No. 28

Why don't you try XXXX the orginal concept behind 28 were the idea was taken from and a much better verison in style taste and orginality

First of all, I have to say that I really, really appreciate your energy and the quality of your content. It's "best quality." Seriously....your raison d'etre is on point.

Regarding 28 Carmine, I went today at 5:45 and had 2 pizzas, 1 lasagne, 1 soda and 1 bottle of water and the total bill came out to 60 dollars. I have to say it was far from being worth the 60 big ones.

Where was the happy hour special? Did we have to do give them some masonic handshake to let them know that we're serious about our food and we've come to anal(ize)/ probe the product?

After leaving, we felt very "doughed out" and realized that...wait a minute....that was ok but for having eaten that much dough, there was something missing! Where was the salt in the dough? Bland, bland, bland. That's it! It was bland. We also agreed with your assessment that the margarita could have used more basil.

And as for the San Marzanos, though fresh tasting and a zing to the palette, there was too much sauce and it was off temperature in relation to the over all pie...meaning that it tasted uncooked. Zingy yes, but uncooked and more importantly unbalanced in relation to the cheese and the thin crust (for the margarita pie).

We also had the #14 pie...something with ham, mushrooms, and artichokes which contrastingly came with a thicker dough than the margarita. As you described above, a tad thicker than I was expecting too. In fact, I'm eating the last slice as I write this to reconfirm my feelings on their pizza.

We also had the lasagne which was ok. Though at $13 a portion, it was tiny. The worst part was that I was 3/4 of the way into it and WHAM!, a cold taste hit my mouth. Shit. It wasn't reheated through. What a let down.

It was tasty but small portioned and for my money, taste and experience regarding real Italian lasagne, I'll take Anna's Klinger's lasagne at Al Di La anyday over the one at 28. It's richer, deeper in flavor and it resonates on your palette. I can't say that about 28 Carmine's. Try Anna's and you'll see what I mean.

We're glad we tried it though. One last thing on the salt, after leaving 28, we passed by the new noodle joint 2 doors down. My palette, having been salt deprived and over filled with dough, was craving something salty to put things back into balance. A seat at the counter bar and bowl of salty lo mein crossed my mind, but my son had other ideas like the bakery across the street from Murrays for some of his favorite cookies.

Overall, we could have gone to Joe's for slices and been way more satisfied.

Now can we talk about Sushi Seki?

hello friend, i like your vitality.

re: n. 28 -- that sounds horribly disappointing. i have never had al di la's lasagna, which i'm sort of surprised about because i love lasagna and i love al di la. next time i go, i'll order it. email me if you want to join me. i promise i won't be creepy if you won't.

i've never eaten at sushi seki but i have enjoyed several omakase meals at sushi of gari on the east side. what's the scoop?

Friends indeed. Cheers to that.

Regarding Al Di La, it's a very special place indeed. I actually have the pleasure of saying I know Anna from pre-Al Di La days...and to see someone like her succeed to that level gives you faith in the notion that people actually do care about quality, vision and passion. (I say this in part to the demise of EVERYTHING on the food network...someone stick a fork in the programming director already.)

Next time you go, try her Baccala Mantecato with Grilled Polenta. She brings it like it's nobody's business. Grilled Sardines over arugula with fennel vinaigrette takes you to the next level. And her Market Salad polishes and rounds out the palette. If you get the chance, order the "special radicchio" when she has it. It's not the bitter kind. It's almost like Kimchi but refined and subtle but not subtle in that unsatisfying way. The best way I can describe it is like "painting" visually. Tastewise, you're in a Monet painting. So damn euphoric.

And as you know, the Beet Ravoli can bring you to your knees. To me, it's Anna's self portrait. Forget "signature dish," that's too common to describe it. There's always the temptation to order the Tagliatelle or the Vongole which are both comforting and classic plates, but try to resist in favor of the other more serious plates she offers...like ANY Risotto especially if it's a special. (In her previous chef days, Anna was the Risotto chef at Lespinasse.)

For the Secondi, give me one of everything and I'll bring all my friends...you too. Remember that discipline thing I referred to about staying away from the vongole or the tagletaille? Throw that out the window for Secondi's. Hanger steak "Tagliata" with Arugula is a perfect example.

For desserts, it's really all great especially her homemade gelatis but for my money, try the gianduiotto. Simple ingredients in their hightest form. Gianduiotto is like sculpture...but not the kind that you bump into when you're looking at painting.

As for Seki, I too have had the Omakese at Gari which cost me my left arm and my future 2nd child. But it was something special no doubt.

But for my money and sense of place, I find Gari too small and overcrowded. For that type of money, I don't want people climbing on top of me while I enjoy an Omakese dinner.

Seki on the other hand is WAY more easy on your wallet and you get try nearly everything they have fresh. It's the same fish as Gari too. If you go, try to get the chubby guy on the right...he's very personable and happy to comply with your request of "bring it on! Show me your best moves. I'll be here for a while." He has the best sense of pace and timing next to "Mr. Seki." (The gentleman on the way left was not as well seasoned in the art of timing and pace as the other two. The chubby guy, you could look at him and say: "is that all you have? was that your best move? come on man, stop holding back. bring it!" Then for his finale, he would give you toro with the sauce... the equivalent to a big kick in the ass as you left the door...in the most loving and respectful way.)

It's not often your palette really gets to taste something mind boggling and new. Their deconstructed unagi is a perfect example. It avoids all the traps that come along with being described as "deconstructed" yet really just fucks with your palette. Finely chopped unagi with some tiny crunchy specks of something all sitting compactly on a perfectly sliced sliver of avocado all on top a ball of rice. If you'd had one already, then you know.

Salmon marinated in sake (which you know from Gari) but Seki's tweak on it turns it jewish. Suddenly, you're tasting bagels and lox. It's a beautiful mind fuck. It's nearly impossible to eat sushi anywhere else now though a trip to Sushi Yusada is still on the list of places to try. The interior alone scores high points with me.

My favorite part of Seki is that it's open till 3am. Not that I'm there at 3am but I love the fact that I COULD go there after midnight if I wanted to. After midnight, you'll find all the chefs there.

Till the next post.....