L’Express is an Infatuation MVP – a staple in the repertoire that is good for just about everything from casual dinner with friends, to business lunch, to drinks and crossing your fingers on a first date. The menu sports French classics like escargot and duck a l’orange, but good ole USA eats like burgers and sandwiches are plentiful as well. Brunch, lunch, and dinner are all excellent and unshakably consistent, but we especially love this 24 hour French brasserie for the New York City menagerie that it becomes at three in the morning. Late at night the restaurant fills with a colorful crowd of drunks looking for something other than a diner omelet to help them survive the morning. We’re with them. Somehow that lamb burger tastes even better when you’re on the precipice of a full on black out.
Writing this review is a strange experience for me. It’s kind of like writing up my grandmother’s cooking. Actually, if that’s the case I should probably make this a 10.0…sorry grandma. I’m half Lebanese and grew up eating food like this at family gatherings, so I think it’s a pretty big compliment to Balade when I say this reminds me of what grandma has coming out of the kitchen on holidays. The only reason Balade doesn’t get a ridiculously high rating is because I don’t think most people have any idea what a lot of this food is. Obviously you’ve had hummus, or at least some bastardized Whole Foods version with edamame in it (more on that later), and chances are you’ve seen some stuffed grape leaves or spinach pies on a menu at a Greek restaurant. Whatever the case, if you don’t know much about Lebanese food, you should just know that if you like garlic, olive oil, lemon, and meat – you’re probably going to like what you eat at Balade.
There are are a handful of Lebanese restaurants in New York City, and many of them are very good. Some of the newer ones though, like Naya and ilili, are slick, modern, and high end. Balade is certainly no hole in the wall, but it’s relaxed and warm – much more our speed than those other spots. I don’t care what kind of food you’re serving, I don’t want to listen to a DJ spin while I eat. Ever. So Balade gets a leg up for being the right kind of atmosphere, … read more
There was a time when this was the only restaurant anywhere near the Upper East side that we would make a trip for. J.G. Melon’s is one of the better burgers in New York City, and it had it’s 30th anniversary long before Shake Shack and Five Guys started opening up locations around town like Duane Reade. Nowadays there are a few more culinary bright spots in the area (namely Cascabel and Flex), but it seemed nessecary that we give J.G. Melon’s it’s due respect.
If you haven’t been, there are a few things you should know: it will inevitably be crowded, you need to drink beers by the bottle (not from the tap), and the service will not be friendly. But before you go running to Yelp to tell all your “friends” about how mean they were to you, consider this – it’s a New York institution that’s been serving burgers since TGI Friday’s was nothing more than a swinging singles bar down the street. Respect your elders and eat.
Photo Credit: Nick Solares/A Hamburger Today
Before we get into this, let me preface this review by saying that we liked Rye quite a bit. It’s a solid restaurant with good food and nice people. But answer us this one question: how far will this old timey New York restaurant thing go? Rye is a Williamsburg clone of Prime Meats, another restaurant meant to evoke a time when they put bitters and witch hazel in cocktails to fight off the polio. You know when we’re really going to be impressed? When someone opens a joint in Fort Greene with no running water or electricity. I want to have dinner in a restaurant with no bathroom, just a chamber pot next to each table. That’s fucking old school.
Cranky observations aside, Rye is pretty great. The concept is definitely getting played out, but they did a good job with the place, and almost everything we ate was tasty and satisfying – particularly the sandwiches on the menu. The meatloaf sandwich is quickly becoming what the restaurant is known for, and the pork belly on a soft roll is like a big Americanized pork bun – fatter and cockier than it’s little Japanese cousin, and it loves freedom. Our only complaint is that the entrees can seem anti-climactic after the excellent starters and salads. Then again we probably shouldn’t have been eating sandwiches as starters in the first place.
If you happen to be nursing a crippling hangover, add two points to this rating. According to ancient Japanese mythology (and this website), Rai Rai Ken shoyu ramen has unique healing properties and it regenerates liver cells. You’ll be hard pressed to find a better cure for those extra shots you took last night that made you so awesome at Buckhunter and girls.
There’s plenty of ramen in the East Village these days, and no shortage of opinions on where to go. We happen to believe that Rai Rai Ken sits near the top of the heap, mostly because that shoyu ramen is so good, but also because it’s inexpensive and simple. It’s one of our favorite places for Dining Solo on a Saturday afternoon. We don’t, however, recommend trying to go during prime lunch or dinner hours. The whole restaurant is about fifteen seats, all at a counter, and they’re almost always taken. If you do give it a shot, the good news is that turnover is pretty quick, and you have plenty of other ramen options around the ‘hood as a backup plan.
