By New York Onions, for New York Onions (and friends).
A single thread for us to share what we’re eating out through the year.
(And yes, feel feee to share your not-so-good eats too as a cautionary tale!)
Prior years:
2 Likes
Went to Martiny’s last night. I know, it is a cocktail bar, but their snacks are absolutely excellent. The steak tartare and the scotch egg were winners. Also, their cocktails are outstanding. The Caprese is dangerous and is one of my favorite drinks in NYC.
2 Likes
Did a late brunch up at Cocina Conseulo this afternoon. Be prepared to wait. The restaurant is tiny, and they are only on partial staff at the moment. The food is excellent, and I will go back, but damn it is a hike for me from 58th and 1st.
1 Like
Nice dinner last night at Dhamaka (no pix, 'cause the lighting in there is disastrous). My companion had the smoked lamb belly ($18), and I had the trout ($21 and excellent) and the paneer tikka (also $21 and uninteresting). The lamb and the trout were an ample portions; the paneer very stingy, and I’m not sure how they have the gall to charge that much for it.
Service has fallen off a bit since my last visit. It was hard to get the waitstaff’s attention, and I got the wrong wine and had a lengthy wait for the right one. I ordered a Semillon and got a Pinot Grigio. When I called the server over to tell him, he said he thought I said Sauvignon. That’s not the full name of a wine, for starters, and there are no Sauvignon Blancs nor Cabernet Sauvignons on the by-the-glass list. So I’m not sure what happened there.
1 Like
Hey, is there a no picture policy for 2025? 
I kinda like it in a weird way
Started the year with a fine Kharcho (for me), Borscht (for them), Pierogies, Pelmeni (the best), and chicken Tabaka at Ocean View Cafe, Brighton Beach. A fitting lunch after the Polar Bear Plunge. I didnt plunge, just watched. I’m still sane
Shaw-naes House, Soul/Jamaican food in, you guessed it, Staten Island. Open only three days a week for dinner. Much island buzz after Z100 mentions, and a 2 stars from NYT, landing on the top 100 in NYC. (#50). Part of the appeal is that it resembles a living room (until someone opens the door in the winter), and the staff is mostly part of the family. $10 pp to reserve on Resy. Not applied to the check.
The food is good enough to try again if you live on the island, but certainly not good enough to cross the bridge. The Soul Fries loaded with Cheese, Mac & Cheese and Collard Greens and catfish bites was probably the only dish I’d order again. Oxtail was good, if not a little too sweet. Middle of the road Jerk Chicken. Not much better than a takeout in Little Haiti. The fried chicken wings with the sugar daddy sauce is a Cinnamon and Sugar bomb. They say its like eating chicken and waffles but its more like chicken and churros. The free cornbread is great. The desserts were meh. Carrot cake was dry and not very fresh
2 Likes
Thanks for the report. The $10 booking fee offends me. But the three dishes you liked are what I would order. Conundrum.
And they dont make it very clear that its a booking fee. I only knew going in because some of the reviewers mentioned that
“This prepaid reservation is non-refundable. You will not receive a refund if you change or cancel.”
Yeah, I learned about it through word of mouth. I hope it doesn’t catch on.
Is someone paying for your dinner? Check out Oceana on W 49th, the most expense account-y place I’ve been to in…maybe ever. Service is excellent, tables are huge, food is very good and at these prices, it better be. A tasting of tiny ceviches, halibut, yellowtail and tuna.
Squid ink bucatini with (overcooked) Nantucket bay scallops (when’s the season for them, again?) and trout roe. Nice presentation!
And this birthday cake, which we did not order. My mom’s birthday was a few days ago - did my dad or my sister maybe have it sent over? Did my mom note that it was her birthday on the reservation? No and no. Sorry, birthday person who did not get their cake.
2 Likes
Rua Thai (Cobble Hill) - Above avg, typical, but playful Thai by a NYC Thai veteran who grew up in Ratchaburi. His first restaurant after cooking in NYC including 9th ave for 20 years. Attractive decor and Instagrammable plating, except that its too dark inside to fully take advantage.
Your usual very full Thai menu but everything was nicely executed. Solid dumplings, wings (pleasant lime and chili notes), and signature Shrimp Donuts. Your typical Drunken Noodles, not your typical Mama Tom Yum Grilled River Prawns with noodles and veggies spilling out of a bucket. No dessert which brings me to…
I think no dessert simply meant “we are too busy” since they have plenty of it on the meu on line. It was a very full, busy place including people waiting for their take-out. While it felt like they were short on staff, it was interesting to see how two girls handled the entire front, and to some degree back. One was handling the entire bar, waiting on us, while at the same spending much of the time in the kitchen. We were out in 90 minutes so it wasnt like we waited too long for our 6 dishes. You walk into any of the “New American” joints like Bar Bete on the same street (Smith) and its the usual hostess, manager, multiple servers, bus boys, etc. Same number of patrons, more than triple the staff. Anyway, just sayin…
2 Likes
Nice review!
I am intrigued by this “shrimp donut,” particularly as I had the KFC version in Bangkok last year.
Anyway, I’m also on the lookout for kua gling while in town.
1 Like
They were pretty good. Not particularly distinct tasting, but plenty of shrimp paste and nice flavor.
Good luck with your mission. I’m at the early stages of researching Thailand.
most of our clients wanted steak but I did convince a few to have dinner at Oecana, it worked well for four people but I found the table for two a little too intimate for a business dinner. Loved the food!
the plating reminds me of the photos I’ve seen for bua thai on the ues.
You could’ve played ping pong on our table for two. And changed seats every couple of minutes, a la the Mad Hatter.
The chef has been around cooking all over, so who knows.
From now on I demand every Thai to serve me a flower on every plate. Preferably eatable, but I’m not gonna push it.
@SteveR and I noticed that Eater seems to have stopped publishing restaurant reviews. Instead, they’ve been recycling old articles and focusing on openings, closings, and menu updates. Ironically, in one of their articles, they mentioned that Robert Sietsema had published a review of the restaurant they were discussing; on his Substack, no less. Here’s the link to his Substack:
I didn’t always agree with Sietsema’s reviews, but it’s hard to deny that he’s one of the few (besides @DaveCook ) covering this particular slice of New York’s food scene. With that in mind, I decided to support him and subscribed to his substack.
best,
2 Likes
Indeed. It tells what a sad state eater is in if the writers are referring to a laid off food writer’s personal writings.l and projects. At least they gave him credit.
1 Like
