Saturday, June 21, 2008, 6:30pm

355 W 46th St (b/t 8th & 9th Aves)
New York, NY 10036
Theater District

Cuisine: Italian
Price Point: $$ Relatively Inexpensive

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A place like Becco is a rare find in New York City: A restaurant run by renowned chefs that won’t leave you hungry or your wallet empty. The spot is owned by celebrity chefs Lidia & Joseph Bastianich. Not only is the food outstanding at reasonable prices, but their wine list is one of the largest Italian wine lists I have ever seen, and at unbelievably reasonable prices. There are quite a few things about Becco worth noting.

Becco tends to cater a great deal to the “pre-theater” crowd, as it sits on “restaurant row” in the heart of the theater district. When making my reservation, and again when arriving, I was asked if I had to make an 8pm show. I did, and they made sure we were accommodated accordingly. Although our 6:30 reservation didn’t get us seated until around 6:45, our meal was easily completed by 7:45, providing plenty of time to walk a block to our show.

The restaurant itself is something of a bustling, hectic atmosphere upon entering. We checked in with a rather large gangly looking man, reminiscent of a cross between Howard Stern and Keith Richards, who wore a pin declaring “cancer sucks”. He was, however, very accommodating and efficient at his job. Upon checking in, he ushered us into a room on the side with a few open chairs to wait, and seated us as promptly as possible, given the craziness that ensued.

We sat in a quieter room upstairs. Our waiter was clearly Italian, accent and all. He rattled off about a half dozen complicated “specials” and explained a few brief things about the restaurant and menu, since we had never dined there. Although the entrees all looked great, we decided to go for one of the more unique items: the pasta tasting, or as they call it the “Sinfonia Di Pasta.”

The pasta tasting consists of three pastas of the day, of which you can have as much as you want. As you finish the portion given, they come around with large bowls and offer you more, so you can eat as much or as little as you like of each. We had a pretty good diversity of pastas: rigatoni with broccoli in olive-oil and garlic, linguini in a red sauce with fried shrimp, and mushroom ravioli in a subtle white cream sauce. All of the pastas were great, and all three of us had a different favorite. At the all-in cost of just $22.95 per person, it was also a steal from New York standards in higher-end cuisine.

The way the pasta tasting works includes an appetizer, which can be a Cesare salad or antipasta consisting of marinated and grilled vegetables with assorted seafood. Our waiter recommended that we get both, since there were three of us, presumably resulting in one and a half portions of each to share. It was a wonderful recommendation, as we loved trying everything.

And as good and novel as the food might have all seemed, perhaps my favorite aspect of the restaurant hasn’t even been mentioned yet: the wine list. I have rarely seen a restaurant with an Italian wine list to rival Becco’s. But the interesting part is how they organize the list. There are actually two separate lists. The first is a “prix fixe” wine list, consisting of 86 bottles all costing $25. That is not a typo: they really have 86 bottles of virtually every kind of Italian wine you could imagine for $25 each. A truly incredible accomplishment, I think. Becco explains their inspiration for developing such a wine list: “We created this wine list to remove the inhibition & confusion of price from your wine selection.” We got a delicious bottle of Sicilian Syrah off this list, which we all really enjoyed.

But for those who want something a little more special, there is a second wine list, which they refer to as the “reserve” wine list. The bottles here are all over $25 and consist of dozens more options. Even though these wines are more expensive, a vast number of them are still in the $40-50 range, which is relatively reasonable from New York standards. Of course, I could never imagine why someone couldn’t find something they would enjoy on the 86-bottle prix-fixe list.

Unfortunately, we did get a slightly late start on the meal, so we did not feel that we had time for dessert, but I would be surprised if it would not have impressed on a similar level to the rest of the meal. But even without dessert, with the salad, antipasta, and unlimited pasta, we had plenty of food to keep us satisfied for the night. Next time we’ll just have to allow a little extra time to squeeze dessert in there.

Conclusion

If you told me that there was a restaurant in New York City owned by celebrity chefs with reasonable prices, an ultra-reasonable prix fixe wine list, delicious food consisting of generous portions, a location convenient to the theater district, and having a non-snooty atmosphere, I’d think you were dreaming. That is, of course, until I learned about and experienced Becco. I would strongly recommend it, especially to those who love wine but prefer not to break the bank when purchasing a bottle. I loved virtually every aspect of my experience, and definitely plan to go back the next time I need a pre-theater dinner in the future.

Ratings:

Food Quality: 8
Food Creativity: 8
Wine List: 9
Specialty Drinks: N/A
Service: 7
Ambiance: 7
Décor: 7
Overall Score: 8

Saturday, June 14, 2008, 10:00pm

2182 Broadway (@ 77th ST)
New York, NY 10024
Upper West Side

Cuisine: Asian Fusion
Price Point: $$$ Moderate

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There’s something kind of disingenuous about Ruby Foo’s. I mean, it’s a great space. I had walked by this place dozens of times, and always thought it was a little Asian Fusion place, but inside it’s expansive. There are at least 3 levels, and the decor is detailed and impressive.

Yet, it feels a little like something out of Epcot – even when it comes to the food. I had a very good “Stir-fry Filet Mignon” which had chow fun noodles and a black bean garlic sauce, while my girlfriend had the Peking Duck. Again, neither of us was disappointed with the food. It was good, and mine was rather unique, or at least unique to me, as I’d never had stir-fry filet mignon with chow fun noodles. But something just seemed to induce a shrug of the shoulders.

Maybe it’s the fact that its Times Square sister restaurant is a tourist landmark, and it feels touristy-by-association. I really had nothing against my experience at the UWS location; I really enjoyed the food and thought it had a great atmosphere. I just felt like something lacked in order to make it a restaurant that I would have been truly impressed with.

Conclusion

If you want a solid meal with a rather expansive, impressively done decor, then Ruby Foo’s won’t disappoint. While I can’t say it earned a place on my short list of “must try” NYC restaurants, or that I would even go again, I can see why many tourists would like it. I think it serves as what most tourists would imagine a trendy Asian-fusion restaurant to be, without the mind boggling prices or snootiness of a place like Tao.

Ratings:

Food Quality: 7
Food Creativity: 7
Wine List: N/A
Specialty Drinks: 6
Service: 4
Ambiance: 7
Decor: 7
Overall Score: 7

Friday, May 30, 2008, 7:30pm

Cuisine: Sushi
Price Point: $$$$$ Ridiculously Expensive

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I had probably walked by Gari several dozen times without realizing what it was. I had assumed, from its minimalist interior, that it was just one of the many sushi joints that have popped up in Manhattan over the years. Recently, however, a friend of mine asked me if I’d ever been to Sushi by Gari (its 46th ST counterpart) before. She informed me that the chef there had a different, interesting, and delicious spin on sushi.

And she was right. Gari does what most sushi places would not dare to do: encourage its patrons to actually enjoy and savor the tastes of the various fish while adding a touch of creativity. In most, even very good sushi places, you are given high quality fish, along with the quintessential wasabi, ginger, and soy sauce. You then pour some soy sauce in a little dish, add some wasabi, drown the fish in the concoction, and add a piece of ginger, producing a salty, spicy mouthful where you can maybe even taste a little fish.

At Gari, there is no soy sauce. You don’t need wasabi or ginger either. At least this was the case with what we ordered: the Omakase (Chef’s tasting). This option begins with 10 pieces of sushi, all of which are completely different. You can then continue getting as many more pieces (again, all different) as you like until you’ve had enough. Each piece consists of sushi with some kind of topping. The topping is what gives each piece a unique and delicious taste. Gari has managed to find a multitude of ways to top a variety of different raw fish without relying on soy sauce, wasabi, or ginger.

There was such variation and creativity that I can’t begin to explain everything that I ate. But some of the incredible highlights included sushi bases including (but certainly not limited to) sea bass, lobster, crab, fatty tuna, cod, salmon, and eel topped with such unique and unusual items that I cannot even recall what they all were, only the enjoyment I experienced by tasting such creative masterpieces. And the fish itself was as high quality as I’ve had, with absolutely none of the “gaminess” that sometimes accompanies mediocre quality sushi – only the subtle but present taste distinctive of each kind of fish as one is meant to experience it. One of my favorite pieces consisted of two marinated baby Japanese squid wrapped in a piece of seaweed with rice and certainly some seasoning. The finale, a “baked” oyster, was also incredible – and I don’t even generally like oysters.

The Omakase is definitely the way to go. It starts with 10 pieces of sushi, and will run you a whopping $60 (approximately). Then you can get additional pieces if that isn’t enough (and it won’t be), which will run you approximately the same rate per piece. In our case, we had 15 pieces each, and escaped for a bill of around $200 (for two people) before tip. I can’t say we were “full” persay, but didn’t leave hungry either. I’d call it a comfortable level of fullness (which reached “truly full” after a short walk to Magnolia Bakery for some banana pudding and flourless chocolate cake). I have heard others have easily spent as much as $150 per person by ordering another round (5 pieces) of Omakase, but clearly it can be even more expensive than that even if you keep eating. Gari is not for the faint of wallet, but if you’ve got the cash, and you want a memorable experience, then you’ll love Gari.

Conclusion

I have been to other sushi “hot spots” in NYC such as Nobu and Koi. But Gari’s traditional sushi with a creative twist is second to none. While Nobu is arguably equal in quality, their departure from what I consider to be the more traditional sushi, puts it in a slightly different category than Gari. Both are great but produce very different experiences. As mentioned, it won’t come cheap, but Gari will be an experience you will not soon forget.

Ratings:

Food Quality: 10
Food Creativity: 9
Wine List: N/A
Specialty Drinks: N/A
Service: 8
Ambiance: 7
Décor: 7
Overall Score: 9

May 17, 2008 8:00pm

Cuisine: Pizza / Italian
Price Point: $$ Relatively Inexpensive

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Chickie Pig’s seems a perfect fit for its Lower East Side neighborhood. Just as the Lower East Side has become a blend of old New York and the trendy contemporary New York scene, so too does Chickie Pig’s blend the classic with new. The classic is their food, epitomized by their old world “Sicilian Style Grandma” pizza with fresh basil, mozzarella, Grana Padano cheese, and a variety of optional toppings including even some unusual items such as scallions, salami, capacola, and portabello mushrooms. The new is the atmosphere it exudes with its contemporary décor and atmosphere.

We began with their Prosciutto Balls, which consisted of deep fried balls made of breaded Ricotta cheese, mozzarella, reggiano parmegiano and tiny bits of prosciutto. They are as good as they sound – delicious, and a signature item, from what I understand. I then opted for the pizza I described above, to which I added mushrooms and pepperoni. It did not disappoint, as it was what a Sicilian-style pizza should be: fresh ingredients, expertly prepared, and properly baked.

I also tried a bit of Gnocchi Alla Romano. This is “Roman style” gnocchi made from polenta and mozzarella and reggiano parmegiano, instead of potato. Again, the recipe did good work, as we thought it was very tasty and a delightful change from the usual gnocchi.

Another noteworthy feature of Chickie Pig’s is their BYOB policy. We brought our own wine and were only charged a $5 (if my memory serves me) corkage fee. This is a fantastic alternative to paying the usual 100% mark-up when one wants to enjoy wine with their meal in a restaurant. We brought a nice South African red that accompanied the food perfectly.

Conclusion

While I can’t say that Chickie Pig’s is one of the more incredible or memorable restaurants I’ve been to, I will say that it is a nice find for a solid, reasonably priced meal. Although something of a glorified pizza place, its appetizers and short list of entrees seem to satisfy as well. Another really unique feature of this restaurant is their willingness to allow patrons to bring their own wine with a minimal corkage fee.

Ratings:

Food Quality: 7
Food Creativity: 6
Wine List: N/A
Specialty Drinks: N/A
Service: 4
Ambiance: 6
Décor: 5
Overall Score: 6