Gramercy Park Hotel

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

BLT Prime

As a celebration last night, some friends and I had a fabulous dinner at BLT Prime (111 E. 22nd St. btw. Park & Lexington).

Even as a vegetarian, I truly enjoyed this restaurant that prides itself of its selection and quality of beef. Before being for our 9:30 reservations we ordered a drink at the bar where the bar tender educated us on the chemistry of alcohol- already I was impressed with this place. I noticed a wine I had never heard of before- Rioja- so I asked about it and they let me sample it before pouring me a full glass of the spicy, smooth Spanish wine. After just a few sips of my wine the host lead us up the stairs to the elegant booth table near the large windows overlooking the Gramercy neighborhood.
Our dining experience began with a complimentary jar of chicken Pate and four slices of rustic bread. (I didn't taste it but the others said it was very good.) As an appetizer ordered a cheese platter with 5 kinds of cheeses, all selected by the chef according to our preferences and entree orders, and escargot. Before our main dishes were served the waiter brought 4 very large popovers to the table that were buttery, crispy and altogether delicious. The popover recipe was served along side the rolls so we knew exactly what we were eating- I thought this was a good idea.
Our entrees, along with all of our sides and the bottle of wine we ordered, were served by out two attentive waiters. Our entire spread included: Roasted Beets with Fresh Goat Cheese, "BLT" Cut/ Bone in Double sirloin, Porterhouse, Creamy Home Fries, Par mean Gnocchi, Grilled Asparagus, Roasted Tomatoes, and Poached Green Beans. Needless to say, we were totally stuffed by the time the dessert menu came. However, keeping in mind this was a celebration... we ordered dessert! We had the special of the night- Blueberry Pie with vanilla ice cream and the melt-in-your-mouth Caramelized NY Cheesecake served in Strawberry Rubarb Soup.
BLT Prime is owned by Chef Laurent Tourondel who also owns BLT Fish and BLT Steak. Click here to see the menu from BLT Prime.