Raoul’s is the shit. That’s really the only proper way to put it. If you can’t have a good time here, you probably can’t have a good time anywhere. This boisterous French bistro has been a Soho institution since the 70’s. It’s that awesome NYC restaurant depicted in your favorite Woody Allen flick, one that probably doesn’t exist in real life. Except it does and in reality it’s just as cool. Raoul’s is useful for a variety of different reasons. Having dinner with friends from out of town? They will feel the upbeat, lively vibe at Raoul’s. Double date with your favorite party couple who like to un-tuck, throw a couple back and grub hard? This is the place. Just be prepared to drop dollars. On the prowl after work with your favorite wing-man/wing-woman? There’s all kinds of good action here and a nice variety to choose from; a classy crowd of spunky ladies and well put together dudes. If you want to be all up in the mix, make sure to request a table in the front of the restaurant. For a more subdued good time, the back atrium through the kitchen is where it’s at. Time to talk food.
In case you haven’t noticed, Cobble Hill is fully stacked with great restaurants these days, many of which are new Infatuation favorites. Right at the top of that list is Char No. 4, and it’s easy to see why. It’s essentially my New York City dream house – a warm, inviting space with a wall of bourbon and a smoker. When we sell this website to Excite or Lycos or whoever is spending money these days, that’s totally what I’m buying. I guess for now I’ll have to stick with my current method of tossing a few woodchips into the toaster and ripping the batteries out of the smoke alarm.
While smoking meat is definitely a huge part of what Char No. 4 does (you’ll notice that damn near everything on the dinner menu is a “house smoked” something), it’s not all just ribs and brisket sandwiches. This is Southern influenced food in New York City, and you will find some really creative things on the menu, like the insanely good lamb pastrami, a ridiculous crispy sweet potato gnocchi, and a more than respectable brunch. We recently decided to put it all to the test by bringing in some palates even more discerning than ours. One of our favorite new bands hails from Dallas, and we decided to introduce them to Southern food, Brooklyn style. Take a look and see what happens when Char No. 4 meets Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights.
Should we have arrived on this earth centuries earlier, Immaculate Infatuation would have existed as an exclusive dining club instead of an internet circle jerk. Being added to the Infatuation telegram list back then would have been even cooler than being an “ambassador” at The Gates (that was a joke). Every suspenders wearing, pipe smokin’, handlebar mustache rockin’ 19th century hipster would have wanted in on our action. Our home base in this amazing, hypothetical world? Keens.
Keens is as Old New York as you can get. Open since 1885, this place is loaded with history. It’s pretty much the Museum of Natural Meat Eating History. Before it was open to the public, Keens was a members only hangout; a Soho House of sorts for NYC’s most powerful including Teddy Roosevelt and Babe Ruth. 115 years and counting, Keens is still home to one of this city’s best steaks. So good in fact, it’s in our top five NYC steakhouses along with Luger’s, Striphouse, Dylan Prime and Quality Meats.
Much like other recent openings (see Minetta Tavern, DBGB), Locanda Verde has been a hot topic among food critics and writers of late. Those who faithfully read these reviews will surely come away able to tell their friends all about how Robert DeNiro is still involved, as is an up and coming New York chef, Andrew Carmellini. And they will surely let everyone know how much better Locanda Verde is than Ago was, even though the Ago in LA is fantastic. How nice for them.
Luckily, you come to this site for the real deal (and also because you are awesome), so here it is. Locanda Verde is a very good restaurant, and it is so because the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. What does that mean exactly? The space is nice, but you’re not going to be sending your friends pics from your blackberry. The wait staff is pleasant and well versed in the menu, but they aren’t going to make you want to drop a thirty percent tip. The wine list is nice, though ordering by the glass seems to be the way to go. Most importantly, the majority of the food on the menu is very good on its own, but if you order correctly, the entire meal will be a fantastic experience and you will need a forklift to get your fat ass out of there. Take each individual aspect, add it together, and you have a pretty great dining experience, one that is actually quite deserving of the recent praise. Kudos to Bobby D.
Cookshop, like Five Points, is a review that was long overdue on this site. There aren’t many restaurants in New York City that you can count on for an excellent meal regardless of circumstance, and this one is certainly among the few. Chances are that you, a dedicated Immaculate Infatuation reader, already know all of this, and have either recently dined at Cookshop or confidently sent a friend on a recommendation. Then again, maybe you haven’t.
In that case, we can simply tell you that breakfast, brunch, and dinner are all amazing, and that Cookshop needs to be on your list. Or, we can put it into our own terms to help you really understand how we feel. How good is Cookshop? So good that you won’t give a damn if you are the only person in the house not on a really intense date. So good that you will swear to never waste another dollar on trendy let downs like Permanent Brunch or The Standard Grill. Cookshop is so good that you’ll want to take your leftovers home and bury them in a time capsule.
Yep, we back this place pretty hard. Find yourself some time in the near future to visit. And make sure to bring something along worth burying.
Feature: Infatuation TV: P.O.S.
