Email Author Robert Sietsema

Awards

• 2011 - Association of Food Journalists Awards, published June 23, 2010

  "An Open Letter to Josh Ozersky"

• 2011 - AAN AltWeekly Awards, published June 23, 2010

  "An Open Letter to Josh Ozersky"

• 2011 - AAN AltWeekly Awards, published December 1, 2010

  "May We Interest You in Some Egg Fetus?"

• 2011 - AAN AltWeekly Awards, published December 8, 2010

  "Siam I Am"

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2008 Stories by Robert Sietsema

• High on the Hog at No. 7

  published November 5, 2008

  Concealed behind the entrance to a C station, the restaurant known as No. 7 is hard to spot. Once inside, you'll find a dim but roomy space... More >>

• Visions of Purple Dinosaurs at Tierras Centro Americanas

  published October 29, 2008

  We sat waiting for our caldo de camarones with keen anticipation. According to the menu, this hearty Guatemalan soup contained chipilín.... More >>

• Bar Milano's Wild Culinary Ride

  published October 22, 2008

  In 1998, the Voice declared 'ino the second-best inexpensive restaurant in the city. "Restaurant" was something of an exaggeration,... More >>

• Modern-food fads we wish would go away

  published October 15, 2008

  The mysterious alchemy of the fad: One night you’re perplexedly sipping your first “saketini,” and the next night every eatery... More >>

• Signature Foods of the 1980’s

  published October 15, 2008

  Before the Age of Foodism descended on us like manna from heaven—bringing with it a concern for food excellence rather than just novelty... More >>

• No Balls at Café Sim-Sim

  published October 8, 2008

  It's been a long time since there's been an Azerbaijani café in sleepy south Kensington. So when my friend Brian and I were bombing down... More >>

• Chasing Muffuletta at Dive Bar, Delta Grill, and Bourbon Street

  published October 1, 2008

  How much would you endure to eat a real muffuletta? My date and I stood on a sweltering August evening, viewing the outdoor seating area at... More >>

• Hotter and Faster at McWhorter Barbecue

  published September 23, 2008

  When I spotted McWhorter Barbecue in Newark's Yellow Pages, I expected an African-American joint. But Google Maps placed it in the Portuguese... More >>

• A Manchurian Candy Date in Delhi Heights

  published September 17, 2008

  Dominated by all-you-can-eat buffets and halal-kebab joints, the Indian-restaurant scene in Jackson Heights was moribund for a decade. Then... More >>

• Enter Curry-Ya's Spicy Laboratory

  published September 10, 2008

  The Japanese didn't invent curry, but they have certainly made it their own. It was brought to the island by the British sometime after 1869,... More >>

• Going Coco-Nuts at Am-Thai Chili Basil Kitchen

  published September 3, 2008

  Much ink has been spilled over the last decade concerning the new availability of Isaan food in Queens. Issuing from the northeastern corner of... More >>

• Fall Preview: Eat, Drink, and Be Worried

  published September 3, 2008

  Most publications offer a Fall Dining Preview made out of rehashed press releases touting upscale restaurants slated to open in the coming... More >>

• Yiasou Imitates Midtown 'Estiatorios' But Is Easier on the Paycheck

  published August 27, 2008

  The white-haired waiter bows as a new crowd of customers enters—in this case, a bevy of brown-shirted Dunkin' Donuts managers, who take... More >>

• Greenpoint's Newest Restaurant Karczma Tries to Elevate Polish Cuisine

  published August 19, 2008

  Though karczma sounds like a serious skin condition, the word is Polish for something like "rustic country inn." Karczma is also the... More >>

• James, a New Brooklyn Neighborhood Bistro

  published August 12, 2008

  Our meal began spectacularly with a big lump of sweetbreads—lightly dusted with flour, compressed into a jaunty rhombus, and seared to... More >>

• Keur Mame Diarra on Frederick Douglass Boulevard

  published August 5, 2008

  Just inside the front door stands a fat and frowzy Italian chef dressed in whites, nearly six feet tall including his toque. Well, it's not a... More >>

• Egg-Salad Sushi at Sakae Sushi

  published July 29, 2008

  Sakae Sushi is more than just a weird sushi bar—it's a culinary conundrum waiting to be deciphered. The slick, 60-unit chain recently... More >>

• Freeking Out at the Pharoh Café

  published July 23, 2008

  Usually, I try to focus on a restaurant's food rather than, say, the décor, service, or some other aspect of the dining experience.... More >>

• Eating Kids at Cabrito

  published July 16, 2008

  When I went to high school in Dallas, my classmates and I made an annual field trip to Padre Island in the Gulf of Mexico. On one glorious day... More >>

• Serbian Cuisine at Kafana: Fundamental Belgrade

  published July 9, 2008

  The mid-priced segment of the restaurant industry has been conquered by cooking-school graduates who create, plate, and garnish food in... More >>

• Need a Makanek? Try Cedars Meat House

  published July 2, 2008

  A guy named Gerard sends me tips from an address in Richmond Hill, Queens, from time to time. The other day, I opened one of his snail-mail... More >>

• The Latest Scoop on Scott Conant's New Meatpacker

  published June 24, 2008

  The first time I sucked down Scott Conant's baby goat was in 2000 at City Eatery, a hapless restaurant on the Bowery that probably never should... More >>

• Redang Island's Sweet Tarts

  published June 17, 2008

  Redang Island is one of the few places you can get a drink in Malaysia. While officially part of the peninsular Terengganu state, the small... More >>

• A Great, Cheap Wine List Is Only One of Fiore's Many Charms

  published June 10, 2008

  "This place is so girly," exclaimed Mary, an East Village artist originally from Ohio, noting the wallpaper printed in a juvenile pattern and... More >>

• Dr. John and Our Critic Embark on a Chile-Pepper Eating Contest

  published June 3, 2008

  Three years ago, Dr. John and I went toe-to-toe eating goat... More >>