Vegetarian Places

Since last was all about burgers, I decided to change it up a little and do vegetarian places. I went to Maoz and Zen Palate, both located in Union Square.



Zen Palate (4): The decor if this restaurant is cool. It has a spiritual essence about it with neutral earth tones and plants. In order to get to the bathroom, you have to walk across a bridge that overlooks the restaurant, which was interesting. The food was a little expensive for my taste. Any entree is at at least 15 dollars. There are interesting drinks to choose from like carrot juice and wheat grass shots, but no alcohol. I ordered the "Wheel of Dharma" which was very good. It was fried shitaki mushrooms with mashed sweet potatoes under a sweet and sour onion sauce. I know it doesn't sound too appealing, but it was actually very good. The mushrooms had a lot of flavor, and were complemented well by the sweet potatoes. The sauce was good, it has chopped pieces of onions and herbs and went well with the mushrooms because without it, the mushrooms were very dry. I wouldn't say it was worth 15 dollars, and dont recommend this place if you are trying to save money. Overall, I give it a 4.




Maoz (4)
Maoz is a tiny place known mainly for its falafels. The service is very fast, and the falafels are very good. They are reasonably priced as well. Including a water, I only paid 7 dollars. I ordered a Maoz with hummus, which is basically a falafel with hummus. There is a self service bar in which you can choose from different vegetables to put on the falafel. I chose a number of different vegetables like cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes, and all of them were fresh and very good. The falafel comes in a small box that you can conveniently carry and eat out of without making a mess. The one thing I hate about falafels is how messy they tend to be, but these weren't so bad. There is no space to eat, only a small table in the back with seating for 3 people. But you can always eat in union square park which is right across the street. This place was delicious, fast and not expensive, so I give it a 5.

2 great places to go for a burger

This week I went to PJ Clarke's and Corner Bistro












PJ Clarkes (5) Located on 55th and 3rd, the atmosphere was cozy and old-fashioned. The service was fast and freindly. We only waited about 10 minutes for a table. I ordered a cheeseburger, cooked medium rare, and it was cooked great, not too rare, not too over cooked. The portion size was pretty big and the fries were very good. I paid 8.50 for the burger which included the fries. It was crowded, but overall, it is a great restaraunt, the food is amazing. I give it a 5.


Corner Bistro (5) Located on west 4th and 8th, the atmosphere was decent, not as good as PJ Clarkes, but tolerable. I waited in line for a table for about 20 minuties, but the line was right next to the bar, so it was easy to order drinks while waiting. The eating room is very small, only about 8 tables, but the tables were secluded by walls, which was pretty cool. The service was very fast once we sat down. I ordered a cheesebuger which was only 6 dollars. This cheeseburger was by far the best cheesebuger I have ever had in my entire life, I still cant beleive I only paid 6 dollars for it. I would even go so far as to say that it was better than PJ Clarkes. It was juicy and cooked perfectly. The fries were not as good PJ Clarkes, they tasted a little worse than McDonalds. I also orederd a long island ice tea that was only 6 dollars, and a beer that was only 2.50! I recommend you go to this place if you are looking for a good burger and some cheap drinks, just be prepared to wait if you go on the weekend. This place gets a well deserved 5.

Thai Food

This week's theme was Thai food. I went to Pooket and Spice, both were excellent.




















Pooket (5): Located at 50th and 2nd, the atmosphere was very cute. There was classical music playing, and alot of decorations and paintings on the walls. Its a nice place to go with family. The service was quick, and my server was very nice. I ordered the sweet and sour chicken. The portion size was huge and it came with a side of white rice, also huge. The sweet and sour chicken consists of chicken (obviously), green and red peppers, mushrooms, chopped pineappples, chopped tomatoes, onions, and another vegetable that I couldnt quite make out, I think it was string beans. The sweet and sour sauce was very good. It was perfect: not too sweet and not too overpowering. There was alot of sauce though, so you needed the white rice to balance it out. The chicken was cooked perfectly. The vegetables were great: very fresh. Everything had a lot of flavor. The food was incredible, and it only cost 12 dollars! I give this place a 5, and I highly recommend going!



Spice (5) I went to the location on 76th and 2nd. The atmosphere was cool, it was trendy (for lack of a better word). The lights were dim and there was techno music playing. It was a little crowded. The tables were very close together. The service was fast, and freindly. I ordered the siamese fried rice and an appetizer of golden fritters. (FYI: if you go there before 3pm, the appetizers are free) The golden fritters are basically chicken and shrimp wrapped in a fried dumpling with a sweet and sour sauce. They are absolutely incredible. I highly recommend getting this appetizer. The siamese fried rice consisted of rice, tomatoes, onions, peppers, and your choice of chicken or shrimp. I have had both, and they are equally amazing. I ordered the shrimp this time and it was very good. Perfectly cooked as always, and the whole dish had a lot of flavor. Its a great place to go with friends and its very close to school. I orderd the golden fritters, siamese fried rice and an iced tea and only paid 20 dollars, including tip. Spice gets a well deserved 5.

Burritos

This week I wanted to find a good Burrito so I went to Burritoville and Chipotle








Burritoville (5) I went to the location on 76th and 3rd. The service was very fast, and the burrito I got was amazing. I ordered the Border Burrito which is a vegetarian burrito that comes with beans (you can get black or pinto, I chose pinto) sour cream, chedder cheese, and pico de gayo. (I ordered it without pico de gayo). The tortilla was fresh, the beans had alot of flavor and were complemented very well by the sour cream and cheese. You get free chips and salsa with your order too! The chips were fresh and the salsa was amazing! I highly recomend the Border Burrito. I paid 9 dollars (including a drink) and I thought it was worth it. This place gets a well deserved 5.



Chipotle (1). I went to the one located on 27th and 7th. I hate to speak so negatively of Chipotle since I have heard so many good things about it, but I really hated the Burrito I got. I was hoping it would be good because I have heard the food there was amazing, but I really did not like it at all. I ordered a burrito with pinto beans, sour cream, chedder cheese, guacamole and rice. First of all, the food was so salty that it made me feel sick to my stomach. The pinto beans had bacon in them which was gross, and was not complemented well by the lime flavored rice. Bacon and lime just don't go well together for me. The cheese was really salty. The only thing that was good was the guacamole and sour cream, but you cant really make a meal out of that, so I threw most of it away. I had to pay 1.50 for chips that were also way too salty. All together I paid 8.50 and left very dissapointed. But I have heard from alot of people that this place was really good, so maybe I just ordered the wrong thing, or went to a bad location. I give this place a 1 becasue the service was fast.