A Night Out in Boston

A couple months ago I went to Boston for the first time. I arrived late in the afternoon on Wednesday and left on Thursday so I didn’t get to see too much of the city but from what I saw of it, I loved it. Looks like there is good shopping, cute restaurants and the red brick buildings in the downtown area are very charming. I like that you can walk around the city without enormous crowds of people and on clean sidewalks.

Our evening began with dinner at Sasso, located at 116 Huntington Ave, which was fantastic. Our group of eight had two orders of mussels and the Gnocchi 14 (housemade Yukon potato gnocchi, roasted brussel sprouts, lemon, thyme, bacon and labna) for our appetizers followed by a lot of different entrees including the Insalata (bibb lettuce, baby tomatoes and pickled shallots with tarragon vinaigrette), the Anatara 32 (roasted Mouland duck breast with shitake mushroom risotto, baby turnips and cherry gastrique), and the Ravioli 25 (goat cheese and onion marmalade ravioli, madras curry emulsion, pea tendrils, baby turnips, glazed radishes, mint, and English peas). We finished our meal with a tasting of desserts including the Butterscotch Pudding, an assortment of gelati (mango, strawberry champagne, and vanilla), Strawberry rhubarb crumble and the Sasso Tiramisu.

After dinner we headed to the Cirque du Soile performance which was held under the thematic blue and yellow circus tents. I had never seen the show before and was very impressed with the three contortionists who opened the show and the man who stacked nearly twenty chairs on top of each other and climbed to the top.

After the show we headed back to our hotel, the Lenox Hotel and made a stop at the City Bar within. The drink menu featured a fun list of drinks including the Green Tea and Passion Fruit Champagne that I ordered. After enjoying a drink at City Bar we walked over to Poor House in order to experience a true Bostonian pub.

For reservations at Sasso check OpenTable.com.

A Vegetarian Who Loves BLT

A goal of mine while living in NYC is to dine at every restaurant in the BLT family, as you know I’ve made it to BLT Prime and BLT Market, both of which left a lasting impression. Since those outings I’ve ventured to BLT Fish Shack, BLT Steak and BLT Burger. (BLT Fish is the only one that’s missing!) As a vegetarian I’m probably harder to please then their typical customer so hopefully the fact that I love these restaurants despite my non-carnivorous ways should only further prove how wonderful these restaurants are- amazing service, knowledgeable staff, impressive décor and great food and desserts.

BLT Fish Shack is located directly underneath BLT Fish on 17 St. between 5th and 6th Avenues. The décor at BLT Fish Shack is not shack-like at all; in fact, you feel like you’ve just walked into a local Cape Cod restaurant. Diners sit in white wooden booths upholstered with nautical blue and white striped cushions, there’s a raw bar where fish specialists are preparing mussels, clams and lobsters in the middle of the room and the menu and daily specials are written out on chalkboards throughout the space. My friends ordered mussels and calamari for appetizers and lobster and fries for their entrees. I joined the clean plate club by choosing from the "Pick A Fish" section of the menu where patrons choose a fish- Organic Salmon, Yellowfin Tuna, Cod, Skate, Striped Bass, Flounder or Steamed Lobster- and a sauce- Lemon Hollandaise, Spicy Salsa or Tartar Sauce, all of which are served with arugula sald and a choice of rice pilaf or roasted potato. I had the Organic Salmon grilled and topped with the Spicy Salsa.

A few weeks later I made reservations via OpenTable for BLT Steak while my dad and brother were in town visiting. Just like at BLT Prime, our meal started with the amazing popovers, severed with butter and rustic sea salt. We ordered appetizers to share followed by our individual entrees. I definitely recommend these vegetarian options: the Roasted Beets and Apple salad, a side of Grilled Asparagus and the Chopped Vegetable Salad. For dessert we enjoyed the rum laced carrot cake with cream cheese icing, Carmaelized New York cheese cake and the Sliced Fruit and Berries.

Later that week I took my brother to BLT Burger, who surprisingly offers a to-go menu, located on 6th Ave. btw 11th & 12th Streets. We began with an order of sweet potato fries that were cooked to perfection. My brother ordered the Classic Burger which is made with 5 oz. of Certified Black Angus beef, however we have heard from friends that the Lamb Burger is the best. Having looked at the menu beforehand I knew I had to try the veggie burger. I have never tried the frozen veggie burgers like Boca Burger, nor do I want to, so I saw this as my chance to order a “gourmet,” handmade veggie burger. It was served on a whole wheat bun and made with a medly of organic grains, vegetables and spices. It was good, especially when I loaded it with ketchup, but I’m definitely not hooked. We topped off our dinner with milk shakes! A friend of mine recommended that we try their spiked milkshakes which included a list of tasty sounding concoctions like The Shocker (Stoli Vanilla, Oreos, vanilla ice cream) and Grandma's Treat (Maker's Mark, caramel syrup, vanilla ice cream). My brother ordered The Shocker, while my theory was, why mess up a good thing that I only treat myself to about once a year with alcohol because chances are I wouldn’t like it. So I ordered a vanilla milkshake but asked to have Oreos in it. And of course, the other older sister was right! He didn’t love his, he was hoping that it would taste more like a milkshake and less like alcohol, while I finished mine so fast I wished for another. ;)

Many other cities are lucky to have at elast one of the BLT restaurants besides NYC including, San Juan, Washington D.C., White Plains, Miami, Los Angeles, Scottsdale, Las Vegas.

All of the BLT restaurants are owned by Executive Chef Laurent Tourondel. And interestingly enough the BLT stands for "Bistro Laurent Tourondel." After the four year program at Saint Vincent Ecole de Cuisine, where he earned a "d'Aptitude Professionnelle de Cuisinier," the French chef cooked his way through some of the world's most esteemed kitchens. He first opened BLT Steak in 2004 which garnered so much praise he then opened BLT Fish, BLT Prime, BLT Burger, BLT Market and BLT Fish Shack in NYC.

El Centro

Last week during my cousin's NYC visit we scored tickets to the Late Show with David Letterman. We had to be in line to pick up our tickets by 5:30pm for the 7pm taping so we wanted to grab dinner quickly before hand so we went to El Centro on 9th near 54th St. And thank goodness we did, I loved everything I ordered- the Classic Mojito, guacamole, homemade tortilla chips, and the Ensalade Centro.

El Centro is owned by restaurateur John Dempsey, who also created Vynl, and is overseen by its chef, Jorge Pareja. Given it's 9th Ave. location, it's perfect for a pre-theater dinner.

Salt

Salt is an intimate restaurant in Soho specializing in seasonal American food. The menu at Salt is unique in that it allows diners to customize their dinners by picking one protein and two sides. The available proteins include Alaskin King Salmon, Whole Grilled Dorade Royale, Marinated Hanger Steak and a Long Island Duck Breast. My meal consisted mostly of sides which were amazing, especially the Braised Brussel Sprouts and Parsnip Puree.
If patrons aren't crazy about the "Protein + 2" set up, there are several "Chef's Entrees" to choose from like Roasted Cod, Braised Romain Lettuce, Mushroom Fricassee, Pancetta, and Truffle Broth and more.
Salt is located at 58 MacDougal St., near King St. And reservations can be made via OpenTable.

Centro Vinoteca

Centro Vinoteca is a triangular shaped restaurant located in West Village on 7th Ave. near Barrow St. I stood near the hostess stand waiting for my friend for just a few minutes and was already impressed with the menu, or at least the seasonal specials that were written on the chalkboard. We ended up ordering a bunch of the Italian small plates- or "piccolini"- to share. We ordered the parsnip and chestnut soup, silver dollar-sized sweet potato cakes and zuccini fritters.

The Sous-chef at Centro Vinoteca is native New Yorker Leah Cohen who is a contestant Top Chef Season 5. Once former head chef, Anne Burrell left Centro, Cohen has stepped up to the plate, and according to George Elkins- the managing director Mangia hospitality group, which owns Centro- "She’s done a remarkable job. She’s bringing new things to the table, and everything we’ve tasted has been, well, she’s just been hitting it out of the park.” (Source) And I'd have to agree with him on that one, I absolutely loved everything at Centro Vinoteca and the fact that they serve seasonal dishes means I might be able to make an exception and repeat the restaurant!

Saucy

Located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan at 75th and York, Saucy is an unique establishment that features over 50 different sauces, each paired with an entree on the menu. The menu includes steak, seafood, organic chicken, pasta and tasteful appetizers like spicy hummus and a Mediterranean Salad.

Resting above the restaurant's 75 seats are tons of cloth sacks filled with spices and dried herbs from around the world. The mirrored ceiling throughout the restaurant allows guests to see the contents of the open sacks which include dried chili peppers, bay leaves, curry and more.
What I loved most was that Chef and owner Simon Mann was at the restaurant to welcome his guests, take their orders and make sure everything was prepared to their requests.

Monsieur Marcel

Monsieur Marcel is a bustling cafe located within Santa Monica's famous 3rd St. Promenade. Opened in Dec. 2007, this French spot is the perfect place to have lunch after shopping along the Promenade. With tables outside and a small counter inside the tiny kitchen is able to serve up some amazingly tasty dishes. I had a warm goat cheese salad with candied walnuts.
[Location: 1260 Third Street Promenade, 310.587.1166]

The Cat & Fiddle

Sitting outside in the courtyard at The Cat & Fiddle is the perfect spot for a casual drink in LA. Walking under a stone arch way into the courtyard makes the setting even more enchanting and creates the perfect hide-away for celebs who want to go unnoticed.
There is live jazz on the patio every Sunday from 7pm to 11pm and a Fish and Chips special all day long every Monday.
Located at 6530 Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles, CA

Urth Caffe

My final stop during my two weeks in LA was at Urth Caffe on Melrose Ave. Recommended to me by a friend who knows me well, which was even more obvious when I arrived at Urth, saw the great outdoor seating and read over the menu. It was exactly the kind of place I'd want to go to on a sunny afternoon in Los Angeles with its patio seating and vegetarian-friendly menu that features mouth-watering dishes that are good for breakfast, lunch and dinner. With so many great salad options I decided to go with The Tostada sald (minus the fried tortilla shell)- a chopped salad served in a friend toritilla shell with grilled veggies, on a bed of black beans and organic romain lettuce with house salsa, guacamole and monterey jack cheese. My friends at the Urth Quesadilla and the Panini Roasted Turkey (Urth butter roasted turkey breast with Jarlsberg swiss cheese, grilled on a poppyseed crusted honey wheat bread and served on a whole grain mustard sauce).
Of course we finished with an aray of Urth's famous desserts including the New York Cheesecake, Banana Bread Pudding, the Deep Dish Apple Pie and the Chocolate Crown Cake.

Asia de Cuba

I had no idea what to expect when Rolland Berry and I drove up to the Mondrian Hotel on Sunset Blvd. but was pleasantly surprised as we sipped wine among the white and orange interior of the bar in the lobby, ADCB, before being escorted to our table at Asia de Cuba. Seating at the table amongst giant terracotta pots it's hard not to feel a little bit like Alice inside her world of Wonderland. The outdoor, courtyard-like seating is the quintessential night out in LA.
I loved the innovative Asian and Cuban fusion cusine paired with the unmatched Philippe Starck design. I was totally impressed with the menu, and how could you not be with dishes like bamboo steamed asian and caribbean vegetables, plantain fried rice with avocado salad, Lemongrass Skewered Chicken (coconut thai chili marinade, grilled pinapple and lychee) and the Calamari Salad 'Asia De Cuba' (crispy calamari with chayote, hearts of palm, banana, cashews, chicory and radicchio-sesame orange dressing).
Reservations can be made at Open Table.

Babalu

Babalu is a fantastic restaurant located on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, California serving up American, Asian and Caribbean dishes that are sure to please anyone's palate. My friends and I all ordered salads but so many other dishes on the menu looked amazing. If nothing else, this restaurant is a great place for a casual dinner out with friends.
1002 Montana Ave
Santa Monica, CA 90403

Aroma Cafe

During lunch at Aroma Cafe I was overwhelmed by the extremely large menu while, at the same time, underwhelmed by the service we received. As much as I love having plenty of options, I had a really hard time understanding what this restaurant's specialty was- there were salads, pizzas, sandwiches, pastas, vegetarian dishes, meat dishes, Mediterranean and BBQ- really there was just too much variety. But the good thing is that Aroma Cafe has something for everyone.
I loved sitting outside at this newly renovated, street-side cafe and at night it would be nice to sit in front of the small fireplaces for a drink or during dinner.

Mexicali Cocina Cantina

Great Mexican restaurants are not hard to find in LA but Mexicali Cocina Cantina was a great find, located in Studio City on Ventura Blvd & Laurel Canyon Blvd. We had a very strange waiter but the food was great. My friend and I shared their homemade Guacamole, she ordered the Grilled Chicken Quesadilla and I had the Mexicali Fajita Salad. But their menu also includes a long list of Tacos, Tamales, Burritos, and Enchiladas as well as fabulous margaritas and sangria.

101 Coffee Shop

I have to admit, I'm not much of a diner girl but the menu at 101 Coffee Shop in Hollywood, CA is pretty unbelievable! Serving up retro diner fare with a Southern California twist, Acclaimed Chef Brandon Boudet combines the best of the Hollywood Farmer’s Market with hearty yet simple classics. They even had a great selection for a picky vegetarian like me, especially since it was 3am and I just wanted something warm and not french fries!

I ordered had a bowl of their Veggie Chili while my friends ordered everything from omelets to cheese burgers and milkshakes.

I didn't have any dessert but apparently their Waffle Brownie Sundae is amazing. And how could it not be?!? It's basically chocolate and ice cream served in a jar!

The look of the 101 Coffee Shop was carefully designed by Warner Ebbink after extensive research of coffee shops of the 1960’s and ‘70’s. From the stone wall behind the retro brown leather booths to the counter that extends through most of the space, the hipster patrons are transported to a funky diner straight out of the late 1960’s.

Celebrities through the decades have visited the space and countless movies and television shows have featured the 101 for its unique décor and cool Hollywood vibe.

Location: 6145 Franklin Ave., Hollywood, CA 90028, (323) 467-1175. Breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days 7 a.m.&-3 a.m.

Sprinkles Cupcakes

Not only can you smell the goodness of Sprinkles Cupcakes a mile away but you can see a line of people waiting in a line a mile long just to experience the famous treats. And yes, I too stood in that line outside of the Beverly Hills store excited for my first Sprinkles cupcake! The flavors change daily but we were able to pick up a great sampling of the Black & White (Belgian dark chocolate cake with creamy vanilla frosting), Cinnamon Sugar (lightly spiced buttermilk cake dusted with cinnamon sugar), Peanut Butter Chip (chocolate chip-studded peanut butter cake with peanut butter frosting), Red Velvet, Strawberry (strawberry cake with sweet strawberry frosting), and Vanilla (Madagascar bourbon vanilla cake with creamy vanilla frosting). Overall I'd have to say my favorite was the Strawberry cupcake but I also really liked the Cinnamon Sugar- it tasted more like a sweet breakfast coffee cake. Today, via Twitter, I asked my followers what their favorite cupcake flavors were and/or bakery. The response, keeping in mind I only heard back from New Yorkers, was Red Velvet from Buttercup Bake Shop. Obviously, my favorite cupcakes are from Emily Knapp (my little sister)- I mean just look at these cupcakes- she's amazing!

Tart

After an afternoon of shopping at The Grove in LA I met up with a group of friends for dinner at Tart- located at 115 S. Fairfax Ave, attached to The Farmer's Daughter Hotel. We sat in the courtyard section of the restaurant which was decorated with strung Christmas lights.
The restaurant serves freshly baked American Fusion dishes including Tart Fries- french fries made from French, Sweet, and Purple potatoes, served with a three different dipping sauces; Fried Green Tomatoes served with a toasted corn salsa; and amazing organic salads like the Roasted Beets Salad- red and gold beets, mixed greens, goat cheese, and a lemon vinaigrette; big entrees of fish, meat, sandwiches and more. (Tart is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.)
A couple weeks ago on The Hills Heidi Montag had lunch at Tart with her mom, which was included in YumSugar's Episode Eight The Hills Food Quiz- part of question number 5.

Cafe Med

The last restaurant I went to on Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood during my two week stay in LA was Cafe Med at the corner of Sunset Blvd and Sunset Plaza Dr. My three friends and I sat at a table on the patio where we sipped wine and enjoyed the Italian fare. I was pleasantly surprised by the Insalate Lenticchie, Barbabietolee Carprino Gratinato (warm lentil salad, red beets, and goat cheese).

Caffe Primo

Another trendy spot lining Sunset Boulevard is Caffe Primo. Inspired by the coffeehouses and espresso bars in Italy, Caffe Primo attempts to bring European style America, where guests are encouraged to linger from early morning until late the night.Caffe Primo offers house-roasted coffees, salads, pizzettas, paninis and most importantly, gelato from Riviera’s renowned Primo Gelato, which was named among the “Best of LA” by Los Angeles Magazine and one of the “top five ice creams in the city” by Angeleno.
Primo Gelato contains only 6 percent butterfat (as compared with ice cream’s 26 percent butterfat) and their sorbet is made with fresh fruit and is entirely fat free and dairy free. Gelato flavors rotate seasonally but typically includes Roasted Almond with Fig, White Chocolate Hazelnut, Sicilian Pistachio, Fresh Melon, Wild Italian Strawberry and Pure Indian Mango.

Chin Chin

Chin Chin is another Asian restaurant located on Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood with great outdoor space that is also perfectly situated for people watching and cocktail sipping. Everyone at my table ordered their famous Chinese Chicken Salad which is made up of shredded lettuce, scallions, carrots, toasted almonds, and crispy noodles tart red ginger dressing.

Shushiya

Located 0n Sunset Blvd nestled along side several other restaurants, Sushiya is perfect for people watching while snacking on edamame and their specialty rolls like the Rick & Famous Roll or the Sunset Roll.

Toast Bakery Cafe

On the corner of 3rd & Harper Streets is Toast Bakery Cafe that serves delicious food from 7:30am until 10pm every day of the week, except for Thursdays. During all open hours patrons can order breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert. Three other friends and I went to dinner here, from what we ordered I recommend the grown-up version of a grilled cheese called "Not Your Mom's Grilled Cheese" which consists of a blend of mozzarella and feta cheese with sun-dried tomatoes and basil; the Carrot-Ginger vegan soup, and the Tucson Salad (I asked for no grilled chicken and no buttermilk dressing) beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, basil, sharp cheddar, and crispy corn tortilla strips. Although I did not order dessert, I heard that the Red Velvet cupcakes are comparable to Sprinkles Cupcakes.
Additional notes: within the bakery cafe there is a clothing store, it was closed when I visited but I've heard it a good spot. Also, right across the street from Toast is Electric Karma, which is rumored to be the best Indian restaurant in LA.
Just saw this on UsWeekly.com... Shenae Grimes from 90210 frequents here!

Tutto Tutti

Rated by LAist.com as the best Frozen Yogurt in LA I just new I had to try it. A friend and I visited the creamery this past Friday and to our surprised we both loved the Double Wonder- sea salt and caramel, sounds gross/weird but it's actually really good, tastes more like vanilla than salt or caramel. The Super Bee flavor that LAist mentioned, with ginseng and honey, was too gingery for our taste.
As LAist mentions, the yogurt is organic and all the toppings are homemade. My swirl of Double Wonder was topped with the raspberry-basalmic sauce which complimented the salted sweet taste of the yogurt perfectly.

The servers at Tutto Tutti are super nice and don't mind letting you try any flavor you'd like. So out of curiosity I tried almost all of them! Their 6 flavors include: Virgin (plain), White Velvet (vanilla), Seven (with seven grains blended into the yogurt), Freckle Snow White (plain layered with black sesame seeds), Double Wonder and Super Bee.

Tutto Tutti is located at 6803 Melrose Avenue at the corner of Mansfield.

Osteria Mozza

It was complete fate that I ended up having dinner at Osteria Mozza last night.Monday afternoon I read on Just Jared that Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rosedale celebrated their 6th wedding anniversary at Osteria Mozza in LA, obviously since in LA this week it especially peaked my interest. That night, on my way home from a friend's house, I actually drove pass it and the enormous crowd waiting outside to be seated. Then Tuesday after work I took home the September issue of Bon Appetit magazine. As I'm sitting on the couch flipping through the mag I notice that Osteria Mozza is listed as one of the best Italian restaurants in America! I immediately ask my friend's mom, whom I'm staying with, if she's been to the apparent hot-spot. And she replies "funny you should ask, we have reservations there tomorrow night!"

The next morning I do a little more research on the restaurant and discover that it's owned by Mario Batali (famous chef who also owns 6 restaurants in NYC), Nancy Silverton (owner of Campanile in LA) and Joseph Bastianich; all of whom also own the restaurant next door, Pizzeria Mozza. Reservations are hard to come by, rumor is that reservations are needed 30 days in advance for a table at Osteria Mozza (seats at the bar are for walk-ins).

The menu at Osteria Mozza is very impressive with an entire section dedicated to the free standing Mozzarella Bar where Nancy, who was there last night, prepares a wide array of fresh items from Mozzarella, Bocconcini, Stracciatella and more. Our party of 7 enjoyed the Burricotti with braised artichokes, pine nuts, currants & mint pesto (pictured here), Goat Cheese Ravioli, Tagliatelle with oxtail ragu, Crisp Duck al Mattone with pear mostarda & Brussels sprouts, and a side of corn and onions.
For drinks we ordered lemon drop martinis and the 2004 Tocai Friulano.
The space is lovely with dark wood work throughout, white marble table tops, dark chocolate-colored walls and tall ceilings bordered with Robin Egg blue paint.

Lola's: Los Angeles

Last night I met a friend from college who now lives in LA at Lola's in West Hollywood. It is the perfect little after work place, tucked away on Fairfax Ave, between Melrose Ave. and Santa Monica Blvd. Their drink menu is jammed packed with different martini options including Red Caramel Apple Martini and the Star F*cker Martini, neither of which I had but they sounded pretty interesting. Instead I opted for a glass of Pinot Grigio and the cheese and fruit platter.
They also have live jazz on Wednesday nights starting at 8pm and happy hour Mon.-Fri. from 5:30-7:30pm
Side note worth mentioning: Scenes from The Hills have been filmed here!

Spotted: Britney Spears

It's only my 3rd full day in LA and I just saw Britney Spears!!! She was leaving the dance studio at 6755 Hollywood Blvd. We assume she was holding auditions since she wasn't wearing a dance outfit and her hair wasn't up, plus we saw dancers coming into the building even before we knew Britney was here and they were freaking out saying they were late for a very important audition.
I didn't get the best shot ever from the 7th floor but you can clearly tell she's wearing the same purse she did earlier this week at Blockbuster with her sister.

Here are the paparazzi shots when she first arrived to our building this afternoon: X17Online
p.s. the paparazzi in the white shirt in the background spotted us through the 7th floor windows and was blowing kisses at us, waving, taking pictures of us, etc. So funny!

A Night that Started at Nook

As my friend said, Nook is a true neighborhood gem located on 9th Ave. between 50th & 51st. It's a total hole in the wall BYOB place that only has about eight tables. The couple next to us even brought their own pitcher of sangria. Last night there were five of us, which is probably the biggest party I'd feel comfortable bringing to this restaurant. We ordered the Mushroom Cigars with White Truffle Oil for us all to share, they were amazing! Three of the five of us ordered their main salad with roasted pears, blue cheese (substituted for goat cheese instead) and candied walnuts with a citrus vinaigrette that was very good.
Nook is open for brunch, lunch and dinner the menu for all courses is available on Menu Pages.
Even though they don't have an official website they do take reservations, just call 212-247-5500

After diner we headed to a members-only mixology club where reesrvations are a must. This place is so exclusive that many New Yorkers think it's an urban myth, but I garentee you it's not. I don't want to ruin it by saying the name but wanted to share the experience. Despite being an exclusive club complete with rules it wasn't "clubby" at all, there is no dancing and in fact you don't really even see the other patrons. Everyone sits in tall booths and there is basically no lighting, just lights around the bar and one lit candle on each of the tables as well as on the trays the servers carry. The server came to our table asking what mood we were in and to give her an adjective that describes what kind of drink we're craving. My one friend said "refreshing," I said that I usually like mojitos and always like rasberries and blackberries. When all the drinks were served we all agreed that, not only were the drinks delicious they actually matched our personalities perfectly. Let's just say, I'd consider myself lucky to go back to this "underground" spot. ;)

Bobo

Last weekend my friend and I ended our day of West Village shopping by having dinner at the glamorous Bobo restaurant on W. 10th St. (near 7th Ave.) restaurant which is located in a hundred year old brownstone.

According to the OpenTable write up, the name Bobo is derived from the melding of "Bohemian" and "Bourgeoisie" and refers to a group of people who straddle the creative Bohemian realm and the Bourgeoisie world of economic achievement.

All the menus (drinks, dinner and desserts) change seasonally. This summer/early fall they're serving a lot of seafood including sea trout, wild sea bass and seared scallops. The drink of choice for the night seemed to be the Collalto Prosecco. The 100 seat space wasn't at all crowded when we sat down for our 7pm reservations but was definitely crowded by 9:30pm. Vegetarians may want to wait until the winter menu debuts but if nothing else, drinks and desserts are great. For dessert we had the Almond Tart with raspberries and honey yogurt sorbet which was excellent!

p.s. The romantic European decor would be a cozy place to have a bowl of butternut squash soup so fingers crossed it's on the winter menu. ;)

Norma's at Le Parker Meridien

Located within Le Parker Meridien Hotel (on 57th St. near 6th Ave.), Norma's is definitely known as one of the best places to have brunch in NYC. Even though we had reservations the three of us waited for a good 30-40 minutes. Not to worry though, it was fun people watching.

I wanted to try a bite of almost everything on the menu which was categorized by clever headlines like "Mom Can't Make This" that included gourmet breakfast dishes like Caramelized Chocolate Banana Waffle Napoleon, PB&C Waffle 'Wich (chocolate waffle a peanut butter and toffee crunch filling), French Toast (super moist french toast with an orange infused Honey drizzle) and Breakfast Nachos (strawberry, banana and pineapple on tortilla chips drizzled with chocolate)- which, by the way, I do think my mom could make, in fact, I think I could make that and serve it at a breakfast and/or dessert party. ;)

(photo above is the Caramelized Chocolate Banana Waffle Napoleon)

"Somethin' Fruity" featured McCann's Irish Oatmeal Brulee (with sauteed green apples and red pears) which sounded pretty interesting and Crunchy Pecan and Macadamia Granola (with dried fruit and fresh berries) which I did have and it was probably the best granola I've ever had. It even kept me full all day and gave me plenty of energy for the Nike Human Race that evening.

"Benny Sent Me" lists five different style of Eggs Benedict while the "Egg Cellent" section showcased eleven different kinds of eggs including five different kinds of omelets and even The Zillion Dollar Lobster Frittata which starts at $100 for the Regular 1 oz Sevruga Caviar and $1,000 for the Super size 10 oz Sevruga Caviar. (I seriously wonder how many people order this a year.)

If you're looking for an impressive someone with a memorable brunch I definitely recommend Norma's, just be sure to call ahead for reservations and be prepared to spend a lot of money. (On the plus side, it might be the only meal you eat all day. Haha)

Cafeteria NYC

What a fabulous spot, and it's open 24/7! Perf! Even though I don't like to repeat restaurants this may need to be a late night stop whenever I'm in Chelsea (17th St. & 7th Ave.)!

Despite its name, Cafeteria has been serving gourmet comfort food since they opened their clear garage-type doors back in June of 1998.
Four amazing ladies from M.I.S.S. Crew and I had lunch there this afternoon and loved it! Even though the hot spot is famous for their mac 'n' cheese we all decided for other delicious options on their menu including the Tomato Basil Soup with a Grilled Cheese Crouton (so good, and clever concept!), Yuca fries, Veggie Burger with Fries, Country Breakfast (two sunny-side up eggs, cheese grits, sausage, buttermilk biscuit and mixed greens), and Silver Dollar Pancakes (fresh berries and Chantilly cream).
All in all, this was a fun spot with great food at pretty reasonable prices.

Nike's Human Race 08.31.08

Yesterday I participated in The Nike+ Human Race in New York. The Human Race was was the world's largest one day race, bringing together runners from 5 different continents 26 countries to run a 10K race.

The New York race was held on Randall's Island with 10,000 participants and an average race time of 1:02':04". Each race event ended with a celebratory concert, ours was the All American Rejects! Overall the race and the concert were fantastic- tons of people, high energy, great sponsors, nice location outside of the city during sunset along the East River. And no matter where I'm living next year at this time I plan on running this race again. ;)
Check out race times from around the world HERE.
More about the New York race CLICK HERE.
All American Rejects trash talking video- Go New York!

Falafels for 8 Cents in NYC!

This Sunday, Aug. 31st, Cinderella Falafel (on 2nd Ave. btw. St. Marks & 7th St.) is selling their falafels for only 8 cents from 5pm - 9pm. Plus they're hosting a falafel eating contest at 6pm! Click here to get the coupon.
Source.

New Food Court at JFK

People will be booking flights with Jet Blue in and out of JFK just to see the new restaurants that make up Terminal 5's new food court. As of October 1st, five new restaurants will be open to the public. Restaurants include Piquillo (tapas), Aeronuova (a trattoria featuring old Italian films), Deep Blue (Asian), The Loft,and La Vie (a French cafe); all designed by the meatpacking firm ICRAVE (also responsible for STK, Tenjune, and One Little West 12). See photos below, in the order as mentioned above.






Source.

21 iPhone Food Apps

Mashable had a great post this week featuring 21 different iPhone food apps. Here's a little preview of the only food app that I've actually been able to try. For details on the other apps check out Mashable's post.


Urban Spoon is a free app that's actually fun. It's a slot machine application that lets you choose your price range and what type of food you're craving. Once you've selected your criteria you literally shake the iPhone and it gives you a list of results near you. My mom and I had already decided what restaurant we wanted to go to and wanted to put Urban Spoon to the test. So we entered our critera and it actually selected the restaurant we had just decided on! Perfect!

Enjoy!

Backyard Courture Event

Radio Rose from Around the Way Girls will be DJing live from this weekend's Backyard Couture event in Brooklyn.

What: Backyard Couture (an evening of non-stop shopping, live art and an open bar!)
When: Saturday, August 16th from 5-11pm
Where: Brooklyn (293 Flatbush Ave- btw. St. Marks & Prospect Place)
Featuring: Micky Factz and Raye6
Music all night long from the hottest DJs including Radio Rose, Linnee Denise and Ahficionados.