Mangiare

Kennedy Town has a lot of cool restaurants and Mangiare has been getting a bunch of buzz about its Italian "street food". The restaurant will definitely grab your attention with it's impressive array of steaks and sausages hanging out front. The space is super small and cozy and there is a blackboard of the selections of the day. The owners told us that the menu changes everyday which I really liked! We got a selection of appetizers, pastas, and a butcher's block. I particularly loved the octopus salad and pastas. The meats were tasty also but a little too fatty for me.

UPDATE: unfortunately I just found out that Mangiare is closed!!! It was renamed "Blackboard Kitchen" but that also closed according to Openrice :( That is so unfortunate because I really loved the down to earth and rustic aspect of this place. The service was also super warm and welcoming. Let's hope they re-open soon!!!

NEW UPDATE: Thanks to my smarty friends on FB I've found out that it is actually not closed! Yay!

They gave us a free bottle of prosecco! 

Mangiare 

Hang Yu Building 

45-55 Cadogan Street 

Kennedy Town

Hong Kong 

Striphouse

Striphouse is one of New York's classic steakhouses and I've been wanting to try this place for a while. I usually don't do dish by dish reviews for steakhouses/sushi restaurants (unless there were some special dishes) so will do a brief synopsis.

The appetizers and sides were VERY good. I loved the creamed spinach and the creamed corn. It was incredibly indulgent and well made. The bacon was up to par to other solid steak houses and the mac and cheese was also yummy.

The steak was also cooked well and I enjoyed the unique rub they had. Minetta's is still my favorite steak in the city but Striphouse did a good job.

The one thing was a little bizarre was the service. It is a little hard to explain because our server was actually very nice but acted super strange towards one of our dining companions. She refused to fill up her glass with wine and also seemed to serve her less food. We had to ask her outwardly to fill her class in order for her to get much attention. This obviously ruined the mood of our friend and it was not ideal. If our server thought our friend was underage (she is not) she can easily ask for an ID but her behavior was unacceptable and just weird.

The food was actually very good, but the service was unfortunate. However, I wouldn't say that you should avoid Striphouse and that it is worth a try! It is also pretty easy to make a reservation which is a plus.

Striphouse

15 W 44th St.

New York

NY 10036

Steak at Matt's

M and I love to cook together and one of his speciality dishes is steak :D We decided to pair it with some mushrooms and shallots and garlic spinach.

Quality Italian

I had my joint birthday dinner at Quality Italian and I had a pretty good time! I was looking most forward to the famous chicken parm pizza but while it was pretty good I think it's definitely more of a gimmick. The rest of the food was decent as well but nothing mind blowing. I think this is a good spot for a group dinner and it is quite easy to get a reservation. Service was also friendly and professional. However, I think they overcharged us for a wine but this was corrected quickly. I would not say this is a must try in NYC, I have definitely had better steak elsewhere but it was still good here. The chicken parm is particularly good with the spiced honey to make sure to lather that shit on if you go!

Really yummy bread! 

57 W 57th St

New York

NY 10019

American Cut

As much as I love steak, American Cut has never been on the top of my list of restaurants to try for some reason. It was not until I saw an instagram post about its stellar Restaurant Week menu that I decided to book a table. American Cut is opened by Marc Forgione, who is an Iron Chef and the food definitely lived up to his reputation!

My party and I were a bit peeved in the beginning because we were told to sit at the bar even though we arrived perfectly on time and were not seated until 20 minutes later. The hostess did not give us any explanation until we asked her twice regarding the table and this definitely did not help that we were all incredibly hangry. The bartender was very professional and we enjoyed our drinks so that did calm us down a bit haha. One other issue was that the AC was broken so it was quite stuffy in there. But apart from these two small hiccups the food was PHENOMENAL and I had a great dining experience. Our servers were very sweet and professional and the dinner went very smoothly. We ordered two Restaurant Week Menus and also from the a la carte menu. I would definitely be happy to come back and try out other items on the menu. I've heard that the tater tots were amazing so that in itself is enough for my return :D

Everything Biscuits  
Good lord these biscuits were good. They were so fluffy, buttery, and flakey that I also asked for seconds but I knew I had to save my tummy for the main event.

Diamond Jim Brady Oysters - Champagne, Black Truffle, Cruola 
These oysters were slightly salty but still very yummy. The hint of truffle was perfect and the cheesy mashed potatoes also was a perfect compliment to the oysters. 

Bacon, Schaller & Weber - MF Steak Sauce, Black Onion
Bacon is always a good idea but this bacon was out of this world. It almost had a slightly short rib richness to it and the umami from the bacon and the black onion was spectacular. 

Hanger - 9 oz Pastrami Spice, Smoke 
The steak was cooked perfectly and I loved the pastrami spice. It really gave the steak an unique flavor and took the meal to the next level. 

Wild Mushrooms and Grilled Polenta, Sunchoked Spinach with Fontina and Smoked Salt, and Potato Puree "Robuchon" and Local Butter 
The wild mushrooms were cooked perfectly and had a lovely earthy flavor. The spinach was very creamy and decadent, and the potatoes were very smooth and buttery. Delicious sides! 

The New York City Cut - 20 oz Bone-In Ribeye, Pastrami Spices, Smoke
The steak was a tinsy bit more raw than medium rare but it still tasted amazing so we had no complaints. The rub once again was great and the crust was perfect. The meat was so juicy and had great flavor. 

Oh hell yeah 

Bell & Evans Chicken - Natural Jus, Chili
We decided to order the chicken from the Restaurant Week Menu since we already had two steaks. I usually would not order chicken at a steak house but boy am I glad we did! This was one of the most well done pieces of chicken we have ever tried. The flavors were very simple and allowed the impeccable taste of the chicken meat to shine through. It was very obvious that this chicken was of high quality and the execution was also on point. The meat was incredibly juicy and the skin was also crispy and not at all greasy. 

Cracker Jack Sundae - Popcorn Ice Cream
MAN this is good. The amount of caramel was just perfect and the texture of the popcorn was ideal with the ice cream. My only complaint was that it was too small even though I was full up to my eyeballs from this meal. The ice cream was also wonderfully smooth and creamy.

Blueberry Bread Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream
This was probably the least successful dish of the night. It had a strange tart flavor to it and I really did not like it. 

I had such a great meal here and I am already telling friends all about it! My next steak destination is Delmonico or Bowery Meat Company but American Cut definitely left a great impression on me and I can't wait to return! 

American Cut 

363 Greenwich Street

New York

NY 10013

Minetta Tavern

While I'm sure you've all heard about me saying "I've been waiting to try this restaurant for a long time", I think Minetta Tavern really takes the cake here. I've been hearing about this burger for SO LONG and every time I try to book it on OpenTable the times are abysmal. While my eyes have been set on the burger for some, when M the steak eater extraordinaire declared that Minetta has one of the best Côte de Boeuf in town, I knew it was finally time for me to take the plunge and eat there. Thankfully W was able to get us a reservation for a decent time (calling is much better than OpenTable). Service was very friendly and I also loved the atmosphere. The steak was seriously AMAZING, the burger was delicious but the steak was really what blew me away. Everything was cooked well and I definitely look forward to returning. Definitely make sure you come with a decent sized group so that you can order the steak along with other dishes!

Pasta Za Za - Fresh Pasta with Pancetta, Sage, Parmesan, and a Fried Egg
This was very creamy and well made, the pasta was nice and chewy and the bacon was yummy and crispy. However, I did not think the flavors were very outstanding or memorable. Perhaps an extra kick of sage would make it more interesting. 

Special of the Day - Grilled Octopus 
Perfectly grilled octopus on top of a bed of assorted greens and beans. This was very fresh and flavorful and a great lighter dish before our gluttonous dishes came

Black Label Burger - Selection of Prime Dry-aged Beef Cuts with Caramelized Onions and Pomme Frites 
The famous famous burger. The patty was melt in your mouth and had a great beefy flavor but I didn't have a life changing moment when I bit into it. I know that many of my friends who swear by this burger love it for the patty but I do put a lot of emphasis on the add ons to my burger (cheese, onions, bacon, mushrooms, you get it) so maybe that's why it wasn't that mind-blowing for me. However I do think that this is definitely worth a try and it was an extremely solid burger.

YASSSSSS (this is two orders) 

Dry-aged Côte de Boeuf with Roasted Marrow Bones and Gem Lettuce Salad 
M was right when he said this was amazing. The meat was so incredibly tender and juicy and the char was just out of this world. The steak was cooked so perfectly and the flavor of the meat was also on point. It is definitely a fatty cut but the fat was not overwhelming and was just incredibly rich and flavorful. I had a couple bites with the marrow but it did get a bit too intense after a while The jus is so complex in flavor and takes the steak to the next level. I could not stop shoving my face and I think I shocked my male companions with my black hole consumption. 

What a beautyyyy 

Chocolate Souffle 
I smelt a strong scent of chocolate throughout the meal and I knew that this had to be something that I had to get at the end no matter how full I was. This was whatever you expect a perfect chocolate souffle to be, extremely rich, chocolately, and piping hot. This was the perfect end to the meal and I could not be more pleased. 

Minetta Tavern absolutely did not disappoint. The food was all delicious and I had a great night of food and drink with old and new friends. This is definitely not something I can eat all the time if I plan to fit into my apartment but an absolutely worthy indulgent meal!

Minetta Tavern

113 Macdougal Street

New York

NY 10012

Quality Meats

All you guys know that I am a steak lover. Quality Meats has been on my radar for a while and I made a reservation for it a while back but I had to keep changing it due to scheduling conflicts. I finally managed to dine there last Friday and had a lovely dinner with my girlfriends with what felt like a never ending supply of gin martinis. The steak was good, but not the best I've had in New York. I absolutely loved the sides (especially the corn crème brûlée) and service was ok but not spectacular. We apparently arrived to our reservation more than 15 minutes late therefore they gave away our table. They were able to fit us into a small table with some kind of couch after a wait and our hostess seemed really hesitant to help us fit in a chair. She became nicer after (or I just became drunker) but overall the dinner was enjoyable but I don't think I would be returning anytime soon since there are many other steakhouses I want to try in New York.

Note: Special thanks to T for sending me some of her food photos for this meal!

Traditional Steak Tartare 
Whenever I see steak tartare, I must order it. This was a very clean tasting steak tartare and while I would prefer a little more kick to the seasoning the flavors were still good and the meat was extremely fresh and had the perfect consistency (slightly chunky and not too minced). The presentation was also lovely, so bright red with that decadent yellow yolk on top ready to be oozed all over. 

Roasted Bone Marrow
This was some of the best bone marrow I've had in a while. It was incredibly rich and aromatic and I haven't had a bone marrow with such intense flavor in some time! 

Aged Rib Steak
This was a bit too lean for me especially since it was a rib steak I was expecting it to be slightly more fatty. However, the meat flavor was good and it also had a nice char to it. I also felt like it was slightly more on the medium side even though we ordered medium rare. 

Aged Bone-in Sirloin
I think this was actually more tender and juicy than the rib steak. If you can see the tiny bit of pink peeking out, the doneness looks extremely similar to the rib steak even though we ordered this to be medium since W does not like the bloodiness. 

Corn Crème Brûlée
Eeeee this was just dreamy. I love eating corn and this was such a luscious way to prepare it. The corn was enveloped in a custardy sweet concoction and went so well with the smokey charred flavor of the meats. I definitely want to recreate this dish for Thanksgiving! 

Pan Roasted Crispy Potatoes 
This tastes exactly how you would expect it to taste. Crispy slices of potato. This was not my favorite as I felt like it was some strange in between of a potato chip and a potato skin. However, it was not badly made and my companions seemed to have enjoyed. 

Overall the meal was enjoyable and I would recommend others going if they are in New York and want to try a new steak place. However, there are definitely better steak houses out there so I would not say this is a must try if you are only in New York for a short period of time. This is a good spot to go to for a weekend dinner though before going out.

Quality Meats 

57 W 58th Street

New York

NY 10019