Rangers Lead the Way

November 4, 2016 Johnny Prime 1 Comment

In two days I’m running the NYC Marathon. To earn my bib number, I’m simultaneously raising money for an amazing charity, the Army Ranger Lead the Way Fund.

The Fund is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that supports disabled U.S. Army Rangers and the families of Rangers who have died, have been injured or are currently serving in harm’s way around the world. It provides spouses and children of deceased, disabled or active duty Rangers with assistance for health and wellness programs and other services determined to be vital to the family’s well-being, beyond what the government can offer.

If you’re feeling generous, please help me reach my fund raising goal! I’m only about $400 away at the time of this post; the goal is $3000. CLick the link below if you’re so inclined!

https://www.crowdrise.com/leadthewaynyc2016/fundraiser/vincenttodarello

I can’t think of a better way to honor these badasses than to endure a marathon in their names and raise money for those they left behind. Help me help them!

American, Midtown West, Non-Steakhouse Steaks, Other Cuts, Press Reviews, Restaurant Reviews

Fish Bar

November 2, 2016 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

NOTE: THIS JOINT IS NOW CLOSED AND CALLED HUDSON’S

A food photographer buddy of mine, Ben (check out his IG page), invited my wife and me to come along with him and a few other food influencer folks to Fish Bar, NYC’s newest floating dining room, which sets sail up and down the Hudson so people can enjoy some spectacular views of the skyline and Statue of Liberty while they eat.

It was a windy night, and bitter cold, so I didn’t want to fight with my settings too much to get all the good night shots. But I did get this fun shot of Jeff (FoodMento) giving some love to Lady Liberty.

In fact, this is probably the best free way to see the Statue of Liberty. Skip the Staten Island ferry “tour” and do this instead.

This shoves off from the same dock area as (and is owned by the same company that runs) the North River Lobster boat. While it is also free to ride, the Fish Bar boat offers a nicer view and a much more elegant menu.

We tried a lot of stuff, since there were six of us at the table. Let me get right down to it.

Drinks: Every cocktail we tried was incredibly strong. While that may be a good thing for those looking to get tanked, I was a little turned off by it. If I want straight alcohol, I will order a bourbon or a scotch. Shit even a martini.

Charcuterie Board: This was a home run. For $28 you get a lot of really nice sliced meats. My favorite was the spicy salami, which was almost like a chorizo.

Cheese Board: This was another win. There was a great selection of high quality cheeses. The only think missing was something of the oozing variety, like a super soft brie.

Mezze: This platter included classic Greek spreadables like hummus and olive tapenade. All of them were good.

Arancini: These rice balls were crisp on the outside but lacked a robust enough flavor on the inside to really justify getting them again. It just needed a pop of something, perhaps a truffle oil or something more earthy.

Oysters: These were lightly batter-fried, which goes against my religion for oysters. In any event they were still pretty good. A bit pricey, but enjoyable.

Ceviche: It was refreshing to see this made with actual fish instead of shrimp or scallops. Topped with fried plantain chips, it was a nice presentation that featured the vehicle for delivering the ceviche into your gullet.

Octopus: This was pretty good. It didn’t come in as my favorite, but it certainly wasn’t a failed menu item. I always get worried about octopus and whether it will be cooked properly when i see it offered, but that wasn’t a real concern here.

Mussels: These were a little disappointing. They didn’t taste bad, but they did have a slightly burned taste, almost as if the shells were sitting against the metal of a hot pot for too long. I think that flavor permeated the sauce and then that got all over the exposed mussels.

Burrata: This had a good hint of truffle oil to make it pop. The cheese was soft and velvety. Very nice.

Risotto: This was decent. It had some good flavors from the various seafood and sausage components, like a paella, but it didn’t stand out as anything incredible to me.

Calamari: These babies were delicious. They were served with sliced and fried cherry peppers, which gave it a spicy kick without going too far. I really liked this dish.

Crab Salad: This lump crab meat salad was pretty tasty. All around good quality. No complaints, but then again nothing that really made it stand out from the pack. The plantain chips from the ceviche would have actually worked well here.

Grilled Vegetables: This was served to us in error, as we didn’t order it. The array wasn’t bad, however, with the exception of the odd tasting broccolini that was included.

Squid Ink Spaghetti: I had higher hopes for this, being we were on a boat with a seafood-heavy menu. The sauce was basically just like melted butter with the flavors of shrimp or lobster shells infused. On the plus side, the pasta itself was cooked nicely and wasn’t overpowering with the ink flavor. In addition, the seafood that was mixed in with it was perfectly cooked.

Skirt Steak: Unfortunately this was under-seasoned and unevenly cooked. Part was overcooked, and part was correct at medium rare. The meat itself wasn’t tough or low quality; it just needed a bit more finesse. 5/10.

Branzino: This fillet was the big winner of the night for the entrees. The skin was nicely crisped on the outside, and the flesh was cooked just right and remained tender, juicy and flaky.

Walnut Cake: We were all pretty excited for this, but I think it sort of missed the mark or didn’t meet our expectations. I guess, perhaps, I was expecting more of a pie type item, like pecan pie. That’s my mistake though, not Fish Bar’s. In any case this was similar to a pound cake in flavor and texture.

Chocolate Ganache: This was the winner for dessert. The layers inside were nicely diverse and the chocolate itself was rich without being too overwhelming.

In short, I’d definitely come back here for the fantastic and free views of NYC from a beautiful small cruise ship when the weather is nice. And I’d certainly sit down and enjoy some charcuterie, fine cheeses, calamari and branzino any day.

FISH BAR
Pier 81
W 41st St
New York, NY 10036

Lower East Side/Chinatown, Other, Press Reviews, Restaurant Reviews

Morgenstern’s

October 28, 2016 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

This place serves up some interesting ice cream flavors, and I came in with a buddy who was tasked with gathering up some food influencers to come in and try some of their special new offerings. On special when I went was the avocado cardamom soft serve ice cream, and the sour plum raspberry-filled traditional ice cream.

There really wasn’t much of an avocado flavor to the soft serve, but there was definitely some cardamom coming through in the back end. The texture was a bit grainy and icy though, so I probably wouldn’t get it again.

As for the sour plum, it had a slightly better texture, but still a bit icy. I could eat this again, but it wouldn’t be something I’d go out of my way to get. Not bad.

In short, I support the idea of experimenting with new and unique flavors, but if the texture isn’t right, or if the flavors don’t match the descriptions, then you are failing as an ice cream maker. This was my first time trying this place, and from what I understand they are highly rated. Perhaps I should stick with some more traditional flavor selections next time.

MORGENSTERN’S
2 Rivington St
New York, NY 10002

Commentary, Lower East Side/Chinatown, Other, Press Reviews, Restaurant Reviews

Roni Sue’s Fall Into Chocolate Event

October 27, 2016 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

After kicking the shit out of a 20 mile training run, I stopped into this great little spot on the lower east side called Roni Sue’s for a chocolate event, featuring both regular chocolate and matcha white chocolate fountains by Divalicious Chocolate.

The matcha was really interesting. I used to love white chocolate as a kid. Now I like it much less, but when mixed with matcha, it really tones down those flavors and adds a bitter element that makes it a lot more pleasing to my taste buds. I liked it!

The best way to eat it? With one of these sesame cookie wafers that The Diva That Ate New York made for the event.

RONI SUE’S
148 Forsyth St
New York, NY 10002

Lower East Side/Chinatown, Ramen

Mr. Taka

October 27, 2016 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

Mr. Taka is easily one of the best bowls of tonkotsu I’ve had in NYC. The thick, rich pork broth manages to be full of porky flavor without going overboard with the salt content or overpowering you with too much garlic. It’s velvety smooth – no off-putting textures, which can sometimes happen with thickened broths.

The meat quality is awesome. Super soft with a good char on the outside of each slab. It falls apart between your chopsticks. So good. I recommend getting an additional slab, since your bowl will only come with one if you don’t.

The noodles are the straight kind, not wavy, and if you order the spicy version you get a soft boiled egg and a normal sized blob of spicy paste that won’t overrun the entire eating experience with heat.

I highly recommend this joint for all your slurping needs. It really is as close to perfect as you’re going to get.

MR. TAKA
170 Allen St
New York, NY 10002

Commentary

NYCWFF Grand Tasting 2016

October 17, 2016 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

This year, I kept it pretty simple at the New York City Wine & Food Festival. Instead of snapping a billion photos, I only whipped out the camera for a few items that I wanted to remember in particular. I do wish I recorded some video of the kitchen staging tour we got behind the scenes of some of the ShopRite booths. But anyway, three pics. First, a mountain of beef bones that served as a stage for holding baked clams.

Next, wagyu beef. This was a tray of rump roast.

And finally, Strip House’s table had these awesome pig heads on display, where they were serving delicious bacon with fresh apple.

That’s it. Nice and quick.

Commentary

Hand Pulled Noodles Class

October 17, 2016 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

My buddy scored some tickets to this cool Xian Foods noodle pulling class at the New York City Wine & Food Festival, and he was kind enough to bring me along.

Basically, they taught us how to make dough, and then gave us some pre-made dough and all the ingredients to make some delicious tingly beef noodles, which has become so popular at their restaurants. Here is the man behind the brand, along with some wheat flour noodle dough:

And here is a video of me pulling my noodle:

And then some all-important final photos, and behind the scenes action of us taking photos.

A photo posted by Johnny Prime (@johnnyprimecc) on Sep 9, 2016 at 12:44pm PDT

Hell yes.

Burgers, Deli, Italian, Midtown West, Other, Press Reviews, Restaurant Reviews

Jonny Panini

October 15, 2016 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

I was never really a big fan of the panini as a possible sandwich substitute, until now. As you can imagine, I’m kind of an old fashioned dude. I like my meat and cheese slapped between the bread of a potato bun or hero roll, rather than squished down and toasted. After all, I like to preserve the sanctity of the inside of my mouth, sans cuts and scrapes, and avoid getting ripped to shreds in there from hard, crispy bread. French bread, for example. I love it to death, but as a sandwich bread it is borderline awful (maybe with the exception of a Cuban or Banh Mi). Paninis always just fell into that realm for me. “It’s toasted and crispy, so it will probably rip my mouth apart.” That was the inner monologue.

Enter Jonny Panini to change my mind. This joint makes amazing panini bread that has a supple softness inside to complement the outer crisped and toasted exterior. It’s almost like a thin version of focaccia bread, or even like a pizza crust. My panini mouth cut fears are now significantly abated.

Add to that a plethora of fine, quality Italian ingredients – like aged cheeses, fresh tomatoes, bright greens and top notch prosciutto – and you have the makings of some of the best panini sandwiches this city has to offer.

Jonny himself has decades of experience in the restaurant business. He meets his customers with a warm, vivacious and friendly personality. He exudes passion for his food, and it permeates the establishment. You feel like you’ve known Jonny all your life when you speak to him, and he knows you as well. He truly does; at least as far as your taste buds are concerned.

His menu of 18 panini sandwiches are static items that can not be swapped around or substituted. Oh, did you want the balsamic reduction on your #3 but it’s only offered on #1? Too bad. It’s on #1 and not #3 for a reason, and when you try #3 you’ll know it’s not meant to be there. That’s the kind of knowledge I’m talking about. And confidence. Jonny knows what works. Trust him. I did.

I came in with a gang of foodies for a special press tasting, so we tried a few things:

#1: Prosciutto e Mozzarella Panini ($13)
Prosciutto, mozzarella, arugula, shaved parmigiano and tomato with a balsamic reduction. This was my favorite of the three paninis we tried. It just really popped for me.

#2: Prosciutto e Provolone Panini ($11)
Prosciutto, sharp provolone cheese, tomato and lettuce with house made basil pesto. Jonny makes the pesto authentic to how his kin made it back in Italy. Family secret!

#9: Turkey e Avocado Panini ($11)
This is the only panini that isn’t pressed, toasted and heated. Why? Because Jonny doesn’t want to ruin the avocado. Smart, and like I said above: Trust in Jonny’s expertise. I do hate warm avocado, as a matter of fact. Anyway, the sandwich contains turkey, lettuce, tomato and avocado with a jalapeno aioli.

The Prosciurger
The first of it’s kind, the Prosciurger is Jonny’s trademarked burger patty, which is made entirely from ground prosciutto, mortadella and ham. It’s topped with juicy tomato, crisp lettuce, fresh melted mozzarella and an aioli that is to die for – all sandwiched in a soft, yet sturdy, pretzel bun.

I was a little worried that the texture of the patty would be rubbery and snappy, almost like a sausage or ham steak, but it wasn’t. It really had a decent crumble and savory bite to it. And it wasn’t overly salty, as one might expect with a patty made entirely from prosciutto and cured meats. It was just right.

Absolute heaven. I highly recommend this unique and inventive burger. Go get it now!

JONNY PANINI’S
493A 9th Avenue
New York, NY 10018

Flash Deals, Italian, Non-Steakhouse Steaks, Other Cuts, Restaurant Reviews, Upper West Side

Vai

October 13, 2016 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

We scored a Gilt City deal for this place: $79 gets you two cocktails, two apps, two entrees and a shared dessert.

We started with the charred octopus and veal tartare. Both were well executed and tasty.

The octopus had a great snap to it, yet it was still very tender.

My wife picked the pork tenderloin for her entree. I thought it could have had a third medallion of pork, but since it came with some shank meat and belly meat, I guess it wasn’t a big deal.

I had the roasted skirt steak (Creekstone Farm), though I could swear it looked and tasted more like a hanger steak. It had a great outer crust from the roasting process, and it was cooked to a perfect medium rare inside. However, both this and the pork entree lacked salt. Luckily there was a small bowl of flake salt at the table for adding. 8/10.

For dessert we shared this chocolate mousse cake. Very nice.

As it turns out, the general manager remembered me from when she waited tables at Vic & Anthony’s. That earned us a complimentary glass of bubbly! So nice.

VAI
429 Amsterdam Ave
New York, NY 10024