e a t e r y R O W

PIER I CAFE
West 70th Street and Riverside Boulevard
New York, NY 10069
(212) 362-4450

The first time I went to the Pier I Cafe (or is it the Pier i Cafe?) was for a date, and since then I keep finding myself back. It's just so relaxing. You can sit under the umbrellas for hours and read, watch the ships pass by, stare longingly at the joggers who run by, or chill out with friends nursing beers.

Pier I is nestled just under the West Side Highway and every seat is outdoors. This can be problematic in the rain, despite the over-sized umbrellas... but at least you're guaranteed a seat. Pier I has no table service. You order and pay McDonalds style and then find a seat. They'll call your number when your order's ready. On a crowded day, if you order and are by yourself with no one to save your table, you may wind up with a cold hamburger by the time you get to sit down.

On my first food-related trip here (I usually go to drink a beer and relax), ordered the i Burger. It was hard not to. You can smell the grill for blocks. It comes with lettuce, tomato, pickle onion, seasoned fries and your choice of cheese. Pretty good, but a wee bit greasy. Grab some extra napkins.

But Pier I is not just diner food. Those with more sophisticated palates can order the likes of grilled salmon or skirt steak. I returned with Bro recently and tried their Fish and Chips (no sophisticated palate for me), deep fried cod with the same seasoned fried that the burger came with and a small salad. Pretty good. The "homemade" tartar sauce was mediocre. Bro ordered the Southern Chicken Wrap, a barbecue chicken wrap with Monterrey jack cheese tomato and greens and a salad. I liked his wrap more than my fish and chips, but that might have been because it felt more healthy.

The Pier I Cafe isn't expensive, but it's not a cheap place either. It's about average. Their small menu averages just under $20 for a dinner entree and the salads can get as high as $16 if you want grilled shrimp. Beers can be had by the bucket for $28 and sangria by the pitcher for $33. Naturally, there's a small wine list.

Think if the Pier I Cafe as an upscale picnic experience with a waterfront instead of grass and with tables instead of tablecloths.

GRADISCA
126 West 13th Street
New York, NY 10011
(212) 691-4886

Good Italian food is something everyone loves, but so few have actually had. Most of the time, they've just had Italian that was somewhat better than the Italian that they've had before. They've had decent Italian. Good Italian is another animal entirely. Good Italian doesn't care if the restaurant's a hundred years old or a day, it doesn't care if the recipe's been handed down through the generations or if it was something the chef wrote down on a napkin while eating Cheerios. Good Italian, like good anything, is about quality and pairing. Gradisca is good Italian. Very good Italian.

Speeds and her boyfriend, Saint Love, invited me out to dinner with one of Saint Love's West Village friends. How could I say no? The friend picked Gradisca in part because she loves the food and in part because she lives two blocks away. She's one of those "what's a bridge?" types who rarely ventures beyond the borders of her immediacy unless she has to, so I can see why she and Speeds get along so well. Unlike Speeds, and this was evident by the end of the night when she ran off to whoot at Firemen, SLF can hold her liquor.

Gradisca looks like your standard upscale-but-not-fancy restaurant. Unlike The Four Seasons or DB Bistro Moderne, it isn't trying to be anything more than a place to get a great meal. There are no wading pools or ghastly art, no fifteen kinds of water or designer furniture. In short, it's my kind of restaurant. It leaves the pretension at the curb. The outside, where the four of us sat, was somewhat cramped, with Speeds literally sitting in front of the stoop of a nearby brownstone and me sitting almost on the narrow sidewalk. But in a strange way, that almost added to the charm.

Saint Love's's friend (SLF) had already ordered a bottle of wine for the table by the time I arrived, so we sat sipping and pondering the menu for a few minutes before deciding to share two of them. The first to come was the Prosciutto di Parma, which was essentially melt-in-your-mouth soft prosciutto with cheese. Absolutely amazing. It was hard to share. Speeds, used to red-sauce, stereotype Italian, asked if they had calamari, despite its not actually being on the menu. No, she was told, we have octopus. So I made sure that the second appetizer was the Polpo con Patate, Pomodori Secchi e Pesto di Basilico, warm octopus, potatoes, and sun-dried tomatoes with a basil pesto. It was less impressive than the prosciutto, but tender and zesty. I won't say it's for everyone's taste, but I will say that it is for mine.

Each entree was delicious, and I should know, since I made sure to try all of them. Speeds ordered the Ravioli di Ricotta ed Erbette a Burro Artigianale, a ricotta and chard ravioli with butter and sage, which was very good, but very buttery. Somehow it still felt like a light dish despite the butter, so if you don't need to worry about your cholesterol, and want something that won't weigh you down on the hot summer nights, this might be just the ticket. Saint Love ordered the Lasagnette di Farina di Farro, con Pomodori, Burrata e Pesto, a flour lasagna with tomato, burrata cheese and a basil pesto. Like the ravioli, this was a very light dish. It almost floated on the plate, held down only by the cheese atop it. The sauce was little more than warm diced tomatoes and pesto, yet lost nothing for flavor. It's a small dish however, so if you're the kind of diner who likes their pasta to be one cheesy gooey bite after another, who doesn't believe in getting up from the table until you've eaten so much you can't breathe, then you'll be disappointed. If you want something fresh and different and want room for dessert though...

SLF ordered the Pappardelle con Ragu di Agnello Tagliato al Coltello, an egg pappardelle pasta dis with a lamb meat sauce. Delicious and probably the most "traditional" of the dishes that anyone ordered. Although the amount she got looked somewhat on the small side, it was quite heavy and any more than that probably wouldn't leave room for dessert. My entree was, in my opinion, the best of the lot. The Filetto di Maiale alle Pesche su Fonduta di Parmigiano con Spinaci Saltati, roast pork tenderloin and grilled peaches under a Parmesan fondue sauce with a little bowl of sauteed spinach on the side. And it was phenomenal. I literally paused for a few seconds when I bit in, it was that good. I wanted the whole table to try this, just to prove that it was that good. The pork was so tender that I cut it with the dull side of the knife by mistake and didn't notice. Peaches are probably not the most traditional Italian fare, and the fact that it blended so well underscores what I said in the beginning about good Italian not being beholden to some ancient notions of what they ate in Goodfellas. This was Italian at its best, in my opinion.

We ended the meal with some coffee and a shared Tiramisu. Like everything else this evening, it was delicious. Soft and fluffy, like an espresso-soaked cloud.

Two bottles of wine, one glass of dessert wine, two appetizers, four entrees, coffees and a dessert, with tax and tip wound up somewhere in the vicinity of $300.

400 Knight Street
Warwick, RI 02886
(401) 734-4460

Unlike me, who is but a hobbyist with a website, Seth happens to be a real journalist. Like, he gets paid and everything. So when he was asked to write a travel piece about Providence and asked if I wanted to tag along, how could I say no? Providence is like a miniature Boston. The same architecture, the same horrid streets, the same colonial kitch, the same college-city atmosphere, the same accent. Seth came for the colonial kitch, which is apparently what the tourists, bratty kids in tow, came for as well. As an aside, I'm not sure why parents think that children enjoy tours of old mansions, but someone should really clue them in. I'm willing to bet that no ten-year old ever held a tantrum at being told that they're skipping the mansion tour for an amusement park.

Warwick neighbors Providence the way Hoboken neighbors NYC. It's five minutes away and cheaper to stay in. So we stayed in Warwick, venturing north during the day to ProTown to figure out what tourists would want to do. After a hard day of aimful wandering, it was time for food, drink, and possibly another drink.

The NYLO Hotel, in a renovated factory, with it's loft-style rooms, modern interiors, and clubby atmosphere caters to a certain demographic. And you know who you are. This ain't Holiday Inn. The restaurant at the NYLO is The Loft, an upscale casual American restaurant. Overlooking the river is a huge patio area with tables and sofas and even little curtained off beds. On the weekends, the restaurant becomes a club with DJs and dancing. It's a sexy place, and on days when they aren't spinning tunes, a very chill place.

It should be noted that our waitress was... well, I don't think she liked me. And I'm a likable guy. Maybe she had a bad day, maybe she didn't think it was cute when I flipped a coin to choose my dinner*, maybe it's her personality. And I liked her. She had spunk. Sigh.

*Actually, I was out of coins so I flipped a credit card.

We were in Rhode Island, a seafood state, so Seth started off with a simple bowl of New England Clam Chowder and I tried the Crab Cakes with a spicy remoulade sauce. The clam chowder was good, but not unique. The crab cakes were very good. No breading. All crab. I wish they were larger than the size of a golf ball, but I can't complain for the taste.

Dinners at The Loft are simple and casual and while I was surely tempted by the Molasses-brined Heritage Pork Chop, I decided to go with a sandwich to leave room for dessert. Specifically I went with the Whiskey-Orange Grilled Steak Sandwich, orange-seasoned steak with lettuce, tomato and goat cheese. Very good, and I don't much care for goat cheese. So I can imagine what it would be like if I did like it. Seth asked why I didn't ask for the sandwich without the goat cheese. Maybe get another cheese instead. I suppose that it's a valid comment, but wouldn't that defeat the purpose of trying out the dish? I mean, someone designed the meal specifically to include certain flavors. Besides, I can't stand those people who substitute things. Seth ordered the Cilantro Lime Chicken Sandwich, which he liked very much and didn't have to swap anything in or out.

Dessert was the most disappointing part of the meal. Seth tried the Warm Brownie with caramel, vanilla gelato, and cream. This was basically I margarita glass stuffed to overflowing with calories. Gelato, caramel, cream and chocolate. It was good, I guess, but it felt like it belonged on the menu of a TGIFriday's. My choice was the House-Made Dough Boy dusted liberally with powdered sugar and under a mixed-berry compote. I was told that it was a Rhode Island specialty, but that implies that Rhode Island was founded by carnies. It was good, but heavy. I got through half of it, but try as I might, just couldn't finish it.

Oh yeah, The Loft has a cocktail list too. They looked pretty good and the one I had (I forgot to write the name down) was.

PUKK
71 First Avenue
New York, NY 10003
(212) 253-2741

Vegetarian food, a friend once told me, must be the most insecure of all foods. It's always trying to pretend that it's something else. Vegetarian hamburgers, vegetarian chicken nuggets, vegetarian bacon... tofurkey. It basically says "look, we all know that meat is amazing. So come join our ranks and we'll try to convince you that you never gave it up." I kinda wish that tofu was tofu was tofu, rather than some attempt to parallel what usually tastes like some processed meat product. But that's me. And then again, who doesn't like the taste of processed meat product?

This, dear readers, is but one of a handful of reasons why I rarely bother eating vegetarian food. Still, when Dogz suggested that we check out this vegetarian Thai joint in the East Village called Pukk I didn't think twice. I think I even interrupted his attempt to convince me. "Yeah let's go." Maybe the closet vegetarian in me was crying out to be heard. Maybe the closet hipster in me was crying out to be fed. Maybe the cheapskate bum in me was crying out for a place where I could pay with a twenty and get change.

Pukk, like almost all Thai restaurants, tries hard to be look like something in a science fiction movie set. I've been in ones that are like eating inside neon tunnels, I've been to ones where the bathroom walls are one way glass so you can watch people eat while you pee, I've been to ones with wading pools you could swim in, and I've been to ones that look like they came right out of THX-1138. Pukk is lined floor to ceiling (including tables) in small round tiles. It's like eating in a subway station. I was half expecting the E train to rumble through. Anyone not lucky enough to sit on the bench seat will be forced to endure placing their bum on teeny green glowing plastic chairs, so uncomfortable and bendy that it's clear that the person buying them never actually sat on one before placing the order. Still, for all my complaining, the food was top notch.

To start with, I decided to try the Tom Yum Spicy Tofu Soup, a lemongrass soup with mushroom and onion. It was a bit thin, with almost more mushroom than soup, but it wasn't bad. Dogz liked it more than I did and found it spicier than I did. Dogz ordered the Curry Thai Pancake, a thick pancake with a spicy curry dip. This was very good. If you like thick and chewy Asian pancakes, then this is probably the appetizer for you. My appetizer, other than the soup (Pukk is just so cheap) was the Tofu Parcel: tofu wrapped potato, peas, carrots, in a black chili sauce. Delicious.

The entrees at Pukk are heavy in number and light in cost. There are noodle dishes, curry dishes and the fraudulent "meat" ones. We only tried two, and I am itching to return and try more. I almost almost almost went back the next day for lunch, but for one reason or another, it didn't happen. Soon enough, I suppose. Dogz's entree was the Gravy Noodle with "duck": noodles with Asian vegetables in a ginger gravy sauce. Speaking of the sauce, it was swimming in it like a stew. Dogz liked this aspect of the dish. Me, not so much. But that aside, it was quite tasty. I'd love to know what the sauce was, because it was very beef-like. My choice was the Pad See Ew with "duck" and egg: Broad noodles in a black bean sauce. The fake duck aside, which honestly wouldn't fool anyone, this might have been one of the best pad see ew's I've had. It was certainly the best in recent memory. I highly recommend it.

Three appetizers and two entrees cost us about $32. They practically give this stuff away.