A Moment of Shameless Self-Promotion--CORRECTED TIME

So, 30 Rock is actually on at 10 tonight, in spite of what NBC's website said yesterday... So, once again, everyone, tune in or set your DVRs!

A Moment of Shameless Self-Promotion

My handiwork makes its network television debut tomorrow night!!! Tune in to the Season 5 finale of 30 Rock on NBC (Thursday, May 5, 2011 @ 10:30 10 Eastern/9:30 9 Central) to see the many, many crazy eyes I made, which were stuck all over Zoë Morsette's fabulously crafted (and insane!) costume. I won't reveal any more, other than I doubt you'll miss it...

I'll post pix after the episode airs!

Pic O' The Day: Snoozing @ Ting's

I love Ting's, the old-school Chinese tchotchke shop on Doyers Street. I remember buying a set of chopsticks there when I was 6 or 7...

Nom Wah Tea Parlor Is Back, Baby!

That's right, folks, what's apparently Chinatown's oldest tea shop has most definitely been reborn, to my incredible happiness.

For years, I've frequently wandered past Nom Wah Tea Parlor, basically because I just love Doyers Street: One of Chinatown's two original streets, it was once known as The Bloody Angle for all of the Tong Gang murders that took place there a century ago. Today it's a tiny little bend balancing old and new New York, with high-end speakeasys beginning to nestle in beside a few longtime survivors.

Each time I meandered by Nom Wah I almost went in--it's a Chinatown landmark that's been on Doyers Street since 1920. But because I had an unfortunate experience there more than ten years ago (bug in a dumpling), I always continued walking by. I hate bugs.

Recently, though, I was happy to see--and read--that Nom Wah has been revitalized by the previous owner's young nephew, Wilson Tang. He's spruced up the place and renovated the kitchen--and it is now a truly wonderful, bright, and happy space.

I finally made my way there, and--hooray--the dim sum is as tasty as the space. While it lacks the carts and the madness of the dim sum palaces most of us frequent for weekend brunch, Nom Wah's advantage is that everything is made to order. And even better, they're open until 9pm, so you can have dim sum any time of day, seven days a week. Heaven!

We filled out our card and tried a small selection of their numerous offerings. The stand-outs were the steamed roast pork buns, which were fluffy, a little yeasty, and filled with a great pork concoction; the steamed shrimp dumplings with snow pea shoots, which were almost transcendent; the fried rice, which I actually liked (I usually think it's boring); and the turnip cakes, which were crispy and actually made from fresh turnip--and therefore completely addictive.

Nom Wah also has a large selection of inexpensive teas, but it was a warm, sticky evening, so I just wasn't in the mood. Next time.

The restaurant stands out, to me, for two main reasons: it has a wonderful sense of history, and offers great food at a reasonable price. The atmosphere is also really relaxed (though we were there for an extremely early dinner), there's some new cozy window seating, and it has, by far, the cleanest bathrooms in Chinatown (which...for those of you who know, is something the neighborhood needs to work on in general). So, if things keep up, Nom Wah could easily take the crown for my favorite place in Chinatown. I'm just going to have to go back and see...

Nom Wah Tea Parlor, 13 Doyers Street.

Sign O' The Day

Actually, Sign O' Two Days Ago, in front of Atomic Wings on Ninth Avenue.

Battleyaki #1: Vivi, Oh! Taisho, & Otafuku

On Saturday I finally participated in a long-awaited food challenge: Battleyaki! In honor of a Birthday Royale, a group of us set out to pit takoyaki joint vs. takoyaki joint and find the best octopus balls in NYC.

For those of you who don't know the joys of takoyaki, it's a ball of savory dough containing a large chunk of octopus (or a few smaller pieces) and a few other flavorings, like pickled ginger and green onion. Cooked in a specially-designed takoyaki pan, the balls of goodness are usually topped or served with okonomiyaki (similar to a sweet/mild barbecue sauce), mayonnaise, and bonito flakes. Tako (octopus) yaki (fried or grilled) originated in Osaka, Japan, and it is one of my life goals to go on a serious takoyaki bender there...

We began the Battleyaki in Chinatown at Vivi Bubble Tea (49 Bayard Street). A to-go bubble tea joint, takoyaki is among one of the few savory snacks Vivi offers. Some were surprised that they were kind of sweet (I wasn't getting that so much), and we were worried about the amount of octopus (the first taster ended up with an octopus-free ball!), but both of mine were chock-full of multi-legged sea creature goodness. The balls themselves were nicely crispy on the outside, too. At a dollar less per six than the other places we tried, we all ended up pleasantly surprised.

Next up was Oh! Taisho (9 St. Mark's Place), one of the multitude of Asian joints that has sprung up where all of the tattoo parlors and bong shops used to be. Specializing in yakitori, takoyaki is on the appetizer menu (as it is at its sister shop at 5 St. Mark's, Yakitori Taisho). Oh! Taisho served the takoyaki differently: Okonomiyaki and benito on the top, mayo and ginger on the side. While the other dishes we ordered there were wonderful, the takoyaki left something to be desired: not very flavorful, not much octopus, and kind of soggy.

Finally, we headed around the corner to Otafuku (236 E. 9th Street), which actually seems to be part of a larger company? I've had many takoyaki at this little take-out place, and once again, they did not disappoint. Really rich and complex with a huge chunk of octopus in each ball, we were all happy--as per the usual there.

And the winner of Battleyaki #1? ...*drumroll*... It was kind of a tie! We all love Otafuku and think it's wonderfully tasty, consistent, and satisfying, but we were really surprised by Vivi. While many weren't sure about the sweetness, we were all really impressed by the texture.

But really, we couldn't come to a definitive answer anyway, since we only made it to three of the five places on Saturday's list, which didn't even include all of NYC's takoyaki purveyors. So, we're already working on Battleyaki #2!

And to tide us over, here's a video of one of our favorite takoyaki bonuses: Bonito in motion!

Urban Narcissus

Happy Easter from The High Line's daffodils.

A Lamb Sandwich Just In Time For Easter @ElsewhereNYC

If you haven't made your Easter plans yet--and really don't want to cook--you might want to head over to Elsewhere and partake of the leg of lamb sandwich. Run by the Caselulla folks (which I love), I'd been wanting to go check out what they'd done with the famous old Le Madeline space (in which Petit Un Deux Trois tried, but...), and I finally made it there last weekend for a pre-Jerusalem brunch with my folks (Mark Rylance is FAB--go see it!). The back room with the tree is still there and comfortable, and what we tried foodwise was pretty great.

The lamb sandwich (with horseradish, eggplant, tomato jam, and piave jus) was complex and flavorful, and definitely worth the splurge. But Elsewhere's menu is seasonal and will apparently change, so get over there and grab it while you can!

Elsewhere, 403 W. 43rd Street, just west of Ninth Avenue. Brunch is from 11–3, Saturdays and Sundays.

The High Line's Non-Billboard

Looks like The High Line Phase II's non-billboard at 26th Street is going to have some seating...for some extra relaxed city viewing (and vice versa)?

I also noticed that further north, where The High Line curves west as it heads towards 30th Street, a long row of benches has been installed. Looks like I've found the official location for KKNY's summertime outdoor office!

Worth The Wait: Totto Ramen

Frankly, I've been avoiding Totto Ramen since the place opened. The buzz was more than annoying. I'd heard about the lengthy wait for a table or spot at the bar. I figured I could get great freshly-made noodle soup in Chinatown for half the price. And for whatever reason, I thought it was closer to the annoying Sixth and Seventh Avenue parts of midtown.

On an early dinner whim, I finally went. And wow, Totto Ramen is totally worth it. Number one: If you're lucky enough to sit at the bar, you get the typical ramen shop show, highlights of which include giant bubbling vats of broth and a blowtorch. Number two: The soup is really, really fantastic, and stars its chicken-based broth, which is incredibly rich and wonderfully schmaltzy.

I was starving, so I chose the Totto Miso Ramen, figuring I'd get a little extra protein (that plop in the middle of the bowl is the miso, BTW...). With three slices of torched roasted pork, half a boiled egg, and lots of veggies--and noodles, of course--this, I think, was the most filling bowl of ramen I'd ever consumed. And by far the tastiest.

So, I must admit...the buzz was right on this one. I'm willing to go back and wait in line to try one of the other varieties, because they looked really, really good.

Totto Ramen, 366 W. 52nd Street, just east of Ninth.