NYC Icy

NYC Icy
100 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009
(212) 555-1212

There's something magical about flavored ices.  It could be the variety of flavors and textures or perhaps the stains the ices leave on your tongue and teeth, or maybe it could be their ability to revive the feeling of summer all year round in all of us.  When I swung by NYC Icy, its appearance was a little rough around the edges.  It looked like it literally sprouted from the sidewalks of NYC.  Nonetheless, I was undeterred.

I got the Mango Basil and the Purple Carrot (who knew those existed!).  The Mango Basil wasn't too sweet.  I liked how the sweet, tangy flavors of the mango was balanced out by the boldness of the basil.  However, at times I felt the basil overpowered the mango.  The Purple Carrot was also sweet and tangy.  The texture of it was somewhat gooey/stringy in a sugary way, so when I licked the icy, it hung on like warm taffy.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to try any of the "creamy" flavors.  Overall, I appreciate NYC Icy's attempt to take flavored ice to a whole new level with its exotic and seasonal flavors.

The prices were about average in relation to most other places you would buy ices.  The small size icy went for $2.50, medium for $3.25, and large for $4.00 whereas the the special flavors marked by a * were overall $0.50 more with the small going for $3.00, medium for $3.75, and large for $4.50.  The small size is enough to satisfy any ice/sweet cravings.

Their main shop is located in Brooklyn.  They also have an online shop (with an extensive list of flavors) where you can order your favorite icy treats.  So put away your ear muffs and snow boots.  Enjoy your frozen treats from the comfort of your own home this winter in just undies and socks.  -5/28/10

OVERALL RATING: * * *
FOOD: * * *
SERVICE: * * *
AMBIANCE: N/A
VALUE: * * 1/2

Pros:  

• Lots of flavors and choices

Cons: 

• Too many flavors to choose from

Suggestions:

• There are so many flavors you can't try them all, so bring a buddy or buddies so you can try more! (that's my inner kid speaking)

Max Brenner

Max Brenner
841 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
(212) 388-0030

Max Brenner - lots to look at, lots to eat, lots of chocolate.  This place seems to be always hot and happening - especially on weekends and nights.  Every time I've tried to come here for dessert, the wait would be from 1-2 hrs. and I always ended  up walking away promising myself that one day I would get in (without waiting for an outrageously long time) and find out what the hype was all about.  Finally, one day I managed to avoid a line and the same disappointment by checking into Max Brenner's for Friday brunch.

This place is wacky and fun so much so that it brings you back to your childhood without making you feel childish.  The first thing I experienced upon stepping in was a wall of chocolate scent emanating from within.  After overcoming the intense, appetite stimulating scent, I notice the huge vat of chocolate churning away near the entrance and my heart started to beat faster and my stomach started to speak louder. 

I ordered the Well-Mannered Omelet because you know, I'm classy like that.  Although I went with a salty/savory brunch option, so many elements in it reminded me of brunch's sugary sweet brunch counterpart.  Yes, Max Brenner is such a sweet tease.  The goat cheese in my omelet was extremely light and fluffy to the point it reminded me of fresh whipped cream - both texturally and visually.  The flat cube shaped home fries were crispy, yet chewy rather than starchy and soft like home fries you'd expect in a normal brunch.  But, I guess you wouldn't be at Max Brenner if you get what you expect.  The omelet also came with a sugar dusted biscuit and a side of butter and a warm milk chocolate dip.  I've always gone by a simple principle to dining.  Regardless of the time you eat a meal, you always have room for a sweet ending.  The biscuit dunked in the milk chocolate was a perfect end to a big brunch.  The sweet side also gives diners a little taste of what Max Brenner's famous for - its chocolate and sweets.  -5/28/10

OVERALL RATING: * * * 1/2
FOOD: * * * 1/2
SERVICE: * * *
AMBIANCE: * * * 1/2
VALUE: * * * 1/2

Pros:

• Fun atmosphere - lots to look at
• Brings you back to childhood with a twist
  

Cons: 

• Long waits on weekends and at night

Suggestions:

• If you don't like long waits, visit Max Brenner's during an off-peak time - a weekday or for brunch

Luke's Lobster

Luke's Lobster
93 E. 7th Street, New York, NY 10009
(212) 444-8395

Seafood.  My kryptonite.  So when I heard about this little place, I wanted to give this little joint a try.  Luke's Lobster is tightly sandwiched between Caracas Arepa Bar and it's take-out counterpart.  I passed by Luke's so many times while going to Caracas, but never seemed to notice it.  In terms of decor it's really cute - with a wooden lawn chair by the entrance and all sorts of seamen (ha!) attire and fishing equipment and decoration inside.

After a day of feasting, when we got to Luke's Lobster, my friend and I decided to each get a snack size lobster roll.  The lobster meat was extremely fresh and sweet.  The seasoning was right on - the typical lobster roll works.  The meat was piled into a New England hot dog bun, which was lightly, but perfectly toasted and skimmed with a light coat of butter.  I could eat the bun by itself anytime and I'm not even a bread person.  All in all the lobster roll was good.  But good enough for $14 a roll?  Perhaps, but it left me wanting more although my wallet refused to budge.  -5/28/10

OVERALL RATING: * * 1/2
FOOD: * * * 1/2
SERVICE: * * * *
AMBIANCE: * * *
VALUE: * *

Pros:

• Very fresh seafood
• Fast, friendly service
  

Cons: 

• Not very good value - you don't get as much as you expect
• Expect to leave hungry

Suggestions:

• Stop by Luke's for a tasty snack - not for a filling meal

Country Pancake House

Country Pancake House

140 East Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450

(201) 444-8395

Brunch places are some of my favorite to sniff out and check out.  It's perfect for lazy mornings/afternoons with good company.  Also, when eating brunch you don't have to feel so bad when you order an extra side of corned beef hash or bacon because technically, you're eating two meals (breakfast & lunch) right?  I've heard about this place from a few friends and although it's kind of out of the way, a few friends and I decided to give it a try (especially after salivating over the online menu).

The Country Pancake House is pretty small.  Upon stepping in and scooting around a tight line of hungry people, we finally got a chance to put our name down and scope out the place.  The decor brought me back to the almost childish halls of my middle school - halls that were lined with colorful caricatures of people, some of which I helped to paint (hey, the Mural Club was so cool in back in middle school - at least that's what I told myself even though my best friend and I along with a handful of people were the only ones in the club).  Don't judge.  Anyway, back to the pancake house.  The walls were covered with colorful farm scenes with barns, a giant corn (how corny), horses, etc.  It kept me distracted until we were finally brought to our table.

Once we got to our table we got a nice warm basket of cornbread with "regular" cornbread and chocolate chip cornbread.  Unfortunately the cornbread was pretty dry.  It wasn't until we were almost done with the cornbread when they finally brought us the butter to go on the bread.  The butter was really rich and savory - maybe it's because I haven't had butter in a while.  It's probably out of a plastic tub, but it did taste homemade.  I'll definitely find out next time I go!

Looking at the menu again was overwhelming - even after spending a good amount of time visualizing the food from the online menu the night before.  As if it wasn't bad enough that they had so many choices, the Country Pancake House also offers their pancake orders prepared in 2 ways - either as 4 medium pancakes or 2 large humongous pancakes.  So many choices!  After "waffling" around for a good 10 minutes between a couple of choices, I made a decision.  I wanted something sweet and pancake-y because come on, it's not a visit to a "pancake" house unless you order some pancakes, right?

I ordered #89 White Chocolate, Banana, & Almond Pancakes.  I was craving for something chocolate-y though I know others would beg to differ in regards to the white chocolate being REAL chocolate.  I also wanted some fruit and liked the crunchiness of the almond against the soft bananas so I thought that #89 would be a good start.  Like any other hungry wannabe competitive eater, I had to order a side (corned beef hash) to complete my meal.  The pancakes were good - not great - but good.  The flavors and textures of each item weren't was apparent and exciting as I had hoped.  Each got drowned out, dulled out in the pancake batter.  However, the pancakes were very hardy and filling (about 1/2 inch thick).  I had to throw in the paper napkin after 1 and a 1/2.  But don't worry, I showed the other 2 and a 1/2 doggie-bagged pancakes who was boss later that day.  The side of corned beef hash was all right.  Nothing was really wrong with it.  I wished it was crispier though.

My friend also ordered the same combination of white chocolate, bananas, and almonds, but she got the waffle instead.  I tried a bit of hers and found it more intense than mine.  The chef was a little heavy handed with the white chocolate - the whole thing was drowning in it - so much so that my friend had to scrape some of the chocolate off the waffle and this girl is not one to waste any food.  The bananas, however, were really fresh.

As any good brunch-er, I visited the Country Pancake House again the following weekend.  You never really truly experience a place until you've been there twice.   This time around I was a pro.  I knew exactly what I wanted even before stepping in, which made ordering a breeze.  I was craving something salty and unhealthy.  I got #43 America's Favorite Potato Pancakes, which came with potato, ham and onion, 3 eggs, sour cream, and apple sauce.  It was a huge plate!  The outside of the potato pancakes were pretty good.  With one (big) bite I got the crispy goodness of the outside of the pancakes with the chewy goodness of of the inside.  The ham and eggs were like the extras in a show featuring the star: potato pancakes, so they didn't do much for me.  I'd definitely get this order again.

My friend ordered the Seafood Omelet which had shrimp, smoked salmon, crab meat, and cheddar cheese.  Sounds good right?  Unfortunately, we both agreed it was pretty disappointing.  It was overly salty, so much so she couldn't finish it.

I end this blog post with three words.  Yay for brunch!  -2/15/10 & 2/21/10

OVERALL RATING: * * *
FOOD: * * *
SERVICE: * *
AMBIANCE: * * 1/2
VALUE: * * * * 1/2

PROS:

• Great deals
• Lots of options

CONS:

• Dry cornbread
• Limited space inside
• Long wait (during peak hours)
• So many options it makes it hard to pick just one!

SUGGESTIONS:

• Check out the menu before you go - it's so long you could spend all day looking at it at the pancake house with the pressure of eager onlookers waiting in line for you to finish so they can get their darn table
• Get there early - the line goes out the door during breakfast/brunch/lunch hours

Spot

Spot 
13 St. Marks Place, New York, NY 10003 
(212) 677-5670

This place is super cute for dessert dates.  Lost in the hustle and bustle of St. Marks Place, you can easily not spot Spot.  You have to walk down a set of stairs to get to the entrance.  Inside, it's very low-key and quiet with cozy decor that plays with an indoor/outdoor feel.  Right when you enter, you trek over faux grass carpet/mat.  The walls inside are all wood panels, the main menu is written on a chalk board, and there are grass pots intermittently dispersed all around the place as decoration (not sure if the grass is real - if you happen to go, let me know?).

At first it was kind of annoying and deceptive when they asked us if we wanted still or sparkling water (both they charged extra for, but failed to inform us).  I ordered a Thai Milk Tea and the Chocolate Ganache Cake.  My friend ordered the Mocha Maldon Salt Caramel cupcake and the Jackfruit Cake.  The Mocha cupcake was all right.  You can really taste the mocha and coffee in the frosting.  The Jackfruit cake was super moist with hints of rum toffee flavor and sitting next to a soft pool of basil seed, coconut ice cream and diced fruit.

The Thai Milk Tea wasn't that great.  It had the strong tea flavor, but lacked the sweetness and strong condensed milk flavors of traditional Thai milk teas.  I'm usually pretty picky about things being overly sweet, but in this case, I wished the tea was a little sweeter.  The Chocolate Ganache Cake was a circus.  I thought the concept of the dessert was somewhat convoluted.  There was so much going on on my plate I was a little bit confused.  The ganache cake was surrounded by sliced poached pear, tea ice cream, carmelized rice crispies, chocolate balls, and something that looked like green (cookie) crumbs.  The ganache itself was cold and soft in a melt-in-your-mouth kind of way.  I liked the smooth, soft texture of the chocolate.  The ice cream had very bold, strong tea flavors.  The poached pear was somewhat bland in comparison to the other dominant flavors on the plate.  The rice crispies were actually really tasty - they were crispy, unlike the soft chewy kind of rice crispies we're all familiar with and it was very buttery in taste.  There were a lot of interesting flavors and textures in this dish, but for some reason they didn't work well with one another.  -11/28/09

OVERALL RATING: * * *
FOOD: * * *
SERVICE: * * 1/2
AMBIANCE: * * * *
VALUE: * 1/2

PROS:

• Cute, mellow atmosphere
  

CONS:

• A little overpriced
  

SUGGESTIONS:

• They only accept cash so don't forget the Benjamins