Marta: Thin Crust Nirvana

November 28, 2014 by Jesse Hsu in NYC, Manhattan, Gramercy, Restaurant, Review

My brother and I were running late for our reservation at Marta, a newly opened Danny Meyer pizza joint in the Martha Washington hotel. Both yellow cabs and Uber near Rockefeller Center were unavailable and the streets were clogged with tourists pressing their noses up against the shiny holiday displays on 5th Avenue.

A pedicab pulled up right in front of us at the curb.

"Where you need to go? I take you there quick. No way you're getting a taxi tonight, mang."

We zig-zagged past throngs of people oblivious to traffic lights and almost hit a few cabs that careened in our lane.

Swallowing hard, I closed my eyes to the chaotic stress while my brother relished every single stressful minute.

Lazy Bear: Pop-Up Stardom

October 19, 2014 by Jesse Hsu in California, San Francisco, Mission District, Restaurant, Review

I didn't know much about Lazy Bear (an anagram of Chef Barzelay) except for a few facts: it was a pop-up in SF, it was highly rated on Yelp with a near-perfect score, and it was extremely hard to get into. I was hooked immediately but was thwarted a few times the past year when trying to get a seat through their lottery system. My most recent failed attempt was for their last dinner in June before they moved operations to their brand new brick and mortar space - the endgame of all pop-ups.

Imagine my delight when Anna came through clutch again with a surprise reservation for October 5 at their two-story space with two long communal tables seating a total of 40 guests per service. She was able to pounce on two tickets on their new system that licensed the software of Alinea's system where diners prepay for tickets in full. which cuts down on cancellations. Despite the whole system crashing due to demand and technical glitches, the first two weeks of dinners were sold out within hours.

Arcade Bakery: Hidden Tribeca Treasure

October 03, 2014 by Jesse Hsu in NYC, Manhattan, Tribeca, Review

When my friend Vince told me that we should go check out Arcade Bakery, I listened. After all, he is a walking encyclopedia of food knowledge who could easily start his own food concierge service. I’m not talking about the info you can easily find from generic lists on Eater or bullshit places on Yelp that are overrated. Sure he knows all the touristy spots but his wheelhouse consists of quality spots that won’t break the bank and are just flat out delicious. Places where the food is the star while ambiance, service, decor, and Michelin stars take a backseat.

Dirty French: French/Moroccan/Asian Mashup

Dirty French

September 29, 2014 by Jesse Hsu in NYC, Manhattan, LES, Restaurant, Review

After thumbing through pics of lamb carpaccio and foie gras in crispy bric dough scattered throughout my IG feed for the past month, I attempted to snag a table at Dirty French, the latest venture from Team Torrisi focused on French cuisine with Moroccan and Southeast influences.

Since they opened around Labor Day, tables earlier than 10pm were nonexistent and it took about two weeks until I received a call that a last minute table opened up around 8pm. So much for the Barry’s Bootcamp session I had planned to attend that evening.

Running a few minutes late, I walked past Katz’s when my eyes were naturally drawn to the bright pink neon signs silently screaming out DIRTY FRENCH.

Bacchanal

September 24, 2014 by Jesse Hsu in NYC, Manhattan, LES, Restaurant, Review

We ducked into Bacchanal, a new restaurant that opened in late May that quickly became known for serving tantalizing small plates with influences from Italy, France, and Spain. We started things off the right way - with a superbly made cocktail. It was a particularly humid July afternoon, and this Old Fashioned was the antidote.