cuisine, but sometimes even I have a hankering for crunchy tacos, chimichangas and giant blue margaritas. At times like these, I thank the burrito gods for Rancho Alegre. A whimsical but slightly dated mural overlooks Park Slope’s 7th Avenue, promising to whisk you away to a magical world of Tex-Mex flavor. Inside, it’s all neon beer signs, gaudy decorations and oversized sombreros. Pathetic or not, you have to appreciate a place that wears its tackiness on its poncho-draped sleeve.

After you’ve ordered your Technicolor margaritas and pitchers of sangria (it’s arguable which is more watered down), you’ll probably want to indulge in some cheap nachos or guacamole (appetizers average a reasonable $4-6) while you ponder the plethora of combination meals, tex-mex favorites, and semi-authentic Mexican cuisine on the menu. The basic beef and chicken burritos, tacos and enchiladas that comprise the combination meals here are the blandest of the menu items, and can be safely ignored. Opt instead for the La Bandera platter (featuring three different enchiladas, with sauces representing the red, green and white of the Mexican flag, $10.25), or the rich and smoky Chicken in Mole Poblano ($10.75), both served with rice and beans. Sizzling fajitas are also a good bet when you want to make everyone else in the restaurant think you’re important, and nothing says fun like food you assemble yourself.

Once the bellies of you and your dinner companions are swollen and content, it’s time to get back to business. Namely, the business of getting drunk on margaritas. If you really want to be economical about it, you’d probably be better off ordering beer, but somehow it would seem like a betrayal not to order a brightly colored drink in a place like this. If you somehow still have room, you’re in luck, because when it comes to desserts, Mexican restaurants know where it’s at. They don’t just serve you a sad little melty bowl of ice cream, they fry it! Through some kind of magical ice cream frying technology! Flan, fried bananas, and other delights will take care of any hunger you might have had left, and around then you’ll start to realize that tequila plus Mexican food equals heartburn. That’s when it’s time to move on.

As fine dining becomes more accessible to the common man, so too does that fermented liquid of the gods, wine. Gone are the days of hoity-toity shops that only seem to be there to make you feel stupid. Nowadays, finding a cheap and delicious bottle of wine is easier and more stress-free than ever, especially with shops like these that do the thinking (and drinking) for you.

Red White & Bubbly
Red White & Bubbly is one of the newest additions to the Park Slope wine scene, and with its sleek design, large selection, and rotating deals and specials, it’s a welcome one. Owner Darrin Siegfried formerly served as President of the Sommelier Society of America, and personally trained over six hundred wine captains as Education Director. He even represented the U.S. at the ‘Olympics’ of wine, the Concours Mondial de les Sommeliers. Clearly, this is a man who knows his stuff. If you can’t make it out to the store, Red White & Bubbly’s sleek, easy-to-use website lets you browse and shop from home. Just what I need, an online booze store. I have enough distractions as it is.

Prospect Wine Shop
This family-owned Prospect Wine Shop was established in the year 2000, but it looks like it’s been around far longer. The worn wooden shelves are packed with so many wines it makes your head spin at first, but you need not fear, for the ultra-friendly and extremely knowledgeable staff is ready and willing to guide you. If you prefer to browse, color-coded stickers identifying each wine’s price range make sizing up bottles a snap. Bulk discounts for cases or event-sized orders (think weddings) will help to keep you within your party budget no matter what the occasion.

Big Nose Full Body
Big Nose Full Body is an adorable little store, with a selection that is strategically small so that instead of being overwhelmed by varietals and vintages and regions, you can rest assured that any bottle you buy will be fantastic. You can take the time to read every wine’s description or get a quick recommendation from the young, hip staff if you’re strapped for time. If you buy 12 or more bottles you get free delivery and a 15% case discount to boot, so you don’t even have to get off your couch to live the good life. But my favorite thing about Big Nose Full Body is the free wine tastings they host every Saturday (4-6pm). Fun, informational, and intoxicating…who could ask for more?

If the test of a good French bakery (or French-Belgian in this case) is its croissant, then Colson Patisserie gets an 'A' right off the bat. But besides their truly amazing croissants, they offer a wide variety of equally drool-inducing desserts, including brioche, chocolate mousse cups, and the cutest little bear-shaped financiers, filled with marzipan. Colson's tiny corner shop, which is often staffed by a single, infinitely patient counter person, includes an even tinier seating area. It may be cramped, but it's still a near-ideal place for a Parisian-style Pate sandwich or a peaceful afternoon curled up with a book and a latte.

Pastry chef Emily Isaac, formerly of Union Square Cafe, is the culinary genius behind Trois Pommes Patisserie, which translates to the all-American-sounding Three Apples Bakery. Outstanding cupcakes, brownies, cookies (including homemade Oreos and peanut butter sandwich cookies), ice cream cones, tartlets and other single-serving desserts range from about $2-5, while for a bit more (up to the low $200s for their largest cakes) you can take home one of their full-sized cakes, tarts, pies or cheesecakes. The narrow space boasts beautiful touches like tin ceilings, warm wood counters, exposed brick walls, and of course, the desserts themselves, which make the best kind of window dressing.

For Yuppie brides in the know, there's no better place to pick up a fabulous (and pricey) wedding cake than Sweet Melissa Patisserie. These edible works of art are equally popular with the rich, the famous, and the diverse class of Bridezillas for whom money is no object when it comes to the big day. But Sweet Melissa's cakes and other pastries are only the beginning. A traditional High Tea service is served daily from 11am to 5pm, and if all those Petits Fours, finger sandwiches and scones aren't enough, entrees like Boeuf Bourguignon, Salad Nicoise, and Welsh Rarebit will satisfy any hunger. Children's meals, to stay or boxed to go, offer affordable options for burgeoning foodies and their parents.

A lot of people who walk by Kenka on St. Marks Place scratch their heads and wonder what all the fuss is about. Sure, there’s a cool-looking cotton candy machine parked on the front porch, and sure there’s a semi-creepy giant red-eyed badger statue beckoning from the doorway. But what could cause such long lines on a block with a billion other sushi places, enough that this part of St. Marks is sometimes referred to as Little Tokyo? I can only speak for myself, but I keep coming back simply because the food is fresh and delicious, and the menu leaves plenty of interesting options for those who want to experience Japanese cuisine beyond the same old sushi rolls and sashimi (although those are excellent as well). But I also have to admit they could be serving gruel for all I care, because the decorations are so freakin’ awesome.

Kenka’s retro, almost kitschy Japanese style makes you feel like you’re in a funky Tokyo café a world away from the grunge of the East Village. As soon as you walk in the door and sit at your charmingly low table, you are swept away by the sights and sounds of another time and place. Post-war Japanese film soundtracks play through tinny, old-fashioned speakers, and vintage movie posters and a glass-enclosed atrium give the place a sort of Kill Bill feel. Dozens of cute Japanese servers, male and female, dash around the dining room, clad in identical t-shirts and bandannas. They’re as hip as any early-twenties American waiter in the neighborhood, and they, along with many other aspects of Kenka, bring a refreshing sense of youth and vitality to the sometimes square sushi scene.

The food follows this pattern of bucking the norm by offering a variety of Japanese comfort food dishes, in addition to the raw fish you’d expect. With the amount of hot food leaving the kitchen at Kenka, the place feels more like a Johnny Rockets-style diner, Tokyo-style, than a sushi joint. You’d be a fool not to try the Hamachi No Kamayaki (grilled yellow tail neck, $7) as an appetizer. There is no morsel of fish more tender or decadent that I can remember eating in a long time. If you’re a sashimi fan like a lot of my friends, you’ll love the very reasonably priced Sashimi Moriawase plate (9 pieces of tuna, salmon, mackerel, and bonito sashimi, $8.50). The sushi rolls offered are pretty typical, but as with the sashimi, the freshness and skilled preparation really shine through and make for a revelatory eating experience, at least for someone like me who isn’t usually very fond of raw fish. I’m happy with a simple bowl of Ramen noodle soup ($5), which puts the packaged stuff I lived on through college to shame, but if you like impressive displays, try one of the Nabe dishes (like the Buta Nabe, with pork, tofu and vegetables in fish broth, $15). They’re prepared and served in bubbling tableside cauldrons, always a plus, and they represent some of the heartiest food on the menu, making these simmering vats of deliciousness perfect for those cold winter nights in the city.

You can also choose from a long list of inexpensive a la carte items that rivals a dim sum cart in variety and offers customers an inexpensive way to try a little of everything. Typical a la carte options include salted raw octopus with wasabi flavor, sliced roasted pork, and steamed pig feet, all in portions big enough to give everyone at the table a piece of the action. You’ll also find such delicacies as Bull’s Penis and Turkey Testicles on the slightly pornographic impulse menu left at the table. I refuse to go that far for journalism, but I’m sure they’re very tasty…in their own way. I’ve never managed to save room for dessert, but I have my eye on the Mochi Ice Cream and the mysterious Anmitsu, which is described on the menu as “cubes of white translucent jelly made from seaweed served with sweet bean paste and vanilla ice cream” ($4). Mmm, cubes of goo.

It is only upon paying the bill, however, that you remember the best thing about Kenka. Along with the bill, the servers bring each patron a small cup of pink sugar, which can be used to spin sweet, delicious cotton candy on your way out. The first time I went with my boyfriend, not knowing what it was, he immediately downed the sugar like a shot upon receiving it, causing me to slap my forehead Charlie Brown-style. Don’t make the same mistake, or you too will be left watching longingly as your friends enjoy their delicious spun sugar treats. There’s just something so satisfying about pushing through the craziness of the East Village night, full and satisfied and making cotton candy mustaches like you were five years old again. Any restaurant that can bring a little bit of innocent fun back like that is OK by me.

When I’m in the East Village and I’m looking for a place to really get crazy, Saturday night style, the first place I usually think of is Karma, the two-level bar and hookah lounge that has been intoxicating NYU students for years. Karma serves delicious and innovative cocktails and a decent selection of draft beers, though they sometimes mix their drinks a bit weak. The downstairs bar is more guilty of this slight (possibly because they assume the people dancing are already drunk), and the service is somewhat less attentive there, so I’d recommend you order your drinks at the upstairs bar. Regardless, the bartenders and staff, upstairs and downstairs, are always pleasant and enthusiastic, and their personable nature is a refreshing change from the cold treatment you usually get at hip lounges. Draft beers average $5-6 dollars, and mixed drinks approach $10, so be sure to take advantage of drink specials during happy hour, from 1-8pm, 7 days a week.

Hookahs are the real life of the party at Karma, however. For the uninitiated, hookahs are large, ornate water pipes with a rich cultural tradition dating back thousands of years, and they’re fun to smoke. The pipes are loaded with Shisha, a type of flavor-infused pipe tobacco, and you suck the tasty, water-cooled smoke through tubes, usually without inhaling. Hookahs create a fun communal mood and even non-smokers often enjoy a few relatively harmless puffs. The hookahs are a bit overpriced ($16 each), especially since the staff uses fast-burning coals and charge you for an extra coal. But it’s rare to find a good place to smoke a hookah anymore, and they have a lot of good Shisha flavors (my favorites are Apple and Strawberry). The hookahs are in keeping with Karma’s desert oasis theme, which is indicated in the decorations with palm trees, draped tapestries and warm red lighting, as well as the eclectic antique furniture which speaks of colonial times.

While you puff away, contemplating the essence of life, take a look at the often excellent artwork on the walls, which is the work of underground artists from the area. Don’t linger too long in this peaceful state, however, because Karma’s downstairs parties are almost as much of a trademark as their hookahs. There is pretty much always dancing on the lower level, though technically the customers are merely performing, hence the tiny stage at the end of the room (to keep within the limits of the ridiculous and outdated Cabaret Law). Occasionally you may be asked to move your dancing up onto the stage for this reason. It’s kind of annoying, but it makes it all the more ridiculous and fun attempting to follow these obscure rules while getting cheesed. The downstairs level of Karma is a great place for a big group of friends – people are always hosting parties there (me included), for birthdays, bachelorette parties, or any kind of celebration, really.

A word of warning: Karma is one of the few places in New York that still allows smoking, and people sure do take advantage, to such an extent that sensitive non-smokers may find Karma’s interior unpleasant. But since I spent my early bargoing years in Tucson, pre-smoking ban, inhaling massive plumes of secondhand smoke from the chain-smoking regulars, smoky bars now make me feel more nostalgic than annoyed. An air purification system is supposedly at work to combat the effects of the smoke, but it doesn’t seem to help much, especially on the lower level. Also the DJs often suck, but that’s a problem common to a lot of bars and lounges, and they do allow a lot more fun audience participation, which can be good (when you’re the one singing and dancing onstage) and bad (when anyone else is).

All in all, Karma may not be the swankiest lounge in New York, nor the best place to go dancing, nor the best hookah bar, but it benefits from having a little of everything. And after you’ve had a couple of drinks and a few puffs on the hookah, it’ll seem like the Ivy.