Artisanal Food Court Is Your One-Stop Nosh

RESTAURANT:  City Kitchen

DATE: March 10, 2015

LOCATION: 700 8th Avenue at 44th Street

This month's dinner roulette spun to me, and for the life of me, I could not decide what I wanted to eat or where to go.  Usually the premise of our dinners are to try places we (or at least the picker) have not been to before.  With this long and cold winter, I was craving a bowl of warm soup and ramen noodles.  Ippudo in the East Village is one of my favs... so I considered bending the rule by revisiting this noodleshop namesake by checking out their midtown west location, since technically I have not ventured that spot yet.  Just when I was ready to pull the trigger on my ramen pick, I was also craving tacos.  I couldn't make up my mind or stomach, so I kept searching endlessly, waiting for that a-ha moment of clarity.

City Kitchen was the perfect solution to my indecisive appetite!  While it's not fine dining, this is not your mall food court.  Newly opened this month, it is a multi-vendor food hall that gives a culinary tour of NYC's local eateries from Brooklyn, the East Village and the Upper West Side.  Gourmet food made fast, City Kitchen's row of stalls include: Kuro Obi (Ippudo), Luke's Lobster, Gabriela's Taqueria, ilili's Box,  Whitman's, Azuki Sushi, Dough, Wooly's and Sigmund Pretzel.

Our group grabbed a table and sat contemplating whether we wanted ramen, burger, tacos or sharwarma.  Husband and I were both torn between getting ramen and burger, so we each ordered from Kuro Obi and Whitman's to share.  At Kuro Obi, we ordered the Kuro Modern (chicken and pork broth with roasted garlic oil) and a soft boiled egg topping.  Considering Ippudo's sit-down restaurants do not allow for a take-out option, Kuro Obi is the only alternative since it comes in a take-home bowl and lid.  Similar to Ippudo's noodles, Kuro Obi's ramen-on-the-go has a blend of silky and savory flavors, which are further enhanced with the roasted garlic oil base.  You can dig your chopsticks into this snack-sized portion immediately, as the soup is very warm.  But there's something amiss when the broth temperature is not steaming and piping hot.  As satisfying as this slurpable bowl was, it definitely is the junior to its reigning noodle predecessor.  Between the smaller portion and close-but-not-quite-hot broth, Kuro Obi does not replace the Ippudo experience.  For $2 more, you get more goodness in an Ippudo bowl .  What does fall in Kuro Obi's favor, however, is that you are not paying the extra gratuity for waiter service or an hour wait for a table.  I would recommend Kuro Obi if you've already had your Japanese ramen experience and looking for a much quicker and only slightly cheaper noodle fix. 

 

With so many food options at City Kitchen, our indecision did not stop there.  We wavered between ordering a burger or the cheesesteak from Whitman's.  After much deliberation, we dared to take a bite out of their PB&B Burger.  Even if you are only a mildly-interested peanut butter or bacon eater, this burger definitely takes your taste buds to new heights.  Two seemingly powerful ingredients, the peanut butter and bacon actually do not overpower the burger itself.  This unique and surprising combination plays together in blissful harmony.  Each salivating bite is delightful, as the PB&B nuances act as an underscore to the fresh and juicy meat.  The side of blue cheese fries were equally delectable.  Note however, that these do not come with blue cheese crumbles as we all had expected.  Nonetheless, these gorgeous golden fries come with what tastes like an herbed blue cheese aioli-like dipping sauce, intermingled with a tang of creamy ranch.  (And if you've read my food bio, then you'd know I am quite fond of creamy, mayo-y dipping/aioli sauces.)

By now it'd appear like I ate 2 full meals, but since we were sharing the ramen, burger and fries, it was a mishmash meal.  Or maybe I'm just making excuses for being gluttonous and still getting dessert afterwards!  I originally wanted to try the pretzels but after browsing Dough's selections, my eyes honed in on the Mocha Almond Crunch.  This doughnut was fresh and light, slathered with sweet, mocha chocolatey gooey goodness.  I can't sing the praises of the almond taste, but the crunchy bits did give a nice contrasting texture so that it wasn't an excessively syrupy.

To shamefully add to my contented stomach, I also tasted 2 spoonfuls of the Wooly's shaved snow that my friend ordered.  I'm not quite sure how to describe the texture of this cold treat.  I expected it to be like a frozen yogurt or a snow cone, but it was neither like those.  Perhaps I would appreciate this treat more during the hot summer months, but as for now, I'd rather have my cold desserts topped with mochi from Pinkberry or Red Mango.

City Kitchen's space feels like a nice haven away from the dirty hustle and bustle of 8th Avenue.  Rustic modern decor and subway tiles design a clean, seamless and cohesive atmosphere, while the dessert kiosks add charm.  The entrances leading upstairs to City Kitchen gives off the impression that you are walking through a private staff entrance, which our Sundry Tomatoes & company semi-joked that we hope this averts visitors from finding this hidden gem.   I definitely would like to revisit City Kitchen, whether it will be to get the PB&B Burger again or try something new from a different food vendor. 

Bottom Line: City Kitchen has a lot of quality options that will not disappoint and having you wanting to come back for more.  Perfect for when you need the variety of choices for multiple appetites.  A stylish and clean place, go fast before the secret is out... which won't be too long since it is situated in tourist central and by the theaters.  If you're looking for a quicker, tasty ramen fix, grab a take-home bowl from Kuro Obi.  However, do not let it this be your very first Japanese ramen tasting experience if you haven't been to the likes of Ippudo, Totto Ramen or even Hide-Chan Ramen.  Hands down, get the PB&B Burger from Whitman's!!  It sets itself apart from the superfluous NYC burger options.  The peanut butter and bacon are an exceptional concept without taking attention away from the perfectly cooked burger.  If you have room for dessert, make your way down the row to Dough's.

Happy Noshing, Jeanne