Tastes of Tapas

Pipa (Tapas)
38 E 19th St
New York, NY 10003
(212) 677-2233

Well you may have guessed I would be a fan of tapas restaurants, given that I framed this blog as sampling the restaurants of NYC the way one would sample many dishes at a tapas restaurant...basically anything with many flavors is De-lish in my book! So much more interesting than a one-flavor meal... don't think I'll ever be a big fan of those one-dish casserole recipes!

Have been to a few tapas restaurants in Manhattan, and this was my 2nd time to Pipa on 19th St. I remember liking it a lot the first time, and still agree the 2nd. It's got a plus in the ambiance department right from the get-go given that it shares its space with a chandelier store, and the chandeliers hang throughout the restaurant (complete with price tags in case you get the urge!). Tables are lit by small candles and the chandeliers, it creates a cozy atmosphere, if a bit dark. We took the parents who were visiting, and they struggled to see the menu in the darkness, eventually a waiter brought over a small flashlight!

It can get quite crowded and loud at Pipa; if you can get a table up front near the window that's key as it's slightly set-off from the rest. Otherwise there are many long shared tables. At 7pm on a Friday it wasn't so crowded yet. Price-wise it's not cheap, but the quality is good. I HIGHLY recommend their sangria, and I can be pretty picky about Sangria. It was delicious with nice chunks of fruits such as plum, apple & mango in it.

Between 4 of us we got a lot of tapas to share, and enjoyed them all. The whole table LOVED the Gambas al ajillo--shrimp with roasted garlic & olive oil, so tasty; and the 'sauce' (olive oil & butter? with garlic) was amazing when the bread was dipped in it.

We tried two kinds of croquettes-- we liked the ham ones a lot; shrimp & crab were alright. Who would have thought spinach would be so good---Spinach w/ garlic & cranberries? yum! I really enjoyed the chopped chicken & fennel salad- nice size, good mixture of flavors, green apples, chopped salad, etc. We also tried stuffed piquillo peppers with shrimp & crab that were decent, and very good, rich scallops wrapped with serrano ham and topped with caramelized onions.

Service was good, though again it wasn't quite crowded yet. An interesting place to take guests, and a delicious and romantic place for sangria and snacks!

Click here for Blogsoop reviews of Pipa

Pizza thoughts- NY style Pizza

Joe's Pizza
7 Carmine Street, NY, NY
(212) 366-1182

So many lists and ratings of top pizza places in NYC! And different types-- fresh mozzarella, coal-oven, Sicilian, marinara, "street slices", plus all of the different qualifiers-- does it stay firm if you hold it from the crust? sauce-to-cheese ratio? homemade sauce? toppings? etc. Browse the web a minute or two and you will find it all.

When we had guests recently who asked for "NY-style pizza", particularly in our neighborhood of Park Slope, we realized we were hard-pressed to find exactly what they were looking for. Of course it doesn't help that we were also interpreting Floridian's views of what NY-style pizza meant.... "we don't like those goopy-pizzas at home that just pile on the cheese and sauce..." Ok, but then when we tried a fresh mozzarella-style pizza, they were confused by the "round circles of cheese" plopped on top. "We like the really thin crust." Ok, but then apparently not too thin that it becomes floppy, as we discovered. In the end, their visit was over before we could ascertain what "NY-style pizza" meant to them, or could be successful in presenting it to them. It DID set us off on a small quest to get to know the pizza joints in our neighborhood better though, as well as those well-known places in Manhattan. At home in Brooklyn we really end up getting Smiling Pizza a lot, and, looking back, that is PROBABLY exactly what our guests would have loved-- thin crust but firm/slightly crispy, thin later of both sauce and cheese, a regular "street slice" from NY. Oh well! We personally also love Grimaldi's after we tried it a while ago. And Anthony's in the Slope has good flavor but is often too soggy for me. So, what else is there....

We got the opportunity to have a slice from Joe's Pizza on Carmine Street this week, which definitely has some good PR for top slices in NY. A small hole-in-the wall where you stand to eat your slice, it seems perfectly positioned for those late-night slices everyone craves. The slices themselves were very good and hit the spot, big slice, delicious crust, great cheese... and very similar to Smiling Pizza after all of that!! But good to know.

More slice summaries to come.

Blog Soop reviews of Joe's Pizza

Grey Dog Cafe

Grey Dog Cafe
33 Carmine Street
West Village, New York City
(212) 462-0041

So we found ourselves in the West Village this sunny Sunday morning, and decided it was the perfect time to check out the Grey Dog Cafe, which the hubby informed me was "the place to brunch in Manhattan." Despite the fact that he used to live in this neighborhood, he'd never been there before, and it seemed the perfect suggestion to fight off the Sunday hangover headaches...

Most of the other places in the area weren't opened yet at 10:30am, so we were happy to see the Grey Dog already bustling. From the front it looked like a place that would fit in perfectly on Key West's Duval Street; open-air with painted carribean-style sign posts in the entryway and fence posts and ocean buoys lining the front entrance. Everyone waits in line, whether you are taking out or eating in, and hopefully tables open up as you wait. You put in your order and pay, and then orders are brought out by name. When you finish you just get up and leave, since you're all paid up; reminded me of an English pub or caf in that respect. Guess they get faster turnover that way. The interior was pretty cute, had a lot of character. The sandwich menu looked amazing, but we had breakfast in our sites. I do want to go back and try the hot pressed sandwiches though, with chicken, mozzarella, pesto, roasted tomatoes... and another with turkey, brie, and raspberry-mustard sauce!

The iced cappucinos we got were divine, I would definitely recommend their coffee. I noticed you can buy bags of it for home as well. I had a simple breakfast plate with scrambled eggs and "hash-mash" and toast. The eggs were fine, standard; the hash-mash was tasty crispy hash browns. Hubby got an omelette; each was about $7.50 (with a few dollars more for the omelette toppings). Helped ourselves to silverware and condiments, and scarfed in our low blood-sugar hunger, as it got more and more crowded.

Overall, glad we got to check it out; on Sundays if you're awake before 11, I suggest go then before it gets crazy, and love the coffees. Perhaps a hot pressed sandwich next time...

Blog Soop reviews of Grey Dog Cafe

Mexican in the Slope

Rancho Alegre
204 Garfield Place, at 7th Avenue
Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-369-2681
Menupages here

Oye, donde esta comida mexicana buena en la barrio de Park Slope?? Or some other attempt at a spanish search for good Mexican food round here! Mezcal is ok, Miracle Grill has good food but not exactly Mexican, and pricey. We'd walked past this upstairs place(Rancho Alegre) on 7th Ave many times and shrugged; looked kinda cheesey-tacky Mexican. On a recommendation we decided to check it out when a particular craving for margaritas and chips and salsa came on strong. A decent walk for us, but we made it and climbed the stairs, not very busy yet around 7:30 on a Saturday, got more so later on, and apparently a place many people bring their kids to. The cliche NY Mexican place in terms of style, and yes a bit cheesey-tacky in decor. But overall we enjoyed it and will be back.

We ordered a half-pitcher of frozen margaritas for $18, which filled our small margarita glasses multiple times. At first I was skeptical (which was a bit of a theme for this restaurant experience) because I'd never seen margaritas quite that color of green before, sort Nickelodeon slime-green or something, but they were actually very tasty, no complaints there once consumed. Then chips and salsa. Bit skeptical on the salsa at first because it looked so watery, but great cilantro flavor, we quickly consumed.

The highlight of our experience was the mole sauce. We had noticed a sign when we walked in--Award-Winning Mole Sauce. Now I'm not usually a big fan, despite being a lover of food in general, but my husband really likes a good mole sauce. He got the chicken burrito with the mole poblano sauce, and can I tell you we were both swooning over his plate. Possibly just a touch sweeter than other mole sauce I've had, and I was won-over by the rich flavor. My own dish was less exceptional, chicken fajitas that appeared orange in color from a flavoring that did not quite go with traditional mexican food in my opinion, and strangely-cut pieces that looked more like a chinese stir-fry than good grilled fajitas.

So skip the fajitas, enjoy the rich and decadent mole sauce, and bring on the margaritas and chips and salsa!

Cafe Steinhof

Cafe Steinhof
422 7th Ave, btwn 13th/14th
718-369-7776

Very nearby, we turn to Cafe Steinhof for a good German beer or some hot mulled wine on a winter evening. Have had brunch there a few times, hearty meals with meat and potatoes and eggs. We decided to take the visiting relatives there on a warm summer night, and most of the table ordered Jever pilsner. I admit it's not my favorite, a bit Heinken-like, but many others liked it. I had the meatloaf which was very good with a thick tomato sauce. Other favorites at the table were the Sauerbraughten-- I thought this was something "sour" but it's some kind of really good roast beef apparently (btw--huge portion, be warned!). And then the Cheese Spaetzle was like an elegant macaroni and cheese with great flavor, I have a feeling I'll be getting that next time I am craving comfort food.