Mediterraneo

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.

Recovery Night In

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!

Zampa

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.)

Soho Park

Soho Park is a restaurant inside a space that looks like a greenhouse in the middle of Soho (on Prince St. and Lafayette). It's a perfect little neighborhood spot for any meal of the day- Mon-Saturday they're open from 8:30am until midnight and on Sundays from 10am to 8pm. I recently stopped into the restaurant for lunch on a rainy afternoon while shopping in Soho. Situated inside a greenhouse this spot is perfect for any weather and still lets you feel like you're outside.
Not only does their menu offer tasty comfort-type food but it also features wine, beer, and handmade sodas and shakes. On the rainy, chilly spring day I had the bowl of Roasted Tomato Soup without croutons but asked for shredded cheese on the side and it was no problem!
Soho Park also has unique events Wednesdays through Saturdays, check them all out here.

Vino

Vino is a new wine bar in the Upper East Side perfect for a glass of wine and a small bite. My friends and I ordered the fennel and orange salad and the beef lasagna along with a few glasses of Pinot Grigio and Chianti. Located on 2nd Ave. between 66th and 67th this little wine spot also offers outdoor seating perfect for New York summers.

There's no website yet but their number is 212-744-5370

Bocca di Bacco

Having not seen photos of this new restaurant before going I was pleasantly surprised. The big decorated doors (yes, just like this photo) opened up to an exposed brick, full wine bar venue. There is plenty of wine on tap and a long table for patrons to share apps and vino. Even though I'm a big fan of sharing appetizers with friends. I definitely recommend staying for a full meal at Bocca di Bacco. My sister had pumpkin gnocchi while my mom ordered their homemade pumpkin ravioli. This was the second restaurant we went to during their week long stay in NYC and by the end of their trip this was their most memorable meal! The dessert menu was tempting with but my mom and sister were off to see Rent so we couldn't stay, if you get a chance to try the desserts at Bocca di Bacco please let me know how it is!
Warming: Bocca di Bacco only accepts cash and Amex.
But... you can make reservations at Open Table.

BOOM

The live music at this Soho restaurant is accompanied by a fabulous menu, offers a great menu, live music and both red and white sangria. I definitely recommend the Nizzarda salad, one of Boom's Classic Signature Dishes Organica salad. They are also known for their Classica bruscette. Located at 152 Spring St. (near West Broadway).

Check out the post on Socialight:

think coffee

This cafe near NYU (Mercer St. btw. 3rd and 4th Streets) is very forward thinking using only coffees and teas organically and shade grown and bought from fair trade farmers. The cafe has also opened up a wine and cheese bar featuring small-producer wine and farmstead cheeses. This is a perfect cafe to frequent on rainy days in NYC, grab some coffee, tea, a cookie, what have you.. but most importantly... play Scrabble! That's right enjoy the cafe scene by challenging your friends to a wordsmithing game. So fun! (Every Tuesday night is Scrabble night at 8pm!)

Pure Food & Wine
(54 Irving Place- NYC) I love raw food restaurants, I find them incredibly interested. I love hearing all about the creative ways raw food chefs use veggies to make “noodles” and nuts to make “cheese.” While dining at Pure Food & Wine be sure to try their organic cocktails.
Entrees to try:
- Zucchini and Heirloom Tomato Lasagna with basil-pistachio pesto, sun-dried tomato sauce and piginoli ricotta
- Chilli Lime Tortilla Wraps with avocado, tomato-lime salsa, and cashew sour cream
There were so many great sounding dishes. If you have recommendations please let me know!
The crowd was interesting and definitely picked up around 8pm. This place will be wonderful in the summer time when the outdoor patio opens up!