www.clintonstreetbaking.com

Proprietor/Chef: Neil Kleinberg and DeDe Lahman

Category: Breakfast/Brunch

Neighborhood: Lower East Side
4 Clinton St, New York, NY 10002
(646) 602-6263

Mood: Sinfully and simply sweet.  If you’re looking for savory, you may not find it here.

Tastes Like: the ultimate, consummate of breakfast food for brunch around 1-2pm with a big cup of joe’ on the side.  I’m not a morning person, so I will never manage to get up the crack of dawn and even if I muster the effort to, this place is guaranteed at least a 45-minute wait on the weekends.  NO thanks.  It’s not that this place isn’t worth it, it’s just my blood sugar level would be so low from sniffing the sweetly, fluffy pancakes (3 stacks worth),  would right about faint … anger only surmounting.

Must Haves: what else, but their infamous blueberry pancakes?  The pancakes itself were not that special, however, you must learn to appreciate the heaping of blueberries on top as well as in the actual batter.  They don’t skimp.  The maple butter syrup was the highlight of the dish.  FAB-U-LOUS.

Stay Away: Unfortunately, the sugar-cured bacon was a little too sweet for me.  Loved the crispiness though… 

Ambiance: Not quite a diner and not quite a café.  If I had to cross over the two, that perfectly describes Clinton Street Bakery.

Service: We are talking LES here. the artsy fartsy type and if you’re lucky, you didn’t get an aloof waiter.  They are generally nice overall though.

Rating: 4 stars

Caveat: Cash only and beware of the long wait for weekend brunch.

www.pintonyc.com

Proprietors/Chef: Teerawong Nanthavatsiri / Kobsak Songyoo / Tony Phutchaphong

Category: Thai

Neighborhood: West Village
118 Christopher St, New York, NY 10014
(212) 366-5455

Mood: Spicy, but can accommodate your non-spicy requests .  Gourmet in a good way.  A small touch of class without the decadence.  Wine bottles so cheap, makes a perfect date for two.

Tastes Like: pure, fresh and to the point.  not overly complicated, but simple flavors that really stand out due to the freshness and quality of the ingredients.  the one thing on the menu that caught my eye was the fact that their meats & tofu were organic/free range.  I’m an avid supporter of organic products and antibiotic free.  Chef Tony came from Jean Georges, so I should have already expected nothing but the best here.   You should feel good about the food you’re eating (literally), so kudos to Pinto for sharing their love.  I loved my chicken panang curry, it was fragrant and not too heavy.  I typically like my curry super thick, but this was not so thick and it had the right amount of sweetness and spice.  I was ok with it.  The basil and zucchini was a bonus to the dish, as you typically don’t get too many veggies in a traditional thai curry dish.  Other notables were the chicken basil and the pad see ew.  The noodles were chewy and sweet!  Check out their lunch steals… for $8, you can salad, appetizer & main entree.  Unbelievable and unbeatable!

Must Haves: Thai ice tea (deconstructed), PCU noodles with beef and mushroom crunch for apps

Stay Away: NA

Ambiance: lovely for it’s modernity with an evident tint of chicness, rightly so to make up for the tiny fact (no pun intended) that the bar and restaurant itself is very narrow, so I would not suggest party size bigger than 5.  makes a wonderful spot for date and warm, intimate group of friends.

Service: no complaints.. took a while for us to get our orders in, but I guess it was our fault for being so indecisive!

Rating: 4 stars

Caveat: This location use to be near my old work place.. i used to pass by it all the time, but thought it was some super fancy overly priced Thai restaurant.  Don’t judge a book by its cover.  Prices are super decent for the ambiance.