NYC Apr12: Gyu-Kaku East Village

On Thursday night, while we were waiting for a table at Ippudo, we decided to go to Gyu-Kaku. The friend we were with used to work there and she wanted to go visit her old co-workers. She also said the food was really good and we were about to catch their reverse happy hour!

Gyu-Kaku - East Village
34 Cooper Square
New York, NY 10003
(212) 475-2989
http://www.gyu-kaku.com/ny/eastvillage.htm
Price (Bar Menu): $

Everyone was really friendly there. And their happy hour specials are amazing! I'd definitely recommend checking it out. It starts at 9:30PM until close I believe.

We didn't want to spoil our appetite before ramen but I felt like we should order something since we were hanging out there. My friend said everything there is good but when she showed me the dessert it peaked my interest.

Lady M's Mille Crepe $8~

The main thing that made me want to order this is that the green tea flavor is exclusive to this location. I've had mille crepe before in Narita airport and I remembered it being really good. This one blew it out of the water! The green tea flavor was at the forefront but wasn't bitter like green tea can sometimes get. The crepe cake was super moist and the ice cream was perfect with it. I think I can eat the whole cake! Because it's super light, I didn't feel like I ruined my appetite. YUM!

I wish we had more time in NYC to be able to actually eat there. Next trip I guess...

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Late Nite Sushi @ Fin Sushi & Sake Bar

I got an email about a new sushi restaurant opening about a month ago. Fin Sushi & Sake Bar, located on Windhaven and Tollway in Plano. It said that they had reverse happy hour...I was intrigued. Also because I know there's really nothing in that intersection... where was this place hiding??

Fin Sushi & Sake Bar
6149 Windhaven Parkway #140
Plano, TX 75093
(972) 473-9329
http://www.finsakebar.com/
Price: $-$$

Got a chance to go one night...we got there around 11:30pm...thinking that they closed at midnight but was surprised to find out that they open til 2am on the weekends. YAY! :) I'm glad more and more places are staying open later in Plano now.

So this place is tucked away in the shopping center on the Northwest corner of Windhaven and Tollway. Just look for the green fish logo/sign. Inside the decor was quite interesting. Certain elements reminded us of places in Asia or New York.

We come to find out that they did not have food specials, but did offer $1 hot sake...and supposedly it was pretty good sake too.

Everyone ordered something different...I got to sample quite a bit. :P

First we have the Tempura Stuffed Mushroom with Crabmeat $6.50~

I really liked this dish. I love mushrooms and anything fried is always tasty in my books. hehe. The creaminess from the crab complimented the fried tempura batter very well, and the sweet sauce on top added more flavor.

Devil Roll (Salmon, mixed veggie, Japanese mustard) $4.95~ I ordered this one because I was interested in trying the Japanese mustard. Mannn...it gave a kick! If you've ever tried a tear drop (which is basically pure/raw wasabi...SUPER strong...it makes you cry...no joke!) this has the essence of it but not nearly as strong. I really liked it...at first... After a couple pieces I started not really liking the flavor of the mustard. The kick it gave I enjoyed tho. :) I would probably not order that again in the future.

Rainbow Roll (California Roll topped with 5 different fish) $12.95~ This is always a classic, probably one of my favorite rolls since its got the creamy crab in the California roll topped with an assortment of sashimi. Sounds YUM! The one at Fin was not bad. The sizes of the pieces were nice and it seemed pretty fresh...even at 12 o'clock at night!

Yellowtail Roll $4.95~ This roll was basically yellowtail and green onion. It's very light and simple. I've had better at other places though. I think they needed to put more green onion because I tasted none.

Sashimi Platter (Salmon, Tuna, White Tuna, Red Snapper, Yellowtail) I'm not sure how much this dish was... I want to say around $25-ish~ The presentation looked pretty nice and they were fairly thick cuts of fish which was good. Pretty fresh, the texture was nice, but I didn't like how they put Salmon on top of the lemon (good for presentation) but the lemon completely killed the taste of the fish.

Fin Special Grilled Fried Rice (Grilled fried rice stuffed in Paprika with Mozzarella Cheese) $6.50~This dish looked interesting to everyone so we decided to order one and try. It was totally unexpected. First of all, I think they had major typo in the menu because it wasn't stuffed in 'Paprika' (which is actually a spice) instead it was in a bell pepper. Looked like they baked the bell pepper with cheese on top, with another side of fried rice...and a dessert of orange??? It was very strange...but looked pretty good. Flavor was a little disappointing...decent...nothing spectacular. The cheese added little flavor. The orange with whip cream was super sweet though...it was kinda like orangesicle!

Overall not too bad. The food was decent and somewhat strange at times. I would probably go back for the sushi sometime. And its nice to know they open late! Also, the waiter was really nice but didn't really know what's going on. All of our questions about the menu received weird/confusing answers. At least he was nice...I guess...haha.

So if you are in this area and want some late night food, go check it out. If you are not in the area, I wouldn't make that drive just to come here.

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"Reverse" Happy Hour ^.~

I recently discovered that Houlihan’s in Addison has Happy Hour AND ‘reverse’ Happy Hour. Monday-Friday from 4:30-6:30PM then again from 9:30PM – close. How awesome is that?!? Great place to go for a Friday night! However, it’s only in the bar area so it gets a little packed…

Houlihan's
5225 Belt Line Rd., Ste 220
Dallas, TX 75254
(972) 386-0689
http://www.houlihans.com/
Price: $ (for Happy Hour)

We went on a Friday night around 9:30PM…all the tables and seats were taken. :( But on my way from the bathroom, I spotted a table signing their check! I immediately asked if we could have their table. Haha. SCORE!

We sat down and took a look at their happy hour menu. Basically, appetizers are all $6, beers and certain cocktails are half price. Their special was on Long Island Ice Teas (vodka, rum, gin, and sweet & sour)…and they have 9 different kinds!!
We got the “Texas” (with Tequila, Triple Sec, and cranberry) and “Georgia Peach” (with Peach Schnapps and cranberry). They have a glass for $6.50~ or a 1-Liter Pitcher for $7.50~ (full price). Of course we got the pitcher!! Half-price, baby!! $3.50 a piece!! The Georgia Peach was a little too sweet but the Texas was pretty tasty. My friends say its slightly watered down…but I’m not a big drinker so it was plenty strong for me! Haha.

Now its time for the fooood! I was craving dessert so I got the “Three’s Company”, where you pick any 3 of their desserts. $7.50~ I picked the White Chocolate Banana Cream Pie, Snickers Crunch Ice Cream Dome, and Vanilla Bean Crème Brulée. YUMM!! (It goes in order from left to right in the picture) The crème brulee was pretty standard so I would say I liked the other two better. It was EVEN better when I mixed the chocolate sauce from the Snickers dome with the cream pie! Hehe.
Next we have the Spinach Dip with Cheesy Lavosh Crackers (normally $9.25~). The dip was creamy and went well with the crispy crackers.





We also ordered the Miniature Burger Threesome (Tillamook cheddar, ranch style greens, with side of fries) (normally $8.95~). I’ve heard great things about their sliders so I guess I had high expectations. It was good, but not spectacular…might’ve also been that I already had dinner before so I wasn’t very hungry…haha.

The Lettuce Wraps (chicken sauté, julienne carrots and jicama, wonton strips, lettuce cups) are next…normally $8.75~. I’ve had this as lunch before. It’s very good, and just enough to be a satisfying lunch. The wonton strips add an extra crisp along with the tender chicken. I think it’s better than the lettuce wraps at Cheesecake Factory, if you’ve ever had it there…

Lastly, we had the Seared Rare Tuna Wontons (soy glaze, wasabi mayo, Napa slaw) (normally $8.95~). I didn’t get to try this one at all so I’m not sure how it was. I wasn’t too impressed with the portions though…6 measly pieces of tuna…luckily we got it at a discounted price.

We had a GREAT time there. I was soooo full! If you are looking for a hip, lively spot with good food and drink specials, I definitely recommend Houlihan’s Happy Hour. Just make sure you go a little earlier to get seats, otherwise you’ll have to stand with no where to put your food.


I give it for all categories:
Quality of Food, Service, Cleanliness, Value, and Overall Experience.


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