River Deli - Brooklyn

Don't Be Thrown by the Name
River Deli is not a deli and it's not on a river. It's a newly-opened restaurant that specializes in Sardinian cuisine. Yes, Sardinia - that island in the Mediterranean just to the left of Italy's kneecap. The Pingles has been hankering for pasta so this place was a godsend - they got pasta in spades, some familiar and some less so. An example of the former was this perfectly portioned tagliatelle with meat sauce.

Goods - Brooklyn

Big Yawn
Willyburg, restored trailer, american basics: biscuits, hash browns, coffee. Totally underwhelming - not even worth writing a full review. I'll summarize it like this - you spent too much time on your shiny trailer and your nice (yet not open for some reason) yard but you shoulda spent more time on the food. Next!

Photo Credit: Michael S. from Yelp

Lorimer & Metropolitan
Williamsburgh, Brooklyn

Frascati - Paris

How About Some Drama with Your Pasta?
There are a lot of arguments in Paris - I see one person yelling at another almost every day. After getting our menus in the newly opened Frascati restaurant last night, we were treated to the day’s serving of drama. The chef was berating two workers, both of whom were staring at their feet. He was banging a ham against a slicer to punctuate his yelling. “Dans cette cuisine, JE SUIS LE CHEF! Pas TOI et pas TOI, c’est MOI!” He looked like he could kill them. Two conflicting thoughts entered my brain. One: this chef is passionate – his food is going to be great. Two: this chef is crazy, even if the food sucks I better finish it or he may beat me up.

Chez Janou - Paris

This Blog is Getting Frenchier and Frenchier
Three french posts in a row must be some kind of record. I'm hitting my two week Paris limit but still have a week to go before my escape to NY. It's about the time I begin to get ornery, muttering to myself about the slow service, the weather, the dog shit, the prices. Even so, Chez Janou shone through my mental pollution. It's a classic brasserie known for its 80+ varieties of pastis but we were there to stuff our faces, of course.

Le Sévigné - Paris

Current CM Crown-Holder!
I love croque madames. Who doesn't? A fried egg on top of a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. The previous croque madame crown holder was Cafe des Anges but their title was revoked. I'm glad to have found a worthy recipient. The version at Le Sévigné has all the right touches: runny yolk, melty cheese, hot ham and excellent, cooked-but-not-too-cooked bread.

Chez Paul - Paris

Quirky and "French-y"
If any of my American friends were to get off their lazy asses and visit me in Paris I'd take them to Chez Paul. It's the "Frenchiest" bistro I know. Yes, Frenchiest. Do you need a definition?

french·y
1. conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual
2. odd, esp. in an interesting or amusing way
3. not easily explained

Case in point, the huge photo of the abundant waitress who works the downstairs. Her likeness hangs on an upstairs wall so no matter where you're seated, you're never far from her.

Ippudo - Singapore

Well, Ummm, I Don't Know...
Because I have the highest expectations for Ippudo I came away feeling kinda so-so about the Singapore branch. Ippudo Manhattan has never disappointed but maybe my standards have risen since eating so much ramen in Tokyo, I don't know. When my bowl of "Akamaru Kasaneaji" arrived it looked to be bursting with flavor. It's a tonkotsu soup with pork belly, fragrant garlic oil and blended miso paste. Unfortunately the flavors didn't live up to their colorful promise. It left me flat - just not enough flavor.

Ah Long Pancake - Singapore

It's All About the Combos, Kids
Sure, you can get a simple peanut pancake, which I do from time to time. Or, you can take it up a notch at Ah Long, where the combos are paramount. I had a hard time choosing but finally settled on a egg-cheese-peanut. I watched em turn a small bowl of batter into my personal-pan sized cake in a flash. I wasn't sure what to expect, to be honest. I love all three ingredients by themselves but was unsure of mixing them. After a few bites I was happy. The egginess hit me first and the peanuttiness last. I never did taste the cheese, to be honest. This is the perfect small snack, especially when freshly hot.