Eaters' Journal 08/07/09: Lure, Scarpetta, Lansky's

Lure: On a steamy summer night and in the mood for raw mollusks, we headed down to Lure to sample their goods. They had six oyster varieties on hand, and the group sampled four. They were all delicious, but the Blue Points from Long Island reigned supreme. The soft shell crab app this deep into summer was a risk, and it came way too fried and without enough meat, but the Lure burger was delicious, as expected. It's been around for many years and is still solid.—Scott Solish

Scarpetta: Had the pleasure of joining Mr. Joshua Cutlets Ozersky last night for an epic meal at Scarpetta. While I wasn't so sold on Conant's squid ink shots (nor am I really an oyster shooter kinda gal), Ozersky's right on point about everything else. I especially loved the still solid spaghetti, the new ravioli, and the duck, and from the late night menu, the fried chicken (what is it with everyone and fried chicken now?) and the pork belly.—Kludt

Lansky's: Among the slew of sexy restaurants that have brought a new sheen to the Upper West Side, Lansky’s, a proudly accessible Jewish deli on Columbus Avenue in the 70s, slipped in with little fanfare. On a recent Wednesday night, the casual spot was filled with a mostly retirement age crowd, squawking in accents that were more LIE than UWS. Score one for authenticity. The voluminous menu touts the gluttonous delights you’d expect: A friend and I shared an appetizer of two mini-sandwiches (there was nothing mini about them) crammed with slices of surprisingly excellent corned beef (soft and rich) and pastrami (smoky, well-seasoned). Latkes were as big as Frisbees, and blintzes shocked and awed with what seemed to be the equivalent of a brick of Philly cream cheese in a each crêpe. Add to that an egg cream (too much foam), a watered-down Arnold Palmer and a slab of housemade blueberry pie that tasted (in a good way) like a giant Pop Tart, and the meal only came to $32. It wasn't perfect, but there were guilty pleasures aplenty, and the value is undeniable.—Gabriella Gershenson