Category Archives: Restaurants

Jun 20 2016
1 Comment
Japanese, Places to eat, Restaurants, Technically not nut-free

Sushi Ganso

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[Edit: As of October 4th, 2016, Ganso Yaki and Sushi Ganso are both gone-so. I happened to have been at Yaki on October 3rd, and they gave no indication whatsoever of their imminent closing. They’d just redone their menu, too. So heartbroken.]

Right next to Ganso Yaki is Sushi Ganso, which serves—you guessed it—a whole bunch of sushi. Now, I don’t love this place as much as I love Ganso Yaki, but it certainly isn’t bad, and I do believe it deserves a post of its own. So: Sushi Ganso. Here goes.

I’ve only been to (read: sat within the technical walls of) Sushi Ganso once, but I’m pretty familiar with their food, as I’ve ordered off their menu from next door quite a few times. Actually, I much prefer to do just that (eat at Ganso Yaki and order a few things off Sushi Ganso’s menu, that is), but this post is about eating at Sushi Ganso, so I suppose I’ll have to focus on doing that for now.

Now, I’m about to say some moderately negative things about Sushi Ganso, so I want to put some of its positives out there first: They have a nice selection of fish. Their food is true to what it should be, and there isn’t any of that weird whose-idea-was-this bullshit on the menu. It’s a small and relatively quiet restaurant, but it doesn’t feel cramped, and the atmosphere’s pleasant and laid-back. It’s easy to get to, it’s rarely crowded, and the service is good.

Okay, moving on.

When I went, I tried the hirame usuzukuri (thin-sliced fluke with ponzu sauce) and two specials recommended to us by our server: the tuna tataki and the soft-shell crab. I also ordered a bunch of sushi (by the piece) and rolls, too, hoping all that would be enough to food to satisfy three hungry people.

The tuna tataki and the soft-shell crab came out first. Neither was all that memorable, but I definitely preferred the crab to the tuna, which was ice-cold and unimpressive, flavor-wise. I did like the usuzukuri, though—but it’s worth noting that I’ve never disliked anything that’s been dipped in ponzu sauce. In all, though, these three dishes were unremarkable; they weren’t bad, but they didn’t exactly leave me wishing for more, either.

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10 minutes later, I’d forgotten all about our appetizers—the giant plates of fish had arrived, and it was time to ogle. We’d ordered otoro (fatty tuna), uni (sea urchin), salmon, mackerel, ikura (salmon roe), and ika (squid), and my personal favorite thing in existence: a negi-toro roll (fatty tuna with scallions). Unfortunately, though, Sushi Ganso is no Hatsuhana, and while I enjoyed every bite of fish, I can’t quite say the sushi was worth the price.

The otoro (pictured in the foreground of the first photo above) was particularly disappointing. It was fatty and delicious, sure—but nowhere near as delicious as I’ve come to expect a $10 piece of sushi to be. Plus, the coloring was a little off-putting; it almost looked as if it’d been cooked. The uni was all right, though bland and too cold, and the ikura reminded me of Mr. Clean. The squid was good, though—not too tough, as squid often is—and I enjoyed the salmon, but it wasn’t anything special.

I will say, though, that the rolls are pretty good, especially if ordered as a supplement to a Ganso Yaki meal. I’m partial to both salmon and negi-toro, but you can’t really go wrong with Sushi Ganso’s rolls. (It’s not as if they have Philadelphia rolls or anything.) The only way to go wrong, really, is to try to fill up on their sushi alone. It’ll cost you a hell of a lot, and the food, while decent, won’t be worth what you’ll pay. By all means, though: Dine next-door, and sample widely—from both restaurant’s menus.

Find Sushi Ganso at 31 3rd Avenue, between Atlantic Avenue and State Street. (Keep an eye out, too—a write-up on Ganso Ramen is coming soonish.)

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Jun 17 2016
2 Comments
Japanese, Places to eat, Restaurants, Technically not nut-free

Ganso Yaki

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[Edit: As of October 4th, 2016, Ganso Yaki and Sushi Ganso are both gone-so. I happened to have been at Yaki on October 3rd, and they gave no indication whatsoever of their imminent closing. They’d just redone their menu, too. So heartbroken.]

Ganso Yaki was on my radar for a while before I finally made my way to Brooklyn to give it a try. “Japanese soul food” in a super-casual setting? It sounded pretty good to me. Little did I know that Sushi Ganso had recently opened right next door—or that there’s been a Ganso Ramen a few blocks away for a while now, too.

The best part, though, is the news I recently received from Ganso Yaki co-owner Harris Salat. I’d sent him a few questions about nuts and cross-contamination, and his reply was as follows: “I checked with our chefs, we do not use tree nuts in any of our kitchens at Ganso Ramen, Ganso Yaki and Sushi Ganso.” Good news. Great news. Three new safe Japanese restaurants? The best news, really.

Ganso Yaki, located in Boerum Hill, only a few blocks from Atlantic Terminal, serves up what’s basically elevated Japanese street food. (I hate that word. “Elevated.” Ugh.) They have tempura and ramen, too—and you can order off Sushi Ganso’s menu, if you’re so inclined—but the most interesting of their dishes are those that come off the grill.

One dish that really caught my eye was the Japanese Squid (pictured above, and in the header on Ganso Yaki’s website). It’s a whole grilled squid, served in a ginger-soy marinade—and it’s pretty decent. Really, it’s more fun to look at than it is to eat, but that’s not to say it’s bad. It’s not all that flavorful (its most prominent flavor is char, actually), but the squid’s texture is good, as are its aesthetics. (I mean—it’s a whole squid, legs and all. It’s super weird looking.) It isn’t something I’d order over and over, but it isn’t something I regretted getting, either.

My favorite dish (by far) is the Salmon Chan Chan—not because I dislike any of the others, but because this one’s absurdly good. The menu describes it as “Sapporo-style miso-grilled salmon, topped with salmon roe and shiso,” which doesn’t sound all that exciting, but I assure you: this hunk of fish is not to be doubted. I don’t usually like cooked salmon (in fact, I only ordered this dish because I’m a sucker for roe). But it was everything but the roe that hooked me.

The fish was cooked perfectly, and the sauce was sweet and miso-heavy—oh, and did I mention the entire dish was still sizzling when it arrived? For whatever reason, I couldn’t get a good photo of it, but it’d feel silly to publish this write-up without a picture of my favorite dish, so here’s one of my attempts:

Ganso Yaki's salmon chan-chan

[Since publishing this post, I’ve eaten at Ganso Yaki a few more times, and I’d like to revise what I said above. Very often, the sauce on the Salmon Chan Chan is just too strong (and too abundant!). On such off days, the dishsort of sucks, so…I’d like to name a new favorite dish: the Hamachi Kama (yellowtail collar), also from the grill. It’s consistently delicious, and there’s no sauce to worry about, which is a nice plus.]

I’ve also thoroughly enjoyed the Yaki Shumai (pan-fried pork dumplings), the Kamo Kushiyaki (glazed duck on a skewer), and the Sapporo Ramen—though the latter reminded me a bit too much of chicken noodle soup, and was definitely my least favorite of the bunch. The shumai are delicious—though they do arrive in a scalding pan, which makes me nervous—and the duck is tender and sweet, if a bit boring.

Overall, Ganso Yaki is a solid restaurant. It’s one of those places where you can order freely without having to worry about ending up with something bad. Plus, the ambiance is pleasant—usually, it isn’t too loud, and usually, the music’s good—and the servers are friendly, which never hurts. The prices aren’t low, but they aren’t high, either—and if you’re dining between 5 and 7pm, a few dishes are discounted to $5, and select rolls (from next-door) to $4.

Find Ganso Yaki at 515 Atlantic Avenue, on the corner of Atlantic and 3rd. And stay tuned—because Sushi Ganso’s up next.

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Jun 11 2016
2 Comments
Chinese, Places to eat, Restaurants, Technically not nut-free

Han Dynasty

Pork lo mein from Han Dynasty

For a while there, bagels were my holy grail. They just seemed to be the one thing I couldn’t even come close to finding, and for a while there, they were the food I wanted most, too. Since finding a workable bagel place, though, I’ve realized (remembered, really) that there are plenty of foods that are much harder to safely source—and at the top of that list is Chinese.

Takeout Chinese food (authentic, inauthentic, and everything in between) is hard not to love. But Chinese restaurants seem to all use nuts, and the nature of wok cooking is such that cross-contamination is a very real possibility. A restaurant would need to be nut-free in order for me to feel safe—but in all the time I’ve spent on this planet, I’ve never so much as heard of a nut-free Chinese restaurant. Google searches lead almost exclusively to recipes, unanswered questions, and questions with unhelpful answers. So basically, I figured the situation was hopeless.

I used to eat Chinese takeout pretty often, but I stopped when I got old enough to understand the risks involved. By now, it’s been years (and years) since I’ve dug into some spring rolls, chicken with broccoli, or my favorite: pork lo mein—and naturally, my craving has been building since then. I’m getting tired of abstaining, though, so I figured it was time for me to start combing through menus, sending emails, and making calls.

One of the (very) many restaurants I looked into was Han Dynasty, a Sichuan mini-chain with two New York City locations: one in the East Village, and one the Upper West Side. I’d sent them an email, but got impatient while waiting to hear back, so last Friday afternoon, I decided to give Han Dynasty a call. The man I spoke with understood my question—which is uncommon, no matter what type of restaurant I’m calling—and sounded confident when he assured me that they didn’t use any tree nuts in anything. He even double-checked on whether I could eat peanuts and sesame seeds, which was a good sign.

His apparent competence, combined with my absolute desperation for Chinese food, sent me (and my equally desperate boyfriend) running to Han Dynasty that same day. To be honest, though, this restaurant isn’t quite what I was looking for. I’m not really into spicy food, so Sichuan cuisine and I tend not to get along. But Han Dynasty does have a few dishes I’ve been known to lust after, even if those dishes aren’t the ones owner Han Chiang recommends. Still, I figured the place was worth a try, at the very least. After all, I’m hardly in a position to be choosy.

When we arrived, the guy who took my order reassured me that they don’t use any tree nuts or tree nut products in any of their dishes. They do use plenty of peanuts, though—and I figured it’d be best to try to avoid any dishes that explicitly contained peanuts so as to avoid any potential cross-contamination on that front. (It’s notoriously difficult to find peanuts free from tree nut cross-contamination, and I figured Han Dynasty was unlikely to be using a supplier that’d be safe for me. Better safe than sorry!)

Anyway, in an attempt to avoid both mouth-numbing spice and potentially-contaminated peanuts, I ordered something I’ve been specifically craving for a while now: pork lo mein (pictured above). Lo mein isn’t Han Dynasty’s speciality (they’re known for their dan dan noodles, actually) but I wanted to give it a try. Sure, it’s on the section of the menu marked “Kids & Baby Adults”—but I’m both, so perhaps the lo mein would be perfect for me.

I also ordered the Taiwan pork belly buns, not expecting them to be filled with crushed peanuts (though I should’ve known, because gua bao usually are). As soon as Sam bit into one, though, he told me there was something nut-like and crunchy in it, so I decided it’d probably be best for me to stay away.

I did eat the lo mein, though, and it wasn’t half bad. It wasn’t the best lo mein I’ve ever had, but I certainly did enjoy it. Pork lo mein is pork lo mein; rarely is it ever intolerable, and I took this helping down without issue, despite its oversized vegetable chunks. It was certainly on the bland side, and the pork itself was a bit too starchy—but hey, safe Chinese food. There’s only so much I can bring myself to complain about.

Pork lo mein from Han Dynasty

I’ve since tried the scallion pancakes, too—another dish that isn’t quite recommended—and though I have very little to compare them to, I can confidently say that I liked these a whole lot. They’re crispy, greasy, and satisfying, and though they aren’t the most flavorful thing in the world, they do hit the spot.

So…while I didn’t try anything I should’ve tried, and while my opinion is probably heavily tainted by desperation, I’m more-or-less satisfied with Han Dynasty. Maybe (hopefully!) someone out there will read this and put this place to better use than I ever will. But for now, I’m going to go order some more lo mein and continue my search—with a little less desperation, fortunately.

Find Han Dynasty at 90 3rd Avenue, between 12th and 13th, or at 215 West 85th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam. Of course, they also deliver—and if you, like me, live too far away, their food’s also available through Doordash, Postmates, and Caviar.

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Jun 05 2016
2 Comments
Bagels, Places to eat, Restaurants, Sandwiches, Technically not nut-free

Baz Bagel & Restaurant: An absolute godsend

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[Edit 2: As of March, 2018—or maybe earlier, I have no idea—Baz is once again nut-free. Back to rice flour for the gluten-free bagels, I’m told. Rejoice?]

[Edit: As of October, 2017—or maybe earlier, I have no idea—Baz has started to offer gluten-free bagels made with almond flour. As all the equipment’s shared, I’m no longer comfortable (in the slightest) with Baz, so I’ve gone ahead and taken them off my list. I’ll leave the post up as a record, but if you’re allergic to almonds, I can’t any longer recommend you go to Baz.]

It’s no secret that I love bagels. I have an entire category dedicated to bagels on this blog, and I think I’ve made it clear that I’ll do almost anything for a good one. But safe bagels are really, really tough to find. Bagels themselves almost never contain nuts, sure—but try finding a bagel store that doesn’t do pastries and/or nut-based spreads, too. (Alternatively, don’t bother. I’ve spent hours and hours trying, and it’s pretty much impossible.)

Now, Baz does sell pastries—though you won’t find them on their online menu—but they aren’t made in house, so I’ve been assured that cross-contamination is essentially a non-issue. (I’m not sure—and neither was the woman I spoke with—whether any of the pastries Baz sells actually contain nuts. All she said was that she couldn’t quite guarantee that they were safe, as she didn’t have much information about their baker’s facility. Fair enough.)

Pastries aside, though, I was told via email that “the only thing with tree nuts is almond milk for the coffee. Otherwise, all clear!” To me, this isn’t a huge deal, as almond milk is pretty self-contained. Still, comfort is subjective—so if you’re considering eating at Baz, please be sure to do your own research and only proceed if you feel comfortable doing so.

In any case, I felt comfortable enough with the information I’d collected on Baz. (Plus, with food like theirs, how could I resist?) So early last Sunday morning, I made my way over to Grand Street to get myself a long-awaited bagel. For my first Baz experience, I kept it simple: an everything bagel with Nova lox and plain cream cheese—and it certainly satisfied my craving. The bagel itself was fine (not the world’s best, but fine), and the lox was…well, it was lox. Delicious.

An everything bagel with lox, scallion cream cheese, and chives from Baz Bagel

I’ve been back a few times since—I wasn’t kidding about loving bagels—and so far, everything I’ve tried has been wonderful. My two favorites are probably the Mooch (Scottish salmon, sable, cream cheese, tomato, onion, and chives) and the BAZ (Nova, scallion cream cheese, tomato, and onion). If I had to choose, though, I’d probably go with the Mooch, because a) sable’s awesome, b) I prefer the Scottish salmon to the Nova, and c) the chives make a huge difference. I do have one complaint concerning these two sandwiches, though: The tomato sucks. Tomatoes are out of season right now, though—so maybe that’ll improve. [Edit from the future: There was no improvement.]

I’m also a huge fan of the wasabi tobiko cream cheese (even though I generally don’t like the flavor of wasabi). The flavor isn’t too harsh, and the tobiko itself adds a great texture to the bagel-and-cream-cheese combo. The whitefish salad’s good, too (if a bit sweet), and the Nova and chive cream cheese is Nova-heavy and pretty much perfect. Honestly, nearly every spread or spread-like thing I’ve tried at Baz has been decent or better (but maybe that’s just because I know better than to go for some of their stupider offerings—I’m looking at you, blueberry cream cheese).

You can also dine in, if you’re so inclined—though I wouldn’t quite recommend doing so, as the service is (in my experience) painfully slow, and they tend to bring out a complimentary dessert toward the end of the meal, which isn’t ideal for those who are concerned about allergens. No big deal, though; Baz does counter service, too—and they’ll deliver to you (for free!) if you live between Worth and 10th Streets on the north-south axis and 6th Avenue and Essex Street on the east-west axis. (For the rest of us, I suppose there’s always Postmates and Amazon Prime Now.)

Is Baz perfect? No. Cheap? Not at all. Are their bagels the city’s best? Definitely not. But are they the safest bagel place I’ve been able to find in a few years of searching? Well, they certainly seem to be. And hey, their food is pretty damn good. So if you’re as into bagels as I am—or even if you aren’t—I’d certainly say Baz is worth a try. I, for one, am very ready to become a regular.

Anyway, if Baz’s handling of allergens seems like it’d meet your standards, you can find them and their bagels at 181 Grand Street, between Baxter and Mulberry. Beware, though: They get pretty busy around lunchtime, and they close at 4pm.

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May 27 2016
5 Comments
Japanese, Places to eat, Restaurants, Technically not nut-free

Kikoo Sushi: For when you’re feeling gluttonous

Shrimp tempura from Kikoo Sushi

I found out about Kikoo on Groupon, of all places. Whenever I’d search for sushi, Kikoo would be there, right at the top: “Up To 53% off All-You-Can-Eat Sushi, Sashimi, and Teriyaki with Drinks.” Honestly, all-you-can-eat sushi sounds like a terrible idea, so I was never really all that tempted to click the link. I guess it got to me, though, because—well, I just got back from my first Kikoo feast.

Before I bought the Groupon, I called Kikoo to ask about allergens, and after some initial confusion, the woman on the phone informed me that they are no tree nuts in anything on their menu, but that one roll—an avocado roll—comes topped with peanuts. I double-checked with the hostess when I arrived, too, and she confirmed what I was told on the phone, so I figured I was good to go.

When we sat down—I’d brought Sam along, as I wasn’t about to try to take on any sort of all-you-can-eat deal on my own—we were given an iPad with which to order. No need to flag down a server at Kikoo; you just throw what you want into a (digital) shopping cart of sorts and then hit the order button. You’re limited to 10 items at a time, but you can order as often as you’d like—and the food just keeps coming. And coming. And coming.

Now, let me make this clear: I think all-you-can-eat dining is inherently revolting. It’s gluttonous, greedy, and quintessentially American in that way that never fails to evoke a whole lot of shame—but it’s also kind of fun to be able to order whatever (and however much) you want without having to worry about over-spending. It’s nice to be able to sample widely, too, which was what I tried to do at Kikoo.

Three hand rolls from Kikoo Sushi

Unfortunately, nothing was all that great—but I didn’t really expect it to be, given that I was paying by the two-hour block. The rolls (both hand rolls—pictured above—and cut rolls) were probably the best thing I tried. Unlike the sushi and sashimi, the fish in the rolls wasn’t ice-cold—which did a lot for their cause—and unlike the fried dishes, they (obviously) weren’t super greasy, which was refreshing, at least. A few of the rolls, though, were filled with this sickeningly sweet rice; those were probably the worst thing I ate.

The salmon cut roll and the salmon hand roll were both decent, and the salmon-avocado hand roll was actually pretty good. I liked the shrimp tempura (pictured at the top of this post), too—but I’m pretty sure that’s at least partially due to the fact that I’ll probably enjoy any fried shrimp dish that’s put in front of me. The sweet potato tempura was a little worse (but still all right), and the soft-shell crab was awful. I wouldn’t have been surprised if our server had returned to tell us our crab was actually chicken, and that we’d received it because of a kitchen mix-up. But no, it was crab—and yes, it was bad.

An assortment of sushi and sashimi from Kikoo Sushi

As I mentioned, the sushi and sashimi (pictured immediately above) were both pretty much freezing—and the flavors weren’t all that, either. On top of that, the selection was pretty small: salmon, tuna, yellowtail, and snapper, when I was there. I guess it makes sense, though. Can’t really serve expensive fish in an all-you-can-eat setting. (But I can dream, can’t I?) Still, there was one problem I couldn’t quite get over: the all-around lack of flavor in all of the fish—and the soy sauce, too. Heartbreaking…and infuriating, when it came to the soy.

But for the most part, what Kikoo lacked in quality, it made up for in quantity, so I did end up leaving satisfied. Not so satisfied that I’m itching to go back, mind you—but pleasantly full nonetheless. (Who am I kidding? I’ll most likely be back within the next few months. You know, once I’ve forgotten just how cold the fish was. It was a safe meal, after all.)

If you, too, are in the mood to stuff your face with low-to-average-quality sushi, you can find Kikoo at 141 1st Avenue, between 8th and 9th. (And if you’re interested, there’s a Groupon available that’ll save you a decent amount of money.)

[Three or four months after I started eating at Kikoo—and believe me, I started—they added (cooked) salmon belly to the menu, and it’s awesome. I took down, like, four orders the other night. (I’m disgusting.) Anyway, I think I’ve figured out how best to approach Kikoo…for me, at least: some sashimi (salmon), a roll or two (…salmon), and a few—only a few—cooked dishes (tempura, katsu, salmon belly, whatever). I don’t know why their salmon sucks so much less than their other fish, but it does. And too many fried dishes make for a bad night indeed.]

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May 18 2016
2 Comments
American, Places to eat, Restaurants, Southern, Technically not nut-free

Blue Smoke

Blue Smoke's cornbread Madeleines

If there’s one place the food-allergic community seems to love, it’s Blue Smoke. I’ve read lots about them, but it wasn’t until today that I decided (spur of the moment) to go. I typically don’t eat at restaurants that handle nuts, but I figured I’d take advantage of my recent restaurant-trying momentum and give this one a chance. They do have a reputation of being very allergy-aware, after all—so to Battery Park City I went.

To start, the atmosphere, in general, was not for me; it was dark, noisy, and decorated with lots of lumber (???), with loud country music and two too-bright flatscreens above the bar. But I’ve dealt with worse, so I figured I’d manage. (Hey, if they can handle my allergy, I can handle their atmosphere, right?)

As far as I know, only one item on the dinner menu at the Battery Park City location contains tree nuts: the sweet potato mash (it’s topped with pecans). A couple of desserts contain nuts, too, but I tend to stay away from those anyway. I was assured by my server, though, that I didn’t have to worry about any sort of cross-contamination—so all that was left to do was dig in and find out. (Well, that and decide what I wanted.)

I ended up going with the cornbread madeleines (pictured above) and the fried chicken & biscuits. Sam, along for the ride, ordered the pulled pork—they were out of ribs (?!?)—with a side of mac and cheese and a side of baked beans. Our server, after double-checking with the kitchen, assured me that all the dishes we’d chosen would arrive completely free from nuts—and to my delight, that they did.

The madeleines were definitely my favorite. They were warm and light, with that lovely cornbread texture, and they came with some sort of maple-butter sauce, which was what really sealed the deal. These things were so good that I seriously considered ordering another portion to take home with me and hoard, but (fortunately) our entrees arrived and redirected my attention before I could get the chance to do so.

The fried chicken was good, but it wasn’t out-of-this-world good. It came with slaw and a biscuit, and when I put the three together, the flavors played together nicely (duh), but nothing on that plate had me thinking, “hey, I’m really glad I spent $28 on this.” Sam’s pulled pork was equally decent (or so I’m told; I didn’t actually get around to trying it), but he didn’t feel it was particularly worth his $30, either.

Don’t get me wrong; nothing brought out to us was bad—but it’s tough to rally behind an average-quality plate of food when it comes at a not-so-average price. Still, I’d probably return to Blue Smoke, should I ever end up with a little extra money. As promised, the handled my allergies well…and those madeleines were delicious.

There were only two minor hiccups over the course of the entire meal. The first: I wasn’t given a nut-free menu (though it didn’t matter much, as it was the food that I needed to be nut-free, not the menu itself). Still, I was a little surprised, as I’d read a lot about Blue Smoke’s allergen-free menus. The second: a server (not our server, whom I’d told about my allergy) brought out a complimentary taste of something, with no word on whether it was safe. (It was, so it wasn’t a big deal—but I would have liked to have been told, if only for the level of allergy-awareness that would’ve shown me.)

Overall, though, I had a pretty good experience at Blue Smoke. The service was great, and neither the food nor the atmosphere killed me—so the night goes down as a success in my book (or would that be “on my blog”?). All things considered, I suppose I’d recommend Blue Smoke to a nut-allergic friend—but only if said nut-allergic friend were wealthy enough not to scoff at a $30 plate of fried chicken.

(Blue Smoke has two New York City locations: One in the Flatiron District [116 East 27th Street], and one in Battery Park City [255 Vesey Street]. I’ve only been to the latter—and only once, at that—but I suppose I’ll have to try the other, too. Maybe they’ll have ribs.)

[Edit: I’ve since eaten at Blue Smoke a bunch more times, and I’ve decided that this post was terribly unfair. Since its writing, I’ve tried the spare ribs, the baby back ribs, the brisket, and the biscuits, and I’m now 100% prepared to declare that I was wrong, and that Blue Smoke is actually pretty damn awesome. All of their servers are extremely friendly and helpful—and what I like best about them is that they’ll never, ever give you an answer they aren’t sure of. They’re the kings and queens of “let me check on that for you,” which goes such a long way in making me feel safe.

Also, the restaurant’s way more affordable than I’d realized. For under $50 (including tax and tip), Sam and I get a big plate of Blue Smoke’s three best meats (baby back ribs, spare ribs, and brisket), along with two sides of our choosing. It’s more than enough to feed two—and for the portion (and quality of service), I’d say the price is pretty reasonable. I prefer the baby back ribs to the spare ribs, but both are great (better than the fried chicken, no doubt), and the brisket, absurdly tender, is straight-up delicious, too. Also, their biscuits—which count as a side, though they aren’t listed with the rest of the sides—are perhaps the best biscuits I’ve ever eaten.

Plus, they now give me an allergen menu (without prompting!) as soon as I sit down—and I’m hardly a regular. Incredible. The end.]

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May 15 2016
5 Comments
Korean, Places to eat, Restaurants, Technically not nut-free

Gunbae Tribeca

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A few weeks ago, I decided that it’s been way, way too long since I’ve gorged myself on Korean barbecue, and that my dry streak needed to end as soon as I could (safely) manage. Immediately, it became an urgent matter—and so commenced a long evening of Googling, menu-reading, and emailing. I must’ve gone through 30 menus and sent out 10 or 15 emails, all to receive only one (yes, one) reply.

That reply was from Gunbae, a year-old restaurant which happens to be within walking distance of my apartment. It was a short email, and it certainly didn’t address all of my questions, but it told me what I wanted to hear: “We don’t have any nuts in our menu. And we use Sesame oil for some sauce and sesame seed for topping the food.” As far as I can tell, though, Gunbae isn’t the type of restaurant that ensures its ingredients are all free from cross-contamination—so I’ve categorized them as “technically not nut-free.” Still, no nuts in the kitchen is usually good enough for me, so I decided to Gunbae a try.

I brought my mom and my boyfriend along for the ride, because, well, who doesn’t love Korean barbecue? To start, we ordered the seafood pancake, and our server brought out a number of side dishes, too: steamed egg, kimchi, lotus root, seasoned broccoli, and…macaroni salad? Sure. And when it came time to barbecue, we decided on the wagyu kalbi (which is a boneless short rib) and the yang nyum kalbi (another boneless short rib, pictured below).

Gunbae's yang nyum kalbi, cooking on the grill

The seafood pancake and the sides came out immediately after we ordered. I didn’t get around to trying most of the sides—Sam and my mom took care of those—but I did try the egg (pictured at the top of this post), and I was glad I did. Our server had put a pot of something on our table’s burner when he brought out the rest of the sides, and honestly, none of us had any idea what it was until he came back to stir it and we got the chance to ask. He told us it was a Korean egg dish and encouraged us to just try it as he spooned it into our plates—and so we did. It was really tasty: light, fluffy, and sweet, with a distinct sesame flavor.

Next was the seafood pancake, which was probably my favorite dish of the night. It was wonderfully crispy, but the real draw was how absolutely packed it was with seafood. The squid was perfectly cooked—chewy, but not unpleasantly so—and even the scallops had a lovely texture. (I’m a scallop-hater. I’m sorry.) We lost the dipping sauce in all the hubbub—there must have been 15 plates on our table—but even without it, the pancake was delightful.

But onto the real reason we’d come: the meat. First came the wagyu, at a frightening $44.95 for 5 small pieces. (I couldn’t get a picture, but it looked a whole lot like this.) Our server cooked it for us—he didn’t give us the option to do it ourselves—and it wasn’t bad at all, but it certainly wasn’t as flavorful as I’d have liked. We ate it rare, and it was well-cooked and tender, but the flavor (or lack thereof) left us all wanting. So in the hopes of finding something tastier, we ordered a marinated cut of beef: the yang nyum kalbi (pictured at the top of this post).

Again, it was well-cooked, and the texture was great, but the flavor wasn’t all I’d hoped for. It tasted like a slightly better version of the Bool Kogi from Trader Joe’s—which isn’t quite a compliment. The most accurate word I can apply to the marinade is “vague”; it was vaguely garlicky, vaguely sweet, vaguely…vague, without any of that strong, pointed flavor I’ve come to expect of Korean barbecue. In all, I was pretty disappointed.

Still, it’s not as if I’ll never go back. The egg was good, the pancake was great, and I’m already eyeing a few dishes I’d like to try: the fried pork dumplings, the wagyu kimchi fried rice, and the mandu guk (a hot pot with beef broth, pork dumplings, scallion, and egg). Unfortunately, though, my search for Korean barbecue that’s both safe and good is not over.

Find Gunbae at 67 Murray Street, just off of West Broadway. (Oh, and there are private karaoke rooms downstairs, if you’re into that sort of thing.)

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Apr 30 2016
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American, Places to eat, Restaurants, Truly nut-free

TBar Steak & Lounge

TBar's Crispy Long Island Duck

Ooooh, boy.

TBar is a steakhouse on 3rd Avenue and 74th Street, and if that doesn’t tell you all you need to know—well, I guess I’m about to. First, though, I want to emphasize the lovely fact that TBar truly is nut-free, according to this email I received from them:

TBar is a completely nut-free restaurant and we are dilligent and serious about only ordering products that are clear from any nut cross contamination. Please feel free to reach out to us with any more questions if need be.

This applies to everything—their breads (baked in house), their desserts, and, of course, their meats.

TBar, then, joins the ranks of such wonderful establishments as The Donut Pub and A La Mode Shoppe—places that do collect information on their vendors’ facilities and that do identify themselves as “nut-free” (or close to it). I double-checked when I made my reservation, and the woman on the phone reassured me that the entire restaurant is nut-free, so in all, I felt pretty safe going into TBar.

Safe, yes. Happy? No. TBar is a strange, strange place—especially if you’re under 60. There’s a bizarre green motif throughout the restaurant—green glasses, green cushions, green…plush toys—and the entire restaurant is really brightly lit, to the point that it gives off a real diner-in-the-middle-of-the-day vibe. Oh, and it’s filled with bona fide elders, one of whom spent his entire meal attempting to hack up his right lung.

TBar's tables

I spent 35 minutes at TBar. (Yes, I was counting.) Topics of conversation I overheard in those 35 minutes included, but were not limited to: insulin injections, heart disease, Matzo, bad knees, bad hips, and the merits of steak cooked medium-well—and don’t even get me started on the bar scene. It isn’t even as if I was making any sort of effort to eavesdrop; the restaurant was just dead-quiet, aside from the occasional snippet of a conversation.

Suffice it to say that I found the atmosphere wholly unpleasant. But I wasn’t there for the atmosphere—I was there for duck. You see, the whole reason I’d even made my way to TBar in the first place was that I’d seen the Crispy Long Island Duck on their menu. I have an enormous soft spot for duck—and this particular serving was guaranteed to be nut-free, so I had no choice but to try it.

In any case, the duck itself was delicious: perfectly cooked, with tender meat and crispy skin. But it was served atop an intrusive bed of sweet potatoes, which were way too strong and sweet a flavor to accompany such a sweet preparation of duck. Personally, I hate sweet potatoes; I would’ve rather eaten the duck on its own, but that’s just me. Still, it was a good dish overall. And fortunately, at $38, it was enough food to feed two.

I’m not really in a position to speak to the overall quality of TBar’s food, as I’ve only tried one dish, but from what I can tell, it doesn’t seem like it’ll ever be the food itself that will sour a TBar experience—especially for those with nut allergies. Perhaps the freedom to order whatever one wants can outweigh the discomfort of…you know, being in that godforsaken place.

Perhaps. I suppose you’ll have to see for yourself. Find TBar at 1278 3rd Avenue, between 73rd and 74th. And don’t forget to dress your best—because their bar scene is happenin’.

[Note: I returned to TBar two months after publishing this post. I had the ribeye, and it was pretty damn good. I also plowed through two baskets of bread (which I didn’t know I could eat the first time I went)…so that was fun. The restaurant was dimly lit and jam-packed—the exact opposite of what it’d been the last time, except it was still filled with elders—and I sat outside, which (even on 3rd Avenue) was worlds better than the alternative. Service was good, yada yada yada, I’ll probably be back. The end.]

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Apr 22 2016
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Japanese, Places to eat, Restaurants, Technically not nut-free

Marumi

An ika uni roll from Marumi

As I explained in a recent post on Otto’s Tacos, I’ve been spending a lot of time sifting through menus, emailing restaurants, and speaking with managers in the interest of adding new places to my “safe” list. I’ve grown tired of limiting myself to NYC’s few declaredly nut-free eateries, so I’ve committed to looking for more of the next best thing—restaurants that happen not to use any nuts—to the benefit of both this blog and, well, my stomach.

Marumi, a Japanese restaurant in Greenwich Village, is certainly of that next-best ilk. So few restaurants respond to my inquiries—and Marumi not only replied, but they did so promptly and (most notably) with information that was actually relevant: “No, we don’t use any tree nuts in our menu. Our restaurant is safe for people with nut allergies- including my children. We only use sesame seeds in some of our dishes.”

This woman—who’s evidently familiar enough with Marumi’s menu to be in a position to field allergy-related questions—finds the restaurant safe enough for her nut-allergic children. So though her email wasn’t the most detailed, it gave me all the reassurance I needed. (I’ve never been able to decide whether my allergy-related food safety standards are far too high or far too low. I’m convinced they’re one of the two, though.)

As far as I know, Marumi doesn’t seem to collect much information on their vendors’ facilities, nor do they market themselves as nut-free—so I can’t rightfully categorize them as “truly nut-free” by the criteria I’ve been using. But again: they really are the next best thing. So to Marumi I went.

As I’ve mentioned before, I tend to avoid ordering cooked food at Japanese restaurants, as sushi is, in my experience, a bit safer—but since I’d been assured that Marumi doesn’t use any nuts whatsoever, I figured this was my chance to order from the kitchen. Naturally, I was pretty excited.

Still, I wanted to start slowly, so I began with two rolls: one ika uni (squid and sea urchin—pictured above) and one toro uni (fatty tuna and sea urchin). Now, Marumi is not exactly a high-end sushi bar, so I wasn’t expecting all that much, but both rolls were delicious. I also ordered a few pieces of sushi (some salmon and some ikura), which were all right, I suppose, but which I probably wouldn’t order again. The ikura was all right, but the salmon was too cold—though it did have a nice flavor (as most salmon does).

But I wasn’t there for sushi; I was there to experiment with cooked food. So I ordered something I’ve been craving for a while: a bowl of udon with duck and some shrimp tempura on the side—why not? Now, it’s been a long, long time since I’ve had any sort of udon, so I can’t say I have much of a frame of reference anymore, but what I can say is that I thoroughly enjoyed this dish. The duck was sweet; the mushrooms were tender; the scallions were plentiful. My only complaint was that the breading on the shrimp tempura was too thick and essentially flavorless—but hey, cooked food. In an actual restaurant.

Pork katsu from Marumi

To no one’s surprise, I’ve been back a few times since, and most things I’ve tried have been decent. The pork katsu (pictured immediately above) was pretty solid. It didn’t knock my socks off or anything, but it wasn’t as if I regretted ordering it, either. It came with some shredded cabbage, a bowl of rice, some dipping sauce, and a lemon wedge. The pork was juicy and tender, if a bit bland—nothing a little lemon couldn’t solve, though.

The soft-shell crab is good, too—or maybe I just really like ponzu sauce—and the stir-fried udon is surprisingly flavorful. The bento boxes are a good deal, price-wise, but Marumi’s tempura is sub-par, and their beef negimaki isn’t so great, either. On a good day, though—when the uni’s good, which certainly isn’t all the time—the broiled lobster with uni sauce is all right, and the ika uni appetizer is worth a try.

One thing I’d specifically recommend against ordering: the duck bun. I was pretty excited to try it, as duck’s one of my favorite meats, but it just wasn’t good. The duck itself reminds of Walmart-quality lunch meat, and it comes with a whole bunch of room-temperature cucumber, which…sucks. That’s all I can say about it, really. (And if I haven’t yet made this clear: I’d stay away from most of the sushi, too.)

Anyway, Marumi may not be high-end, and it may not be perfect, but I tend to enjoy it nonetheless. The servers are knowledgeable and friendly—and no matter the relative quality of the restaurant, it’s nice to be able to order freely once in a while. Plus, the atmosphere’s bearable, even during peak hours on a Friday night, which is saying something.

I suppose I’d recommend Marumi—just don’t expect to be floored, and order carefully, because their menu is a goddamn minefield. Be warned, though: they’re cash-only at lunchtime.

Find Marumi at 546 LaGuardia Place, between Bleecker and West 3rd.

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Mar 06 2016
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American, Chains, Places to eat, Restaurants, Sandwiches, Truly nut-free

Big Daddy’s: no nuts, plenty of kitsch

The Mr. French Dip from Big Daddy's

Big Daddy’s is a lovely place. Honestly, it’s a terrible place—but it’s lovely, too. Bright, loud, busy as hell, and absurdly kitschy…if that’s your scene, you’ll be in love.

Alternatively, if you’re like me, and you don’t feel at home under super-bright lighting or with jukebox classics constantly threatening to overwhelm your conversation, but you do have a nut allergy—well, you’ll be grateful to be able to eat at a diner, at the very least.

I’ve heard over and over that Big Daddy’s is nut-free, but they don’t categorize themselves as such on their website, so I wanted to make sure. I’ve spoken to servers and they’re always confident: no nuts on the menu, nor in the kitchen. Still, I wanted to know—are they truly nut-free, in the they-vet-their-vendors-and-I-can-eat-a-slice-of-pie sense, or do they just happen not to have any (intentional) nuts on the menu?

In an attempt to get some real answers, I called Big Daddy’s and spoke with a very understanding representative. She asked me to forward her a list of my questions so she could double-check on the answers, as she didn’t want to risk misleading me. Fair enough. Half an hour later, I had the following reply in my inbox:

Hey! So everything that is made in house in guaranteed to be completely nut free. However, with some of our cakes and breads that we order (of course there are no nuts in the food itself) there is no guarantee that there is no cross contamination. I don’t know exactly which [menu items] are and aren’t [guaranteed nut-free]. Our menu is really big and I would just be guessing on a lot of the things. That’s more of a question for the kitchen and unfortunately there is no way of contacting them. If you had a few specific questions I could find out but theyre too busy to go over the whole menu with me and tell me what is what.

She also forwarded me an email from the director of operations:

Off premise bake goods are not guaranteed but no in house nuts. I wouldn’t eat 7 grain bread or off premise cakes.

Of course, I’m sure you’d be able to speak to a server (or even a member of the kitchen staff) about just what’s made in house and what isn’t, should you ever have a question about a specific dish. In my experience, the employees at Big Daddy’s tend to be pretty understanding—but you may have to push a little harder than usual to get your server to double-check on anything, since they’re so used to telling those with allergies that everything’s 100% nut-free.

Anyway, because their in-house food is guaranteed nut-free (and because servers will readily assure you the restaurant is totally nut-free), I’ve categorized Big Daddy’s as truly nut-free. Despite all of the above, it seems to be a pretty safe place to eat—especially if you avoid the muffins, cakes, and certain breads, which isn’t all that hard to do. (And if your allergies are particularly sensitive, to the point that you’re uncomfortable eating commercial ice cream that’s been run on shared lines, you’d be wise to avoid their shakes, too.)

[Note: Since writing this post, it’s come to my attention that Big Daddy’s is even less nut-free than I’d thought. Their Triple Chocolate Disco Shake (chocolate ice cream, Frangelico, crème de cacao) does explicitly contain a nut product (hazelnut liqueur), which doesn’t bode well for Big Daddy’s. In my eyes, it’s not the liqueur itself that’s the problem, but the ignorance the liqueur betrays. How has it managed to slip under the nut-free radar—as in, why does nobody ever think to mention it—and what else might have done the same?]

As a rule, the food is on par with your average diner’s. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it good, but it isn’t terrible, either. I usually order the Mr. French Dip (pictured above) or the Original Big Mac Daddy—both with tater tots. The Mr. French Dip is somehow both too bland and too salty, but what can I say? I have a soft spot for baguettes—including mediocre ones. The Big Mac Daddy is (you guessed it) a burger with Big Mac sauce. Not bad, on a good day. The mozzarella sticks (sorry, the Really Really Good Mozz Styx) are decent, and I’ve been known to order the Monty Hall, What a Deal! (turkey, ham, and swiss on white bread—fried) on occasion, even though I always end up regretting that decision.

And yes, the menu is filled with dish names like those above. Ordering is always embarrassing. But if you can get past the kitschy menu and the even kitschier atmosphere, Big Daddy’s is fair place to eat. On occasion. If you’re really craving diner food.

(One thing I can endorse without disclaimers or reservations, though: the malted milkshakes. I like the vanilla Plain Jane, but if you can get them to malt the Cookie Monster—vanilla with Oreos—well, that’s my official recommendation. I’m sure the ice cream’s made on shared lines, though, so…maybe one reservation.)

There are three locations in NYC: one in Gramercy Park, one on the Upper East Side, and one on the Upper West Side. I’ve been a bit harsh, but I do think they’re worth a try.

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