I had brunch at Sarabeth’s Sarabeth’s (East) with a great group of TNT-ers today after our Saturday morning run. I had dinner at the UWS location Sarabeth’s (West) a couple of years ago and was quite disappointed. The brunch was much better which make sense since that is what Sarabeth’s is known for.
As soon as you’re seated, coffee comes around and is constantly refilled (same with water). I love places that do that without you looking for a waiter every time you finish your cup. The menu had so many unique items (like Pumpkin Waffle with Sour Cream, Raisins, and Sunflower Seeds and Honey) that I had a really hard time deciding. I also got a glimpse of several plates as we walked in and everything is plated wonderfully. I was really disappointed when I found out that I couldn’t order several items since they had food coloring. The Almond Crusted French Toast with Cranberry Cherry sauce sounded so good!!
I finally decided on the Whole Wheat Pancakes with Bananas and Wheat Berries which was very good but not “wow”. The thing is that the prices are in a range where I don’t require “wow”. I actually think that you get more than what you pay for and I’d definitely go back because maybe some of the items are a “wow”.
posted by jessica at 05:29 PM
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As many of you know, and are likely eagerly awaiting, the Annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest is rapidly approaching (on July 4th). The event, held at the original Nathan’s Nathan’s Original, which is both covered globally by press, and entered by contestants from all around the world, is a spectacle to behold; especially as told by George Shea, the IFOCE spokesperson, who emcees the event. And it begs the question, what exactly makes a real New York Hot Dog? That question was specifically raised recently, read on below…
posted by Lon at 11:01 AM
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Chickpea Chickpea is more expensive than your average falafel & shawarma joint. Some of their products are worth it and some aren’t. Here’s what you should and shouldn’t get:
Order:
Falafels – Different people prefer different sized falafel balls. These are the smaller ones and very fried but well flavored and seasoned.
Pitas -They make their own. Super fresh!
Sauces – The tahina sauce and hot sauce are both good.
Chickplant Sandwich – I had this a while ago and I remember liking it.
Don’t bother with:
Shawarma – Shredded into very small pieces and covered in way too much cinnamon.
Rice/Kasha – On the menu, some items are served over rice but it’s actually kasha and it’s not great kasha.
Average:
Chicken Kebab – I’d rather get this somewhere cheaper but not too bad.
Hummus – Nothing special
posted by jessica at 09:06 AM
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Matt at x-entertainment compiled a brief list of notable, dead sodas. Reading the list certainly provided a quick flashback. How many have you had? I think I tasted most of these, except the tropical Pepsi flavors.
More recently, Matt posted about the summer line up of notable flavors, including Pepsi Summer Mix (which I hadn’t heard of) and Diet Coke Plus, which one co-worker frequently drinks.
It seems that these new flavors, are likely to make one of Matt’s future lists of dead sodas.
posted by Lon at 06:45 AM
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In in a moment of genius, the boys over at Ogilvy & Mather have come up with a show that is all about mayonnaise! It’s Hellmann’s ‘Real Food’ Series and I want to eat every last bite of it! Or perhaps you didn’t read my bio?
Sadly, the show is not really going to be all about mayo, as good as that sounds. Instead it will feature ultimate bore Dave Lieberman (who didn’t even make it to my review of Celebrity Chefs) will wander around the ole U.S. of A. and talk to people about what they consider “real food”. So basically, it’s a chef I don’t care about, talking to people I don’t care about. And it’s on Yahoo Food!
So, unlike I ever do with Hellman’s real product, I think I’ll take a pass on this show.
posted by Lon at 01:31 PM
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Recently Jessica and I have become more respectful of B.R. Guest Restaurants. Particularly since our Barça 18 review. We’ve realized there is a specific niche in the NYC restaurant price spectrum for B.R. Guest, they seem to acknowledge that spot and fill it perfectly! The formula includes, decently good service, decently good food, generally attractive and usually modern decor, a well stocked bar, and prices in the $40-50 per person range. They’re slightly more pricey than average and slightly better than average. And most important, they are consistent.
Well, it seems they’ll be launching a new venue to try out the formula. It’s called Primehouse Primehouse. I noted the location walking to work this morning. It’s just down the block from another B.R. location: Dos Caminos, one of their restaurants that did not work for me.
I’m interested to see how this works out for B.R.; there are so many steakhouses in NYC, and many are great, such as Dylan Prime. But one of the best, BLT Prime, is not very far from Primehouse’s new location. We’ll have to keep an eye on this bullfight, err, bison fight.
posted by Lon at 09:22 AM
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Last night we sampled a new product line from Godiva: Chocoiste. The theme of the line is focusing on packaging yum yum for the tum tum of an individual (that’s industry parlance for ‘delectable’). For instance, an individual chocolate chip cookie, with rich chocolate laced over the top (half of which was available at the time I snapped the photo, at right, burp). That cookie was outstanding; Jess thought it was average. The cookie, and other bakery goods, such as the chocolate-dipped marshmallow, may only be available at Godiva stores.
Another item in the line are domes: almost chip-shaped sandwiches of flavor and chocolate. I tried the raspberry. While we all agreed the white chocolate was great, the raspberry was almost undetectable.
Other items in the line include a set of pearls: little balls of chocolate, with various flavors. I tried the mint; they were enjoyable, much more subtle (and enjoyable) than the chocolate Altoids I had the other day. The pearls seem to be available in many flavors, and I dig on the box, which was designed for easy opening and closing.
In the end, we were all chocolated-up and thoroughly enjoyed our Godiva treat. I recommend you go ahead and try it yourself!
posted by Lon at 08:08 AM
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Ugh! FreshDirect is getting desperate. Yesterday evening, we received a voicemail from FreshDirect’s Sarah James, as you can hear in the message, she’s part of their SPAM team!! It makes me sick that companies feel it’s ok to randomly telemarket people at home. Do you think there are executives out there thinking, “Gee, I love receiving telemarketing calls at home on MY personal time, I should have my company do that too!”?
We’ve been talking about FreshDirect’s issues since 2003 (and 2006 and 2007), looks like they’re not getting better, but worse. The voicemail message is available for your listening pleasure to the right. She’s clearly well practiced — sike!
posted by Lon at 07:37 AM
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Today we spent time at my sister’s place, enjoying their brand new baby girl, Sabrina– she’s gorgeous! Less enjoyable though were the PiMs cookies
we tried while there.
They are a cracker-like cookie, topped with a half marshmallow/half-mousse-like concoction, and finally coated in chocolate. Sounds good, right? Wrong.
Both Jessica and I did not enjoy them at all. The cookie was too dry, the chocolate was over-whelming, and the filling had less than average flavor.
PiMs are made by LU Biscuits, and so I have to wonder if they’ve always tasted this way, perhaps even since LU was founded in 1846? Or maybe across the various changes, from when Lefèvre-Utile Biscuit Co. changed names to LU, or was acquired by Generale Biscuit S.A., and then acquired again by Groupe Danone, the biscuits lost flavor?
posted by Lon at 07:57 PM
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The answer is 3.
We had lunch at 3 Guys, 3 Guys a diner with 3 locations, on the Upper East side. Lon ordered pancakes with scrambled eggs with cheese. The semi-warm pancakes were overcooked and far from fluffy. The cheese on the scrambled eggs had a really weird taste and we didn’t continue eating it.
I opted for a make-your-own omelet with tomato, spinach, and muenster cheese. It came out severely overcooked yet it wasn’t even hot and the cheese inside had barely started to melt. I don’t even know how they accomplished that. The potatoes were gross and none of it was seasoned at all.
To top off the misery, this meal wasn’t cheap. When I find these 3 guys, I’m asking for my money back and extra for pain and suffering.
posted by jessica at 05:00 PM
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I had brunch at Sarabeth’s Sarabeth’s (East) with a great group of TNT-ers today after our Saturday morning run. I had dinner at the UWS location Sarabeth’s (West) a couple of years ago and was quite disappointed. The brunch was much better which make sense since that is what Sarabeth’s is known for.
