des recommends

My post last night sent my brain off on a tangent. I began thinking about how I have a favorite restaurant for every category, even a few I’ve made up specifically for this post.
So here is my mini-restaurant review. Someday I’ll print it out in portable brochure form.

*Note – Yes, most of these are in NYC. Simply put, there are more eateries here, and I’ve been to them most recently. But if you have a killer food place that I haven’t mentioned, invite me to your town and take me out to dinner there. Conversly, if you have a category I need to review, name it.

Best vegan teahouse: Teany, New York.
Once owned by Moby, they have several hundred flavors of tea. I think I’ve tried 3 of them. They also used to serve more food, but they’ve cut down the menu to only a few edibles. But everything they have is oh so tasty, and vegan. (They might switch out some dairy cheese on request, but I’m not sure.) The food is relatively simple, like the kind you eat and wonder why you don’t make this at home. Because you’re lazy, that’s why.

Best Thai food and coolest bar / restaurant combo: (double winner) Sophia’s Thai Kitchen, Davis, CA.
Food: I repeat myself, but I’ve never found a better Thai restaurant. Everything is so good. Start out with tofu satay, either baked or fried. It comes with peanut sauce so tasty that people have actually been killed over it. As a main course, my old standard was tofu with spinach and peanut sauce, a dish I was successful in copying at home, though of course it was never quite as good. For a beverage, go with Thai iced coffee. I don’t know if it’s just the tastiness of the food seeping into the drink, but nobody mixes coffee and coconut milk better. Not to mention the super boost of caffeine.
Drinks: Maybe you’re waiting for your dinner table. Maybe you’re out at night and want some tasty drinks. The atmosphere is set by a thatched-roof patio with stringed lights hanging about everywhere. There are couches tucked away in corners and the bar itself is lit via blacklight. A giant fish tank sits in the middle of the room. Sure, you could enjoy all this with regular old boring drinks like whiskey on the rocks or rum & coke, but why would you? They serve specialty drinks: a chocotini that is a little bit better than sex, a vanilla-apple-cosmo that makes me weep tears of joy. Dozens of others. I don’t remember them being particularly expensive, but I’ve lost all perception of what comprises “expensive drinks” since moving to NYC.

Best pizza:
No, that’s too hard. I’ll narrow it down.

Best food at 3am: Rosario’s pizza, LES, NYC
The food itself is standard fare, $2 for a slice of street corner pizza, but if you’re in the Lower East Side at 3am, chances are that you’ve been drinking, at a show, or both. You need greasy pizza. Eat here.

Best actual Italian pizza: (tie) Gaspare’s, San Francisco, and Grimaldi’s, Brooklyn
Mmm olive oil and garlic. I think both these places serve other Italian food, but nobody knows about it because everybody goes there for the giant pizzas. Sooo good.

Best pizza that comes to my house: The other one, Brooklyn
2 pizza places deliver to my house. One of them is Papa John’s. One of them is the other one. Papa John’s is gross, and the other one is closed on Sundays.

Best frat boy pizza: Woodstocks, Davis, CA
It’s the best pizza place in town. It’s a college town. Do the math. They do have all sorts of interesting toppings like broccoli and ranch dressing, but be prepared to fork over some dough. And not pizza dough, either.

Ok, enough about pizza.

Best all night diner: Around the Clock, East Village, NYC
Cheap and filling open faced sandwiches and weird food nobody should eat, plus french fries and other standard diner fare. It always seems busy, but it’s not too bad. I’ve never eaten there during the day, but it might be a little hipster.

Best all night Ukranian diner: Veselka, East Village, NYC
Like Around the Clock, but with borscht.

Best food just like Ma used to make (but not my ma, thank god): Pig 'N Out, Brooklyn
Barbequed ribs. Collared greens. Mac & Cheese. Sweet potata’ fries. It seems expensive, but its more food than you can ever eat in one sitting. Just like Ma’s picnics, you get leftovers. The mac & cheese is so rich that that I have a little heart attack just by thinking about it. The sweet potata’ fries are soft and salty and perfect. *drool*

Most convenient all-vegetarian food: (tie) VP2 and Red Bamboo, West Village, NYC
They are convenient for me because they’re right by NYU Law, which I visit sometimes. And they are right next door to each other. And they are owned by the same people. If one is too busy or closed from a gas leak for 2 months (VP2) then go to the other one. Red Bamboo has more “ethnic-y” food while VP2 has things like turkey sandwiches and chicken strips. Every single thing on both menus is the best thing ever, and there are always interesting conversations at the next table.

Best food from a cart: NY Dosas, Washington Square, NYC
All vegan, and the guy is totally nice. Unfortunately, he tends to run out of food before I get there (stupid work!) but he still recognizes me even though I haven’t technically eaten there in months. Let him surprise you with a meal. You don’t have to know what it’s called to know it tastes good. The drumsticks and the soup both have names and both are highly recommended, even craved by me.

Ok, that’s it for now because I suddenly find myself starving to death. I’ll make a continuation list later.