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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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)
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.
Last weekend I hosted a Bachelorette Party for my cousin and 7 of her friends (only one of whom I had met before) in NYC. I was thrilled my cousin wanted to celebrate with all her friends in New York but definitely challenged to keep things affordable and enjoyable, especially since this was the first time some of them had been in NY!
The girls arrived on Friday morning ready to shop! First stop: Tiffany's & Co. where each girl bought a special gift for themselves. After a long day of walking around everyone came over to my apartment for hors d'oeuvres and cocktails. Signature drink for the night was champagne with raspberries. I ordered all the food ahead of time from Fresh Direct and had it delivered about 20 minutes before the girls arrived. I ordered a big chickpea salad, grilled chicken strips (delivered ready to serve), artichoke dip, a big fresh fruit bowl and a vegetable platter.
Before going back to the hotel Friday night we wanted one last chance to publicly embarrass the bride-to-be so we headed to a bar near the hotel, Connolly's Pub on W. 54th St.
Saturday morning we all put on our matching T-shirts that said "Buy Her a Drink Before she Takes the Plunge" and headed out for the Sex and The City tour of New York. I definitely recommend going on this 3.5 hour tour that stops at NYC hot-spots made famous by the hit HBO series. Starting at The Plaza we all pile into a chartered (air-conditioned) bus all the way down 5th toward Soho, West Village, Meatpacking District, and more! Not only does our spunky guide, Emily Sproch, reveal a ton of Sex & The City behind-the-scenes info but we make three different stops throughout the tour to walk along the same streets as our favorite characters. The first stop was at the Pleasure Chest, where the SATC girls bought their "Rabbits." (Anything purchased at the Pleasure Chest was discounted for all tour attendees.) Next stop was to the famous Magnolia Bakery on Bleeker Street. The $42 tour ticket also included cupcakes from Magnolia for everyone! The last stop of the tour was at the bar Adian and Steve owned in the show, which is actually called Onieals Grand Street located on Grand between Baxter St & Centre Market Place. (Cosmos were served at a discount for all tour attendees.)
We ended the night at Tony n' Tina's Wedding, an interactive off-Broadway performance where the audience serves as Tony and Tina's wedding guests in their crazy Italian wedding. Tickets are $90 per person and free for the bride-to-be if you're there celebrating a bachelorette party, and include dinner, unlimited champagne and a slice of cake.
Overall, the weekend was a blast and now we just can't wait for the weeding in August!
Having been to the Gramercy Park Hotel for drinks at the Rose Bar I knew I had to go back just to spend more time in luxury boutique hotel. I knew my parents would love the chic sophistication of the GPH's decor, designed by Ian Schrager, so I took them to Wakiya. Located to the left of the lobby, opposite Rose Bar, Wakiya is amazingly sleek and serves a modern Chinese cuisine by Japanese celebrity Chef Yuji Wakiya. Our fabulous waiter recommended that we order our dinner according to traditional Chinese tradition, from cold to hot. From the menu, I recommend the Vegetable Dumpling, XO Omelet Fried Rice, and Field Green Salad. There are pictures of these and other things we ordered below.
Recommended cocktails at Rose Bar: the Long Berry and the Rose & Lychee Martini Reservations for Wakiya can be made via Open Table
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.
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