Hungry Domaine » Featured Restaurants

Chindian Food-Chinese Mirch- 120 Lexington Avenue~

Paul Zweben — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 11:39:04 +0000

Ever since Olivia came into our lives, going out 6 times a week has ended….at least for the time being. I love cooking for my family at home and as you know, I am constantly posting the home cooked recipes on our blog.

A few weeks ago, I had about an hour in between appointments at one listing at 41 East 28th street #6A and 215 East 24th street #605.

I was smack in the middle of all of the Indian restaurants on Lexington and the hight 20’s. I called my dear friend who i Knew would send me to the best Indian Restaurant. He said, go to Chinese Mirch , which is located at 120 Lexington Avenue.

Spicy~

I walked into the joint and the place was humming. The food is Chinese and Indian blend and man is it good.
I had the spicy Basil Chicken with Brown rice. The flavors were clean and spicy as hell.
The spring rolls were crisp, flavorful and not greasy. I licked all of my plates clean.

Since my 1st visit, I have been back another time and it was equally as good. Chinese Mirch is one of my new lunch joints or early dinner with Olivia and Mrs. Z~

120 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10016
t: (212) 532-3663 | f: (212) 532-6553 | e: guestrelations@chinesemirch.com
Lunch Hours:
Monday–Friday, 11:30am–3:00pm | Saturday–Sunday, 12:00 onwards
Dinner Hours:
Monday–Thursday & Sundays, 5:30pm–10:15pm | Fridays–Saturdays, 5:30–10:45pm
Reservations:
They currently take reservations for lunch and for dinner until 7:30pm. After 7:30 pm it is seating at first come first serve basis for walk ins.
Reservations can be made for parties of 2-8. For parties larger than 8 a minimum billing of $30 per person is required. To book the entire space for a private event please contact us at guestrelations@chinesemirch.com

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Where the heck is Baby Z gonna eat on the Upper West Side?

Paul Zweben — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 12:02:17 +0000

As some of you may or may not know, not only is this The Year of The Dragon and almost everyone is pregnant in Asia, but we are about to have our 1st Dragon baby. For now, we call her Baby Z! We are elated and cannot wait to meet our little miracle.

My wife, aka, Mrs. Z is 39 weeks pregnant and we are now submerged in the classic Upper West Side baby world. How do those stores already know that we are having a baby? There is even a Baby Z store in California. Of course, we think they named it after our Baby Z….

In anticipation of bringing our little peanut to some Upper West Side restaurants, where we know she can make a complete mess of herself, scream out loud with joy, flirt with the waiters, we decided to hit 3 places and give you our quick, straight forward thoughts:

Carmines- It has been a staple for 20 years on Broadway. The portions are enormous, yet the food is mediocre. If you go with 5 or more people, it is tough to spend more that $30 per person.
The place feels tired and almost every employee seems to be on auto pilot. All of these negatives just don’t seem to matter as the B&T continue to make the original investors rich.

Big Daddy’s- The exhaust from the kitchen blows onto Broadway and honestly, I cannot believe the neighbors do not make a stink out of it, cause it stinks.
The service is solid, the food is straight forward and it seems to be a great place to bring a toddler. It is not cheap.

Blockheads- as someone who has invested in many restaurants in my life, I know what start ups cost. Usually a restaurant can spend up to $500 or more per square foot just to get open. My guess on Blockheads? $100 or less per square foot. That can add up to a quick pay back to the investors, Bravo! The service is actually very attentive, the beers are cold and the food is fine. Cheesy bubble gum music is blaring in the background and the chairs are super uncomfortable.
And yet, I would return. The prices are super inexpensive and Baby Z will love this joint. I mean, she is 50% Latina~
This post may seem a touch negative, but I was trained to never be happy with mediocrity in the restaurant business or the real estate business! So, Carmines, tighten it up, Big Daddy’s and Blockheads, keep doing what you are doing!

Jacob’s Pickles~

Paul Zweben — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:34:31 +0000

Jacob’s Pickles-

Every time I see a vacated commercial space on the Upper West Side, I always try to figure out what type of business will go into it.

Usually it is a restaurant.

There was a lighting store on Amsterdam and 85^th street for years that sold really boring lighting. For years, I did not know how they stayed in business.

Well the time came when 1970’s track lighting and the current rent for the lighting store did not work and the store shuttered.

For the last 6- 8 months I wondered what was going in and finally saw a sign for Jacob’s pickles. WTF was Jacob’s pickles?

Jacob’s Pickles
509 Amsterdam Ave
(between 84th and 85th)
New York, NY 10024
212-470-5566

I must admit that what they did with the space is quite impressive. They exposed a tremendous amount of bricks and added a clean looking bar.

They were playing Pandora like or XM Radio music that actually was pretty good.

The food is straight to the point. Good, crisp fried chicken with a variety of gravies, served on a buttermilk biscuit and creamy grits. I had the fried chicken with the sausage gravy that was delicious and my wife had the fried chicken with the honey sauce, also very solid.

This place is a welcome addition to the hood!

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Just a Grazin’

Paul Zweben — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 14:05:33 +0000

Grazin’
717 Warren St
Hudson, NY 12534
(518) 822-9323

The first time I went into that diner on Warren Street, about 6 years ago, I knew it was a special place. I needed a local landscaper and figured if I sat at the counter long enough and drank enough muddy coffee, eventually I would get some leads. It didn’t take long for a flirtatious waitress to give me the name of a guy that kept the lawns green. 1 day later, he was hired.The diner went out of business and I had always had dreams of opening a big family style American restaurant , circa Main Street that served 2 pound meat loaves and all the mashed potatoes you could eat. The restaurant would work for the locals and the Cidiots (that’s what the locals call the weekenders).I would call us the people that fuel the economy!

Well, I never pursued Main Street at the Diner, but the owner of Grazin’ Angus Acres in Ghent, NY did. The place is called Grazin’.

The owner of the farm’s concept is pretty straight forward- Farm to table food.

Now that is a fresh salad!

All the meats come from Grazins, just 7 miles away and everything else comes from local farms.

Zelda~

The menu is super, duper basic. About 8 variations of burgers, some chili, salads and some hot dogs.

Our burgers were perfectly cooked and my chili was yummy!

Their homemade root beer and homemade birch beer, served with a paper straw hit the spot.

With Elvis playing in the background, what else could you ask for?

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Fish heads, fish heads: Roly-poly fish heads

Paul Zweben — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 13:59:41 +0000

Fish Tag

222 West 79th Street
New York, NY 10024-6230
(212) 362-7470

222 w 79th street has been more incarnations than BBQ’s pork shoulder.

We were up in Harlem with our friends, who are also amazing designers, Michael Tavano and Lloyd Marks, working on window treatments for our home, when hunger hit.

Lloyd suggested Fish Tag and I got pissed, cause I never heard of the joint.

When we got there, it was clear we had been to a few other restaurants in the same space.

The food is Mediterranean with hand on Greek influences.

The mushroom broth was amazing as was the smoked octopus

The swordfish dish was fab!

The diced veggie salad was in point and the wine list was very good.

I would say that everything we ate was clean and simple, just the way we like it!

The service was spot on and I can’t wait to go back!

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Crown~~~~~~

Paul Zweben — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:47:35 +0000

Friday night we ventured to the Upper East Side for a new joint that just opened.

My friend of 18 years, John DeLucie has been working on the former Bruno Jamais space to make it into “Crown”.

Crown

24 E 81st St (between Fifth and Madison Aves) Upper East Side

(646) 539-4880

Subway: 4, 5, 6 to 86th St; 6 to 77th St (Lexington Ave)

Mon–Thu, Sun 5:30–11pm; Fri, Sat5 :30pm–12:30 am

The minute I saw the entrance with the soft glowing lights, I knew we were in for a treat.

The bar is long and sexy with no chairs. Attractive bartenders were quick with a cocktail and charming with their responses to our needs.

The dining room is mostly dark and rich with amazing mill work.

The place is less than two weeks old and you can already feel the buzz.

Mayor Bloomberg and his entourage were at one table, while Al Roker was making weather talk at another.

I had a fantastic seafood salad to start, perfectly seasoned with just enough kick to it.

My Loup de Mer was cooked perfectly and seasoned to perfection.

All of the other dishes looked yummy as well.

Our favorite dessert was the apple sampler, which had a bunch of apple desserts on one plate, including an apple donut- Yum!

The chocolate soufflé was off the charts. I am very curious to know how they got the soufflé to us within about 8 minutes from the time we ordered, as a soufflé takes exactly 18 minutes to bake.

Maybe John will tell me his secret!

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What is the 1st thing you think of when someone asks you what is on 92nd street and Lexington avenue?

Paul Zweben — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 16:03:11 +0000

What is the 1^st thing you think of when someone asks you what is on 92^nd street and Lexington avenue?

Duh- the 92^nd street Y, where you can learn how to do just about anything!

What is the second thing?

A really cozy, high end Italian joint called Sfoglia-

My wife and I have been going for years and we always have very delicious appetizers and pastas when we go.

We usually sit at the bar as they always seem to be booked.

The restaurant is on the ground level of a brownstone and the décor feels like you would be in a villa in Italy.

This place is not cheap and there are some things that drive me crazy about the restaurant.

1- They never answer there phone (at least when I call), so a last minute ressie is virtually impossible if you want to dine within the next 30 minutes.

2- Forget about ever asking to substitute another pasta in a dish. I really have never understood this, having cooked for over 17 years professionally, but that’s how they roll here.

That being said, despite two things that drive me insane, we will continue to go back to the restaurant and continue to have quality meals, albeit, the bill will always be in triple digits.

SFOGLIA / NYC
135 East 92nd Street
New York City, NY 10128

@the corner of Lexington Avenue
diagonally across from the 92nd Street Y

Reservations are necessary.
Please call: 212.831.1402

If you would like to contact us, call or send an email.

To submit a reservation request please email
Email: eat@sfogliarestaurant.com

We will confirm all available reservations via telephone.

OR make an online reservation with OpenTable

Dinner 7 Nights:
Tue-Sat 5:30 -10:30 PM | Sun & Mon 5:30 -10 PM
Lunch 5 Days a Week: Tue – Sat 12:00 – 2:30

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SD26

Paul Zweben — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 16:27:32 +0000

SD26

Last night we went out with 5 friends to SD26.

When my friends told me where we were going and I didn’t ever hear of it, I became skeptical. (That’s how I roll)

Of course, I did a search and realized it was the San Domenico, formerly on Central Park South.

19 East 26th street
212.265.5959
http://sd26ny.com/#/reservation

It is actually next to one of our favorite conversions:

http://www.15madisonsquare.com/

Mrs. Z and I got there a few minutes to witness some older men in double breasted suits, trying to make the moves on some ladies at least 25 years there junior.

When everyone arrived, we were whisked to our table.

The place is very nicely designed with an open kitchen.

We had a fantastic white wine, similar to a Pinot Grigio. (It must have been good, we knocked back 4 bottles).

The charcuterie and cheese course were dope.

My Octopus appetizer was perfectly cooked, not huge, but delicious.

My fettucini rocked and everyone seemed to really enjoy!

We were so full and were not capable to devour dessert, but because we were VIP, we were sent out 5 desserts and dessert wine, “on the arm!”

Wow- there was not one spot of dessert left on the plates. They were straight forward, made with love and executed perfectly!

PS- it is always nice when an owner comes over just to say hi. Both Tony May and his daughter, Marisa popped by our table to see how we were doing.

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This is not Finland~ Helsinki in Hudson, New York~

Paul Zweben — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 19:27:13 +0000

Sexy ass bar!

Last Sunday (the end of the summer for the Z’s) we decided to try a pretty new place in Hudson, New York called Helsinki. It is located at 405 Columbia street, which runs parallel to Warren street.
518 828 4800
www.helsinkihudson.com
Directions: http://helsinkihudson.com/directions.html
The History of the Club Helsinki: http://helsinkihudson.com/history2.html
Upcoming events: http://helsinkihudson.com/schedule.html

It is thoroughly clear that the people behind this restaurant, club, catering hall, have made it a labor of love.

The place feels like they stripped the entire building down to the studs and rebuilt everything.

The light fixtures are each unique as well as the warm wooden layout and cement bar.

The secret back entrance to Da Club~

The service was solid and my fried oysters were quite tasty as well as my fried catfish. Mrs. Z had a yummy fresh green salad with lettuce from our favorite farm, www.holmquestfarms.com
She also had the fried chicken, which was also good.

The private room is amazing on the second floor. I am sure you could easily do a party of 175 for standing cocktails.

The private room~

Behind the kitchen is there club, which is set up theatre style and apparently they have some really good acts,,,,,,,,

One of the many cool light fixtures!

It is a welcome addition to the our Country Hood.

Empellon- Great West Village Joint~

Paul Zweben — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 12:01:07 +0000

A few nights ago, we had dinner at a new Mexican Joint in the West Village called Empellon.

230 west 4th street.
212.367.0999
I tweeted during the day to ask the twitter universe what I should eat. About 5 minutes later, Emellon contacted me on Twitter and said, don’t worry @hungrydomaine……you will be in good hands.
The joint has been a million different incarnations, butI feel this place will be here for quite some time……They were playing the soundtrack to The Dead Presidents, which is a great playlist for a hip restaurant.
The owner, David Rodolitz, who also owns Puffy’s Tavern came over to say hi and make sure we were having a blast- WE WERE!

The Bar at Empellon~

We really enjoyed the place-Some of our picks:Jicama with Radishes and Watermelon DressingShortribs with Red Chile

Guacamole with Chips and) Two Salsas

Chicharron with Salsa Veracru- it is really not Chicharron….it is really “chicharra”- fried pork rind- we have eaten Chicharras in El Salvador many many times. I am married to a Guanaca (-__-)

Chicken with Black Kale and Salsa Verde tomatillo, cilantro,serrano chile

Skirt Steak with Mojo de Ajo

Not sure if they make their tortillas, but they are great and they are served in a cool container that is lined with a hot piece of metal to keep the soft tortillas hot- Brilliant!

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