Founded in Fukuoka, Japan by Tetsushi Mizokami, Uncle Testsu’s cheesecake opened in New York a couple of months ago. I noticed it after seeing a line in front of a small bakery with an open kitchen where somebody was making what I learn later was madeleines. I admit that I never had or even knew that there was such thing as a Japanese cheesecake, a treat totally different from the heavier version we know (and yes, Junior’s is still the best for me). No, Japanese cheesecakes are fluffier and eggy: a…

It’s been a while since we wanted to go to Socarrat Paella Bar but I admit that I was a bit put off by the fact that they only serve paella for a minimum of two people. Between Jodi being vegetarian and me not wanting to try a non-vegetarian paella, it did not work. So we finally decided to go for their tapas, me, salivating each time I was seeing a large paella pan passing by, imagining I could dip my fork in it without people knowing.

When I heard Jersey Mike’s opened where Fran’s Deli used to be, I was really excited to ty it, loving subs that I discovered in this country. Not that we do not have sandwiches in France, but subs are slightly different, especially the soft bread that is a big part of it.

Last Saturday, I was invited to try Rabbit Rabbit Tea, a place that serves bubble tea, a kind of tea that became popular in Taiwan in the 1980s and whose creator is unknown. It has since conquered the US and Rabbit Rabbit Tea has made its way from California to New York, housed in the location of a Chinese restaurant (Xiang Xiang Noodle). The rabbit is often associated with luck and there is this superstition in Britain and North America wherein a person says or repeats the words "rabbit", "rabbits" and/or "white rabbits" aloud upon waking on the first day of a month to get good luck for the whole month. So, I wonder if it is from that that the name of this place came from…For sure the logo is fun.

I heard of Belcampo thanks to fellow blogger Johnny Prime who is a reference when it comes to meat and attended a camp there, before discovering that they have an outpost in Hudson Yards. At the time when more and more people become vegetarian, many because of the way cattle are raised, Belcampo shows how raising animals for consumption can be less hazardous, controlling the food chain from A to Z, without any middlemen and under strict rules. Raised in their farm at the base of Mt Shasta in Northern California (25,000 acres), the animals are fed without any hormones and additives and it shows.

It is not that often that you see a Georgian Bakery and restaurant opening and when Chama Mama opened last Spring, it got people talk (I am talking about the Eastern European country). Replacing a Cuban restaurant in Chelsea (El Paraiso), Chama Mama is a casual place with in the kitchen in the middle, visible from the dining room and exhibiting their « tone », a very large clay oven that apparently every Georgian home has (in a smaller version) and where they cook bread most of the day (this one uses gas).

Last Saturday, I was invited at Lokal in Jersey City, for the restaurant opening. I know: when people think about New Jersey, they wonder if they need their passport, but, in fact, between the ferry from the World Trade Center to the path train to Exchange Place or Newport, it is very easy to go there and you can enjoy delicious food while admiring a breathtaking view of Manhattan.

We were in Jersey City recently, trying to go to the DMV where the line was as long as a CVS receipt. So, although we decided to go back another time, we chose to eat around and found a Filipino place called Max’s Restaurant. Why not? Jodi was ok to go there as long as I was not getting a balut. Deal. I did not know going at Max’s Restaurant that they have more than 200 locations internationally, mostly in the Philippines and quite a few in North America (17 at this time). Opened in 1945 in the Philippines by Maximo Gimenez and now a family run restaurant empire, it is known for its fried chicken that I skipped as I was going to eat chicken that evening too and was curious to try the pusit sisig, a dish made of …

I have never been a fan of Gallaghers, the famous close to a century old steakhouse with its meat locker where they dry age their cuts visible from the outside, like a tourist attraction. But my last visit might have changed my mind. It is true that I went there years ago, before the change of ownership and complete revamping, making it more upscale but keeping a certain charm and authentic feel. Impossible to miss if the open kitchen in the back where the magic happens and I was surprised to see their grill where they cook the meat over hickory logs.

When I received an invite to dine at Alley 41, a Sichuanese restaurant in Flushing, I realized that it has been years that we have been saying we should go in that area to try some authentic Chinese cuisine, but we never went. So I gladly accepted the offer and we went on a Friday evening. Its owner, Mr Yao Hua comes from the Sichuan province and immigrated in the US in 1999. Here, he worked in various restaurants before opening Alley 41 in 2017, doing its best to keep the flavors authentic and shipping 80% of its ingredients from the Sichuan Province in China.

It’s been a while since we wanted to go to The Dutch, one of the many restaurants of successful restauranteur Andrew Carmellini (Lafayette, Locanda Verde and Bar Primi to name a few). So, as we had a cooking class at Atelier Sucré (éclairs and cream puffs) in the West Village, we decided to book a table for brunch.

This big place that proposes an American fare was packed for sure, not just the dining rooms but also the bar. Food wise, there are few interesting dishes they offer like the donut tree that seems decadent, but the flavors proposed not that great for me, so we passed. And I was …

We recently went to Pico Taco, a small taco joint near the path train in Hoboken. Yes, small, bright with only few tables on each side and the counter in the back where you will place your order. Opened in May 2019, Pico Taco makes their own tortilla, claiming that they use fresh ingredients, although, when I asked what fish they used for their crispy fish taco, they said “frozen tilapia”. I admit that at that point I hesitated (not just because the fish is frozen, but also because…

It’s been a while since we wanted to dine at La Pecora Bianca and we finally decided to go to this bright and inviting restaurant with few locations in Manhattan. We picked the one Midtown East that was not that packed when we arrived. I like the decor that is not overdone but you could wonder if you too should come there dressed in white.

I wanted to go to Osteria Francescana for a while, mesmerized by the avant-garde cuisine of acclaimed Chef Massimo Bottura whose innovative mind comes out pretty well in the Netflix’s series Chef’s Table. Opened in 1995, Osteria Francescana rapidly gained popularity, climbing the ladder of the 50 World Best Restaurants (3rd in 2013 and 2014, 2nd in 2015 and then 1st in 2016 and 2018). Rapidly but not without struggling at first, the restaurant was rejected by Italian patrons who thought that the dishes served did not represent Italian classics and were even treasonous. It is only …

We were leaving the Uffizi Galery in Florence when we saw a horde of people sitting wherever they could to eat a huge sandwich glutinously. So we followed the line and ended up in front of All’Antico Vinaio, a popular sandwich shop that had, the same week, a pop up in New York, in front of Otto Enoteca. Opened in 1991, this place serves sandwiches made with a bread that is baked during the day, and prepared to order.

Our friend Allan who has been living in Florence for the past three years suggested to try Pizzeria Antica Porta, a place loved by locals with few tourists like us who you would think got lost. Located in the outskirts of Florence, on the road to Rome, outside of what used to be city walls, this place might be small in space but it is big in flavor.

We got lucky, had a table quickly and could not wait to try their pizza. We chose two: the Quattro formaggi and the margarita with mozzarella di buffala.

We discovered Trattoria Borgo Antico in Florence 5 years ago after finishing a walking tour in Piazza di Santo Spirito, right in front of the Santo Spirito Basilica and were really looking forward to going back there. We went back in fact for a dish that I love there and was kind of déjà vu: the linguine alle vongole or linguine with clams in a white sauce. There are few things I need for this dish to be successful: pasta well cooked, lots of well cleaned clams (who likes to chew on sand?) and the right amount of sauce (and of course a good sauce). Well I got all of that to the point that …

On our first evening in Florence, we looked up for best pasta in the city and found out Osteria Del Gatto e la Volpe (the cat and the wolf), located via Ghibellina, a charming street few blocks from the Duomo. The comment on the website where we found it said that it was one of the last typical Italian restaurants and the rustic decor seemed a reminder of the past (although not so old in the city as it opened in 1979), but …

Am I going to be loco of Loquito in Hoboken? I know this is an easy way to start this post when you know that Loquito is a diminutive of loco that means crazy in Spanish. Loquito opened few weeks ago on Washington street, result of the cooperation of Chef Stephen El-Hassan, co-owner of O’Bagel, his sister Helengrace and Sammy Abdo, co-founder of Michigan’s Jersey Bagel and Deli. With a name like Loquito, you would expect a taqueria, but the mention “tacos arabes” below the name on the awning makes you wonder what kind of tacos they serve. At first,…

Food is stronger than common sense: why did we decide to go to such place as The Rag Trader when we know that we hate noisy places, preferring quieter ones so we can enjoy a nice conversation while having a great dinner? This place kept popping up on Opentable.com and their menu was mouth watering, offering lots of dishes to share inspired from a wide range of cuisine. When we arrived, we realized our mistake, the place being packed and loud, but had few minutes of hope when they told us our table was upstairs. Yes, I thought that maybe upstairs was quieter, more geared towards diners.