Swine

            Swine, you don't actually need to be a pig to eat there but you eat well anyway. The setting actually flabbergasted me because I had heard great things about it and thought that it was a nice restaurant. But as it turns out, it's actually just a local pub. Although the setting doesn't affect your evening too much the music certainly does. The music is pumped through speakers on the walls and is insanely loud. There was countless times, when the waiter said he couldn't hear us because of the noise. Ignoring the negatives, when you walk in there is a set of stairs that go up and one that goes down. I didn't get to see the downstairs room but it was pretty obvious that the bar on the upper floor was what everything revolves around. The lighting is dim and you have some odd pictures hanging on the walls. If you look up on the upper floor there is a metal sheet with holes in them which might be a ventilation system. There are dark wood planks on the walls that create an atmosphere that is kind of dirty. Most of the tables seat only two people but the waiters would be glad to push two tables together for a party of four.
            The food there is great but you have to watch out not to eat too much because when I came home I felt heavy because I ate all that fat and food. One appetizer there was completely unforgettable which was the cashew nuts covered in pig fat. They would serve it to you in a bowl and once you had one you couldn't stop chowing them down. They were a little too sweet but they were to die for. Judging from the pig fat, if you're on a diet I wouldn't suggest going to this pub. The roasted bone marrow was the most delicious meal on the menu. They serve it to you in a giant bone with bread on the side. You would take the spoon and scoop out the marrow and either just eat it plain or put it on some bread. It had a French verde style salsa sprinkled on top to make it more savory. The actual marrow was very fatty but tasted amazing. Another dish I had was a brisket burger with bone marrow in it. This tasted good but you couldn't taste the fatty goodness of the bone marrow. Other than that the burger was juicy and flavorful. A side dish that came with the burgers was crispy potato wedges. They were potatoes that had been cooked and were good with the burger. In addition the balsamic braised short ribs were great. It was sort of dry but still had flavor. They came with salad and white grits that enhanced it's seasoning.
            They have a variety of drinks ranging from cocktails with bacon in them to the common Budweiser beer. A cocktail my mother had and raved about was the Ex-plat that she loved and described it as both sweet and a little bit spicy. I wouldn't be surprised when it contained el dorado rum, all spice dram, grapefruit, lime and aztec chocolate bitters. You would think it was sour.
            The service there was great. My waiter was friendly and got the food to us quickly. I had to wait no more than eight minutes for my food. They would gladly change an order for you or switch your table if they could.
             Swine is a good place to go if you're a complete pig or if you're just tired of your ordinary food. So Swine will get an seven out of ten stars which is a pretty amazing review. So excuse me while I stuff my face with amazing food from Swine where you technically don't need to be a pig but you definitely need to eat like one.

You can never go wrong with a burger, and even if you do you won't go wrong with this one.

The bar and the tables (note: Swine was cleaned and polished for this picture so it is supposed to be immaculate).   

Swine's outside view in a sepia camera light.

531 Hudson st.
Manhattan
NY 10014
(212)-255-7675
swinenyc.com

Tanoreen

          This Middle Eastern restaurant certainly isn't middle class. Located in Bay Ridge this magnificent  diner is a must-go-to and cannot be missed. With its exquisite cuisine and excellent service this is going to be one heck of a review.
          Tanoreen is relatively small and doesn't really stand out from the outside (Outside view Location). Inside is a different story, with dark brown wood tables, cushioned and non-cushioned seats, dim and "romantic" lighting, dark yellow wallpaper and what looks like oil lamps secured in the walls. It looks something that would be an excellent scene for a 1980's film. Although there isn't 1980's music playing in the background it certainly is a great place to go for a first date (not that I know anything about dating I'm just 10 peoples!).
          The entree I had was Musakhan. It had flat bread, spiced chicken, cooked onions, and on top of that, roasted almonds. The flat bread was so fresh I had to make sure it didn't jump up and run away. The spiced chicken was cooked just right. It had just the right amount spice so it was mild but not hot. The cooked onions were average and doesn't deserve the reprehensible. Almonds aren't really my cup of tea but that didn't make my dad refrain himself. The second dish was hummus on a plate, and in the center was a pool of some kind of oil with chickpeas creating a semi-island in the center. There was a lot of garlic in the dish which I personally don't prefer. A dish that is more for two people is the Fatoush. Made up of chopped lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, mint, toasted pita, and sumac dressing this dish is both salivating and filling. The appetizer that I thought blew everyone away is the brussel sprouts. Topped with some sauce, bread crumbs, and most importantly FRIED brussel sprouts this dish is both crunchy, salty, and divine. The last dish is a classic, shish kebab. It was a bit on the dry side but it was marinated just right. It wasn't that flavorful but again the marinating was exquisite.
           The staff was incredibly nice and flexible. When my sister needed to change her order at the last second, the waiter gladly changed it. They also gave lots of tips on what to order and what tastes the best. They also entertain you by once in a while cracking a joke or a quip.
           All in all, Tanoreen is a must go to and gets a flabbergasting 9 out of 10 stars!

Musa-what! 

Crispy FRIED brussel sprouts

The Great Indoors.

The SKOO pool. (The Some Kind Of Oil Pool)

7523 3rd avenue
Brooklyn
NY 11209
(718)-622-5600

Dinosaur BBQ

    Dinosaur BBQ, the BBQ palace where you will almost certainly eat Dinosaur size portions. Dinosaur BBQ is a relatively new BBQ place. When you walk in it's the size of a barnyard. It looks kind of rustic and ancient. You have a giant size bar to your left and 10 dozen tables to your right. The dishes I had were the GIANT shrimp boil,  the  big ass pork plate ( that is actually what it was called), and the Devils Duel chicken wings (Devils Duel is four chili peppers). So of course naturally being Indian my mom ordered the spicy chicken wings. Normally when she eats something spicy she waves it off and calls it mild. The waiter warned my mom but she ordered it anyway. When she took a bite she looked calm and the waiter asked is it hot? My mom answered no but when the waiter walked away she was screaming HOT, HOT and fanning herself.
    The b*g a*s pork plate was relatively good. The best part about it though was the skewered pork on top another heap of pork. The meat was cooked so well I almost ordered 5 more ( but my parents stopped me). The cole slaw wasn't the best though, my dad wolfed it down. The shrimp was juicy and exciting though not that many appeared on a plate. My sister had the best slider imaginable that was mouthwatering, 1/2 a pound of almost sweet meat and bread that tasted freshly baked. I also had some ribs that were both juicy and tender. Even though the ribs were messy they were exquisite. My mom had a skirt steak that she loved and raved to me about. The dish I had on my second visit to Dino BBQ was the Tres Niños. This fabulous dish had puled pork, slices of brisket and tender ribs. The pulled pork was tender and juicy and even though there wasn't a lot of it, it was amazing. The brisket was good but, in my opinion, it wasn't great.
     The dessert (chocolate icebox pie) I had was absolutely incredible. It was chocolate pie with Oreo crust topped off with whipped cream and chocolate chips. The pie was basically chocolate pudding hardened and a little bit thicker with a crust of crunchy Oreo and what looked like homemade whipped cream and chocolate chips.
     The staff are very flexible and very polite and will change your order if necessary. The food, the staff, and the restaurant itself make Dinosaur BBQ a whooping 10 out of 10 stars and a "must go to" restaurant.

Locations of Dinosaur BBQ in New York Sate.

The juicy and salivating ribs

BABE! (Best Awesome Burger Ever!)

604 Union st.
Brooklyn
Ny 11215
(347)-429-7030
dinosaurbarbque.com

Fort Defiance

             Fort Defiance, the restaurant that defies bad taste. Fort Defiance located in Red Hook is the ideal place to go for brunch. It is on a block with plenty of stores on it. So if you are on a shopping spree for clothes and you have to eat Fort Defiance is the right place to go. On its right is a clothing store and on its left an apartment building. There are little trees right outside which make it feel very green. When you walk into Fort Defiance you see a bartender serving drinks at a rouge bar. There are tables in a three by five array. There is also to small tables for 2-3 people at the back. When you walk in, surprisingly loud heavy metal music fills your ears which makes it almost impossible to have a conversation.

The delectable Dutch pancake.

             The Dutch pancake which is the dish I had, was seriously big. It is literally as thick as a dictionary and as big as my head. And, I have a big head! It was served in an iron skillet and had powdered sugar, creme fraiche, fruit (raspberries. blueberries, and strawberries), and maple syrup. It is served with the crunchiest bacon I have ever tasted. The pancake tastes like vanilla cake without the frosting and the toppings topped off with the slightest hint of maple syrup. Over all the Dutch pancake is a five out of five starred dish and has certainly earned its place as one of my favorite dishes with its bacon, fruit and syrup. The other dishes I had were not mentioned on their website but are an egg omelet with parsley, tomatoes, and scallions. It tasted like soft egg and bread topped off with salad.
              The food takes a long time to come but when its there the wait is worth it. The staff also takes a long time to take your order but are very nice. When you want to change your order at the last second they are very flexible and will gladly change it.

The bar.

The outside view of Fort Defiance.

             Red Hook
             365 Van Brunt st.
             Brooklyn
             NY 11231
             (347) 453-6672
             Fortdefiancebrooklyn.com



     

Smorgasburg

             Smorgasburg, the kingdom of taste and satisfaction is located in Williamsburg and Dumbo in Brooklyn and their new release a Smorgasburg in Philadelphia. The one in Dumbo, open only on Sunday, is placed in an old tobacco warehouse with no roof. It is facing the waterfront and has an old fashioned carousel right next to it. The old fashioned "carousel" is, surprisingly encased in a very modern glass structure. It also has a grassy field right outside the tobacco factory where people sit with their food and picnic.
            The one in Williamsburg, open only on Saturday, is also facing the waterfront and also has a field in a closed area. The closed area actually is just a gate. In both areas there is almost no seating which is a major negative with hundreds of people going in and out. Technically I can't review the one in Philadelphia so lets skip that. Smorgasburg is only open part of Spring and all of Summer. It is also open only on Saturday and Sunday.
             Smorgasburg is made out of different booths selling food. So instead of reviewing only Smorgasburg I'll be reviewing the booths. The first booth I visited was called Daal house which features (surprise, surprise) daal and Indian cuisine. Even though daal isn't my cup of tea my Indian mother wolfed it down. The next booth I visited was called Brooklyn Oyster  Party. There I got 12 oysters decent sized oysters for $16. The oysters were very slippery and sort of tasted like pure nothingness.  I passed a title that sounded very interesting; Brooklyn Piggies which featured hot dogs. Even though they looked good I did not get a chance to taste them.
             At Smorgasburg I also had teriyaki  balls with two different fillings. The first 6 balls I tasted were filled with chicken. It had a hard shell and a soft inside. It had ground nuts sprinkled on top and a little hot sauce. It was delectable. The next thing I tried were the octopus stuffed balls and it was almost the same. Hard outside soft inside served with hot sauce and nuts. But there was also one major difference. The octopus was very chewy. It was almost impossible to swallow. The last booth I visited was Dough. If you read my last review you would have seen I reviewed Dough. So I won't bother reviewing this booth when you could scroll down and read the real deal.
              There really was no service except for the booths cooks. All of the booths were relatively fast when preparing the food.
              Trust me when I am saying this when there is a booth that has a long line you might not want to wait but if you do it will be totally worth it. Smorgasburg is now in my top 3 favorite restaurants/food markets I have ever been to.

Piggies!!!!

The amazing Hibiscus.

"Amazing" oysters!

Williamsburg:
East river state park (90 Kent ave. N.7 st.)
Dumbo:
Tobacco warehouse (30 water house)
Philadelphia:
1050 North Hancock street, Philadelphia PA
Smorgasburg.com

Dough

             Dough doughnuts are dough-licous. With exquisite fillings and tastes, Dough doughnuts are singled out as the best. All of these doughnuts are memorable but the best one, out of all I have tasted, is the Nutella.
             With a soft creamy inside and soft dough you can't go wrong with it. The doughnut is decent sized, about the size of the two of your fists curled up. The doughnut is Nutella glazed and has a very soft dough. When you take a bite, soft creamy and buttery Nutella fills your mouth. My second recommendation is the delectable dulchè de leché with crunchy cocoa nibs on it. This doughnut is also glazed. Like the Nutella it is very soft. Other available unique flavors are the hibiscus which is a glazed doughnut with a hibiscus flower on it, blood orange which is an orange glazed doughnut with a blood orange on it and finally just plain old glazed. I'd call this one unique because it's the only normal thing in a store full of unique doughnuts.
              The location isn't the best. It is surrounded by Projects. There is a lot of litter on the street, and the view isn't the best. Although the location isn't great the inside is cozy. It is a very small space with amber wood planks panelling the room. There is a glass window so you can see the "action" of the baking.
             Heres something you need to know about Dough, you don't come up to the counter to see what you want because when you place your order the doughnut you want will not be there, you have to take what's left, that's if there is anything left.

bottom left corner is the blood orange doughnut, and in the top right corner you will see the dulchè de leché.

Unique doughnut: Plain.

Nutella filled and glazed.

448 Lafayette Ave.
Brooklyn
NY 11205
(347) 533-744

Salt & Fat

                Salt & Fat, the two magical words in food. Salt & Fat in Queens, NY, has the most extraordinary food. They have shaved foié gràs sprinkled on top of soft mandarin oranges with bacon bits all over it. Have you ever heard of anything like it? It feels soft in your mouth and tastes like a mix of oranges and creamy melted cheese. My favorite dishes are the BLT buns, the Prince Edward Island mussels (surprise, surprise) and the Korean BBQ wraps.
                 The BLT bun is a soft white bun on the outside and slabs of bacon on the inside with tomatoes and bibb lettuce. As their chef, Dan, said they purchase giant slabs of bacon, then cut it up into medium size pieces and put it into the buns. "Its our main ingredient in the buns" quoted Dan when I spoke to him. Dan also said he was inspired by watching cooking shows taking notes and then years later combining all of it to come up with something new and extraordinary. I also adored the Prince Edward Island mussels. They were also fabulous because there was so much meat in it. At least 5 had meat bulging out of it. The inside was also very tender and was easy to pull out. Also the meat inside the mussel was very juicy. Moving on, the Korean BBQ wraps are so outstanding that you could eat a whole plate of them. The wraps consist of some pork, scallops and some tomatoes put on a flat piece of lettuce. Also this dish is very moist. Although these three wraps cost $8.00 it is completely worth it.
                 The location isn't the best. It is right under a highway and have these stores selling junk to you on both sides. Plus the streets are littered with various items I wouldn't want to talk about. But the inside is amazing. A long narrow corridor with tables on both sides also with white-washed walls. A part of the wall is made out of bricks creating a very eccentric feeling. The walls are lined with dim lights casting a very astonishing shadow across the floor. Even though it's a restaurant it still supports gun control too!A sign advertising gun control hangs from the wall and lists the number of tragedies. Elaborate painting and mosaics hang from the wall creating history.
                 The service is very prompt. Our waitress Chelsea (from Chelsea) granted me special permission to visit the chef(s). Also the manager organized the place very well. You don't even have to ask for directions to the bathroom, offices, etc.
                  Over all Salt & Fat is the restaurant with the best salty and fatty food.

BLT buns.

Foie gras dish.

Chef Dan.

The Korean BBQ wraps.

The outside scene of Salt & Fat.

                                  41-16 Queens Blvd.
                                  Sunnyside NY 11104
                                  (718)-433-3702
                                  saltandfat.com

Blue Canoe Oyster Bar & Grill

            Blue Canoe Oyster Bar & Grill, a restaurant as peaceful as a canoe ride on the North Fork (A weekend retreat for many New Yorkers in Long Island.) With an extraordinary view of the ocean Blue Canoe is a fantastic place to appease your hunger.  A good way to start the meal is with fried oysters and Korean BBQ ribs. The oysters have orange, yellow, red hues. They are so juicy that you can literally taste every molecule. Moving on, the Korean BBQ ribs taste so marvelous I could cry. Only there are a few problems; there is so little meat that you can barely taste it. And the ribs could be more tender. Plus, eating them can be a messy affair. Now the entrées: Blue Canoe Lobster roll and catfish. The Lobster roll is the best I ever had. (The roll was in a hamburger bun so I still speculate why they call it lobster "roll".) It was very juicy, it was as big as your head, and it was a fair price ($19). The catfish is nothing like you've ever tasted. A hard crisp, crust on the top and soft in the inside. Also very tender and mouth watering like the Blue Canoe Lobster roll.
            Now let me describe the scene at the Blue Canoe Oyster Bar & Grill. Facing the ocean and a little island (Shelter Island). A Blue Canoe view is truly amazing. The patio is huge and it is facing the ocean. Separate landings along the rim of the patio give a perfect view of the beautiful scenery.
            The staff is very helpful, happy to answer all the questions you ask. Although they are very helpful, they tend to talk to each other and forget the customer.
Overall, Blue Canoe Oyster Bar & Grill is the most relaxing restaurant in the North Fork that I have been to so far (and the only). 

lobster hamburger

The view of blue canoe 

  

104 3rd street         
Greenport, New York
(631) 477-6888
bluecanoeoysterbar.com

         

Prime Meats

   Prime Meats is like a teleport machine. One moment you are in America, the next you are in a fine German restaurant. Prime Meats has German hotdogs(bratwurst), sandwiches, meat, dessert and much more.
  I prefer the sandwiches. Out of them all the BLT (for non Americans, that is Bacon/Lettuce/Tomato)is the best. You must be thinking what's so special about that. Here's what's so special, the cut bacon is juicier and far more tender than normal bacon. The lettuce is also different. Instead of normal iceberg lettuce they use bibb lettuce. This lettuce tastes like a combo of different green vegetables. And then of course you have the tomato. There's nothing great about it except it's much bigger. That concludes the meal, now onto the service. The service at Prime Meats is amazing. Five to ten minutes after you order, voila you have scrumptious food ready to be eaten. The staff is also very friendly. You can ask any question and you will get an answer with a smile. The setting has only one description.


Awesome
Magnificent
Adept
Zesty
Incredible
Nifty
Great
_________________________________________________________________________________
AMAZING

  The planks and walls look like cabin walls creating cozy comfy feeling. Amazing paintings droop from the walls like vines. There's nothing else to tell you about Prime Meats except the lavatory which I'm guessing you are not eager to know about. Prime Meats is a BIG recommendation.

The inside theme

The scene at Prime Meats

Backyard with bratwurst

The "meats"

465 Court Street
New York,NY Brooklyn 11231
(718)-254-0327
www.frankspm.com

Dokebi-Korean grill

Dokebi-Korean grill, in the hip Williamsburg, is very unique. Well, if you have a grill at your table there is no other way to put it.
No kidding there is a grill built into almost every table! The service is like lightning! This is mostly because of the fact that they don't cook the food, they bring the food for you to cook. There is a group of delectable Korean side dishes called "banchan"that accompanies the grilled food. There are over a hundred different kinds of "banchan". The most important and well known is kimchi -- fermented, spicy cabbage. Kimchi is one of hundreds of Korean side dishes.
My personal favorite dish is the grilled giant shrimp. This is one of many foods you have to "grill it yourself". The shrimp is giant, I mean fist-sized. It is also very juicy and tender. And another thing I would recommend is their awesome steak. Its another "grill it your self." (Everything is "grill it your self"). The steak is huge. Five heads (cabbage) at the most. It is also very tender and juicy. A last scrumptious recommendation is the gyoza. It is the most amazing dumpling ever. Golden, crusty, juicy and delectable. All the meats at Dokebi are natural and non-artificial. By the way if you want to bring a lot of people you might want to consider renting the place out, it's small.

steak(raw and marinated)

Giant shrimp

"banchan"

199 grand street
New York, NY 11211

(718) 782-1424
www.dokebibrooklyn.com

Aamanns-Copenhagen

Aamanns-Copenhagen is a new Danish restaurant featuring awesome Danish cuisine. I am half danish so I have some authority on the subject. It isn't in the most attractive area but inside is a different story. White clean walls and Danish art hanging down from the walls like sloths. The food is also fantastic! The Danes have a fantastic bread called rugbrød. They also have an great mustard called remoulaude. They specialize in little sandwiches called smørrebrød. Little open faced sandwiches with different toppings. I have two favorite dishes. One is pâté of pork with parsley, aquavit, fresh hazelnuts, fried mushrooms bacon-greaves and pickled beets. It just sizzles in your mouth when mixed all together. Two, the breaded, pan-fried fish, with green remoulade, an herb salad and lemon wedge. The herb salad and the pan-fried fish are just amazing together. The pan-fried fish is very soft and tastes like a mix of salmon and herring. Although the food takes its time Aamanns-Copenhagen certainly feels special.

Inside paradise

smørrebrød 

Pan-fried fish

big appetite

13 Laight Street
New York, NY 10013

[212} 925 1313
aamanns-copenhagen.com