The Filipino Dinner - Grill 21

My first time having Filipino food! It was at Uncle Pete's 2nd birthday party at GRILL 21 ! (part of his 3-day bash, of course). It's a little joint on the east side on 21st St between 1st and 2nd ave. It's small, our party literally took up the entire inside of the restaurant AND the outside. There's a lot of cute mural paintings all around the inner walls and there's a clean bathroom.



Thankfully it was a nice breezy night, and we were able to sit outside as well. The owners of the restaurant (a Caucasian man, in whom I suspect is married to the owner-ress, who looked Filipino) were really nice people. A little impatient I believe, but that's because we came in with such a large party and they weren't used to so many heads in one sitting. None the less, they were really friendly and recommended a lot of different things for us to try. We started off with some Filipino beer and spring rolls. The spring rolls were quite yummy, crispy yet still tasty. Nothing compared to Shelley Ting's Amazin' Springs, but they were decent. I have no idea what they had inside, I generally just tasted.. pepper. The beer was okay. As most of you know, again I am not a beer-connoisseur, but this 'Red Horse' Filipino Beer wasn't very memorable.



For my entre, I ordered the "Chicken Curry- chicken chunks cooked in coconut milk with potatoes, carrots & pepper". I know, I know, I'm not very adventurous when it comes to these things. But did you know that in Filipino cuisine, they really like fish? I DIDN'T KNOW THAT! I don't like fish though, so I settled with chicken. It was good though, the curry was really thick and flavorful. The portions here are enormous and probably not possible for you to finish- unless you're a REAL MAN. (Kidding). But they gave me about 5 large chunks of chicken leg and massive amounts of curry. (image to the left). A few of my friends ordered the "Sweet & Sour Tilapia whole fish" in which- they LITERALLY gave you the whole fish. I didn't taste the actual dish, but I heard of a few mixed reviews, going from "great!" to "horrible"- so this is something you will have to decide for yourself when you try it. Haha.



FINALLY- FOR THE BEST PART OF THE NIGHT! The YAM ICE CREAM. They call it the Halo-Halo (?). But its basically Yam Ice cream on top of shaved iced with condensed milk and red bean. A lot like Taiwanese Ice, but with the amazing Yam ice cream with rice krispies sprinkled lightly on top. Can I say YAM ICE CREAM again!? It was so delicious- I think everyone loved them some of this!

OVERALL: This restaurant was tasty, worth the buck for it's bang, or bang for it's buck- whatever that saying is. I personally wouldn't venture there for part 2- unless it's just for dessert! That's all!

Taste: 3/5
Atmosphere: 2.5/5
Cost: $25-30

Pio Pio - New York

NOTE: This post was completely written by a friend who thought it'd be a great satirical piece... on me. He did a great job however, because it seriously sounds like .. me. The only slight edits I made were the ones inside the brackets [].

Please enjoy:

"This post is dedicated to Peter, who recently turned 21 for the sixth time. Sorry for the low picture quality (I left the 10k at home) [he meant to say i left my 10lb camera at home]



Anyway, after a beautiful day playing softball, my friends and I decided to go out and celebrate Peter's birthday (for the third freakin' time). My really annoying friend always suggests we go to Pio Pio but we usually settle for Pork Chop Rice. However, since today was a special day we decided to make the trek to Jackson Heights and try some some chicken that he has been dying to eat.

We get to the restaurant and the first thing I noticed (and you will to) is that this place is FREAKIN LOUD. Some people LIKE to yell at those sitting right next to them but, it was probably just the restaurant's layout.



We proceeded to the bar where we ordered some Sangria. There were oranges, apples and a sugar cane in it. It tasted very fruity and I couldnt really taste the wine but it was a little too strong for me LOL! (I knew I had to stop when I started speaking in a British accent). While waiting at the bar, we saw a table of CLOWNS eating. SERIOUSLY, who comes to a restaurant dressed as a CLOWN? WHO DOES THAT?

My friend Wing is a Peruvian food nut (and resident food connoisseur) so he ordered for us. To start, we got the Palta Rellena, which was avocado, shrimp, red onion, tomatoes and corn marinated in a cilantro-lime dressing. It looked like something Slimer from the Ghostbusters would vomit out, but it was delicious! Not overly spicy and all the ingredients complement each other very well. I also got an Inca Kola, which is a Latino soft drink that looks like Mountain Dew but tastes like bubblegum.



IF YOUR IDEA OF GOOD CHICKEN IS KENNEDY FRIED CHICKEN OR BOSTON MARKET---then this place will make you NEVER want to eat chicken from those places again. For our main course we got the Matador Combo (I wiki'd Matador, and it means "killer" and let me say this combo really lived up to it's name LOL) which consisted of a whole chicken, rice, beans, tostones (fried plantains), salchipapa, fried bananas, and avocado salad. Since we were sharing amongst 5 people, we also added on another chicken. Let me just say that the portions are FREAKIN HUGE. I had some white and dark meat and it was delicious. Usually the white meat I get at other chicken joints is dry and card-board tasting. But here, it was so tender and juicy. I enjoyed the sides but I did not like the salchipapa which was just sliced hot dogs and fries. The birthday boy got flan for desert but I was too stuffed with pollo to try a bite. IT LOOKED GOOD THOUGH!



I really enjoyed eating at Pio Pio. You definitely need to come here with a bunch of people because of the large portions. I just wish this place was quieter for my sensitive ears. Seriously, just imagine a room of Cynthia Chungs all screaming at each other and you will get the idea of just how loud this restaurant is. Also, the bathrooms don't have signs. I walked in to the Men's room LOL. [edit: TONY YANG walked into the WOMAN'S BATHROOM, surprising 2 women who were already inside - so please be careful and look UP.] So if you ever find yourself in Jackson Heights, check this place out (Bring your earplugs)"

Taste: 4.5/5
Atmosphere: 2/5
Cost: ~$25

Baluchi's Indian Restaurant

This blogpost is dedicated to: Alan, Kelly and Justis. For all those good times we drove past Queens Blvd.... :)


So yesterday, I made my way down to South Street Seaport. Before actually heading there, I had lunch with a friend, Shelley (the woman who makes the most amazing Spring Rolls) at Baluchi's. (Yes, Ba-LOOOO-Chees!!!) It's this chain Indian restaurant located all over Manhattan.


This place literally looked like a take-out place, you go, you order, you point at what you want, and they place it all onto a plate for you. I got the Chicken Tiki Masala, which is: tomato & cream sauce, with a side of string bean potatoes. It was a LOT of food and it tasted really good too. I've always thought of Indian food as REALLY heavy- and it really was.. so I advise you to take it easy. It was very rich and super spicy, and you need the NAN (the dough-bread thing on the side) to really sustain you throughout the entire meal (at least for me, I needed it.. because I can only take so much of spiciness...)



I mean this place is nothing to be stoked about, it's kinda like one of those restaurants in which you go to when you crave some Indian food-which was our reasoning for coming here. We just wanted some chicken and potatoes, yo!
If you're looking for a actual DINNER place, try their Spring Street location. I went there like 3 years ago. They have really beautiful/antique looking silverware that they put curry in, and the decor was a lot richer and a better place to go and actually enjoy the atmosphere. The one down here in the financial district was pretty much a take-out place- all self-service.

Taste: 3.5/5
Atmosphere: 3
Cost: $10-$13

The Lobster Place / Eleni's Bakery - Chelsea Market

Have you guys ever checked out Chelsea Market? Well inside there are a few bakeries, coffee shops, restaurants and markets housed inside. There's a seafood market, meat market, a regular produce market deep in the back, a chocolate shop, and a ton of other cute little shops inside (mostly for purchasing food of course). There's also this chocolate shop that has home-made hot chocolate made in there that I've been meaning to try- but didn't get the chance to yet. So, someone try it and tell me how it is.

Anyway, I was shooting around the area and decided to get some lunch- I was craving Sushi, so I went into "The Lobster Place" to get some sushi. I thought it'd be fresh-how sadly wrong I was. I guess this is partially my fault for buying TEMPURA (what kind of idiot buys pre-made-tempura sushi?) but anyway, I was pretty much starving and craving it- so I bought it. It wasn't the best tasting grub in the world- but this isnt really a blog about sushi (since we can get sushi anywhere), this is a blog mostly about the entire market area. The place where I bought the sushi is actually a fish market- where they sell basically all this tasty and fresh looking seafood.



The next place I tried, because that sushi didn't really satisfy me... was Eleni's bakery. It was this cute little bakery that I saw the last time I was inside Chelsea Market. It had such a quaint, comfortable set up, a lot like a little country house. There were platters of cookies, baked goods and cupcakes packed on the counters.



I really liked the "eggplant cookies" (image above) and I wanted to try that too, but I decided to just stick to getting a cupcake. Most of you may know that I am a red-velvet cake fan - so I got that here. :)



Isn't it beautiful?! Alas though, as beautiful as it was, it didn't really fix me. It was a little stale to be honest, and I guess that's the price they pay when they place these baked goods so openly on the counters. I'm still a bigger fan of Martha's (when it's fresh- although I have had it stale before- grossness).

Anyway, if you're bored and looking for a place to find fresh PRODUCE, and other cute little bakery-esque places, you should check this area out. There's also a lovely Apple Store down the block if you're interesting in playing with the new iPad.

I feel like I've just written a review for a place, rather than food. Oh well! The blog is expanding! mwahhaha! Comment!!

Zaiya Cafe - New York City

So this place has been dear to my heart since I was a freshman in High School. This is going to sound super dorky (which I'm sure I am), but I used to hang out inside the Japanese bookstore, "Book Off" pretty often after school. I was learning Japanese at the time, and I liked to practice on .. comic books. Yeah, whatever, JUDGE ME. Cafe Zaiya opened up way during my HS years (2001-2005), and also had a Beard Papa's Creme Puffs (now closed?) inside it. I have no idea where Beard Papa's is these days - I haven't seen any around anymore- must have been a phase (like Red Mango/Pink Berry is going to be-a thing of the past) Anyway, to be honest, Beard Papa's WAS really good!! But this isn't a blog about that place. Cafe Zaiya is a Japanese cafe, that sells Japanese bread, cakes, ramen, bento boxes, onigiri, drinks (calpico & such), caffeinated drinks and basically anything else you can think of. It's like going to MITSUWA without DRIVING out to New Jersey! But this place is, instead, conveniently located on 18 East 41st Street- pretty much right across the street from the New York Public Library (you know, the one where Spider Man's Uncle died in the car?)


It's fun to try out- just to pop inside for a snack- or for lunch. The atmosphere is nice, there's free seating and it's very clean, it gets super busy during the high noon hour (since a lot of people come in to purchase lunch)- but the lines move quickly. There's also another location they have, that's on the 2nd floor of the Kinokuniya Bookstore on 5th ave and 42nd st. Here, they make an AMAZING green tea frapp!


What I love the most about Cafe Zaiya is their onigiris. These are seaweed wrapped rice balls with fillings inside. The fillings range from: Spicy Tuna, Tuna, Salmon, Seaweed, plum and some other stranger things. The best that I recommend is Spicy Tuna. The way they wrap the onigiris will confuse you and shock you to no end. It's like some strange japanese contraption and I seriously- even after all these years- have not figured out how to unwrap an onigiri correctly. But anyway, their seafood is generally very fresh- and it tastes so great when its warm! At $1.75/each, getting 2 would fill you up pretty well, and leave you some space to try other things. Also, it doesn't burn TOO large of a hole in your wallet.

If you have some time, go check this place out for a nice snack!

Taste: 4.5/5
Atmosphere: 4
Cost: $2-$12

Two Boots

So last Saturday, after going to this little shin-dig film premiere party (that also shows some of my work!), 2 friends and I were starving creatures looking for some decent food in the west village at midnight. Luckily for them, I was scoping out the area earlier that day, already taking notes of what places I wanted to check out. I saw this cute little pizza pit on the corner of Greenwich Ave and 11th street. It was called, Two Boots, and in the window was two little boots hanging there. haha, that was cute. It looked like one of those hip little joints that you see in sitcoms or something, so I wanted to try it. So we went later that night.

The menu was really cute, all the pizza slices are named after celebrities from probably like the 60's-90's? (correct me if I'm wrong). They have the typical pizzas, cheese, sun dried tomato, broccoli, pepperoni, etc etc. Okay, I am DEFINITELY not a huge fan of pizza in general. Last time I had Pizza, it was dominos, and I had major food poisoning for 4 days.. so everyone, please be warned and NEVER ORDER FROM DOMINOS PIZZA!!


I ordered the Larry Tate. Which is: Spinach, plum tomato, fresh garlic on a white pie. It was pretty good, the crust was very very thin, (personally I'm more of a fan of the deep dish pizzas-if anything) but this was really good too. I mean, personally I thought there was a lack of flavor since the crush was SO thin, and the cheese was already REALLY thin, and they didnt even put enough tomatos on it. But anyway, the decor of the place was great, really interesting wall tiles and great furniture. Had a bit of the "saved by the bell" diner joint-type look. Anyway, it was okay, for that side of town, where every other meal will cost you $14+, this one will save you a few dollars and get you full :)

Taste: 2.5/5
Atmosphere: 4.5/5
Cost: $4-6

Pick-A-Bagel on 3rd - New York City

So a few weeks ago, I was walking down third ave, and hadn't had lunch yet. I walked by this bagel shop and it looked somewhat enticing... and I realized I haven't had a bagel in a long time- so why not eat one now? It was called "Pick-A-Bagel on 3rd" (it's on 3rd ave between 22nd and 23rd street) It looked to me like some kind of gourmet bagel shop. I always wanted to try an "expensive bagel" oh some sort. Haha. Well, it wasn't THAT pricey. To be honest, it ended up more like being any ol' deli on the street. There were some crazy variations of spreads though. Some ranging from, "chopped herring" to "Tofu Cream cheeses" to "Lox". (i had no idea what lox was until I wrote this post, then I googled it. the first definition is: "liquid oxygen: a bluish translucent magnetic liquid obtained by compressing gaseous oxygen and then cooling it below its boiling point; OR (the more believable definition in this case) brine-cured salmon that is lightly smoked". ( I think it's the salmon one).


Anyway, being me, I just ordered a cinnamon raisin bagel with vegetable/scallion cream cheese. It was amazing. I always love that combination of sweet and salty all at the same time. Keeps me entertained while I am eating it :)


The bagel is huge, and definitely too big to finish on your own, so I suggest sharing it or eating half and then finishing the awesomnes goodness at a later hour. The bagel itself is fresh, even though I went at around 3pm, it still tasted good. They really layer on the spread. The Vegetables and scallions are huge chunks and really are the actual veggies, not strange random salty squares that are the ones in the Dunkin Donut's veggie cream cheese. The bagel itself cost about $3.50, which is a decent price for a meal!

Taste: 4/5
Atmosphere: N/A - I just bought it to go!
Cost: $3-6