Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Restaurant Roundup — Manhattan edition

AEGEAN, ON COLUMBUS
Not just mediocre: You'll shell out more than you imagined.

BAR (SOMETHING) ON EAST 58TH STREET
Beppo? Vepto? Vupto? It was nice, dark, better than Aegean

BITE, ACROSS FROM THE NOHO STAR
Middle Eastern Vegan sandwich makes you want to turn vegan.

GABRIELA'S, ON COLUMBUS
Renovated, relocated neighborhood fave is spiffier—but something's been lost.

THE GREAT BURRITO COMPANY, ON AMSTERDAM
Wonderfully fresh Mexican fare—though home delivery is strangely sluggish.

JAMBA JUICE (VARIOUS LOCALES)
Not a restaurant, but a necessary, expensive refueling/refreshment stop

REGIONAL, ON BROADWAY
They bring you the bread wrapped in paper. Clean, good.

SHILLA, ON 32ND STREET
Triple-tiered Korean, strangely momentous views of street, OK fare.

TANG PAVILION, ON WEST 55TH STREET
Forget Shun Lee—this is the best Chinese in town!

'WICHCRAFT, ON EIGHTH STREET
Spacious, utilitarian arena for communing with excellent chick pea concoction

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

DVD Roundup

8 1/2
Dreams of fearsome levity. My life is a circus. Action!

AQUA TEEN HUNGER FORCE (Series 1, Disc 1)
Primitive animation gets tired, but random humor and repetition charm.

THE CONVERSATION
Intimate and elliptical, potently paranoiac: The surveillance movie to beat

THE CORPORATION

More scattershot and less compelling than Enron; still packs punch.


ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM

Will have you stewing in outrage even when slightly confused

GLEN OR GLENDA?
Like a public health flick gone haywire: "Pull the string!"

THE PRISONER
Skimpy disc 1 (one episode?!) is nevertheless sleekly surreal

TOUCH OF EVIL
Beginning's great, end's great, middle's fine. Bill with The Conversation?

THE WHITE COUNTESS

Dreary slog's a surprise, given Ishiguro story and Doyle lens


THE YOUNG VISITERS

Everyone in this oddball offering is on the same page.