NYC Dining Preview: Brasserie Ruhlmann

Last night I went to the preview / opening reception of Brasserie Ruhlmann, Laurent Tourondel's (BLT Steak, BLT Fish, Prime) new Art Deco-style restaurant in the Rockefeller Plaza complex right by Radio City.

I only got to try various different canapes and a few other little finger foods but I'm really looking forward to my first real meal there.

The restaurant is named for Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, a famous Alsatian French Art Deco architect during the 1920s.

Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann (Wikipedia Entry)

NYC Dining: La Caridad 78

La Caridad
2199 Broadway, New York, NY
(212) 874-2780

It’s been a joke in a Seinfeld episode, and its also one of my favorite late-night dumps to eat at. Dirt cheap, and great “Bad Chinese American” cuisine, with a Latino twist.

Patty: So I told Bobby and Lisa that we’d try the new Chinese Spanish place La Caridad on Saturday.

Jerry: Oh, I thought we had tickets for the Knicks home opener.

Patty: Well I thought this would be more fun so I gave the tickets away.

Jerry: What? All right, fine.

Patty: Are you mad at me?

Jerry: No, I love a good Chinese Spanish whatever it is.

As I stated in my recent admission on the Chinatown Brasserie thread on eG Forums:

Lately I’m very much into authentic regional styles of Chinese cuisine, such as real Sichuan and Shanghainese and Hunan and Hong Kong-style dishes. From time to time I like a Chicken Chow Mein or a Beef and Broccoli, but I tend to like that in a more downscale version, if that makes any sense.

Well, there is probably nothing more downscale in my mind than La Caridad 78. La Caridad is a dump, and I like it that way. After spending $137 on upscale Chinese American food last night and having just a few canapes to hold me over at the Brasserie Ruhlmann cocktail party tonight, I had to go eat something substantial. And cheap.

There’s nothing cooler than practicing your Spanish with a bunch of Chinese waiters. Un Egg Foo Young de Pollo, Por favor.

La Caridad makes a mean Egg Roll, with both pork and shrimp in it.

La Caridad is the only Chinese restaurant I know of with this bizarre condiment selection on each table. And they serve you BREAD.

House Special Fried Rice. So bad, so good.

General Tso’s Chicken. The La Caridad version actually has a bit of tangyness to it.

Asopado de Camarones, one of the Cuban selections. Nice amount of shrimp in it.

Spare Ribs.

Behind the counter is this array of steamer trays that they use to hold trays of yellow rice (and a few other things) that they serve with the Cuban plates.