Category Archives: Restaurant Reviews

Deli, Lower East Side/Chinatown, Restaurant Reviews

Katz’s Delicatessen

February 27, 2022 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

I never got around to writing about Katz’s, because the last time I went was before I started this website. Now that I live closer, and since the good folks at Hendrick’s Gin sent me a $25 gift card along with some cool Katz’s swag like gin and juniper soaked pickles and an apron, it was time to go back.

Nothing has changed inside since my last visit, which was pre-2009, aside from some new pics of celebs on the wall. I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of a line at 6pm on a Friday. I thought it would be mobbed. My wife and I opted for waiter service. As soon as we sat, a nice platter of pickles came out. The tomatoes were the winner, oddly enough. I usually devour half sours like an animal!

We wanted to try more sandwiches, but we went with two fulls and one half. First up, the full sized tongue sandwich. This is served cold.

This was my least favorite of the three. The slices were too thick, and the meat wasn’t quite cooked properly. Too tough, too chewy, and too sinewy. Felt like it needed to be cooked lower and slower, so that everything became tender. As far as tongue goes, PJ Bernstein is the king. Without question.

Next up was the half sandwich of liverwurst. This was also served cold.

These thick slices of velvet deliciousness were very much welcomed after the tongue. This was great, and it was a lot of liverwurst for a half sandwich. Some of the best wurst I’ve had!

Last, and clearly the best of the three, was the combo pastrami + corned beef hot sandwich, full size.

In my prior visits, I recall not liking the pastrami so much. At times it was too fatty and sinewy as well, chewy as fuck with those hard ridges along the edge not rendering out properly. But this time it was perfect. And the corned beef was stellar; I’ll go with corned beef over pastrami any day of the week in most cases. But anyway, the sandwich was so juicy and tender, it really didn’t need any mustard.

I can’t wait to go back and try both the roast beef and the brisket. Those were the other two “must have” items that we just didn’t have the stomach space for on this trip. I feel like I rediscovered an old favorite in coming here. It definitely put a smile on my face. One critique I will give is that I think they can benefit from some improved rye bread. I realize it’s just a vehicle to deliver the meat, but I was expecting better.

KATZ’s DELICATESSEN
205 E Houston St
New York, NY 10002

Japanese, Restaurant Reviews, West Village

Omakase Room by Mitsu

February 19, 2022 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

Last night I took my wife to Omakase Room by Mitsu. This was a 12 piece sushi omakase featuring some of the best pieces I’ve ever had. Some of our stand out favorites:

Fatty Tuna Cheek (I ordered a second of this!)

Hokkaido Uni

Temaki Hand Roll (this was a pre-course)

Blackthroat Seaperch, Cherry Blossom Seabream, and Splendid Alfonsino

There was even a sort of “dessert” piece: a rolled omelette. This was sweet, but not overpowering.

I can’t wait to go back here when the menu changes in a few months. This was our favorite omakase so far.

OMAKASE ROOM BY MITSU
14 Christopher Street
Ground Floor
New York, NY 10014

Italian, Lower East Side/Chinatown, Mediterranean, Non-Steakhouse Steaks, NY Strip, Restaurant Reviews, Spanish

Wildair

February 13, 2022 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

I popped into this joint with some friends mainly to try a domestic wagyu strip they recently put on the menu, but everything we had here was great. This place serves up smaller bites and tapas style dishes. Some of the highlights were the prawns, the potato cake with uni on top, the beef tartare and the stuffed chicken wings.

The star of the show was 24oz of 9/10 deliciousness. The “thrice cooked chips” that came with it were absolutely perfect.

The au poivre sauce really wasn’t needed, but both that and the roasted garlic really made the flavors pop.

For dessert, the mille feuille with cinnamon brown sugar cream was the big winner, but the mousse with granita and meringue was a nice way to cleanse the palate at the end of the meal.

WILDAIR
142 Orchard St
New York, NY 10002

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

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

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

Japanese, Midtown West, Restaurant Reviews

Kaiseki Room by Yamada

December 20, 2021 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

This new Kaiseki tasting is available on 53rd Street at 6 1/2 Avenue, just across from La Grande Boucherie. It’s a small stretch of bar with two seatings each night, at 5pm and 8pm, for $300 each (more for sake the pairing). I took my wife here for a Christmas present/date night and we both loved it. Here’s everything we had:

Olive fed wagyu tartare with caviar:

Uni truffle and foie dashi:

Assorted sashimi:

Hand roll sushi (our favorite bite):

Here are some of the mushrooms coming up in the next courses:

Lobster and crab miso bisque:

This plate had five cold glasses that featured octopus, abalone, and other raw fish preparations:

Eel and tilefish:

Duck and winter mushrooms:

Rice with crab, roe and squid:

Bean ice cream and granita:

Freshly whipped matcha:

This is definitely worth splurging on for a special occasion. I’m interested to see how the hyper-seasonal menu will change throughout the year.

KAISEKI ROOM BY YAMADA
145 W 53rd St
New York, NY 10019

East Village, Latin/Mexican & Caribbean, Press Reviews, Restaurant Reviews, Spanish

Amigo

December 5, 2021 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

Amigo is a casual but high quality tapas joint that’s owned and operated by Chef Ruben Rodriguez from Nai Tapas Bar (one of the best Spanish joints around).

My buddy Mike, my wife and I tried almost the entire menu, so I’ll just get right into it. But this was easily one of the best meals I’ve had this year.

First up: cocktails. The espresso martini and wasabi infused scotch cocktails were awesome.