Sushi

Sharaku's 5-Course Lunch Deal

This is the main course, and the fourth of five courses (dig the onion ring at the right). Anyone who's read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein remembers TANSTAAFL, an acronym which originated in the 1930s and stood for "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch." Well, it's still tru ... More >>

Dine with Descartes at Le Philosophe; Lots of Tongue at Bar Corvo

Our own Robert Sietsema stumbles upon the new and under publicized Noho bistro, Le Philosophe, and finds that it's a "wonderful place." He writes in his review of Le Philosophe that a slightly grayish "mural depicting dozens of philosophers" looms behind diners in the candlelit space. But he barely ... More >>

Questlove Instagrams Jiro Sushi

Some chefs have placed an informal ban on capturing food porn at their restaurants, said the New York Times earlier this week. Heads from Momofuku Ko, Le Bernadin, and Fat Duck spoke out against diners disrupting dinner service with an incessant need to use flash, tripods, or even stand on their ch ... More >>

Great Eats on 41st Street Near the NYPL

At Mai Sushi, the pigfoot (tonkotsu) ramen is about half the price of Ippudo's. This week Counter Culture breezes into four (now three) fast food spots on East 41st Street in Midtown, the block running east of the New York Public Library's main branch, constituting a kind of open-air Japanese food ... More >>

Seafood Fraud on the Loose, Especially in NYC

Dining at even expensive seafood restaurants won't guarantee that you'll get the fish you ordered. Red Snapper? Could be tilapia. A study released today by Oceana revealed that seafood fraud is rampant, especially in New York City.

Robert Sietsema at Chao Thai Too; Tejal Rao at Sel et Gras

Robert Sietsema is at Chao Thai Too, maybe one of the best Thai places in the city. He notes that they serve blood Jell-O "interspersed with pork meatballs, and crispy stir-fried frog legs flavored with basil (pad kra prao kob). Gnaw on these, and you might never go back to chicken wings." Tejal R ... More >>

Robert Sietsema at Balkanika, Tejal Rao at 606 R&D

Robert Sietsema dives into the pan-Balkan cuisine at Balkanika, where 18 dips are neatly displayed in tubs. Located in Hell's Kitchen, Balkanika adds a passel of Balkan hot dishes served as main courses and a cheeses and charcuterie list that emphasizes Eastern European products: "Other hard-to-find ... More >>

Food Gallery 32: A Revisit. Already

You can thank Mr. Fish for this giant lunch. [See more Revisits: Perry St | Barbuto | Daniel] No sooner had the ink dried on the print edition of the Counter Culture review of Food Gallery 32 -- Koreatown's fabulous three-level fast food spot - than reports were coming in about stalls in the comp ... More >>

Wasabi To Bring Individually Wrapped Sushi To NYC

[See More Openings: Moti Mahal Delux, Hot Bread Almacen] Another Asian transplant is coming into town. This time it's in the form of Wasabi, a London-based sushi and bento chain that specializes in individually wrapped pieces of sushi. Wasabi will open its flagship branch at 561 Seventh Ave in th ... More >>

Whiskey Park Introduces Outdoor Seating

We've received news that Whiskey Park is launching outdoor seating and introducing a new menu from Rue 57. Located inside the Trump Parc, Whiskey Park does not fall short of glamor. It's a solid after work hang-out place with pool tables, eight big screen TVs, and an awesome view. The new menu feat ... More >>

Zutto: Slurp That Meaty Liquor

Joshua Smookler brings tonkotsu ramen to Tribeca

Yuji Ramen's Seafood Mazemen Ramen

Yuji Ramen, a pop-up noodle shop nestled in a back corner of Williamsburg's Kinfolk Studios, will most likely become your favorite ramen joint come summer. Its specialty dishes feature a style of brothless ramen called mazemen, which is catching on in Tokyo but is still uncommon here. In Yuji Ramen' ... More >>

Tomorrow: Our 10 Best West Village Restaurants, 2012 Edition

The fabled Niku-Uni (chuck flap topped with sea urchin) at Takashi. But is it good enough to catapult the restaurant into Our 10 Best? It's been two years since Fork in the Road has offered up a ranking of Our 10 Best West Village Restaurants.

Blogroll Gazette: Exploding Food, Sushi Chef Flicks

This week in food blogs... Food Republic shows us how amazing exploding food is when photographed up close. Gilt Taste remembers Biggie Smalls' death with an essay by Francis Lam on what the rapper's lyrics taught him about food.

Brazilian Happy Hour at Sushi Samba

​ This month, Sushi Samba 7 is hosting Brazilian-themed happy hours. Sunday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. to close, you can get glasses of Brazilian beer like Palma Luca and Xingu Black Beer for $5, and fruity Caipirinhas and bar snacks for $6. Though it's a bummer that this s ... More >>

Restaurant Roll Call: February's 22 Restaurant Openings and 13 Closings

The shark-infested waters of New York City's restaurant industry are not for the faint of heart. In case you're into keeping tabs, here is a list of those who took the leap and opened new establishments and those who were forced to bow out this month.

Maruko Sushi Opening Soon on 23rd Street

After being hidden behind plywood for months, signage is up at Maruko Sushi, a new Japanese spot set to open at 170 West 23rd Street. It looks like the opening is still a ways off, but the restaurant's Facebook page suggests that it will be inexpensive and somewhat fusion-y. Which sorta sounds like ... More >>

Year of the Takeout Day 43: Eden Wok

Pastrami Egg Roll from Eden Wok (43 East 34th Street, 212-725-8100)

Say Goodbye to Sweet Melissa, Little Branch

​Little Branch in the West Village was shut down by the Department of Health yesterday for operating without a permit. [Eater]Sweet Melissa in Cobble Hill is no more. The owner will now dedicate all her energy to the Park Slope location. [NYT]

Geoduck: Most Well-Hung Animal in the Universe?

Some sturdy specimens photographed at a Chinese restaurant in San Mateo, California Have you ever seen a creature -- seagoing or not -- with a longer schlong? Of course not. And even more so when you consider the size in relation to its puny body. Man, can you imagine the geoduck (pronounced "goo ... More >>

Our 10 Best Upper East Side Restaurants

When you think of hot neighborhoods for dining, the Upper East Side probably isn't the first to come to mind. In fact, it's probably toward the bottom of your mental list. But a crop of new eateries over the past couple of years has resulted in some new -- not to mention exciting -- culinary blood. ... More >>

Say Goodbye to My Maki, Le Bibloquet

It's a dog-eat-dog world out there. Here are some of the dogs who got eaten this week. Know of any restaurants or bars opening or closing? Drop us a line. The somewhat forgettable Foodie, in Midtown, located in the space that once housed Boi Restaurant, has closed. No word yet on a replacement. [Mi ... More >>

What's So Special About Apple's Siri?

​Anticipation and hoopla surrounded the release of the iPhone 4S, but when people discovered Apple wasn't debuting the iPhone 5, the launch was dubbed a dud. 5 is one better than 4! Why are you robbing us of 5? On the evening Steve Jobs died, CNN.com's main headline was about how the iPhone 4S ... More >>

Open and Closed: Say Hello to Kibo; Goodbye to Hinsch's

Restaurants and bars, they come and they go. Here are a few making their debuts and bowing out this week. If you hear of any new openings or closings, let us know. Hinsch's, the beloved Bay Ridge luncheonette, has closed after more than 50 years in business. [Brooklyn Paper] The embattled space th ... More >>

Dancing Shrimp, Live Snakes, and Other Food That Moves (NSFW)

We've heard a lot about the Paleolithic Diet. If eating everything raw like the Geico Caveman is good for you, imagine how much better it will be if all the meat, fish, and poultry is still alive and kicking? You can pretend you're a tiger moving in for the kill!

Halloween Is Only 27 Days Away! Meaning It's Now Time To Buy Your Sexy Foodie Costume!

Oh, Halloween. You're a pretty rad holiday because what's better than celebrating candy? And, as Mean Girls' Cady Heron astutely noted, "Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it." But let's get real. The sexy nurse and ... More >>

Is Guy Fieri Opening a New York City Restaurant?

"There might be a Guy Fieri restaurant coming to this island." That's straight from the horse's mouth. Fieri, who spoke at the New York City Wine & Food Festival this past weekend, previewed the possibility for a Big Apple eatery.

Belly Up to Taiwanese Specialties

Fish bellies, that is, at a restaurant in Elmhurst

Make Sushi Samba's Heirloom Tomato and Seaweed Salad, Like Chef Fernando Navas

Sushi Samba's Heirloom Tomato and Seaweed Salad​Wondering what to do with those heirlooms tomatoes you picked up at the farmers' market? Sushi Samba's executive chef, Fernando Navas, has a suggestion that involves doing, well, very little to them. He shares the recipe for his Heirloom Tomato a ... More >>

Duane Reade Just Keeps Getting Fancier, Foodier

Everything but a maitre d'.​Soon, you might need a jacket and tie to go to the drugstore. Duane Reade, which last year installed a beer bar in one of its Williamsburg stores, has now hired a sushi chef for its new Wall Street location.

A Brief Guide to Some "Gay" Foods Around Town

flickr/Sifu RenkaShrimp tempura apparently equals gay ​What better way to celebrate Gay Pride week than eating some gay foods? But, what, exactly, constitutes gay food? Honestly, there isn't such a thing. So let's just go by name alone. Behold some of the city's "gay" dishes. Whether the g ... More >>

The Milk Street Café's Massive Food Hall Will Open on Wall Street Next Month

WikipediaNew York's newest massive food hall.​After 30 years as a fixture of Boston's financial district, the Milk Street Café is expanding to New York's financial district with a 23,000-square-foot food hall.

Fork in the Road's Favorite Sushi in New York City

flickr/ragingwire​It's time for Tuesday Toasts, our weekly feature highlighting the Fork in the Road team's favorite versions of popular dishes and favorite spots in the city for a given activity. They might not be the best or the coolest or the newest, but instead represent the things and pla ... More >>

Co-Op Food & Drink to Colonize the Hotel on Rivington

The Hotel on RivingtonNothing here really says "co-op."​Where there was Thor, there will soon be Co-Op Food & Drink.

Aki Goes Macrobiotic for Lunch

flickr/A Culinary (Photo) JournalHealth food never looked so good​West Village Japanese restaurant Aki (181 West 4th Street, 212-989-5440) has shifted its focus slightly and now offers macrobiotic fare come lunchtime. Japanese food is already considered to be relatively healthful, so why woul ... More >>

Make Sushi Samba's Trio of Sorbets, Like Pastry Chef Michelle Duran

Sorvete à la Sushi Samba​Michelle Duran, who joined the Sushi Samba empire late last year, is putting her fingerprint on the dessert menu with this trio of Japanese-accented sorbets... or sorvete, in Portuguese. The three flavors include wasabi and green apple, sake with red shiso, and pisco ... More >>

The Best Thing I Ate Yesterday: Spicy Tuna Rolls, Sirloin, and Pork

Welcome to The Best Thing I Ate Yesterday, where we endeavor to remember the very best thing we stuffed down our gullets over the past 24 hours. Why? Because the only thing better than enjoying a meal is wallowing in the memory of one savored in the recent past. Today's fond reminiscences ...

Mitsuwa Will Help You Get a Sugar High This Weekend

Misuwa​Everyone's favorite Japanese superstore, Mitsuwa Marketplace, will be holding a sweets festival this weekend, celebrating sugary delights from the Far East.

Robert Sietsema at Fedora; Lauren Shockey at Graffit

This week in the Voice, Robert Sietsema gorges himself on Quebecois-accented food at Fedora in "Little Wisco"; Lauren Shockey experiments with Graffit: "While not everything is a smash success, the food is playful and visually compelling."​ Sam Sifton is unimpressed with Fishtag, deeming it " ... More >>

PLEASURE AND PAIN

What would you do for a free beer?

Hong Kong Sweats (and Aches) Through Hot Summer Days

Dodge the Sake Bombs at Laut

A fine Malaysian joint hides near Union Square

Signature Foods of the 1980’s

Matsugen: When Good Noodles Go Vong

Expense-account soba in Tribeca

A Shrine to Pig Feet Opens in the West Village

Japan's Fukuoka Prefecture arrives with its odd obsession

Are We There Yeti?

Very strange combination of cuisines flourishes in Sunnyside

Tonguing the Devil

East Village Japanese offers unusual home-style delicacies

Better Belly

Don't discard the lard at Japanese specializing in Okinawan

Daruma Bums

Please don't ban the bomb at cave-like Williamsburg Japanese

Temple of Doom