La Superior

295 Berry st.
Brooklyn, NY
718.388.5988



On Berry st. in south Williamsburg there is a tan and red brick building with one door, one window, and the hand painted name La Superior, a shout out to the late popular Mexican beer. This is the first indication that this restaurant is not only Mexican and hard-core, it's also street.
The food falls right into that category. Crispy Golden Flautas, Chorizo Gorditas, all kinds of tacos, (the spicy shrimp being my favorite), street style quesadillas, and cactus salad! Which is so good for you and rarely ever seen.
This tiny restaurant is already a hit with lines out the door on weekends. They don't serve any alcohol yet, and there is no telling what the situation is with their liquor licence since they have started the process so late in the game.
South Williamsburg is a great place to smoke, but stay on the west side of Berry st. down towards the water. If you go out early enough you can hit up the park at the end of Grand st. and watch the sun disappear behind Manhattan.

I give La Superior:
out of 's

Blazeability:

Il Bucco

47 Bond st.
New York, NY
212.533.1932


This rustic Italian Restaurant on Bond st. has been around forever. Formerly an antique furniture shop that morphed into full service through meals prepared for clients, it's owner Donna Lennard has maintained the funky feel with mixed wood tables and so many pots, pans and lamps hanging from the ceiling, one feels compelled with wandering eyes as if in a planetarium.
The lighting falls softly from many different sources, and the candle light is easy on the eyes if you are blazed. And you should be, because although Bond st. is under heavy development, there is still almost no foot traffic. It's interesting to light up across from Ian Schrager's Monolith, 40 Bond and think about Ricky Martin brushing his teeth or singing into the mirror somewhere up in there. There's also a modeling agency in the building to the east, where I have spotted girls posing in nothing but their underwear, I mean, if you like that kind of thing. Real bony and tall.
The food at Il Bucco never misses. With the menu constantly changing, diners are entertained with a variety of meats, fish and produce, (which is bought from listed organic sources) though the chef Ignacio Mattos seems to favour cheeses, cured meats and fish.
Il Bucco also uses reverse-osmosis to purify their tap water, doing away with the waste of bottled water.
The wine list is incredible and the server's knowledgeable and nice.
It's also not a bad place to see celebrities, again, if you like that kind of thing. The coolest one that frequents though is Chuck Close.


I give Il Bucco:
out of 's
Blazeability:

Double Crown

316 Bowery

New York NY 10012

212.254.0350

Everyone has been stoked about the new AvroKO joint that just opened in the old Manahatta space on Bowery and Bleecker.

Of course the design is solid, with a big beautiful bar, community seating, private dining and cumfy boothes. The place is beautiful, with touches that say "British Colonial" like the interconnected pulley fan system, and the room in the back with one colossal mirror and white shellacked engraved wood covering the walls.

I did not venture into the adjacent connecting bar Madam Geneva, titled so after the original name for a Gin and Tonic in the British Empire. But I will.

Chef Brad Farmerie's concept of the cuisine of Britain and it's influences from colonies in eastern countries, like India and China, fell flat on the plate and in my mouth. Dressed up Prawns lacking flavor, duck steamed buns all bun no duck, soggy mackerel salad with no taste texture despite the shaved fennel and a handful of other unidentifiable ingredients, yellow fin tuna over soggy greens and an oily tomato horseradish compote? Ugh. The bangers and mash were good, as well as the black tea ice cream on the banana dessert, maybe because they actually followed the cuisine's mission statement.

What is it with New Yorker's and Fusion? Do they really want it? Are they so bored that they will spend money on food like this just because someone tells them to? I guess so.

I give Double Crown no's specifically for the food.

Blazeability: I didn't smoke that night, but maybe I would have enjoyed the experience if under the influence.

Philippe

33 East 60th st.

New York NY

212.644.8885

It was early on a Friday night and I had fancied myself up to go to Philippe, an upscale Chinese restaurant in Midtown. Headed by Philippe Chow (who worked at Mr. Chow for 25 years!) the place is small and narrow, with a dining room scooped out a half level below the entrance, another dining room a floor above, and a small room in the rear. 33 E. 60th st. has had trouble over the years with numerous restaurants opening and closing, and you can see why with the space being so limited and dark. The atmosphere isn't horrible, mostly a grey and white palate with red accents in the napkins, you get an upscale and stodgy feeling. Everyone is extremely professional, the waiters bustle around in white jackets and take what they are doing seriously and the clientele sit around going through the Friday night motions, which adds to the stodge.

I was glad I spruced up with a slinky black dress and heels because the crowd was so upper east, I felt like my appearance blended in, which makes me feel more comfortable when I "dine".

The food was spectacular. Because Philippe borders on upscale commercial Chinese food, one must keep in mind that sugar is really thrown around in the kitchen. I accepted this fact and chowed down.

Crunchy Duck salad: lightly dressed, chilled greens which balanced out the tender fried duck perfectly.

Crab meat soup dumplings: so much cleaner and tastier than ones I've had in Chinatown.

Fried rice: good, but better when I poured duck sauce all over it.

Peking Duck: huge, cut table side and the best duck I have had in the city. The order comes with house made crepes that are paper thin, as well as a garnish and duck sauce. I just didn't stop eating.

Philippe is a restaurant that I will go back to, not for the design, not for the service, not for the scene, because I usually detest places like Philippe, but simply for the food. Bravo.

*Smoke at home, or during cocktails downtown, you'll be thankful you're blazed at Philippe.

I give Philippe: out of

Blazeability:

Apotheke

9 Doyers st.

New York NY 10013

212.406.0400

Apotheke is a destination bar in Chinatown in it's final stages of sneak preview prep for NYC's need-to-knows. Boasting a cocktail list of 250 drinks organized by Albert Trummer, the new lounge is located on Doyers st. off Bowery. The space was formerly a dumpling house, and even further back, a famous opium den. The building, as well as the neighborhood, has extreme character.

I didn't puff that night because I knew I would be sampling many cocktails. But for future visits I would not be afraid to light up in Chinatown, especially on a street so small and absent of foot traffic as Doyers.

Walking through the front door of Apotheke, which has no marking's indicating a lounge, one feels like they are passing through a secret doorway. But what one see's once through the doorway completely shatters the illusion.

The space is small and slightly multi leveled as the back curves to the right and the floor slopes up into another space. The bar is made of a beautiful Onyx Carreras about an inch thick spreading across the back of the lounge. However I noticed when leaning over to peer at the antique apothecary accoutrements, there were multiple cracks between the slabs of Onyx that still needed to be sealed. And quick, because underneath lay rows of track lighting illuminating the bar from the inside, and if any liquid happened to drip down and...well I think you get the point.

I turned my attention to the rest of the decor, and became confused. The bar was strait forward: Made to look like an Apothecary, yet there were bed like couches spread out, tacky curtains with big fake jewels hanging from the ceiling, tile patterns everywhere, un-hemmed material draped overhead to the right of the bar, and dance music, the kind you would hear at a B list club in San Tropez. I understood the attempt to merge the principles of an apothecary and how they correlate with Mixology, with the vibe of a New York speakeasy. But I was sitting in a potential euro trash dive. Would New Yorker's venture out of their respective neighborhoods to try Apotheke? I say no.

In spite of boasting a cocktail list of 250 drinks, the ones I was given to try were all very similar: Cava or champagne based with fruit and in house pressed cane sugar (an idea I appreciate, it's so much better to have natural sugar). But they were all too sweet! I ventured to request a rye whiskey drink. I couldn't hear what the cocktail waitress said was in the drink when she handed it to me, but it was delicious despite the sugar still being to strong.

I think a bartender's personality heavily influences his drinks, and Trummer's concoctions let you know he spent seven years under the rigors of Bouley. So really the big question is can a cocktail offering that has all of the frivolities of the South Beach scene draw the crowds in a speakeasy setting in the heart of a not yet gentrified Chinatown? Time will tell.

I give Apotheke: no 's.

Blazeability:

Matsugen

241 Church st.

New York NY 10013

212.925.0202

I blazed at home, since I knew I was heading deep into the financial district, but only puffed a little because I wanted to be sharp for my first Matsugen experience.

Matsugen's emphasis on Soba dishes was intriguing . The waitress explained that the cuisine is designed to nourish you cleanly, with only the most exclusive and high quality ingredients (hence me chopping off my arm and leaving it with the bill).

However, I felt like shit after the meal.

This is why:

Scallops with Petrossian Caviar and Sea Urchin- Very good, well balanced small portions of perfectly cooked scallops. The flavor of the caviar was heavenly but the Urchin was too mushy and absent in flavor.

Edamame- Under steamed but seasoned heavily and well with coarse sea salt.

Shrimp cake with Shitake mushroom- Boring. I couldn't taste the shrimp which was minced into a compact ball along with eggs I think? Topped with slightly chilled tasty Shitake.

Seaweed Salad- Light and simple, again portioned specifically like the other dishes. By this point I was really feeling the "Balance" of the cuisine, which was consistent but unsatisfying.

Plum and Shiso Leaf roll- this came out in two rolls, the plum, then the shiso, very simple, the rice cooked well (thank god!) and the rolls were tight. They tasted great together, and fermented plum is so very good for you. Also, surprisingly cheap compared to the rest of the menu.

Natto cold Soba with all the condiments- I was most excited to try this dish. The portion was small, the noodles were way undercooked and the taste and texture were bland. What a disappointment! At home in bed I could still feel it like a brick.

Well, at least I had the beautiful fish behind me! I kept peering through the tanks and into the enormous, immaculate kitchen, which resembled a Hollywood set, (think No Reservations). It appeared to run like a clock, but why so many B.O.H. staff for such simple food? One to take the rice out of the bag, one to prep the rice for cleaning, one to clean the rice, one to clean the rice again...

The atmosphere was hyper-minimal and making me very uncomfortable, which pushes one to question why Jean-Georges himself was at a table eating with his brood. To create more of a family friendly atmosphere perhaps?

Customers were dressed to the nines and not even noticing what they were putting in their mouths. The waitress seemed trapped in starched clothing and behaved like a Stockholm syndrome victim. She accidentally tipped my water into my lap, which marked the beginning of her own personal Apocalypse. I assured her there was no problem and left a good tip, hoping it would help her to feel like more of a human being.

Apon leaving Matsugen, (after calling my mother and asking for her Soba recipe), I wanted to tear my clothes off and go swimming in a stream.

I give Matsugen: out of

Blazeability:

Miranda

80 Berry St.

Brooklyn NY 11211

718.387.0711

I've been putting it off for a while, but I finally checked out Williamsburg's Miranda, an Italian and Latin American joint right across from Hotel Delmano on N. 9th and Berry, opened by Sasha Roderiguez and Mauricio Miranda. After meeting in 2002 while working at a Union Square restaurant, they decided to bring they're twenty two years of experience to Brooklyn.

The outside of the restaurant faintly escapes me since I had ended a long Monday with a nice long L, and was so hungry I just wanted to get inside. We blazed before leaving the house, but like I've said before, the neighborhood is full of dark, neighborhood streets. However, police have been rolling around more than ever, so keep an eye out.

We sat at a table in the front window and I began to notice the details of the place. A nice small space running not too narrowly back towards the kitchen and bar with a recessed spot in the rear for a the chef's table. They did well utilizing the space, but I felt like I was in a family ski home newly and cluelessly decorated. The dining room felt organic, with exposed brick and wood paneling with the bar laid out in an odd, dated, loose zig zag with a matching wood beam running above it. I was confused about the beam's purpose, which I thought would be for lighting, but turned out to be purely decorative. There was also a feeble attempt at decoration with a shelf on the back wall of the bar covered in different colored, frosty looking "modern" vases. The place just lacked personality. I understand the concept of feeling like you are dining at a friends place, but why choose such tacky friends?

The food: Good. They're aim is to operate with green awareness and to provide fresh and local ingredients to the neighborhood. They do exactly that. The food was simple and healthily cooked and the ingredients were so fresh! I felt good eating it, and eventually stopped being perturbed by the decor.

We had:

Spicy chorizo Arrancini- delicious, not over fried.

Diver Scallops, cannellini puree and broccoli rabe- Perfectly cooked scallops, the puree was rich and velvety and the rabe was light, not oily.

Grilled baby octopus salad, avocado, cucumbers and a shallot-jalapeno vinaigrette- So, so, the flavors were a little too mild and were lost, I tasted no Jalapeno.

Mussels Marinera, P.E.I. with a garlicky tomato fondut- So yummy! Lot's of Garlic!

Garganelli- Egg pasta, peas, llonganissa and mozzarella- Too heavy for me and I didn't care for the flavor combinations.

The staff were nice and managed well with the place being so busy on a Monday night. Miranda doesn't break any ground, but maintains the most important element of a neighborhood restaurant: fresh, local ingredients. I predict that Miranda will do just fine with the support of the locals.

I give Miranda

out of

Blazeability

Amada

Amada
217 Chestnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 625-2450


We had a rental car, two splifs, the dog, a baggie, some papers and a grinder just in case. We also planned on an early dinner at Amada, a Spanish Tapas restaurant in Old City, Philadelphia.

First of all, Old City is gross. Between the milktoast types the Liberty Bell attracts and the college students, it's a rough neighborhood for a nice dinner. However, Sunday at 5pm was not so bad.

Amada's exterior is impressive; simply done in black and creme with large windows and french doors. The interior however is generic and astonishingly large, making it feel a little like a chain.

After sitting at a bar table, we noticed we were enclosed by two walls full of brand name products, like olive oil by Despana, on sale and with price tags made visible. Ew. So I wasn't surprised when I bit into a piece of Despana's frozen Tortilla. What a disappointment. Now I know that's a radical accusation, but other sources reveal it to be true.

We also had Jamon Croquetas that were super greasy, Boquerones served like Carpaccio?, Pulpo sickeningly over seasoned and greasy, Chanquetes with fish that were too large for the dish and sitting in grease. Besides the Revuelto with shired eggs and shrimp, the only other dish that was good was the complimentary Teule (tuna salad) they served when we sat down.

We had to split so I didn't get a chance to peruse the wine list. Also, the Manager was wearing heels. I'm not kidding.

I give Amada out of 's
Blazeability: smoke in your car

Zenkichi

77 N 6th st.

Brooklyn, NY 11211

718.388.8985

It was Saturday night at nine thirty and I was really high. Taking my chances with the Williamsburg weekend crowd, I kept my head down as I passed Sea and made my way to Zenkichi, a modern Japanese Brasserie, or Izakaya, on North 6th and Wythe.

To the virgin eye, Zenkichi's exterior looks like a

hidden sex den, with long wood paneling completely covering the restaurant, leaving room for only one door lit by a single red light. Sexy. Once inside, we were escorted directly up a flight of stairs and into a bamboo forest. Or at least that's what it looked like to me

at that level of lucidity. In actuality it's a series of dimly lit, mahogany built private tables, connecting throughout like a bamboo colony. I was mystified the entire evening and wanted to see a floor plan. Each unit is equipped with a button for service and a bamboo curtain which remains down unless attended by a server. And boy are they cute. Like little Sailor Moons.

I was impressed with how quickly and gracefully the girls opened and shut the bamboo blinds. It made me recall times of extreme frustration with Ikea curtains in college. I also really felt like I was having a unique, private dining experience, until I realized that the guy at the table across from us could see me quickly take a jab at my crotch under the table.

I've heard it said that they always play Jazz standards. Well that's just a mistake. Once you settle into your little nook and the immediate charm of feeling like you have been transported to Japan wears off, you start to hear the hum of other table's conversations, and then behind that, Jazz standards. Random right? It totally kills the high. And I'm not saying they should play traditional Japanese music, but something mellow and sexy and modern, since their concept is all about innovation?

I only drink unfiltered Sake, and I'm really picky about it. I can't say why. Our waitress recommended a pretty straightforward Dassai that I had never tried and it was amazing! I couldn't wait to taste the food paired with the Sake.

Skipping the Omakase for two (we weren't feeling Sashimi so we opted out of the tasting menu), we ordered a la carte.

Wasabi marinated Octopus: Raw. And so spicy I couldn't eat it.

Sweet duck salad: Greens were way overdressed, the Duck was lost.

Amago (Eel) and cream cheese Tempura: You better not fuck up fried cheese.

Salmon Chazuki: Salmon was perfectly cooked over rice and they topped it with a tasty broth table side.

Fried Chicken wings? Kitchy, not innovative. My Fiancee ordered them.

Blackened miso Cod: Perfection.

Japanese cuisine is based on well cooked and balanced food. These dishes were so well balanced, and so minimally and awkwardly paired, that the flavors either fell flat, or just weren't there at all.

The neighborhood is dicey on a weekend to smoke, cops are everywhere now to patrol the herds of douche bags gathered outside Sea or chasing their girlfriends into traffic. But if you walk north a little further and dart down N. 9th or something, their are plenty of tree lined and dark streets with stoops.

I give Zenkichiout of

Blazeability: