We recently discovered Blend, a restaurant serving Latin cuisine in Long Island City (LIC). The first time we went there was for brunch and we surely had to go back for dinner. I like this place which is quite big, because of the variety its menu proposes, with dishes from Latin America, like a puzzle made of specialties from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba or Peru. Varied and well executed. Here is what we had:
When Porter Collins, the new venture from Chef Pino who gave us Bin 14 and the amazing Anthony David’s opened on the corner of 15th and Willow in Hoboken, it seemed to be a sign of a reviving industrial area. Unfortunately the place closed several months after and it could have given a black mark to this location, until Orale, a Mexican joint apparently popular in Jersey City opened. With its beautiful space covered in colorful street art and its wall of fluorescent Jarritos bottles, it seems so far that it is the perfect theme for the Hoboken crowd.
It’s been a while since I wanted to go to Esca, an Italian restaurant located in Hell’s Kitchen, few steps from Port Authority. There, Chef Pasternak serves an incredible menu that is seafood focused and with limited choices if you are vegetarian, odd for an Italian restaurant as you can make a great vegetarian pasta dish quite easily.
When you think about a Beer Garden, you think about that particular smell in the dining room that is a mix of beer and sausage, and the heavy comforting food with a giant pretzel as a must have. That is what Hoboken’s Pilsener Haus and Biergarten has to offer. The best time to go? Before 6pm when families are the main crowd, the place not being that crowded and still with an acceptable noise level. Hoboken’s Pilsener Haus and Biergarten is very big and kind of stands out in an area still evolving from the industrial era to a more residential neighborhood.
As we were looking for a place to eat after a solo exhibit from one of Jodi’s friends, Patty, trying to go back home before the announced storm that fortunately did not happen, we stumbled upon Empire Diner, an upscale retro diner serving an elevated fare. For sure, the mural on top of it from Eduardo Kobra called "Mount Rushmore of Art" and representing famed artists Andy Warhol, Frida Kahlo, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat attractedour eyes as we walked on 10th avenue.
If you step in Tuscany Steakhouse in Midtown Manhattan, you would never guess that it is a Steakhouse and would more be inclined to think that it is an Italian restaurant, the masculine decor of classic steakhouses being totally absent. But it will stop there: as soon as you get the menu, you understand where you are but cannot not help but notice some Italian dishes here and there that set the tone. But then you are not sure what to do: Italian? Steak? Both?
As Jodi was part of an exhibit in Henry street in Brooklyn, I proposed to have dinner nearby and found Sociale, an Italian restaurant that has been opened since 2013 and serves a contemporary cuisine. The place is not big and has the kind of atmosphere that makes you think it is your typical neighborhood restaurant, an atmosphere that I love. Food wise, we were there for a treat; here is what we had:
Hoboken has great places for brunch. The last one we discovered in December was Grand Vin Kitchen and Bar. It was the same day as Santa Con and we were glad to see that they barred people participating in this annual pub crawl event, making this place quiet and enjoyable. Serving Italian and American fare, Grand Vin has a very interesting menu for brunch that makes it interesting and the kind of place I would go back to for sure!
We were walking on Jackson avenue in Long Island City, on our way to a restaurant when we noticed Bierocracy, a Central European beer hall. As it started to rain hard, we changed our plan and thought it could be nice to go there for lunch, dinner being probably packed and noisy. And we were half right: the place started empty but they had two parties: one on one side of the bar room and another one in the back, where they have a private room.
Our last meal in San Diego was at Salud! By San Diego Taco Company, a popular Mexican restaurant located in Barrio Logan. Crowded inside with a long line outside, I was really excited to try it. And I was even more when inside, the decor being really beautiful with its murals that are tattoo inspired and the car hoods on the wall.
For our last lunch in San Diego, we decided to go light as we planned an early dinner with our friends Ciara and David, before our flight home. So I found this seafood place that had a couple of vegetarian options for Jodi called Ironside Fish and Oysters. Located in Little Italy, this restaurant is quite big and has a beautiful sea themed decor, especially the wall full of piranhas…
We were really excited to be able to get a reservation at Juniper and Ivy, the restaurant of Top Chef alum Richard Blais where Executive Chef Anthony Wells creates a very creative menu that would for sure excite the culinary curious...unless vegetarian. I wish restaurants were keeping their menu online up to date because Jodi was excited to try their pasta with truffle, but unfortunately it was not there, their menu changing on a regular basis and the waiter did not really come back with options besides what was there written. So I left glad I got to try that place; Jodi was less enthusiastic than I was...Here is what we had:
The Donut Bar was our first target for sweets in San Diego, but, at 4:15pm on the Thursday we arrived there, they were already closed. A quick check on the hours mentioned 8am to sold out. What? First time I saw that besides at food trucks. Is it a way to create some sort of demand? I do not know, but what was sure was that we would go back as their menu looked really good, made of classic and innovative donuts. So we went back on our last day, at 8:45am thinking that, being a Sunday, lots of people would still be asleep. Wrong: there was a line from the moment we arrived to the moment we left.
In-N-Out burger is not new to me as tried it few years ago in San Francisco. At the end of the post, I even wrote at the time: “If I went back to California, I would definitely go get a good burger there!”. So here we were with our friends David and Ciara. When we arrived, the place was packed, but, lucky for us, people right next to us left and so we got a table, granted that we could have sat outside.
