Category Archives: Restaurant Reviews

American, Lower East Side/Chinatown, Restaurant Reviews

Cactus Wren

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First, check out my Ride & Review video HERE:

The Cake Dealer and I decided to give this new joint a shot. We really liked everything we tried, so let me get right into it.

First, the cocktails were excellent. We tried three, and they were all delicious.

The shellfish platter is a bit expensive as $38 for six pieces, but each and every item was a masterpiece. I think my favorites were the hot items on the pebbles (oyster cooked with beef fat and topped with horseradish, and the clam with garlic chips.

The shrimp toast was so delicious. Buttery, crispy, and with lump shrimp meat instead of the paste-like texture that you might see at Chinese spots. The tarter-like sauce was definitely not needed here.

The mortadella tartine was really tasty. I could eat about 30 of these.

We also did their caviar service which was a generous heap of high quality caviar, cream, whipped bean puree, onion, chives, avocado and potato chips with a large bowl of fresh tortillas. This was really nice. I would definitely get this again.

For our mains, we did the fries and fish, which is a medium sized bowl of french fries and fried anchovies.

The anchovies were fresh, plump, light and crisp – not very fishy at all, and really tasty white meat.

We also did the Peekytoe crab omelette on rice, which I really loved.

This, the shellfish and the shrimp toast were probably my favorite items of the night. One thing I wish the omelette had was a crunch texture somewhere. Maybe some crispy fried shallots on top would do the trick. But I did appreciate the texture pops from the salmon roe on top. So good!

Finally, we finished off with their cinnamon toast sundae. The ice cream tasted like the cereal Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and the crunch element came from the tiny fried bombolini doughnuts on top. Absolute crack!

We can’t wait to go back to try more of the menu. The service was really great here too, as they gave us complimentary glasses of Lambrusco since we were celebrating our anniversary.

CACTUS WREN
98 Rivington St.
New York, NY 10002

American, Lower East Side/Chinatown, Non-Steakhouse Steaks, Other Cuts, Restaurant Reviews

Beauty & Essex

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First, check out my Ride & Review video HERE:

The Cake Dealer and I finally made it over to Beauty & Essex after living down here since late 2020. She had been to the bar once before, but I had only ever been inside to make a meat delivery when I was working at Golden Packing in 2021. The chef, Derrick Prince, was on some cooking competition TV shows back in the day, and since then, I’ve always enjoyed following along on his social media and trying out his food whenever I could. He’s a really talented chef.

First off, the service here is impeccable. This is the same for all Tao Group properties. Really great staff that genuinely cares. They started us off with complimentary glasses of bubbly. It was a nice glass too, not some cheap garbage. I ordered a martini as well, and it was made very nicely.

We ordered two apps, but Derrick sent out three more! We had the pleasure of trying the French dips on toast. the shishito peppers, the sea bass tacos, the grilled cheese and tomato soup dumplings, and the steak tartare quesadillas. I think my favorites were the French dips and the sea bass tacos, but The Cake Dealer preferred the dumplings. All of them were great though.

For our mains, we ordered the Peruvian chicken and the beef Wellington.

Both of these were delicious, but I think the winner for both of us was the chicken. Shocker! But there was just something about the jalapeno salsa verde, the squash, carrot and zucchini ribbons underneath, and those little shreds of crispy potato and peas on top that just came together in a magical way. Incredible.

And that’s not to trash the Wellington at all. It was cooked to an absolutely perfect, butter-knife tender medium rare. The sauce was velvety smooth, the pastry was crispy and light. A really great representation of that this dish is meant to be. This is a 9/10, especially since the price was shockingly low to me at like $65. The beef alone would cost more than that at a steakhouse, not including all the prep and labor to make it into a Wellington. Great value.

On the side, we ordered the caulilini, which consisted of broccolini and cauliflowerini (a cross between cauliflower and broccolini), served in a parmesan broth. This was really nice, but Derrick sent out these roasted Kyoto carrots that blew us away. They were roasted for hours and served with some sort of blood orange agrodolce sauce. Good enough to make you understand vegetarians.

For dessert, we tried these beauties that were shaped like cherries, which had either a vanilla or white chocolate mousse inside of a chocolate shell that was covered in a cherry glaze and plopped on top of a hazelnut and chocolate crumble. Perfect way to end the meal.

I highly recommend this place, and I will definitely be going back to try more of the menu. They even offer a brunch pre fixe, which comes with an app, an entree, a side, and a glass of sparkling rose for $35. Another steal of a deal in my opinion.

BEAUTY & ESSEX
146 Essex St.
New York, NY 10002

East Village, Italian, Non-Steakhouse Steaks, Other Cuts, Restaurant Reviews

Foul Witch

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First, check out my Ride & Review video HERE:

I finally got over to Foul Witch, named for the strange character in David Lynch’s “Mulholland Drive” (one of my all time favorite movies). I had heard good things about this place, as it’s a sister restaurant to the popular pizza joint Roberta’s.

Like Roberta’s, they offer an item called Fire & Ice. This is basically the same thing at Foul Witch, but instead of being toppings on a pizza, it is a bunch of deliciousness on a plate. Stracciatella cheese, fresh pepper, extra virgin olive oil, and a Calabrian chili paste spread.

Absolutely delicious, especially when stuffed into their sesame focaccia with cultured butter as a makeshift sandwich (I didn’t snap a pic of that mashup).

We also did a side of their Sorana beans with salsa verde, which ate like cannelini beans with an avocado mousse on top. Very nice.

In the middle, we housed two pastas and their Dutch Baby.

The Dutch Baby is a cross between a pop-over and Yorkshire pudding, topped with duck liver mousse and apple. As tasty as it was pretty.

The first pasta was turnip and poppyseed caramelle. This was nice, but the broth had a little bit of a burnt, bitter flavor (likely from the turnip). Otherwise very unique.

The second pasta was Pici al Peposo, which is like extra thick spaghetti served with a peppery meat, horseradish and Parmigiano cheese. We sort of identified the meat as short rib, but traditionally this dish is made with either stewed short rib or shank. This was really nice, although a bit heavy.

Finally, we finished with their wagyu chuck steak.

This was perfectly cooked, super tender, juicy, flavorful, well-seasoned and just over all delightful. 9/10. It was served with a Bearnaise sauce and various types of allium (onions, garlic, chives, shallots, leeks, etc).

We would have tried a dessert, but the charcoal grilling going on in the kitchen set off the smoke alarms, and it just became unbearable to stay any longer. FDNY showed up. Haha! In any case, I would definitely go back to try more things here.

FOUL WITCH
15 Avenue A
New York, NY 10009

American, French, Restaurant Reviews, Upper East Side

Cafe Commerce

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First, check out my Ride & Review video HERE:

Chef Harold Moore recently re-opened Cafe Commerce on the upper east side. I came up with my friends Jay and Jeremy, who you know better as “The Dishelin Guide” and “NYC Food FOMO” on Instagram. We tried a bunch of shit.

First, I started out with an ODB (dirty gin martini with blue cheese olives and olive brine) at the bar. This was delicious, so I had another with dinner.

To start, we went in on some beef carpaccio, which is served with horseradish, mayo and capers on top of a flat tater tot. Incredible!

These scallops with mushrooms and escargot butter were a smash hit, too.

As a middle course, we did the rabbit papparedelle with bacon and olives. This was really nice, but it could have used a pinch of finishing salt on top.

For the mains, we went big. First, Harold’s famous roast chicken. This is huge, and comes with a side of whipped potatoes and foie gras stuffing.

You can see the potatoes in the video, along with the other side of nduja Brussels sprouts that we ordered.

Next, we had the Thursday night rack of lamb special. This was the winning dish, hands down.

It came with a decadent fig and pistachio mustard glaze that paired nicely with that perfectly cooked lamb.

Last up, Harold’s famous coconut cake. A massive slice!

Everything here is great. I can’t wait to go back to try more stuff.

CAFE COMMERCE
964 Lexington Ave.
New York, NY 10021

Burgers, Latin/Mexican & Caribbean, Lower East Side/Chinatown, Restaurant Reviews

El Sazon

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First, check out my Ride & Review video HERE:

I kept seeing posts about this place on Instagram, so I had to try it. Specifically, I wanted the burger with a big ol’ slab of fried cheese on top.

It was great. Crisp in all the right places, soft and melty in the others.

The double smash packed a ton of flavor.

I will definitely go back to try more stuff here, especially the pernil.

EL SAZON
83 Baxter St.
New York, NY 10013

Chelsea, Full Points for Flavor, Non-Steakhouse Steaks, NY Strip, Restaurant Reviews, Rib Eye, West Village

Crane Club

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I didn’t take great photos here, but the food, atmosphere, service and overall vibe is outstanding. The martinis are great, first off.

But the Garden Gibson was a little too sweet for my taste.

Second, the bread service is incredible. There’s semolina Italian bread, focaccia, and cacio e pepe babka, all service in an edible sourdough basket with whipped butter and a labneh onion dip.

We started the meal with a nice array of seafood to share: lobster tails, ebi shrimp cocktail, razor clams, baked cherrystone clams, and caviar service.

The pasta was killer. We did the butternut squash agniolotti, the frutti di mare spaghetti, and the baked shells. The baked shells tasted like French onion soup! Wild!

We also did some scalloped potatoes along with a burger and fries that they generally only serve downstairs to the exclusive Crane Club members. A real nice steakhouse style classic, and the fries are perfectly crisp and well seasoned.

For the mains, we tried the aged rib eye, the dover sole, and the parmigiano-aged NY strip steak. All of these were excellent, but the real stand out winner for me was the strip steak. It was so tender, so perfectly cooked, and so uniquely flavored. I can’t wait to go back for more! 10/10 for that baby, with a solid 9/10 for the rib eye.

Also really loved the tomahawk pork chop. It stole the show.

For dessert, we tried the banana layer cake, the apple crisp, and the cheese cake. It was hard to choose a favorite here, but I think I was leaning toward the apple crumble the most.

I can’t wait to go back here to try more shit. This place is a real winner, and it makes for a perfect replacement to Del Posto.

CRANE CLUB
85 10th Ave.
New York, NY 10011

African/Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Midtown East, Non-Steakhouse Steaks, NY Strip, Restaurant Reviews

Leonetta

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First, check out my Ride & Review video HERE:

Leonetta is Chef Ed Cotton’s new restaurant, located in Murray Hill, where the old Brother Jimmy’s used to be located.

Ed Cotton was on Top Chef season 7, and he also heads up the kitchen at Jack & Charlie’s as well, which os one of my favorite places to eat.

My wife and I came here after the new year to run through the menu. Here’s what we tried:

Grilled Octopus Salad

This was a warm salad that ate almost like a salsa. The octopus was cooked perfectly.

Lamb Tartare

This was one of our favorites of the night. The lamb was super tender, and the added items really made it pop, especially the pomegranate seeds.

Tuna Puttanesca

This was my favorite of the three “raw bar” items that we started with. The Kalamata olive and raw tuna combination was divine.

Next we moved on to a pasta dish made with tiny rigatoni and lamb ragout.

The stewed/braised lamb was really delicious. My only critique here would be to make the chic peas fried crispy for some added texture.

We did some charred broccolini on the side here, which was the best broccolini I’ve ever had. Great char, cooked perfectly, wonderful bright flavors.

For our mains, we started with the 14oz strip steak with zataar-seasoned steak fries and harissa ketchup.

This was cooked perfectly. Although there was no dry-aging involved, the flavor still popped due to the seasonings. This is an easy 8/10.

We also tried the fried pork shank shawarma with pickles and zataar-spiced pita bread.

This dish was a home run. The exterior was fried to an amazing crisp. The skin crackled as you cut it.

The meat was cooked perfectly, and paired well with the street-style red and white sauces, like you might see at a halal falafel, lamb, chicken and rice cart.

On the side, we did some roasted mushrooms, which were absolutely delicious. Ed always nails the mushroom offerings.

For dessert, we tried the special panna cotta.

This was topped with orange caramelized pistachios. I absolutely loved it, but it did have a thicker than expected texture. Almost thicker than Labneh or Greek yogurt.

The cocktails here are amazing, so don’t miss the opportunity to go downstairs to Leo’s Famous, their beautiful lounge with a fireplace, for a night cap.

I can’t wait to go back and try the rest of the menu.

LEONETTA
181 Lexington Ave.
New York, NY 10016

Japanese, Lower East Side/Chinatown, Restaurant Reviews

Wabi Nori

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First, check out my Ride & Review video HERE:

Wabi Nori is a new sushi hand roll place that just opened near us on the Lower East Side. They have a nice $10 cocktail happy hour, which also offers some reduced price snacks as well. We tried the karaage chicken, the fried calamari, and the soft shell crab. All of these were nice, but I think we liked the chicken and crab the best.

They have pre-set menus for the hand rolls (3, 4, 5 and 6 count). We did the 6-count, and my wife was able to swap the scallop out for a second crab roll since she is allergic. It would have been cool if they let her pick a different protein of equal or lesser value for the swap, rather than making her double up on a roll. For example, the eel roll is $8 a la carte, and so is the scallop. Why not let her replace the scallop with eel instead of making her choose a second crab or tuna? Seemed weird.

Anyway, the tuna and scallop were my favorites, with the lobster close behind.

The salmon, yellowtail and crab were also nice, but nothing was on par with that final piece / hand roll that you get at the end of a nice omakase. Not bad, though, for $38.

WABI NORI
115 Essex St.
New York, NY 10002

Latin/Mexican & Caribbean, Queens, Restaurant Reviews

Chela & Garnacha

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I hit up this little taco spot with some friends while riding around on our nerdy ebikes. I have to say it was really great. A little pricey at $5 per taco (before you add the crispy cheese), but totally worth it.

Best: El Pastor (gringa style with crispy cheese)

Awesome pastor tacos, especially with that slice of grilled pineapple on top.

Second Best: Bistec en Pasilla

This was really nice. Excellent spiced flavor on the meat, and tender through and through.

Third Place: Chicken Tinga

I usually don’t get this unless I need a change. It was still good, but I wish I had tried something else instead. Next time.

CHELA & GARNACHA
33-09 36th Ave.
Astoria, NY 11106

California, Chicago, Commentary, Parms, Recipes, Restaurant Reviews, Spain

Chimera BMX

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USE CODE JOHNNYPRIME FOR $150 OFF YOUR CHIMERA

If you’re not already aware, I’ve been getting pretty deep into the ebike culture and community here in NYC. I run the NYC Zooz Club and I helped create Electric Wednesday with Mike Rios of S3 Crew. Electric Wednesday is the glue that holds the various riding clubs together here in NYC. We’ve created something really special.

While I still have and love my Zooz, I have to say the Chimera blows it out of the water in every way. I’ve been featuring it prominently on my Youtube account.

Here’s my unboxing and assembly video:

Here is a first ride video:

And, since I know you’re ultimately here for food and not bikes, I have been using it to go to and from restaurants in a new series I created called Ride & Review!

Finally, if you’re interested in buying a Chimera, you can save $150 by using my discount code at checkout. The code is JOHNNYPRIME.

I own the founders edition, bike number 5, in full titanium.

It’s costly, but now Austin, the creator of the bike, offers a Shadow Chimera, which is made of black steel. That will cut your price nearly in half. DO IT!!!