Panino'teca 275

I believe that I experienced the perfect brunch this morning. I had no idea that such a simple combination of ingredients would result in such a delicious synergy.

Before I go into detail, let me explain that Panino'teca is a casual Italian sandwich restaurant on the order of 'ino, but with more substantial portions. They offer a variety of bruschetta, panini and tramezzini, as well as a small but well-selected cheese menu divided into "soft/young", "hard/aged" and "fresh".

Being that it was Saturday, brunch was being offered, so I went with the brunch special: scrambled egg bruschetta. This was not the tiny square of egg-drenched toast that one finds at 'ino. It was a huge mound of creamy scrambled eggs and goat cheese, studded with spicy scallions and sweet Roma tomatoes, redolent of freshly ground black pepper. The whole glorious mess was served over a thick slice of toasted ciabatta. In short: heaven.

Panino'teca: 275 Smith St., Brooklyn. (718) 237-2728.

Grilled Cheese CLOSED AS OF 1/06 (and Chocolate Cake)

After the sophistication of the previous sushi meal, I craved something a little more infantile. What pleasure is more primeval than that of a grilled cheese sandwich?

And what is the most enticing aspect of a grilled cheese sandwich? The silky texture of the hot melted cheese? The crunchy toast? Or the contrast between the luxuriously soft cheese and the toast? These are questions I pondered as my teeth sunk into the "3-Cheese" at Grilled Cheese on the Lower East Side. My sandwich consisted of a heavenly blend of Monterey Jack, cheddar and Swiss melted over grilled onions, roasted garlic, mushrooms and red peppers. I was also quite satisfied with the fresh 7-grain bread (you can also order your sandwich on a baguette or white toast). The folks at Grilled Cheese are in the process of changing their menu, but as of yesterday, they also featured a “Grilled Motzy” (mozzarella with pesto) and several options for those of you who prefer your grilled cheese with a slice of ham.

My inner child then asked, “Can I have some dessert?” She asked nicely, so I took a hike up 1st Ave. to Tarallucci e Vino and had myself a nice slice of chocolate cake. Dense with ground almonds and covered with powdered sugar, it was an adult solution to a juvenile dilemma.

Grilled Cheese: 168 Ludlow St. (212) 982-6600.

Tomoe

While walking down Thompson towards Houston Street, you might wonder if a celebrity is nearby; a long line of people stretches down the sidewalk. But in New York, people are more impressed by great sushi than celebrity status, and great sushi is exactly what you will find at Tomoe.

First, you must wait. You may longingly peer at the contented diners inside or peruse the list of daily specials. If you are ahead in the line, you may even be asked by the hungry person behind you to share your table with him. That is exactly what happened to yours truly yesterday evening; desperate hunger apparently overtook the New York reserve of the gentleman behind me, and he requested to sit at my table. Not wanting me to get the wrong idea, he nervously promised to read during dinner instead of making conversation. Once he saw that I was not going to ask him out or steal his appetizer, he overcame his taciturnity and offered that he was about to meet his Japanese fiancée’s parents for the first time. He didn’t speak very much Japanese, but he ordered two natto maki, so I think his meeting will go just fine. (Natto is a Japanese fermented soybean paste that I enjoy very much, but which many people find objectionable.)

But enough about the social circumstances of dinner, and on to the contents! I decided to forgo all of the delicious appetizers of the day (among them, grilled sea bass and spicy tuna tartare) and settled on my old standby: the sushi/sashimi combination. The preceding miso soup tasted satisfyingly of smoky bonito flakes, and the green tea was strong and grassy. The main course was a cornucopia of glistening salmon, tuna, yellowtail, sweet shrimp, fluke, octopus, squid, mackerel, flying fish roe and clam. Scallions decorated a dollop of tuna tartare, seaweed tumbled out from under a piece of sashimi, and three slices of spicy tuna roll completed the assortment which graced my wooden tray. It was a garden of marine delights.

One of my pet peeves about some Japanese restaurants is the dessert selection: ice cream with red beans, or red beans with ice cream. In contrast, Tomoe offers unique treats such as a tantalizing green tea mousse. Alas, I was too full. (But I still went over to The Yoghurt Place afterwards to buy a fig apricot whole-milk yogurt and apricot-almond granola for later munchies.)

Tomoe: 172 Thompson St. (212) 777-9346.

Indian Food: Good and Bad

Good Indian food does not have to be expensive. In fact, last night I had a delicious snack of "Calcutta street food" for $2.50. Therefore, one of the great mysteries of New York is the existence of so many bad Indian restaurants.

As you know, my journal largely consists of raves; I don’t like to gratuitously bash an eatery. However, once in while an experience arises which is so awful that I feel compelled to write about it. Since I don’t like to dwell on the negative, I will end this review on a positive note with a glowing recommendation for Kati Roll Company.

Let me begin by explaining that 7th Avenue, the main drag in Park Slope, Brooklyn, is notorious for mediocre and expensive restaurants. A restaurant may open with lofty aspirations but will soon raise prices while reducing the quality of the food (Dizzy’s and Sotto Voce come to mind).

Therefore, I had hopes that Amin, the latest addition (or subtraction, depending on how one looks at it) to 7th Avenue would be at least mediocre. Even these modest hopes of mine were dashed. Mango lassi was sour as a pickle, while cucumber raita was as sugary as rice pudding. Mango chutney hadn't a hint of spice; it tasted like something you'd serve over pancakes, and saag paneer was a puddle of green baby food almost devoid of chunks of cheese. Papadum were ordered but did not arrive (maybe I should be thankful). Also, there were about 10 waiters who could not organize themselves; service was extremely slow even though the restaurant was only half full. After such an unappetizing meal, it seemed unfair to me that Amin charged extra for rice, raita and chutney.

For less than the price of the condiments at Amin, you can satisfy your taste buds at the Kati Roll Company. Kati serves cheap and delicious Calcutta snacks, mostly paratha (thin Indian pancakes) filled with tasty, exotic fillings. My $2.50 unda sandwich was a fresh, piping hot paratha, bursting at the seams with red onion, egg, cilantro sauce and spices. It only lasted until I got to Houston Street. (I would have gone back for another but my friends and I were very tired from laughing while watching Darrell Hammond at the Comedy Cellar, and besides, one of us needed to order some chestnut gelato at Caffé Dante.)

Kati Roll Company: 99 MacDougal St. (212) 420-6517.

University of Chocolate

It's almost time for the school year to begin! I think it would be very pleasant to matriculate at the University of Chocolate.

The Yoghurt Place (and a small note about 'ino)

We were still hungry after our brunch at 'ino, which lived up to its diminutive name in both portion size and the size of the room (the latter accounted for the constant game of musical chairs that the waitress was directing: "Can you move to this table? OK, now can you two move over to this table so that these three can move over here?"). After kiddie portions of frustratingly tasty truffled egg toast, roasted vegetable panino and fresh ricotta bruschetta, we embarked on the next stage of our pursuit of fullness.

Our journey took us to The Yoghurt Place. It was only about 2:30 p.m. and Vea, the owner, sadly informed us that she was all out of whole-milk yogurt, and for that matter, napkins. Looking around the small store with trays of pastries on every flat surface, we knew we would still not be disappointed. First we set our sights on the honeyed pistachio baklava, sweet biscuits stuffed with dried fruit, and spinach pie full of tangy feta. Then it was time for the incredibly rich low-fat yogurt with a choice of three toppings (we decided on the apricot fig; Vea also offered a melon and a sour cherry topping). Each spoonful was a bite of Mediterranean heaven! I myself always hated yogurt as a child but am now a convert. Thanks, Vea!

'ino: 21 Bedford St. (212) 989-5769. The Yoghurt Place II: 71 Sullivan St. (212) 219-3500.

Beppe

What is your vision of heaven? Mine is a place where there are always fresh, sun-kissed tomatoes and strawberries. I think I may have found a piece of heaven in Beppe, a Tuscan restaurant in Gramercy Park. Our waiter informed us that Beppe owns a farm in upstate New York. That would explain the astonishing intensity of the tomatoes in the pappa (tomato bread soup with basil and pecorino), pepolino (fresh flat pillows of pasta in a tomato sauce), and the romaine, fennel and tomato salad that accompanied my orata (white-fleshed Mediterranean fish roasted with garlic cloves, fresh oregano and lemon).

Other high points of the evening included an rich onion soup topped with a thick layer of Parmigiano under which sat a poached egg, and a creative presentation of New York strip steak: a mosaic of thinly sliced red meat accented with a green herb sauce. We also made sure to order the Tuscan fried potatoes. Although I was slightly bemused by the large hunk of herbs on top, I found the fries crispy and satisfyingly salty.

And now it was time for my favorite part of the evening: dessert. The dessert decision was left to me and I rose to the occasion, ordering the crespelle. A salad of farm-raised strawberries made its appearance alongside two gossamer crepes filled with sweet ricotta and decorated with plumes of chocolate syrup. My brother happened to be in the neighborhood and stopped by our table. During his brief visit, he proceeded to wipe out much of our dessert, so we gladly ordered another helping.

I will end by saying that Beppe serves a terrific extra-strong cappuccino. The caffeine is helping me write this column.

Beppe: 45 E. 22nd St. (212) 982-8422.

Il Gelatone

I really wanted to like Uncle Louis G's (rapidly proliferating Italian ice/gelato chain). It is obvious that many others do, judging from the lines of customers sweating in the summer heat. But when I ordered a "spumoni" last night, I was unceremoniously presented with a cup of three colors of Play-Doh. Right then and there, I decided that I had to get serious about my gelato craving.

And so, I made my way to Il Gelatone: oasis of authentic gelato and sorbetto. Chocolate hazelnut gelato was assertively cocoa-y, with satisfying chunks of nut. Tiramisu gelato was milder and tasted of the requisite cocoa and mascarpone. Hazelnut gelato was subtly nutty and creamy, and the flavor of fig shone through clearly in the light lavender fig gelato. Sorbetti were offered in fruit flavors such as mango and strawberry. I was too engrossed in the more caloric offerings, but I promise to visit again to report on the more virtuous sorbetti. Or, if you invite me to accompany you, I will just take a bit of yours while I order the caramel gelato.

Il Gelatone: 397 3rd Ave. (212) 481-2093.

Wanted: Professional Chocoholic

Are you bored with your job? Then perhaps you might consider applying for this one.

Just Rugelach (Part 2)

I have eaten at several restaurants in the past few days, but what really stands out in my mind is my second trip to Just Rugelach. I braved 98-degree heat to arrive at that tent of paradise, my goal being to sample some new treats.

Today I focused on the savory end of the starch spectrum. A vegetable tart was a small marvel of roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions, black olives and rosemary sprigs, all embedded in a luscious pate brisée. There were about seven kinds of knishes, including spinach feta; I chose the kasha and roasted onion. This was not one of those frozen hockey pucks that you ordinarily find at most New York delis. The onions melted in my mouth, the kasha filling was moist and tasty, the fresh outer dough was buttery. You will want to bring a jar of Gulden’s mustard with you, and be careful…the filling is so generous that it starts to tumble out when you take a bite.

Flaky buttermilk biscuits were three for a dollar, and a huge block of moist blueberry cornbread cost me only $2.

Just Rugelach: (212) 244-1256.