Cafe Mogador, Redux

When we visited Cafe Mogador last time, it was for brunch, which was clearly not its specialty. Even then, the restaurant's menu tempted us with tagines, couscous, and other Moroccan delights. The goal was to come back for dinner soon -- mission accomplished.

The restaurant takes reservations apparently, and it was quite busy inside, but the person who took our name down told us it would only be a 20 minute wait. To the bar we went!

I ordered a glass of an Italian Pinot Nero ($7) and Scott had a Tempranillo ($7). Mine was ok, but Scott's was pretty tasteless. Luckily we were seated pretty quickly. The menu looked inviting -- if you enjoy a mixture of Greek/Turkish/Moroccan foods, which we do. I ordered the tabbouleh salad to start and a lamb tagine with potato turnip saffron sauce and Scott got the cauliflower curry soup and couscous with lamb.

Now, I don't know about you, but a tagine sounds pretty exciting. Ordering it made me think I would be transported to a Moroccan bazaar, surrounded by camels and rugs or something. One of those conical earthenware dishes just seemed too amazing not to have sitting at my table. Sadly, neither camel nor tagine materialized. Heck, my tabbouleh didn't even come until we flagged down the waiter, and he mumbled that it must have been delivered to the wrong table.

Eventually I had my bulgar wheat and Scott had his soup, which was definitely not cauliflower. It tasted distinctly like potato leek soup (which was not on the menu), and sure enough when the bill came, it was labeled as such. So, many strikes thus far. The main entrees, however, were delicious. My lamb was tender and the sauce was quite nice. Scott's main was equally good. "Nothing amazing" he says, but then again we could be at Per Se and he'd probably find something to say that about. I guess I should be flattered that he doesn't say that about me.

Total with tip: $84

Rating: 

Sunday Brunch

Our friend Lesley was back in town for the holidays, and we decided to meet up with her for brunch in the Village. We always tend to go the same places...the same prix fixes...the same NYC brunch DB crowds. Without even knowing about our Ate on Eighth challenge, she suggested somewhere on St. Marks. The moon was obviously in the seventh house, as Scott says sings.

On the block between 1st and 2nd, there didn't seem to be any viable options; however, closer to Ave. A we found Cafe Mogador. There were enough people waiting outside and the prices seemed reasonable, so we put our name on the list. While waiting, we noticed the "Michelin Recommended" sticker, which was encouraging. Fifteen minutes later, the three of us were snugly sitting in a back booth, menus in hand. The service was already attentive and friendly.

Since it felt too early to order their specialty, Mediterranean cuisine, we stuck with usual, less-than-inspired brunch fare. Lesley ordered Eggs Florentine ($12), Scott got blueberry pancakes ($8.50), and I got the burger with fries ($10). Sound familiar? It did to us too. Couple those options with a watered-down bloody mary, and you have a brunch menu for any restaurant on the island.

Scott and I were in the mood for a beer, and a delicious Hoegaarden on tap sounded perfect. A shame that it came in a bottle for $7, so it's a bit annoying that the price of a beer from the same conglomerate that owns Anheuser-Busch was a few dollars less than our entrees. Turns out we were seated right next to a wine cabinet, and the options there looked more promising.

Though this meal only deserved a low two stars, we'd like to go back for dinner to get a true sense of the menu. Stay tuned.

Total for three with tip: $52

Rating:

What's a Red Mango?

Last time we checked, mangos were yellow. But that didn't stop us from having dessert on the inaugural night of our St. Marks tour at Red Mango. Few things could have stopped us, honestly. The chance of running into a  frozen yogurt place in New York right now is pretty high.

I'll admit we've tried this one, this one, and even the old standby, and those three left us disappointed. Except for Scott. He seems to love having chemicals for dessert. So it was a nice surprise when Red Mango didn't suck.

Unlike Udon West from that evening, the decor at Red Mango was bright and cheery, and the woman who served us must have been the alter-ego of Ms. Udon. She was chipper and offered us a sample right away.

The place seems to be ripe for a full takeover by the POM empire, as they're pushing pomegranates like they're a fad or something. Luckily the small pomegranate-flavored yogurt with pomegranate seeds on top ($4) was pretty darn good. Scott ordered the plain yogurt with nothing on top ($3.50). "Tangy, tart, and tasty" he said.

Just when we thought the evening couldn't get better, Mariah Carey started playing, and we knew this was a Christmas Eve to remember.

Total with tax: $8.50

Rating:

Christmas Eve at Udon West

Last night Scott and I kicked off our challenge. Scott had always wondered about this noodle shop on the north side of the street, Udon West at 11 St. Marks Place. It was Christmas Eve in New York, and neither of us had plans, so why not spend it slurping noodles in a dank hole-in-the-wall?

Upon entering, we noticed that Udon West is cash only, which annoys us most of the time with food prices being so high in the city. Luckily the noodles were dirt cheap. I ordered the Udon with Mountain Vegetables ($6.75) -- I'm not sure what mountain they get these vegetables from, but something tells me it's closer to Murray Hill than Mt. Fuji.

Scott ordered the Udon with Shrimp Tempura ($6.75), and we shared the Beef Short Ribs ($7.50), if you could call them that. The first taste of the broth was disappointing, as both of us have been spoiled by places such as Momofuku and Ippudo, but for half the price, you get what you pay for. Scott thought the noodles were a bit too gummy, but the shrimp tempura was fried right before our eyes and...well...fried and deliciously fried.

This place wins no awards for charm or character. The heavily made-up waitress was gruff and not especially attentive. Upon sitting down, we asked for water, and she pointed to the stacks of plastic dentist-spit-cup sized Solo cups piled high near the water cooler. Classy! I stuck with beer, Sapporo on draft, which was good, cold, and served in a frosty mug.

Closer to the end of our meal, the restaurant started filling up with area kids, at which point, we knew it was time to go. Overall, for the price, this place was fine, not great, but at least we didn't see any roaches.

Total bill with tip (not including the beer, which she never charged us for): $27.71

Rating:

Who's Hungry?

Scott and I always are. Since moving to the East Village in New York, we've been fascinated by the three blocks known as St. Marks Place (or 8th St). We're constantly bewildered by the tourists and NYU students who flock to the street that, on its surface, is a collection of junk stores, frozen yogurt shops, and moldy leftovers of the hippie movement.

And yet we're still intrigued. With so many places to eat, some of them have to be good. Right? This blog serves as a chronicle of our adventure to eat at every restaurant on St. Marks. Enjoy!

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