Johnny Utah's

I went to Johnny Utahs with my office for our holiday party. Really, the highlight here is the mechanical bull in the middle of the restaurant - which several of my colleagues attempted to ride, while I fended off the peer pressure to climb on. The atmosphere has a nice country feel, for New York City, that is it isn't too country-esque though the walls are wood, and the decor is southwestern. We pretty much had the main room to ourselves and most of the service was appetizers - chips and salsa, guacamole, wings, etc. The food was good, but nothing too notable our extraordinary. I think it is more of a touristy place, but it served a good purpose for our party and we definitely had a good time. Maybe I'd go back in the future if it fit a specific desire - or if I wanted to compete in the bull riding championships!

Amalia

Enjoy inventive American cuisine with a coastal Mediterranean flair in an exquisite environment blending old world baroque elements such as silk chinoserie wallpaper and black Murano glass chandeliers with downtown touches like distressed brick walls, granite archways and a magnificent backlit mosaic tile "floating staircase" custom made by Sicis of Italy.

Amalia is sure good at run-on sentences in their descriptions. But there is more I'd add, notably the unique placement of artwork and old-world paintings...on the ceilings! The dark atmosphere and candlelight combine with a trendy crowd to make a pretty happening restaurant.

I'd say that Amalia isn't quite a formal restaurant but it is definitely upscale (and pricey - luckily this meal was compliments of my alma mater, thanking me for my donations). We had excellent service throughout our three-course meal with wine. The food was very good and the menu had some interesting selections, with a handful of words I'd probably have to look up before ordering. I think I'd go back if I had the budget for a fancy pre-theater meal, or a guest who'd appreciate the cool crowd and atmosphere.

Five Guys NYC

Five Guys is a burger place that started down in the D.C. area and I went there every now and then before I moved to New York. I was excited to see that they're now spreading up to the city. A few weeks ago Five Guys opened in midtown, a few blocks from my office. The day it opened, the line was out the door with an hour and a half wait! Now, fortunately things have calmed down a bit and when I went, the wait was a more reasonable 5-10 minutes.

Five guys isn't gourmet, but they make one of the best burgers I've ever had. Compared to so many other burgers, from McDonalds to any other pub or the frozen patties I often have off the grill at barbecues, Five Guys tops them all. The burgers (made with two hand-formed patties) are juicy and flavorful, and the free toppings are great too. I do wish there was a little more grill char taste, but really the burgers are just great. I like to let the burger sit for a few minutes after I get it to allow all the flavors to combine. In those few minutes, I simply enjoy the great fries Five Guys makes from fresh potatoes. They're more like boardwalk fries, a little crispy, but also a little soggy, with the skin sill on. The fries are served in a foam cup but really that serves little purpose because they add probably double that amount of fries to the brown paper bag everything comes served in. Simple and tasty, with malt vinegar, or ketchup. Plus, don't forget the barrels of peanuts set out for snacking while waiting in line. All in all it makes Five Guys a great place for a great burger. I'm glad its close to the office, but not so close that I'll be there every day for lunch!

Mickey Mantle's

Since opening in 1988, Mickey Mantle's Restaurant and Sports Bar has established itself as a New York Institution, one of the city's most popular restaurants.

V and I went for dinner at Mickey Mantle's - overall it was a fine experience, but I wouldn't rate it as one of my favorites. The restaurant is pretty typical of most sports bars and the food is rather expensive. Admittedly I had a large steak, and it is New York City, on Central Park South.

The atmosphere is basic sports bar, with a good umber of TV's throughout the restaurant, and of course Mickey Mantle and other sports paraphernalia on the walls. There were a few odd things though, our table had a booth seat on one side and a chair on the other and they were not at the same level, meaning V was sitting a few inches lower than I.

We started with a spinach and cheese dip that was very good. It remained creamy even after it cooled down, and the flavor was smooth and rich, but not too strong. As I mentioned, I had a steak, the Cowboy Steak, which was described to me as a steak on the bone rubbed with a mix of spices and peppers. I couldn't taste many spices when it came out, mostly just the nice flavor of a good char on the grill. The steak was huge, 21 ounces, and I attempted my best effort at finishing it, but with the spinach dip, a side of mashed potatoes (which were quite good, a little chunky, with a cream gravy) and the broiled tomato it was too much to finish (though I got close). Fortunately I had a good workout at the gym earlier in the day. V had a more reasonable Kobe Chopped Steak with mushrooms and asparagus. It was basically a fancy hamburger patty, and even though it was Kobe beef, that's how it tasted.

The service was adequate, but nothing special. I'd say overall, Mickey Mantle's is a bit expensive - or really it's just not that special of a place to me. I suppose I prefer something other than a sports bar aimed at more of the tourist crowd.

Fairway Market Cafe and Steakhouse

I heard about the Fairway Market Cafe and Steakhouse from a Food Network show, that recommended it as a place for a great steak at a very reasonable price. The restaurant is actually secondary to to a much larger grocery store. I suppose that because the food for the restaurant come straight from the store below, the prices can remain low.

V and I went for dinner and ordered from the $29 prix fixe menu, which offers most everything on the main menu in a three course meal. A good $15 bottle of wine rounded out the meal.

For an appetizer I ordered the white bean soup, which I expected to be kind of thick or creamy, but was actually a broth based soup. It wasn't as hearty as I expected, but it was pretty good. V had roasted clams, which were in a nice butter sauce and were a good start to her meal.

We both ordered steaks, V the Prime Dry Aged N.Y. Strip Steak, and I the Marinated Skirt Steak. Both were good, V's more tender and mine with a bit more flavor. I had mashed potatoes on the side that were over mashed, but the fries with V's steak were well seasoned and crispy.

For dessert V had apple pie which was good, but I wished it was warm. I had a slice of carrot cake which was pretty moist and had a coconut frosting. I've had better, but it was a nice end to the meal.

The restaurant is pretty simple, upstairs from the grocery store, filled with wooden tables, light metal chairs and some large pictures and banners on the wall showing fruits and vegetables. We arrived early for a Friday dinner to a relatively empty dining room, but by the end of the meal the place was close to packed. The service was good, and our waitress was vary friendly.

Overall the meal was good, but not great. I suppose for the price it was what you would expect. I don't know if I'll go back, but if I lived on the Upper West Side, I'd definitely be a regular, for a satisfying, cheap, dinner.

Craftbar

Craftbar is Craft's informal sister-restaurant, where Chef Tom Colicchio applies the same philosophy of simple food derived from the finest ingredients, to casual dining.

I've seen Tom Colicchio as head judge of the reality cooking show, Top Chef. I didn't know much about his cooking style but I guess the show worked for him because I looked up his restaurants in New York and made a point of going - to one of the cheaper ones at least.

Craft Bar has an odd atmosphere, it seemed kind of unfinished to me. High ceilings, white walls, a cement floor...the one unique thing was a catwalk crossing the space, though it didn't seem to have any purpose other than for storage. I suppose the atmosphere was good for the young, casual crowd. The servers were dressed casually, with black t-shirts and pants.

As a starter our server brought little crispy bread sticks that had a nice saltiness that I couldn't resist. We each ordered appetizers. I had the pecorino fondue which had a little sweetness to it, with a few hazelnuts on top. I didn't think of it as fondue, more just a broiled cheese with some chips. But regardless, it was cheese and it was good combination of sweet and salty. V had a squash and gruyere soup that was not too sweet and a great dish for fall. Another appetizer was the chickpea fries, which were rather interesting. They were very thick, probably half-inch square and a few inches long, they were 'supple' but not very crispy. The olive aoli dip that came with them was very good.

For entrees we each tried something different. V and her friend, Lonestar, each had the chantorelle risotto that I found to be really, really good - it was very smooth, almost cheesy. The braised short ribs, in a mild consommé were delicious and very tender. The hangar steak, which I ordered, was fairly peppery, but quite tender, which is a feat with this cut. The onions and potatoes on the side were also very good.

Overall I found the menu at Craftbar to be well...crafted. The dishes were unique, and along with that, the service was very good. It ended up being an expensive meal, but we went all out, with two courses each and plenty of drinks. I was definitely satisfied with the meal and the restaurant as a whole. I'll have to try the other Craft restaurants now!

Bon Appétit Supper Club & Café

The Bon Appétit Supper Club & Café is a temporary restaurant set up across the street from my office. I just noticed it one day last week and by the end of this week it will be gone. Basically it is a marketing gimmick for Bon Appétit, some celebrity chefs and other food and dining-related companies. I was hoping that since it is all a marketing event that the food would all be free, but alas, it isn't: dinner, at the 'Super Club' is $125 a head (admittedly, this is for a five-course meal). Luckily lunch at the Café is much more reasonable (at least for New York): $7-9 dishes and cheaper sides and soups.

I've tried a few of the lunch items, including the Roast Beef sandwich with Marinated Red Onions and Blue Cheese, which was great. It comes on a peasant-style bread that is a nicely chewy yet crusty. Blue cheese is always a favorite for me, as are onions. I wasn't as impressed with Govind Armstrong's Tropical Rolls with Sambal, which were kind of a spring or summer roll filled with vegetables and mushrooms. I thought they were difficult and messy to eat and though I liked the crunchy texture of the vegetables (carrots, peppers, snow peas, and I think fennel), the mushrooms added an odd taste and slithery texture. Eventually the rolls fell apart before I could finish them so I mixed everything up, with the provided dipping sauce, into a julienne vegetable salad that I found easier to eat. I also really enjoyed Emeril Lagasse's Corn and Crab Bisque. It was creamy but not too rich and amazingly the vegetables in it (corn, scallions) remained fresh and al dente. There was a good amount of crab too! And don't worry, I didn't eat this all at once—being that this is across the street from my office, I've had a few chances to visit and sample things from the menu.

The whole atmosphere is interesting, though I can tell it is temporary. It reminded me of something a candidate for "The Apprentice" would put together. You can see wires taped down in some areas, and the dining room paint job is dark, and darkly lit most likely to hide anything unsightly. The walls are a dark blue, with 20+ foot ceilings and hundreds of little (2" by 6") mirrors strung from the ceiling. There are rows of high-top tables for seating that I imagine get changed out for dinner service. And at the head of the room is a kitchen are for live cooking demos. Unfortunately the demo the conducted didn't come with samples...we were just instructed to buy the cookies from the café. The café area is painted bright green, probably to make it seem larger, as it has gotten very crowded during the lunch rush. (The cashiers need to pick up the pace.)

But, finally, my hopes of marketing freebies were realized; upstairs they've got Häagen-Dazs giving away samples, along with Evian, Godiva and others. Plus you get a free tote bag if you spend more than $10, and even more free stuff if you pay with a Visa card. Who says marketing doesn't work?