Gossip Street

New Blog Announcement!

2011-05-31T00:10:00.002-04:00

I hope you'll follow me to my new blog... Yep, That Just Happened!

You can also follow the blog updates via the Twitter hashtag - #YTJH

If something happens to you that makes you smirk, sneer or seems a bit shocking tweet about it and add #YTJH to the end of it!

Happy Holidays to L.A. Fashionistas!

2010-12-09T14:21:00.008-05:00

What could be better than shopping and ice cream sandwiches?!?

GILT GROUPE has partnered with COOLHAUS ICE CREAM SANDWICHES and TRINA TURK to offer Southern Californians one sweet holiday treat this Saturday, Dec. 1th.

Gilt Groupe invites you to take a break from your holiday shopping to satisfy your sweet tooth, and fashion fix, to indulge in a guilty pleasure... a free COOLHAUS ice cream sandwich!

Follow @COOLHAUS on Twitter and like them on Facebook to find out where they are located once you're ready for your break.

Plus, they'll be making a spcial stop at the Trina Turk boutique on 3rd St. in Santa Monica from 11am - noon for an appearance by Trina herself and 25% off for shoppers!

For additional times and locations, etc. visit www.Gilt.com/COOLHOLIDAY

First Valentine's Day in California

2010-02-15T18:51:00.006-05:00

Random observations, and lessons learned, from my first Valentine's Day in California...

1. If Valentine's Day falls on a weekend and it happens to be 80 degrees and beautiful outside do NOT attempt to drive from Hollywood to Santa Monica to go rollerblading. You will (A) be stuck in traffic for over an hour and (B) won't be able to find parking -- someone needs to invite beach valet please!

2. Grocery store are full of guys buying last minute flowers and bottles of champagne

3. Massive line outside Pink's hot dogs - I have one word for this: GROSS!

This is Why I Don't Make Rash Decisions...

2010-01-23T15:00:00.001-05:00

Last weekend, blind sighted by the amazing offer due to my corporate discount, I joined 24 Hour Fitness. BIG mistake!
I will admit, though, it is my fault that I didn't ask for a tour of the place until after I swiped my credit card, instead I should have walked in and asked for a 7 Day Free trial rather than asking to join. But I figured it would be at least the same quality of the 24 Hour Fitness I went to in Dallas or have the same amenities of the NYSC I belonged to in NYC. But no... first of all, the location where I signed up (not going to point any fingers) was incredibly... let's just say I saw some people in there who I'm pretty sure could have passed as homeless! I made a mental note not to return to that location so quickly had to find another location that would be easy for me to drive to in the mornings before work.

Tuesday morning I went to the one in Santa Monica, it was better than the first one and actually the spinning class that morning was awesome but I wasn't in love with the location-- no ab/stretching area and the locker room was a maze.

That evening after work I drove to the nearest LA Fitness where I was given the same monthly rate as 24 Hour Fitness but this time the initiation fee wasn't waved, I'm still trying to argue my way out of that though! But trust me, I had learned my lesson... this time I asked for a tour and a 7 day trial pass before I signed or paid for anything. My week isn't up yet so I still want to check out a few locations but I think that's what I'm going to do. So far it's not as crowded as 24 Hour Fitness, which I have learned through this process is a gym trait that I highly value.

Jumping to the end of my story, my overall most shocking points are that 24 Hour Fitness does NOT offer you free towel (even if you shower there) and most of the Los Angeles-area locations have parking lots you have to pay to park in-- on top of your membership!

If someone would have told me that I would move to LA and suddenly feel like I had been spoiled at NYSC I would have laughed in their face. Now I'm the one telling my friends back in New York to appreciate what they have with NYSC because receiving an unlimited amount of free towels, having a gym on every corner and an overwhelming amount of class selections is a treat!

Fairfax Flea Market

2010-01-19T12:30:00.000-05:00

Also known as the Melrose Trading Post...
Last weekend, after brunch at Toast, a couple friends and I decided to check out the nearby flea market. Every Sunday outside of Fairfax High School vendors setup shop selling everything from antique furniture, vintage clothes to old and new jewelry.

Plus, the entrance fee (I think it was $5) goes right back into student organizations at the school. Each week is sponsored by a school club or student organization, which has petitioned The Melrose Trading Post for the opportunity to earn money for activities and purchases not provided for within the school budget. The students from the sponsoring club work the full day at the market.

I only bought a necklace but have made a mental note to go back there once I actually have an apartment of my own. Some of the pieces would be really cool to have- like an old turquoise dresser or antique mirror.

If you've been or if you end up going let me know what you think of it, I'd love to hear what great finds you stumble upon.

FYI: The flea market is located on Melrose and Fairfax and is open from 9am - 5pm every Sunday, rain or shine.

Waxing in Los Angeles

2010-01-10T14:29:00.006-05:00

Last weekend was my first full weekend (without my parents) in LA. First order of business: get my eyebrows done! I hadn't had them done since Thanksgiving so I was in need of a good shape-up. At the recommendation of my sister's friend, mind you she's 17- but has great eyebrows, I went to Anastasia in Beverly Hills.

After making my appointment with Jasmine I checked out their website and quickly realized I may have just signed up for the most expense eyebrow wax ever! For two reasons- (1) they don't offer a menu of services on their website, or at least not one that I have been able to find, and (2) the place is widely known for their eyebrow shaping expertise and have been featured in In Style, Vogue, Cosmopolitan and more. Not to mention Kristin Cavallari visits the salon, check out the paparazzi video here.

All the eyebrow waxing stations are out in the open, just like a hair salon would be set up, with similar kind of chairs that just recline a bit more. (Bikini waxing is thankfully done behind closed doors! Haha) I was sitting in the waiting area for Jasmine to finish with her client who happened to be a man in his early to mid 60s. I was totally transfixed by this man and his stunning 30-something wife and her huge diamond ring.
As I sat there I thought, so this is Beverly Hills!
... and I like it! I mean, at least the people watching! It's fun to imagine who these people are, what they see in each other, how they met, etc.

Anyway, back to the waxing experience, it was great, $50, but I walked away loving my eyebrows! I've been getting my eyebrows done since I was in 6th grade and this was the first time the esthetician finished by applying makeup to my brows and brow bone- I loved it!

I'm not 100% sure I'm going to go back though, I think I'm going to try a few more before I decide on just one place.

What I Learned Today in Hollywood

2010-01-09T16:40:00.007-05:00

By 2pm this afternoon I had already learned two valuable lessons for living in Los Angeles:

1. Parking Tickets are $50.... and $50 that I don't have! No one ever seems to pay the meters on my street so thus far I have been following their lead. Last night I parked my car out front around midnight, all of the non-metered parking spots were taken so I parked next to a meter and didn't pay it. The sign says 4 Hour Parking from 8am-8am except on Sundays (when it's free) but last Saturday afternoon I didn't pay the meter and I didn't get a ticket so I figured I'd be fine. I walked out of my apartment at 11am to go for a run only to find that I have a $50 parking ticket on my dashboard! Blah!

2. Quarters are a Valuable Commodity... When I was home over the holidays unpacking boxes from NY, packing bags for LA and cleaning out my childhood closet (finally!) I found an entire coin collection so I now have a heavy coin purse in my bag that I carry everyday. Okay so that's the background story... So this afternoon I went to the laundry room in the basement of my apartment building for the first time- keep in mind this walk-up building was built in 1926. I had everything I would have needed in my NYC apartment buildings- my wallet with cash and credit cards, laundry detergent and a bag full of my dirty clothes- oh and my door key to get back in. I assumed that I would pay for my laundry by using a debit card-type machine.... no such luck! The washers and dryers accept 4 quarters and quarters only! So with all my clothes in the washer I went back upstairs to my 3rd floor apartment and get out my newly created coin purse which, unfortunately, is full of nickles, dimes and pennies! Not wanting to drive my parked (and ticketed) car I walked half a mile to the corner liquor store and had the guy give me eight quarters in exchange for seven nickles and twenty two dimes! Needless to say, I felt pretty pathetic and rather annoyed.
My clothes are in the dryer now so all is well. :)

Helping You Find Deals in NYC

2010-01-05T13:30:00.001-05:00

A friend of a friend of mine recently launched a new site, Yipit, a deal machine that recommends New York City sample sales, restaurant and bar deals, etc. all based on your location and personal preferences. It takes 12 seconds to join so check it out-- www.yipit.com. It syncs with your Foursquare account to help you score deals right around you and wherever you go!

They have already started receiving some great press from the New York Times, Racked and Eater NY. Try it out and let me know what you think!

Moved Out West...

2010-01-02T21:32:00.009-05:00

I figured this massive change in my life required a blog post as it will eventually have an affect on my blog's content.... Three and a half years ago, shortly after graduating college, I moved to NYC. At the time I wasn't too keen on moving to the Big Apple. Senior year of college I had my heart set on moving to Southern California but after graduating I had an internship offer in LA and a job offer in New York so I took the job offer (and so glad I did!).

I knew I would like the city but coming from Dallas I was not looking forward to the cold weather or public transportation. A couple mentors of mine at the time told me to give New York a chance for 3 to 5 years and then move out West if that's still something I wanted to do. So here I am, three and a half years later, sitting in my new sunny Hollywood apartment!

I am thrilled that I have finally reached my goal of moving to California but incredibly sad that New York is no longer my home. I have truly fallen in love with NYC and know that I will miss it every day.

Things I will miss about New York...

Obviously my amazing NY friends top the list along with the fabulous people in the New York office!
The variety of restaurants within walking distance to wherever you are
The abundance of taxis
Central Park
The running path along the Hudson
Broadway shows
Rolling my eyes at tourists who are so easy to spot once you become a local
Having a NYSC on every corner
Walking to and from work every day
Bumble & Bumble
The skyline, especially at night
Working in a famous building (our NY office was in the original Superman movie!)

How my blog will change.... I am still not 100% sure what direction I want to take my blog but I think I'll be more casual about my posts and simply write about things that I've attended, tasted, enjoyed and hated- whether it's a restaurant, a spa, a movie, a comedy show, etc. I'll see how it goes and adjust accordingly along the way. However, there are a TON of New York restaurants that I still want to review so I will intersperse those with my other posts.
Hopefully you all will stay tuned and please feel free to give me feedback along the way!

Office Holiday Parties

2009-12-13T13:14:00.006-05:00

It's obvious to anyone has visited Gossip Street recently that I haven't been very good about staying current with my blog posts. So I apologize for my slacking ways within the blogosphere and promise to catch up a bit during the holidays. But in the meantime, I figured I'd give a nod to the holiday season and ask you about your office holiday parties.

Three years ago we had our office party at Pampano in NYC (49th St. btw. 2nd & 3rd). I remember being thoroughly impressed with the venue, the food and the service. We rented the entire upstairs, had free drinks all night long and a full dinner of salmon, veggies, and other meat options.

In the comments below tell us about your favorite office holiday party- not just New Yorkers, I want to hear from everyone! Also, would you rather attend an office holiday party at your boss' home, a restaurant/venue, or do a pitch-in style party in the office?

Eastern Standard (Boston)

2009-11-17T19:34:00.001-05:00

This past summer I was in Boston for client events and loved everything about it- having a car, driving down the adorable Newbury Street and staying at Hotel Commonwealth, a luxury boutique hotel located in downtown Boston. The room alone was impressive- complete with a lounging area, a king sized bed, and a large bathroom.
We hosted the welcome dinner at the restaurant adjacent to the hotel, Eastern Standard. The restaurant was completely accommodating for our large group. For our group of 20 we decided not to do a private room but the restaurant was still able to create a custom menu for us that featured a specialty cocktail, designed specifically for our program. [MAP to Eastern Standard]
Our menu included a variety of appetizers served family style- like calamari and flatbread, calamari. For our entrees everyone could choose one of three options, I forget all the other choices but I had the seared salmon served on a bed of vegetable ratatouille.
And again we were given a few different choices for dessert something chocolatey (forgetting at the moment), Pumpkin Bread Pudding and Angle Food Cake.
Going to Boston any time soon? I definitely recommend staying at Hotel Commonwealth and walk to the nearby Eastern Standard restaurant.

Sammy Lin's Famous Cappuccinos

2009-10-07T12:25:00.004-04:00

Shortly after I wrote the review on Bottega del Vino in February I received a follow up email from their communications team thanking me for the post... fast forward a few months and they reached out again inviting me to meet their barista Sammy Lin and sip his famous cappuccinos.
So Monday morning I had the pleasure of chatting with Sammy to learn more about him and how he has mastered latte art, not to mention won the hearts of New York's most sophisticated coffee drinkers (even Martha Stewart is a big fan).

Eight years ago Sammy taught himself how to make cappuccinos by intensely watching his boss for one solid week, sipping 15-20 shots of espresso a day to learn the exact flavors, measurements to make coffee that even his true Italian clientele loved. Not only did his Upper East Side patrons love his coffee they were actually the ones who suggested that he start adding art to his concoctions just like the baristas were doing in Italy.

Sammy's first creation was a snowman six years ago, a time when other baristas were creating hearts and leaves he decided to challenge himself by pulling from his Chinese background and creating silhouettes of Chinese women. Shortly after his customers discovered his talent they started requesting him to copy the lion on the cover of their Lion King programs or to replicate the faces of their girlfriends for special occations.
(snowman image: NYCRestaurant.com)

For our meeting he wanted to showcase his favorite creation... facial profiles of elegant women.
The images took me by surprise, I didn't even recognize they were faces at first glance.

There is one latte, well umm hot chocolate, art that his Bottega del Vino customers will never see and that's the Hello Kitty design he makes exclusively for his five year old daughter!

You can try Sammy's creations for yourself at Bottega del Vino Mondays through Fridays from 8am to 6pm or on Sundays from 10am to 6pm at Via Quadronno located on 73rd St and Madison Ave.
Looking forward to hearing what you think of it!

Abe & Arthur's

2009-09-26T16:04:00.000-04:00

Hot New NYC Restaurant Alert!Friday afternoon I got a text from my friend Shannon inviting me to an exclusive Friends & Family night at a hot new restaurant in New York's Meatpacking District. Abe & Arthur's is on track to becoming a true hotspot. Upon opening week the EMM Group restaurant hosted an after party for the VMAs and the Charlotte Ronson's Fashion Week party and the celebs have continued to pile in... even on Friday night Russell Simmons and his posse dined a couple tables away.

Abe & Arthur's doesn't officially open until October 1st so in the meantime they are training their staff and testing menu items an custom cocktails. I'm glad they're still learning though because by the time we got there around 8pm they were already out of french fries and just reading over the menu their fries sound amazing! There are Spiced Sweat Potato Fries, Zucchini Fries and Truffle Herbed-Parmesan Fries. Also, one of the signature cocktails of the evening, The Hemingway, wasn't really up to par. Honestly it was the first time I'd seen Shannon order a drink and not even come close to finishing! I had the Strawberry Capriana followed by a glass of champagne.

The space may be familiar to many New Yorkers... Abe & Arthur's is located at 409 W. 14th Street (near 9th Ave) which was formerly the home of another trendy scene, Lotus. [MAP]

The menu offers a variety of upscale dishes from appetizers like Roasted Beets & Westfield Farms' Goat Cheese and Scottish Salmon "Rolled"(avocado, crispy rice, radish and cucumber)- see the pics below. For my entree I had the Fall Harvest salad- mixed greens with toasted pumpkin seeds, golden raisins and Loganberry Vinaigrette while Shannon had the 7 oz. Filet Mignon and a side of asparagus.
In general they had several good vegetarian selections but the majority of the menu was full of fresh fish and gourmet meats.

Rock Center Cafe

2009-09-21T12:21:00.001-04:00

The iconic outdoor skating rink in New York's Rockefeller Center turns into the Rock Center Cafe, a casual outdoor restaurant that is perfect for lunch, dinner and especially happy hour. They feature daily drink specials and light entrees at both the larger tables with wait service as well as at the bar. I was here twice over the summer, once with my roommates for a small bite to eat after work one evening and another time with my brother and his girlfriend for a late-afternoon cocktail.
Here's a look at their MENU.
Located at 20 W. 50th St; near 5th Ave [MAP]
Their hours change depending on the season...
Jan-Sept: Mon-Fri, 7:30am - 10:30pm; Sat, 11am - 11pm; Sun, 11am - 10pm
Oct-Nov 15th: Mon-Fri. 7:30am - 10pm; Sat, 11am - 10pm; Sun, 11am - 9pm
Nov. 16h - Dec: Mon-Thurs, 7:30am - 10pm; Fri, 7:30am - 11pm; Sat, 11am - 11pm; Sun, 10am - 10pm

Craftbar

2009-09-18T12:20:00.002-04:00

Earlier this summer I had the chance to celebrate my brother's New York arrival at Craft with him and my mom. So it was only fitting that we ended his New York experience with another one of Tom Colicchio's restaurants... this time we went to Craftbar. Located at 900 Broadway [MAP], Craftbar is Craft's informal sister-restaurant. the menu changes seasonally and features a variety of amazing dishes like Pecorino Fondue with Hazelnuts and Acacia Honey, Summer Squash Puree, Grana Padano Frico soup and more. (I didn't try either one but both sounded like great vegetarian options.)

My brother, his girlfriend and I shared a cheese plate where we chose four different cheeses- Sweetgrass Dairy Green Hill (cow cheese from Tomasville, GA), Sprout Creek Fram Toussaint (cow cheese from Poughkeepsie, NY), Holland's Farm Marieke Gouda (cow cheese from Thorpe, WI) and Ancient Heritage Dairy Adelle (sheep and cow mixture from Scio, OR).
Stephanie had the Bouchot Mussels sauteed with white wine, garlic and parsley. I had the Wild Arugula, Lemon Vinaigrette, Grana Padano and Pine Nuts salad. While Michael had the Linguine, "Cacciucco Livornese."
For dessert we all shared the Warm Brownie served with chocolate source, whipped cream, and mint chocolate chip ice cream. A bunch of the other desserts sounded great too like the Ricotta Fritters and the Vanilla Ice Cream Float.

Craftbar is now even open for weekend brunch- Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 4pm.
See their brunch menu HERE.

Graffiti

2009-09-14T12:19:00.001-04:00

Graffiti is a small hole in the wall restaurant in the East Village, located on 10th St. near 1st Ave. [MAP]
Founded by former Jean Georges pastry chef Jehangir Mehta, Graffiti offers shareable dishes ranging from $7 to $15. My friends and I started out with a cheese plate- a combination of three cheeses, along with a bottle of Chardonnay. For our entrees we ordered a few dishes to share including the Watermelon Feta Salad with Mint Sorbet, the Zucchini Hummus Pizza and I believe they shared scallops- which I actually don't see on the online menu so it must have been a special that night. I was pleased to see so many vegetarian options on the menu and really enjoyed the dishes we shared.
NYMag.com lists Graffiti as a hot date spot and place for notable desserts and wines.
Chef Mehta will actually be on The Food Network on The Next Iron Chef show, premiers October 4th. Check out this video of Chef Mehta explaining his cooking style and a bit of his background.

Gilt

2009-09-07T12:28:00.000-04:00

As a fan of the popular show Gossip Girl I have wanted to check out Gilt, the bar/restaurant inside the Van Der Woodsen's residence- the Palace Hotel. My friend and I met at the bar for drinks and a small bite to eat one evening after work. We opted to site in the bar & lounge area rather than in the formal dining room as we weren't crazy about the mandatory pre fixe menu. We were impressed by the creative drink and lounge food menus. The cocktail menu featured real cocktails like the Black Mojito and the Gilt Classic Smash as well as an extensive list of "mocktails" like the Thia Lemonade and the Garden of Eden.
Our waitress suggested that we try the truffle french fries and of course we were hesitant to order but we were taken by the fact that they were truffle-infused so we just couldn't pass them up.
For my main meal I had the pear and pecorino salad which was a nice, light dish.
The hotel in general was absolutely beautiful, somewhere I would like to walk around inside more to check out their other restaurants and bars. The Palace Hotel is located in the heart of midtown on 50th St. between Park and Madison Avenues, see map HERE.

Cafe St. Barts

2009-07-31T12:50:00.000-04:00

Cafe St. Barts was one of my first outdoor dining experience in NYC three years ago and to this day hold it as one of my favorite New York spots. My favorite part of this cafe is the fact that it's on the patio of St. Bartholomew's church on Park Avenue.
It's a great place to meet for drinks and a light dinner.
However, they also host brunch and lunch. Click HERE to see their menu.

Corner Shop Cafe

2009-07-10T12:55:00.001-04:00

Situated at the corner of Broadway and Bleeker St. the Corner Shop Cafe is cute and has everything you'd want from a New York cafe- specials written on chalkboards, happy hour and a menu full of lite fare. I was excited to see all of the salads listed on the menu and debated between the summer special Watermelon, Feta & Mint salad and the Pear & Arugula salad. So I asked our waitress for her opinion and she looked at me with a blank stare saying that she hadn't tried either one but that the watermelon salad looked good. I decided to go with the watermelon salad and was underwhelmed by the watermelon chunks sprinkled with feta cheese and the load of mint leaves on my plate.
Our waitress failed earlier when we asked for her recommendation on the wines. I may have to give this little cafe another try because I have heard good things about it but was totally not impressed by our slow waitress who had seemingly no knowledge of the cafe's menu.

Have you been to Corner Shop Cafe? If so, leave a comment and let me know what you thought.

B Bar

2009-07-08T12:51:00.000-04:00

I recently had an extremely late night dining experience at B Bar which I had previously only been to for drinks. I've always loved the casual in-door/outdoor layout of the restaurant, half of the restaurant is inside and the back half is a year-round garden which is enclosed and fully heated in the winter and open during the summer so patrons can dine and drink under the stars. It's the perfect spot for weekend brunch, after work drinks, weekend nights out and fabulous for dinner.

For a late night dinner my friend and I started off with a tasty order of Homemade Guacamole & Chips. The menu boasts nine great sounding salads. I ordered the Roasted Beet Salad with herb-walnut crusted goat cheese. The menu also features a variety of dishes from seafood to pizzas to burgers and quesadillas.
I'm a big fan of restaurants and bars that have cocktail menus and B Bar doesn't disappoint. The cocktail menu features two of my favorite drinks- sangria and mojitos- but also offers a Watermelon Martini, B Bar Cosmo, a Spiced Margarita and more.

B Bar is very similar to The Park, located on 10th Ave near 17th St., and after my first visit to B Bar I asked the hostess if they had the same owner and she said yes but seemed a little unsure. Does anyone know if they are owned by the same people?!? (I really hope they are because they are really too similar not to be. Haha)

B Bar is located at 40 E. 4th St. near Bowery, see map HERE.

Japonais

2009-07-06T12:55:00.001-04:00

The Japonais New York location opened about three years ago with executive chef Jun Ichikawa and Gene Kato. The theatrical interior was designed by one of the co-owners, Jeffrey Beers. Between the main dining room, the bar and the upstairs lounge the restaurant can accommodate nearly 300 people. My company this evening were very experimental with the menu which features signature Japanese dishes from sushi to full entree and appetizer dishes. For our table we ordered the Kaiso Salad (marinated sweet vinegar seaweed salad with fresh cucumbers and toasted sesame), Manjus Buns (homemade steamed buns with braised pork and scallions with hot mustard sauce), Spicy Mono (spicy octopus roll topped with spicy tuna and sweet unagi sauce), and of course I stuck with the vegetables I knew... I ordered two items from the Vegetable Mono list: asparagus and avocado. My only wish here was that they would have been able to substitute the sticky white rice with brown rice but unfortunately they don't do that.

For dessert we shared the Apple Toban Yaki (Michigan red and ginger gold apples with oatmeal ginger crust and vanilla honey ice cream) and the assortment of homemade sorbets served with fresh watermelon soup and a yuzu cookie.

The drinks alone are well crafted like the Floating Orchid, their "signature cocktail," (stolichnaya vodka, citronge, pear juice and lemon juice with an edible orchid), Peach Sake Sangria (sake, citronge, moscato d'asti with passion fruit juice and peach puree) and the Pineapple Mojito (bacardi limon, fresh cut pineapple, lime juice and fresh muddled mint).

Japonais is located on E. 18th St. near Park Ave. [MAP]
Make reservations online via OpenTable

Trata

2009-07-03T12:22:00.001-04:00

I have lived in the Upper East Side for three years and have walked past Trata many times but finally had the chance to try it on a recent sunny Sunday evening with my brother. This Greek restaurant is located on 2nd Ave. near 70th Street, has outdoor seating and offers a creative Greek menu with fresh fish, creative salads and wonderful desserts. I ordered a salad that I had never seen on a menu before with lettuce, watermelon and fried Greek cheese (maybe it's a summer special because it's not listed on the online menu). There was a minor issue with our meal though so we were given two complimentary desserts which were amazing. The first was Yiaourti- a dish with three scoops of chilled Greek yogurt each with different toppings. The first scoop was topped with pistachios, cherry syrup and honey; the second was topped with honeyed figs and the thrid was enhanced with honey, walnuts and quince. We were also able to try the Sokolata, a warm double-chocolate torte with seasonal berry coulis.
Outside of New York City, Tata can also be found in the Hamptons and will soon be in Roslyn, NY.
I am surprised to see that the restaurant is engaging in social media and has a dedicated Facebook Page.
Tata's rating on NYMag.com is only a 3.7 but what do you think? If you've dined here I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

Il Bastardo

2009-07-01T12:56:00.003-04:00

Il Bastardo is a Tuscan Grill, Raw Bar and Wine Bar in Chelsea located on 7th Ave, near 21st Street. It's perfect for people watching with it's floor to ceiling windows, mirrored walls and 40-foot bar. You might even get a glance of a celebrity. You may remember in Season 4 of The Hills Il Bastardo is where Whitney Port and Lauren Conrad first met Jay, see the clip from that episode here:

Even though it's a wine bar they have a great cocktail menu as well. Besides the regular menu there are also daily specials. The evening I went we ordered the special appetizer that was a twist on the traditional caprese. Instead of fresh tomatoes they used sundried tomatoes, mozzarella and avocado. For my entree I ordered the Organic Mista salad but there are a lot of other vegetarian options like the Rigatoni Eggplant with tomatoes, ricotta salata and fresh basil.
Apparently there are additional rooms in the restaurant including a VIP room and a lounge but when it's nice out I definitely recommend you sit near the open windows.

City Lobster

2009-06-29T14:59:00.002-04:00

I'm not really proud to say I went here but I did so I'm here to talk about it. Located on W. 49th St. near 6th Ave. I definitely felt like a tourist entering City Lobster, which looks like an upscale Red Lobster. My brother and I decided to grab dinner there because we were extremely hungry for dinner and in the area. We sat in the bar area and didn't even order a seafood dish! As a vegetarian I was very unimpressed with the menu selections and decided to order two sides- steamed broccoli and corn on the cob. I was not excited about my order but ended up really enjoying it- corn on the cob always reminds me of summers in Indiana and what vegetarian doesn't like steamed broccoli?!? Haha.
City Lobster would be a good spot for families visiting NYC who are uncomfortable trying trendy New York restaurants and want to eat somewhere near their hotel or before seeing a Broadway show. This seafood establishment offers a $35 Prix-Fixe Theater Menu served from 4pm to close. City Lobster may also make sense for business lunches for those who work nearby.
Have you been to City Lobster? If so, what did you think of it?

The Smith

2009-06-26T12:09:00.001-04:00

Opened in 2007, The Smith quickly become an East Village hangout serving breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner every day. Opened by Glenn Harris and Jeffrey Lefcourt, owners of Corner Table Restaurants, who also owns Jane, an American bistro in Greenwich Village. All Corner Table Restaurants are committed to using local, natural, organic and sustainable ingredients.Located on 3rd Ave. between 10th & 11th Streets, The Smith offers seven amazing menus- one for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, drinks, Sunday brunch, drinks and delivery. I recently visiting The Smith for dinner and drinks with a few friends. The dinner menu has a great variety, definitely offers something for everyone from Mac + Cheese to Chicken Pot Pie. The menu is divided into six sections- Starters, Main Courses, Salads & Sandwiches, Steaks, Pasta and Sides. I ordered the Mediterranean Salad and really liked it but everyone else loved their entrees as well which included the Pork Chop (served with crispy potatoes, baby portobellos and bacon bordalaise) and Diver Scallops (served with asparagus, leeks, truffled, spring pea puree).
Also noteworthy are the drinks which included Muddlers, Fancy Cocktails, Long Pours, Bourbon/Whiskey, Draft and Bottled Beer. I loved both the Belini and the Blood Orange Mimosa.
The open atmosphere, casual classic American menu and late night hours reminded me of Cafeteria. (The Smith is open until midnight on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays, 1am on Wednesdays and Thursday but open until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays.) FYI: Reservations are accepted and you may need them for dinner but not really needed for breakfast or lunch.

La Palapa

2009-06-24T12:28:00.001-04:00

While strolling around the West Village with my brother on a Saturday evening we came across La Palapa, an adorable Mexican restaurant with a lively bar, a large dinning area and best of all, outdoor seating. The West Village location (6th Ave. between 21st & 22nd St.) has three custom drink creations; Fresh Lime & Pomegranate Juice Margarita, White Hibiscus Sangria and Michelada (a beer cocktail). I love white wine and love sangria so ordered the White Hibiscus Sangria, which, I have to say, was not the best white wine sangria I've ever had. It was refreshing but not great. We started our meal with their delicious homemade guacamole and chips. The menu featured four different entree-sized salads, even one that includes grilled cactus. I ordered the Ensalada De Palmitos Y Aguacate (hearts of palm, avocado, tomates and mixed greens with fresh oregano vinaigrette) with a side of black beans. They even have a main entree specifically for vegetarians, Plato Azteca Vegetariano- two potato taquitos with guacamole, salsa, rice tortilla, grilled cactus paddle and black beans.
La Palapa is a great summer spot and I definitely recommend it. Apparently there is another one in the East Village- at St. Mark's Place & 1st Ave.

Allen & Delancey

2009-06-22T10:54:00.002-04:00

To celebrate my friend's engagement I took her to Allen & Delancey, located on the corner of Allen and Delancey in the Lower East Side. It's a romantic spot with a bar in the front and the main dining room in the back. The dim lighting, velvet details and exposed brink walls make it an intimate restaurant and perfect for date night or celebrations. The creative dinner menu that offers upscale classic American is a wonderful compliment to the seductive cocktail menu designed by Alex Day.
The cocktail menu is unique in that each drink has two variations that fit a specific theme. The first cocktail is always light and festive with citrus and fruit meant to refresh the mind and whet the appetite while the second option showcases a base spirit, a stirred cocktail best enjoyed with thought, time and good conversation.
The dinner menu isn't exactly fit for vegetarians but thankfully they are able to make accommodations for you. The menu is divided into four sections, Raw, Appetizers, Entrees and Sides and features dishes like Foie Gras, Scallops, Seared Duck Breast and more.

Poll Results: Meeting up with Friends...

2009-06-21T13:58:00.006-04:00

When meeting up with friends the majority of Gossip Street readers prefer to go to dinner rather than brunch, lunch or happy hour. What's your vote? Make your vote count, vote HERE.
I've created a new poll (see left) asking what is your go-to drunk food? Vote HERE.

Gramercy Tavern

2009-06-08T12:29:00.001-04:00

Upon entering Gramercy Tavern the first two things you'll notice are the amazing floral arrangements, designed by Roberta Bendavid, and the panoramic mural painted on panels surrounding the bar and the front dining room, created by artist Robert Kushner.
Gramercy Tavern has been an NYC staple since 1994 located on 20th St. near Park Ave [MAP]. Chef Michael Anthony serves up gourmet American classics with a twist which includes several vegetarian options like the four delicious vegetarian dishes I tried, the Sunchoke Salad (fyi: a sunchoke is a root vegetable related to the sunflower) served with apples and walnuts, the Chilled Asparagus Soup, a warm Mushroom Lasagna and a giant Heirloom Cauliflower sliced and served with almonds, capers and lemon.
We passed on dessert so we could visit the nearby Pinkberry but it was hard to pass up Apple Pie served with cinnamon sour cream ice cream and Mango Lime Cheesecake.

If you don't make a reservation via OpenTable prepare to wait at least 30 minutes, but not to worry, champagne bar Flute is two doors down and the perfect way to begin (or end) your evening.

Food & Wine Events in NYC

2009-06-02T09:02:00.000-04:00

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Craft

2009-06-01T12:29:00.000-04:00

This past week my mom, brother and I went to Craft in the Gramercy neighborhood of Manhattan (map). The restaurant, owned by the famous Tom Colicchio, is an amazingly cool space with modern hanging lights and a large leather wall. The menu lists our a wide range of meets, side dishes, salads, pasta, seafood and more and is served family style, meant to be shared with the table. We ordered a wide variety of dishes each better than the next! We started off with cocktails and two side dishes. My brother ordered the Crispy Bacon, recommended by our waiter, while I went with the Roasted Tokyo Turnips. The Crispy Bacon was four big slices of bacon, it was like nothing I had ever seen before, I never knew bacon could be so large. The bacon was sauteed in orange marmalade and my brother loved it. The turnips were very tasty and a great dish to share.
Before our entrees were served we were greeted with a shot-like portion of fava bean panna cotta puree. Thankfully I had mentioned to the waiter that I'm a vegetarian when we ordered our side dishes because they gave me the non-bacon garnished fava bean puree. :)
Our entrees included the Roasted Baby Carrots, Asparagus, Roasted Beets with tarragon, Gratin Potatoes, Mezzaluna Pasta (moon-shaped pasta) and the Braised Beef Short Rib.
It was too hard to pass up dessert since everything else we tasted was so fabulous we knew that dessert would not disappoint. My brother had a single scoop of vanilla ice cream while my mom and I shared the Warm Carrot Cake with cream cheese frosting, candied walnuts and Rhubarb sorbet.

The service was amazing, our waiter was very friendly and made wonderful suggestions. Just like at Bouley the hospitality continued until we left the door, as we left we were each presented with individually wrapped homemade chocolate chip muffins.
Craft is a restaurant where you are encouraged to sit as long as you'd like, enjoy your company, the food and the wine. You may want to make your reservations via Open Table a few days in advance.

Studio Square- Astoria Beer Garden

2009-05-29T10:08:00.003-04:00

I don't go to Astoria very often but every time I do I have a great time. This past weekend a group of friends and I checked out the brand new beer garden- Studio Square.

Until now I've only experienced beer gardens in Germany where there are hundreds of communal tables lined up outside with a very small indoor space, if any, and bars that only serve beer, bratwurst, giant pretzels and radishes. So you can imagine my surprise when I entered into the huge modern warehouse space on 36th St. in Astoria. There are three indoor areas to escape the rain or the cold if that's the case but there is also a large outdoor space with rows and rows of communal tables and a square fire pit.
Not a beer lover?- not to worry, the bars at Studio Square are fully stocked with all kinds of liquor, beer, wine and sangria. The menu puts an American twist on traditional German beer garden fare, offering bratwurst, hamburgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, and keeping vegetarians in mind by offering a portobello sandwich, jumbo pretzels, french fries and more!

I definitely recommend you visit this fabulous beer garden- it's perfect for big groups or even for a party of two! It's located at 35-33 36th Street and is open Monday - Friday: 4pm-4am and Saturday - Sunday & Holidays: noon - 4am.

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts of Studio Square!
To see more photos of Studio Square check out Yelp

L'Orange Bleue

2009-05-28T12:08:00.000-04:00

L'Orange Bleue is a Moroccan restaurant on the corner of Broome and Crosby Streets in NYC. And it's hard to miss with it's royal blue exterior and outdoor seating.A few girl friends and I met for a Sunday afternoon brunch. The prix-fixe menu is $12.95 and includes orange juice, mimosa, coffee and a choice of special brunch dishes like different types of eggs, sandwiches, crepes, and salad.
Besides brunch L'Orange Bleue offers fun evening events like Monday Drums with live Brazillian bands playing every Monday night at 8:30pm and again at 10pm. Monday Drums prix-fixed menu is $35.

Barocco

2009-05-26T12:34:00.004-04:00

Nearly eight weeks ago the owners of Zampa (Anthony Briatico, Danny Emerman and chef AlessandroProsperi) opened another wine bar, this one in Chelsea. Barocco is nestled in on 9th Avenue between 17th & 18th Streets, down the street from the Maritime Hotel. Barocco is similar to Zampa- it's a small wine bar with a menu much like Zampa's in that they have amazing cheeses, homemade fresh pastas and an assortment of Italian sandwiches.
Much like my experience at Zampa, my friends and I shared three bottles of wine and an assortment of tapa-style plates to share. We started with a basket of bread (baked daily at Zampa), and a cheese plate consisting of dolce gorgonzola, truffle pecorino and tres creme. For our main course we shared the fava bean and snow pea puree crostini, roasted artichokes served with sea salt, and mushroom lasagna.
The girls (myself not included) passed around a plate of golden calimari, compliments of the chef which, I was told, was delicious!

What's your favorite NYC wine bar or favorite wine bar experience?

Peasant

2009-05-25T12:01:00.000-04:00

Some time last year I was lucky enough to dine at Peasant, a Soho hotspot located on Elizabeth St. and Spring St. Peasant has the same sort of modern rustic feel as Stanton Socialwith exposed brick giving it that intimate touch but somehow it also feels very exclusive and chic. The food at Peasant carries on the rustic setting with artisan bread and hearty-sounding entrees like the mushroom gnocchi and four types of wood oven pizzas.
Interesting fact I read on NYMag.com was that Peasant's Italian cooking method uses fires fueled by different fruit woods and Hardwood charcoals. It's definitely a great spot for friends or on a date as it is a bit romantic.

Medieval Times Giveaway!

2009-05-14T11:47:00.000-04:00

Did you read my recent review of my Medieval Times experience last month? Whether you've been to Medieval Times before or not I definitely recommend you experience it at least once in your life! So to help you get there I'm hosting a Medieval Times Giveaway! The prize pack will include two complimentary tickets to any Medieval Times location in the US (there are 9 different locations) and other Medieval Times goodies including a DVD!

To enter to win leave a Medieval Times-themed comment below, either explain who you would take with you and why, share a story from your Medieval Times experience, etc. You have until June 1st to enter, at which point I will select one winner.

And for all the other Gossip Street readers Medieval Times would like to offer you a free Royalty Upgrade for your next visit. From now until 8/31/09 enter this promotional code [ROYALB9] upon checkout and you'll bumped up to Royalty status for free at any show (any location)!
You can purchase your tickets HERE.

El Parador Cafe

2009-05-13T12:05:00.000-04:00

This Murray Hill establishment was founded in 1959, making it the oldest Mexican restaurant in Manhattan, according to their profile on OpenTable. Typically I would have walked passed the aged red awning on East 34th St. thinking the restaurant would be old and gross inside but to my surprise the decor inside is quite charming. The rustic lanterns casting dim light against white stucco walls.
The chips, salsa and guacamole are all homemade (as they should be). Their salsa is definitely unique, seasoned with undertones of cinnamon was an unexpected but delicious twist on traditional salsa!
Three friends and I shared two vegetarian entrees and two bottles of wine for a very reasonable price and loved our dishes. After reviewing the main menu we asked to see the vegetarian menu, which unfortunately isn't available so you'll just have to trust me that it features some amazing dishes. We ordered the spinach and cheese enchiladas served with a thick black bean sauce and sweet potato tostadas- two flat tostadas served with a sweet potato mash that was sweetened with honey and citrus. I would definitely recommend trying the sweet potato tostadas but I think it would be too sweet to eat the whole thing as an entree so consider sharing it either as an appetizer or an entree.
Besides the food, El Parador Cafe also offers an extensive wine list that's primarily Spanish wines, white and red sangria and an encyclopedia of tequilas.
As you've noticed from my reviews, Mexican cuisine is always one of my favorites... what's your favorite Mexican restaurant in NYC?

Sanctuary Tea

2009-05-12T12:08:00.000-04:00

I recently went to Sanctuary Tea for brunch with five other ladies and found it to be absolutely lovely. Located in Soho, near Novecento, this little tea house was the perfect brunch spot. And I have to say, I was actually quite impressed with the menu that included a light yogurt parfait, Farmer's Omelet, Eggs Benedict, Tahitian Vanilla Bean Pancakes and much more!
Sadly I didn't order a brunch cocktail but their tea infused-concoctions did sound absolutely delicious- Blood Orange Martini, Lavender Cosmopolitan, and Rise & Shine (pear, green tea, vodka and lemon). And of course, their massive menus of teas did not disappoint.

Mediterraneo

2009-05-11T12:09:00.001-04:00

For quite some time I have been tempted by this Upper East Side's relaxed outdoor seating and finally had the chance to experience it first hand. On a beautiful Saturday evening a friend and I decided to enjoy the fresh air with a glass of crisp white wine and a fresh green salad. Mediterraneo seemed the best solution.Sitting outside really made the experience. The starters menu offered a long list of salads and several that were completely vegetarian (not vegan) which was nice to see. I ended up with the Insalata Arobaleno- fresh arugola with yello and red roasted peppers, grilled with zucchini and mozzarella.
Overall, I would definitely recommend Mediterraneo if you're looking for a quiet Upper East Side dinner outside.

The Results Are In!

2009-05-04T12:08:00.000-04:00

The results are in from my first poll, "What info is most important to you when reading a restaurant review?" [Poll #1] It turns out that the majority of Gossip Street readers (48%) like to have suggested menu items when reading restaurant reviews.
I have just posted the second poll, see to the right- let me know what outing you most prefer with a group of friends: brunch, lunch, dinner, or drinks. [Poll #2]
Thanks for voting!

Apizz

2009-04-29T12:36:00.001-04:00

A new NYC hotspot, Apizz is located in the Lower East Side on Eldridge near Stanton Street (map). "Apizz" is Italian for pizza and is pronounced "ah-beets."I recommend making reservations a couple days ahead of time and be on time, especially if you want a good seat. I got lucky and got the last Thursday evening reservation after calling earlier that afternoon. But given the cocktail menu it's not a bad spot to have to wait at the bar and enjoy one of their concoctions. My favorite? The Blood Orange Mojito. My friend Rolland Berry and I went here a couple weeks ago and loved the food. Each meal starts off with a basket of rustic bread served with ricotta cheese and tomato sauce instead of butter. For an appetizer we shared the amazing APizz Bianca E Verde, a flatbread pizza topped with fresh ricotta, parmigiano-reggiano, buffalo mozzarella d.o.c. and sauteed spinach. For my entree I ordered the Insalata Di Formaggio- romaine hearts, drunken goat cheese, cherry tomatoes, croutons and I substituted the creamy sherry vinaigrette with the lemon-honey vinaigrette. The salad was good but did not stand up to the quality of the pizza appetizer. Rolland had the Lasagna Cinghiale- lasagna, ragu of braised wild boar and parmigiano-reggiano, which he apparently wanted to try since it was a unique twist on the traditional lasagna dish.
Overall, I enjoyed Apizz but would have liked to have sat in the main dining area of the restaurant instead of the tables by the bar. I've heard that Apizz is not only great for dinner but a wonderful weekend brunch spot as well.
John Lafemina is the owner and executive chef of Apizz and The Orchard as well as the author of A Man and His Meatballs.

Aquamarine

2009-04-28T12:56:00.001-04:00

After work a colleague and I went to Aquarmarine for a dinner meeting and loved it! The menu has something for everyone- even the non-sushi lovers. Naturally we started off with an appetizer of edamame. They offer an entire vegetable section including the Sauteed Asian Veggie Thai Style, which I highly recommend. And of course they offer classic sushi rolls like avocado, cucumber, and more but they also offer an aray of Aquamarine Special Rolls including a Hawaiian Roll with salmon and pineapple topped with avocado and spicy mayo and the Manhattan Roll with shrimp tempura, enoki mushrooms, kani, spicy may and red tobiko. They even offer a Japanese Fruit salad which I didn't have but it sounds great, especially for lunch. The fruit salad consists of mesculin, mango, avocado, pineapple, kiwi, orange and cherry tomato with yogurt dressing.
Watch this video to get the full inside view of Aquamarine:

Medieval Times

2009-04-28T12:08:00.001-04:00

This past weekend my friends and I thought it would be fun, and completely random, to go to the Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament in New Jersey. Surprisingly the Lyndhurst, NJ Castle is only 15-20 minutes outside of Manhattan. Upon entering my friends and I were totally impressed by the Medieval shop, museum and dress up photo area... and of course the three bars where we were able to order three bottles of wine throughout the evening! The dinner show began at 8pm but I am so glad we got there around 7pm so that we could hit the bar and enjoy some fantastic people watching!
I have to admit I was expecting the worst food imaginable but was pleasantly surprised by the vegetarian dish my friend requested for me upon purchasing the tickets. Which was incredibly thoughtful of her because I ended up with a tasty platter of hummus, pita chips, rice and beans, and a vegetable kabob of roasted potatoes, zucchini and red bell pepper.
I recommend purchasing your tickets in advance since shows do seem to sell out a week ahead of time. The dinner theater experience ranges from $45 - $60 depending on which location you select. Plan your Medieval Times experience HERE. And there are nine Medieval Times throughout the US and Canada from New Jersey to California (complete list of locations HERE).
After reviewing their website I noticed that they are pretty involved within the social media realm. They have a Facebook Page, MySpace page, a Flickr channel to showcase all the Medieval photos and a Twitter channel! So props to Medieval Times for taking advantage of the modern times!

August

2009-04-27T12:09:00.000-04:00

August restaurant in New York's Greenwich Village is a hole in the wall that's definitely worth visiting. We found this quaint little spot after searching New York Mag's Restaurant list using Critics' Pick and Bistros. The menu is a mix of European foods ranging from Mediterranean to Northern European and changes seasonally since they use local ingredients. There was a nice variety of meat and vegetarian dishes and thankfully most dishes, like the Lemon-Ricotta Gnocchi, can be made to order to accommodate for vegetarians, etc. This past weekend one of the specials was a vegetable spread that included a spring pea and fava bean salad, fava bean puree, ramps and three fried Morel mushrooms.
Besides the food, I loved the rustic feel of the restaurant. The front of the restaurant only has about ten table tops while the back of the restaurant is in a glass-covered courtyard with greenery all around. We sat in the back which I definitely recommend, especially during the hot summer months ahead. August is open for brunch, lunch and dinner and is located in the heart of Greenwich Village at Bleecker & Charles Streets (map).
Click HERE to learn about August's Executive Chef Terrence Gallivan.

Bistro 61

2009-04-22T12:05:00.000-04:00

Bistro 61 is a modern bistro located on the corner of 1st Avenue and 61st Street.
The menu is a delightful combination of classic Provecal fare fused with inspiration from the Mediterranean coast. The menu changes throughout the year to include seasonal changes as well as daily changes to accommodate specials. One thing that was especially interesting to me was the option of a Children's Menu, a good idea for restaurants on the Upper East Side. I was completely impressed during my experience at Bistro 61 from the service to the food. I ordered La Tour de Betterave et Chevre Chaud (roasted beet and goat cheese tower with fresh mint and pine nuts) while my friend enjoyed the one of the most tasty gnocchi dishes I have ever had. He ordered the Gnocchi al Gorgonzola, a vegetarian gnocchi in a gorgonzola sauce with spinach and roasted pecans. I was very impressed that three out of the four selections on the Pasta & Risotto section of the menu were vegetarian dishes.

Watawa

2009-04-21T12:42:00.000-04:00

Another Astoria restaurant posting. The first time I was ever in Astoria was to visit a friend and dine at her favorite Japanese restaurant Watawa. I'm not a huge sushi fan but I was pleasantly surprised by the veggie sushi rolls and miso soup I had at Watawa.
The restaurant is located at 33-10 Ditmars Blvd. in Astoria, NY.

Bouchon Bakery

2009-04-20T12:36:00.000-04:00

Always expect a wait for Sunday brunch in Manhattan no matter where you go, even the third floor of the Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle at Bouchon Bakery. The picture to the left is of the actual bakery where you can pick up delicious baked good to eat on the go. Across from here is Bouchon Bakery's sit down cafe with view overlooking Columbus Circle and Central Park. Our bunch quickly turned into an early lunch so I ordered the Bibb Lettuc salad- bibb lettuce with shallots, garden herbs, roquefort cheese and red wine vinaigrette. The French bakery also offers delicacies like Viennoiserie, Pastries, Muffins, Tarts, Cookies, Chocolates, Soup and Salads, Sandwiches, Quiche and even Pet Treats.

Ammos Estiatorio

2009-04-17T15:27:00.000-04:00

I seem to always gravitate toward Greek restaurants and this time is no different. Ammos Estiatorio restaurant is located on Vanderbilt Avenue near Grand Central (btw. Park & Madison) which makes it a convenience place to meet friends after work. My friend and I sipped on crisp white wine while enjoying a plethora of Mediterranean dishes. We started with Krya Orekitka- a platter of House Made Spreads and Grilled Pita. The spreads included Kalamatat-Chickpea, Garlic-Ground Almond, Greek Yogurt, Roasted Pepper-Feta and Eggplant. For my entree I had the Kolokithokeftedes- fried zucchini cakes, Myzithra cheese, mint and Tzatizki sauce.
Everything was so good here- the food, the wine and the service!

Brooklyn: Pizza & Ice Cream

2009-04-16T12:36:00.000-04:00

Living in Manhattan I don't take advantage of the boroughs that are just a bridge or subway ride away. One of the best ways to get out of the city and into Brooklyn is to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. Once in Brooklyn you shouldn't miss out on the opportunity of having pizza from the famous Grimaldi's. No mater how long the line is their coal brick oven pizza is worth the wait. I recommend finishing the day with a scoop of strawberry ice cream at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, located directly under the bridge.

Bouley

2009-04-15T18:20:00.000-04:00

Famous chef David Bouley serves modern French cuisine made with seasonal ingredients at his name sake TriBeCa restaurant Bouley. I must admit that even though I can appreciate the sophisticated menu I was disappointed that there weren't any vegetarian options. Although, at fancy restaurants like this I do like testing the chef's creativity by asking if they could create a pasta-free vegetarian dish for me. And to my surprise, I was served two amazing vegetarian dishes- an appetizer and an entree. Before the appetizers arrived we were greeted by a tray of warm artisan breads that including sourdough, raisin, wheat and French. My appetizer was a beautiful array of zucchini slices, frisee lettuce and shaved parmesan cheese. Between the appetizer and entree dishes our palette were cleansed with an egg-sized bowl of savory pudding topped with caviar-- as you can imagine, I slid this dish over to my dad to eat, but it did look pretty. For my entree I was served a delicious vegetable terrine of roasted red and green peppers, creamy goat cheese, zucchini and yellow squash. Before we even had a chance to order dessert they presented us with a palette cleanser of Coconut Soup accompanied by passion fruit, pineapple granite and organic yogurt sorbet. It was the perfect amount of chilled and sweet goodness. As you could imagine we were too full to even think of dessert but when the menu was in front of us we could resist the assortment of sorbets. Apparently the waiter felt as if that just wasn't enough so he surprised us with a complimentary creme brulee followed by a three tiered sliver platter of miniature cookies. Restaurateurs everywhere should take note of Bouley's hospitable behavior- not only were we treated like royalty throughout the meal, we were given a loaf of sweet lemon bread as a parting gift compliments of Bouley Bakery.

One of my absolute favorite details at Bouley restaurant is the entrance and decor. In the first entry way red country apples line the wooden walls which provides a comforting aroma upon entering. The actual restaurant space is glamorized with textured fabrics like velvet and rough satin under a gold toned ceiling.

Diner's Tip: Late in 2008 Bouley moved across the street from its original location and is now located at 163 Duane Street (at Hudson Street). Also note that the dress code is business casual- no jeans and a recommended coat for men.

Seva

2009-04-14T12:47:00.000-04:00

I have only been to Astoria three times but the most recent time my friend who lives there took me to Seva, an Indian restaurant located at 30-07 34th St. In Hindi "Seva" means an act of selfless service. Eating Indian food always intrigues me and I always end up wishing there were photos alongside every menu option. Being a vegetarian Indian food is usually a safe bet but I'm such a picky eater I do find it a bit challenging to decide what to order. At Seva I had the Mixed Vegetable Curry which was very good and different from my usual Chana Masala (chickpea, cloves, black cardamom, and tomato).
Seva also delivers to Astoria residents and since the restaurant itself is not a spectacular space I would almost recommend using the delivery or take out option anyway. (718-626-4440)

Buddakan

2009-04-13T12:29:00.001-04:00

You may remember Buddakan from the Sex and the City movie, this is where they celebrated Carrie and Big's engagement. Remember this long table where Samantha gives an applaud worthy toast?
Everything about Buddakan is fantastic, it's a chic spot to have cocktails or enjoy a wonderful dinner. It's located near Chelsea Market on 9th Ave. and 16th St. in a black painted brick building. Walking through the space you realize how large the restaurant really is and every area has a slightly different interior design. The cocktail/lounge area is basically all black with accents of turquoise pillows and white ceramic vases on the black tables in the middle of the room. Downstairs is the famous long table meant to be shared or for big parties. There is another room that has turquoise booth style seating among black walls and tables. All the way in the back of the restaurant is another room where diners enter via curvy shaped cut outs (see the photo above) with red booths and vases.

With a restaurant as chic as Buddakan you'd expect the cocktails to be fabulous, which they were (definitely recommend Charm), but to my surprise the food was just as amazing! I looked at the menu before arriving at the restaurant and didn't see anything that stood out but I basically just listened to my friend Julie of Juls and the City and took her recommendations. We ordered a lot of dishes to share including Edamame Dumplings served in a shallot broth; Chilled Udon Noodles served with a small scoop of sorbet with lime segments sprinkled within and a creamy peanut sauce; Charred Asparagus with a light black bean foam and Asian Green Stir Fry accompanied by pine nuts and garlic chips. My favorite dish was definitely he Edamame Dumplings, they were absolutely devine!

In Vino

2009-04-10T11:06:00.002-04:00

An amazing hole in the wall wine bar located in New York's East Village, In Vino offers one of the largest selections of Italian quality wines in NYC, topping out at 189 different kinds of vino! Not only is the wine fantastic, the menu boasts authentically fresh Italian dishes and the servers are geniuses when it comes to pairing your entrees and cheese plates with your wine.
And when I say hole in the wall, I mean it, the restaurant is really a cozy cave-like venue that makes for a really intimate setting.
I recommend ordering a cheese plate, using your server's recommendation and try some of their homemade pastas like the Gnocchi Bianco o Rosso (homemade gnocchi in a gorgonzola sauce with walnuts or with marinara sauce, mozzarella and basil).
One of my favorite thing about the owners of In Vino is that they actually take the time to help make their patron's experience more personal. Taking advantage of social media, owners Angus, Keith and David write their own blog, East Village Wine Geek and give fans a tour and a complete overview of their restaurant in this video on CitySearch.

Located on 4th St between Avenues A & B. Open every day from 5pm-11pm and until midnight on Friday and Saturday nights.

Milos Estiatorio

2009-04-09T12:15:00.002-04:00

I had walked past Milos several times before but had never tried it until recently. The restaurant is extremely spacious, carrying the Grecian theme throughout with white stucco walls and large clay pots in every view. The back of the restaurant, near the kitchen, is set up like a fish market where diners can select a their fish from the bed of ice.
My three friends and I shared the Mediterranean Spreads, a Greek sampler which included Taztziki, Tarama, Kipti, Skordalia, eggplant croquettes and grape vine leaves. For my entree I had the Organic Heirloom Beets- baked heirloom beets served with green and balsamic vinegar.
A group of girls sat behind us came to Milos simply for drinks and dessert which looked amazing! I would definitely do the same, considering the dessert menu offers three diferent sizes of fruit platters, plus other traditional Greek dishes like Baklava, Galaktoboureko, Karidopita, Loukoumades and more.
Located on 55th Street between 6th & 7th Avenues, Milos would be a great venue for corporate events or simply large parties.

Kashkaval

2009-04-08T12:40:00.001-04:00

As I've mentioned before, I do my best not to repeat restaurants in NYC but if I were to repeat I would want to consider Kashkaval one of my go-tos. Located in Hell's Kitchen along 9th Ave, it is seriously a great spot. The front of the restaurant is a cheese and gourmet foods market but in the back it's a small, quite, candlelit wine bar/restaurant. Even though it's not BYOB it really reminds me of the nearby Nook. My favorite thing about the restaurant is the cheese fondue served with a French Baquette and veggies (mushroom, broccoli, cauliflower and tomatoes). Even though I'm not a beer drinker the Cheddar & Ale Fondue was amazing blend of deliciousness. There are also amazing Mediterranean (and vegetarian) Tapas, all made fresh daily. Some favorites include the Hummus, Baba Ganoush, Artichoke Dip and the Roasted Brussel Sprouts.
Location: 9th Ave (btw. 55th & 56th) #212-581-8282

Union Square Cafe

2009-04-07T12:19:00.000-04:00

It may be hard to get a table at the famous Union Square Cafe but it's well worth it. It may not be the chicest restaurant in NYC but classic it is and proving that it can withstand the intense market of NYC. Danny Meyer opened the doors of USC in 1985 and since then they have twice earned The New York Times' three-star rating as well as Zagat Survey's #1 ranking as New York's Most Popular Restaurant for an unprecedented eight years.
A family friend invited me to Union Square Cafe for lunch where we enjoyed house salad- Bibb and Red Oak Leaf Lettuce Salad with Grated Gruyere and Dijon Vinaigrette. Even though we both played it safe with a light afternoon salad I have heard that the USC Burger is great as well as the "Still Winter" Vegetables dish- fennel parmigiano, grilled radicchio, lentil farrotto, fried polenta and pesto root vegetables.

Fig & Olive

2009-04-06T12:30:00.000-04:00

A neighborhood go-to for great wine and delicious food. Subtly located on the Upper East Side on Lexington Ave. (btw. 61st & 62nd), Fig & Olive is a great place to grab a drink and appetizers. Good for a quiet night with a friend or a good date night.There are two other locations though, one on 5th Avenue and 52nd Street and the third location is in the Meatpacking District- 13th St. btw. 9th Ave and Washington St.
Siting down for dinner you are greeted by three different extra virgin olive oils from three different regions. Some Fig & Olive signature dishes include Couscous with Figs and Greek Yogurt. I personally love their cheese plates (naturally!) and their Manchego, Fig Spread and Almond Crostini, the Mushroom and Truffle Soup and the Fig & Olive Salad (figs, olives, tomato, shaved parmesan, manchego, gorgonzola dolce, goat cheese walnuts, green apples, 18 year balsamic fig vinegar dressing).

Recovery Night In

2009-04-04T19:27:00.005-04:00

I'm staying in tonight, yes I know, the second Saturday night home alone in a row... but I'm still recovering from surgery and have tested my crutches at a bar recently and it was somewhat of a fail so I have decided to put my nightlife on hold until I can walk without them.
It's been alright though, a few weekends ago some girl friends of mine came over for game night which was awesome and tonight I'm staying in and blogging and sipping wine.
The wine, though, is the key element here... it's my new fave that my friend introduced me to several weeks ago. Mascato, a white sparkling wine from 2007. It's amazing- fruity, crisp, not too sparkly and just perfection! It's from the Oltrep Pavese area in Italy, to learn more about the wine check out their website.
Salute!

China Grill

2009-03-30T12:00:00.001-04:00

While my mom was in town I asked around for restaurant recommendations near our hotel and my friend Mike from I Ate It My Way recommended we try China Grill, and I must say, I'm glad we did! Located at W. 53rd St. (near 6th Ave), this midtown establishment is part of a global chain of restaurants owned by China Grill Management who has restaurants from London to Las Vegas.
The menu offers a wide variety of Asian-fusion dishes served family style.
My top recommendations are: the Marinated Tempura Tofu & Shitake Mushroom Potstickers, the Baby Lettuce Salad with grilled hearts of palm, marinated artichokes, warm tempura goat cheese & Chinese apple vinaigrette; the Edamame & Vegetable Risotto red pepper coulis and miso grilled begetables as well as the Wok Sauteed Vegetables as a side.
We finished our meal with one of the most amazing desserts ever, The Great Wall which consists of caramelized bananas along side a block of three different flavors of ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate chopsticks and chocolate shavings.
The restaurant space is in the bottom of an office building with great amounts of seating in the front and in the back. The bar is in the middle section of the restaurant and would be a great after work/happy hour hangout.

Get Well Gifts

2009-03-22T12:57:00.002-04:00

Wondering what to get someone who's down and out?
Recently while recovering from surgery I received the most thoughtful gifts throughout the two weeks I was home. So I thought I'd share the amazing gift ideas in case you're in need of a get-well-soon-gift for someone in the future.
The first gift that arrived was from three girl friends who ordered a creative arrangement of cookies from Cookies by Design. I was completely impressed by the clever r acronym they created for the center piece cookie that read "A Cure 4 Laura".... ACL!
In the following days I received two fruit arrangements, one from Fruit Flowers and one from Edible Arrangements. I have to say, the fruit arrangement with some chocolate covered fruit was definitely my favorite of the two. I also received two beautiful bouquets, both lasted the full two weeks that I was home. One arrangement was from McNamara Florists in Indianapolis and the other was from ProFlowers.com. To top off my first week of recovery I received a little pampering present- a collection of lavender L'Occitane products including a scented candle, foot cream, and body cream. One of my good friends from Dallas sent me an iTunes gift card to help me stock my iPod with all the latest music for when I'm back up and running.
I thought that after receiving a gift almost every day during the first week after surgery that they would stop coming in but to my surprise two fun-filled packages arrived during recovery week #2. The first was a bag full of 2 puzzle books, M&M's, a Knot a Quilt kit and a bamboo plant! The second was a collection of all the NYC publications I was missing including WWD, Manhattan magazine, Metropolitan Home, LOOK magazine and more!
To all my friends: thank you for your thoughts, calls, texts, cards, gifts, prayers, etc. It's so nice to have such amazing friends. Love you all. xoxo
Click HERE to see more pictures of the gifts I received during my post-surgery weeks.

Josie's

2009-03-16T09:07:00.001-04:00

There are two Josie's restaurants in NYC, one on the West side (the original location) and one of the East side. but the owner and executive chef, Louis Lanza, is the man behind two other NYC establishments, Citrus Bar & Grill and Josephina. Lanza is known for his creative dairy-free menus that use all organic ingredients as well as free range meats. All of the restaurants offer amazing food for health conscious Manhattanites- Josie's and Josephina feature American cuisine while Citrus serves Latin dishes with an Asian flair.
Josie's restaurant serves healthy and wholesome dishes throughout the day- brunch, lunch and dinner. I have had lunch at Josie's East in Murry Hill and dinner at Josie's West (the original Josie's located at Amsterdam and 74th St). I was impressed with their lunch offerings like the Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, Steamed Organic Spiced Edamame, Steamed Potato & Broccoli Dumplings, Pan-Seared Spicy Organic Black Bean Dumplings and the Vegetable Stir-Fry. However, I must admit that I had the most filling dinner dish I've ever had when I dined at Josie's West for dinner. I ordered the Veggie Plate Deluxe- wok sauteed greens served over a roasted winter squash, grilled vegetables, roasted beets and organic tamari brown rice.
I definitely recommend either of the Josie's restaurants and look forward to trying Josephina and Citrus.

Fishtail by David Burke

2009-03-13T12:15:00.000-04:00

With my sister and cousin in town over Valentine's Day weekend we wanted to try the famous Serendipity but given the popularity of the weekend for lovers and out of towners the wait was nearly three hours long! Realizing it wasn't worth us waiting three hours to eat dessert we walked around the 60's until we stumbled upon Fishtail by David Burke which I had heard had great desserts. Even though the restaurant is known for their innovative seafood dishes the desserts are just as innovative.
We walked in, sat at the bar and ordered three different desserts (my sister and I don't mess around when it comes to desserts!). It was hard to choose between the Caramelized Banana Tart (maple gingersnap ice cream and peanut dust), "Can o' Cake" (molten chocolate cake, baked to order with all the fixins), the Apple "Toffe Pudding" Tart with pomegranate sorbet, the Passion Fruit Creme Brulee and the David Burke's Cheesecake Lollipops served with raspberries and bubblegum whipped cream.
We decided on the Apple "Toffee Pudding" Tart served with pomegranate sorbet which was amazing, we also shared an assortment of three sorbets and topped it all off with the made-to-order "Can o' Cake," and the best part? They bring you the mixing bowl and the whisks so you can lick the batter while you wait for your dessert to be presented. And the presentation is definitely worth waiting for... they bring you the piping hot chocolate cake baked in a tin that they top right in front with toffee crumbles, chocolate frosting, and more!
So I can't speak for their food but as most things created by David Burke, I'm sure everything else is just as delicious as the desserts were!
Location: 62nd btw. Lex and Park.

Salt

2009-03-12T09:22:00.001-04:00

Salt is an intimate Soho restaurant serving seasonal American cuisine to patrons seated at communal tables. The stark white tables and accents are the perfect contrast to the exposed brick walls and the wood beams on the ceiling. The menu is designed to allow diners to customize their dinners by selecting a protein plus two sides or they can play it safe by ordering a pre-designed "chef's entree." Protein options include Salmon, Grilled Dorade Royale, Duck Breast and Hangar Steak. As a vegetarian I was more impressed with the sides which included Braised Leeks, Braised Brussel Sprouts, Sauteed Eggplant, Braised Fennel, Wilted Spinach, Baby Root Vegetables, Yukon Gold Potato Puree and Parsnip Puree.
Instead of ordering a protein and two sides from the menu I ordered three sides and an appetizer- the Braised Brussel Sprouts, Parsnip Puree and the Cream of Cauliflower Soup with Mushroom, Truffle Essence. FYI: The brussel sprouts were probably the best brussel sprouts I've ever had.
Located at 5 MacDougal St (near King St)
Besides dinner, Salt now serves lunch Monday-Friday and weekend brunch starting at noon.
Reservations can be made on OpenTable.com

Novecento

2009-03-10T16:10:00.001-04:00

Novecento is the perfect European style bistro that just happens to have a presence all over the world- New York, Miami, Buenos Aires, Punta del Este, and Cordoba.
The New York bistro is located in Soho at 343 West Broadway (near Grand St) and serves dishes that are a combination of Mediterranean and Latin American cuisines. Novecento provides a very comfortable atmosphere and is perfect for a relaxing weekend brunch before hitting the Soho shops. All three appetizer salads interested me- the Ensalada de Queso azul (blue cheese, pears, mix greens, beets, walnuts, raspberry balsamic vinagrette), Caprese Tartain (warm mozzarella, tomatoes, diced olives served over a puff pastry), and Ensalada de Rucula (arugula salad, cherry tomatoes, shaved Parmesan cheese, truffle citrus vinaigrette). I also love the facet that they offer roasted or mashed sweet potatoes. If the wait is too long at Novecento there are tons of other great French bistros nearby that are also open for weekend brunch.

Elmo

2009-03-09T15:00:00.001-04:00

Elmo is somewhat of a one-stop-shop, it's a place for New Yorkers to have brunch, lunch, dinner or even cocktails. A friend and I stumbled into Elmo on a rainy Sunday afternoon for brunch and were quite impressed with the extensive late morning menu. I found it difficult to choose between the Roasted Tomato Soup, the Toasted Granola and the Tropical Fruit Salad. I opted fro the Tropic Fruit Salad, served with a side of fresh yogurt. I've looked at Elmo's dinner menu as well and the dishes sound amazing from the Butternut Squash Soup, Roasted Beet Salad and the Spinach Ravioli. I haven't seen Elmo's cocktail menu but judging by the bar at the front of the restaurant I'd bet they can serve up some pretty tasty drinks.
Located in Chelsea at 156 7th Ave (btw 19th & 20th Ave)

Forge (Marc Forgione)

2009-03-06T23:30:00.001-05:00

To celebrate my 25th birthday my friends took me to Forge, a chic restaurant in Tribeca headed by chef Marc Forgione who serves sophisticated American favorites using seasonal ingredients. Forge opened in June 2008 but had to change it's name to in January 2009 to Marc Forgione, after the owner and head chef, to avoid litigating a lawsuit.
Marc Forgione is the son of culinary legend, Larry Forgione, who revolutionized American-style cooking in the 70s and 80s.
Patrons are welcomed with pastry chef Jennifer McCoy's homemade potato rolls, served with caramelized onion butter. I ordered the Yellow Beet Terrine, Watercress, Candied Walnuts, and Midnight Moon Goat Cheese while my friends ordered most of the fish dishes like the Loch Duhart Salmon en Pappillote, Honey Crisp Apple-Coriander Nage, Micro Celery. For dessert we shared the Pumpkin Creme Crulee, Creme Fraiche, Cranberry-Cashew Dark Chocolate Clusters and the Banana Betty, Ginger Bread crust, Roasted Banana Ice Cream.
Located at 134 Reade St (near Hudson St.) - map.
Reservations can be made via OpenTable.com

Eskimix

2009-03-04T20:32:00.001-05:00

I first tried Eskimix in August and was reminded of it's goodness Monday afternoon when I received my daily TrendCentral newsletter. Eskimix takes the frozen yogurt trend to the next level by blending your choice of four different yogurt bases with a variety of toppings and/or boosters.

Yogurt flavors include Tart Frozen Yogurt (similar to Pinkberry's Original), Vanilla Frozen Yogurt, Dairy-Free Frozen Tofu and Sugar-Free Frozen Yogurt. There is a wide variety of toppings to chose from in 3 categories: Fruit, Candy and "Everything Else." I knew I wanted a fruit topping but found it hard to chose from mango, blackberries, strawberries and more. Other toppings included Butterfinger, M&M's, Twix, Honey, Nuts, Peanut Butter and more. Check out their menu HERE.
Eskimix also has a list of pre-designed mixes to help make decision making a bit easier.

My only disappointment during my Eskimix visit is that since everything is custom blended you can not try any of the flavors before placing your order.
Eskimix is only located in NYC on Bleecker between Grove and Christopher Streets.

Bar Baresco

2009-03-03T07:05:00.001-05:00

After a work event a couple weeks ago some colleagues and I celebrated another colleague's birthday at Bar Baresco, located in Chelsea at 191 7th Ave (21st & 22nd St). Upon being seated our friendly waitress asked me if I could guess who was sitting in my seat the night before. After one or two guesses she finally told me that Jude Law had been sitting in the same exact seat as me!

The Malta brothers have turned Bar Baresco into a wine bar featuring Southern Italian wines, all preserved using an Oz Cruvinet, an expensive piece of machinery that keeps 40 bottles open and preserved simultaneously. The wine is paired perfectly with the Italian menu put together by Roberto Lopez, from BiCE and Cipriani Dolce.

Of course everyone loved the pastas but as usual, I ordered a salad and thought it was wonderful too. It was the Organic mix greens, toasted pine nuts, shaved parmigiano, grape tomatoes and balsamic dressing which was perfect for what I was craving.

Reservations can be made online via OpenTable.com.
[source: NYMag]

L'ybane Restaurant

2009-03-01T11:25:00.001-05:00

Chef Al Rineh opened L'ybane along the French Riviera in Nice before moving to New York City where he opened another restaurant by the same restaurant at 1136 1st Ave (between 62nd & 63rd St). The menu features a long list of small plates influenced by the southern Mediterranean, many of which are vegetarian. My friends and I shared the Assiette Composee, Legumes Vapeurs (steamed vegetables, green beans, carrots, zucchinis, potatoes), Spiced Chickpea Fritters, and the Caviar of Eggplant (which is actually baba ghanouj). All of which were very good.
If you're in the area I definitely recommend stopping by L'ybane for a drink and a small bite after work, and may even be a fun bar to grab drinks on the weekends.

Extra Virgin

2009-02-28T13:30:00.001-05:00

Extra Virgin is a West Village neighborhood gem located at 259 West 4th St. (between Charles & Perry St). As one could guess from their name, the restaurant offers a variety of extra virgin oils from around the world. Aside from the array of olive oil, chef Joey Fortunato serves quality Mediterranean dishes like Roasted Artichoke Parmesan and a Greek Salad which is served with hearts of palm, feta cheese, tomatoes, chickpeas, kalamata olives, red onion, cucumber and hummus crostini. My cousin ordered the Mustard Crusted Virgin Chicken served with sweet pea risotto, cippolini onions and truffle broth. Even Whitney Port and her boyfriend have been seen eating at Extra Virgin in an episode of The City.
Check out this video of the restaurant.
Open for dinner every night of the week, lunch Tuesdays-Fridays and brunch on the weekends from 11am-4pm.

Mercer Kitchen

2009-02-27T10:52:00.003-05:00

Mercer Kitchen is a New York hot spot inside the Mercer Hotel in Soho headed by famed chef Jean-Georges. My favorite detail about the restaurant is the bubble glass ceiling above the lover dining room where patrons can watch passersby walk across the roof that doubles as the Soho sidewalk outside the restaurant.One of my roommates and I surprised our other roommate by taking her out for drinks and appetizers at Mercer Kitchen for her birthday. I ordered a delicious seasonal cocktail that was a concoction of champagne and apple cider. Other fabulous sounding drinks on their drink menu include the Kumquat Mojito, Champagne Passion, Ginger Margarita and the Vodka Thyme Lemonade.
For our appetizers we shared the Butternut Squash Soup with black trumpet mushrooms, Shaved Fennel Salad and the Roasted Market Beets with goat cheese- all of which were amazing. The menu is full of other creative dishes that would satisfy vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.
Located at 99 Prince St. (at Mercer St.); reservations are highly recommended and can be made via OpenTable.

Babycakes NYC

2009-02-26T09:29:00.002-05:00

If it's vegan it's healthy, right?!? That's what I told myself as I bit into a carrot cake cupcake at Babycakes bakery in NYC a couple weeks ago. Skeptics would be surprised that desserts made from coconut oil, agave nectar, garbanzo flour, and spelt are actually very good and much more filling than those made from white flour and sugar at places like Magnolia Bakery and Sprinkles.

Owner and founder Erin McKenna, opened Babycakes in 2005 tapping into the cravings of those who need to eat wheat, gluten, dairy and sugar free or even stick to a Kosher diet. McKenna's sweet factory was named the Best Cupcakes in NYC by NY Magazine in 2006.

Babycakes' menu offers cupcakes, loaves, cookies, cookie sandwiches, crumb cakes, muffins, spelt tea cake, brownies, macaroons, scones, pies and more. Among my favorite menu options are the tiny sweets like the cupcake tops and frosting shots.

Babycakes is currently located at 248 Broome Street (between Orchard & Ludlow) in Manhattan but are planning to open a Los Angeles location soon. The LA location will be cool, near The Grove and will share a space with the denim design shop Earnest Sewn.

Bottega Del Vino

2009-02-25T21:46:00.005-05:00

A true Italian cafe in the heart of the Upper East Side, there are only two Bottega Del Vino restaurants in the world, one in Manhattan and one in Verona, Italy. Having studied abroad in Italy in college I have to say that walking into Bottega Del Vino did take me back to my Italian days. According to the restaurant's history, all the furnishings were imported from Italy, including the aged wood pillars, marble tops, etched copper and antique chandeliers. The restaurant offers a casual dining area for breakfast and lunch, a formal dining room, a private room on the lower level and an exceptional wine cellar.
I was impressed with the vegetarian items I ordered for lunch including the Caprese di Buffala, with real buffalo mozzarella, and the Carpaccio di Zucca (steamed butternut squash carpaccio with feta cheese, pine nuts and tomatoes). I liked the idea of the Carpaccio di Zucca but wish the feta cheese didn't totally cover the slices of butternut squash, it would have also been good with thin slices of Parmesan cheese.
It's a great cafe to stop into for lunch or dinner but just don't expected an inexpensive or speedy lunch.
Bottega Del Vino is located on the North side of 59th St. and 5th Ave, across the street of the iconic Apple store.

Spice Market

2009-02-25T21:19:00.004-05:00

I wanted to take my cousin and sister to some place as cool inside as Tao but wanted to go somewhere I hadn't been to before so I decided to take them to Spice Market, a Jean-Georges restaurant that plays up the street foods of Southeast Asia. The interior design is indeed captivating but the food wasn't exactly my favorite. If nothing else, I would recommend sitting at Spice Market's bar for cocktails but if you do stay for dinner I recommend the Vietnamese Spring Roll and the Mango Salad with cherry tomato and crystallized tamarind. I did enjoy the Butternut Squash Soup on the specials menu but it's just not reason enough to go back.

Butter

2009-02-16T18:04:00.004-05:00

Don't be fooled by the name of this NYC hot spot, Butter is not a greasy food joint, it's actually quite the opposite. Butter is an amazingly chic establishment founded by Scott Sartiano and Richie Akiva in 2002. Apparently there are three dining rooms within the restaurant, the Great Room, the Birch Room and the Gallery Lounge. The upper level is more formal while downstairs the dining experience is a bit more casual.

Upon entering the restaurant patrons are greeted by the large photographic mural of a Birch forest on the back wall that illuminates the entire Great Room. We ate downstairs in the Birch Room where the lights are dim and the walls are covered in silver birch accented wallpaper with a floor to ceiling backlit wine-rack on the back wall. The bar downstairs is across from a DJ station where live DJs spin fun hip-hop music (lots of Justin Timberlake and Rihanna).

I didn't seen any part of the third dining area, the Gallery Lounge but apparently it's a destination for meeting and socializing. With four to six loveseats carved from blocks of Western Red Cedar, the Gallery Lounge is an ideal place for pre-dinner cocktails.

The menu at Butter is amazing, using local and seasonal ingredients the dishes are French in style and technique but use American ingredients. I ordered the Roasted Local Beet, Parsnip and Radicco Salad with white balsamic and cara cara oranges. My sister ordered the special Mushroom Ravioli which she loevd. For dessert we quickly devoured the Roasted Gala Apple- bread pudding, oat streusel and creme fraiche ice cream.

A few days after we ate here Paris Hilton celebrated her birthday at Butter with friends.

Reserve a table in advance via Open Table.
Located at 415 Lafayette, near Astor Place

Friend of a Farmer

2009-02-16T18:03:00.007-05:00

My sister and cousin came to NYC to visit me for a three day weekend during which time we ate at amazing restaurants including Butter, Spice Market, and Bottega Del Vino but after their visit the restaurant that they liked the most was Friend of a Farmer. A fabulous comfort food restaurant located at 77 Irving Place (btw 18th & 19th St.). that serves dishes that should be coming from your grandmother's kitchen.
The three of us ordered all very different entrees but all amazingly satisfying. My cousin had his most favorite meal, Fresh Roasted Turkey served with cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes, vegetables, fresh cranberry sauce and giblet gravy. Meanwhile my sister and I took the vegetarian route by ordering the Lasagna of the Day which happened to be potobello mushroom and artichoke lasagna, and The Gramercy Park Salad (organic mixed greens, bosc pears, fresh beets, toasted walnuts and goat cheese with an orange vinaigrette dressing).

Homemade desserts like pumpkin and apple pie were tempting but we had to pass it up since we had planned to go to Dylan's Candy Bar to satisfy our sweet cravings.

Apparently Friend of a Farmer is also a wonderful spot for weekend brunch. The restaurant is open Monday-Thursdays from 8am-10pm, Fridays until 11pm; Saturdays from 9:30am-11pm and Sundays from 9:30am-10pm.

Cafe Cluny

2009-02-16T18:02:00.006-05:00

Cafe Cluny was new to NYC in the Fall of 2006 and immediately become a West Village hot spot. The success of Cafe Cluny comes as no surprise as it is owned by Lynn Wagenknecht, Judi Wong, and Steven Abramowitz, the team behind The Odeon and Cafe Luxembourg.

The place is charming, with cream colored walls, crown molding a cozy bar in the front room and a larger dining area in the back room. There are several interesting and playful details about the restaurant like the giant wooden cockroach clinched to the ceiling above our table, and the portraits of Graydon, Ian, Diane, et al., sketched by a Central Park artist [source: Daily Candy].

Cafe Cluny does not take reservations so while we waited for our table we sat at the bar and sipped hot chocolate. I was impressed that they served three different kinds- fat free, soy and whole milk.

For brunch I had the Homemade Granola with berries and yogurt on the side, my sister had an egg white omelet with goat cheese and a side salad while my cousin had Brioche French Toast with berries and Vermont maple syrup.

Mondays thru Fridays Cafe Cluny is open for breakfast from 8am-11am, lunch from 11:30am-3pm, and dinner from 9pm-midnight. On the weekends it's open for brunch from 9am until 4pm and for dinner from 5:30-11pm.
Location: 284 W. 12th Street

Cowgirl

2009-02-12T11:53:00.007-05:00

I first heard about Cowgirl while on the Sex and the City tour in July, it's the place where Carrie and Miranda run into Aidan and Steve having lunch together.
It's a cute place and offers great outdoor dining in the warmer months but unfortunately the food was sub par. If you order right it's good place for comfort food but I ordered the Cowgirl Citrus salad from the Specials menu and it was definitely nothing special. Two of my friends ordered the Texas Veggie Trio (a cup of veggie chili, a side salad, a baked potato and a warm piece of cornbread served with sour cream, jack and pico de gallo on the side). It was a nice variety of food but they both commented that it really wasn't worth $15.

I liked the rustic feel of the restaurant and loved the idea of the little roadside General Store inside which sold candies, t-shirts and other knickknacks. Cowgirl would be a great place to meet friends at the bar and sip on the fresh fruit margaritas, cleverly served in mason jars.

I've heard that Cowgirl is a great brunch spot, if you've ever visited for brunch leave a comment below to let us know what you thought.

Located at 519 Hudson St. (at 10th St.) and open everyday- Mondays-Thursdays until midnight, Fridays and Saturdays until 2am and until 11pm on Sundays.

Aspen Restaurant & Lounge

2009-02-07T18:18:00.007-05:00

The photos of Aspen's interior have tempted me for several months now and I finally had the chance to experience the cozy hotspot last weekend. The bar seems pleasant with wood panel walls and three fake deer heads but step in a little further to enter into the restaurant where patrons dine around a giant fire pit. I continued to be impressed with the restaurant as our waitress rattled off the specials which included lamb atop of mashed potatoes infused with truffle oil.
I ordered the magnificent Vegetarian Terrine dished served on a rectangular white plate with three portions of vegetables lined up. From left to right there were beet mashed potatoes, baked eggplant wrapped with brussel sprout leaves in the middle followed by a serving of green beans to the right.
Overall the restaurant was lovely- romantic but not too romantic, trendy but not too trendy. The space would also serve well as an event venue.
Located on 22nd Street between 5th & 6th Avenues. (Dinner served from 6-midnight; bar opened from 5pm-late night; closed Sundays)
According to OpenTable, Aspen hosts a Happy Hour daily from 5-8pm; Thursdays DJ Tommy James plays from 8pm-2am; Friday nights you'll find DJ Life spinning from 9pm-2am and on Saturdays DJ's Billy Caldwell and Justin Strauss perform from 9pm-4am

Blog Alert: Cook-To-Bang

2009-02-04T19:17:00.005-05:00

This week my friend, DTrench, introduced me to a hot new foodie blog called Cook to Bang, providing men everywhere with recipes to get them laid.Besides the blush-worthy recipes like "Forbidden Fruit Salad" and "Let's Bang S'More," I love how they post images of the cooking process so you know what to expect when you try to make these concoctions yourself. A few of my favorite recipes from the site include the "Lecherous Lemon Bars," "Mo-Mojo Mojito," and the "Gettin' Your Goat Cheese Salad."
Give them a try and do kiss and tell by letting us know if you end up lucky in the bedroom after fixing one of these dishes. I'm all ears if you have your own recipes for love, share them in the comments below.

Avra Estiatorio

2009-02-01T14:43:00.006-05:00

I had always been interested in trying Avra Estiatorio, a large Greek restaurant on 48th St. between 3rd and Lexington Ave. The space is huge, would be a great spot for groups, and the courtyard off to the side of the restaurant makes me think Avra would be a fun place to try in the summer time for some outdoor dining.The menu features a wide variety of Greek food, the meal starts off with two small dishes, one filled with olives, another filled with hummus and a basket of bread. To go along with our hummus my friend and I ordered the Kolokithi- traditional crispy zucchini and eggplant chips. For dinner we both ordered Greek Salads, of course my favorite part of the salad were the large slices of feta cheese and crisp tomatoes.
Reservations can be made at OpenTable

The Delta Grill

2009-01-25T18:49:00.006-05:00

The Delta Grill in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen may not look like much but is quiet the gem once you're inside. Every year this Cajun comfort food restaurant hosts a Mardi Gras celebration. This year the party is set for Feb. 24th, where they have live music and an all-you-can-eat-Cajun buffet.
Apparently this New Orleans style restaurant has amazing Jumbalya and Jambalya Wontons, however neither my friend or I ordered these dishes. Instead, we ordered some amazing plates that definitely did not disappoint.
He had the Po' Boys BBQ Pulled Pork sandwich with sweet potato fires and a side of Randall's Macaroni and Cheese that overflowed the cup in which its served. I ordered from the Vegetarian section which featured Ravioli, a Veggie Wrap and my favorite, Stuff Pineapple. I had never heard of such a thing and absolutely could not pass up the chance to try it. When it was set in front of me I was amazed by the stir fried vegetables served in a hot halved pineapple.

If you're in the area (48th & 9th Ave) and craving homecooked comfort food I definitely recommend you stop in and give The Delta Grill a try.

Vintage Irving

2009-01-25T13:09:00.005-05:00

Friday evening a friend and I met for dinner at Vintage Irving, near Union Square owned by Michael Sinensky, of the sports bar Sidebar which is right next door. However, unlike Sidebar, Vintage Irving is an intimate wine bar serving small plates. Chef Jason Bunin dishes out cured meats and wonderful selection of imported cheeses.
We started out with a glass of wine each and a cheese plate of three cheese- Mancego Cheese, Drunken Goat Cheese, and Asiago Cheese. For our entrees I ordered the Beet salad- roasted beets, asiago, rocket arugula with rosemary vinaigrette and my friend enjoyed the Pan Seared Scallops- warm potato salad, carmelized onions, caviar creme fraiche. I loved how every entree listed out suggested wine pairings, for the scallops they recommended a rose or white wine. We finished our evening with warm banana fritters and vanilla ice cream.

Located at 118 E. 15th St. near Irving Place (212-677-6300)

Zampa

2009-01-24T09:26:00.007-05:00

About two weeks ago a colleague of mine came into my office raving about Zampa, a small wine bar in West Village, that she and her friend had visited the night before and telling me that I must go. I had plans to have dinner with two of my friends later that week so I called to make reservations. Upon our arrival it became apparent that they somehow lost our reservations. The small restaurant was crowded but we didn't really want to go back outside and face the cold New York winter weather. As we stood in the entry way debating what to do the host and owner, Anthony Briatico, came over to us apologizing that this had happened and said he'd be able to fix up the little self-like bar against the window to make it a table top and pull up three stools, plus he'd buy our first bottle of wine to apologize for the inconvenience. As I'm sure he predicted, the wine sealed the deal! We chose one of the white wines that was recommended to us by our friendly waiter, who even chimed into our Real Housewives of O.C. conversations (haha- love it!). And don't be fooled by three petite New York ladies, we didn't stop at just one bottle of vino, we had three!!!
We had almost finished our first bottle of wine before even looking at the menu. Without any pressure from the waiter, we decided it was finally time to accompany our night of drinking with some of their amazing food. We started with a plate of three different cheeses- Robiola di Tre Latti (a mix of sheep, cow and goat milk), Parmigiano Reggiano, and Tuscan Pecorino. All cheese plates are served with a side of jam and bread.
After the cheeses we shared three main dishes- two salads: Roast Beets with French Feta, Lemon, Olive Oil and Herbs as well as the Anjou Pear, and Frisee with Shallot Vinaigrette (they had no problem substituting the Gorgonzola Dolce cheese with shaved Parmigiano Reggiano). We also shared the night's special Mushroom Lasagna, one of their excellent vegetarian options.

To ensure that you have no problem securing your reservations, I recommend you use OpenTable.
Zampa is located at 306 W. 13th St. (btw. 8th Ave. & 14th St.)

Florencia 13

2009-01-14T19:40:00.008-05:00

A few weeks ago a friend of mine walked passed Florencia 13 and was so impressed with the mustached man logo that he knew this was a place he had to try. Finally checking it out, we were still impressed with the family owned Mexican restaurant. Owners, Ralph, Rina. Marco, Gina, and Lennard Camarillo monitor the cooking closely to insure that every dish that comes out of the kitchen remains true to its authentic Southern California Mexican roots.

Most of the ingredients come from Californian distributors or are hand-picked by the Camarillo's at the market daily. They offer plenty of vegetarian dishes including the colorful Montecito Salad with asparagus, beets, hearts of palm, red onions, and cherry tomatoes. While my friend enjoyed the El Sereno Al Pastor Tacos- three soft mini corn tortillas with rubbed port in a 13-spice marinade, cilantro, onion, tomato, pineapple and lime.

If nothing else, go to Florencia 13, at Sullivan St. & Bleecker, for their signature drinks made by son Lennard Camarillo like their Flaming Margarita and Classic Mojito. I'd also recommend the spicy guacamole and homemade chips.

Cafe Frida

2009-01-02T18:35:00.002-05:00

Yesterday afternoon while strolling around the Upper West Side with a couple friends we stumbled upon Cafe Frida located on Columbus Ave between 77th & 78th. We ordered guacamole and corn tortilla chips to share followed by Sopa Azteca (roasted tomato soup garnished with chile ancho chips, chopped avocado, queso fresco and toasted corn tortilla strips). My friends had the Sopa de Lima (chicken soup with lemon and cilantro, garnished with avocado and corn tostaditas) and Quesadillas (made with homade corn tortillas, stuffed with Oaxaca-Chihuahua cheese and wild mushrooms). They have a cute bar toward the back of the restaurant and offer so great-sounding drinks although, we didn't order any of them.

Foodie Websites to Check Out

2009-01-02T11:25:00.007-05:00

I have been meaning to write a post about these sites for over two months now so I'm sorry for the delay. At the end of October Trend Central had a newsletter dedicated to notable websites for foodie. I looked at them all and thought they were very impressive, especially Foodzie which is an online marketplace for high-quality foods. Users are also able to sell their own products, which, as Trend Central notes, makes it the food-version of Etsy (which actually become one of my favorite sites this holiday season). The Foodzie blog features food news, events and trends while also profiling unique restaurants and food purveyors.

They also mention Hometown Favorites which is another online marketplace but as the name suggests, Hometown Favorites specializes in regional products. It's the perfect resource for those living away from home who crave a local product they can't find in their new city. The city also helps those with a sweet tooth craving for something they had in their youth that is now a hard-to-find item. They offer items from the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s including retro items like Bit-O-Honey bars, candy buttons and more!

The final site mentioned in the Trend Central newsletter from Oct. 29th was Regional Best which offers one-stop shopping for unique regional culinary items that are all handcrafted and handmade by local artisans from around the U.S. Visitors can shop by region or product.

Agozar!

2009-01-02T10:38:00.007-05:00

A few friends and I started our New Year's Eve celebration at festive Cuban restaurant Agozar! For the busy night they offered a three course pre fixe menu for $40 a person which included a variety a dishes ranging from fish, chicken and beef. Unfortunately they didn't offer any vegetarian options but were very accommodating when I inquired about my dietary needs. So instead of altering items on the pre fixe menu they let me order items from the regular menu.

Our meal started with a basket of crisp plantains (my favorite) with a small dish of black bean hummus and guacamole. For an appetizer I selected Torta de Frijoles (black bean dumplings with avocado foam)- they were amazing, a bit spicy but so good and creatively served on round lime slices. I ordered the Queso de Cabra salad (spiced walnuts and goat cheese over mixed greens, apples and sherry vinaigrette) as my entree which was also very good, and thankfully the vinaigrette wasn't overdone or too oily.

For desert we had a choice of two Cuban sweets- flan or tres leches cake. One of my friends and I decided to try flan for the first time while our other two friends ordered the tres leche cake. Honestly, I wasn't a fan of either dessert. Neither of which was the restaurant's fault, I am just a picky eater and didn't like the textures.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this Agozar, they have great drinks (sangria, mojitos, margaritas and more) and is a fun place for groups. Located on Bowery near Bleecker. And I must say that they were really nice about adding our party of four to their reservation list on such a busy night. I called New Year's Eve day around 3pm asking for 8pm reservations. I spoke directly to the owner Diana who was able to fit us in with no problem!

Da Silvano

2008-11-23T18:48:00.005-05:00

Silvano Marchetto first introduced New Yorkers to true trattoria food in May of 1975, with the opening of Da Silvano. Thirty three years later it's still a Greenwhich Village hot spot. Even on a cold winter night Da Silvano was bustling with fashionable people, making it the perfect place the people watch. And it always helps that it's a celebrity favorite for stars like Lindsay Lohan, Lauren Conrad, and Rihanna.

Originally consisting of a mere four tables in the front room, the restaurant now occupies two rooms side by side, a wide popular sidewalk cafe facing Sixth Avenue, and a popular annex, Da Silvano Cantinetta, just next door.

Walking past the anti-pasta bar before being seated at our table I was able to check out their seasonal specials and check out what I would I be ordering- like the golden and red beet salad. Other vegetarian-friendly options on their menu include Bruschetta, Barbabietole E Indivia (beets and endive), Ravioli Bella Firenze (spinish and ricotta filled ravioli sautéed in butter and sage), and the Insalata Mista di Stagione.

Otto

2008-11-17T17:15:00.004-05:00

Otto is a classic New York restaurant owned by the quintessential NY restaurateur, Mario Batali. While waiting for the reservations to be called diners are welcome to stand alongside one of the many tall tables that cleverly include little cubbies for your bag! All reservation names are programmed into an old fashion train schedule switch board which is definitely an entertaining feature while you wait.
As is the norm with Mario Batali, Otto is Italian but the dishes are served in a tapas style for everyone to share. The restaurant boasts creative pizzas and delicious sides that can certainly be combined to be eaten as a meal. Ones I suggest are the cheese plate, served with honey and jams; the beets; sweet corn and brussel sprouts. I strongly recommend making reservations because the restaurant gets full fast.

Spotted at the table next to mine: David Shwimmer- dining with two beautiful ladies and other actor whom I did not recognize but was told he was an actor too.

Barbonia

2008-11-17T17:14:00.009-05:00

I finally visiting another restaurant I've wanted to try, Barbiona is near Union Square located at 20^th & Park. The restaurant is very large with a full bar on the side. I went after work on Thursday night with some colleagues. I have to say, I wasn't very impressed with our pushy waiter. We were seated around 7pm and greeted by our waiter who made us order appetizers and entrees all at once, insisting that the kitchen would have too many orders coming in later so it was best to place everything at once. I ordered the Israeli Salad I asked for no cucumbers but asked if it was still served with lettuce, he mumbled and nodded yes. Well he must have totally misunderstood me because I was literally served a bowl of diced tomatoes and onions. Good thing we ordered a side of asparagus to share for the table too so I could add some green into my salad.

Even though our service wasn’t the best and my meal wasn’t sensational, it was a still a fun dinner in a good environment. I would recommend going to Barbonia for drinks and appetizers after work.

The Stanton Social

2008-11-17T17:14:00.006-05:00

The Stanton Social was recommended to me by my boss when I first moved into the city two years ago, noting that it offers excellent food and is often a celebrity hot spot. I had looked at the menu online and maybe I looked at the wrong thing because I was not impressed. However, recently strolling around the Lower East Side with my brother during his visit we were starting to get hungry and looking for a place to eat in the area that approved both our tastes. All of the sudden I realized we were standing in front of The Stanton Social so we walked in and asked for a table for two. Luckily it was still early enough (7pm) so there was still room. They took us up stairs and we had the best trendy comfort food we’d ever tasted.

Our waiter was great, super nice and really knew her stuff- making suggestions and going into great detail in explaining the dishes which is exactly what I love since I tend to be a picky eater. We ordered a bunch of food and split everything. We started with zucchini tempura served with a dipping sauce, followed two sliders- one was grilled cheese, the other was a hamburger. Per the server’s recommendation we ordered the apple and brie cheese quesadilla topped with caramelized maple syrup, which I have to say is probably one of the most memorable dishes I’ve had in a long time. For dessert we shared the warm blueberry cobbler which was amazing.

Arrive any later than 7pm from Thursday-Sunday and you better have reservations, which can be made via OpenTable.

Ilili

2008-11-17T17:13:00.020-05:00

Earlier this summer my friend and I wanted to take advantage of New York’s Restaurant Week, after reviewing the list of participating restaurants we decided on ilili, located on 5th Ave. between 27th & 28th. As you know, I am always impressed with a restaurant’s décor and well-planned lay out. The restaurant's interior architecture is very geometrical, two stories and the narrow design clearly divides the bar and the restaurant seating. Per usual with Restaurant Week, we were able to order an appetizer, an entree and a dessert. For appetizers we ordered Hommus (chickpea puree, Lebanese Tahini, Lemon and Olive Oil with Burghul, onion and mint) and Falafel (fried chickpea & fava bean dumplings). The Falafels were amazing, much smaller than Crisp's but still delicious. ilili's Mediterranean cuisine menu offers a lot of vegetarian options. Some of my favorites include the Baba Ghannouj (eggplant, Lebanese tahini, tomato served blue with mustard-hommus sauce), Mouhamara (walnuts, sundried peppers, and pomegranate molasses), Fattoush (Lebanese garden salad, toasted bread, sumac lemon vinaigrette), Moujadara (green lentils puree with crispy red onion), and Brussels Sprouts (friend with grapes and served with fig puree, walnuts and mint).
All the items on the dessert menu sound fantastic, although we ordered the Carmaelized Banana Bread Pudding (Cardamom Crème Anglaise, vanilla fig, chocolate chip ice cream) and a scoop of Mango Sorbet.