Taco Dumbo in NYC, NY

Taco Dumbo in NYC, NY

We passed in front of Taco Dumbo few times and decided to try it on a Friday evening. This casual place with a busy bar was packed and we were lucky to find a seat after the ordering at the counter.

The tacos and guacamole came fairly quickly at our table, but I had to ditch the classic margarita I ordered, realizing that they forgot it in my order. The guacamole, house made was pretty good, with chunks of avocado, but needed a small bit of salt. It was not bland though, but the tacos were! Bland and dry were the beef short-rib and the rotisserie chicken Tinga that I was really looking forward to as I love rotisserie chicken.

Simply Chai in Hoboken, NJ

Simply Chai in Hoboken, NJ

I am a coffee drinker: there is no doubt, although I severely reduced my intake when I realized that 14 espresso was a bit too much. So, tea is not something I would drink on a regular basis except at Chinese or Thai restaurants. One exception is Chai that I discovered many years ago during a trip to India. Chai means “tea” in Hindi so you should never say “Chai tea” the same way you would never say a “coffee espresso”. It is black tea that is mixed with spices like cardamom, clove, ginger, etc. and is said,…

Guest Chef's Night at Soul Curry in Hoboken, NJ

Guest Chef's Night at Soul Curry in Hoboken, NJ

When we got invited to Soul Curry in Hoboken 2 Saturdays ago to attend a Guest Chef Night’s event, I was really excited: we love this place and we are often going there, the last time being right after being back from Europe, as we were craving Indian food. At Soul Curry, the menu proposes innovative and classic dishes crafted by Chef Hari Nayak that I met again, 7 years after our first encounter when the place was called Matt and Meera. It is always a pleasure to meet with Chef Nayak: his love for his cuisine and hospitality being undeniable. I told Chef Nayak that we were sad to see Matt and Meera close, the concept of American-Indian fusion being unique in Hoboken, and he explained that after 5 years, …

Garam Masala in Ridgewood, Queens

Garam Masala in Ridgewood, Queens

I was recently invited at Garam Masala, an Indian restaurant located in Ridgewood, Queens. Its owner, Saiful Islam, who previously managed Tandoori Masala in Bushwick and Mahal Kita in Williamsburg wanted to open his own place, catering to a crowd hungry for Indian flavors, but as he says, flavorful does not mean spicy and he and his team ensures diners get the right level of heat.

Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream in NYC, NY

Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream in NYC, NY

I discovered Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream few years ago, while watching a TV show, Unique Sweets, that unfortunately does not run anymore. It was in 2015 and the flagship parlor on the Lower East Side was like going to heaven. But a crowded heaven unfortunately and I admit that I have a limit to my patience when it comes to food, especially in hot weather...So we were excited when we saw that Nicholas Morgenstern decided to open a second, larger location on West Houston. Although also packed, it is usually fine to go there and have some of the incredible flavors they are proposing: burnt honey vanilla (great in a milk shake, it …

800 Degrees Woodfired Kitchen in NYC, NY

800 Degrees Woodfired Kitchen in NYC, NY

When we went to 800 Degrees Woodfired Kitchen, it was it because Chef and founder Anthony Carron partnered with two NBA players, Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem. No, actually we just found it on Opentable.com and thought it would be a good idea to try this place, the concept (cooking food on an open flame) being quite interesting, especially after our dinner at The Marshal in Hell’s Kitchen last year where they really embrace this way of cooking.

Shaka Bowl in Hoboken, NJ

Shaka Bowl in Hoboken, NJ

When Shaka Bowl opened a little over a year ago, I did not know what to think: Poké seems a bit of a trend that may not last as long as ramen. For me, I may crave ramen that I find comforting in the winter time (no hot soup in the summer please), but never craved Poké, even if I love raw fish. Go figure. So it took us time before going to Shaka Bowl, and I admit that it is the tacos they offer that persuaded us to go on a Sunday. And we did not go just once.

Patisserie Tomoko in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Patisserie Tomoko in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

We were in Williamsburg for a street art exhibit called Beyond The Streets and so, decided to find a place after seeing the amazing work from the artists. Looking for a place, we stumbled upon Patisserie Tomoko. It was interesting to find such place there, a bit of the beaten path, serving French and American dessert with a Japanese touch, creation of Chef Tomoko who I admit has an impressive resume, having worked at Le Bernardin, Bouley and The Russian Tea Room.

Ocean Prime in NYC, NY

Ocean Prime in NYC, NY

Seafood or steak restaurant? When you go to Ocean Prime, you might be a bit confused. This place is not unknown to me as I went there few times, often for lunch or a drink, their bar being quite busy in the evening. This time, it was Jodi who wanted to go as she wanted to try a dessert I have been talking about for quite some time. So here we are on a Friday evening. As we did not have any reservation, they put us on one of the side tables in the mezzanine, overlooking the dining room: it was a bit dark, but I was quite happy as the noise level was much lower than on the main floor.

Shelter Pizza in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Shelter Pizza in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

We were walking around in Williamsburg, looking for a brunch place before going to a street art show called Beyond The Streets that was amazing by the way, when we saw Shelter Pizza, a restaurant recognizable from the outside by its vibrant American flag. We hesitated between going there or the nearby Smorgasburg, and decided to give it a try. Entering there is like stepping in another world: this big place is like a lodge in the middle of nowhere: Native American artifacts, animal fur on seats...Warm and cozy, with fireplaces that we surely did not need that day.

Greek food at Fournos Theophilos

Greek food at Fournos Theophilos

There are places that are just confusing: I would have passed in front of Fournos Theophilos, I am not sure I would have stepped in when looking for a dinner place, if not just out of curiosity. Not that it looks dirty or anything, but just because the fast casual feel of this Greek joint hides a restaurant upstairs that we simply found on Opentable. For sure you are not going to Fournos Theophilos for the atmosphere, but I admit that the food was good, maybe not the level of Uncle Nick’s or Greek Town in Hoboken, but still, good. Here is what we had:

Nizza in Hell's Kitchen

Nizza in Hell's Kitchen

Named after Nice (Nizza in Italian), a city in the French Riviera, Nizza is an Italian restaurant located in Hell’s Kitchen. It’s been a while we talked about going there for dinner, Jodi having gone there few times with her friends and me just trying the brunch few years back. That day, the place was crowded and loud, especially before 7:30pm, as filled with lots of theater goers, but also the table of four behind us loud enough to have been heard all the way on Mars.

Inakaya in Times Square

Inakaya in Times Square

There are few restaurants in Times Square that are little gem and Inakaya is surely one of them and there is one thing I always recommend that is to eat at the counter. There, you not only observe what is going on in the kitchen, watching the staff grilling meat, seafood or vegetables, you get the little show which is how they bring some of the dishes to your table, by simply putting them on a long paddle and handing over the dish to you from afar.

Barbes, Moroccan-French restaurant in Hoboken, NJ

Barbes, Moroccan-French restaurant in Hoboken, NJ

So we are back at Barbés, the Moroccan-French restaurant located uptown Hoboken. But this time, I wanted to try their French dishes, the past times having indulged in their couscous and tagines that are very good. After this visit, I remain convinced that this is the spot for moroccan cuisine, less for French. Take the confit de canard for instance: good, not salty, but the skin was charred. For sure, a crispy skin is a must have with a duck confit, but they pushed it a bit far. The steak au poivre, a nice piece of sirloin smothered in a nice peppercorn sauce was also decent…

Brunch at Mexicue in Chelsea

Brunch at Mexicue in Chelsea

We were looking for a brunch place in Chelsea when we saw Mexicue, a Mexican BBQ place that started as a food truck many years ago and spawn into a popular restaurant with three locations in the city. I love this place but admit that dinner can be a bit overcrowded and noisy. But this was our first time in their spacious Chelsea location and I was glad it was on out path: the food there is really good and you may not elect to choose from their brunch menu that is limited and does not offer some of the succulent dishes they offer on their regular menu. For instance, I love the fact that they offer tacos by the piece, allowing you to try several of them and making your own combination.

Brunch at Cecconi's in Dumbo

Brunch at Cecconi's in Dumbo

We had Cecconi’s in Dumbo on our radar for a while. Each time we went to that area, we saw this place full with sometimes a line at the door. Little we knew that this Italian restaurant had locations in many places like West Hollywood, Miami, Istanbul, Barcelona, Berlin and London. I did not imagine before eating there that it was so huge, but the best is their waterfront seating that offers stunning views of Manhattan and the Manhattan bridge.

Fried pizza at Don Antonio

Fried pizza at Don Antonio

Our last stop on Jodi’s birthday was Don Antonio, a pizza joint located midtown from the owner of Kesté Pizza & Vino, Roberto Caporuscio, that serves fried pizza. Yes, you read it well: fried pizza. But do not imagine something gross: this is a bit crispy and delicious, while being very slightly greasy. Not that all their pizza is like that, but usually, when we go there or talk about this place, this is what we get:

Sweets at Billy's Bakery in TriBeCa

Billy's Bakery in TriBeCa

Billy's Bakery in TriBeCa

After our lunch at Joe’s Ginger, Jodi wanted cake for her birthday. So, after checking few places like Harbs and Baked, we ended up at Billy’s Bakery in TriBeCa. I love this place: when you enter, you get that fantastic smell that makes you want to try everything they are making in the back kitchen.

Dining room at Billy's Bakery in TriBeCa

Dining room at Billy's Bakery in TriBeCa

Dining room at Billy's Bakery in TriBeCa

Dining room at Billy's Bakery in TriBeCa

Hesitating between the beautiful cupcakes they have and a slice of cake, Jodi finally went for the latter and chose the crowd pleaser with vanilla frosting that was a moist cake with chocolate in the center.

Crowd pleaser cake at Billy's Bakery in TriBeCa

Crowd pleaser cake at Billy's Bakery in TriBeCa

On my side, I did not hesitate and picked the banana cream pie that is amazing: creamy with lots of slices of banana, a good way to get your daily serving of fruit.

Banana cream pie at Billy's Bakery in TriBeCa

Banana cream pie at Billy's Bakery in TriBeCa

If you do not know Billy’s Bakery, check it out: they have great cupcakes and cakes. I definitely recommend it.

Enjoy (I did)!

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Billy’s Bakery - 75 Franklin Street, New York 10013

 
Billy's Bakery Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato