We noticed The Burger Bistro when we went to Frère de Lys, few months ago and it was on my list, but I admit that that list starts to be a bit long...So I forgot about it until I was looking for a burger place close to The Metropolitan Museum. We could have gone to Bareburger, located on the next block of The Burger Bistro, but we wanted a change.
I think I heard my colleague Abe talk about Benjamin Steak House for the past two years, this place being supposedly the best steakhouse in town. I love my steaks and New York offers lots of options when it comes to meat, so I was eager to see if Benjamin Steakhouse would be the Holy Grail, topping the Ruth's Chris, Bobby Vans or Old Homestead. Yes, I did not mention Peter Luger that is another category that lives up to its name.
If you would like to be in Paris for a cheap price and without being jet lagged, an easy way is to go to Maison Kayser. There are quite a few in the city, but, the best spot to avoid the crowd is their location in the flatiron. This is the kind of place where you are mesmerized by all the goodies they sell, from bread, cakes, sandwiches to viennoiseries.
Yes, I know: I sat a bit on that post about Menkui-Tei, the ramen shop located on court street, especially as it has been under renovation since October...I try to post right away, but this one slipped my mind. Anyway, reading this might make you want to check the place once they reopen!
Cercle Rouge is a French Bistro that I recently discovered in Tribeca. With an elegant decor (I love the red round (cercle means circle) couch at the entrance, it features classic bistro dishes such as the escargots, mussels or canard a l'orange. On top of that, they offer few selections from their raw bar and...a burger, as well as wings.
I guess the new trend in New York is opening marketplaces with a wide range of food stalls. We had Chelsea Market, the Food Court at The Plaza or the Gotham West Market to name a few; now, we have the Gansevoort Market, freshly opened in October 2014. Located in the heart of the Meat Packing District (MePa if you want to sound trendy), it welcomes a bunch of different cuisines, from American to French to Thai, without forgetting Italian, Lebanese, Mexican, Japanese, and I am sure I missed few...
One of the things I like about going for lunch is that there are always deals available in restaurants, much more than for dinner. In Japanese restaurants, it is the usual bento box or lunch special with its choice of roll, sushi or sashimi, accompanied with a soup or salad. I was determined to enjoy one of these deals when I went to Kikku, a Japanese restaurant that is truly...
I was recently invited to Via Vai, an Italian restaurant that opened in June 2014, conveniently located few steps from the Ditmars train station in Astoria. This place use to be a gentlemen's club, not that I was a customer, but it came up in the conversation we enjoyed with owners Cynthia and Antonio Morichini, who is also the Executive Chef, as we were talking about the long path it takes to open a restaurant.
January 20th is National Cheese Lover's Day. Yes, there is indeed a National Cheese Lover's Day and I think that it should be National Cheese Lover's Month as there are so many cheeses to try, each of them with their own taste and texture...and smell...
I asked people I know what they drink with cheese and most of them said red wine, stirring an interesting debate, especially when I mentioned that few sommeliers as well as Maitre Fromager Max McCalman, explained to me that the problem with red wine is that the tannins will change the taste of the cheese, and so white wine was better.
I admit that just seeing the name Zutto, I would I thought it was an Italian joint. But, when I looked for a place in Tribeca on OpenTable, I saw that it was Japanese. Then, going to their website to check out their menu, it said Japanese American Pub. So, I was not sure what to expect. We went on a Friday night.
The Green Table is a farm to table restaurant in Chelsea Market that serves a menu made with fresh ingredients purchased daily in local farms and green markets. This place has definitely some charm with its decor that could make you think you are in a home somewhere in the country side, with, of course, green tables and flowers.
We went there for brunch and dinner: for brunch, if you go early enough, you can find a spot. Dinner is another story: we though we were early, but the place was packed and we had to wait few minutes, waiting patiently for a text on my phone to let us know our table was ready. Both times, they brought us some delicious focaccia that was definitely greasy, but so addictive, with its crunchy cheesy top that was covered with pepper flakes, making it a bit spicy.
I remember that when I was a kid, I used to see TV series or movies where people were making pancakes, wondering what it was, as we did not have that in France. In all cases, I would definitely not say that crepes are like pancakes and it makes me cringe when I hear people comparing the two as they are totally different!
Anyway, here is the way I make pancakes at home.
