Not exactly manoushe but I like the laffas and pitas topped with Za’atar at Zion Kosher market on 13th ave not too far away. But Dukan Syko looks really good
Outside of that one manoushe in Maryland, I’m actually not a huge fan of za’atar as a whole, but I’ll have to go check out Zion since that’s really close to me.
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these both look great, but how does manoushe differ from say the za’atar pitas at damascus bakery?
I believe they’ll heat up manoushe at Sahadis if you want to try. It’s in the back where they prepare their shawarma and bowls.
32 posts were merged into an existing topic: GOOD EATS NYC 2025 — Where & what did you eat?
32 posts were merged into an existing topic: GOOD EATS NYC 2025 — Where & what did you eat?
We tried it last week based on your recommendation and couldn’t have been happier. The goat was wonderful and a generous portion so we took half home. The crab curry and the coconut shrimp appetizer were excellent as well. Thanks for the heads up.
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surprised @FlemSnopes did not post on this - we and our respective spouses met for dinner here at the end of July- I believe its safe to say that our group overall enjoyed their meal but I was personally let down. Maybe its not enjoying tnis creative/fusion cuisine enough without starting with Japanese taste buds - anyway Im expressing my own view and maybe doug will chime in with his. The sun dried tomato edamame and addictive cabbage that we started with definitely hit the spot (tho the cabbage was nothing special I love well made cabbage salads and this was very good) and I am always surprised with how enjoyable fresh edamame is when fried well as this was. The Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice was good. Then, the meal slipped downhill a bit for me. We continued with Oyster Mushrooms (Eringi Karanage) described as soy garlic fried king oyster mushrooms) which were basically a well fried but flavorless something served with a wasabi dipping sauce. Missed any mushroom flavor whatever (I guess I will avoid king mushrooms henceforward). We had two of the noodle dishes on the shared plates menu - the Mentaiko Mazeman, a creamy noodle dish made with Spicy Cod Roe, House Marinated Ikura, Dill, Kizami Nori, White Pepper, which strongly evoked roman pastas like carbonara but with a pop of roe (more ikura would have been good) which was very pleasing, and my fave of the meal and the Cotra Mazesoba, described on the menu as Spicy Mugi Fuji Pork, Onsen Tamago, Scallion, Bonito Powder, Kizami Nori. I was puzzled by this dish which was overwhelmed (for me by a strong rank flavor from the raw leek greens (I believe) which it contained and the lack of discernible pork flavor from the special Mugi Fuji pork. Others didnt seem to be bothered…I think thats all we had - I remember talking about the roast mackerel but not having it. Doug who has pictures may be able to say more. Seems like some of the things @Ziggy recommends would have been better choices.
Seems like I mused on the way home about whether maybe the creative fancy chef cult has reached its limit - whether we just have too many ambitious well trained young chefs trying to do something new and not hitting deliciousness at a reasonable price point. This meal was not super expensive but it was enough that I wanted more.
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Thats too bad. We went back in June this year and liked it even more. All the new apps we tried were better than the cabbage, especially the spicy cucumber. The chicken is always good, and the Branzino. Havent tried some of the dishes you had
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Great, I pushed enter too soon and it won’t let me edit or delete it for 24 hours. I’ll try to finish it properly and then I’ll come back and delete this truncated post.
Well, I confess to extreme laziness. And tiredness.
During our annual “month in Brooklyn,” Toni and I try to hit the sweet spot between (a) pretending that we actually live in NYC (which would mean, if our living in DC is any guide, we don’t get out and do much of anything at all), and (b) acting like tourists, who go, go, go every day.
For the fourth year in a row (July of 2025, to be clear, since this is posted in the 2024 thread), we have tilted too far toward (b), the tourist mode, usually leaving me too wiped at the end of the day to post much here (or elsewhere).
Cotra was particularly hard to get up for posting about. I had high hopes for it, due to Ziggy’s review, the Infatuation’s review, and the fact that it’s owned by the same people who own the Trad Room in Bed-Stuy, which is probably my favorite restaurant in the whole city (not just for the food, which is outstanding, but also for the vibe). But, like Jen, I thought our meal fell short (and Toni agreed). I wonder if maybe the chef has changed at Cotra.
Cotra seems pretty reasonably priced to me ($38 per person, pre-tip), but the food, while very good, wasn’t particularly interesting or memorable. It’s interesting how close Jen’s views match those of Toni and me, since we didn’t compare notes during or after the meal.
We started with the addictive cabbage, smashed cucumbers, and seared edamame with sun dried tomatoes, which were all delicious. Hard to mess up wok-charred edamame or smashed cucumbers. I just googled “addictive cabbage” and was surprised to learn it’s a trendy dish at izakayas and not unique to Cotra. It’s called “yamitsuku” in Japanese, which means “addictive,” and the Times had a recipe for it back in January – https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1026314-yamitsuki-addictive-cabbage?unlocked_article_code=1.c08.3trt.r4w_tDh3BhbH&smid=share-url
For me, the next dish was the biggest letdown. It was the spicy tuna on crispy rice, which is my favorite dish at the Trad Room (on our last two meals there, we’ve gotten two orders of this dish), but at Cotra it was very good, but not more than that. Not the worst dish we had at all, but not special either. (No photo on this one, my phone’s AI forgot to focus).
Next up was the Yaki Sawara, which is described on the “Wood Fire & Special” portion of the menu as “locally caught Spanish mackerel,” with “shiso salsa verde.” This was bland in the extreme, completely non-memorable, to such an extent that Jen did not even remember that we actually ordered it. This was definitely the boring low point of the meal. Basically boiled fish.
Next up were the Mentaiko Mazemen (Spicy Cod Roe, House Marinated Ikura, Dill, Kizami Nori, White Pepper) and the Cotra Masesoba (Spicy Mugi Fuji Pork, Onsen Tamago, Scallion, Bonito Powder, Kizami Nori). I thought both of these were excellent; I enjoyed them quite a bit, but they weren’t innovative or memorable.
As for the Mentaiko dish, I agree with Jen that it needed more cod roe, but then I’d probably say that about any dish I’ve ever had with roe as an ingredient. This was Toni’s favorite dish of the meal.
The one dish where Jen and I disagreed was the pork dish, which I thought was quite good, kind of in the way that instant ramen noodles are good. I didn’t notice any overly strong flavors, but then I ignore expiration dates and just scrape the mold off leftovers in the refrigerator. On the other hand, Toni didn’t notice any overly strong flavors either, and she’s excessively fastidious about moldy leftovers.
The meal as a whole was very good and I’d happily go to Cotra again if it were in my neighborhood. But it’s not a place I’d go across town for. However, the company was great and Toni and I are both very grateful that Jen and Jim went out of their way to take us out to dinner on one of the few July days they were in town.
Finally, I can’t agree that we have too many poor, starving young chefs. Their suffering benefits us all.
Im glad your memory is better than mine. And that you could find your pictures! I puzzled over whether we ordered the fish and I love Mackerel but yes, this one fell short plus the salsa verde, as did other sauces IMO. If you look at the pic of the pork dish it had a large stack of raw garlic chive greens. I am as big as a person can get on the allium family, but these greens were too coarse, rank and numerous and overpowered the other mild flavors in the dish.
It was interesting looking up the dishes and seeing that they were for the most part standard izakaya fare.
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Thanks for reporting back. We had different dishes, but overall sounds like our enjoyment level was similar while expectations were not. I didnt have high expectations the first time. We like it for what it is, a neighborhood Izakaya that I’d love to have near me.
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Nicely put. I expected the moon and the stars from Cotra.
Great brunch at Rana 15 ion Sunday!
