East Village Eats

Food & Drink recommendations straight from the East Village, New York City

Bovine Burglary!

Posted on | October 20, 2010 | No Comments

Bessie, the beloved mascot of Aussie eatery The Sunburnt Cow (137 Avenue C between 8th & 9th streets, brunch review here) has been cownapped!  Some time between 2 & 4am last Sunday she was stolen for the 2nd time from her perch at the front of the restaurant.  They are offering a $500 reward for information leading to her safe return.  Email info@thesunburntcow.com.

Kuboya Ramen

Posted on | October 20, 2010 | 3 Comments

Kuboya RamenA few days ago I talked about Kuboya Ramen that popped up right next door to Minca, the much loved reigning champ on the block.  I questioned whether or not we need another Ramen spot on 5th street.  Well, I decided to check out Kuboya for myself & here’s my review. Read more

Fourth Arts Block East Village Eats Food Tour Preview

Posted on | October 19, 2010 | 3 Comments

Fourth Arts Block, a non-profit located on East 4th Street Cultural District is hosting an East Village Food Tour & Fund-raising event. $35 gets you access to 15 restaurants in the East Village as well as discount drinks at a few bars in the area (buy your tix now, they go up to $45 tomorrow).  I mentioned this tour before, but last Friday I was lucky enough to go on a preview & try out 5 of the dishes that we’ll be scoffing this Saturday (Oct. 23rd 11am -4pm).  Joined by Ed of The Lo-Down (an awesome LES blog, his take on the tasting here), FAB’s director of special projects, Lauren Parrish & her assistant. Read more

Marco Polo Cafe Now Mini Burger

Posted on | October 18, 2010 | 2 Comments

Marco Polo Cafe (102 St Mark’s Place near 1st Avenue, review here), my go to spot for $1 bison sliders shuttered for a few days, got a bit of a new paint job & signage & has reopened as Mini Burger.  They still serve the same sliders, but the price has been jacked up fifty cents to $1.50 & 25 cents extra for cheese.  I haven’t been back there yet, but I doubt that much has changed.

Ramen @ Sake Bar Satsko

Posted on | October 18, 2010 | 1 Comment

Pork Ramen at Sake Bar SatskoIt’s no secret that I have a real soft spot for Sake Bar Satsko (further info here), the tiny east village restaurant & bar that over the years has become my go to place for good times.  I found out last week that the owner, Satsko Watanabe has begun making Pork ($12) & Vegetable ($11) Ramen on the nights that she’s in the kitchen, I went there last night to try them out. Read more

Ramen Row!

Posted on | October 17, 2010 | 2 Comments

Kuboya Ramen & Minca On 5th StreetIs there a Ramen War shaping up on 5th Street between Avenue A & B?  In one corner we have the reigning Champ, Minca Ramen Factory & in the other we have a newcomer, Kuboya Ramen (in the old Le Gamin space).  I’m glad to see that something is going into this address, but do we really need another Ramen spot?

Kuboya Ramen 'Press Release'I love Minca & I’m pretty sure that the owner is not going to be happy about this at all.  Kuboya’s storefront is covered in print outs of a ‘press release’ of sorts.  The funny thing is that the first paragraph is the owner talking about how he (Sammy Kubo) & Minca’s owner have been friends for 25 years, yet this paragraph has been (improperly) redacted!  Classic!  I guess you ain’t friends no more!

Kuboya Ramen StorefrontWe’ll see how this ends up & I’ll be doing at taste test to determine which place I think is better!

A Hot Mess on Hester Street

Posted on | October 17, 2010 | 2 Comments

Yesterday’s Grub Street Food Festival was a colossal disaster.  Hosted by New York Magazine in the same space as the Hester Street Fair (Hester & Essex), the tiny area was packed with eager foodies & virtually impossible to navigate.  The entire event was totally unenjoyable.  I took a few steps in, turned 180 & scuttled off thinking “What! No Wafels & Dinges?”.  I guess I really didn’t miss anything as news had it that most of the vendors ended up selling out before the event ended.  Full vendors list here.

Late Night at Cafetasia East

Posted on | October 16, 2010 | No Comments

Totally starving after doing some heavyweight drinking in the neighborhood on a typical Thursday night, my brother & I went to Cafetasia East (85 Avenue A between 5th & 6th streets) an old favorite of ours.  We arrived shortly before midnight & the staff were pretty much closing up shop.  Luckily, they were nice enough to seat us. Read more

Lilly Coogan’s to become Coal Yard

Posted on | October 16, 2010 | 1 Comment

Yesterday I bumped into a friend, Steve Schweiger outside the former Lilly Coogan’s space (102 First Avenue @ 6th Street) which shuttered in late May/early June.  He’s the general contractor overseeing the renovation there.  Word is that the partners from nearby International Bar (120 1/2 First Avenue @7th Street) will be taking the bar over (they transferred the license in July).

Construction is wrapping up, the tap lines aren’t in yet but the word on the street is that they’ll be having a soft opening this Wednesday (not confirmed).  This is great news for the neighborhood, International Bar is one of my top 5 bars in the area & I’m sure that owners Molly & Shawn can bring the same vibe to Coal Yard.

Update: It’s now open & the review is here.

Casimir now offering half portions

Posted on | October 14, 2010 | No Comments

If you haven’t been to Casimir (103-105 Avenue B @6-7th St.) in a while & are squinting at the menu thinking you’re seeing things, trust me, you’re not.  Although it’s been in effect for some time, Casimir have recently reprinted their menus with pricing for the new ‘mini’ sized dishes in green. 50% of the full price basically gets you a smaller version of the same plate (see the Steak Tartare ($18 & $9) to the left, one of my favorite dishes there).

I think it’s a really great idea & allows diners to try more dishes.  It seems to be very popular as well, the last couple of nights that I was there at the bar, the mini-plates seem to be very well received.  The Steamed Mussels ($12 & $6) is a perfect example of a dish that’s great in half portions (unfortunately I don’t have a picture of the mini). Read more

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