Nonono is a restaurant from the people behind Her Name is Han. This is located just a few blocks from Korea town. They are part of the Hand Hospitality network, which also includes Atoboy, Cho Dang Gol, and many more. The restaurant offers Japanese grill cuisine with a twist. We’ve been to the restaurant several times, and it’s been a decent value and choice for any small gatherings.

Ambiance & Service

The ambiance feels like a normal Japanese restaurant where there was a lot of activity. The tables are relatively close to each other, so it can get a little tight. However, it was fine talking to your party, so the sound acoustics were good. They have both a floor table area and a second floor area.

This is an updated entry to Dun Huang. The original East Village location is closed, but they opened another location out in Long Island City. They have several locations spread throughout the city. Dun Huang advertises itself as authentic Northwestern Chinese food. The menu at this location pales in comparison to what we got in the East Village location, so I’ll still share the differences for reference.

Ambiance

The decor at the Long Island City location is pretty no frills. It feels they have two rooms: one “main” dining area and another dining area next to the window.

Summary

I’m introducing a new category for restaurants that have gardens. This one has an interesting one. I didn’t find it particularly that great, but it seems to be an attraction for others. This is tucked near or in the Standard Hotel, I don’t quite remember. In the summer, the indoor seats are mostly vacant, so definitely ask for a seat near the window if you decide to sit inside.

Summary

This apparently is one of Jean Georges Vongerichten’s upscale farm-fresh eatery, and it has a Latin American fusion influence. We came here without reservations on a weekday night and were seated at the communal table.

The spring pea guacamole with warm crunchy tortillas was actually pretty good. The chips themselves were nicely salted, and the big tortilla that came with the guacamole was more crunchy than the latter. The split pea guacamole had a nice fresh texture. I wish there was more citrus, but all in all a good start. The birthday friend I came here with thought it was amusing to interrupt my pictures during the n-times I took this picture. This one was the best of the collection of pics I took for this course.

Summary

I’m not a big fan of venturing out to deep Queens. The trains out here are probably not as bad as going into Manhattan, but it sure feels bad. The E trains today were barely running, and the R trains were making local stops going towards Flushing.

However, today was one of those days where we felt like grubbing some all you can eat hot pot. Instead of Chinese style, we heard of this place in Jackson Heights that was Thai style. It was pretty interesting.

Summary

This place has a pretty decent ambiance.

The yuzu margarita was surprisingly pretty good. If you haven’t had yuzu before and like citrus, I recommend you get this if it’s available. I just checked their website’s drink menu, and it’s not on there. This drink wasn’t strong at all, and had a really really good before and after taste. I would drink this over any regular margarita any day.

Summary

This place is located in the Upper East, and arguably walkable from the MET.

The spiedino di gamberetti was OK to me. Nothing really memorable, but they gave you a decent amount of shrimp.

The antipasto misto was actually pretty good, and they gave a decent variety of meats and cheese. For 2 people, this was quite filling.

The pappardelle al ragu di vitello was good as expected. The pasta could have been cooked just a tad less, but the sauce it sat in was pretty good. The cheese on top was freshly grated by the server.

Summary

The food here was just like one of those casual fast food centric places. It’s on Seamless (food delivery service), so enough said.

The churrasco was $18 and was mildly satisfying. They gave you a decent amount of meat, and it was quite tender when ordered “medium rare”. It came with this mayonnaise like green sauce, that had only a mild kick to it. With this, I opted for french fries and pineapple on the side. The french fries were just OK, and the pineapple was kind of bland. The pineapple skin was on at the top, so it wasn’t as great as other places.

Cool speak easy spot right next to Bathtub Gin. Seems to be Cuban driven. It has a very jazzy speak easy feel to it. The theme of the menu is pretty cool. On Wednesdays, they have a live cuban band.

The bartenders can craft drinks based on what you’re looking for. I think weekdays are probably the best to come here. The music on the speakers is good and isn’t loud, and you can actually hear people. You can also order snacks here as well.

Summary

Astoria is not really a place known for having typical Shanghainese food. I always think of it as having more latin and mediterranean influences to those respective demographics in the area.

This restaurant though was surprisingly pretty decent for this area.

The drunken chicken I normally don’t find in many restsaurants. Here, it’s not as good as my cousin’s or my mother’s version as it’s WAY too salty, chicken pieces don’t appear cut right, and it doesn’t seem like it was marinated well. Some parts were very soaked, and other parts had next to nothing.