memorial day weekend

memorial day weekend meant three days of eating and drinking and playing in new york. dang, i miss that city. i covered a lot of ground this past weekend and here are the highlights:

friday
- kang suh: like most of its peers on the k-town block, this place has crappy service but i keep going back because it's one of the few places on that block that serves both korean and chinese-korean food. after dinner, i had pat-bingsoo across the street at the bakery. despite the brain-freeze, shaved ice with red bean paste, fruit, ice cream and condensed milk is one of my favorite summer treats.

- pdt: new speakeasy bar next to (within) crif dogs. i appreciate the new genre of new york bars - chic speakeasy with high-end cocktails. pdt is serious competition for death & co. they have a great cocktail menu; each drink is $1 less that the drinks at death & co.; and they maintain the same tight control over the number of patrons, which is what i love the most. it's simply uncivilized to have to stand and drink. i had the pimms rangoon - pimms, mint, cucumber, muddled strawberries and ginger ale. this was yummy. as long as it doesn't have gin, i'm a sucker for a drink with cucumbers and ginger.

saturday
- 'inoteca: truffle egg toast! not as good as 'ino but good enough when i'm going through withdrawal. why does 'inoteca cook the asparagus? please stop. 2 carafes of strawberry bellinis and mounds of cured meats and cheese rounded out my brunch. i had a gorganzola-esque cheese which had an amazing kick. if anyone knows the name, write me.

- little frankie's: one slice immediately following brunch because it was there. chloe sevigny came in with some peeps too.

- balthazar: chocolate madeleine and cappuccino. duh.

- little owl: soft-shell crabs again and duck breast salad. the dishes here are simple and elegant in a no-fuss kind of way. the staff is kind. yes, in new york and kind. i would want to own a place like this. it would make me proud.

- death & co.: after having a prickly pear margarita at dos caminos and trying to find a good outdoor space for a drink, i ended up in this dark space. it's still good.

sunday
- di fara's: brooklyn institution in midwood. long waits. i got there an hour before it opened but, somehow, still wasn't first. three cheeses on the pizza and a ton of extra virgin olive oil. fresh basil cut with a rusty old pair of scissors whether you like it or not, damn it. this place has a cult following, and i may get hate mail for saying this, but i don't think it's the best pizza in the city. it is good but there are too many strong flavors competing with each other without harmonizing. you can hardly taste the tomato sauce. the crust is good.

- daisy may's bbq usa: this deserves its own posting. see next.

monday
- soba ya: fresh handmade soba with zuke-don. after pig, i needed light and cleansing food.