Food and Things » Restaurants

Vareli in Morningside Heights is a Welcome Addition to the Upper West Side Dining Scene

Laura Weiss — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:37:15 +0000

Vareli, Morningside Heights, NYC

If you don’t mind wading through clots of soused Columbia Students, Vareli in Morningside Heights is a nice spot for some of the best food on the Upper West Side.

The restaurant, which specializes in Mediterranean-themed small dishes dishes and tapas, is situated on the ground floor of the building that also houses that long-time Columbia drinking spot, The Heights. So if you want to avoid the weekend scrum, best to try this place on a weeknight.

Inside, the decor is plain but the food makes up for it. It’s very good and it’s consistent. I ate at Vareli’s about a year ago and had a delicious meal then too. Friday night, I selected roasted baby beets with kefalograviera cheese, pine nuts, and pickled onions and red beet coulis. The salad was tasty but the texture was a bit mushy, not what I expect from a beet salad.

Then, I tucked into some of the best grill octopus I’ve eaten anywhere. Unlike many versions of this dishes which can be tough and rubbery, this preparation was tender, moist and flavorful. It was helped along by Moroccan olives, serrano peppers and a bed of labneh yogurt.

My hubby chose pan seared scallops. He’s very fussy about his scallops. Mostly, we only eat them on the North Fork, right off the boat. But these were remarkably tender and delicious.

Entrées are mostly in the $20 range. Small plates are in the single digits or low teens.

Vareli

2869 Broadway, New York 10025

(Btwn 111th & 112th St)

212 678-8585

Cascabel UWS: Tacos Disappoint But Other Dishes Shine

Laura Weiss — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 20:28:31 +0000

Cascabel to open soon on the Upper West Side. Photo: Laura B. Weiss

Before Hurricane Irene, Cascabel on Broadway at 108th Street was one of the few restaurants in the area that was open. That was also true immediately after the storm had sped north to New England. So I wound up eating there twice in two days.

The tiny place was a mob scene, filled to overflowing with Columbia students as well as with locals chowing down before le deluge.

What do you order at Cascabel? Well tacos, of course!

Day 1 (pre-Irene), I ordered carnitas. Sorry to say the shredded pork was dry as dust.

Day 2 (post-Irene), I went back to Cascabel with my hubby. He tucked into hanger steak tacos and declared them, “great.” I took a bite, and found them dry, as, you guessed it, dust.

But there were winners. We fought over the queso fondido, a molten pool of chihuahua cheese, studded with house made chorizo and roasted poblano. The guacamole was satisfying, nicely hot, but not chunky enough for my taste.

On Day 2, Cascabel was packed with college kids. The service is amiable and the food comes out quickly. Plus, it’s cheap.The taqueria has located itself in just the right place, near starving hoards of Columbia students.

Cascabel (UWS)
2799 Broadway (Broadway at 108th Street)
NY NY 10025
212 665 1500

Upper West Side: Henry’s Signs Up to Support School Gardens

Laura Weiss — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 16:09:59 +0000

Henry’s, an Upper West Side American-style pub, is one of twenty restaurants in Manhattan and Brooklyn to sign up for a program to give back a portion of each guest’s check to a citywide school garden program.

The program, which takes place June 24-30, is to support the efforts of Grow to Learn NYC, a government-private partnership to spur the creation of school gardens citywide. Some of the city’s top restaurants are participating, including Gramercy Tavern, Ma Peche, Northern Spy Food Co. and Back Forty. Many will be offering a special Greenmarket menu for the week.

Details follow:

School gardens get a boost in a week-long restaurant promotion.

Henry’s
2745 Broadway @ 105th Street.
NY, NY 10025
212 866 o600

Cascabel, the Mexican Spot, is Slated To Open This Week on the Upper West Side

Laura Weiss — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 18:14:16 +0000

Cascabel to open soon on the Upper West Side. Photo: Laura B. Weiss

Update: Manager Luce now says Cascabel will open Thursday or Friday, June 30 or July 1.

Cascabel, the popular Upper East Side Mexican spot, is slated to open its new Upper West Side spot soon, possibly in the next few days, according to a manager at the restaurant who identified herself as Luce.

The new outpost, at 2799 Broadway (corner of Broadway and 108th Street) with its trendy menu of tacos, carnitas and other Mexican favoties, is sure to be a hit with Columbia students looking for a moderately priced bite to eat. The place also has a full menu of cocktails.

Will the Upper West Side joint be as noisy as the one across the park? We’ll have to wait and see.

And will Cascabel give Mama Mexico, just down the street at 2672 Broadway, a run for its money?

Let me know what you think of the new place.

Cascabel (Upper West Side)
2799 Broadway (Broadway at 108th Street)
NY NY 10025
212 665 1500

The Best Hot Dog In the New York Area

Laura Weiss — Sun, 29 May 2011 14:39:22 +0000

The Truck. North Fork Table and Inn, Southold, Long Island, NY

What’s the best hot dog in New York? Well, you’ll have to travel a bit to find it. For this beautifully-flavored and sauced hot dog, you’ll need to hop the Jitney or rent a car and travel out to the North Fork of Long Island. There, at a food truck operated by the award-winning North Fork Table and Inn, located in Southold, are some very fine wieners.

These are simply the best dogs I’ve ever eaten.

Normally, you’d have to dish out serious bucks to eat at the Inn, where Gerry Hayden, who used to cook for Aureole, now dishes out excellent locally sourced dishes. Award-winning pastry chef Claudia Fleming (late of the Gramercy Tavern) oversees the pastry operation. Where possible, the couple relies on ingredients grown by local farmers or fished from local waters

The Lunch Truck shines as the single best place to get some quick quality grub on the North Fork. The Hartmann’s Atisan All Beef Hot Dog, comes plain or with a variety of toppings ranging from house-made sauerkraut to bread and butter pickle relish to apple cider vinegar-glazed onion. Then, there’s chorizo chili and pepper jack cheese sauce to throw on top. What a decadent meal that would be!

Even piled high with three toppings—we had sauerkraut, bread and butter pickle relish and onions—the hot dog is an affordable indulgence at $4.50.

I’ve heard the lobster roll (“local when available, but usually Canadian, I’m not gonna lie to ya,” says the truck’s sign) is divine. I plan to try that this weekend. It goes for $16.50.

Still, just the dogs alone are worth the two hour schlep from the city. While you’re on the North Fork, visit some vineyards and shop the abundant farm stands. Right now, asparagus and rhubarb are in season. Strawberries, as sweet as candy, will be coming soon.

Danny Meyer Movie Screening to be Held

Laura Weiss — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 14:12:31 +0000

Shake Shack, Madison Square Park, NY

In case you haven’t had your fill of restaurateur Danny Meyer (with Shake Shacks sprouting on virtually every corner, I personally, am close to the saturation point), MOMA is screening the new movie about the restaurant mogul March 22. The film, open to the invited press (see below) follows Meyer as he launches 11 Madison Park and Table.

Where: MOMA

When: March 22, 7 p.m.

Address: 11 W. 53rd, Titus Theater

RSVP to jmpverdant@earthlink.net. Reservations are non-transferable, but if you’re a blogger or affiliated in some way with a publication see if you can snag an invite.

The DVD is out March 29 so in any event you won’t have to wait long to see this film.

Want Great Oatmeal? Try Metro Diner on the Upper West Side

Laura Weiss — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 01:53:57 +0000

I eat oatmeal most mornings and consider myself a bit of a connoisseur. Mostly, when you eat it out at a restaurant or diner a serving of oatmeal is runny or lumpy. But Metro Diner at Broadway and 100th Street cooks up an outstanding bowl of of the humble gruel. What’s more, if you ask, they’ll top it with a heaping serving of blueberries, each one the size of a Concord grape.

Girl eating oatmeal. Photo by by mliu92 via flickr.

Not in the mood to schlep to the Metro Diner? You can make this at home. Here’s how it’s done according to Nick the manager:

Use Quaker instant oatmeal (probably the fancy organic stuff works too) and use milk instead of water. It’s that simple.

At Metro Diner, they first prepare their oatmeal at 6 a.m. Then they keep it hot throughout the day over a pan of hot water.

Sometimes the simplest things are the best.

Restaurants for Valentine’s Day on the Upper West Side and Elsewhere in New York

Laura Weiss — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 19:34:17 +0000

Especially in this down economy, restaurants are hungering for your business on Valentine’s Day. On the Upper West Side, there’s a bumper crop of places to go.

I personally would rather skip the whole hyped-up Valentine’s Day eating out thing and prepare a cozy dinner at home. Why brave the mobs at the restaurants, the often sub-par food, and the indifferent service?

But if eating out will make the day special for you, here’s a list of some places to have romance and a meal on the Upper West Side and elsewhere.

It’s safe to assume that nearly every restaurant in the city will be having Valentine specials, Valentine desserts, Valentine prix fixes, etc., etc.

Upper West Side

Alouette This oldy but goody French bistro is offering a 4-course prix fixe (Open Table) for $60/person.

A Voce Columbus Circle $95 four-course tasting menu.

Big Daddy’s-UWS. If you can’t find a babysitter and need to drag the kids along (how romantic), this family friendly dinner is a good choice.

Isabella’s. Want Italian? This popular place across from the Museum of Natural History may be the ticket.

Telepan. Truffles and more for $78/person.

Elsewhere

5 Napkin Burger: A Second Taste at the Upper West Side Locale

Laura Weiss — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 02:52:01 +0000

Hamburger: Photo by by aktivioslo via Flickr.

Even though New York magazine says burgers are out and sandwiches are in (isn’t a burger a sandwich???), we had a yen for a really good hamburger tonight. Opting for local, as in the Upper West Side, we settled with some trepidation on 5 Napkin Burger on Broadway.

As is typical of many Upper West Side mid-range restaurants, the place was jammed with families and locals. To be honest, I had never understood the appeal of 5 Napkin Burger.The couple of other times I’ve eaten there, the meat was dry and overcooked. Plus, there was so much glop—in the form of Gruyère cheese, rosemary aioli sauce and caramelized onions—that the burger itself was almost an afterthought.

Tonight, however, was a total home run.The meat was bursting with flavor. Plus, the juicy patty came medium rare just as I ordered it. One big improvement: I asked for no cheese and the sauce came on the side. That meant, instead of a cheese and sauce sandwich, I got a burger—and I could actually taste the beef.

For a quick burger fix, 5 Napkin Burger does the trick for Upper West Side carnivores.

5 Napkin Burger: Upper West Side
2315 Broadway @ 84th Street
212 333 4488

Which Restaurants Are Open Christmas Day on the Upper West Side and Elsewhere in New York

Laura Weiss — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 03:02:32 +0000

By j.o.h.n. walker via Flickr.

Your Aunt Tilly doesn’t feel like cooking her usual Christmas feast. And you don’t relish the stress of pulling it all together. For one, there’s the shopping marathon. Then there’s the need to cater to a variety of food allergies and sensitivities. This one doesn’t eat dairy. That one is gluten intolerant.

What to do?

This year an unprecedented number of restaurants are open Christmas Day on the Upper West Side and throughout the city.

And they’re not all Chinese. Want to impress your mother? Take her to Le Bernadin, which is open Christmas Day.

Why stay open on what’s normally a day of rest for restaurant workers? The reason is simple. Business is down and it’s an opportunity to ring the cash register a few more times before year end.

By charlesfettinge via Flickr.

Alternatively, if Chinese and a movie is your typical Christmas fare—and you’ve failed to receive your invite to share Kung Pau Chicken with Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan—New York Magazine has a handy list of Chinese joints. Click on Chinese-and-a-Movie

So extend some Christmas cheer to your favorite restaurants:

5 Napkin Burger (Open Table)

Alouette (Newyorkology)

Big Daddy’s – Upper West Side (Open Table)

Bodrum Turkish Mediterranean (Open Table)

Del Posto Christmas Eve (New York)

Fatty Crab (Eater)

Gotham Bar & Grill Christmas Eve (New York Magazine)

Josephina (Open Table)

Le Bernardin (Eater)