Don’t Miss Saigon Grill
- The shrimp summer rolls from Saigon Grill.
Ordinarily, the crew of friends I was with would’ve headed to Keen’s for steak. It’s something of a tradition with us. However, one of our company was on a more restrictive budget, so we headed to the ever-reliable (if somewhat evil) Saigon Grill.
Why somewhat evil? Because the owners of Saigon Grill were found guilty of exploiting their employees, woefully underpaying and overworking them and generally engaging in bad practices. With that in the background, it’s a moral choice to eat here – I boycotted it for some years (my taste buds have yet to get over it) while all this litigation was playing out. I was greatly relieved when the judgment came down, since now the restaurant would need my support in order to remain in business and rehire all those exploited workers.
So now I feel as though I’m participating in a civic good.
Detail of the shrimp summer rolls.
We started with the shrimp summer rolls, which I love. They are served chilled, within a thin, rice pancake encasing shrimp, vermicelli, bean sprouts, lettuce and touch of mint. Dip in the peanut plum sauce – so delicious.
Spicy & sweet ribs from Saigon Grill.
Since one of our number is opposed to eating shellfish (something to do with the bottom-feeding habits of molluscs), we indulged him by ordering the spicy and sweet spare ribs. Everybody loves spare ribs, of course, but I found these a bit light on the spiciness. Nonetheless, the strong pork note was welcome.
Steamed shrimp finger from Saigon Grill.
I always think it’s a mistake to pass on the steamed shrimp fingers. I realize one of our crew didn’t want to eat shellfish, fortunately these light, tasty dumplings are so easy to devour I didn’t manage to snap a shot until we had almost cleared the plate. They are clad in a very thin dough, are tender and filled with shrimpy deliciousness.
Thit xao gong from Saigon Grill.
For entrees, we settled on a trio. We indulged in thit xao gong, sliced pork in a ginger-honey sauce. It comes with peppers and onions. This is a standard preparation, and the meat can swapped out if you’d prefer chicken or fish, for example. I found it to be a bit heavy on the sauce, myself, and the quality of the thin pieces of pork is nothing to write home about. However, the ginger flavor was a hit with the rest of the crew.
Chicken mi xao don from Saigon Grill.
My colleagues were interested in a noodle dish – I tried to dissuade them (the devil white flour again!) but it was for naught. Really, I was pushing the delicious ca chien – a whole sea bass prepared with a sweet & sauce, made crispy. It looks a fright but boy is it delicious. Again, no luck. So we got the chicken mi xao don – pan fried egg noodles with chicken and vegetables. I found it utterly unremarkable.
Bo luc lac from Saigon Grill.
Although I had no luck convincing them to try the ca chien, I was able to prevail on them to get the delicious bo luc lac. It’s cubes of beef, prepared in a teriyaki sauce, and comes with a small side salad and taro chips. The bo, for me, is routinely the star of the show at Saigon Grill. The cubes of beef are tender and have a smoky note, impressive since they are cooked over gas. My friend joked “You’re going to get teriyaki beef at a Vietnamese place?” but his criticism was quickly silenced by the wonderful dish. For me, it is the star of the show, but for my colleagues, they enjoyed the ginger sauce adorning the pork.
Saigon Grill isn’t much by way of decor, and it’s not particularly expensive. We got out of there – with two beers each – for about $100. I love getting Saigon Grill to go as well.
Saigon Grill 620 Amsterdam Avenue New York, NY 10024 (212) 875-9072 No websiteBapcha Cart
The Bapcha Cart.
I am big fan of Korean BBQ, but am far from an expert on the subject, or as adventurous in my choices as such excellent cuisine warrants. Don’t get me wrong: I will go for some yuek hwe (steak tartare with a raw egg and pear), but that’s been the limits of my choices so far (past galbi and bulgogi).
Nevertheless, after visiting Midtown Lunch, a food website I love, I noticed they had favorably reviewed the newly remodeled Bapcha Cart and decided to give it a go myself. Boy am I glad I did.
There are, in fact, two branches of the Bapcha Cart. One handles soup, the other platters. I opted for the platter this time, getting the Galbi Combo Box for $9.00. For meats, I chose the galbi (short ribs in a soy/barbecue sauce) and dak galbi (chicken in a spicy sauce).
The galbi combo box from Bapcha Cart.
The galbi was smoky, rich, slightly sweet, just a bit chewy, and was slightly undermined by a hint of gas flavor. The dak galbi wound up being the star of the show. It was tender, chunky, surprisingly spicy, sweet, and had a faint hint of orange. There were chunks of potato(?) incorported into it. The concoction is covered in an orange sauce, making it hard to spot the spicy red chilis lurking in the dish.
Another look at the dak galbi, left, and the galbi, right.
The side salad, which was squirted with its own dressing, was slightly lost in the heat of the dak galbi. However, concealed beneath the green leaves, was a surprisingly awesome, wriggly gaggle of black bean soba noodles. They had an interesting, slippery texture and a faint sesame note. I found them delightful and kept coming back to them.
These noodles are wonderful.
The galbi and dak galbi sat on top of a generous portion of rice, which had a the right level of stickiness – good for grabbing chunks of it with chopsticks.
Overall, it was very good and I would gladly return. It’s a heavier lunch than I’ve been having lately (owing to the diet). After eating, I found myself glistening with a faint sweat triggered by the spicy dak galbi, but cleaning out your pores is a good thing, right? Next time I’ll skip the galbi (can’t stand beef cooked over gas, it invariably gets that faint methane flavor). Very good overall, very solid portion for $9.
Bapcha Cart
49th Street between 6th & 7th Avenue.
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At Carmine’s
Veal parm over rigatoni at Carmine's.
Carmine’s Restaurant helped to transform the Upper West Side when it opened in 1990. It brought Arthur Avenue-esque, family-style southern Italian cuisine to a residential neighborhood and basically exploded. It’s one of the most popular restaurants on the Upper West Side and is popular with locals and tourists alike. It is also frequently quite loud.
And, of course, it is way, way off diet.
With a friend in from out of town, and simplicity being a virtue, we settled on Carmine’s. We were all pretty hungry, having doffed a quick martini before stepping out, and ordered a Caesar salad, a side order of sausage as an appetizer, and the veal parm over rigatoni for the main.
Caesar salad at Carmine's.
That used to be a large plate of Caesar salad. That was what was left after the three of us tore through it. I also should have a photo of the 4 fat sausages that came as our appetizer, but we ate them so quickly there was no opportunity to snap the shot. They were on the sweet side, and had a pleasant snap to their skin.
Either way, back to the Caesar. At Carmine’s, the crisp hearts of romaine lettuce are pretty well slathered with the thick, flavorful dressing. Our server put the anchovies on the side, but we all indulged.
A portion of the veal parm.
The rigatoni was handled very well – it routinely is – served nicely al dente. The red sauce is garlicky but also a touch on the sweet side. The veal is not particularly special, but at least it also isn’t too tough or dried out.
What Carmine’s really has going for it is a solid level of overall quality, massive portion size, and fun (occassionally raucous) atmosphere. With Arthur Avenue so far out of pocket, it’s a wonderful resource I routinely use. Or used more routinely when I wasn’t on this diet and avoiding the dread white flour in pasta.
Carmine’s Restaurant 2450 Broadway New York, NY 10025 (212) 362-2200 www.carminesnyc.comEating Healthy(ish) at Lucky’s Famous Burgers
The storefront of Lucky's Famous Burgers on 52nd and 9th.
Lucky’s Famous Burgers on 52nd and 9th has been around for a while and I am well accustomed to their fare. The best thing on their menu is their amazing onion rings, which are deep fried in a gnarly, thick batter and have one hell of a crunch. They are rich, soul-satisfying and sensational. Too bad the burgers are meh and frequently overcooked. The service is also hit and miss. You can sometimes wait far too long for your order, although lately that’s been less of a problem.
All that said, I’ve come to believe that the best sandwich they have on the menu is the Lucky’s Famous Chicken Sandwich.
Because I am on this darn diet, and processed white flour is the enemy, I’m delighted that Lucky’s now offers their sandwiches on what they are calling a “Naked Bun,” namely a thick layer of crisp, crunchy iceberg lettuce.
Lucky's Famous Chicken Sandwich on "naked" bun of iceberg lettuce. Appetizing, ain't it?
The sandwich consists of a chicken breast, American cheese, applewood smoked bacon, lettuce (natch), tomato and Lucky’s terrific chipotle mayo.
The mayo is vital to the success of the sandwich. It adds a peppery spice that illuminates the chicken breast, cheese and bacon. Your mouth will be tingling for a few minutes even after you’re done with the sandwich.
One disadvantage to the lettuce bun is it is sloppiness. While I don’t miss the carbs, sugar or other attendant evil of a bun, I do miss their ability to absorb various juices. In this configuration, my hand is invariably covered at least partially with goop amid eating.
It can get somewhat slippy and gooey.
I also indulged in some of the Lucky’s Sauce, which tastes a bit like a red pepper aioli with a hint of cinammon. Whatever it actually is, it’s certainly delicious. In my less-healthy days, I’d gladly dip my fries or onion rings into it (or the chipotle mayo) and enjoy. A former colleague of mine deployed the leftover sauce atop potato chips: why not?
All in all, Lucky’s offers a pretty good selection, especially if you’re trying to eat with a wink and nod toward your health. Don’t kid yourself – I am sure it is not particularly healthy – but it’s certainly not as far a fall off a diet wagon as a myriad of other options.
Lucky’s Famous Burgers 370 West 52nd Street New York, NY (212) 247-6717 www.luckysfamousburgers.com
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