Steak & Eggs @ Prune

In my opinion, Prune serves one of the best steak and eggs in NYC.
7oz prime newport steak, grilled with parsley-shallot butter and 2 eggs any style. Comes with toasted english muffin and potatoes rosti. $19

Bloody Mary @ Prune

Prune has 10 kinds of bloody marys on their brunch menu. Today I had the Chicago Matchbox ($10) - homemade lemon vodka, pickled brussels sprouts, baby white turnips, caperberries, green beans, and radishes. Comes with a Red Stripe chaser. Really really good! Almost as awesome as the Bloody Mary I got in Milwaukee a couple of years ago.

Smokey Joe @ JoeDoe

While waiting for a table at Prune, we grabbed a drink at JoeDoe across the street. This cocktail is sooooo good!

Smokey Joe ($11) - DH Krahn Gin, sambal, cilantro, fresh lime, smoked salt

Pasta Al Ragu @ Porsena

maccheroncini in a slow cooked meat ragu. Very good. Rating - 90

Porsena

Anneloni con salsiccia e rape - ring shaped pasta with spicy lamb sausage and mustard greens @Porsena. This dish is AMAZING. Too bad the portion was a bit stingy. Rating - 95

Porsena

Wilted escarole salad with croutons and garlic anchovy dressing @ Porsena
Rating - 80

Matzoh Ball Soup @ DGBG

Very good.

Pylos

Lamb chops with stuffed eggplant and fingerling potatoes

I’m so excited to write this review. It’s always such a thrill to find a great new restaurant (well, new to me). If I had to list my favorite cuisines, the Italian kitchen would definitely be at the top of the list. A second best will probably be Greek food. There’s something about the freshness of Mediterranean cooking that really appeals to my taste buds. Pylos is a little Greek treasure hidden in the East Village. Zazi is a very good pirate.

The space is very well designed. It is intimate yet airy, dimmed and sexy yet vibrant and unassuming. It’s a great spot for a romantic date, as well as perfect for a tête - à - tête with a close friend.

As usual, Zazi and I shared two appetizers. We started with a Maroulosalata, which is a salad comprised of crisp lettuce, dill, scallions and feta – thinly chopped and served with extra-virgin olive oil and fresh lemon dressing. It was the epitome of refreshing. We followed it by elegantly gorging on an Anginares Moussaka, which is a moussaka of artichoke hearts layered with caramelized onions, herbs and three Greek cheeses with béchamel sauce. Artichokes are one of my favorite things in the world, this moussaka did not disappoint.

For our main courses Zazi chose a Greek classic – grilled whole fish drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon juice. The fish was perfectly grilled while maintaining its moisture and flavor. I went for grilled baby lamb chops served with stuffed eggplant and fingerling potatoes. The lamb chops were served medium-rare and were juicy and tender. The eggplant and potatoes were great backup dancers to the four divas dominating my plate.

For dessert we ordered a trio of buttery phyllo pastels, triangle shaped, filled with Greek custard and splashed with cinnamon and honey. Zazi took a bite and loved it. Then she had a weird look on her face and said to me with a little worry in her voice: “mmm, try it”. There was a little surprise in the Greek custard called orange peel. There are two things in this world I hate so much I am ready 24/7 to launch a nuclear war at – oranges and bananas. However, and this is a HUGE however, I must admit that the orange peel kinda complimented the pastel. Kinda.

Pylos is a Greek goddess. I highly recommend it.

Bottom line: 97 :)

$60+ with drinks

Pylos
128 E. 7th St. bet. Ave. A & 1st Ave
(212) 473-0220

Caracas Arepa Bar

Guasacaca & Chips

Venezuelan food? Yeah sure, whatever, I’ll try that. Let’s live on the edge, be adventurous, take an effin’ risk goddammit!

Caracas is a tiny Venezuelan spot in the East Village. The place was packed when we got there and we had to wait about 10 minutes for a table (which seemed like a very good sign). While waiting, we eyed the dishes severed to the seated peeps and noticed a pattern – almost everyone ordered what looked like the bastard child of a burger bun and a pita, filled with what we assumed to be “Venezuelan stuff”.

For appetizers, Zazi and I shared a Guasacaca & Chips, an Ensalada La Acida and an Empanada Domino. The Guasacaca is Venezuelan guacamole served with fried plantains, yukas and taro instead of chips. Honestly, I’m not really sure what differentiates the guasacaca from the regular guacamole we all know and love but it doesn’t really matter. It was fresh and delicious and the fried plantains and root veggies were a nice touch. Unfortunately, this guasacaca was the only highlight of our meal… The small salad was made of mixed dwarfed beans (I swear they were tiny), corn and a citrus and passion fruit dressing. The beans were undercooked and even though I’m a big passion fruit fan, its exotic flavor tasted a bit awkward in that casual scenario. The empanada was filled with black beans and “white salty cheese” and was as dull as its description.

The little bastard from earlier is actually called Arepa. Zazi and I selected two to share as an entrée with the help of our waitress (who, btw, was super lovely). We went for a Los Muchachos (grilled chorizo, spicy white cheese with jalapeño and sautéed peppers) and the Arepas du Jour (shredded beef cooked with sugarcane and topped with, yet again, salty white cheese). Both were “eh”. By “eh” I mean the muchachos was way too spicy and greasy for its own good (and this is coming from the founder of the Spice Grease fan club). Also, the meat in the Arepas du Jour was dry and overall tasted pretty bland.

To accompany our meal Zazi sipped on Brahma (Brazilian beer), while I had a glass of Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon (Valdivieso, 2004). Both were fine.

Caracas, in a way, was a little bit like a bad date. You’re not sure what to expect, but you’ve heard so many good things about that person from a credible source that you just have to give it a try. You’re being played the “I’m hard to get” game, and you think to yourself “mmm, I’m frustrated, that makes him so sexy”. You start chatting a little. The conversation is fresh and light and your mind begins envisioning warm wintry nights and a romantic trip to Venezuela. But then he kisses you, kinda aggressively, like a testosteronized 16 year old and you know that a second date just aint gonna happen.

Bottom line: 71 :(

$20+- with drinks

Caracas Arepa Bar
93 1/2 E 7th St, Bet 1st Ave & Ave A
(212) 529-2314