new york city

Zz's Clam Bar

in

ZZ's Clam Bar is hands down one of my favorite spots in the city. I've been here a handful (10+) times and the food and drinks make me happy every time.

Ambiance / Decor

If you've read my previous reviews of Major Food Group restaurants, you'll know that I've said this countless times before but I always love the setting and ambiance of their restaurants. I usually go to ZZ's on Fridays or Saturdays (because I have a boring corporate job) and they are always playing Latin/Salsa music, momentarily taking you to another setting. It's a small intimate joint with good food, drinks, and music.

The space is very intimate with ~14 seats total and ~9 for dining, but yet it feels spacious. It's got that quirky yet very classy decor where details matter and are appreciated. I absolutely love the crystal chandelier, clean-cut marble tables, and Seafood display by the bar filled with fruits and tropical plants. It's a rare establishment where they got all three right, by all three I'm referring to food, decor/ambiance, and service.

Food

The food is great. Really unique flavors and excellent presentation. They take seafood to another level. It's like designer seafood.

1) Uni toast—Each order comes with two small pieces, but so worth it. Fresh uni served on a buttery soft pretzel toast with chives. It's mouthwatering. I absolutely recommend.

2) Scottish Salmon—The salmon paired with honey mustard is also really good. It's much more simple and goes well together with toast.

3) Chanina Beef Carpaccio, Uni, Lobster and Caviar—I don't know why, but this odd combination just works. It's fresh, heavy (in a good way), and tasty with pieces of lightly buttered toast. Just get it and don't look back. 

4) Oysters—You can't go wrong with oysters. They are fresh and delicious!

Drinks

The drinks are absolutely some of the best in the city. I think for $20 it's worth it because you can go to some shitty bar/club/lounge and pay about the same for a shitty drink. I'd rather come here for some hand-crafted drinks where the aesthetics are on point and get a nice Instagram photo. The drinks are also very strong, relative to their peers. For example, you go to some subpar club/lounge/bar and you order a shitty vodka soda, that'll cost you $15-20 and won't even get you buzzed. I'm light weight but I'm not THAT light weight, after 1.5 drinks at ZZ's I'm feeling pretty good.

1) Pistachio—This is my absolute favorite drink! It tastes like dessert with pistachio bits here and there. It is not too sweet and strong enough to get your heart pumping.

2) Cilantro—If you are in the mood for something spicy, then this is the drink for you. It has a nice kick if you aren't afraid of spices. It's served literally in a long pepper where the insides are used in the drink.

3) Coconut—An aesthetically pleasing drink. What's not to like about drinking out of a smoking coconut? It's super fun and picturesque!

4) Carcao—If you are in the mood for something super fruity and tropical yet strong. This is the perfect drink. It tastes really light, refreshing and fruity but is strong and effective. It's also served in vintage Star Wars cups.

Price

No doubt it's pricey for the average person. But, nonetheless, definitely worth it. It's one of those places you come to on a quarterly basis. I would estimate at least ~$150 per person for a full meal and a drink or two.

Reservation

I think one or two weeks in advance will suffice. They only accept reservations 2 weeks in advance I believe.

Pistachio

Uni Toast

Chianina Beef, Uni, Lobster and Caviar

Key Lime Pie

Carcao

Scallops, Pistachio, Brown Butter

Scottish Salmon

Carpaccio, Tuna, Foie Grois, Bone Marrow

Coffee, Coconut

Carrot, Pistachio

 

Annisa

in

*Update: I visited Annisa a second time in 2015 and the food quality had gone down hill. I was very disappointed with the performance. The meat was not cooked to its best ability and the flavor pairings were half-assed. It felt like they stopped caring and did the bare minimum to maintain its pedigree. 

Anita Lo is the owner at Annisa where they serve new American contemporary cuisine based on the Chef's experience in Chinese cooking and French techniques. I came here for my 24th birthday about a week ago and ordered the tasting menu. I guess we had just made the cut because they were recently stripped of their one Michelin star, but nonetheless, it was a great dining experience. I would definitely return to this spot despite that. I was also a little shocked by their proud B rating...hmm. But the quality was excellent and the restaurant was definitely very clean.

Food

We ordered the 5-course tasting menu. We started with fluke sashimi that was fresh, tender and light. It was probably my least favorite of the 5 dishes, still good, but nothing exciting. The second course was Annisa's famous foie gras soup dumplings. It was so good! I love dumplings in general, so the foie gras with duck was extra unique and special. I could eat 10 of these easily. As the entree, we had the famous marinated miso sable dish with tofu. It was fantastic. The sable was very well cooked, extremely tender and moist.  The agedashi tofu with the slightly sweet sake dashi miso broth was also nicely done. I highly recommend. The texture of the sable and tofu was almost like silk. As the second entree, we were served the grilled koji-marinated berkshire pork loin with radishes, smoked avocado, and a poached egg. The edges of the pork were well grilled and slightly smokey. The insides were well cooked and tender. It was a well-balanced dish with meat, greens and a side of dairy (egg). It was tasty but nothing spectacular. Lastly for the dessert, everyone was served a variety of desserts from their menu. I ended with the best one, the pecan sea salt butterscotch beignets. It was so good. Exactly how beignets should be. At the very end when we got the bill, they served mini coconut popsicles. It was refreshing and delicious. Also extremely cute. 

Fluke

Miso Marinated Sable

Foie Gras Soup Dumpling

Grilled Koji-Marinated Berkshire Pork Loin

Pecan and Salted Butterscotch Beignets with Bourbon Milk Ice

Ambiance

The space was a lot smaller than I anticipated. It was quaint, charming and intimate. Initially, I thought one of the waiters was slightly rude and impatient because I had made a reservation for eight people and one guest was running late. I did not like that they were not willing to wait for one more person. But after my last guest arrived the service was great from then after. 

Price

I believe this place is reasonably priced. Especially the 5-course tasting menu at $85 per person. It was just the right amount of food, if not a little excessive. If you choose not to get the tasting menu, for about three courses I'd expect to pay roughly $70 per person excluding tip/tax. So you may as well just get the tasting menu.

One other thing to note. They are very great about splitting bills. I know most restaurants do not allow more than two or three cards. But they accepted eight credit cards!! I was shocked. An added bonus. 

Reservation

I made reservations a month in advance and still didn't get the exact time I wanted. I would definitely recommend making reservations at least 1.5 months in advance for prime dining times. 

 

Joseph Leonard

in

Is it just me or do most brunch spots in Manhattan taste the same and remain relatively unimpressive? Eggs Benedict or French toast are basically the same anywhere you go, whether you're paying $10 or $20. But let's talk more about a little spot I tried this morning because a solid brunch spot is tough to find in the city or even worth the effort to blog about. Although I did not actually try their eggs benedict, I'm sure it's comparable to most places. But everything else I tried was tasty and creative. This little gem is located in the West Village on Waverly street.

Food

Let's begin by talking about their famous bloody caesar with an oyster and a brussels sprout wrapped in bacon. What an imaginative recipe. The oyster is an excellent way to start the day and get your sex drive going. It's fresh and delicious. I love brussels sprout and I love bacon, and together they are the perfect combination of healthy and a mild heart attack. Who would've thought to pair these two with the classic Caesar? It is well spiced at Joseph Leonard. The vodka is not the dominate player but rather a slight modifier that enhances the spices.

The fried chicken sandwich is one of their signature dishes. The chicken is tender and crunchy with a glaze of light honey. By default, it comes with chips, but I recommend substituting for brussels sprout with Siracha sauce—it is delicious, and a good balance.

Lastly, my favorite dish was the dessert, the monkey cake. It was literally an entire cake. Order it after you finish eating your entrees because they serve it fresh. It may look a bit intimidating at first, but I assure you, it is not OVERLY sweet. Thank god. The only part that's sweet is the coated white chocolate sauce, but the inside is left untouched, so you can control the sweetness level. The fresh strawberries and toasted almonds are an excellent complement to the cake. I highly recommend it.

Ambiance

The restaurant is very small and has a classic west village hipster ambiance. Before going, I always thought it was a very high-end brunch spot, but it's actually very chill and casual. The crowd is full of locals, yuppies, and chic grungy socialites. A spot that caters to foodies across the social spectrum.

Price

Joseph Leonard is comparable to any other brunch spot in the city. Roughly $14-$20 for an entree. Sides range between $4-$8. Drinks vary, but the bloody caesar is $16. It is on par with most places (by most places I mean good places of this caliber). I would expect to spend about $30-$40 (after tax & tip) per person depending on how hungry you are. But $40 is plenty, if not excessive.

Wait

When isn't there a wait in NYC? If it's any good, there's a line. Luckily this place is not yet overly commercialized on yelp or other mainstream media sites. The wait is reasonable for New York, about 45 minutes to an hour during peak times. I recommend going an hour before your desired eating time. There's plenty to do around the area. They will call you when your table is ready. So no need to stick around.

Overall, I think this is a great brunch spot that justifies its prices with solid food that is slightly differentiated from hot brunch spots. The charm of this location gives it the authentic West Village feel. One of my go to spots with really great food.