January 2012
1 post
10 tags
Piola
You’ve probably heard about all you can drink brunches, but an all you can drink dinner?!
Welcome to Piola in Union Square, a large Italian eatery where on Wednesday nights ladies can have unlimited house wine (red or white) with any entrée after 8pm. As you can imagine it’s full of groups of girls from NYU (which was my friends and I just a few years ago), as well as those long graduated (which...
December 2011
1 post
10 tags
The Biryani Cart
The Biryani Cart has won a number of different awards and accolades, including the People’s Choice Award at the Vendy’s. Besides for the biryani that they are so famous for, they also serve up other South Asian specialties like chicken tikka masala, chicken curry, and kati rolls just to name a few.
I had a day off work this week and was running an errand right by the cart, so of...
November 2011
1 post
14 tags
Kittichai - Boozey Brunch
Kittichai, a Thai restaurant located in the Thompson Hotel, has one of the best all you can drink brunch deals out there. Compared to all the other places in the city (there must be close to 100 now) that offer these bottomless brunches, Kittichai is definitely the most upscale and imaginative.
This year for my birthday, twelve of us dined outside the hotel restaurant in their beautifully draped...
September 2011
1 post
9 tags
Adrienne's Pizzabar
Stone Street is one of the best thing to happen to Manhattan’s Financial District. It’s a quaint little historic street with cobble stone pathways, fully lined with restaurants and outdoor seating galore. You would never guess that only a block or so over you’d be surrounded by the hustle and bustle of Wall St. Adrienne’s Pizzabar, is one of my favorite restaurants on Stone...
August 2011
2 posts
8 tags
Totto Ramen
Totto Ramen is definitely one of the most sought after ramen joints in New York City right now. We found out that the restaurant opens at 5:00pm on Sundays for dinner, so we arrived at around 5:10pm to try and beat the much heard about rush. Not only was the entire place full, but the line was already out the door and down the sidewalk. That’s usually a sign that a place is going to be...
10 tags
Bricklane Curry House - Phaal Challenge
If you read my blog, you know I am insane about spicy food. I just can’t put enough hot sauce, sriracha, chili powder, jalapenos, etc on everything I eat. Two years ago, I saw an episode of Man vs. Food with my fiance and we vowed we would try it. On this particular episode, shot in New York City, Adam Richman visit’s Brick Lane Curry House to take on the Phaal Challenge. His...
July 2011
3 posts
8 tags
Birreria - Eataly's Awesome New Rooftop
If you read my last post about Eataly, you know that I just love it. It’s a foodie paradise, and to make it even better, they opened a rooftop biergarten and restaurant called Birreria. I have tried coming here a couple of times before, but the line had just been too long to wait. Over fourth of July weekend, when the city tends to empty out, I finally got my shot. We went right up with...
15 tags
Braai
Have you ever had South African food? Me neither. In fact, I didn’t (and probably still don’t) even really know what constitutes as South African food. I came across Braai on Wined and Dined’s trusty list of all you can drink brunch spots in the city. The menu looked interesting, and I am always up for trying new things!
This place is really a hidden gem. It’s small, but...
11 tags
Motorino
Mototino has the best pizza in NYC, according to the New York Times. That’s a really big claim to make considering the multitudes of amazing pizza joints here in New York, and I knew they wouldn’t just make a statement like that without some level of certainty. After reading this article last year, I of course had to check it out for myself (and I have been going back ever since!). I...
June 2011
9 posts
10 tags
Jamaican Dutchy
I was so excited last week when I was taking my usual walk to the subway, and saw that the Jamaican Dutchy cart has now moved to 38th st between 6th and 7th ave. I’m not in the area during lunchtime, so I got some picked up for me and ate it for dinner.
So here’s what they’ve got: Goat Curry, Jerk Chicken, Stewed Chicken, Escovitch Fish, Cow’s Foot, and a few other daily...
7 tags
klee623 asked: New York City Restaurant Week is coming up soon and I'm unsure where to make my reservation. Can you give me some suggestions of your favorite restaurant week locations? Thanks!
6 tags
Spicy Turkey Burgers
A few years ago when I met my fiance I told him I was going to make him my famous turkey burgers. Expectantly, he made a face. He’s a beef kind of guy - steak, ribs, and of course real beef burgers. I promised him that these would be up his alley and he let me make them. He was expecting a dried out burger with no taste, but what he got was an extremely juicy, tender burger packed with...
11 tags
Donatella
I truthfully only wanted to go to Donatella because celebrity chef and owner Donatella Arpaia built a faboush blinged out pizza oven and I just had to check it out (pictured below, but for a better one click here). Someday, I hope to have one exactly like this in my massive chefs kitchen (hey, a girl can dream….). The pizza unfortunately was average. I have been to D-Bar before,...
7 tags
Kwik Meal
I just love street carts and street food. Nothing like it - fast, cheap, and delicious! Unfortunately I have never worked in midtown, so I rarely get to try the multitudes of new and old street carts that heavily populate the lunch scene in that area. Luckily, I had a day off from work last week and got to hit up my second favorite “halal” type cart- Kwik Meal.
What’s so...
12 tags
STK
Every once in a while, you have a meal so out of this world that you leave the restaurant with a full belly and a huge smile on your face. The kind of meal where dish after dish the server brings out is perfect. The last meal I had of this stature was two years ago at Del Posto for lunch. I wish I had a blog back then because I would have gushed about how amazing it was (Although I have been...
12 tags
Calle Ocho
I recently visited Calle Ocho for a ladies night celebration and had a blast! The decor, ambiance, music, and drinks are all the perfect setting for a night out on the town. I had heard a lot about Calle Ocho’s all you can drink sangria brunch on the weekends, but haven’t gotten the chance to visit yet. The food at dinner was good, but didn’t live up to my favorite Cuban/Latin...
6 tags
Thai Basil Fish
This is an simple, delicious, and healthy Thai dish that you can easily make at home.
Ingredients:
5-6 pieces tilapia (or other white fish)
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup Holy Thai Basil leaves (or substitute Italian Basil)
2 red Thai chilies (or other chilies)
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1...
11 tags
Momofuku Fried Chicken Dinner
Two years ago I read this article on my favorite blog Serious Eats - and I have been chasing a reservation for the exclusive Momofuku Fried Chicken Dinner ever since. This is no ordinary fried chicken dinner - you will have to battle with the Momofuku online reservation lottery system to secure a seat for you and 7 of your closest foodie friends. They say your best bet is to login to the system...
May 2011
7 posts
10 tags
Asellina
I recently went for an anniversary dinner to Asellina in the Gansevoort Park Hotel. This is a perfect date night or special occasion spot, the decor and ambiance were absolutely beautiful (see photos here), and the food equally excellent!
We started with the Wood-Fired Meatballs with cannellini beans, culatello and fontina cheese. The meatballs are definitely a must have on the menu - they were...
12 tags
Essex Restaurant
For Mother’s Day this year we took our mom to my all time favorite brunch spot, Essex Restaurant in the Lower East Side. They have a great pre-fixe menu, which includes 3 bloody marys, mimosas or screwdrivers. My biggest word of advice for this restaurant would be to never come with out a reservation. Every weekend - regardless of it being a holiday or not - it is utterly packed, and you...
13 tags
Virgils BBQ
When you arrive at Virgils BBQ in the heart of Times Square, you are quickly seated at a table equipped with burgundy hand towels wrapped around your cutlery instead of the usual linen napkin. That’s the tip-off that this place is going to be a no frills, finger licking good BBQ joint! Virgil’s has huge portions and overall very good food compared to most of the other tourist traps in...
8 tags
Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Truck
We happened to stumble upon the Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Truck in the West Village this weekend and just had to try it after hearing such great things. This is definitely no Häagen-Dazs or Baskin Robbins - Van Leeuwen serves up some very fancy-shmancy artisinal ice cream made from only the freshest and purest ingredients. And man it was SO GOOD! They have some very exotic flavors like Ginger or Red...
11 tags
The Collective
(Photo courtesy Zagat) The Collective is a new restaurant in the meatpacking district, brought to you by the folks behind STK and Bagatelle. Like most meatpacking restaurants, its extremely loud with music blaring even as early as 7pm, slightly pretentious (we waited for a table for 20 minutes, even though there were many open tables AND we had a reservation), and pretty “sceney” (the...
13 tags
The Blind Pig
Last weekend was finally sunny and beautiful, and we wanted to find a brunch spot with outdoor seating so we could bring the pup with us. After a quick Google search, we found out that The Blind Pig offers an all you can drink brunch on Sat & Sun from 11am to 4pm, and is fully equipped with outdoor seating. Let me start by saying that if you are coming here to drink, then don’t bother...
5 tags
Healthy Homemade Pizza
I love eating pizza, but hate the calories that are associated with it! Below is my recipe for a healthy, quick and easy homemade pizza that take less then 15 minutes to prepare and cook! You can make this with literally any veggies or protein you have on hand in your fridge. If you don’t have whole wheat pitas, you can also make this on whole wheat english muffins.
Ingredients:
1 whole...
April 2011
6 posts
jaybug21 asked: I absolutely love your blog! I have a little agenda with some places you've been to that I want to go to. But I have a question about Eataly. I went there last Sunday and since my boyfriend and I were confused about seating and eating at the sit down places they had, we grabbed some focaccia and went across the street to sit and eat. So, if we wanted to eat at one of the sit downs, do we just...
8 tags
Las Chicas Locas
Las Chicas Locas is an oddly placed Mexican tapas bar and restaurant located inside the Four Point’s Sheraton. Aside from it’s random location, the decor, ambiance, and overall trendiness would give it the illusion of being just like any of the other restaurant located inside the more upscale New York City hotels. The name of the restaurant is also perfectly suited for a girls night,...
19 tags
Varli Indian Food Festival
The First Annual Varli Food Festival took place on April 7, 2011, featuring 13 big name Indian chefs and 35 Indian restaurants from all around the tri-state area. Needless to say, this was an awesome event with great food, drinks, and ambiance. The best part, besides the EATING, was that 100 percent of proceeds from the silent auction and cookbook sales, and 10 percent of proceeds from ticket...
9 tags
Ayza Wine & Chocolate Bar
I have been frequenting Ayza Wine and Chocolate Bar for the past two years and there are so many reasons why I love it. Outdoor (heated in the winter) seating all year round ? Check. Reasonable prices? Check. Delicious food? Check. Great for both a romantic date night or a girls night out? Check. Close to Penn Station for all my commuter buddies? Check Check Check!
I came here a couple of...
7 tags
Wafles and Dinges Truck
Let me start this post of by saying I am really not a dessert eater. I would rather order an appetizer then a dessert any day. On this particular night however, I finally gave in and tried the Wafles and Dinges truck because I have been hearing such excellent reviews about it from blogs and friends alike. They even won the waffle Throwdown with Bobby Flay!
I ordered the classic Brussels...
4 tags
Spicy Turkey Lasagna
Lasagna has a ton of ingredients and many different steps, so I am going to break this recipe down by component to make it easier. You can also replace the ground turkey with ground beef if you prefer!
For the turkey:
Ingredients:
1 (20 ounce) package ground turkey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
2 jalapenos diced
1 tablespoon garlic, paste
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1/2...
March 2011
16 posts
6 tags
Koi
Koi is by far my favorite out of all the high end Japanese restaurants in the city. My boyfriend and I love the food so much that we end up frequenting it pretty often. I think every couple has a go-to place; for special occasions, anniversary’s, apology dinners (haha), or just a place to go that has a lot of good memories!
We had a reservation to go this Sunday night and I was extremely...
11 tags
Frites 'N' Meats Truck
On Tuesday, I blogged about the free street cart food being given away via Tenka deals. I work on the Upper West Side, where these trucks rarely ever visit so I was pretty disappointed I wouldn’t be able to get in on the free deals. I love my street carts! Imagine my excitement walking out of the subway on Friday morning and seeing the Frites ‘N’ Meats truck parked right outside my office that...
9 tags
Smothered Chicken and Vegetables
Very ironically, when I’m at the gym working out I usually watch and drool over the Food Network. Most of the time, I end up catching Paula Deen’s Kitchen (obviously perfect for working out!). The episode I watched last night featured Chris Rock’s mom, Rose Rock, cooking her son’s favorite childhood meal, Smothered Chicken and Biscuits. It looked so good I wanted to jump...
6 tags
Eat Free, First Annual Virtual Food Truck Festival... →
Get free food from various food carts around Manhattan using Tenka Deals!
12 tags
Golden Food Mall - Flushing
This post is really for the adventurous eaters out there. If your willing to make the trek to enjoy some really good, really authentic, and really cheap food - then your going to love this place. I got so addicted that I actually went four weekends in a row! Beware, a lot of the shop owners do not speak English, so you will have to make do with pointing at things that look good!
After hearing...
10 tags
Mozzarella Chicken and Vegetable Skillet
My favorite recipe website is allrecipes.com, because they have a great search feature that lets you enter in the ingredients you have on hand at home and pulls dozens of recipes that match your search criteria. For example, to get some inspiration on what to cook, I entered three ingredients I had in the fridge and knew I wanted to use: chicken, mushrooms, and wine. One of the recipes it returned...
16 tags
Hakata Tonton
Hakata Tonton is a hidden gem in the heart of the West Village. You may walk by the unassuming storefront hundreds of times and never even really notice it. But inside awaits a truly unique take on what they proclaim to be “Japanese Soul Food”, in the form of small plates (aka tapa’s style). Hakata Tonton offers something much different from your usual Japanese sushi fare, as this...
6 tags
Bahama Mama...
I just got back from a wonderful and relaxing Caribbean vacation from the Bahamas, Grand Bahama Island. The resort food and drinks were not even worth mentioning, but thankfully we decided to venture out one sunny afternoon to try some traditional island food. We read about Bertha’s Blue Dinghy beach bar on Trip Adviser before we left, where she came highly recommended by many reviewers of...
8 tags
Dos Toros Taqueria
Do you like Chipolte? If so, your going to really love Dos Toros Taqueria, a more fresh and authentic version of the fast food giant. Although they have a very similar menu, if you want to have really really good tortillas, tacos, and quesadillas, you should definitely skip on the Chipolte and head on over to Dos Toros. Located near Union Square, this is a great $10 and under spot. Warning:...
9 tags
Adult Mac & Cheese
I was recently watching Foodography on the Cooking Channel, a show that takes a look at different cultural food themes around the country and their origins. This particular episode was about good ole’ southern cooking! Of course after a few minutes of watching, it made me instantly crave mac and cheese. Mac and cheese has been one of my favorite foods since childhood, nothing like a box of...
1 tag
The Sriracha Burn →
Check out this adorable cartoon about Sriracha…This basically describes my life!
11 tags
Recipe Remix - Pork Chops
A few weeks ago my boyfriend and I had a personal chef come cook for us (hooray for groupon!). It turned out our chef, Jackie Lee, was a winner from the first season of Food Network’s show Chopped. Of course, I nearly had a conniption when she told us! A real food network star in our kitchen, cooking for us….every foodie’s dream come true!
I pre-picked the menu of pork...
15 tags
Cheeky Sandwiches
I was recently reminiscing about my two fabulous trips to New Orleans - a food lovers paradise. I planned my trip, both times, only around what and where I was going to be eating each meal.
One of my favorite spots in the french quarter area is Johnny’s Po-Boys. A local establishment open since the 1950’s, Johnny’s is the oldest family owned po’boy restaurant in the city...
6 tags
One Minute Egg
I never can seem to find enough time to eat breakfast in the mornings, like many of you reading this I’m sure! I’m not a fan of cold cereals or yogurts, and hot breakfasts just take to much time.
There is one way however in which you can make an egg in under ONE MINUTE. That’s right, under one minute AND not an ounce of butter or olive oil needed. My mom has been making this for...
12 tags
Eataly NYC
Eataly is where foodies die and go to heaven. If you like high quality food, ingredients, produce, wine, gelato, coffee and much much more, your going to want to spend hours roaming around this behemoth food mall. Eataly has something for everyone - whether your there to just people watch and leisurely enjoy a latte, shopping and preparing for an authentic Italian dinner, or sitting down to manja...
14 tags
Boozey Brunch - Barbounia
Over the past two years, New York City has seen an enormous amount of All You Can Drink (AYCD) brunch spots pop up. I have taken it upon myself to try many of them - hey who doesn’t like unlimited mimosas with the company of your friends on a lazy Sunday afternoon!? Here is a great list of AYCD brunch spots compiled by Wined and Dined (some of my favorites include Essex, HK Cafe, PS 450 and...
February 2011
3 posts
7 tags
Spicy Sausage, Spinach, and Mushroom Scramble
This is a great and easy scramble recipe to make on a lazy weekend morning! You can really make this with whatever ingredients you have in your fridge at the time. I just happened to have some fresh spinach and mushrooms that needed to be used, and always keep some spicy sausage on hand in the freezer. I noticed that the thyme really makes this dish, so if you have some on your spice rack do make...
7 tags
Grand Sichuan St. Marks
I have been frequenting Grand Sichuan on St. Marks since my freshman year of college at NYU. It’s definitely one of the most authentic sichuanese style restaurant you’ll find without having to make the trip down to Chinatown. What first brought me to this place was trying to find somewhere closer then Joe’s Shanghai for one of my favorite things in the world - soup dumplings! A...
9 tags
Sriracha Marinara with Meatballs
You’ll very soon come to know that Serious Eats is my all time favorite food blog. It’s founder, Ed Levine, is the original old school New York foodie. You’ll also very soon come to see my passion for all things hot and spicy! That’s why the minute I saw this recipe for Sriracha Marinara with Meatballs on Serious Eats, I knew I HAD to try it. Meatballs, yum! Sriracha, yum!...