Omen

113 Thompson Street (at Prince Street)
212-925-8923

Decor: Pretty, Japanese decor.
Service: Nice, but again with the spotty English.
Food: Interesting (in a good way). The tasting menu featured sashimi, udon noodles, roast chicken (wow, was that tasty), and creme caramel (similar to flan).
Overall: Pleasant atmostphere and quality food, albeit a little over-priced.

Grade: B

Hangawi

12 East 32nd Street (bxn 5th/Madison)
212-213-0077

Our Korean dining consists mostly of BBQ, but this vegetarian restaurant has always been on our "to do" list.

Decor: Asian serenity.
Service: Attentive, but with spotty English.
Food: Quite good. The kimchi mushroom pancakes were delicious. My entree of vegetable rolls (avocado, red bell peppers, tofu, sprouts) with red bean sauce were light and satisfying. My $5 pear juice drink was also really tasty (though I'm not sure it's worth $5).
Overall: A soothing, pleasant, tasty was to pass a meal.

Grade: A

Apricot-Glazed Pork Tenderloin

This recipe comes from Everyday Food. I served it with the baked rice, the recipe of which, is below this one. This was the first time I ever used the broiler, and I have to say, that pork looked so beautiful when it came out. I actually used fig preserves instead of apricot, because that's what I had in the fridge. It was really tasty.

Makes 4 servings

24 ounces pork tenderloin, trim excess fat (I used 12 oz for two people, which was plenty)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper
1 cup apricot jam (10-12 oz)
1/4 cup spicy brown mustard

Heat broiler; set rack 4 inches from heat. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Rub pork with oil; season with salt and pepper. Broil 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, whisk together jam and mustard. Cook over medium heat until jam melts, 3 to 4 minutes; remove from heat. Transfer half to a small bowl for brushing. Cover pan to keep remaining sauce warm.

Remove pork from broiler; brush with reserved sauce. Continue broiling until pork is blackened in spots and registers 150° on an instant-read thermometer, 5 to 10 minutes more.

Cover pork loosely with foil; let rest 5 minutes before slicing. Serve drizzled with warm sauce.

Grade: A-

Baked Rice (Arroz al Horno)

This recipe is from Cooking Light. It's a new way to cook rice—in the oven, instead of on the stove. It was good, but a little bland. The next time I make it, I will add more salt and pepper.

Makes 6 servings

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup fine chop shiitake caps
2 tablespoons mince onions
1 1/4 cups Arborio or other short grain rice (I used long grain, because that's what I had)
2 1/2 cups less sodium chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon crushed saffron
2 tablespoons mince fresh parsley (I left this out as we're not big on parsley)
1 1/2 teaspoons mince fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 400°.

Heat olive oil in a 2-quart ovenproof saucepan. Add mushrooms and onion; cook 5 minutes. Add rice, broth, salt, and saffron; bring to a boil. Wrap handle of pan with foil; cover and transfer pan to oven. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand, covered, 10 minutes. Add parsley and thyme.

Grade: B-/B

Curried Egg Salad

What do you do with a dozen dyed Easter eggs? Why, you make egg salad. This recipe comes from Food TV. I've been putting curry powder into my egg salad for a while now. This recipe was quite tasty.

The recipe says the yield is two sandwiches, but three eggs per sandwich seems like an awful lot.

6 hard boiled eggs
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced (I omitted this)
1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 cloves roasted garlic (I added about four and I thought it was still hard to taste)
2 teaspoons curry powder
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large bowl mash eggs with a fork. Stir in diced celery and red pepper. In a separate bowl mix together the mustard, mayonnaise, roasted garlic, curry powder, salt and pepper. Add dressing to eggs, mix well.

Grade: B+

Cesco

I can't find any info on the web, but it's on the SW corner of Broadway and 31st Ave. in Astoria.

Decor: Pleasant.
Service: Not totally with-it. Our waiter asked Snowman for his order three times (though he did claim to be going deaf).
Food: My simple spaghetti with tomatoes and basil was tasty. The appetizer of stewed pepper, though, was reminiscent of okra and not that great.
Overall: Not bad. Not awful. Fine for decent Italian.

Grade: B-

Brick Cafe

30-95 33rd Street,
Astoria, NY 11102
718.267.2735

I locked myself out of my apartment and passed the time at the bar until Snowman came t rescue me.

Decor: True to its name, bricks to make an appearance.
Service: Casual and pleasant.
Food: The burger was decent but the fries were divine. The closest thing to McDonald's without actually going to McDonald's.
Overall: I know SOME people who go about five times a week. I'll never be that devoted, but it's still a good place to have a few drinks and eat some decent grub.

Grade: B

Sosa Borella

This was a work-related lunch. Despite that, it was still enjoyable.

Decor: Pleasant. White walls, wood floors, lots of mirrors and flowers.
Service: Also pleasant.
Food: I had a very deliciousl smoke salmon sandwich on ciabatta with arugula and avocado. The sweet potato fries were perfect. Desserts were okay.
Overall: Pleasant atmosphere and good food means I'd definitely come back.

Grade: A-

Basil Pesto

This comes from Everyday Food. I'd never made pesto sauce before, but when I had a huge wad of basil left over from another dish, I thought what the hell? Turns out, it is so delicious and takes four minutes to whip up. I added some roast tomatoes to the pasta I cooked for a lighter flavor.

Makes 1 3/4 cups

1 cup walnuts or pine nuts (I used pine nuts)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves (4 ounces)
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350°. Spread nuts evenly on a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until golden and fragrant, tossing once, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely.

Meanwhile, bring 4 cups salted water to a boil; add basil, and submerge with a spoon. Immediately drain in a colander. Rinse with cold water until cool, then pat basil completely dry in paper towels.

In a food processor, combine nuts, basil, and garlic; season generously with salt and pepper. Process until nuts are finely chopped. With machine running, pour oil in a steady stream through the feed tube; process until smooth. Use immediately, or freeze. (I thought 2/3 cup olive oil made the dish a little too oily. I'd start at 1/2 cup and add more if needed.)

Grade: A

American Cafe

5 School Street
Glen Cove, NY 11542
516-656-0003

There's not much open in downtown Glen Cove on a Sunday morning...

Decor: Nothin'.
Service: Fine.
Food: The fries were over done, but the egg sandwich was just right.
Overall: If it's Sunday, I'm in Glen Cove, and I'm hungry...

Grade: B/B-

Spinach Salad with Dried Cherries

This salad, from Everyday Food, was so delicious and it takes all of five minutes to make.

4 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon dijon style mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
8 ounces baby spinach
1/2 cup thin slice red onions
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup raw shelled pumpkin seeds toasted (I used toasted pine nuts)

To toast the pumpkin seeds, spread in a single layer in a pie plate; bake in a 350-degree oven until pulled and brown, about ten minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, and oil until combined and thickened; season with salt and pepper.

Add spinach, onion, and cherries; toss to combine. Serve immediately, topped with pumpkin seeds.

Grade: A+

Pasta Presto Grill

93 MacDougal Street
New York, NY 10012
212-260-5679

The sad this is, we had originally wanted to go to Otto, but the wait was too long.

Decor: Not bad. Exposed brick and wine bottles on the shelf.
Service: Awful. Our waitress was damn near suicidal.
Food: So bland. Bland bruschetta, bland pizza, bland pork tenderloin, bland pecan pie.
Overall: I cannot imagine under what duress I might venture to eat here again.

Grade: D

Moe's Southwest Grill

multiple locations

We were looking for lunch and this place happened to crop up. Fine food for a chain, but the portions are gigantic.

Decor: None whatsoever.
Service: Fast in that way that makes you think they're not even listening to you.
Food: Fine. I had veggie nachos with tofu (I was intrigued by the tofu topping) and they were pretty decent.
Overall: Not bad and really cheap.

Grade: B

Rotisserie Chicken with Dried Fruit and Pine Nuts

This comes from Food & Wine. The dried fruit mixture was really tasty. It would be good with ice cream of over pound cake as well as with chicken or pork.

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup pitted prunes (3 oz)
1/2 cup dried apricots (3 oz)
1/4 cup dried tart cherries
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1/2 cup tawny port wine
1 med. cinnamon stick
1 rotisserie chicken cut to 8 pieces, save drippings
1/2 cup chicken broth

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the prunes, apricots, cherries and pine nuts and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the pine nuts are golden and the fruit is browned in spots, about 3 minutes. Add the port and cinnamon stick and cook over moderate heat until syrupy, about 5 minutes. Add the stock and chicken drippings and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, brown the chicken pieces over high heat until the skin is golden and crisp, about 2 minutes. Scrape the dried fruit sauce and liquid into the skillet with the chicken and bring to a boil, turning the pieces of chicken until they are nicely coated with sauce, about 1 minute.

Transfer to plates and serve.

Grade: B-