Pastis: With Kids?

After taking Boy 1 and Boy 2 to "The Producers" on Sunday, we took them out to eat. It was the quite the grown up day for two people whose ages combined wouldn't allow them to vote. We had great success taking them to Florent in the past and wanted to try something different and maybe a bit more fancy (we were pushing our luck after our Paris trip). In that vein, we origianlly thought of Balthazaar, but when we couldn't get reservations, we decided to go to Pastis instead. It was a straight shot downtown after the theater anyway, and, as anticipated, after a long afternoon of somewhat inappropriate theater, those boys were hungry!

I have several observations about Pastis. While I realize that we were going early, on Easter Sunday, while Passover was still going on, I was still impressed at the lack of New Yorkers in the restaurant. I think I saw more New Yorkers eating in bistros in France. Also, if you averaged the ages of the four of us, it was about the same age as many of the other tables. Having said that, if you have reservations, Pastis is a perfectly pleasant place to eat with kids. The service is fast, they make Shirley Temples, and have a perfectly good bistro menu long on hamburgers, pasta and red meat. The steak frite, ordered medium rare, arrived medium rare. And their Sunday special, cassoulet, is quite good. Oysters were good, but I will not get them again. Moule Frite was acceptable. The place is noisy enough so that a little whining is not noticed.

Having said that, both boy 1 and boy 2 preferred Florent. When the lovely wife asked why, boy 1 said "the music." In fact, there is no music at Pastis, while Florent provides a pulsing 80s disco soundtrack most of the time! And MM like the fact that its a lot less money, and to be honest, the service is a lot friendlier (although it was great at both places).

Kefi: New Upper West Side Greek from Fancy Beginings

Kefi only takes cash. So remember to bring some when you go. Kefi does have a full bar, so even though the prices are quite reasonable, you may need the money by the time you're done. They have one good Greek margarita (according to the the lovely wife: I was having a respectable martini). Located at the site of, and owned by the same people as Onera, 222 West 79th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam (212-873-0200 / no reservations), Kefi is a downscaled version of the fancy (and not overly popular) Greek restaurant. As opposed to Onera, Kefi has a traditional Greek Menu featuring classic meze such as grilled octopus with bean salad (really good), Greek Salad (good enough) and a traditional selection of spreads (very small amount of each spread, but each was excellent). Other appetizers include feta, spanakopita, souvlaki and other traditional dishes.

Main courses included a limited selection of fish (grilled swordfish, baked cod and branzino). We had the branzino and it was very good. It was crispy on the outside, moist on the inside and well seasoned and oiled. There are also traditional meat dishes, such as souvlaki (its so traditional, they needed to make it an appetizer and a main course!), baked cod (ditto) and lamb shank. I had the baby lamb chop special, which came with a well seasoned and cooked side dish of spinach and rice. Most appetizers cost $6-$9 and most main dishes are around $15.

The service is fast. They do not take reservations. When we got there at 6:45 PM tonight we had no problems getting a table, but the place was packed with a line not quite out the door when we left at 8 PM. The lovely wife said she would go with the kids, but I would only do this early. There is plenty for the to eat, however. As I live and work only several blocks away, I'm sure I'll to back to Kefi. It will be great for a quick after work or before movie meal. To be honest I know why they changed to a more downscale restaurant. I only ate at Onera once.

I Can't Believe | Like This but...

One of the great things about having friends in a place you visit is that they have a kitchen. Last night we spent New Year's eve with our friends from London. Besides being New Year's eve, it was also our female friend from London's birthday. We had an excellent meal, with Texas style English brisket (more on this later), excellent cheese and great potatoes. The surprise of the night was "Ramapo Nacho Dip" modified by our friend somewhat. The surprise is that its really good, despite basically being from a day camp's photocopied "cookbook." The recipe is easy to make, and here it is:

INGREDIENTS

1 bag tortilla chips (thick chips are better)
8 ounces of cream cheese (called "Philadelphia" here in the UK)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 jar salsa
1 can of whole refried beans

EQUIPMENT YOU WILL NEED

8" pan (ceramic is better than metal)

INSTRUCTIONS

Spread cream cheese on the bottom of the pan. Spread the salsa and beans on top of the cream cheese. Add the cheddar on top and then the mozzarella on top of this. Bake in a 400 degree oven for seven minutes or until the cheese is melted. Eat.

Ranger's Look Great and Korean Food Pre-Game is Great, Too

First of all, I would like to congratulate Jaromir Jagr, the Captain of the New York Rangers, for scoring his 600th career goal tonight. It was a great thing to witness, especially as Brendan Shanahan shot his 600th earlier this year. Also, the Rangers kicked Tampa Bay butt and easily won 4-1. After yesterdays fiasco in Pittsburgh, its good to see the Rangers over 500 and nipping at the heels of the Devil's.

But before the game, there was the Korean food. It would have been better after the game, but we brought the kids. After our failed adventure with Korean food two weeks ago, the lovely wife and I arranged to meet everyone at Kang Suh, a restaraunt first introduced to us by our friends now in London. Kang Suh is on 32nd Street, east of Broadway. It is a multilevel restaraunt that also has nice private rooms for moderate sized groups. This was a great thing tonight, as we had dinner with two other Ranger Fan Families (total: 5 adults, 5 kids). The service at Kang Suh can be bit choppy when they are busy (which is most of the time), but the lovely wife was able to push them along so we made it in time for the opening faceoff.

Kang Suh has excellent marinated shortribs. They are marinated in a traditional sweet, soy based sauce, but they are cut thicker than the beef shortribs I have had at other Korean restaraunts. The meat is of good quality, and grills well. The kids like the chicken, which is great for them, but I would not have it with all excellent alternatives available on the bar-b-que menu. The marinated pork is very tasty. We tried the brisket (pictured), which tastes more like cheese steak beef than anything else. This has been true for several Korean Bar-b-que's I have eaten at, so I think I will stop trying while I'm ahead. Kang Suh has excellent and varied Kim Chee, which is different every time you go. They have reasonable prices for beer. I whole heartedly recommend it for before or after games at Madison Square Garden.

Fried Chicken at Spoonbread Makes Everything Better

Unfortunately, the Hockey Hawks of Central Park were narrowly beaten by the Staten Island Rangers. Fortunately, Lasker rink is right next to Miss Mamie's Spoonbread Too (on 110th Street off Columbus), one of the better places in New York City to get fried chicken. Spoonbread chicken has a moist inside and a well spiced crust. It is not overly crunchy. I like their shortribs as well, but would avoid the pork ribs as they are to sweet. The collards are excellent, clearly cooked with smoked turkey and full of flavor. Boy 1 and Boy 2 both love the mac and cheese, and I must admit, so do I. The fries you see are for the under 15 set. Prices are reasonable, and its easy to get to on the c train or 1 train to 110th Street (you can walk the two blocks to Columbus!)

In addition to their two restaraunts Spoonbread also has an excellent catering department. The lovely wife and I used them last year for our Superbowl Party, and the food was delicious and the servers they supplied excellent.

Florent: Eating out with the Kids I

Male Martha won't be the first blogger to write about eating with the kids and he won't be the last. However, he will be the best. In my case we are not talking about little teeny kids who tend to scream and embarrass you. We are talking about larger, pre-adolescent kids who have limited attention spans and some attitude and embarrass you. Cause that's what Male Martha has. I am always happy to hear from other parents who have either the little screamy or the adolescent-I can't believe your sitting with me variety of child as well.

We went to Florent (69 Gansevoort Street, NYC 10014: tel 212-989-5779) last night for dinner with boy 1 and boy 2. For good measure we brought another 10 year old boy. For those of us who used to go to dates at Florent in the late eighties and early nineties, the change in the Meat Packing district is amazing. For years, the only shoes you could buy down there were the horse shoes from the meat packing plants selling "New Jersey cuts."

Florent, in a good way, has not changed that much. Its still kitsch, and still cash only. The lovely wife and I went alone late last week and after 10 PM the place is sill crowded, although about half the crowd are the same age as me and the lovely wife. The noise level, even at 8 PM (when we took the kids) is high but you can still hear. Other tables will not be able to hear what your kids say, which, only speaking for myself of course, is a good thing. Service is quick and friendly. The tables can handle a spill or two.

The menu has not significantly changed in many years. There is a children's menu, which has burgers, grilled cheese and chicken fingers. My kids of course went for the steak frites. Other things on the adult menu that kids may eat include caeser salad, chicken, and a variety of sandwiches. Adults should have the artichoke, the beet endive salad and the mussels. The kids all liked the mousse for dessert, and the cheese cake got excellent reviews from the add on 10 year old. Entrees are in the high teens to low twenties, appetizers and salads in the high single digits and desserts about $7.00