San Soo Kap San Restaurant Review

As a New York transplant, I love that Philly offers most of what's available in NYC, but on a smaller, more relaxed, and affordable scale. The one thing that I wish Center City proper did offer? A decent Korean restaurant, replete with BBQ grills and high-powered vents. Admittedly, I hear there are great offerings in Northeast Philly and I've heard good things about Miga in the Fairmount/Logan Square area. But for the most part, it's a barren wasteland when it comes to decent Korean cuisine. 

The type of Korean food I'm looking for? Just look towards Queens, NY. Clearly the place to go if you're looking for real deal Korean BBQ and the like. 

San Soo Kap San is a stalwart when it comes to Korean BBQ, with great food and plenty of high-powered industrial vents to deal with the smoke that comes with grilling your meat tableside. Regardless, I would leave your favorite coat in the car. Otherwise, you'll come out smelling like smoky sweet BBQ marinade for a few days.

For those not in the know, Korean food typically comes with a slew of banchan, or side dishes. They're not to be eaten by themselves necessarily, but in combination with your main dishes.

There are plenty of options from spicy crab, spicy rice cakes, spicy fish, spicy kimchi, spicy cucumber ... you get the picture. We like spice! But there's also sesame-infused glass noodles and plenty of palate cleansing items like sweet and slightly pickled radish. 

But if you've never been - the reason you should check out your local Korean restaurant is to try the Korean BBQ. And if you're in Queens, San Soo Kap San will set you right. Traditional charcoal bricks are brought to your table. No electric grills here! 

Angus Kalbi x3 [$34.95 per serving]
Marinated beef short-rib 

I'd recommend the standard kalbi. I like that San Soo Kap San's isn't overly marinated and they offer good quality ingredients. It's also not cut too thin so you can actually taste the beefiness. I love roasting the mushrooms on the grill as well. And asking for a small tin to cook up garlic slices in a bit of oil? Perfection. 

I like my meat mid-rare, with a quick caramelized sear on the exterior, but you might prefer your meat well-done. It's all completely up to you. Your server will cook it for you, but feel free to take charge. 

You can try the BBQ alone, but it's best eaten as ssahm or within the confines of a build-your-own lettuce wrap, filled with some beef and perhaps a bit of scallion, fermented bean paste, and some kimchi. 

At San Soo Kap San, they'll even serve you some complimentary stews along with your Korean BBQ. Some favorites of mine are the Korean take on chawanmushi (egg custard) as well as the spicy dehn jang ji gae (fermented bean stew). The latter is a meal on its own with some rice. Perfect for those winter nights. 

Asian cuisine isn't typically known for dessert and Korean restaurants don't diverge from this status quo. To end your meal, expect some fruit to cleanse that palate! 

So if you've never been - I'd highly recommend branching out and trying some Korean BBQ. I love that Korean ingredients are becoming more mainstream and non-Asian chefs are looking to ssahm jang and kimchi within their respective culinary toolboxes. Hopefully with places like Southgate Philly, Korean cuisine will have its own place in Center City Philly as well. 

Otaki Sushi Review

Disclaimer: This is for a visit back in early 2014. I'm behind on my posts, I know! 

I was visiting my folks in Long Island when my sister and I decided to go out for sushi after running some errands. We stumbled upon Otaki Sushi's grand opening in the New Hyde / Garden City Park area. Upon noticing that there was also a 15% off discount with a Yelp check-in, I was sold! 

The space inside is sleek and modern. 

There are seats available at the sushi bar as well as several tables throughout the restaurant.

Miso Soup

My sister and I ordered the sushi for 2, which came with miso soup. I appreciated that it wasn't overly salty, with a nice essence of seaweed and plenty of diced tofu. 

House Salad 

The house salad was fairly standard, but still featured a nice mix of grape tomatoes, red cabbage, carrots, and field greens with that oh-so-familiar ginger dressing.

Ika Special 

The ika special featured lightly charred and wonderfully tender squid, wrapped around freshly julienned cucumber slices. Topped with masago, the squid was dressed with some ponzu and a light mayo sauce, This was incredibly delicate and delicious. 

Spicy Lobster Carpaccio [$12]

I was somewhat disappointed there was no uni available, especially on a Saturday. However, our server Anna highly recommended the lobster carpaccio and I'm glad she did! While it wasn't at all spicy as advertised and the tuna actually played the part of the carpaccio in this dish, the briny essence of the caviar melded well with the sweet lobster salad inside the tuna. The crispy shallots provided some savory textural notes I enjoyed as well. 

Sweet Potato Roll [$4]

Who can say no to a good sweet potato roll. Creamy within, with a wonderfully light tempura crunch on the outside, it's a favorite of mine. 

Sushi for 2 [$48]
20 pieces sushi, 2 special rolls

The sushi for 2 featured unctuous unagi with a sweet kabayaki sauce, along with plenty of tuna, yellowtail, striped bass, white tuna, and fluke nigiri. You can't select the two specialty rolls, but I appreciated the passion roll, which featured tuna wrapped with an abundance of avocado. We were also provided with a Tokyo wrap roll, which highlighted spicy crab and sweet mango to create an interesting bite. I believe avocado and jalapeno was also advertised, but wasn't apparent. Overall, I appreciated that the texture of the rice was tangible and there was a sweet, vinegary essence to it. All of the fish was quite fresh, with the striped bass having especially good snap 

Deep Fried Oreos

The kitchen sent out some complimentary deep fried oreos. Doesn't exactly creamy sushi, but regardless, the light and crispy tempura batter made this some of the best deep fried oreos I've had. Gluttonous and richly creamy within, this was a sweetly American, yet enjoyable end to our meal. 

So if you're in the New Hyde / Garden City Park area, I wouldn't hesitate in recommending stopping by Otaki Sushi if you're in the mood for some fresh sushi. I would highly recommend venturing outside the standard sushi sets and trying their creative specials as well. 

Skylight Diner Review

The GF and I were in NYC, near Penn Station. Craving some breakfast, we decided to stop by Skylight Diner on the West Side.

I love a good diner - no better place to get home-cooked, hearty fare. 

As with most diners, you get a small juice and coffee/tea with your meal. 

Mexican Frittata [$9.95]

I went with a Mexican frittata, which featured a huge disc of egg, cheddar cheese, jalapenos, tomatoes, and onions. It came with two slices of buttered wheat toast. 

Huevos Rancheros [$8.95]

The GF had the huevos rancheroes which came with creamy black beans, crisp corn tortillas topped with green chile salsa, and lightly fried eggs. Interestingly, it came with some vegetable fried rice as well. 

So if you're in Midtown Manhattan and looking for some down-home comfort food, check out Skylight Diner.

L & M Delicatessan

When I lived in Chelsea and needed a breakfast sandwich and/or bagel in the morning, my one stop shop was at the L & M Deli. Having moved away from NY, the smell and taste of a properly made fresh bagel was something I definitely missed. So when the GF and I spent the weekend with a friend in NY, I knew I had to pick up breakfast at L & M, especially after a night that ended around 4AM. 

L & M Deli is a typical 'bodega' style outpost, but with great breakfast food hidden within. Don't expect elegant here, but comfort. And while there were no home fries available on a recent Saturday at 12:45PM, what I was looking for was a good NYC bagel.

You'll find most varieties here, including poppy, garlic, everything, and sesame. 

Toasted Sesame Bagel [$2.20]
Cream cheese
  

My standard order is usually a toasted with cream cheese, sometimes with jelly (don't knock it till you've tried it). It may not look any different than any other bagel, but the taste tells a different story. The dough is not tough, but moist, with the toasting provided a textural contrast that hits the spot. What accounts for this difference? There are some theories out there that claim it has something to do with NYC's soft water.

Sausage, Egg, Cheese on a Roll [$3.90]

In addition to a toasted cream cheese bagel, I had to get a standard sausage, egg, cheese. To be real, there's nothing especially special about this - but something about the pillowy poppy seeded roll, the gooey cheese, the light egg, and salty sausage just makes for a great bite. Then again, perhaps it's the nostalgia.

Corned Beef Hash [$3.65]

Because L&M was out of home fries, I knew I needed something else to sop up all the fun from the previous night. So I went with the corned beef hash. It may not look appetizing and frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if it came from a can. But something about the salty mystery meat and the diced potatoes hits the spot. 

L&M was able to provide that fueling push for another long day in the city and then some. Certainly, it was a sad day when I heard H&H shuttered their doors, but it's good to know that NYC can churn out a great bagel at more than one location.

 
L & M Delicatessan
80 7th Ave.
New York, NY 10011
(212) 242-2645 
http://landmdeli.blogspot.com/

Cinco de Mayo Review

While stopping by my folks' workplace on Bell Blvd. in Bayside, NY, I got some takeout from a variety of places for lunch. My mom was in the mood for a little Mexican cuisine so we ordered a lunch special from Cinco de Mayo. 

Chimichanga Lunch Special ($6.95)
Golden crispy flour tortilla, chicken

The chimichanga was well fried, crisp, and not greasy. The pulled chicken was moist. 

Nothing special here, but nothing more was really expected.

All lunch specials come with well-seasoned rice, creamy black beans, a pittance of guacamole, 

lettuce, and sour cream.

As an added bonus, they usually provide freshly fried tortilla chips with a mildly spicy salsa on the side. Nothing fancy, but appreciated considering the affordable price point.

Cinco de Mayo is the epitome of casual Mexican cuisine, which is to say that they provide affordable Mexican food with a variety of options that lean towards burritos and tacos. Don't expect Rosa Mexicano or Dos Caminos in NYC or El Vez in Philly and you'll be fine. But don't worry - 

you won't be paying those respective price points either.

http://www.cincodemayobaysideny.com/

Agra Indian Review

A few months back, I was visiting my folks, who work on Bell Blvd. in Bayside, Queens. For our lunch, I decided to get takeout from a number of locations, including Agra Indian. With decent reviews on Yelp, I figured this would be a hit, rather than a miss.

Samosas ($3.50)

Mildly spiced, crisped seasonal turnover (choice of vegetable, potato, chicken, or beef)

Of course, I couldn't choose just one. So I got two orders of samosas. 

The samosas were hefty, perfectly fried, and crisp.

The potato samosas were creamy, with a nice addition of peas and a healthy dose of cumin.

 

The beef samosas were surprisingly sweet, yet savory.
Certainly a heavier samosa, it was delicious nonetheless.

The samosas came with a green dipping sauce, which was somewhat similar to a mild salsa verde.

Chicken Tikka Masala ($13.95)
Boneless chicken tikka cooked in a tomato and cream sauce

The chicken tikka was a nice iteration of this ubiquitous and oft-enjoyed Indian dish. It was slightly sweet with the base of tomato and cream. The chicken was moist and succulent. 

 

It came with basmati rice and a large side of cabbage and potatoes, 

which maintained their inherent textures.

A side of onion relish was provided as well, which had some bite and heat on the finish.

A yellow dahl was also provided, which is essentially a lentil soup. There is some subtle heat in this hearty and filling soup. 

Agra is a bright addition to Bell Blvd.'s eclectic mix of ethnic cuisines. The lunch specials offered at this Indian restaurant will fill you up at an affordable price. The bevy of sides that come with your entree provide a variety of tastes that will open up your palate.

Agra Indian Restaurant
215-35 39th Ave.
Bayside, NY 11361
(516) 307-2472

http://agrarestaurantnyc.com/