When we went to Bouley in TriBeCa, I was definitely unimpressed, if not disappointed. But we still were going to give a chance to the famous Chef, trying the Japanese restaurant he opened with Yoshiki Tsuji, Brushstroke. And you know what? It was much, much, much better, with a tasting that was memorable.
As it will soon not be ramen time for me: I love the hot soup one and I am less inclined to have these noodles in a cold dish, although I tried once at Takumi and it was delicious, but I really associate ramen with colder days...One of the ramen joints that was on my radar is Ramen-Ya and we decided to go for lunch on a week day. When we arrived at their location on West 4th street, I was really surprised to see the entrance that is a white townhouse, giving the impression you are going to a friend to have a meal.
When I was invited to Hell's Chicken last Monday, I was pretty happy to get another opportunity to go to that place, having visited it with my friend Benny few months ago as we were looking for a fried chicken place (see the post about my first visit at Hell's Chicken). This time, I went with another friend, Abe, who is also a huge fan of the fried bird and was as excited as I was to go there. We went for dinner and met with the owner, Sung Jin Min who opened this restaurant in the Spring of 2013.
Owned by Chef Maung Htein Linn, who also owns Tabata Ramen, Nippori is a Japanese restaurant located in the heart of Midtown. I should mention that both Tabata and Nippori are train stations from a Tokyo circle line. At Nippori, the Chef crafted a menu that he considers authentically Japanese, serving not only ramen, but also sushi, sashimi, etc. When we arrived, at opening time, the place was not crowded and it took only 15 minutes to start seeing customers arriving to the point where people where waiting for a table.
So we were back to Via Vai in Astoria where Chef Antonio Morichini is now proposing a family meal on Sundays, called “Pranzo di Domenica in famiglia”. Yes, a family meal and not a brunch, although there are few dishes with eggs on the menu. As he said, if he would call it a brunch, not only people would expect eggs, but also waffles and pancakes, that are not items he is proposing. At Via Vai, you would only get traditional Italian dishes:
It's been 2 and a half years since we went to Hunter's a restaurant in Brooklyn with a neighborhood feel. We did not go back because of the time it takes us to go to Brooklyn, picking mainly restaurants in Manhattan. Well, that's definitely a mistake in a way, this place serving a very good cuisine made of classic dishes composed of sustainable ingredients.
I was recently invited at The royal Munkey, an Indian restaurant located in Kips Bay. The experience there is sort of unique as, usually, you would go to an Indian restaurant for the food, the decor and ambiance not being really considered. Well, it is not the case at The Royal Munkey: you might want to go for the cocktails and ambiance first, and then for the food. Not that the food is not good, but the atmosphere at this place is kind of festive, as the photo below can attest, a birthday being celebrated there.
So we finally made it to Bubby's, after repeated suggestions from one of the blog's readers (thanks Ttrockwood!). Not ghat this place was not on my list, Jodi mentioning it several times and raving about their brunch and biscuits that I tried one time, when she brought back one from a brunch with her cousin Rebecca. Instead of going to the one in TriBeCa, we decided to go to the location close to the High Line.
I found Takashi when looking for a ramen place close to Christopher Street and did not expect to find a menu where all parts (yes, I wrote ALL) of a cow would be eaten. For sure they have ramen, but what convinced me to go was more the other dishes that would probably creep out many people. I went alone as there was no way Jodi would have joined the experience or should I say experiment...
I was recently invited for a tasting at Petrossian, the luxurious but not outrageously expensive restaurant located in the beautiful Alwyn Court building, one block from The Carnegie Hall and few steps from Central Park. It was not my first time there as I went few years ago for dinner and brunch in what is known as the first purveyor of caviar in the world, boasting a century old experience in this business that is fast growing, with caviar produced from more and more countries and not just from Russian and Iran as it used to be decades ago.
We got seated in their dining room that I admit misses a bit of the charm you would find in places like O'Neals or City Bistro. Service wise, it was efficient and courteous, checking on us if we needed anything. When we sat, and while we were looking at the menu, they brought us a fruit salad that was a nice touch.
We finally made it to Fette Sau, crowned the best BBQ place in New York. And you know what? I agree! The food there was phenomenal, each piece of meat being so flavorful, moist and so tender it melted in my mouth.
This place is always packed, so, instead of going on a week end, we decided to go one of the days we were off, showing up at 5pm, the time they open.
You have probably seen Vivi Bubble Tea at some point, while walking in the streets of New York: they are everywhere and, at the time I wrote this post, they have 14 locations in the city and many locations in other states. One of them in Hoboken, where they opened in 2014, serving not only bubble tea, but also ramen. We wanted to go for a while, but either went for ramen in the city, or looking for another restaurant because of the crowd. We decided to go on a Sunday, right when they opened, figuring that it would be crowded later. And we were right: we were the first, but the place started to fill up 15 minutes later.
No, this post is not about a trip to Vermont, in the middle of nowhere: it is about The Stone House at Clove Lakes, in the heart of Staten Island. Looking at the photos, it is difficult to believe that, less than 30 minutes from Manhattan lies a little paradise that would make you forget the speedy life of the city.
This place is impressive: first the outside, with a romantic view of the lake making it the perfect place for a special occasion. The Stone House is surrounded by water, being on an island, with for sole access a stone bridge.
The Upper West Side is an interesting neighborhood that is changing as time passes. It does not have the same appeal as others like Soho, Chelsea or TriBeCa and its crowd is often associated with moviegoers, theatergoers and tourists. It is in this mix of hungry people that we tasted TESSA, a restaurant serving mainly Mediterranean cuisine. Taking its name from the daughter of one of the owners, this place has a fantastic decor that is a mix of rustic, with its exposed whitewashed bricks, and industrial, with the double layered blackened steel security gates that cover the entire ceiling and can be found all over the restaurant, wrapping around the bar for instance.
I discovered Ramen Takumi few years ago, at the time it was located close to Union Square. It then moved few steps from Washington Square Park. We were going for ramen in another location when we passed in front of it and finally decided to eat there. Funny enough, the restaurant was packed when we arrived. Ten minutes later, half of the dining room was empty.
We were looking for a good Indian restaurant in TriBeCa, the best one so far being the reasonably priced Balucci's (their crab curry is the best). We stumble upon Saalam Bombay, a more upscale place.
The dining room is fairly large, with a traditional decor, overlooking the section of the kitchen where the tandoor oven is. Menu wise, you will find the classic, with of course a large selection of dishes cooked in that oven.
Last week, I was invited to an event organized by Tabelog, a restaurant review site that is conquering the US and where lots of bloggers contribute, posting amazing photos of food that make me drool each time I visit it. This time was at Andanada 141, the Michelin-starred Spanish tapas restaurant located on the Upper West Side. As always, the event was perfectly organized, giving us the opportunity to meet with the Chef, Manuel Berganza who prepared a delicious meal for us, straight from the menu.
There are many Thai restaurants in Hell's Kitchen and, when I go to one, I am always curious to see what would make it different from the others. Thai cuisine is often associated with cheap lunch menu and Thai Select is no different, with a lunch special served everyday for less than $9, where you get a salad, an appetizer and a main dish. Pretty good deal! No, what makes this place different is the menu: yes you will get the basic dishes like that Pad See-Ew that was delicious or the Massaman curry that I have tried with chicken, that had a nice kick, but was not over spicy. More surprising are the wide choices of appetizers, some of them being a bit unusual like the crab croquettes that are some sort of crispy wonton stuffed with crab meat and...cream cheese. W
I cannot believe it has been two years already since I went to Osteria Del Circo, the restaurant from the Maccioni family, the owners of Le Cirque. It was for their first annual Bollito Misto and I got the privilege to meet with the matriarch of the family: Mama Egi.
