Yaku suffered from an odd location (an apartment building with very little walking traffic, and a strange name (is it Japanese? Is it Latin? Is it Fusion?).
I only had a chance to visit once before it closed in January 2010. Service was very good (contrary to some reviews) and the food was very mixed. The dumplings we had (pictured at bottom) were quite good - as were the other appetizers, but the main courses were lacking.
Restaurateur Mauricio Fraga-Rosenfeld, founder of the Latin Concepts group, still has a number of other locations in his stable, including the nearby Gua-Rapo.
Meal: Dinner Rating: ** Date: 8 November 2010 Address: 1900 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201 Website:http://www.latinconcepts.com/
You'll probably recognize the outside of this restaurant if you ever watched Seinfeld. Though it was called "Monks Cafe" in the sitcom and a used a different interior, the wrap-around neon sign was unmistakable. But I came by Tom's Restaurant from another pop-culture angle, Suzanne Vega's 1987 son, "Tom's Diner."
Doo doo doo doo, doo da-doo doo ...
So, after hoping off the M60 bus at 125th St., I strolled down past the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and popped into Tom's to find myself "sitting at the counter." Since it wasn't breakfast, I didn't order coffee, but instead got a burger, fries and ice tea. The restaurant was packed with late brunchers and lunchers; the counter itself was packed elbow to elbow, but the counter help was friendly and served me quickly.
The mostly Greek staff had me thinking for a minute about the Billy Goat Tavern ("Cheezborger!"). Burgers at both were pretty good (basic and nothing fancy), and like the BIlly Goat, there was a touristical element (tee-shirts!), but it was a good meal and looked like a fun local spot.
Rumor had it that Isabella's was known to harbor celebrities. Seinfeld had been spotted there as well as a selection of Baldwins. Well, if they were there, I didn't see them. But the fault could have been that I was with a large group. A really large group, sixteen people. For whatever reason, the reserved table didn't work out, so three of us peeled off to be the satellite "kids" table. Ended up working out well!
The three of us decided to split two of the tasty salads for starters. We went with the Poached Bosc Pear Salad (Wild Arugula, Camembert Cheese, Toasted Walnuts) and the Warm Goat Cheese (Organic Beets, Baby Greens, Toasted Macadamia Nuts, Sherry Vinaigrette). Both were good, but I liked the warm goat cheese best (the beets were fabulous).
For entrees, we all went with meat. A filet mignon, pepper crusted sirloin, and my choice, the Creekstone Farms Boneless Short Rib (with Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Baby Vegetables). The meats were all quite good and well prepared. The short rib was for tender and the sides done just right.
As regular readers know, I'm not usually a dessert person, but our table decided to split the Dark Chocolate "Bag" (Fresh Raspberry Mousse, Seasonal Berries Filled & Topped with Fresh Whipped Cream). Tasty, but, again, I'm just not big on desserts.
Isabella's also offered a nice wine selection and the service (especially for our large group) was handled well. Overall a nice dinner.
Amsterdam Bars: Amsterdam Avenue that is!
While staying on the Upper West Side for some meetings, I had the opportunity to visit a number of interesting bars on or just off Amsterdam Avenue between around 79th and 82nd streets.
In order of visits, they were:
The Gin Mill
Cava
Dead Poet
420
Jake's Dilemma
The Gin Mill and Jake's were the best of the bunch in terms of the great dive bar ambiance (see The Horsehoe and Little Shamrock in San Francisco or the Capitol Lounge in DC). The Gin Mill was having a very happy happy hour during my visit and the bar was loud and crowded. The drinks, however, were practially free! Three drinks (for our group) for around $12 (with a liberal tip). I visted Jake's on a Monday, just after 5 pm, and it was pretty quiet, a couple people shooting pool, some playing beer pong and one or two at the bar. Again, great happy hour prices and we added some tasty nachos to the table. Both spots, great finds.
Cava was a much different spot, focused on wine. Nice tasteful wood paneling with bottles from their extensive collection lining the upper walls. On a nice spring afternoon, the best part was the large windows that opened up onto 80th Street.
Since the night was still young and some of the group was a bit chilled by the open windows, so we moved on to The Dead Poet. A loud, crowded Irish pub, we found a table for our group and focused on a selection of Smithwicks and Guiness.
After a lovely dinner at Isabel's, a small group of us stopped off at 420 for a little nightcap. The place was nearly empty and nice and quiet for some shop talk. The bartender was cheerful and helpful and made for nice end of the day.
Gin Mill Meal: Drinks Rating: *** Date: 21 March 2010 Address: 442 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY Website:http://www.nycbestbar.com/ginmill/
Cava Wine Bar Meal: Drinks Rating: **** Date: 21 March 2010 Address: 185 West 80th Street, New York, NY 10024 Website: http://www.cavanyc.com/
Dead Poet Meal: Drinks Rating: ** Date: 21 March 2010 Address: 450 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10024 Website:http://www.thedeadpoet.com/
420 Meal: Drinks Rating: **** Date: 21 March 2010 Address: 420 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10024 Website: N/A
Jake's Dilemma Meal: Drinks Rating: **** Date: 22 March 2010 Address: 430 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10024 Website:http://www.nycbestbar.com/jakes/
Agamat Restaurante at the Travel Inn Live & Lodge, São Paulo
When I checked into the Travel Inn Live & Lodge, I thought I would stay for four nights and then be on my way. Little did I realize that it would turn into a Hotel California like experience. Well, not quite, I'm finally getting to both check out and leave later today (seven total nights); and, no pink champaign on ice, but plenty of mangos!
I only ate at the Agamat for the breakfast buffet, but it looked like a nice enough place.
For the breakfast buffet, there was a great selection of fruit, yogurt, a variety of breads, usually two kinds of juice (orange and one other), and coffee/tea.
In the hot foods, there were eggs and an interesting looking sausage that I didn't try and cold cuts.
A good value (free!) and an easy way to start the morning.
Meal: Breakfast Date Visited: February 2010 Rating: *** Address: Rua Borges Lagoa, 1209, São Paulo, SP, 04038-034
Website: http://www.travelinn.com.br
After arriving in Belém after a flight from São Paulo via Brasilia, it was still a little early, so I decided to take a walk down to the dock area and look at the might water. The river was even more awesome than I imagined and a cool breeze was blowing. After looking around for a while, I decided to have a little something in one of the restaurants along the renovated docks (now shops and restaurants).
I really wanted a cerveja (beer), but for some reason didn't seem to be able to get that across at the places I stopped.
Finally, I chose a place near the end of the docks, As Mulatas. Again, I tried for the beer, but didn't have any luck, so settled for a caipirinha. I also added a frango (chicken) empada and water.
I was expecting the empada to be similar to the more familiar empanada, but instead of a meat turnover, it was more of a little pie, with a pie-like crust and chicken filling. Tasty, but a little bit on the dry side.
The view and cool breeze was spectacular, so it made for a nice end of the afternoon.
Meal: Snack Date Visited: 7 February 2010 Rating: *** Address: Boulevard Castilhos França, 707, Belém, PA, 66010-020 Website: N/A
Museum restaurants are either really good or downright awful. The MAM Cafe in SãoPaulo is certainly in the former.
The cafe offers a fabulous buffet full of very interesting foods. It was so good in fact, that after my first visit, I had to come back a second day in a row.
Over the course of my two lunches, I sampled a variety of choices: fillet kabobs, potato cake, asparagus casserole, a broccoli and cauliflower casserole, chicken stew, cod wrapped in something that was ALMOST a puff pastry – but wasn't, rice and beans, and more!
But here were my favorite: the chili con carne (a lush chili with tiny strips of meat and just a hint of beans, lightly seasoned and delicious), and deep fried leek wrapped in cheese. I'm not really sure how to describe this one, is it deep fried cheese wrapped around a leek? Or vice-versa? In either case, though it looked like an egg roll at first, on first bite, you had crispy cheesy goodness and then the hard resistance of the just done leek. You needed to work a bit, but then got a great taste of leak plus the wonderful taste of the cheese!
Service for drinks is fast and friendly; and though not cheap (about US$25 for the buffet and a water), it's worth it!
Meal: Lunch Date Visited: 11 & 12 February 2010 Rating: ***** Address: MAM Museude Arte ModernadeSão Paulo, Av. Pedro Álvares Cabral, São Paulo, SP, 04094-050 Website:http://mam.org.br
