GOOD EATS NYC 2024 (A Blanket Thread)

[Ziggy]

Balaboosta - Oldie still goodie, or goodie again. Last meal was in 2017 in the Nolita location. After that meal I wrote that Balaboosta needed a boosta shot. Probably why they closed shortly after before merging with sister Bar Bolonat on Hudson. It took me a while to come back but this was as flawless as a meal I’ve had this year. Started with the usually reliable Hummus. Eggplant with “Asian tahini”, togarashi, crispy shallots and just enough pleasant heat from the pomegranate harissa. Perfectly spiced and herbed beef kebabs, one of Admoni’s signatures

The old classic from the previous location, the Brick Chicken is still good. But forgettable once you try a short rib taco you’ll make with Lachuch, the spongy Yemeni Injera-like pancake, with tahina, and their green s’chug. No issues with the superbly juicy Rosh Hashanah special Brisket, or the crispy saffroned Tahdig rice. The bread pudding was good if not a little basic, but the Tahini Crème Brulée with shredded halva was on another Crème Brulée level. Halva on anything makes me happy. Even the 2022 Cheverny Domaine du Salvard Sauvignon Blanc was spot on.

[Saregama]

Flushing yesterday — always good eats

Flushing Chinatown Bites 2024

Brief Flushing visit today. Picked up char siu, soy sauce chicken, and spicy beef and pork (separate) pancakes. I was a bit perturbed to see that the pancake (xian bing) stall I like had changed, but the lady who was there was so sweet and solicitous that I bought a few anyway (for some reason she gave me 4 x $4 pancakes for $10 as a “deal”). Well, these pancakes were as good as the previous ones, so I’m less perturbed now. Char siu was very good, but having recently eaten it in Hong Kong, t…

[small_h]

Hav and Mar. Medium good eats, and a hat tip to 16 Days of [New York City] Eating - #3 by DrJohn, with whom I concur, generally.

The best part of the meal was the beginning. My friend was joining me at 7, but I arrived a little early to catch the end of happy hour. Crispy injera with smoked fish, pea pesto and something the server described as chutney, which was really a smoky pepper paste. Excellent. As was the half size martini with a pickle and a blue-cheese stuffed olive.

The rest of the meal was less successful. We shared two crudos, hamachi and salmon. They looked great, but they were pretty standard issue, fine, nothing special. And the salmon, in particular was pretty skimpy for the $21 sticker price.

Our third dish was a seafood salad, shrimp, the same smoked fish as in my appetizer, and squid, which is not in the picture because the kitchen separated it out to accommodate my gluten-free companion. I wish I had a picture of it - each piece looked like a lump of charcoal. it was purportedly coated with squid ink, and it seemed to be air fried. Every time I took a bite, I expected it to taste burned, which it didn’t, but “relief” is not normally the reaction I hope to have when I eat something.

I’d go back for happy hour, which is a deal. But probably not for the main menu.

[linguafood (Natascha)]

@small_h

but “relief” is not normally the reaction I hope to have when I eat something.

Choice quote of the day.

[Saregama]

Looks really good!

[Saregama]

TATIANA

Well, I was fully expecting I’d be disappointed after SO MUCH HYPE, and sadly, that came true.

We had snacked a bit beforehand across the street (at Bar Boulud) so we weren’t as hungry as we started out, and so cut back our order to half of what we had intended – just one small and one large. In retrospect, just as well.

We were trying to decide between the oxtail and crab rangoon and the egusi dumplings, and were guided to the rangoon. We picked the crab as our main (because I love crab and I love crab curry, and that would probably be my last meal on death row).

The rangoon were fine, but in retrospect were also pretty much what crab rangoon is – mostly deep fried dough. Very good, crunchy, deep fried dough, but the crab wasn’t very discernible, and the oxtail could have been anything. Well-flavored, and helped by the scotch bonnet sauce the server warned us about. (At that point he had also described one of the wines I asked about as “black girl magic”, so there’s that.)

The curried snow crab was very disappointing. Snow crab is usually sweet and lovely, but this was aggressively seasoned with too much citrus and salt and overcooked to boot. Also, not cooked in the curry, of course, so not flavored by the curry. And the curry. Well, it was fine (which is not the descriptor one seeks at this level of place). But it had split – when the coconut oil completely separates from the coconut milk. (I’ve only encountered this once before, at a modern Indian spot in Mumbai, where I sent the dish back.) Also – who serves HALF a roti with a LARGE plate meant for sharing? Lol.

There was shrimp and beef behind us, and they looked a lot better than the crab, so If I ever go back (highly unlikely) I’d opt for one of those.

Based on those two dishes we skipped dessert and got (excellent) gelato on the plaza instead.

I think am due a very good meal very soon for the two recent duds.

(Has anyone had the crab at Semma? I need remedial crab.)

OH - Random sighting of AOC with a big group of friends.

[ninkat]

Wow, that is a huge disappointment! I had two splendid meals there (but the last one was over a year ago now), and the crab (which really was fantastic) was off the menu every time I looked, and the menu did not seem so appealing to me. I love crab (had great crab in Portugal, not snow crab, but well prepared, not overcooked), and if you find somewhere to go, let me know! Except for Tatiana, I cannot recall decent crab in NY!

[Saregama]

The crab wasn’t on the menu online but it was on the menu in the restaurant.

[vinouspleasure]

one evening we walked into our favorite local thai restaurant near our place in fl to find they’d crossed out the “C” in crab rangoon and added a “K” to make it Krab Rangoon

Based on the way it tasted, sounds like they should have named that dish Krab Kurry

Now you have me thinking I should open up a restaurant called Krab, serving all manner of faux crab preps: Krab Kakes, Krab Klaws, Krab, Kajun Krab…

[Google_Gourmet]

@vinouspleasure

favorite local thai restaurant near our place in fl to find they’d crossed out the “C” in crab rangoon and added a “K” to make it Krab Rangoon

Man, that woulda made me one Krushed-asian!!!

[Saregama]

noooooo
open a real crab place

[vinouspleasure]

Anyone can open up a crab restaurant, but a krab restaurant, that’s gonna be fun!

[linguafood (Natascha)]

@Google_Gourmet

Krushed-asian!!!

Congrats, you win the internet today

[vinouspleasure]

I’m always thinking of you @small_h !

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/07/dining/vegetarian-restaurants-nyc.html

[small_h]

I read that yesterday, and to say it is a tad ignorant of the NYC dining scene is generous.

[vinouspleasure]

that’s what I was thinking, before I met my better half, I unconsciously drifted into a mostly vegetarian, and, given my love of all things pizza, noodles, dosa, and fish, I never had a problem ordering in NYC. (he says right before smelling ribs burning on the smoker)

[Saregama]

The fact that Priy Krishna is the interim food critic explains a lot about what the NYT’s current prioritization of the food section and the quality of recent articles

[small_h]

How so?

[Saregama]

Have you read any of her cookbooks?

[small_h]

No. I don’t think I’ve read any of anyone’s cookbooks.