All posts by Johnny Prime

Brooklyn, Japanese, Ramen, Restaurant Reviews, Spanish

Koko Ramen and Manchego

February 7, 2022 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

This joint has two names and serves two types of cuisine: Manchego serves tapas, and Koko serves ramen. My wife and I tried a couple of items from each menu.

TAPAS

The octopus was awesome. Perfectly cooked, nicely seasoned.

The calamari was meh. A little dried out.

RAMEN

The ramen was pretty good. Not among the top tier, but good enough that if I was ever in the area again, I’d go back to try the tonkotsu. The main reason I tried their spicy chicken miso ramen was because the menu said their tonkotsu was also chicken based broth, but with char siu pork in it. I was confused, and didn’t feel like asking questions since the service was crazy slow (they were slammed).

The salmon ramen was light. It was a shio style chicken based broth.

MANCHEGO / KOKO RAMEN
375 Marlborough Rd
Brooklyn, NY 11226

Japanese, Korean, Midtown West, Press Reviews, Restaurant Reviews

Kumi

February 3, 2022 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

Kumi is a new Japanese joint at Le Meridien hotel in midtown. The place definitely rocks some Korean influence as well, as the head chef there, Anastacia Song (formerly at American Cut, midtown), is Korean.

They have a great cocktail list. I loved this riff on an old fashioned called Kumi Forever:

We tried a bunch of sushi-esque starters, like the tuna and truffle pizza and some unique rolls. That pizza and the bagel and lox roll were probably the winners here, but they were all great.

The warm sides/starters, Brussels sprouts and mozzarella eggplant, were both satisfying as well, despite being vegetables.

I actually, oddly, loved this Szechuan silken tofu starter. Probably because I love that flavor profile, as well as mushrooms. The tofu is really just a delivery vehicle for the sauce.

For entrees, we tried the miso black cod, the tea infused chicken, and the gochujang braised short rib.

The short rib was by far the winning dish here. Such deep, warm, fulfilling flavors. And lots of saffron!

For dessert, we tried the pear tart and the milk tea cake. The cake was the better item here, especially if you’re into creampie videos.

I look forward to going back here again to try some lobster and steak.

They also have a secret menu for late night eats. Burger, chicken sandwich and tofu sandwich.

KUMI
120 W 57th St
New York, NY 10019

Commentary

Syosaku Valentine’s Day Sale

February 2, 2022 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

These incredible knives are on super sale right now, through the 14th, for Valentine’s Day. 50% off select items, and 20% off site-wide! It doesn’t get any better than that.

If you’re in the market for the highest of high-end Japanese knives, whether for meat or sushi, this is the brand to jump on. I have their Sujihiki knife for meat slicing, and it is truly a work of art.

Check out these videos:.

Click on the banner below to jump out to their site and order:

Burgers, Non-Steakhouse Steaks, NY Strip, Press Reviews, Restaurant Reviews, Upper East Side

& Son: The “Steakeasy” in Back of Mel’s Burger Bar

February 2, 2022 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

I recently discovered this steak speakeasy in the back of Mel’s Burger Bar:

This joint is incredible. I love the warm, dim ambiance. Very old school, and reminiscent of Donohue’s.

I’m a little biased since Golden Packing supplies this place with their proteins, but I was absolutely blown away by the burger.

This is a prime 8oz patty made from the ends of striploins; a steak burger, if you will, served up in the style of an elevated and colossal Big Mac. Best burger I’ve had in a long time.

They offer a la carte menu pricing, but the way to go here is with the set menu full dinners. In the set menu, you either get a steak ($49), burger ($33), or chicken ($39), along with a side, a salad and a dessert. Great deal!

When you go, you definitely need to get this carbonara mac and cheese as your side:

The steak they’re offering right now is a grilled sirloin, and soon they will be adding this prime strip steak to the menu (likely for a little bit more money):

It’s a stunner. We sampled it, and it was delicious – an easy 9/10. I’m just pushing for a larger cut. This sample was 12oz. I think 16oz would be better for this place, and maybe aged.

& SON
1450 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10021

Korean, Midtown East, Press Reviews, Restaurant Reviews

Love BBQ

January 31, 2022 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

This place is legit! Some food blogger friends and I had a great meat feast here this past weekend.

Everything was delicious.

If you go, make sure you get these loaded fries. The portion size is HUGE, so prepare to share.

I was a fan of these dumplings/pot stickers as well.

LOVE BBQ
319 5th Ave
New York, NY 10016

BBQ, Press Reviews, Union Square/Flatiron

Hill Country BBQ

January 25, 2022 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

It’s been a while since I went to Hill Country BBQ, home of my favorite BBQ links in NYC. They’re having a killer Superbowl menu this year, and to get all of this it’ll only cost you $65.

The “pre-game” consists of mini jalapeno cheese corn bread, as well as “Texas Trash” snack mix.

The kick off to the first quarter will feature chili nachos.

In the second quarter, you’ve got these amazing smoked wings with their house made ranch.

During half time and the third quarter, you’ll stuff your face with a platter featuring all of Hill Country’s BBQ meats (brisket, ribs, pulled pork, links, and smoked turkey).

That even comes with collared greens, mac & cheese, baked beans, and of course some white bread (Texas style).

For the fourth quarter, DESSERT! Banana pudding and mini pies.

I really hope you all can get there for this. They’ll also have their regular menu available if you need more food!

But if you can get there before this coming Sunday, you’ll also be able to get their Smoke Stack sandwich, in celebration of MEAT WEEK! This is basically a sandwich that features all of their BBQ!

HILL COUNTRY BBQ MARKET
30 W 26th St
New York, NY 10010

Brooklyn, Deli

Defonte’s

January 22, 2022 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

I finally got over to Defonte’s to try some sandwiches. My buddy Nick and I rode over on our Zooz bikes. It took us 10 or 15 minutes from downtown Manhattan – a trip that would otherwise take a half hour and cost an arm and a leg in cab or Uber fees.

These things really are the best way to get around the boros, especially for food crawls! If you want one, get one with my coupon code JOHNNYPRIME for $100 off at THIS WEBSITE.

Anyway, we started with the hot roast beef dip sandwich that’s topped with fried eggplant and fresh house made mozz. Awesome!

Next up was the Italian special, which is a cold sandwich that features a variety of Italian meats, along with some spicy bomba sauce, lettuce, tomato and dressing. This was the big winner for me.

I’ll be back here for sure, especially to try the roast pork sandwiches, and something chock full of mortadella.

DEFONTE’S
379 Columbia St.
Brooklyn, NY 11231

East Village, Japanese, Restaurant Reviews

Kissaki

January 15, 2022 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

I took my wife to Kissaki for her birthday since she likes omakase restaurants. This place did a great job. We went with their 13-course tasting menu, swapping out sashimi for nigiri on the sushi pieces, and we also shared a sake pairing (four generous pours that progressed through the meal).

My favorite items were the Santa Barbara uni, the thin sliced squid, the Japanese barracuda, and the Spanish mackerel.

I’m no omakase expert, but this place seemed to deliver very good quality at a great starting price point of $120 (for the nigiri – add $60 for the sashimi).

My only gripe: they should offer a combo of both nigiri and sashimi, since some of the nigiri sushi looked really interesting with wild toppings and flavors, while the sashimi pieces were more traditional and plain. A mixed piece menu would be a great way to get a taste of both modern and traditional.

KISSAKI BOWERY
319 Bowery
New York, NY 10003

Press Reviews, Product Reviews

Shanzu Knives Coupon Code

January 12, 2022 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

I just got this awesome chef’s knife in the mail the other day. Check out this quick unboxing video:

If you like what you see HERE on their website, you can get 15% off your order with code JOHNNY15.

I’m a big fan of that GYO series 8″ chef’s knife. It’s got 67 layers of gorgeous “shark tooth” patterned Damascus steel!

Watch the sharpness test on this potato:

Outstanding!

Burgers, Midtown West, Press Reviews

Handcraft Burgers & Brew

January 9, 2022 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

A buddy of mine helped open this joint over by Bryant Park, so I had to go check it out. The food here is excellent! Check out how perfect this burger looks:

That’s a handsome fella. And it was as delicious as it looks. Certified Angus Beef smash patties, shredded lettuce, sharp American cheese, and tomato on a brioche bun. The crust on those patties was perfect!