New Opening: Lo Fatt Chow, Healthy Chinese Cuisine, in Hoboken, NJ

New Opening: Lo Fatt Chow, Healthy Chinese Cuisine, in Hoboken, NJ

Like a lot of people, I do not associate healthy cuisine with Chinese food. When I want to eat Chinese, I immediately think about greasy and saucy dishes, at the exception maybe of dim sum. Well, I was wrong: there are ways to cook healthy Chinese food and Lo Fatt Chow (probably a take on low fat), a Chinese restaurant in the Monroe Center in Hoboken, is a good example. Freshly opened on October 16th, they cook their food a la minute (no frozen or pre-cooked dishes) without any MSG and do not use peanut oil.

Maxwell's Tavern in Hoboken, NJ

Maxwell's Tavern in Hoboken, NJ

We went twice since they reopened and they are definitely working on their menu. They make pizza that is an odd choice considering the multiple pizza places in the city, and their brunch menu is more a bar menu than a brunch menu, lacking the usual egg, pancake or French toast dishes. Of course, they have burgers, and we tried the classic American burger with (lots of) sautéed mushrooms...

Brunch at Estela in New York, NY

Brunch at Estela in New York, NY

We decided to go for brunch at Estela, a restaurant located in Nolita that made it in the news recently, after President Obama and the First Lady ate there. Nothing unusual if it was not that the credit card of the President was declined. He explained later: "I guess I don't use it enough, so they [the bank] thought there was fraud was going on." Fortunately, Michelle Obama's card worked...

Maze by Gordon Ramsay at The London Hotel in New York, NY

Maze by Gordon Ramsay at The London Hotel in New York, NY

It has been a while since we wanted to go back to Maze, one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants, located in The London Hotel, Midtown. We wanted to go there for a simple reason: the beef Wellington that is one of the dishes cooked in the Chef's TV show Hell's Kitchen, dish that triggers a lot of yelling from the Chef. 

New Opening: Dough in Chelsea, New York, NY

New Opening: Dough in Chelsea, New York, NY

When I heard that Dough was opening an outpost near the Flatiron, I could not resist to go and try some of their original flavors. Yes, I tried Dough earlier this year, when one of my colleagues brought some donuts for breakfast (see my review of Dough here). This place opened last Friday, October 17th, and, with all the buzz they got, I was not surprised to see a line of excited foodies, waiting to get their sugary fix.

O MAI in New York, NY

O MAI in New York, NY

O Mai is a Vietnamese restaurant located in the trendy Chelsea. It is a decent size place with a warm decor and an interesting menu with unique dishes that can satisfy any palate. We went there on a Friday night and the place was packed. This is definitely the place to go if you like loud music, loud people and barely no light to see your food...

Brunch at Thalia in New York, NY

Brunch at Thalia in New York, NY

I passed so many times in front of Thalia, in the Theater District, not really enticed to try it. I should have looked at their brunch menu before. It has your traditional dishes, but some of them with a twist, like the Crème brûlée French toast that was amazing: the bread was perfectly soaked, the top was crunchy and deliciously sweet.

Brunch at The Brass Rail in Hoboken, NJ

Brunch at The Brass Rail in Hoboken, NJ

Menu wise, as I mentioned before, they serve New American cuisine and their brunch, that we tried, offers a good deal: for $19 you get an appetizer (not just a salad as you will see) and an entrée. For $11 more, you get an alcoholic beverage, unlimited, such as a beer or a mimosa. As my drink of choice for brunch is either coffee or fresh squeezed juice, I went for the first option, similar to Jodi.

En Japanese Brasserie in New York, NY

En Japanese Brasserie in New York, NY

What you are going to read below cannot express enough how sensational our dinner at EN Brasserie was. We passed so many times in front of that restaurant, located in Hudson street, in an area not that ideal for restaurants, if not maybe the lack of competition. Going there was like setting foot in Japan and we tasted some phenomenal dishes that convinced me more that there is more than just sushi and sashimi in Japanese cuisine.