Korean tacos were the craze last year because of the Kogi truck in L.A., but if you’re looking for Korean-Mexican fusion in New York, don’t go looking for it at New York Hotdog & Coffee on Bleecker, the first American outpost of the fast food chain in Korea. The tacos there are more of a Korean person’s loose interpretation of Mexican food with Korean ingredients, but it’s still tasty, and a great spot if you’re babysitting or happen to be drunk.

The Spicy Bulgogi Taco ($2.25), bulgogi (불고기, thinly sliced barbecued beef) and onions drizzled with hot sauce on a soft flour tortilla, was pretty good. The bulgogi was of the Korean fast-food variety, but was juicier than expected. I still rather have my bulgogi wrapped in a perilla leaf with a dab of ssamjang (쌈장, spicy bean paste), but if I were with picky kids or people squeamish about Korean food, I could see this being a safe alternative.

The Dak-Kalbi Taco ($2.25), dak-galbi (닭갈비, spicy barbecued chicken) and onions on a soft flour tortilla, was less successful. The dak-galbi was hardly spicy and the sauce way too sweet. If you must have a taco, skip the Dak-Kalbi Taco and order two of the Spicy Bulgogi Tacos.

Another option is one of the many hot dogs New York Hotdog & Coffee became popular for before everyone went gaga over Korean tacos. I ordered the Kimchi Bulgogi Hotdog ($6.50), an all beef hot dog (spicy beef, soy, and chicken are also available) cradled next to a fan of Korean red curl lettuce (상추, sangchu) and topped with bulgogi and kimchi on a toasted bun. The hot dog was indeed pretty, as is everything at New York Hotdog & Coffee (the people who work there have an eye for presentation, remarkable for a fast food restaurant in the States), but I don’t think bulgogi was necessary. There’s a reason I don’t stick hot dogs in my hamburgers or eat hot dogs on top of steaks, it just doesn’t go. Sometimes, two meats aren’t better than one. Perhaps a bulgogi sausage would have been more interesting. The kimchi, however, I liked. I like kimchi on my hot dogs. (Call me crazy, but it’s delicious on pizza too.) I really miss the kimchi hot dog cart that used to be on Ludlow Street. After drinks, it used to be my go-to late night snack. Which brings up a point, you’d probably enjoy the food at New York Hotdog & Coffee more after you’ve had a few drinks. It’s that kind of food. New York Hotdog & Coffee closes at midnight Fridays and Saturdays, but if they stayed open later, I’m sure they would get a good share of stumbling obnoxious drunks.

The fries were really good though, sober or not. Although the Spicy Fries ($2.49 for a small) weren’t spicy at all, the hot oven-baked fries were crunchy with crackly little bits on the outside and soft on the inside.

The food at New York Hotdog & Coffee isn’t gourmet, or even real fusion, but it’s cheap and enjoyable in a trashy fast-food type of way. Not sure if I’ll ever be babysitting, but after a drink or two, I could see myself going back; never stumbling or obnoxious of course.

New York Hotdog & Coffee
245 Bleecker Street (betw Cornelia & Carmine St.; map)
New York, NY 10014
917-388-3742

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One day, I hope to be able to eat in the main dining room of Per Se whenever I want and not on a special occasions, but until then, there’s the Salon, the makeshift less fancy lounge outside the “real” dining area. Yes, it’s a bit uncomfortable as the tables are low and don’t accommodate for leg room (unless you sit at the communal bar table), and you’ll undoubtedly look on with longing as the people who probably have more money than you strut into the main dining area, but you make do because the food is solid, served à la carte (unlike the main dining room’s $275 prix fixe menu), you don’t need a reservation a month or two in advance, and the service is impeccable without being uptight. What’s a little discomfort? David and I minded only the slightest.

Dinner started with three amuse bouches. First, a cheese gougère, second, a tiny sesame cone filled with crème fraîche and topped with salmon tartare, and third, a cup of celery root soup with shaved black truffles. The cheese gougère was nice and light, but served on a large metal platter, it had me wishing there was more than one for each of us. The adorable salmon tartare cone, however, was a satisfying little bite of fresh salmon, tart crème fraîche, and crunchy sesame.

The rich celery root soup was also quite good. It was a little on the salty side, but the creamy goodness of the soup with the earthy shaved truffles made it all too forgivable. Temperature-wise, it was perfect. Hot enough to warm the stomach, but cool enough to swig.

For my appetizer, I chose the Terrine of Hudson Valley Moulard Duck Foie Gras ($40), topped with a crystallized apple chip, fresh apple sticks, and served with apple marmalade, candied walnuts, watercress, Blis Elixer Solera Vinegar, and toasted brioche which was constantly replenished. The foie gras was smooth and surprisingly light. Usually, more than a few bites of foie gras is overkill, but I ate the entire plate with the little baguettes from our bread basket. The brioche was nice and fluffy, but I prefer foie gras with crusty bread, and considering the marmalade was sweet, I didn’t think more sweetness was necessary.

My main course of Butter Poached Nova Scotia Lobster ($40) with red wine braised salsify, Hakurei turnips, and hazelnut streusel with Tellicherry pepper emulsion was probably the best lobster I ever ate in my life. Gently poached in butter, the delicate lobster practically melted in my mouth. It was heavenly. Unfortunately, the tiny portion left me seriously hankering for more. David’s Snake River Farms’ “Calotte de Boeuf Grillée” with “confit de langue,” new crop potatoes, savoy cabbage purée, and glazed heirloom carrots with preserved horseradish jus ($46) was more reasonable in size, and definitely more filling. Cooked well, the calotte was as tender as any good quality steak, and the small cubes of tongue confit were luxuriously fatty. So much so at first bite I thought the tongue was pork. Quite a compliment I’d say.

As for dessert, there were only two to choose from so we ordered both. The Sélection de Sorbets Maison ($12) was pretty standard except each quenelle of sorbet was served atop a complementary “crumble”. Of the four flavors — lemon sherbet, passion fruit, banana-crème fraîche, and Manjari chocolate — my favorite was the banana-crème fraîche. It was the most interesting and I liked the nutty oat crumble underneath.

The other dessert was the Brownie and Malted Milk ($14), which consisted of a double chocolate brownie with pecan “marquise,” caramel ice cream, and malt mousse. The brownie was incredibly rich and dense. Personally, I prefer more cakey brownies so this dessert didn’t really do it for me, but I liked the toasted marshmallow on top. Toasted marshmallows seem to be a trend at hi-end restaurants these days, and as of now, it’s something I enjoy. I don’t think I’ll ever get too old for toasted marshmallows.

After dessert, mignardises consisted of a few chocolates, jellies, and nougats. We also received a slice of chocolate cake to take home. The soft chewy nougats were delicious, and I greedily ate them up. I was hungry after all, the portions are small at Per Se. Next time I’ll be ordering an extra starter or entrée.

Also, next time, I’ll know better than to leave extra tip. At Per Se, gratuity is already added to the cost of all menu items. (Per Se and French Laundry follows a pay structure similar to Europe where the tip or service charge is not for waitstaff alone, but also the kitchen staff. Servers benefit from this system in that they are paid “steady wages.”) However, the exact percentage is not stated on the bill so I assumed it was a minimal amount, like 15%. This has been my experience at other restaurants. So when the check came and there was another line for “Additional Gratuity,” we left another twenty dollars. Later, I learned Per Se adds 20% gratuity to the cost of all food and drinks. Total, we probably left 27%. Although the service was great, 27% is still high in my opinion. C’est la vie. You live, you lose twenty bucks.

After the meal, the manager kindly gave us a tour of the kitchen. (The waiter asked if we wanted to see the kitchen during the dessert course.) It was pretty interesting to see the men and women “behind the curtain.” Chef de Cuisine Jonathan Benno was still present at the time (He left Per Se early last month to start his own venture.), and he seemed busy moving from station to station, as was everyone else; all hunched over as they methodically worked from one dish to another. It made me worry about their necks. I have neck pain just looking straight at my computer all day. Why shouldn’t restaurants pay their kitchen staff more? Thomas Keller may be on to something.

Overall, although everything was good at Per Se, besides the lobster and the amuse bouches, nothing blew me away. Nevertheless, I’m intrigued enough by what I did love to go back. Luckily, the Salon makes fine dining less of a gamble.

Per Se
10 Columbus Circle (map)
New York, NY 10019
(212) 823-9335

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My dad moved to New York first, leaving my mom, my older brother, and me in Seoul until he settled in. A year later, my dad called and told my mom it was time to make the big move. My mother immediately went out and got the tightest perm possible, because who knew if she would be able to find a decent Korean hair salon in New York, and my grandmother immediately packed up her pasta maker (circa 1973) for her daughter, because who knew if she would be able to find fresh Korean noodles in New York. So that’s how my mom came to the States, with a Korean afro, two kids, and a pasta maker in tow.

As a child, I have fond memories of my mom using the pasta maker to make us hot steaming bowls of kalgooksu (칼국수, noodle soup). Later, when my mom started working, and the free time to make noodles from scratch suddenly vanished, the pasta maker vanished also… somewhere deep into the recesses of our kitchen cupboards never to be seen again. It wasn’t until a few weeks ago, when childhood memories of the pasta maker resurfaced and I asked my mom for the pasta maker, that I saw it again. Fortunately, my mom being the pack rat that she is, not only saved it, but also saved the original box and instructions.

The box is pretty precious, but I can’t get enough of the instructional leaflet. It’s a complete riot and also a complete classic; all from the model’s seventies Farrah Fawcett hair (much like my mom’s after her afro finally grew out), her angry/constipated expression, and the bad type design. Above are scans of both sides; digitally preserved for all eternity. I’ll be passing/forcing the pasta maker down to my future son/daughter. Three generations to use the pasta maker is simply not enough.

As for the pasta maker, it’s found a new home in my tiny LES apartment, and I’ve been noodle crazy this entire week. Once I made kalgooksu, another time jajangmyun (자장면, noodles in black bean sauce), and twice spaghetti. The spaghetti was particularly good. I still haven’t perfected the technique, but even the mistakes — the first time too long and the second too thick — have been so much better than the blue boxed stuff. You just can’t get that wonderful chewy texture with dried pasta. I’ll upload some food porn soon, but until then, please enjoy my scans. Even if you can’t read Korean, I believe the hilarity is pretty universal. By the way, on the box, the pasta maker is called “The Universal Machine” in English.

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Whenever my family comes to visit me in Manhattan, we usually go to Joe’s Shanghai because we’re all addicted to their soup dumplings. Yes, I know everyone likes to hate on Joe’s Shanghai these days, but we still love their xialongbao. Sure, it’s not as delicate as the crabmeat buns at Din Tai Fung in Hong Kong, or as cheap as a million other places in Taiwan, but I have room in my heart and stomach for all kinds of xialongbao. Fill it with soup, and I will eat it. Last month, however, I told my family I wanted to go somewhere else, somewhere completely different… the place across the street from Joe’s Shanghai, Famous Sichuan! They didn’t seem very excited, but I promised them if it was bad we could always go to Joe’s, and they begrudgingly relented. I don’t believe in democracy when it comes to food.

I wanted to go to Famous Sichuan because a few months prior, I’d had a really good lunch there. Sauteed Vermicelli with Spicy Minced Pork ($9.95) was pleasantly salty, but the spicy Lamb with Cumin Sauce ($15.95), heavy on the cumin, really blew me away. It’s very similar to the Crispy Lamb Fillets with Chilli Cumin at Szechuan Gourmet, but not deep fried and saucy. Fried is wonderful, but sometimes you want sauce rather than crunch.

My family isn’t too crazy about lamb, however, so we ordered a few other dishes on our trip across the street. All just as delicious.

At Szechuan restaurants, I always order cold beef tendon. At Famous Sichuan, the Sliced Beef Tendon with Chili Sauce ($7.50) was thinly sliced with just enough cool Szechuan pepper heat. I wouldn’t have minded a little more spice, but it was enough to keep me happy.

To satisfy our xialongbao cravings, we ordered the Crabmeat with Pork Meat Steamed Bun ($6.95). Compared to the soup dumplings at Joe’s, these had less soup and weren’t as flavorful, but were still tasty. The skin wasn’t thick, the crabmeat was plentiful, and for those who find the soup in Joe’s xiaolongbao too greasy, Famous Sichuan’s version were less so. Later we ordered another round of dumplings. One is never enough for my family.

I usually gravitate more to duck or pork dishes at Chinese restaurants, but the Braised Beef Fillets and Napa Cabbage with Roasted Chili ($13.95) was one of my favorites of the day. Braised, the meat was tender, and doused with a generous amount of chili oil and topped with lots fresh raw garlic, it wasn’t short on flavor. It was hot, cool, oily, and sharp; all at once. My tastebuds were happy.

The Double Sauteed Pork with Spicy Capsicum ($10.95) was decent. It wasn’t as greasy as it usually is at other restaurants, but the meat could have been more moist, and I would have liked more spice. Of course I still finished every single pork strip.

I normally don’t order General Tso’s anything, but I remembered Robyn raving about it on her blog, so I ordered General Tso’s Bean Curd ($8.95) for David. A fan of more Americanized Chinese food, and a recovering vegan, he loved the tofu. And I have to admit, it wasn’t bad. It wasn’t horribly sweet, and the tofu was fried really well so it had a nice crunchy exterior. It was saucy yet still crunchy; I was impressed.

At the end of the meal, everyone declared Famous Sichuan their new favorite restaurant in Chinatown. I’d been worried we would have to go to Joe’s for dumplings after, but there was no need to cross the street except for the requisite bubble tea at Quickly.

Famous Sichuan
10 Pell Street (betw Bowery & Doyers St; map)
New York, NY 10013
212-233-3888

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By now most of you probably know how much I love pork and duck, but there is another side to me. A fishier side. Growing up, I actually preferred seafood over red meat. I was a weird kid, and unlike my brother who loved Big Macs and galbi (갈비, Korean beef ribs), I loved vegetables, ice cold naeng myun (냉면, cold buckwheat noodles), and hwe (회, Korean-style raw fish). (By the way, I believe this is one of the reasons I’m vertically challenged and my brother is not, lack of good ole’ American beef. Alas, I’m sure my childhood fondness for coffee and jumping from great heights also played a part.) So a few weeks ago, when Hannah (my sister-in-law) told me Yuraku, her mom’s restaurant in Flushing, started serving “live fish” flown in straight from Korea, I knew a trip to Queens was in my not-so-distant future.

When Hannah’s mother, Mrs. Cho, took over Yuraku years ago, it was strictly a Japanese restaurant. But slowly, as the clientele started the reflect the neighborhood’s large Korean community, she started adding Korean dishes to the menu. A smart move, in my opinion, especially in regards to the most recent addition. Sashimi is fine and dandy, but Koreans aren’t too fond of eating fish that’s been sitting in the refrigerator, even if has only been a day or two. Hannah told me when her uncle came to visit from Korea, he was shocked to discover that in America, people eat “dead fish.” Koreans want fish to swim right onto their plates, and at Yuraku, that’s pretty damn close to what happens.

A whole live fluke is $150, but considering all the extras a live fish set comes with, a half order at $80 was more than plenty for the four fish-eating members in our group. [My brother, who doesn't like fish, happily made do with some tonkatsu (Japanese pork cutlet).] And for those cynics and curmudgeons who’ll say we got more food because of my SIL, according to Mrs. Cho, everyone who comes and orders the live fish goes home with leftovers. There’s a lot of food regardless.

The meal started with lots of small complimentary plates, definitely more than necessary, and more than I could photograph. Above, starting clockwise from the top-left, are the few dishes I took pictures of: kombucha squash with jujubes, edamame beans, pickled onions, wakame (seaweed) salad, abalone jook (죽, porridge), and cheesy corn. Not pictured, but included, was also a large plate of shrimp and vegetable tempura, fried tofu, and a hot stone pot of steamed skate (홍어찜, honguhjjim). Everything was good, but none worth filling up on, except perhaps the spicy garlicky skate. Like free bread at an Italian restaurant, at Yuraku you have to practice restraint and keep your eyes on the prize.

The prize, of course, is the fluke, but just as good if not better, were the raw sea cucumbers and sea squirts that came with the fluke. The sea cucumbers, although not “live,” were super fresh and almost crunchy to the bite. (Sea cucumbers when not fresh will be soft with no considerable snap.) I’m a big fan of raw sea cucumbers.

I’m also a big fan of sea squirts. Sea squirts have the texture of raw oysters, but with a bit more chew. At Yuraku, the sea squirts were briney and delicious.

The sea cucumbers and sea squirts were accompanied with chogochujang (초고추장, a vinegary sauce made with red pepper paste) for dipping, but both fresh and flavorful, only the tiniest dab for heat was needed.

For those squeamish about sea cucumbers and sea squirts, Yuraku can do a substitution of salmon on request, but really, I rather eat either over salmon any day.

And finally, the pièce de résistance, the fluke. Killed as soon as we placed the order, the fish tasted fresh, clean, and had just the right amount of firmness. Fresh fish shouldn’t be mushy. We finished every last bite. The fish didn’t die for naught.

After the fluke, there was more fish to come. Compliments of the chef, we received a small vinegary salad of sorts made with julienned cucumbers, crab sticks, and monkfish skin. I’m not crazy about crab sticks, but the crunchy cucumbers went nicely with the chewy monkfish skin. It was simple and lovely.

The meal of hwe, in true Korean fashion, ended with a hot bubbling stone pot of soul-satisfying maeuntang (매운탕, spicy fish soup), in this case agumaeuntang (아구매운탕, spicy monkfish soup), and rice. The soup, filled with monkfish, was rich with flavor but bright from the peppers and garlic.

As for the rice, it was in the form of albab (알밥, rice with flying fish roe) in small individual-size stone bowls. However, on the brink of explosion, and loving the maeuntang, I decided to forego the rice for more soup. That’s how I roll.

Flushing is a small trek for me, but for the sea cucumbers, sea squirts, live fluke, and maeuntang, I’ll gladly go the distance. After all, it’s still closer than Seoul. Why not have the fish come to you?

Yuraku Restaurant
192- 20 Northern Boulevard (map)
Flushing, NY‎ 11358
(718) 357-4309‎

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The City Bakery Hot Chocolate Festival kicked off officially this month, but technically it started the last weekend of January. That’s when I went. I couldn’t wait. I keep saying I’m not a big fan of dessert, but since last month, all I want to eat are sweets. I’m not sure why. I think it may have to do with the fact that I joined a gym. My appetite has been insatiable ever since. Perhaps I need to quit. Or maybe I have to stop watching Food Network while I’m on the bike.

Hot chocolate flavors change everyday, and on the last Sunday of January, it was ginger. Overpowered by the richness of the liquid chocolate, the ginger got a little lost. It didn’t really matter though, because for me, a bowl of hot chocolate ($5.50) at City Bakery is all about the dreamy housemade marshmallow on top. Warmed from the chocolatey bath, the delicate marshmallow melts in your mouth. The hot chocolate, by the way, is never too hot; not so great for hot chocolate drinking, but perfect for marshmallow-eating. Too hot and it would be bye bye for the fluffy white soul.

A visit to City Bakery isn’t complete, however, without at least one or two pastries. The Pretzel Croissant ($3.75), a whole wheat croissant covered in sesame seeds, is everyone’s favorite. It even has its own website. I love the crusty salty outside and the soft feathery layers inside, but personally, I find the innards a little bland, just like a pretzel. When I was eating it last week, I had a sudden craving for mustard. I guess they got the pretzel part down pat.

My favorite, as of now, is the Apple Lemon Tart ($6). It’s bright, not too sweet, and has the thinnest flakiest crust. It seems light yet it’s still delicious; not an easy feat.

As for the thievery, they ran out of trays and I had to make two trips from the counter (where the cashier was) to a table. I told the cashier I would be back to get the rest of my order and she said it was fine. When I came back, a green tea ($1.25) I had ordered was gone. Weird, no? The cashier gladly made me a new one, but I thought it was strange someone would steal a tea. Desperate and thirsty times I guess. So keep your eyes on the prize at City Bakery. Next time, the thief may be more bold, he/she may be hungry.

City Bakery
3 West 18th Street (betw 6th & 5th Ave; map)
New York, NY 10011
212-366-1414

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Sorry for jumping back and forth, but sometimes deliciousness throws me off track. Linear blogging is so “aughts” anyway.

At any rate, “The Overpriced & The Bad” focuses on two of my not so great experiences in Vegas; one a semi-miss and one a complete and utter mother of all misses. Not every meal can be hit, and here’s proof.

“The Overpriced” was dim sum at Zine Noodles Dim Sum in The Palazzo. Expensive food in Las Vegas isn’t a surprise, and I don’t mind paying more if the extra dollars can be justified. For example, $125 at Alex, well worth it. At Zine, although some of the food was pretty good, I left feeling gyped.

The Hot Chili Wonton ($8.95), swimming in a lovely pool of chili oil, looked promising when it came to the table, but was definitely underwhelming. The wontons were lukewarm. Food that isn’t hot or cold makes me suspicious. How long has it been sitting out? Who knows? All I know is that I don’t want to eat it. I don’t normally return dishes, but in this case, I told the waitress the wontons were too cold to eat. She took the dish back to the kitchen and returned shortly with hot wontons, but also a very hot plate. I assumed the entire plate was nuked, which resulted in dried out wonton skins. It was a complete FAIL.

The Hot and Sour Soup ($8) also failed, failed on multiple levels. First, the price alone for a small cup of corn starch thickened soup was completely outrageous. Second, the soup was simply mediocre. The soup’s namesake hotness and sourness was completely tame, and was only revived with a generous dollop of chili sauce.

Fortunately, not everything was terrible. The Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow; $6.95) were much better. The semi-translucent dumplings were beautifully folded and plump, full of shrimp.

The Steam Pork Riblets in Black Bean Sauce ($4.95) were also good. The tender little porcine nuggets were moist and studded with tender black beans, pungent to the bite.

And the Deep Fried Spring Onion Pancake ($6.25), with layer upon layer of scallion-filled crunch, was the best of the morning’s offerings, and also the best I’ve had in the States.

The food at Zine isn’t horrible. The quality of the dishes that were good exceeded what I had expected. However, at the price, I expected more imaginative choices than hot and sour soup and har gow. For standard 1980’s time warp Chinese, I rather eat in Chinatown and pay a fraction of the cost.

Now “The Bad.”

“The Bad” was The Buffet at the Bellagio. OK, I know I should have seen this coming, but I figured I had to do a buffet once, and I actually read a few good reviews about Bellagio’s buffet. Well, let me tell you now, whatever you ever read, whatever you ever hear, never ever think what you will eat at The Buffet will be tasty, fresh, or properly cooked.

I really wanted to like The Buffet. How could I not when I waited TWO HOURS ON LINE? Yes, you read that correctly. I waited on line for two hours for bad food. Of course the whole time I was thinking, it must be good if everyone is waiting on line for this, but in hindsight, I’m sure everyone was thinking that.

I went during “Gourmet dinner” ($39.95, Fridays and Saturdays), and I’m still confused what and where the gourmet part was. Perhaps it was the still partially frozen crab legs or the Chinese barbecued pork made with ham. It certainly didn’t refer to the sushi made with rice so tightly packed it tasted like rice cakes. In any case, the whole time I was eating, I kept thinking if I was served any of this in a restaurant back home, I would, without a doubt, return it. Yet here, not only was I shoving it all ravenously into my piehole, but I was actually going back for seconds and thirds as if there was no tomorrow. Buffets make you do weird and crazy things.

Really crazy and weird things. While eating, my stomach started to hurt, but I kept eating anyway. I even went and got dessert twice. In my defense, the caramelized bananas seemed decent at the time. Shortly after leaving the restaurant, my stomach told me otherwise. I don’t think anything at The Buffet had been decent. No matter what anyone ever tells you, or how convincing the long line outside the restaurant seems, stay far away, stay very far away. Your stomach will thank me.

So far, for casual dining, it seems your best bet in Vegas is In-N-Out off the strip. On the strip, Lady Luck seems to be high maintenance.

Zine Noodles Dim Sum
The Palazzo
3325 Las Vegas Boulevard South (map)
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-607-2220

The Buffet
Bellagio
3600 Las Vegas Boulevard South (map)
Las Vegas, NV
877-234-6358‎

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Two weeks ago, as is the case when my coworker, Taiwai, and I both happen to be “bag lunchless,” a half hour before noon, we were busy plotting lunch. Usually we get Chinese, he being Chinese and I having been Chinese in a past life (in another I was Indian, another Jewish, and another Italian). Hing Won was considered — it usually is — but then I remembered I hadn’t tried Lan Sheng yet; the newish Szechuan place across the street from Szechuan Gourmet. He mentioned his wife tried it the week before, and said it wasn’t as good as Szechuan Gourmet, so I quickly moved on to researching new Indian lunch options, when Taiwai imed me, “a place that has rabbit at least deserves some respect.” Yes, true, especially in Midtown. Lan Sheng deserved a shot, so off we went.

Although rabbit was the draw, since it wasn’t on the lunch special menu (It would be truly awesome if it was), we ordered Enhanced Pork and Shrimp with Sze Chuan Sauce [both $6.95 with a choice of soup (hot & sour, wonton, or egg drop) or egg roll, and fried, brown, or white rice].

The Enhanced Pork, similar to Double-Sauteed Pork, is sautéed with leeks and black beans, but it’s sautéed less (hence not double-sautéed), and is more salty. According to Taiwai, the Chinese name for the dish means enhanced with salt. Although I don’t think more salt is an enhancement, I liked the Enhanced Pork because the pork belly was crisp at the edges, but still soft throughout. Double-Sauteed Pork can be very dry sometimes. As for the salt factor, eaten with a little more rice, it’s not even an issue.

I’d wanted to order the Shrimp with Sze Chuan Sauce because I assumed it would have the most Szechuan peppers in it, but the heat was from hot green peppers and red pepper flakes, and the mouth-numbing spice was largely absent. If you want the real deal, ordering off the regular menu or asking for more spice is probably the way to go. Even at Szechuan Gourmet, I find the lunch specials never having enough Szechuan peppers, although they still do a better job than at Lan Sheng. In any case, Szechuan spiciness aside, I liked my shrimp dish. I normally don’t order shrimp off Chinese lunch special menus because the shrimp used tend to be more of the fish-bait variety, but these, while admitting still small, were a decent size and were cooked well so they were still plump and juicy. Slicked with red chili oil and tossed with crunchy water chestnuts, it was a deliciously greasy lunch.

Although not as spicy as Szechuan Gourmet, the kitchen at Lan Sheng seems competent, and with a few tweaks, this newbie could become serious competition. I’ll be going back. Although as much as I like spending time away from the office, a thirty minute wait for a table at Szechuan Gourmet is too long when I’m hungry, especially at lunch time.

Lan Sheng
60 W 39th Street (betw 5th Ave & Avenue Of The Americas/6th Ave; map)
NY, NY 10018

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In-N-Out wasn’t the only thing my mom and I ate in Vegas. Although my ring of slot cards may say otherwise, I’m not completely ghetto. On our last night in Sin City, I took my mom to Alex for a sinfully decadent dinner.

Alex offers a three course prix fixe ($125) and a five course tasting menu ($185). We both opted for the three course prix fixe. The tasting menu will have to wait until next time… wallet willing.

Dinner began with two plates of “amuses” courtesy of the kitchen. The first had five small bites: Wagyu Beef Tartare garnished with a sliced cornichon and a tiny onion ring, Bell Pepper Soup, Arancini (fried rice ball), Lobster Tempura, and a Cheese Cracker (a thin crisp cracker filled with melty Gruyere). My mom’s favorite was the soup, and it was indeed refreshing, but it was a tad too cold for my liking. Again, as I mentioned in my airport post, I don’t want to drink anything that reminds me of tepid bath water. My favorite was the cracker. It was a playful interpretation of cheese and crackers, and delicious to boot. My bouche was amused.

The second amuse bouche was a Parmesan Panna Cotta. The panna cotta, while light, was a flavor bomb of cheese. I absolutely loved it. My mom thought it was just OK. I think she wanted more soup.

For my first course, I had the Fricassee of Escargots ‘Provencale’ with garlic flan, arugula purée, and crispy veal. Usually I expect a slight rubbery texture when eating escargots, but these little snails were cooked perfectly; soft and meaty. In addition, the veal, although not very prominent on the plate, imbued a depth of flavor to the escargots, and added to the overall meatiness of the dish. If there was a mammalian snail creature that walked on legs, I assume they would taste like this.

Next, I had the Milk-Fed Veal Chop with Romanesco broccoli, broccoli purée, confit tomatoes, and sweetbread-spinach cannelloni for my entrée. The veal, albeit tender, was a bit plain. More interesting were the beautiful aldente fractal broccoli and the flaky cannelloni stuffed with rich creamy sweetbread. I wouldn’t have minded a plate of just the cannelloni and the broccoli. Sorry little cow, your death may have been in vain.

After our main course, we received a simple Panna Cotta with Blood Orange as a palate cleanser and a prelude to our desserts. It didn’t blow me away, but it was free; I couldn’t complain.

My dessert was technically listed on the menu as Toasted Marshmallow Cream with Bitter Dark Chocolate and Godiva Ice Cream, but it was basically a fancy deconstructed s’more. From the smooth chocolate down to the sticky marshmallow and crunchy graham cracker crumbles, it was a whimsical take on a childhood favorite. All grown up, it was just as tasty, if not better.

After dessert, we were presented with mignardises and a basket of hot madeleines fresh from the oven. Among the mignardises, the chocolates were nice, but I was drawn to madeleines. Fluffy, yet slightly crisp at the edges, they were the best I’ve ever tasted.

As we were leaving, we were also given a box of miniature lemon macarons to take home. Despite being light on filling, the tart macarons were still scrumptious, even after getting slightly crushed in my suitcase the next day.

Dining at Alex is a pricey affair, but I’d gladly go again. We all need a treat once in a while, and at Alex, you get several.

Alex
Wynn Las Vegas
3131 Las Vegas Boulevard South (betw E Dessert Inn Rd & Dio Dr; map)
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-248-3463

• L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon – Las Vegas
• Le P’tit Plateau – Montreal
• The Salon at Per Se – NYC

A few days ago it was my birthday. Usually for me, a birthday means cocktails, dancing, and a wretched hangover the next day. This year, as appealing as a hangover sounded, all I wanted was cake, specifically the Coconut Cake from L.A. Burdick that I read about on SE:NY. I’m not usually a cake person (give me a jalebi over a slice of cake any day), but when I saw the post, I made a mental note: Coconut Cake = Birthday Cake Pour Moi.

A day before my birthday, I couldn’t wait, and left the salad I had brought to work in the refrigerator, and headed downtown for a lunch of cake. When your birthday is around the corner, you’re allowed to do things like that.

The Coconut Cake ($4) — chocolate coconut cake layered with coconut meringue, frosted with lime butter cream, and covered with toasted coconut flakes — was almost as good as expected. The chewy coconut meringue was delightful, as was the beautiful toasted coconut flakes, but the lime butter cream was more sweet than tart as I had hoped, and the chocolate coconut cake was dense and had neither a strong coconut or chocolate taste. I ended up eating around the cake, and left half of the cake behind. Yes, very bad of me I know.

In between bites of frosting and meringue, I took sips of my Maple Latte ($3.50). A light coffee sweetened with maple syrup, it’s perfect for those who want gentle cup of Joe. Me, I prefer a rich dark roast with a killer caffeine punch that will have me seeing stars, especially when I need to go back to work.

The handmade chocolates, however, did not disappoint. It’s a better deal to get a box of already prepacked chocolates, but I created a box of my own. (The single bonbons are $1.10, the double $1.65, and the triple $2.15.) From the assortment, highlights were the Honey Caramel Truffle and Lemon Pepper Truffle pairing, the Sesame Cashew, and the Caramel Trio. My absolute favorite, however, was the Salted Cardamom from the the pairing of Salted Caramels. (It was paired with a Salted Vanilla.) The cardamom flavor wasn’t very pronounced, but covered with dark chocolate and topped with sea salt, it was an intense bite of bitter chocolate and salty caramel. This is what will have me returning, even when it’s not my birthday.

L.A. Burdick
5 East 20th Street (betw Broadway & 5th Avenue; map)
NY, NY 10010
212-796-0143

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