Noho Star (330 Lafayette Street)

Sunday brunch is one of the most busiest time for most restaurants. There are a couple of cute restaurants on Bowery that I wanted to check out for brunch but it is amazing how many people are out on a early Sunday afternoon. I stopped by two cafes and they both had a 40-minutues wait. It was a beautiful day but definitely not warm enough to stand outside for almost an hour and I was not even sure how the food was because I have never been there. So I decided to go and check out Noho Star, a restaurant that I been to a long time ago and was told that they had great brunch. Luckily, there was no wait for the tables outside.

I scan through the menu and quickly realized everything on the menu sounded delicious, it was a tough decision but I went with the Brioche French Toast with fresh fruit ($15.00) and the House-cured Arctic Salmon with thinly sliced Bagel, Cucumber Ribbons and Horseradish-Lemon Cream Cheese ($15.75), as well as fresh squeezed orange juice and mint tea.

"I love the food at Noho Star, I used to come here every week before I moved downtown." Said Laura Song, a pharmacist.

Both entrees were amazing, extremely tasty. The brioche french toast was soft and and crispy in all the right places. When ordering the french toast, you can ordered it with just maple syrup or with fresh fruit. I usually prefer it with fresh fruit. The house-cured salmon was really really good. Now I'm not just saying this, but because I am such a fan of the Salmon bagel platter, I practically order that entree every other time I go out for brunch. So I know which restaurants have good salmon platter. I don't know how it happened but ever since I gave this weird and interesting dish a try. I thought it was a weird mix and did not think salmon and cream cheese on a bagel would be tasty since I only had raw fish as sashimi. I was hesitant to try at first but now I order it all the time, almost a little too often sometimes! I fell in love with the dish, it's one of my all time favorite now.

Anyways, the Salmon and bagel at Noho Star was a bit different. First of all, it was beautifully displayed on the transparent plate. Secondly, it was not the usual salmon, bagel, cheese cheese, tomatoes, and red onions which I am used to, and totally does not mind having the same time over and over again. This entree was unique. I especially liked that the bagels were thinly sliced into four layers which made it easier to share. The horseradish whipped cream cheese was delicious. Although I did miss the tomatoes and red onions, I did enjoy the side radish and cucumber. Sometimes different is good, it gave the salmon bagel a new and fresher taste. I enjoyed it very much.

Passing through after eating, the inside of the restaurant was pretty nice, the ambiance was descent. It was packed on a Sunday brunch which was no surprise.

"The food is very good here but it was an average looking place that was not particularly memorable." Said Pierce Liu, a wedding photographer based in New York City.

I guess I was pretty lucky to grab a table outside because it was such a beautiful day and the sun was shinning right above me so it was not cold at all. Working on my tan while having brunch. Although the restaurant is a bit pricy, the food was worth it! A relaxing Sunday afternoon can't get better than this. There were also other things on the menu that I would definitely want to try next time when I come back!

The Mermaid Inn 96 2nd Ave (between 5th St & 6th St)

Personally I was never a fan of oysters, I found it very disturbing looking because it definitely did not look tasty at all. So I never had the mindset to really try it. It was recently when one of my old friends from childhood wanted to meet up and she happened to be craving for oysters and told me about this restaurant called The Mermaid Inn that had great oyster happy hour from 4pm-7pm for 1 dollar a piece.

Wow, that is really cheap for oysters, I hope it's worth it! 

Why not right?

East Coast $1 / West Coast Oysters $1.75 / Baby Clams $1

So I decided to give it a try since after all I am already here. I was really taken by the texture of the oysters. It was...a little weird...I can't really explain it but it was actually really tasty at the same time. The garlic and cocktail sauce plus the lemon juice really helped bring out the authenticity flavor of the oysters. 

The lighter brown colored oysters are from the east coast and the two darker ones are from the west coast. Surprisingly they tasted very different from each other. The east coast oysters were creamer, sweeter, it was very good. However, the west coast oysters tasted really fishy and bitter. I did not enjoy that at all. It was something about it that makes you want to puke. I don't know why I did not have the same affect from the other ones. Nevertheless, I am only going to stick to the east coast ones.

Oh, and there is a tiny baby clam next to the west coast oysters that is hardly visible. We ordered more in the next plate. The clams were pretty good as well, did not taste like the raw clams that I had before at a seafood buffet (which also tasted fishy and bitter).

Fried Calamari 

Doesn't that look delicious? Sadly, I couldn't have any because I am allergic but it is definitely many people's favorite.

Classic Slider $7

Since I couldn't have any Calamari I ordered the baby cheese burger with plum tomatoes and shredded lettuce. Just looking at this photo makes my mouth watery. It's a tiny little burger that is a perfect size for a snack. Look at the sauce dripping on the plate...yum!

Mini Fish Taco $7

This is another one of their sliders, there's the blackened tilapia with avocado and smoked jalapeños inside with lime on the side. This is also very tasty. Although I found the fish a little bit salty for my liking but then again I have sensitive taste buds. Seven dollars for a mini taco is a bit pricy but it is worth a try. Got to admit, the presentation goes well with the taste.

I asked a few people who have been to The Mermaid Inn all suggested to go during their oyster happy hour. 

"It's awesome, get the crab boil for $25 on tuesdays and the west coast oysters are better tasting than east but I don't really trust west coast oysters nowadays because of the Fukushima accident so i'd stick with east side. The place is clean and the crustaceans are topnotch!" said Linda Eng, a graduate student at Hunter College. 

"I love oysters and The Mermaid Inn has great oysters. Definitely coming back for more." Said Dash Ni, 20, from City College.

"Love the lobster sandwich! So yummy! Said Sandra Pan, 22, graduate student from Columbia University.

Nevertheless, I'm really glad I went to this restaurant with my friend even though I never really had oysters. I am the type of person who likes to stick familiar foods and am usually hesitant to try new food especially if it is raw and rare. But then again, if I never tried the east and west coast oysters I would have never known that they have different tastes and is in fact very enjoyable. The happy hour here is great for oysters--that you can't beat!