We went for brunch and got seated on the second floor where few large parties were gathering, showing how kid friendly this place is for lunch, as the number of strollers outside can attest. There is some warmth to the place, coziness and the service was excellent. 

Prepared by Chef Gary Sikka, the food was delicious and, according to my Indian friends, fairly authentic. The only negative that day was the private room, that, can hardly accommodate the 10 guests they advertised...But hey, the food made us forget that. At Mint, they offer a large menu that would satisfy the vegetarian as well as the non-vegetarian with so many mouth watering dishes that it is hard to choose.

So, Winter Restaurant Week is back! As soon as I knew, I went on Opentable and made a bunch of reservations. The first one was for Blenheim, a farm to table restaurant located in the West Village. Farm to table is a growing concept, more and more popular in the health conscious circles. The restaurant gets its name from the township in The Catskills where the farm is located. There, they grow vegetables and herbs, have maple trees (they make their own maple syrup) and let animals roam free for the satisfaction of their customers.

I thought I would get the usual buttery sauce, but it was a bit different, the sauce tasting less buttery than usual and containing some leaves that I took for spinach. It was still good and I enjoyed it with the fresh bread they brought us at the beginning of the meal. 

It has been a while we had brunch at Perilla. I think it was few weeks after they opened in 2007, as we were catching up on old episodes of Top Chef, Chef and owner Harold Dieterle having won the season 1. I remember that Jodi got a delicious grilled cheese with a tomato soup: this was the first time I had this combination, although I realize today that it is pretty common. 

It was composed of two over easy eggs on a soft corn tortilla, cheddar and jack cheese, salsa, and served with pinto beans and rice. It was good, but had nothing special that would make it come back just for it, like the Huevos rancheros at La Isla, several blocks away. 

I have been a fan of David Burke's restaurants since I went to David Burke Kitchen and Fishtail, both for restaurant week, besides of course seeing him on TV, sometimes competing against other Chefs. So this time we decided to go to Fabrick, a restaurant located in the Archer Hotel, in the fashion district (hence the name).

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.

Terakawa Ramen is a Japanese ramen bar with two locations: Grammercy and Midtown. This is the latter that we tried. We went early on a Saturday, thinking that, like most ramen shops in the city, there would be a line quickly forming in front of the restaurant. 

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. 

Started in 2005 in Brooklyn, Baked opened its first Manhattan outpost in Tribeca last November. And you know what? I am glad they did! Let's talk about the space first. It used to be a burlesque club, so no wonder why you have a pole at the entrance, except that this one is a cake pole...

It's been a while since we wanted to try Mikie Squared Bar and Grill in Hoboken and what convinced us to go that time was after an encounter with one of my colleagues in the bus from New York, who told me that he loves the brunch there.