Cafe Rakka Rocks My Socks!

I'm not the only one I know who likes good food, Adam is quite the foodie and I appreciate all the great places he's introduced me to over the last 5 years.  (wow, can't believe how time flies!)

One such place was introduced to him by a friend, I forget who though.  It was the go-to spot when he was working at an old bar that closed down in what seems like a past life.

Cafe Rakka, located at 81 St. Mark's Place near 1st Ave, serves just about the best gyro in NYC.  I've had a fair share of them over the years, but theirs is just too tasty for words and it keeps us coming back for more.



Their food is fresh, flavorful and really affordable.

I always go for their gyro sandwich ($5.50), which has a mix of chicken and lamb with lettuce, tomatoes and onions.  In the past I always opted for sauce on the side.

Looks like I've been missing out on their awesome tahini sauce, which is sesame based and has no dairy. 



 

My friend, Tommy, also got the gyro sandwich but had them put the sauce directly on it.  Looks so much tastier with sauce!

They also have a killer hot sauce that really enhances the flavor of the whole thing.

It's a messy but delicious meal.  But be prepared to eat this with a fork since it always falls apart.  They put the meat at the bottom and they really pack it!






Adam wanted to try something different, since he always gets the gyro.  He went for the shish kebab platter this time.

I warned him that it's huge, but I didn't think he was expecting this massive portion of food for just $12.

It came with a hearty portion of grilled meat, lamb I believe, with flavorful cous cous and a huge portion of hummus.  Cut pita bread was served on the side to enjoy with the hummus.

I thought this was a steal for $12.   I really liked each of the sides and thought they went together well.  I would totally order this the next time I came, but I'd probably end up taking most of it home as left overs.

What we didn't order, but is really good here, is the lentil soup - so check it out if you stop by.

I love me some Cafe Rakka! 

A Boozey, Babelicious Brunch

AYCD... that's right, All You Can Drink. Say it with me now!  This glorious concept should definitely be embraced when you're in the company of some fabulous lady friends and that is exactly what I did on Saturday.

My gaggle of sexy gals and I hit up Diablo Royale on Ave A off of East 10th.  I made reservations for fear of not getting a seat, but they were completely empty when we showed up at noon.  Apparently everyone is still asleep at this time...

The decor is really fun here, with antler chandeliers and crazy skeleton artwork.  We picked the table near the outdoor area, so we wouldn't get rained on.  Did I mention it was totally gross out.  What is with NYC weather lately?!

Our server, who reminded us all of a hipstered long-haired Michael Cera, was extraordinarily attentive to us the entire time.  He made sure that everything was perfect since we had two food allergies at our table, mine to dairy/cheese and Liz's to gluten.

The deal is $25 for all you can drink mimosas and red sangria with your choice of entree.  The nice thing is how strong both were.  Most AYCD mimosas are mostly orange juice with a splash of the bubbly, but this was the total opposite.  We were ecstatic and certainly got our drink on.

We took our sweet time drinking and ordered our food.  They didn't rush us at all and kept the drinks flowing,  never once having to ask for a refill.

Considering the deal was $25, I wanted to pick the most expensive dish (yeah, that's how I roll), so I went with the Steak and Eggs.


The food took a while to come out, but we were content snacking on some really amazing cinnamon and sugar chips while sipping our drinks.  The restaurant was starting to fill up, so we assumed that the cook was just busy.

Mine came out first and unfortunately there was cheese sprinkled on the eggs.  I had to say something cause it wasn't something I could scrape off.  Our server was a champ and quickly remedied the situation with a new set of fried eggs.  Horray!  I was worried my food would be cold, but the steak was still warm and super juicy.  It wasn't the best brunch food, but when you go to an AYCD place, you don't really focus on the food - am I right?

The eggs were overcooked, but better that than undercooked.  I liked the potatoes a lot - they were crisp and spicy, similar to the Rabbithole's but with a spicy mayo sauce all over.  There was a lot more steak than I thought and couldn't finish.  It was cooked medium rare, just how I like it.  All this dish needed was a good sauce to make it sing, but alas there was none.


Liz M. ordered the the Huevos Rancheros, which looked really good!  It was a huge portion and oozing with goodness.

She was careful to ask for the corn tortilla to avoid any gluten-related issues.    It's really wonderful that so many restaurants are aware of this particular food allergy since it affects so many people! 

Liz did mention that her food was particularly spicy including the cheese grits.  I wasn't able to try anything, but was really surprised that even cheese grits would be so spicy.  Perhaps they need to take it down a notch with that - its annoying when every bite is a kick in the mouth and you have no relief! 




Tara and Jenn ordered the tacos, which were really tempting.  I believe they ordered:

One Fried Fish Taco, which was tempura battered tilapia with guacamole and spicy cabbage slaw.

One Al Pastor Taco, which is roasted pork and pineapple-pico-crema on a flour tortilla.

They also went with the cheese grits instead of beans.


Both ladies seemed to enjoy their food thoroughly. They were nice sized tacos, so it was definitely enough food to fill you up.

They also mentioned that everything was really spicy.  Not sure if it was the overall flavor or the fact that the tacos had giant slices of jalapeno (as you can see in this photo)

I love spicy food, but not sure I could rock it so early on in the day with a stomach full of mimosa. 

Liz B. went with her all time
favorite brunch option, Eggs Benedict, which I would have selected myself except for the fact that it was a cream based sauce.

The Huevos Benedictos looked really good.  It looked like a serious meal, probably because the sauce was green.

The ham was cut thick, the eggs cooked well and the sauce was apparently good.  It was definitely an unusual take on the classic, but she seemed to enjoy it!

I think they made a slight mistake, or they thought I was particularly hungry, and served an extra side of home fries.  It was really unnecessary and we didn't end up eating much of it.  Liz M. had a chance to try them, but wasn't a fan of the spicy mayo sauce.  I think she had enough spice in her life at the moment :)

So after over 2 hours, we were ready to pack up and ship out.  We really did take our sweet time and enjoyed hanging out.  By the time we left, we were full, moderately buzzed and the place was packed.   Oh, and there was one girl near our table that took a little nap and keeled over at one point.  Her friends didn't seem to mind that she looked like she was on the verge of barfing everywhere, but thank goodness she didn't and left shortly after.

So yeah, Diablo Royale is a bit of a party waiting to happen, all you need is a gaggle of awesome gals to make it one kick-ass brunch!  I wouldn't necessarily come back to Diablo Royale again, since the food wasn't exactly remarkable.  With a large enough group and the endless mimosas, it might be a good idea, but there are so many places in the city its silly to not try something new.

Sitting on Octavia's Porch

Last weekend, I volunteered for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Black Tie and Black Jack event, which was AWESOME! I had the pleasure of volunteering last year and couldn't wait to do it again. I helped with Check-in to ensure guests received a bracelet for entry and their tickets to claim chips to play casino games. A good cause, great people, exciting event - it was a fantastic night.

Unfortunately the volunteers enjoy a dinner of dominoes pizza before they start their shift - something that doesn't go well with me. So my friend, Laura, and I decided to have lunch beforehand to ensure are appetites were appeased.

I've been using ScoutMob a lot lately to ensure discounted meals at local restaurants and wanted to check out Octavia's Porch which had good reviews on Yelp. For those who haven't discovered the wonder that is ScoutMob, check it out ASAP! Seriously, 50% off food and other services in NYC (and other cities I believe), you really can't go wrong.

I made a reservation for 3:30 on OpenTable, to ensure we didn't have a long wait for brunch. I couldn't risk going and being late for our training at the LLS event. Laura arrived first, since I was late (sorry Laura, I overslept!) and we seated in the front at a cute little table. I didn't see the entire restaurant since we were seated near the window at the front, but from what I could tell it was small but cute. Lots of wood, a long bar, it was cozy.


We started with the sweet potato latkas, which were actually rather tasty. They were large enough to share with 4 people, but we were only two - so we were prepared to be very full.

I had to try the matzoh ball soup, since everyone was talking about it. It was a little pricey at $7. The soup was tasty with chicken and interesting veggies like Brussels sprouts, yellow squash and who knows what else. The broth was flavorful and the matzoh ball large and fluffy. It was a very tasty soup and a meal in itself. I can't imagine anyone finishing the large since my friend and I could barely finish half of the small. I guess if you have this as your meal, $7 isn't so bad. But I sure as hell don't plan on coming back for this expensive soup, it wasn't THAT good. I'd pay $5.

Doesn't this soup look nice? Perfect for a cold day, which it was. If only this soup were cheaper, I would come here just for it. But I can make a pretty damn good matzoh ball soup myself, so there is not reason to venture all the way here for a $7 soup.

We decided to share two sandwiches to get a real feel for this place. We ordered the Brisket on Rye (of course) which is now served warm since they received feedback from customers complaining that it was cold. It's great to see a place take feedback and make adjustments to their menu. We also opted for the Truffle Turkey Salad Sandwich on Pumpernickel. Both came out and were well presented.

The turkey salad was by far the better of the two, sadly. It was really fresh and tasty. The bread was perfectly toasted and the turkey salad cool and creamy. It was really a tasty meal with a perfect little side salad with a nice light dressing.

The brisket was really underwhelming. Even though it was served warm, it wasn't succulent. I want my brisket to melt in my mouth, this did not. It was actually rather tough, I had to use a fork and knife to cut through and eat the damn thing. It was tasty with some of their homemade honey mustard, but I would not come here for this sandwich. If you want a kick ass sandwich, you walk over a few blocks and go to Katz's Deli for their pastrami on rye. Now THAT is a melt in your mouth, amazing sandwich.

Sorry Octavia's Porch, but you didn't win us over. You were okay, but not worthy of a return visit. Perhaps if you expanded the menu a bit or focused on making your "big sellers" top notch, then there is hope for you. So I'm giving Octavia's Porch 3 stars, but only because the appz were yummy!