I’ll reiterate my previous observation that Kambi is much larger than Minca with seating up front & plenty of tables in the back.  This came in particularly handy on my first revisit after my first review.  We arrived on a Friday evening & just managed to snag a seat at the bar in front of the kitchen before the rush arrived.  I actually like the fact that the place was packed & there was a line (most likely because I was already seated), music was playing & it added some atmosphere.

We started with the shrimp gyoza which are some of my favorite in the East Village (don’t sleep on the pork gyoza though).  They also have salads, tofu & kimchi, but I think the gyoza are they best way to go if you’re going to get something to start.

Normally I’d get the Basic (salt & roast garlic flavor in a pork broth) or the Kambi (soy sauce flavor in a pork & chicken broth), which are both good, but I’ve recently discovered the Spicy Miso Ramen which is amazing.  It’s in a pork & chicken broth and is pretty spicy.  If you’ve read my blog before, you’ll know that I have a low tolerance for heat, but this is one dish that I’ll man up, cry & finish.  There’s pretty much no going back after that.

My next visit was for the lunch special with is about $14 depending on the type of ramen you get.  It comes with a pretty standard green salad, an amazing salmon salad (salmon sashimi over a chopped salmon & mayo salad) & your choice of ramen.  It’s a pretty good deal & you’ll really enjoy the salmon salad.  Kambi is normally pretty quiet around lunch, so you should get a seat quickly.

Kambi Ramen House: 351 14th Street at 1st Avenue
(212) 505 8001

Here you choose your type of meatball (everything from chorizo to a vegan option) & then select a sauce to accompany which can lead to endless variations & flavor combinations.  Both the sauce & meatballs have some pretty unique names.  There was a set menu for us, so here’s the rundown:

Hog Wild Meatball w/ Pepper Monkey Sauce
Braised pork shoulder, cherrywood bacon fat & mascarpone! What’s not to love?  The sauce was a tangy roasted Poblano BBQ sauce.  There was some smokiness there too, I liked it.

Turducken Meatball w/Dragon’s Lair Sauce
I’ll admit that I was excited to try this as I’ve always wanted to try Turducken.  Turkey, chicken & duck confit.  I immediately liked these.  The sauce was green curry peanut & red bell pepper.  I was impressed.

Shrooming Pizza
I’ll admit that I was slightly surprised to find pizza on the menu, but this isn’t your average pizza.  Called Crackerbread Pizza, the crust is very thin & crisp.  As the name implies, it is topped with roasted wild mushrooms along with baby arugula & truffle cream sauce.  I’m not much of a pizza guy, but I liked TMF’s version

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Mom always told me to eat my veggies, but I’m honestly not a massive fan of Brussels sprouts.  Served with maple syrup & red chili sauce.

Hot Tin Roof Sundae
By this point I was getting full, but I can always make room for dessert.  Malted hot fudge & sea salt caramel with candied walnuts over a marshmallow gelato.  Sounds like a lot going on, but it was absolutely delicious.  Full stomachs or not, we polished the dessert off!

The Meatball Factory is a good looking restaurant with an open floorplan, a large bar & plenty of large windows.  The service was attentive without being pushy.  There’s an extensive beer & wine selection as well.  I haven’t been to any other ‘meatball restaurants’ in the city, but this was as good a start as I could have hoped for.  Please note that for this review I was invited to dine here, but I have tried to remain as accurate as possible.  I will definitely be going back on my own dime in the near future.

The Meatball Factory: 231 2nd Avenue at 14th St.
(212) 260 8015

Need the perfect wine to go with your Bobwhite Counter fried chicken? Stop by Alphabet City Wine Company on Friday Jan. 20th for a fried chicken wine pairing tasting!!!

Photo by Danny Kim

I visited recently & I was impressed by the remodeling they had done on the space. There’s a long counter & several high tables for a total of 17 seats.  With a few of the recent closures in the ‘hood (Joe’s & Duke’s in particular), it’s really nice to see a new place open that I actually enjoy.  Ok, now on to the food.

Roast Chicken
Served with an insanely good biscuit & salad, it’s a full leg & thigh of deliciousness.  The skin is crispy & well seasoned & the meat was really moist.  I was a happy camper.

Fried Chicken
I was lucky enough to get a batch straight out of the fryer, insanely moist with a substantial breading which I really enjoyed.  I think I prefer this to the roast chicken.

Pork Chop Sandwich
It’s been suggested that Porchetta now has a serious competitor for the best pork sandwich in the East Village & I’m in agreement.  Topped with chow chow (a Southern relish, see here) & served on a bun with salad.  They’re onto something here.

Winter Salad
Baby greens, red beets, goat cheese, Florida grapefruit & candied pecans.  Topped with a shallot vinaigrette.  That’s a whole lot of ingredients, but it worked well.

Cheddar Grits
Cooked in milk for extra creaminess & loaded with cheddar cheese. If you make grits at home with the store bought Quaker brand, you can immediately taste the difference in quality.  The grits here are the real deal.

Other sides include Black Eyed Peas & Creamed Kale.  They tend to rotate, so make sure you take a look at the board to the right when you enter the restaurant (or just ask your server).

There’s a real lack of restaurants open for lunch in the East Village & Bobwhite totally fills that gap.  Check it out if you get the chance.  It’s moderately priced & well worth the visit.  The Sweet Tea there is great also.

Bobwhite Lunch & Supper Counter: 94 Avenue C near 6th St.

Akter Grocery: 106 Avenue B

There were around 18-20 of us, so we were ordering off of the Prix Fixe Menu ($55, booze extra).  I dove right into the Chicken Liver Mousse which (luckily) was put down right in front of me.  Topped with pistachio & served with thick cut bread, it was an excellent start.

There was also Squid Stew with cranberry beans, cauliflower, wuhammara & walnuts. We also had a salad with ranch dressing.  Now on to the main dishes.

Cast Iron Chicken
Pretty much self-explanatory. Half a chicken roasted & served in a cast iron skillet. Topped with rosemary & sitting in a delicious bath of pan drippings & onions.  A winner.

Red Wattle Country Chop
The Red Wattle is a heritage breed of domestic pork & despite the menu, this was served on top of sauerkraut instead of cheddar grits. Served on the rare side (notice the pink in the picture, it won’t kill you!) with a lovely crisp char on the skin.

Steelhead Trout
This is the dish that I ordered & while I was staring longingly at the chicken & pork, I did enjoy it.  A little on e the small side, but with an excellent sear , I was impressed but still hungry.

We moved on to dessert: Guinness Chocolate Cake. Guinness+Chocolate+Cake=Awesome, even Pythagoras could have figured that out.  I spent most of my time eating the icing which was sweet & laced with lemon rind.  I totally approve.

The meal ended and people started leaving, but the core group of alcoholics revelers stayed behind to drink whiskey by the fireplace.  The staff were totally cool & didn’t rush us.  Despite having a heck of a time finding the place, I’m really glad I went.  Good food and an awesome atmosphere; Bonus.

Vinegar Hill House: 72 Hudson Avenue
Exterior image via NY Times

It was a Sunday afternoon & although we didn’t have reservations, we were seated immediately.  Eggs feature heavily on the menu, but there are some sweet options such as pancakes & Labne (strained yogurt) with fruit & granola.  There are some Southern & Mexican influences there with Fried Chicken & Biscuits and Mexican Shrimp.  We all ordered Bloody Mary’s while we decided what to eat.

I had a coupon for brunch, so we had the choice of one sweet or savory option & a side.  I got the Corned Beef, Hash & Eggs with a side of Hominy Grits.  Now this isn’t the canned corned beef hash that I was so fond of in college, this is how it’s meant to be done.  The eggs were a bit overcooked, but I liked the dish & the grits.

My brunch partners got the Bacon & Egg Sandwich and the Mexican Shrimp & Eggs respectively.  The sandwich had cheese, smoked bacon & avocado on a brioche bun.  The Mexican shrimp had white beans, pickled onions, avocado & salsa verde.  All of the dishes were well received & I was a real fan of the buttermilk biscuit which was massive.

The Dinner Menu (via Bowery Boogie) is still somewhat American (bone in Ribeye Steak) but leans towards Italy with dishes ranging from octopus to Eggplant Parmesan.  I enjoyed my meal there & will be looking forward to having dinner at Zoe.

Zoe: 245 Eldridge Street between East Houston St. & Stanton St.

On Thursday, December 15^th, The Sunburnt Cow was closed due to suspected illegal drug activity taking place on the premises.  This activity comes as a shock to the entire Moo Life Group family and is not something that we endorse, condone or had prior knowledge of.  We are currently working with the New York City Police Department to ensure that justice is served so we can get back to serving the public very soon.  The health and safety of our patrons is a priority to us and we will do everything we can in order to make sure that our establishments support that mission.

Heathe St.Clair
The Moo Life Group

Update: They released a new statement this evening.

The Sunburnt Cow will open this weekend and honor all reservations and specials as usual, including the Endless Brunch.  After Sunday, December 18^th, we will close and remain so until the police complete their investigation.   We plan to reopen in time for our annual New Year’s celebration.

We are working with the authorities to bring about a swift and just resolution to this issue and want to reiterate that we had no prior knowledge of illegal drug activity on our premises.   We do not and will not condone, endorse or tolerate such behavior at any of our establishments.  During this temporary closure, we invite all of our loyal patrons to visit The Sunburnt Calf,Bondi Roadand The Sunburnt Calf Brooklyn to experience the quality and service that has made The Sunburnt Cow a local favorite for the past 10 years.

Photo by EVGrieve

At the helm in the kitchen is Chef Justin Fertitta, formerly of Jane (reviews here & here).  The menu is short with six appetizers, four main dishes & three sides.  I imagine that these will change with the seasons & availability.  They didn’t have a drink menu yet, so the bartender Trevor (formerly of Loius 649) made us drinks based on our liquor preference.  I got the Thai Fighter with bourbon, Thai basil, citrus & simple syrup.  My buddy got the Toucan (seen to the left) made with Japanese whiskey & a sake-based sweet vermouth.

There were several dishes on the menu that really stood out, so we decided to order a few of the appetizers that are designed to be shared.  First out was the espresso glazed Pork Ribs with pumpkin seed brittle.  I don’t claim to be an expert on making ribs, but I have been know to throw down.  These ribs blew mine out of the water.  Insanely flavorful with a crunchy exterior & delightfully moist meat.  Wow!

Next up were the Meatballs with curry dijon & cilantro.  Beautifully cooking pork meatballs smothered in sauce.  I really enjoyed this dish & ended up asking for a spoon so I could finish off the sauce after we had eaten all of the meatballs!  The final dish we got was the Duck Confit Mofongo.  It had crispy taro root, Chinese sausage, salsa verde & a fried egg.  That’s quite a lot going on, but they totally pulled it off.

Mofongo is a Puerto Rican plantain dish, but this was an excellent adaptation.  Once you broke into the egg, the yolk really rounded out the flavors.
There was only one dessert on offer & we weren’t going to pass it up.  The Bacon Doughnuts pretty pushed me over the edge & I was totally stuffed.  Made with blue or purple potatoes ( I can’t remember) & topped with shaved coconut & a bacon glaze, they were pretty damn awesome.

There was a couple a few tables down from us that ordered the Applewood Smoked Bacon Burger & the Chili Tamarind King Prawns, both looked awesome.  Friends of ours arrived after we had finished eating, so we sat with them.  They ordered the Beef Short Rib Tacos, Araka Waka (curry pickled vegetables with toasted peanuts) & the Farro Risotto.

I enjoyed my meal here & the food was well received by all.  If I had to describe the cuisine, I’d probably say that it’s a gastropub with Asian influences.  The place is brand new & still working out a few kinks but I’m excited about the restaurant & will be coming back.

The Toucan And The Lion: 342 East 6th Street off of 1st Avenue