What’s Better Than Pie? Little Pies!

The Little Pie Shop makes these adorably cute little pies-perfect as a sweet snack to share with a friend. And, a great small gift to someone when you just want to give a little thanks. Don’t worry, they make big pies too.

Above: Chocolate Cream Little Pie

www.littlepiecompany.com, 407 W 14th St. at 9th, 424 W 43rd St. at 9th Ave.

China Grill: Blech.

I refuse to call China Grill any sort of fusion restaurant just because there is some soy sauce in their dishes. I’m resistant to categorize it as Chinese but am going to if not for anything more than the title of the restaurant. I actually enjoyed the family-style aspect of the meal–there was plenty of food to go around, even if the overall quality was subpar. Ugh, and the scene. Why the heck is this place so popular? It had a weird smoky haze and was quite loud. The bathrooms were in this weird spiral staircase in which the women had to walk upstairs and then men had to walk downstairs but there were no doors to the bathroom or signs to indicate which gender should go where. Good thing I went the right way or that could have been…awkward.

Appetizers

Calamari salad in a lime miso dressing : one of the few standout dishes. Very crisp calamari with a delicate dressing to match.

Lamb spare ribs: also good–the sauce was sweet and the lamb was tender.

Beef and scallion dumpling: Soggy dumpling and boring beef. Actually, worse than boring. It was just bad.

Entrees

Drunken Chicken: SO dry.  So terrible.  So chewy.  Would have been good if they didn’t pre-cook it and then re-heat it (I assume). The Asian slaw was too tangy.  The crispy onions were not particularly crispy.

BBQ Salmon: No taste. Any home cook could make a better salmon.

Skirt Steak with Noodles: Overly soy sauced.

Wild Mushroom Profusion Pasta:  Soooo much “sake madeira” (where was that part?) cream sauce, it tasted like something one would order at Olive Garden.

We also ordered wasabi mashed potatoes which were spot-on and I’m giving another star for them alone. The vegetable fried rice was okay too.

Dessert

Assorted sorbets and cream cheese mousse: Dull sorbets and didn’t love the mousse at all (me? not like a cheese dish?!), though a few people thought it was quite nice. Call me a curmudgeon but it needed more sugar and a thicker consistency.

The scary part? These dishes were all from the regular menu, so people order this dredge all the time. Jeffrey Chodorow, I expected more. I will not go back willingly.

www.chinagrillmgmt.com, 60 W. 53rd St at 6th Ave

Rating:

Mesa Grill Actually Appreciates Restaurant Week

Hooray! Finally a restaurant that wasn’t a total jackass because we were ordering off the Restaurant Week menu. And, moreover, the R-week menu was based off the actual menu. They didn’t give us cheaper options. We got the real deal! I was shocked! Props to Bobby Flay. Overall, the meal was solid, but not quite Iron Chef worthy. The margaritas were okay but as soon as the bread basket came, I knew I would like the place. Muffins! Rolls! Something that was kind of in between!

Appetizers

The tomato and tortilla soup with white cheddar, avocado, and cilantro was smooth with a bit of spiciness at the end. One of the best I’ve had. The jumbo scallops were phenomenal. These were not on the regular menu but should be–the plaintain tostone resembled a crispy and delicious potato latke, as a friend pointed out.

Entrees

The grilled mahi mahi got mixed reviews. My piece was very chewy and dry, though latke-friend said that hers was incredibly moist and delicious. At least the yellow and red tomatoes were fresh. The 16-spice chicken with roasted garlic-mango sauce had a sweet aftertaste which went quite well with the blue corn tamale with basil butter–a fabulous tamale that was not overpowering but still filling. The cornmeal crusted chile relleno filled with zucchini and goat cheese worked well if you really love cheese (which of course tastes better in a crust) and was probably the heaviest of the three dishes.

Desserts

I probably would have preferred a molten chocolate cake over the warm chocolate cake that they served. It was a tad dry, though I did appreciate the fruits on top. The chocolate rum sorbet next to it was uninteresting and not my style (or most of my friends, since almost all of us left it over). The blackberry and peach shortcake was also just okay; once again I liked the fruit but the cake itself was not a standout.

Don’t want to complain too much–the service was good and they were nice to us (gosh, I can’t believe I even have to use that as a criteria for R-week). Wish the lighting was a little brighter. I’d maybe go back.

www.mesagrill.com, 15th St & 5th Ave

Rating:

Wild Ginger: Cheap & Lovely

The bright yellow sandwich board outside Wild Ginger would seem to indicate a cheap place begging for business. However, although the food is quite cheap (average entree around $10), it is also quite delicious. Moreover, the interior decor is near stunning for such a reasonably-priced establishment–hard wood floors and lots of fauna. In other words, Wild Ginger could be charging a lot more than what they are based on atmosphere alone (but I hope they don’t!). I would definitely return.

Appetizers

Indian Pancake: The curry dipping sauce is simply delightful. I only wish it came with more pancake.

Fried Spiced Calamari: The perfect crispiness. The squid was not rubbery at all. As somewhat of a fried calamari aficionado, this one ranks up there. Nice apple ginger dipping sauce as well.

Entree

Red Curry Shrimp: Spicy, but appropriately so (though I do recommend a glass of water). A plentiful amount of shrimp amidst the red bell peppers, pineapple, and eggplant.

Rating:

www.wildginger-ny.com, 51 Grove Street (West Village)

Fondue Is Delicious, Especially When You Get to Rate Other People’s

Next time there is a food-related contest at Mo Pitkin’s, I definitely recommend checking it out. This past Sunday, about ten fondue-makers gathered in a cutthroat competition to determine whose gooey cheese reigned supreme. Although the fondue ranged from runny to clumpy, the vast majority of the fondues were appropriately attaching themselves to their bread or fruit counterparts. Everyone who ate the food got to vote for who they thought was the best. It was cheese heaven, with beer on the side.

Osteria Gelsi: Great Food in the Middle of Nowhere

I’m wary of going out for Italian food. A good Italian meal is a great treat but there’s so much crappy Italian food out there that I find it difficult to sort through the bad ones and just find the good. At least when I go out for Chinese food, I’m getting something I don’t typically cook myself. But, there’s no way I’m paying $12 for a pasta with a vegetable and meat when I can make that myself. Still, I was absolutely wowed by the place, located below Hell’s Kitchen and really close to a Lincoln Tunnel entrance. In other words, the neighborhood is erm, far from beautiful. But, it is so pleasant inside the restaurant that you forget all the litter sitting on the sidewalk outside.

Osteria Gelsi was nearly empty when we dined there recently on a Saturday night and the service was near perfect. It is a great place for a romantic yet not too pricey date, or a place to take friends or family whose palates are not too exotic, but know how to appreciate a good meal. I cannot stop raving about this place to friends.

Appetizer

Affettato Di Cinghiale (paper think slices of wild boar with mesclun, eggplant, cherry tomatoes, and a pear wine reduction: This was my first wild boar experience but hopefully not my last. It tasted like a mix between beef and pork but lighter than both. The mesclun and tomatoes were very fresh the reduction was perfect-subtle enough to notice the taste but not overwhelming.

Entrees

Timballo (layers of wide ribbon pasta bechamel, meat ragu, and parmigiano reggiano): Probably the best lasagna-esque meal I’ve ever had. The cheese on top of the round circle of deliciousness was baked so crisp and wonderfully and went perfectly with the soft pasta and meat sauce that was heavy but appropriately so. I’m drooling just thinking about it.

Conchiglie Cavolflori Gamberi (tiny pasta shells with cauliflower, red onion, garlic, capers, anchovies, olives, shrimp and broccoli): The sauce was so delicate but worked so amazingly with the ingredients. Pasta does not impress me–this one did.

I would gladly go back–there are so many more things on the menu to try!

Rating:

509 9th Ave at 38th. www.gelsinyc.com (note, website is down as of this post)

One If By Land, Two If By Sea: Does Not Like The Little People

I had been looking forward to my Restaurant Week reservation at One If By Land, Two If By Sea for weeks–it’s not every day that I get to eat at a former estate of Aaron Burr. Moreover, everyone prides the place for the romantic decor and great seafood.

I do understand that food served on a Restaurant Week menu may not be quite as nice as what might be served on their typically $75 Prix Fixe menu. Still, Restaurant Week benefits both customers and the restaurant–us common people get to eat at places we can normally not afford and the restaurants get more reservations. Therefore, customers still deserve to be treated just as nicely as they would if they were ordering the more expensive menu. After all, if the food is really that good, then can’t restaurants expect repeat business?

Although I do commend One If By Land for the romantic ambiance (piano player, warm carpeting, candles, fireplaces), the expedited pace in which our courses were served, as well as the food quality overall, is simply not forgivable. There were too many small mistakes, like never serving butter for our bread and serving a melting dessert when I was in the bathroom. Neither of those mistakes would have occurred if the time between courses was more than 30 seconds. As soon as we were seated, the waiter asked us for drink orders before we even picked up the menus. There was simply no mistaking the fact that they were pushing us out as soon as we walked in the door.

Appetizers

Seared Gulf Prawn with zucchini, tomatoes, and roasted almonds: two measly pieces of shrimp with dry pasta and definitely a store-bought tomato sauce.

Golden Tomato Gazpacho with shrimp, sweet peppers, and cilantro: once again, barely any seafood in the too salty broth.

Entrees

Steamed Wild Strip Bass with couscous and olive tapenade: Bass was chewy, tapenade was salty. The couscous was actually quite good but there was very little of it.

Anise Scented Seared Pork Tenderloin with sour cherries and polenta: Very good, especially the creamy polenta. Pork was nicely flavored (a tad less salt would have been better though). Small portion, however.

Desserts

Warm Chocolate Mi Cuit: No complaints. Solid.

Frozen Peach Parfait: There was one (one!!) slice of what must have been a canned (canned!!) peach amongst a parfait that had a nice flavor but was too frozen in the middle.

I’ve had much better meals at much supposedly worse establishments for less than $35. It’s 24 hours after our dinner and I am still upset (mostly at myself) for expecting so much and receiving so little.

www.oneifbyland.com, 17 Barrow Street

Rating:

And For My Next Trick

After an unexcused hiatus, I have returned, expanding Chew & Swallow to an all-out food blog. Let’s hope I make the posts more frequent, but I make no promises. Additionally, after re-location to New York City, restaurant reviews will also be included. And some comments about the food reality TV shows I watch.