Dil-e Punjab Deli

170 Ninth Avenue

(between 20th and 21st Streets)

If you are in the mood for delicious vegetarian Indian food, head to this cabbie favorite. Their lunch/dinner platter is the must get. For $7 you get three (3) vegetable sides (they offer six (6) varying options throughout the day) over white rice, and it comes with either a roti or saffron rice.

You could also get an all-you-can-eat buffet for $10, but please note that this is not a sit-down deli. You may eat at the counter along the back wall, but it can get rather tight, as the lines for lunch can be long.

Their take-out container is quite durable, so if it’s a nice day you can take your meal and eat on a bench in the Highline.

Service

Super friendly. And after two visits, they remember you and welcome you with a warm greeting. They even remembered how I like my take-out to be packaged! Now that’s service!!

Food

I got the $7 platter with turnips, eggplant, and spinach. It comes with yogurt and spicy relish on the side. I like to mix the relish into the food before I start to dig in and then I dip the roti into my food mix. Soooo good!!!

It is seriously A LOT OF food. I actually love getting this for lunch, but it will be my meal for the entire day.

Ramen Misoya

129 Second Avenue

(between 7th and St. Mark’s Place)

If you don’t want to wait (or have been waiting) for 2 hours to get into Ippudo, Ramen Misoya is an excellent second choice. Located a few blocks from Ippudo, Ramen Misoya has a blink and you’ll miss entrance. Seems like it would be a hole in the wall from the outside, but when you walk in, the restaurant actually goes further back and is larger than you would imagine.

The interiors are super cozy, with a cool-vibe atmosphere.

Service

Very low-key and friendly. Appreciated their no-rush attitude. And the restaurant gets super crowded by 8pm on the Thursday night I went.

Food

Cha-shu Ramen. Soup is delicious. Comes with three (3) pieces of Chashu pork. The pork is juicy and melts in your mouth. Ramen noodles are good, but the highlight of the dish is the pork.

Vegetarian friend had the Kimchee Ramen, which was apparently enjoyed as not a drop remained in the bowl. It looked frighteningly spicy to me, though!

Additional note of interest. TV screen outside of kitchen is not broadcasting a food show. It’s actually showing the kitchen preparing your food!

Ippudo is still my number one go-to ramen noodle place, but Ramen Misoya is a terrific second choice.

Red Bamboo - Vegan/Vegetarian Cuisine

My friend and I just finished watching a play at the Cherry Lane Theater and wanted to get something to eat.

She is a Vegetarian and remembered that there is an interesting little restaurant hidden around the West 4th Street location.

It is called Red Bamboo and it has only Vegan/Vegetarian Cuisine.

It is located at 140 West 4th Street (between 6th Avenue and Macdougal).  Their hours are from 12:30 pm to 11 pm Mondays - Fridays and from noon to 11 pm on the weekends.

Well, I have to say the food tasted excellent and wanted to blog about it.

We decided to order two appetizers and two entrees to be shared.

The portions were the perfect size.

The dragonfly dumplings and the roti canai arrived at the same time.

The dumplings were filled with some mixture of carrots and cabbage and some other stuffing along with some side greens.  I was expecting some interesting presentation since it was called dragonfly, but it looked like regular dumplings and the taste was just okay.

The roti was actually quite good and that was all due to the dipping sauce.  It was some sort of "chili" dipping sauce, but it looked more like a ginger sauce to me.  I highly recommend that dish.

Then, we got our entrees - both are quite healthy, but I definitely liked one dish more than the other.

The quinoa with salmon was an interesting combination.  I ordered this dish because I wanted to see  what else can be done with quinoa.  It was an okay dish.  It was too dry and there was no sauce.  My friend ordered hot sauce for it, but I don't think that worked for me.  It definitely needed something.

I looked at my other side of my dish where the red curry tofu laid waiting for me to eat.  I wondered, " Hmmm, let's see if I can mix the two together."  Voila!!!?  It was like a taste explosion in my mouth.

That was exactly what was needed.  My friend loved the curry dish and would have licked the serving plate if that was an appropriate thing to do.  The Thai red curry sauce was not spicy at all and that was perfect for me.  It is now going to be my favorite dish and I highly recommend this when you visit.

Ahhh, I am quite full and satisfied.

Dessert, anyone?

My friend and I decided to order one red velvet cake, along with one scoop of butter pecan vegan ice cream.  My friend ate one spoonful of the cake and ice cream while I had the rest.

The red velvet cake was a bit dry so the ice cream was actually a very good pairing.

Well, my final verdict - good restaurant that you should go if you are in the mood for some good vegan or vegetarian dishes.

I am definitely coming back to this place to try some other dishes and want to try their ginger drinks.

Maybe, I will blog about my next visit.

Adventures in the Global Kitchen and sampling of tasting menu from Eleven Madison Park

Here is another interesting event at the American Museum of Natural History.

                               

I had a great time at a discussion on the Exotic Flavors in Fine Dining on Thursday, June 6.

Mitchell Davis interviewed Will Guidara and Daniel Humm from Eleven Madison Park.

The discussion was about the venue and the focus on food from the local area, such as NY farmers.  It is another reminder that New York has some really good food and we don't have to import food from other places when sometimes the best food is right here.

Their venue is about what is best in NY and that is the theme at their restaurant as well.

We all had a sample of what they offer at their restaurant.  Here is the tasting list.

   

My favorite was the black and white cookie.  It brought back some memories of when I tasted my first black and white cookie.  It melted too quickly in my mouth.

These samples have made me want to go to their restaurant and have that 16 course-tasting menu.  It is like a show about the food.  I will try to get a reservation for the restaurant to taste the other courses.  Of course, we will write about that once we have gone although I know there are many reviews out there already, but I refuse to read them and want to form my own opinion.

To be continued......

Ali Baba

212 E. 34th Street

(between Second and Third Avenues)

www.alibabaturkishcuisine.com

On a recent hot, Saturday afternoon I took my sister to my favorite Turkish restaurant. The service is always welcoming and the food is always excellent. And I think that I can safely say that Ali Baba has found another fan.

Service
Wonderful! Very friendly, knowledgeable about the food, and helpful with suggestions. They make you feel like you're at home.

Food

We started off with the babaganoush. I love smearing it on the hot bread that arrives on the table immediately upon ordering. Plus, free bread refills!!

We also had the appetizer portion of the Lahmacun (Turkish pizza). It’s ground lamb and chopped garden vegetables served on a flatbread. Absolutely delicious!

We then shared a dish of the bamya--baby okra baked with fresh tomatoes, onions, and green peppers. We added chicken as well. The sauce was amazing and the baby okra was cooked to perfection.

Ali Baba then presented us with a tray of their desserts.

We chose the kunefe—pastry with cheese and honey syrup in a pan. So decadent, as nothing beats melted cheese and honey!!

Dessert was accompanied with what else but Turkish coffee.

Bann Restaurant

350 W. 50th Street

(between Eighth and Ninth Avenues)

www.bannrestaurant.com

Want to find a place to take out-of-town friends? Bann Restaurant would be a great choice. It’s upscale Korean, and located in a rather discreet location. Plus, it boasts having served Korean superstar Psy—Mr. Gangnam Style himself.

I wanted to take my friend and her husband to some place rather exotic or what they normally wouldn’t be able to find in their hometown. But I also wanted them to have fun and feel comfortable so a Korean barbecue sounded like the right solution!

Plus it’s the only Korean restaurant I know that offers a gluten-free menu!! (My friend, like so many others, unfortunately has food allergies.) Please note though that you must request the gluten-free menu as it is not immediately offered.

Food

We started off with an order of the kimbap and the bin dae duk (mini pancakes with bean sprouts, kimchi, and scallion). Both dishes were good (though I’ve had better in some of the hole-in-the-wall places in K-town).

The bann chann (the accompanying side dishes) were very disappointing—only three offerings—why so skimpy?

The star of the evening though was the barbecue. We ordered a Medium Barbecue Platter, which came with kal bi (short rib), bul go gi (ribeye), sae woo (shrimp), and yun aw (salmon). The kal bi was amazing—so sweet it tasted like it was doused with sugar! And the salmon was so fresh it could have been just caught from the ocean. The food also came with a salad that was accompanied with an excellent salad dressing.

My friend’s husband happily took on the role of the cook, and he did an excellent job. So it gave him something to do while my friend and I were able to gab the night away. It was a fun night for all accompanied with cocktails (they really make a fabulous lychee martini!), white wine, and beer.

Would recommend only for special occasions, as it is rather pricey for an average, everyday meal.