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

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!

Moved Out West...

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!

Abe & Arthur's

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

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

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

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.

Gramercy Tavern

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.

Craft

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.

Apizz

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.

August

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.

Watawa

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.

Brooklyn: Pizza & Ice Cream

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

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

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)

In Vino

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

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

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

China Grill

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.

Josie's

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

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.