I've Got Mono+Mono Fried Chicken Fever!

A colleague of mine told me to check out a Korean friend chicken joint called Mono+Mono in my neck of the woods. I didn't think much of it. I'm not a big fried chicken person in general, and I've already tried Bon Chon and all the other big Korean fried chicken places, so I was in no big hurry to go to Mono+Mono.

It's Saturday night and cold, and we decide to do something low key in the neighborhood. We decide upon Mono+Mono. I can say this is one of the most interesting restaurants I've ever been to.

First of all, in the East Village, an area full of small, off-the-beaten-path scrappy restaurants, i was struck by how big the Mono+Mono space was. It certainly felt like it was intended to be an actual jazz music venue. There are literally shelves of old jazz records everywhere, and interesting kitschy touches like a piano and DJ booth (an actual person is manning it) accent the interior. With the dark, jazzy speakeasy vibe, you expect to see Mad Men waitstaff running the place, but it's actually well-dressed Korean personnel taking your order. It's very strange in a wonderful and cool way. Mad Men meets Korean pub gangnam cool.

For food, we of course tried a medium order of the chicken wings w/soy garlic, the kimchee fried brown rice and the crispy pork buns. The meal reminded me of Side Street Inn in Honolulu, except a tad more refined. The fried chicken was good. The skin was so crispy and not greasy--the Top Chef judges would have loved this entry in last week's fried chicken challenge. Although I have to say I wish there were a little more seasoning and taste to the fried chicken. Like with Bon Chon's chicken, you can taste the savory of the soy sauce with a little garlic and some sweetness mixed in, but Mono+Mono's did not have these same awesome combination of sensory flavors going on at once. The kimchee fried rice was outstanding--flavorful rice, not too greasy, with a bit of a spicy kick to it. I wish the order were a bit larger, since we scarfed that down. The pork buns were edible, but you know what, Momofuku's pork buns will be the standard by which others will be judged, and it was not close. It felt like someone fried pork buns and put a bit of fatty pork belly in between. There was no seasoning to make it a cohesive, memorable pork bun sandwich that you wanted more of, but it was acceptable.

We ordered a bottle of fruit-infused soju, blueberry in fact, to accompany our meal. The small bottle is pretty generous and lasts the whole meal and cuts some of the grease in all the fried goodness. Mono+Mono has good, lively energy with elevated comfort foods, so I'm glad this is in the neighborhood and will definitely make another visit.  

Mono+Mono
116 E. 4th Street
Rating (out of 5 stars):***
Style: Asian Pub Food Meets Mad Men Speakeasy
Prices: $8-$22 for entrees, $7-$11 for appetizers, $10-$20 for drinks
Summary: Tasty Korean comfort foods like fried chicken, pa-jeon and fried rice in a former, atmospheric jazz club. A lively neighborhood spot worth several repeat visits.

All Good Things...on Franklin Street

I work in Tribeca, so normally when I walk the streets, it's usually on a mission to quickly grab lunch and head back to work asap. On a day when I had more time, I decided to walk off the beaten path, and came across an inviting storefront with the prettiest display of flowers. I popped my head inside, and found a curious artisanal farmers market inside. Flowers, fresh bread, coffee, ice cream, fresh meat stands in a serene greenmarket haven. 

When I first stumbled upon this store, the signage wasn't available yet, but a few weeks later I walked by again and saw "All Good Things" hanging above the entrance. 

(Photo courtesy of seriouseats.com)

Today I tried the coffee at Blue Bottle--I'm not that adventurous of a coffee drinker, I go for regular black drip coffee, nothing fancy. Coffee here is $2.90 a cup, almost a dollar above. my reservation price of $2 a cup, so I wouldn't make a trip to All Good Things a daily habit, but the coffee is certainly richer and deeper in taste without being bitter like Starbucks' original blend.

I like walking through here. It's a nice respite from all the hustle and flow outside. I'll have to try the baked goods and ice cream next time, the displays are always so tempting!

 

All Good Things

102 Franklin St.
Summary: Brooklyn artisanal hipsterism nestled in downtown NYC.

Grab Some Noosa Yogurt

It's amazing how yogurts have evolved over the past decade. Before, yogurt used to be some creamy, Yoplait type concoctions with a bunch of gelatinous fruit preserves on the bottom. Now yogurt comes in so many forms. You still have the Yoplaits and Dannons on the shelves, but now the thick Greek yogurts are serious contenders, and if you don't even like dairy you can grab some coconut- or almond-milk based yogurt on the shelf.

My tastes have "matured" from fruit-on-the-bottom to the thicker Chobanis and Fages. I have to admit, though, sometimes mixing 0% Fage with honey or blueberries leaves me wanting. Like, this is tasty in a healthy way, but what I really want is one of those super creamy yogurt pots from Pret.

Just when I thought I couldn't have it all, I stumbled upon a brand called Noosa Yoghurt. Of all places, we discovered it in Denver, Colorado, not the first city you think of that would distribute and stock "aussie-style yoghurt." Honestly, if you go to their website, there's a logo that says "Aussie Culture * Colorado Fresh." Australian-style yogurt made in Colorado, like how does that even make sense. But it does. When you eat it, you feel like you're eating a creamier panna cotta with premium ingredients. I'm partial to the strawberry rhubarb and blueberry fruit fillings.

Unfortunately, not a lot of places in NYC stock Colorado-made Aussie yogurt. Gourmet Garage in Soho is the only place I've been to that stocks it. Kind of a trek to get to but totally worth it.

A yogurt that tastes this good is...so not low in fat...but we all have to live a little.