From Eater:
Shopsin’s has introduced a new burger, inspired by everyone’s favorite late night TV host: “Added last week after Shopsin’s appearance on Late Night With Conan O’Brien is the Conan Burger. In the spirit of Shopsin’s macaroni and cheese pancakes, it is a cheeseburger combined with pancakes and served with real maple syrup and hot sauce. This combination actually works.” [SE]
I had dinner with J last Friday night at yummy LES Italian spot, ‘inoteca. When we found out there would be a 2 hour wait (damn LES!), we decided to sit outside where there were tons of open tables. Why so many outdoor tables you ask? Because we were smack dab in the middle of a Gossip Girls shoot. Superbright lights and burly grips yelling at each other–just another romantic Friday date dinner. And then I realized–being a potential bystander to a Gossip Girls shoot is the closet I’ll ever come to actually living the Gossip Girl lifestyle. Hrmph… Anyway–the Truffle Toast with Egg is amazing (see photo)… order it the next time you go!
Just got an email from Frankies 17 Sputino (on Clinton St) that they’re starting to offer their brunch menu along with their regular lunch/dinner menu 7 days a week from 11am til 4pm. And, they’re adding a couple of items, including: the Egg, Bacon & Cheese Sandwich, Homemade Steel Cut Oatmeal & Fruit and a selection of pastries from Ceci Cela; and coffee from Stumptown Coffee Roasters. For the full menu Read the rest of this entry ?
Or has the war just begun?? I was very sad when I found out Chubo, one of my beloved LES restaurants, had closed shop. It was my go-to spot when my parents were in town: a nice restaurant, with good (but not too weird) food, and it wasn’t loud or sceney. (Btw, if you can name anywhere like this on the LES please let me know for the next parental visit.) But according to Strong Buzz, the former Chubo space is going to become Luxee, a new dessert cafe run by an all-Japanese staff from Tokyo. They use natural and organic ingredients to create desserts that are healthy and good for your body. Interesting… and right across the street from Cocoa Bar. (Um… and next door-ish to Clinton Street Baking Company.) I smell a baking war!
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This weekend, J and I are going to the LAST wedding we have for the summer season… hallelujah! I’m sure it’ll start all over again next year. Blast - people need to stop getting married! But we learned our lesson from the last time - when we woke up at 8 am to drive all the way to Cape Cod, go to the wedding, sleep, and drive home. So we’re driving up Friday day and spending the night in Boston (the wedding’s about an hour from there). Got any good recommendations for restaurants? We’ll be staying in Back Bay. I’ve been told Great Bay is good for seafood and (I think) Stephanie’s on Newbury and Sonsie are close to the hotel. Anywhere we’ve just GOT to try?
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I really love spicy foods. But it’s definitely a painful experience for me. While living in London, I once at a curry that made my entire face go fire-engine red and I couldn’t speak for a few minutes. And on one of my first dates with J, I ate a Malaysian dish that caused me so much pain I had to beg the waiter for a glass of milk—that’s apparently how I make the men fall for me. So I love this: The Phaal Challenge at Brick Lane. Since phaal is considered one of the hottest curries, the restaurant will give anyone who manages to finish the dish a place on Brick Lane Curry House’s P’hall of Fame, a certificate of honor, and a free beer. I’m too chicken, but are you up to it? You actually have to give them a verbal disclaimer that you won’t hold them liable for any “physical or emotional damage.” Hard core. Check out Serious Eats where someone actually completed the challenge.
Last night J took me out to Del Posto for my birthday. What an incredibly elegant and over-the-top experience! I got all gussied up (high heels and all) and we even cabbed it to the 10th Ave locale. When we entered, the first thing I thought was, “This place is huge!” The ceilings are incredibly high, and we climbed tons of steps to get to the balcony level. The food was delicious: the tasting menu confused us a bit, so we opted for 2 entrees and something called “BIS,” where you get tastings of two different pastas. The first pasta was rabbit panzotti with asparagus and the second was orecchiette with lamb neck sausage and morels. Both were fantastic - and just the right size for a tasting. Then I got the pork loin and J got the seared halibut (his was better… he always picks better than me!). Dessert was so-so: chocolate ricotta tortino; but I’m not really a huge chocolate or ricotta fan. Biggest highlight? We splurged on wine and got a fantastic Barbera. J spent like 20 minutes trying to choose through the novel-length wine list. When the sommelier came to the table, it was so fancy! He poured the wine into one wine glass, swirled, poured it from the first glass to a second, swirled, and then poured into a 3rd smaller glass, and sniffed it. I barely contained my laughter - I’m not used to such service! All in all - a delicious, super special birthday dinner all thanks to my amazing boyfriend.
I love sangria as it is (my favorite is at Tapeo 29!), and I don’t particularly think it needs a makeover. But it’s interesting to see a bunch of NYC drink-spots putting a spin on the classic drink. From the dry-sherry sangria at Suba to the deep-red-beet version at Tailor to the green mango and apricot at Rayuela, mixologists (did I really just use that word?) all over town are going sangria-wild.
Check out the entire, BEAUTIFUL slideshow here.
It’s great when 3 different things I love coincide to form the perfect summer evening: food, film, and sand. This year, the Second Annual NYC Food Film Festival will be held at Water Taxi Beach in Long Island City, Queens from Saturday June 14th to Friday June 20th. At the festival, you’ll get to watch a film that’s all about food, and then sample the food portrayed—like Berlin’s beloved Currywurst after watching Best of the Wurst. Admission is free, but food and drink cost money. There’s a schedule of the movies, and a listing of all the food that will be served. I’ve still never been to the Water Taxi Beach, so I’m very excited about going to this!
Saw this and completely agree: “As the weather warms up, restaurants who keep their windows open wide maintain a serious advantage over their stuffier competitors,” says Gothamist. I think I like restaurants that open their windows more than sidewalk seating—it’s the best of both worlds. And the neighborhood is all about opening their windows, check out some of my favorites who take part: Kampuchea, Tapeo 29, Thai on Clinton (which is called something else now), Bondi Road, Schiller’s, Salt Bar, Barrio Chino, and Spitzer’s Corner.
I was browsing through my blog posts and realized that I mentioned a few weeks ago Les Enfants Terrible as “a restaurant I keep hearing great things about and still haven’t been to.” Update: I went. And now I would like to add my great things to the pile. It’s cuisine is a mix of African/Moroccan, French, and Brazilian. And we really ate something from across the board of those countries: one grilled steak, one rice paper flower filled w/ seasonal sauteed vegetables (zucchini, yellow squash, cherry tomatoes & sweet potatoes) in spicy curry and garlic sauce, and one Bozo-Bozo—a potato-crusted wild striped bass served with spinach, artichoke, fennel confit and light saffron ginger and lemongrass seafood broth. Sounds mouthwatering because it was! It’s not listed on the menu, but the fish also has some cooked plaintains on top which added a great sweet flavor. Then, we finished with Mousse de Maracuja (passion fruit)—which will always remind me of being in the beautiful Trancoso, Brazil. Final touch: we ordered a glass of champagne each. It was a perfect night where we got to feel fancy and eat delicious food without dropping mega bucks on the bill.
I got my stimulus rebate on Friday - direct deposit to my account. And it took all of my willpower to move it immediately into my savings account. But NY Mag did a cute article on 18 Ways to Blow Your Tax Rebate, and they included a section on food. Their short term investment: buying 6 $100 orders of eels at Le Berardin this week for you and 5 friends. Medium term: Buy a one-year membership to the wine auction house Acker, Merrall & Condit’s Platinum Wine Club. And long term: get a 90-minute group lesson (for 12 people) from the experts at Murray’s Cheese. And here’s my own, personal suggestion: book the 9-course tasting menu at Per Se for two and then cringe when you have to leave your leftover $100 for a 20% tip.
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One of the silliest rules in the US is that we can’t drink outdoors—I loved taking a few beers or a bottle of wine to the park when living abroad. But, I guess that’s one of the reasons NYers are desperate to find outdoor drinking spots. Here’s a new one I just heard about: Elizabeth just opened on… yeah, Elizabeth Street in Nolita. It sounds lovely—a bar in the middle of a garden with greenery and fountains and all. It’s had some mixed reviews on Chow, and it sounds expensive, but plant me on a bench with a cocktail on a warm night and I’ll be happy.
Sidenote, for all my Brooklyn loves, here’s a list of outdoor/garden bars and restaurants. I’d trek across the river to try some of these out.
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