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Alison: This is All Of It. I'm Alison Stewart. Today is February 1st, and consider this a public service announcement. Valentine's Day is 13 days away. If you haven't made plans yet not to worry. Senior critic at Eater New York, Robert Sietsema is here to help. He's cultivated a list just for all of it listeners. Some great places to eat on the 14th from casual, 24-hour joints to upscale prix fixe menus. Maybe you're dessert your thing, or you're on a budget that fits a little better in there. Don't worry. We'll talk about those places too. Welcome back to the studio.

Robert: Thank you so much, Alison.

Alison: Listeners, we want to hear from you. What is the best Valentine's Day Dinner you've ever had? What's your romantic spot you want to recommend to your fellow listeners, or maybe there's a great dessert place that might be good? Maybe you know a chocolatier you want to shout out, [212] 433-9692, 221-2433 WNYC. Our social media is @allofeitwnyc. If you're listening right now, Robert, and you're thinking, "Oh, I should make the reservation immediately," would you agree with that? Do you have time to actually shop around a little bit?

Robert: Yes, you have 35 minutes. It is the Waterloo of dining out experiences. It can make, or break a relationship. Next to Sunday brunch on Mother's Day, it is the worst night to possibly go out ever. We have some hacks which could help you. Should I mention a couple of them?

Alison: Sure, go for it. Yes.

Robert: One of them is why don't you just go out the night before, or the night after, or even better. This is when I just thought of why not go for breakfast the next morning, and do whatever you're going to do that night, and then reward each other with breakfast the next morning.

Alison: The day before, and day after thing, my friends, and I used to go out for Quatro de Mayo.

Robert: Oh, wow. Yes.

Alison: Because the restaurants were already for Cinco de Mayo.

Robert: Oh, yes, yes, yes.

Alison: At a lot less crowded. [laughs]

Robert: Oh, I forgot that day. That's another horrible day. One of the things that's cool about breakfast is that so many more restaurants are now serving breakfast. Like Lac De Verde, you couldn't get in the Save Your Life if you tried to make an evening your reservation. If you go in the morning for breakfast, or any of those hotel restaurants, like Smith Tavern, or La Graton, or Colman, or places that are in hotels. They got to serve breakfast.

Alison: Usually, they can have some pretty great things on breakfast menus these days. Let's say you're going to restaurant, and they have a special Valentine's Day menu. What do you think are some questions you should consider for yourself before signing on to one of those prefix menus?

Robert: It's buyer beware. To begin with, let's even ignore the possibility that you don't like to be surrounded by little cupid shooting arrows, and red hearts, and that that makes you want to throw up. If you're the kind of person who wants to be in a real Valentine's Day ambiance, it's buyer beware. Go to the website, and if they are actually advertising, and giving a price for their Valentine's Day feast, then that's wonderful, because you can look at that, and you can look at the regular menu.

If everything is twice as much, and you have half the choices, skip it, and go to a place that offers the full menu, or at least part of it, because Valentine's Day menus are always formulated for the convenience of the restaurants. It may be Eat Chicken Breast, or else.

Alison: Robert Sietsema, senior critic at Eater New York. We are talking about Valentine's Day recommendations. If you have any you'd like to make, or if you've had a terrific romantic dinner, let your fellow listeners know. [212] 433-9692, 212-433 WNYC, or maybe there's a great dessert place or a bakery you want to shout out. [212] 433-9692, 212-433 WNYC. All right, let's get to your list. Tara Kitchen has a few locations are in the area. Connecticut Detroit, Wildwood, New Jersey, and now in Tribeca. This looks like it's North African food.

Robert: It is Moroccan food. Yes, exactly. North African food. Even better. We are deficient in Moroccan restaurants here. I'm not quite sure why, but this one does not only the regular dishes, the tajin, the [unintelligible 00:04:33] but it does a whole bunch of very homely kinds of dishes like Refietza, which is this bed of flatbreads heavily covered in butter.

With this chicken stew, with lentils, and with currents on top of it. It's just delicious. The neat thing about this restaurant is that it illustrates a principle. One of the ways to pick a Valentine's Day restaurant is to find a place that is just opened and hasn't caught on yet. It'll be easy to get a reservation, it will be easy to even walk in, and it'll be easy to have a conversation without all the people around you hearing every word.

Alison: It sounds like this place that has an atmosphere that's not necessarily meant for Valentine's Day, but a really nice atmosphere.

Robert: Yes. You and I have different ideas of romance than the general public, perhaps, or maybe everybody. Everyone has their own idea of romance. It's not the hearts and the cupids. It's often feeling that you're in a place that's not New York.

Alison: That you escape for a minute.

Robert: Exactly, exactly.

Alison: We've got a recommendation from Matthew. He says, "Belford Bistro trauma trattoria both in Monmouth County." Folks, there you go. If you're in that area.

Robert: Nice. Thanks.

Alison: I like this idea. Joe's of Avenue U. This is a solo key.

Robert: Oh, God. Yes.

Alison: They don't even have a website. Tell us more about Joe's of Avenue U.

Robert: Oh, my God. Another principle there. Italian food is often said to be lusty. It's because people thought that it inflamed the Caral desires in the 19th century. We now know that tomato sauce is just something that ruins your shirt by spilling on it. Joseph Avenue U is a Sicilian place dating to about 70 years ago. It has this magnificent mural of rural Sicily on the wall painted by a very talented, but nameless painter of these peasant carts, and people dressed in peasant costume.

It's almost overwhelming. It's so beautiful. You go into this, it's a Sicilian focaccia menu from people that came here 70, or 80 years ago. One of the dirty secrets of Sicilian restaurants is that they're very heavy on vegetables. Vegetarians will have a good time here. They have all of these amazing fried calamari originally came from Sicily, and no place does it better, but anyway, it's in how poetic is this? It's in the graves end neighborhood of Brooklyn, and [inaudible 00:07:09]

Alison: It's one of those places where they do have an Instagram, and it's my favorite thing about it is that they have somebody took a picture of the menu and put it up [laughs] That's where you can go to look at the menu. Forget the website. There's a picture on Instagram. [laughs]

Robert: How helpful.

Alison: That's Joe's of Avenue U. All right. If we're looking for a late-night spot, you are recommending Floridita, is that how I say it?

Robert: Floridita, Wonderful. There are these Latin restaurants up in Washington Heights, and in North Harlem that unfold Cuban, and Dominican, and Puerto Rican food through successive ownership. They have wonderful pan Latin menus. This place is halfway between a nightclub, and a diner, if you can imagine that. Low key, easy to walk into. Wonderful. Cuban sandwiches if you're just snacking, Arroz con Pollo, if you want something a little bit heavier, and a lot of more exotic things.

Alison: Yes. It looks like it's got a jaw-organic menu.

Robert: Oh, yes, yes. They can make everything on it.

Alison: Timeout market. It's good if you have different tastes in food. This is the one in Dumbo. First of all, a lot of times markets and food trucks have long lines. How are we feeling about weights?

Robert: This is not going to be a weight. Here's the trick. Rather than go to the ground floor, which has all of these crowded stalls, and lines, indeed, although not so much in the evening, as in the afternoon, go up to the fifth floor where there's a secret new collection of restaurants, including the Wonderful Bark, which is a Dominican barbecue. It's like Texas barbecue only with Dominican flourishes. The best part of the fifth floor is not only that it's gigantic, but there are panoramic views of Manhattan and the rest of Brooklyn. The best view in town as a matter of fact, but don't tell anyone I said that.

Alison: That is a good tip at the time-out market. My guest is Robert Sietsema, a senior critic at Eater. We are talking about Valentine's Day recommendations. We'll get to some calls that are rolling in, and after the break, we'll talk about where to go if you want to break the bank. This is All Of It.

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This is All Of It. My guest is Robert Sietsema, a senior critic at Eater New York with some Valentine's Day recommendations. We're looking for your recommendations as well. We want to hear about a great Valentine's Day dinner you've ever had or a romantic spot you want to recommend your fellow listeners. Maybe there's a great dessert place you might think would be good for buying chocolates, or some sweet treat want to hear about that too. 212-433-9692, 212-433 WNYC. Kaya from the Lower East Side is calling in with a recommendation. Hi Kaya.

Kaya: Hi. I wanted to recommend Morochas Cafe on Ludlow Street.

Alison: Why Morochas?

Kaya: It's a Venezuelan cafe that serves [unintelligible 00:10:23] and coffee, and they also serve really cute cakes by the artist Sweet Hayes Cakes.

Alison: What makes it a good place for Valentine's Day?

Kaya: They have lots of cute options, like heart-shaped cakes and cupcakes, and little cookie boxes.

Alison: Nice. For people.

Robert: Yes. Sounds like you could carry some things back home that you don't have to eat there you could make a nice Valentine's Day gift.

Alison: Yes. For people who don't want to sit in a restaurant. Some people aren't comfortable with that just yet. You get a little treat to take home. All right, Robert, you put together a couple choices for people. Let's say these are-- I think of these as the places you're not somebody who goes out to dinner regularly, you go once or twice a year and you really go for it. For a lot of people that's what Valentine's Day is, the day they really go for it. Let's get into your options. Grand Central Oyster Bar.

Robert: Now that's not so very expensive. I think you're actually looking at a list that was my cheaper option.

Alison: Oh, am I looking at the cheaper options? Oh, I didn't get to the-- No I have the expensive list. I'm sorry.

Robert: After doing-- I can give you a bunch of expensive places but the Grand Central Oyster Bar is great if you're just snacking because you dash in, you sit at the Oyster Bar itself or at the snacking lunch counter or in the tavern next door not on the main floor which is very stuffy and boring. Those other places like the Grand Central Oyster Bars is actual oyster bar and one of the most exciting places in town, you sit there you get some oysters. Let's not forget oysters are a powerful aphrodisiac.

At any rate. Yes, that's a good place for that. Now, for expensive restaurants, once again you should go to a place that hasn't caught on yet but is very expensive. One of those is The Wesley. Which is on West Fourth and West 12th, if you think that such a nonsensical address actually exists. It's a place where you're going to blow about $150 per person. It is 99% or 95% of the restaurant serves vegan food of such a creative sort that you won't mind having paid $30 or $35 per dish. It's gorgeous. Little baby carrots on a bed of polenta with a coconut curry sauce on top but so nicely presented that you can barely believe it. Then they have a short menu of a steak and a chicken and stuff like that. That place is wonderful.

Alison: What's the name of that again?

Robert: It's called The Wesley.

Alison: The Wesley. Also before we go any further, we've had a couple people who wanted the name of the Moroccan restaurant. It was Tara Kitchen.

Robert: Exactly. Yes.

Alison: Tara. T-A-R-A. Okay.

Robert: That place is plenty big so I bet you could even just walk in there. Well, maybe not now but you could walk in there on Valentine's Day. Otherwise, reservations are available.

Alison: What about Hav & Mar in Chelsea?

Robert: That is a very interesting and great place and it's from Marcus Samuelson who finally has a restaurant that I really really like. It is seafood oriented. It has some kind of more Ethiopian flourishes as you know he's both Swedish and Ethiopian at the same time. That mix for a great combo of influences.

Alison: They have a special Valentine's Day menu.

Robert: Oh.

Alison: Yes. To your point is you should look at the regular menu and then look at the Valentine's Day menu and decide if it is unique enough to go there.

Robert: Exactly. As with any dining experience, research, research, research.

Alison: Let's talk to Ralph on the Upper East Side calling in. Hi, Ralph thanks for calling All Of It.

Ralph: Hey, longtime listener. Longtime fan. Thanks for having me.

Alison: Of course. What do you want to recommend?

Ralph: I have to give a big shout-out to my friends at The Sweet Shop on East 73rd Street between York and first they've got everything. Retro candies from all over the world. Incredible collection of licorice and gummies and just the best chocolate ever. Great folks. It's a family-run business. It's a wonderful place. The Sweet Shop on East 73rd.

Alison: Ralph, thank you so much for calling. Let's say dessert is what you have on the mind. You're recommending, and this made me think of it the Lexington Candy Shop.

Robert: The Lexington Candy Shop is great. It's only open till 6:00. It's one of those places where-- and this is something I always recommend, get the dessert first and then get dinner. That's such an indulgent little Valentine's Day thing. Another place is the Sainted Veniro, the hundred-year-old Italian Neopolitan pastry shop in the East Village. It is little known. Most people just dash in there and get a cannoli and get out but there's quite a large dining room next door decorated like it was still 1939 or something.

There you can get everything at no extra charge. It's just a great place to go in man. I would think of eating an entire dinner of Italian pastries.

Alison: [laughs] Yes, Venier. It's fun to even just go look. It's so colorful and exciting. I did want to ask a question about, so you named two places, as did our friend Ralph that locals go to pretty regularly. I had seen on social media somewhere that some of the folks-- I guess Lexington Candy Shop was written up somewhere. Some of the locals are not that psyched about people coming to their place. They're happy for the owners but what advice would you give to someone who's going to a place that has a local and dedicated clientele, how does one behave to be a good fellow New Yorker

Robert: Look at some pictures on Yelp first, note the way people are dressed. Don't go in with a Norma Kamali coat if everyone is wearing jean jackets and their pants are down below their waist, or any other strange or interesting or good clothing thing. In other words, stick with the-- try to be like the locals, assimilate. Yes.

Alison: Locanda Verde you mentioned it for breakfast but if I do want to go for dinner they're offering a prefix spendi for a coarse meal. People are thinking why am I spending things so much for pasta? What is special about their pasta?

Robert: It is just fantastic, one of the reasons to not go to Italian restaurants is it's so easy to make Italian food at home. Here they add all extra little flourishes. There may be some shaved truffles. There may be an olive oil much better than you could get even at Italy. They're going to make it worthwhile. Just like Marea is also famous for their pastas. Remember Locanda Verde is open at breakfast as I mentioned. Think about going there for breakfast. It's not going to be wildly expensive and it's going to be good.

Alison: We have a question for you. Best vegan spot for Valentine's Day, please. You mentioned the place on West [unintelligible 00:17:27]

Robert: Wesley is good. Vegan spot. That's good. Let me think about that.

Alison: Okay. Listeners, give us a call. What's your best Valentine's Day dinner you've ever had? What's a romantic spot you want to recommend for your fellow listeners? Maybe there's a great dessert place that might be good for buying chocolates or some sweet treat. Give us a call. 212-433-9692, 212-433 WNYC at All Of It. WNYC is our social media. What if you just want to do takeout, any ideas for a good place to just do the takeout thing?

Robert: As an aside, Dirt Candy for vegan places.

Alison: Oh, tell us a little bit more [unintelligible 00:18:09] I'm going to stop you before we get a Dirt Candy vegan place. What do you like about Dirt Candy?

Robert: It's been there for a long time. It has a celebrity chef whose name escapes me at the moment because I don't like the idea of celebrity chefs. It has food that's not only vegan but it's all turned out in a fascinating and beautiful way. In other words, every plate is like a picture that you saw at the Museum of Modern Art.

Alison: Oh, love that.

Robert: The place it's fun. It's way down on the Lower East Side. You don't expect it to be there. You could surprise somebody who was a vegan or not by saying, "I'm taking you to a[unintelligible 00:18:44] place." You get deep in the Lower East Side where it's dark and some places are frankly creepy. Then you stumble on this place. It's like an oasis of light. I hope all the Lower East Side people don't call.

Alison: [laughs] Amanda Cohen is the James Beard-nominated chef and owner of Dirt Candy. All right. We were talking about Takeout, thoughts on Takeout.

Robert: Takeout is wonderful. As a matter of fact, that would be a great option for Valentine's Day especially if you clean your apartment

Alison: [laughs] That's your gift.

Robert: Yes, exactly. What do I like? Even Shake Shack is fun for takeout. Everybody likes Shake Shack except the vegetarians. Where else do I like? I like any of the Jerk chicken places. There's so many of them. The Trinidadian and [unintelligible 00:19:39] places. Peppers Jerk Chicken is famous. There's a branch on the Lower East Side there's a branch in East Flatbush. There's a branch in Canarsie, the original branch right on Flatbush Avenue is absolutely fantastic. Nobody doesn't like Pepper's Jerk Chicken.

Alison: Let's talk to Jackie calling in from the East Village. Hi, Jackie. Thanks for calling All Of It.

Jackie: Hi guys, I just want to recommend ChikaLicious on East 10th between first and second

[crosstalk].

Robert: For dessert, yes.

Alison: Oh, tell us about ChikaLicious.

Robert: All dessert.

Jackie: She's amazing. She's so inspiring. She's a dessert chef from the Four Seasons. She changes the menu frequently. It's a very small spot, but they do wine and champagne pairings, and you can just go there for a dessert light. They'll have [unintelligible 00:20:34] and then something else, and then a big dessert plate. The hours are unusual, like 3:00 to something so you could go either side of a main meal. It's incredible.

Alison: Love that recommendation. Thank you so much.

Robert: I have another emendation for the carryout.

Alison: Okay, go.

Robert: Pick things that travel well that don't depend on being just made to taste great. One of those would be Indian food from Curry in a Hurry or any of those other places in Murray Hill. Where we're it could be any temperature, it can sit on the counter while you make out for 30 minutes before you even eat it and it'll be just as good.

Alison: You can if you played it beautifully and you fill out the good dishes and make the table look great. That's a great idea. I'm fond of Indian restaurants. I like to go to Indian restaurants.

Robert: Me too.

Alison: Everybody, Happy Valentine's Day. Good luck out there making reservations. Robert Sietsema is senior critic at Eater, New York and we'll get that list up on our social media so people can check out some of the places you recommended. Thanks, Robert.

Robert: Thank you. It was so much fun.

 

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