(Sapa)Patricia Yeo's new restaurant was what I happily stumbled upon this weekend when my sister called me in the wee hours (11AM, yea I'm such a bum) of the morning to inquire if I would be down to try a new restaurant for dinner. Although I had never heard of the place, I quickly approached this unknown with my usual bookish mentality, and discovered that the chef had worked under the Food Channel's Southwestern/Tex-Mex king Bobby Flay as a sous chef before getting super-popular with her first restaurant AZ. Another interesting (or trivial) tidbit is that Patricia was studying for her doctorate in biochemistry at Princeton, when she decided that the laboratory just wasn't as much fun as unearthing the genius behind French/Vietnamese fusion.
Food: French/Vietnamese
Decor: 7-8, (look at the pic, geez) but tint it with a brownish hue (che romantico!)
Date Rating: Not that great since seats are aligned closely with other tables unless you can score a seat in the back
Keeps me warm at night: Complimentary Warm Pita Bread with a Apple/Cranberry Chutney Sauce and White Bean Paste (i.e. tapenade), massive $15 Sunday dinner entrees (deal only valid on Sunday) that should originally go for $30, free melting homemade cookies, and wonderful service (look out for a Spanish waitress by the name of Dominica). They only offer 4 entrees for their dinner special (Steak Frites, Whole Lobster, Five-Spiced Chicken, and the Fried Cod). A whole lobster for $15 is just plain ridiculous. Enough said. Since they ran out of the Steak Frites, I got the Five-Spiced Chicken which was fantastic. My sister indulged in the buttery, hard-shelled crustacean. Our waitress even gave me a free glass of Pinot Noir since they ran out of the the steak entree. And it actually went well with the chicken. At the end of the meal, Dominica brought a tray of fresh cookies from the oven and told us that our meal wasn't complete without dessert, since we decided to originally pass. Although she said we could take as many as we wanted, I only took two out of guilt. Va bene!
Non-inflated synopsis: Go on Sundays for the dinner entree, and ask for recommendations on the appetizers/sides because you might be disappointed if you find your spicy tuna spring roll just isn't that fulfilling. Desserts = banana-toffee bread pudding (according to foodie's comments). If this deal didn't exist, we might be looking at another run-of-the-mill, pricey NY restaurant with decent food, but since it does we have to be glad Ms. Yeo isn't a doctor. She'd probably be a good one, too, if her food is any indicator of her talent.
WTF realization: I was pleasantly chewing on a green bean when out of nowhere I realized that the music they had on the speakers was vaguely noticeable. Architecture in Helsinki. Australian indie band known for their winsome ditties. Grizzly Bear. Psych-rock/a cappella group known for their strange harmonies. Hot Chip. Read my earlier posts. And so on. This restaurant has some sick tunes or Ms. Yeo just loves to rock out.
Deal or no deal: Deal!
Sapa Restaurant, Bar and Lounge
(212) 929-1800
43 West 24th St.
(between 5th and 6th Avenues)
www.sapanyc.com
Architecture in Helsinki - Do the Whirlwind
Grizzly Bear - On A Neck, On A Spit
Hot Chip - The Warning
Food: French/Vietnamese
Decor: 7-8, (look at the pic, geez) but tint it with a brownish hue (che romantico!)
Date Rating: Not that great since seats are aligned closely with other tables unless you can score a seat in the back
Keeps me warm at night: Complimentary Warm Pita Bread with a Apple/Cranberry Chutney Sauce and White Bean Paste (i.e. tapenade), massive $15 Sunday dinner entrees (deal only valid on Sunday) that should originally go for $30, free melting homemade cookies, and wonderful service (look out for a Spanish waitress by the name of Dominica). They only offer 4 entrees for their dinner special (Steak Frites, Whole Lobster, Five-Spiced Chicken, and the Fried Cod). A whole lobster for $15 is just plain ridiculous. Enough said. Since they ran out of the Steak Frites, I got the Five-Spiced Chicken which was fantastic. My sister indulged in the buttery, hard-shelled crustacean. Our waitress even gave me a free glass of Pinot Noir since they ran out of the the steak entree. And it actually went well with the chicken. At the end of the meal, Dominica brought a tray of fresh cookies from the oven and told us that our meal wasn't complete without dessert, since we decided to originally pass. Although she said we could take as many as we wanted, I only took two out of guilt. Va bene!
Non-inflated synopsis: Go on Sundays for the dinner entree, and ask for recommendations on the appetizers/sides because you might be disappointed if you find your spicy tuna spring roll just isn't that fulfilling. Desserts = banana-toffee bread pudding (according to foodie's comments). If this deal didn't exist, we might be looking at another run-of-the-mill, pricey NY restaurant with decent food, but since it does we have to be glad Ms. Yeo isn't a doctor. She'd probably be a good one, too, if her food is any indicator of her talent.
WTF realization: I was pleasantly chewing on a green bean when out of nowhere I realized that the music they had on the speakers was vaguely noticeable. Architecture in Helsinki. Australian indie band known for their winsome ditties. Grizzly Bear. Psych-rock/a cappella group known for their strange harmonies. Hot Chip. Read my earlier posts. And so on. This restaurant has some sick tunes or Ms. Yeo just loves to rock out.
Deal or no deal: Deal!
Sapa Restaurant, Bar and Lounge
(212) 929-1800
43 West 24th St.
(between 5th and 6th Avenues)
www.sapanyc.com
Architecture in Helsinki - Do the Whirlwind
Grizzly Bear - On A Neck, On A Spit
Hot Chip - The Warning
1 comment:
didnt know youre such a foodie peter vu!
i love reading posts about restaurants and good food! even if it's in ny. cheers! too bad you're not in sf or else you could have taken advantage of the dine about town promo this month. =)
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