26 June 2009
We've been back in the city for about a month now. It's been a strange rainy summer so far of which I do not approve. According to accuweather.com we've more than doubled normal precipitation levels for June - 9.38 inches this month vs. 3.84 average. Aside from that it has been wonderful to be back in New York. We've started exploring the restaurants in the neighborhood and my only wish is that there were more choices.
So far we've been to Mojo (Yelp reviews), Native (Yelp reviews) and Zoma (Yelp reviews). Mojo was surprisingly expensive, especially in the drinks department. Although I will admit that they were delicious and I had quite a few. Appetizers also didn't disappoint but the entrees were a bit of a let down. I had lamb chops, which for one, seemed really small, more appropriate for an appetizer than an entree in my opinion. The flavor was only decent, but then again I am sort of spoiled by my mother-in-law's lamb. We also found the music to be a bit loud in the restaurant making it difficult to carry on a conversation without straining to hear.
Zoma was my first experience with Ethiopian food and already I've been there twice so that should speak for itself. We've tried both of their Zoma Combinations which allowed us to try almost everything on the menu. I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of spicy food and so my favorite dishes so far are Doro Alitcha and Yebeg Alitcha. The Ethiopian honey wine was delicious if a bit on the sweet side, but the cocktail selection didn't leave much of an impression. A note for those of you who've never had Ethiopian cuisine before - there is no silverware, you have to eat with your hands. I rather enjoyed that.
Like Mojo, Native has yummy cocktails - my personal fave is the Nativtini. Unlike Mojo however, Native is much more reasonably priced and suitable for carrying on a conversation. The food isn't out of this world and last time they ran out of several of the dishes I wanted to try, but nonetheless I think we'll be visiting fairly regularly.
Another place we've been frequenting is The Winery (Yelp reviews). I don't think we've ever left the store with less than 5-6 bottles of wine. They are friendly, reasonably priced and always have a bottle or two that you can taste on the spot. Not to mention that they deliver, although that would be a bit ridiculous considering that we live around the corner 