When I walked into Rino Ceronte, I was actually in the mood for pizza. However, it was freezing cold outside, I just found out that Monster Pizza doesn’t sell by the slice, and Bleecker Street Pizza was way too far to even think about. Rino Ceronte is located on Macdougal right next to all of the NYU bars (and Mamoun’s):
The shop doesn’t have a lot of seats, but it’s a small operation and was completely empty when I ordered. The back of the shop has a bunch of fake veggies (I thought they were real except I realized they don’t serve those veggies in any of their dishes):
They specialize in sandwiches/wraps with dough they press right in front of you – you can pick from white dough or whole wheat dough and they’ll steam it on this little machine:
The dough comes out like a perfect tortilla and they place steak, chicken, or portobello mushrooms on the sandwich with a sauce (I chose chili mayo) and veggies (I chose jalapenos, tomatoes, and lettuce). The guy behind the counter said the I should definitely go with the ribeye since it was the most popular, so that’s what I ordered:
The sandwich had very little meat (although it looked like it was all pre-measured so everyone must get the same amount) and the toppings didn’t seem very fresh. One redeeming quality of the sandwich was the chili mayo – just spicy enough to give the meat the flavor boost it needed. Rino Ceronte is definitely not worth visiting – I’d feel better ordering a $2.50 falafel from Mamoun’s or spending the same amount for a huge burrito from Qdoba (which is down the street).
By
grace.g.yang
· February 5, 2010
Under:
Uncategorized 
Audrey and I went to Park Avenue Winter a little bit ago and had a fun dinner together. Park Avenue Winter was really nicely decorated for the season – I’m interested to see how it looks during the other times of the ear (they change their decorations based on the season). Here are some pictures from our meal.
Fried parmesan ball:
Our amuse bouche for the night – the parmesan was mixed with risotta, breaded, and lightly fried.
Scallops with bacon:
The scallops with bacon dish was really good, especially since it was all on top of a big chunk of white bread, but the chef over-salted the dish. He salted everything separately but then salted the entire thing once it was assembled – saltier than a salt lick, but I wanted to eat it because it was so good.
Audrey went with the Mushroom ravioli:
The ravioli was very rich and the mushrooms had a hearty filling – we were both surprised that the filling was mushroom, not meat!
For my main course, I went with lobster:
The lobster was a little overcooked, but I dunked it in a lot of butter and couldn’t complain too much.
Audrey went with the John Dory:
I think Audrey liked it, but I wasn’t a huge fan; the meat didn’t have enough flavor and the sauce was too heavy for the fish.
For dessert, I ordered a chocolate box:
The inside was filled with cake and was quite decadent. It was really fun to eat and also really rich – a little on the heavy side, but definitely worth ordering again.
Audrey went with seasonal sorbet and panna cotta:
Her dessert was the exact opposite of mine in terms of taste – light, fruity, and the panna cotta was very creamy.
If I ever return to Park Avenue Fall/Winter/Spring/Summer, I’d try their brunch instead of another dinner; dinner was a little heavy for me, but I’ve heard their brunch is pretty delicious (and a good deal). I’d also like to visit just to pick up another set of matches – the ones I picked up specifically said Park Avenue Winter; I want to collect all four!
Before Ariel and I headed to a friend’s birthday party, we checked out Dos Toros Taqueria for a quick bite to eat. I just read about the restaurant on Serious Eats and thought the review warranted a visit, especially since I absolutely love tacos and burritos. The restaurant is located on 4th Avenue right by the Walgreens in Union Square:
The restaurant has very little seating (there were absolutely no seats when we got there but luckily we had to wait in line so we figured by the time we got our food, there would be a free seat). There’s no restroom in the restaurant (since there are less than 19 seats), which was a little annoying since I wanted to wash my hands before eating a burrito with my hands that were just touching subway poles. The restaurant only serves a couple of items, including burritos, quesadillas, and tacos (you buy those individually):
Dos Toros was opened by two brothers that wanted to re-create Mission style burritos. I’ve only had burritos in San Francisco once or twice, but they were so delicious and flavorful that I can still remember the spices and the juicy pulled pork in my burrito that was overflowing with beans, rice, and guacamole. I went with the carnitas burrito with guacamole:
They use sliced cheese in the burrito and they heat it up so the cheese melts (unlike Chipotle), but everything was a little plain; the pork wasn’t flavorful (or salty) enough, the guacamole tasted like pureed avocados, and the rice was too plain.
Ariel ordered two tacos:
Ariel liked his tacos, but they were quite small and didn’t contain a lot of meat (however, they cost about $3.60 per taco). Ariel ended up having to get in line again to order a third taco so he could fill up.
I’m not sure Dos Toros is worth another visit; I’m still a bigger fan of Chipotle (or even Calexico Cart!). However, the place had really cute guys working behind the counter, so I might be convinced to eat there again if I’m in the neighborhood.
This is one of my favorite dishes I’ve ever had from my mom’s kitchen. The noodles are made from mung beans and contain less carbohydrates than regular noodles and the combination of peanut butter and chicken makes this a healthy dish you can enjoy all year round. You can substitute mung bean noodles for any kind of noodles and serve the dish hot or cold (personally, I like the noodles cold).
Mung Bean Noodles with Chicken and English Cucumbers
Ingredients
1 cup mung bean powder
6 cups water
1 English cucumber
1 pound of chicken, cooked and shredded
Sauce:
1 tablespoon peanut butter
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
First, cook the chicken or purchase a roasted chicken from the grocery store:
I browned the chicken in a skillet and then stuck them in the oven until they were done. Set them aside to cool and then shred them for the noodle dish. If you purchase a roasted chicken, simply shred the meat with your hands or with a fork.
The mung bean noodles are made from a powder (you can find the powder in Chinatown or any Asian grocery store). Use 6 cups of water for every 1 cup of mung bean powder. Stir together over medium heat in a medium sized pot (until the powder is completely incorporated). Let it set for at least 2 hours (do not put it in the fridge).
While the mung bean noodles are cooling down, you can make the sauce. In a microwaveable bowl, scoop up one tablespoon of peanut butter:
Then add about 3 tablespoons of water:
Microwave these two together until the peanut butter and water are mixed together. Next, add the soy sauce and apple cider vinegar:
And finally the sesame oil:
Stir the sauce until everything is incorporated and set the sauce aside.
When the noodles have cooled down, slice the mung bean noodles – first with a knife to get them out of the pan and then with a crinkle cutter:
The crinkle cutter is definitely optional, but it adds a cute design to the noodles. After you cut up the noodles, place them in the serving container. Julienne an English cucumber (don’t use a regular cucumber because the seeds make the cucumber too watery). Place the English cucumber on top of the mung bean noodles and then add the chicken:
Finally, pour the sauce on top of the chicken:
When you bring the dish to the table, you can mix all of the ingredients together (but be careful – the mung bean noodles break easily!)
Another day of going through older posts. I went to Tocqueville last year around Christmas time (Joe took me there as a Christmas gift) and we went to Tocqueville based off a recommendation from my friend Sara. Tocqueville’s atmosphere is great for a date (the lighting was a lot dimmer than most restaurants) but the food didn’t blow me away and I can’t say I’d recommend the restaurant to other people. However, the restaurant next door, 15 East, is supposedly much better (the two restaurants share the same owner).
Before Joe arrived, the waiter brought along some spicy popovers:
Even though the meal took place quite a long time ago, I still remember the taste and smell of these popovers. They smelled like dog food and tasted like absolutely nothing. I thought there was something wrong with them, but didn’t bother sending them back because they were little amuse bouches that we both set off to the side.
For an appetizer, we shared the foie gras:
The foie gras was creamy, silky, and delicious, however, it was on the salty side (and it was a little too peppery because someone in the kitchen went to town with the pepper shaker).
The waiter brought along this dish as well – I’m not exactly sure what it’s called, but it tasted like a starch similar to potatoes:
For our main course, we shared the short ribs:
The short ribs were wrapped in a thin crepe, but there was too much jus on the crepe and made it really soggy and salty.
Neither of us were fans of the main course or the restaurant in general. Sara had so many great things to say about the restaurant – she couldn’t recommend it enough and really had a great experience when she went with her parents – but Joe and I left Tocqueville unimpressed.
