Mexican at Maya

Maya
1191 1st Ave, New York 10021
Btwn 64th & 65th St
212-585-1818

It sometimes feels tougher to find good food in Midtown East and Upper East Side; thankfully came across Maya as a great place to meet up with friends on a recent weeknight and get some good Mexican in a nice environment on the East side. It was a bit of a walk since it's on 1st Ave, but no major probs getting there. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, with large carved chairs for each table. I didn't notice any booths, all were tables, and a small bar in the front. Service was fine.

We ordered guacamole, couldn't pass it up, and it was served in a double-decker tray with chips on the bottom and guac on top. A small amount of guac for the price (and for 4 people), nothing compared to quantity at Mary Anns for example or even probably Rosa Mexicano, but it was tasty. We got the special appetizer which was lobster soft tacos with avo and melted cheese; they were TINY but also very tasty. My salmon was grilled with "chile chipotle mustard", great grilled flavor and nice sauce. The salmon could have been slightly more cooked to my liking. The asparagus and potato pieces on the plate were delicious with the chile habenero aioli. Hubby got the pork-- it was tenderloin and shoulder, with black bean & avocado, and it was DELICIOUS. We were very satisfied overall and would go back (if ever in the area!)

Citysearch reviews

Convivium Osteria

Convivium Osteria
68 5th Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11217
(718) 857-1833

On a cold, dreary, drizzly winter night, Convivium Osteria is definitely a warm inviting destination. We did the long walk from South Park Slope to get there, and despite some slightly sore feet, it was well worth it. Hard to believe we waited so long to try it! Hope we get plenty more opportunities in the future...

As all of the online reviews say, this place feels like you are in a rustic restaurant in Europe. There seems to be 3 seating areas or levels, the front/main area where you first walk in, complete with small bar and shelves of wine bottles, the next level after a walk almost through the kitchen that has the feel of an outdoor patio with skylight, in fact, has an even more outdoor seating area for summer time that opens up, and an even lower "wine cellar" seating area. We sat in that second level area, near the glass doors that I'm sure completely open up for warm weather to the patio. The whole place is very warm and cozy, with lanterns and wooden accents and candlelight, and has plenty of character. Right away I knew this would be a great place to take visitors (though not much else in the immediate vicinity, location-wise. But worth the walk).

The food, over all, was the best we've had in months. Italian, but with "spanish & portuguese influences" according to their website. Really really sumptuous and flavorful. Yes a tad bit pricey ($30 for special/entree; $13 for pasta dish), particularly as portion sizes, at least what we saw, were fairly small for American standards. But it encourages you to savor each bite, as you should with such rich ingredients and flavors. We started with the "carciofo alla romana", artichoke marinated in olive oil with mint and garlic. It was delicate and delicious. I then had butternut squash "tortelli" with sage and butter... the plate was very small, almost more of a first course, but divine. I cut up my little pasta pieces into teeny bites to savor the flavors! The sweet and salty juxtaposition was perfect for me. Hubby had that night's special which was RIGHT up his ally-- venison loin with a blueberry & port-wine reduction sauce served with mashed potatoes. Wow was that amazing. The blueberry sauce was so tasty, I sopped up the extra with bread for another tasty treat, and the venison was very tender and well-cooked.

No dessert this time, but definitely hope to be back. I read that their cappucinos are great too, have to check it out.

Blogsoop reviews

Citysearch reviews

Watana Siam-- South Slope Thai

Watana Siam
420 7th Ave (13th/14th st)
Park Slope, Brooklyn
718. 832.1611

Our local Thai restaurant really does it right. As a side note, can't believe I haven't written about a thai place yet, as Thai is one of my favorite types of food! Watana Siam is a small place that feels open-air in good weather when they open all the windows/doors and if you sit in the front you are basically on the edge of the street, great for people-watching. The dark wood interior and gold decorative accents make it feel classy and refined, and the byob policy suits the times when you are on a budget. Tables are fairly close together and when it's really crowded can be a bit loud, but otherwise very enjoyable atmosphere.

For starters, the satay is ok. The veggie dumpling with "sweet black garlic sauce" is divine. Their pad thai hits the spot; nice balance of peanut, lime, sprouts. The green curry is also very nice and classic, and chicken basil is decent to mix it up sometimes. If you are looking for good thai in the south slope, look no further.

Road trip! Cold Spring, NY (Cathryn's Tuscan Grill)

Cathryn's Tuscan Grill
91 Main Street
Cold Spring, NY
845.265.5582

If you get the urge to drive north & take a road trip out of the city, Cold Spring is about an hour and a half north on the Hudson River. It is a very cute, quaint town filled with antique shops and nestled right along the water. Scenic drives and lots of bright fall leaves between here and there at this time of year. A lunch (or any other meal for that matter) at Cathryn's Tuscan Grill is certainly worth the drive!

From the front we weren't sure if anyone was actually at the restaurant; you have to walk around the side of the building a bit to get to the main door. But then we saw the crowds and the wait; apparently people do know to check it out. We didn't wait long, and nabbed a small table in the crowded restaurant. They brought out olive oil and bread to snack on, and we tried their soup of the day which was a tuscan white bean, delicious and flavorful. Hubby got a caesar salad with grilled shrimp that was memorable for a caesar salad, and I tried the shrimp with gorgonzola and prosciutto over arugula...uh yeah how can you not get that one! The arugula was a perfect bitter complement to the rich, buttery flavor of the shrimp with melted gorgonzola surrounded by the crisp prosciutto. Divine. One to savor. And the cappuccino was one of the best I've had in ages. Highly recommended!

Notable names: Noodle Pudding

Noodle Pudding
38 Henry St
Brooklyn Heights
(718) 625-3737

Yes, the name is a bit confounding. I read other posters saying they thought the restaurant was Thai because of the name until they got there. Certainly it's rare you hear Italians describing their fare as "noodles" or "pudding". A bit random. But I suppose a memorable name.

We read that you should "get there early", and then we were almost embarrassed as we got close at about 5:45 (does anyone under the age of 75 really go to dinner at 5:45??). Well apparently everyone who knows Noodle Pudding actually gets there at 5:30! The place was packed and there was already a line. It seemed they open at 5:30 and that's when the crowds swoop down. Luckily we were still early enough that we only waited about 5 min for a table.

Noodle Pudding felt like it was slightly in the middle of nowhere, but worth the walk. The ambiance was great, casual but atmospheric, with mottled walls and classy chandeliers and plenty of candlelight, sometimes shared seating with others, a loud vibrant feel, plenty of families, kids & toddlers. (Guess that's part of the answer of the why 5:30 question). Service was great, in fact the water guys were ridiculously attentive (at one point my water was filled, I took a sip, and within 5 min my sip was already re-filled).

Most importantly: the food. This was a winner, one of the best meals we've had in a while. Every dish we sampled was extremely tasty. All tasted fresh, and succulent; simple flavors and dishes, as is often the case in Italy, that come together for amazing meals. The bread and olive oil for dipping they bring is great. I dubbed the dipping oil "bruschetta in a bowl"-- it had finely chopped tomato, onion & basil in the olive oil dish, divine. The mussels with spicy tomato sauce appetizer was excellent. The sauce was almost a rich tomato soup with basil and just a hint of spice. The buffalo mozzarella was fresh and the tomatoes with it were juicy and flavorful. The mushroom rissotto had by the hubby hit the spot for him perfectly, and my sage & butter gnocchi dish was simple and perfect. The tiramisu was one of the hubby's "top tiramisu choices", as it's one of his favorite dishes. The lady fingers were soft and moist, all came together very well. And the house wine was not bad for $14 (bottle). If this was in our neighborhood, would be a weekly treat! Worth all of the online praise.

Blogsoop link

Slope sandwiches and such

Naidre's
384 7th Ave (btwn 11th/12th)
Park Slope, Brooklyn
718.965.7585

This tiny coffeeshop/cafe on 7th has always been delicious, no matter what we've tried. Personality is showcased on the sidewalk chalkboard sitting outside and updated each day. They sell coffee, sandwiches, salads, a display-case-ful of treats and pastries and cookies. Their sandwiches are perfect when I am craving something tasty but not formal and not from home. The Alamo is my absolute favorite--a chicken wrap with black beans, avocado, and chipotle dressing. The 7th Avenue, with chicken & avo on ciabatta, is very nice, as is the Farmer John with apples & mustard. Their house salad inspired me to put cranberries, goat cheese & walnuts on my own salads at home, though I haven't perfected their tasty balsamic dressing myself. Check it out for sandwiches & snacks!

Another pizza contender: Lombardi's

Lombardi's
32 Spring St
Soho
(212) 941-7994

Bring on the pizza flavor competition. The playing field is getting more competitive for this FL-native turned NYC pizza devotee. Finally made it to Lombardi's, after walking past it endless times in Soho and wondering about all of the accolades posted outside. Apparently this was America's first pizzeria, licensed in 1905, according to their website. Went on a Wed evening after work, so the lines were not as crazy as sometimes appears; we waited only 5-10 minutes for a table. The place is huge. Simple, nothing to distract too much from the main event--the pizza. 2 of us shared one pizza, half plain margarita, half with peppers & onions, and it was AWESOME. I verify the hype. Amongst my small but growing experiences which include Totonno's, Joe's, & Grimaldi's, Lombardi would def be a contender for a top spot. Loved the sauce, loved the crust, great flavors. When can I go back??

Blog Soop Reviews

Garlic Festival

Hudson Valley Garlic Festival
Saugerties, NY

A Garlic Festival certainly counts as a flavor of NY, right? I heard about the annual Garlic Festival in Saugerties NY, last weekend of Sept, and knew immediately we had to go. Huge festival with endless samples and tastes of garlic flavors, plus an excuse to drive upstate a bit? Only $7 to boot? Awesome. I think I read that 50,000 people attended over the two days. It was huge!

A gorgeous day, bright blue skies, crisp fall air, tons of families and others, and TONS of food and garlic. The primary areas are the "Garlic Farmer's Market", featuring hundreds of booths with samples of different types of fresh garlic, as well as garlic-related or garlic-inspired foods. And you could TASTE so many things for your seven bucks worth! Cheeses, hot sauces, pesto, salad dressings, jams, olive oils, you name it. We of course left that day with many jars and flavors of our own, including a few different varieties of garlic. And yes, you could definitely taste the differences! We particularly liked the White German garlic, which had a pretty strong kick. Hubby used it for his chili which was delicious. Then there was the garlic food court area, with full meals for purchase. Pulled pork sandwich with roasted cloves of garlic, can't beat it. And had to try the infamous garlic ice cream! Not bad, was basically vanilla with little bits of caramelized garlic in it. Highly recommend this day out next time! And the surrounding areas were great to visit in the fall.

12th St Grill, the Slope

12th St Grill
1123 8th Ave
(718) 965-9526
Park Slope, Brooklyn

We've lived literally a couple of blocks from the 12th St Grill for 2 years, but had never made it there. Possibly because we are such Magnolia addicts. But looking for somewhere to go on a "date night", we finally made the commitment to stop and eat there.

It's definitely in the market to compete with a Magnolia-type offering, and has fairly nice ambiance with candles at night, there were a few other couples there, as well as a few with kids. The windows are huge, which makes for a different feel than Magnolia somehow--Magnolia feels a bit cozier, 12th St feels almost like you are sitting on the sidewalk even when inside--great for a sunny day, wasn't quite so cozy at night.

The menu definitely tempted our tastebuds with many flavors, though it was slightly higher than we'd like to pay on a regular basis. I started off with a Tuscan tomato bread soup which was hearty & tasty. My butternut squash ravioli was extremely rich and delicious, BUT as often is the case with ravioli, it was a very small dish, 4 small ravioli, not nearly enough for the price. Hubby got the pork tenderloin which was alright, but not super memorable. All in all it was good to have as an option in the neighborhood, but will not make me salivate in the future....

Olive Vine pizza & houmous

Olive Vine
362 15th St
Brooklyn, NY 11215
Phone: (718) 499-0555

We got Olive Vine last night, which is a very local spot featuring delicious Greek food. Their breads, pizza & pita are so fresh and delicious, great quality. For such an un-assuming place, the food is always great. Reminds me of spreads of turksish and greek snacks we used to get at a lot of great places in London. We had a plate with fresh houmous, tabouleh, black bean, and grape leaves, with fresh warm pita. And we shared the "olive vine pizza" which was to-die-for. Deliciously fresh veggies, a touch of mozzerella, fresh herbs and hints of cilantro; and great sauce. All must try the Olive Vine pizza. And very reasonable prices too. They have gyros and such that we haven't tried. Again, atmosphere is so-so; BYOB; but great flavors. It's all about the flavors.

Belgian Beer at Petite Abeille

Petite Abeille
401 East 20th St, NY NY
212-727-1505

Someone recently asked me, what's Belgian food like??? Well it's hard for me to imagine life before Belgian food ;), but oh yes, I do remember that point in time, probably about 7 years ago, before I had experienced Belgian beer, mussels, & chocolate on several various trips to Belgium. Sigh! We enjoyed a tasty meal at Petite Abeille; felt like a bit of a random location, but once inside plenty of character. Great specials on different nights of the week (1/2 price belgian beer on Mondays; 1/2 price wine on Tues; all-you-can-eat mussels on Wed; lobster night on Thurs), plenty of good beers on tap. The crew had some nice Leffe beer, and deals on big pots of mussels. I had those with bacon & beer, in a creamy sauce with celery. All you can eat, apparently! And of course, Belgian waffles for dessert. And yes, they serve their fries with mayonnaise, a la the real-deal, and yes I quite enjoyed it.

Blogsoop reviews of Petite Abeille

Caribbean Cooking Class at ICE

Institute of Culinary Education
50 West 23rd St, NY NY 10010
212-847-0700

So I would think most people who are interested in food and flavors in NYC have heard of or know someone who has taken a class at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE). So I thought it might be worth an entry here, though it is certainly not a restaurant, it is a unique flavor of NYC. Friends of ours (thanks Susanne!) recommended we all take a class together sometime, and I quickly realized that these classes sell out faster than rock concerts, despite the fact that this is apparently the largest offering of recreational cooking classes in the country! We debated which class to take, with it must be hundreds of offerings (check out https://web.iceculinary.com/icereg/index.asp, the recent listing just came out--perhaps there are still some seats left!!), everything from "Basic Knife Skills" to "Essentials of Tuscan Cooking" to "Chocolate Galore." Yum! How to choose...and the classes are not cheap, so unfortunately we couldn't sign up for everything!

Eventually we decided upon a Caribbean cooking class that sounded like it had a lot of great flavors. It was a Saturday night event, 6-10pm, and we got to work hard for our meal, and then sit down and enjoy a fabulous spread in our exhausted state. We worked in groups of 4-5, and together each team made all of the following: Jerked Pulled Pork (the highlight); Shrimp Creole; Cane Glazed Chicken; Spicy Pumpkin Puree; Yucca Frites; & Avocado & Watercress salad. At first it was a little stressful, as we wondered how we'd get it all done, and felt initially like we were on a timed "Iron Chef" or "Next Food Network Star" show. And this class in particular certainly assumed a basic level of cooking knowledge; which was fine for us, but I wouldn't recommend it for people who are entirely new to cooking. Eventually we realized we were actually fairly ahead of the other teams and we calmed down and enjoyed the rest of the evening.

EVERY dish that we made was delicious, it really was. I was in love with the jerk seasoning and can't wait to make more of it and use it on all sorts of things. The pumpkin was a lot of work but de-lish, and shrimp creole was great. They served wine to everyone with dinner, and even whipped out some haagen dazs ice cream for the group for dessert.

We have our ingredient-stained recipe pages to prove what we accomplished, and are looking forward to trying some of these at home. Can't wait to see what else we can learn, if there are any free seats left at ICE.

Sushi in the Slope

Oshima sushi
71 7th Ave, Park Slope, Brooklyn 11217
At Berkeley Pl
718-783-1888

We've relied on Oshima as our go-to sushi delivery in the Slope for over a year now, and we finally decided to get ourselves up there in person. Oshima is up north on 7th Ave, at Berkeley Place. Inside it has wooden panelling and appears to be a typical sushi place, cozy enough. There is a bar to sit and watch the sushi chefs which is always fun. We ended up outside as it was a nice day, in the back garden, with the ivy growing along all of the surrounding buildings. The service was great, and the sushi was tasty as always, so we'll have to remember to come back if/when we want real live sushi outside of our own apartment.

Our staples for ordering are the spicy roll special plus the sunset roll, which is basically a california roll with salmon & avocado on top. Always nice presentation too.

This time we decided we should mix it up a bit. We tried the shrimp gyoza special appetizer which was AMAZING, as was the sauce, wish those were on offer every day!
We tried a special that was different--salmon, coriander, & jalepeno....very unique; now coriander is my favorite herb for sure, but all in all I probably wouldn't order that one again, a bit too bizarre. Also tried the "Fire dragon" with eel and avocado, plus spicy tuna on top of it, which was ok but not as great as the sunset roll favorite.

Overall the quality of sushi at Oshima always makes my tummy happy, but will probably go less into the strange mix-it-up adventure rolls, and stick to my favs which are generally salmon/avocado, tuna, and california, with some eel avocado thrown in for good measure.

Click here for Menupages

F Train to Totonno's

Totonno's

1524 Neptune Ave.
Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY
718.372.8606

Keeping up the pizza trend lately, we decided to try out another popular pizza place this weekend, which involved a small journey out to none other than Coney Island-- Totonno Pizzeria, a staple of Coney Island since the 1920's.

This place was very reminiscent of Grimaldi's I must say, with a small, simple interior, the coal pizza oven in the back working away, the two glass windows out front and reviews and pizza/food ratings stickers all over (even the "no slices" standard sign). Also like Grimaldi's, you wait outside in a long line for the opportunity to wait some more inside for the famous pies.

Totonno's is in the opposite direction as the beach from Coney Island/Stillwell Ave subway stop, so at first it feels like you are walking to who-knows-where, but then you see the line outside. We waited 30-40 minutes or so, and then happily sat down, ordered our one pie & 2 cokes and waited another 15 min or so, reading all of the old reviews and news articles posted on the walls. Relatively run-down interior, but was expected. Eventually our pizza came out steaming hot on a big silver tray, and needless to say we were quite starved, so could hardly wait for it to cool down.

It was a decent size, for $16 or so, and like Grimaldi's and the big pie we had at Pino's, it had slices of fresh mozzarella and a fresh crust and tasty tomato sauce, all charred in the coal oven. It was warm and comforting and delicious, for sure. I would have liked some basil on top, like Pino's, and a few bites seemed a bit too charred, but it hit the spot.

It was the first visit to Coney Island, and we took a ride on the Wonder Wheel to check the place out from above. Was a beautiful day so nice to relax a bit on the beach as well. Otherwise about what we expected, nothing to draw us out there very frequently but amusing to see. And no, no Nathan's hot dogs on this visit, despite my love for flavors, hot dogs isn't really one of my faves! Plus the lines were a bit extreme.

Pizza flavors!

Pino's la Forchetta
181 7th Ave, Btwn 1st & 2nd
Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-965-40
Recent discussions with visiting family about good local pizza have inspired me to expand my pizza horizons a bit and continue to sample those renowned pizza places! Looking for a new place to get delivery from in Park Slope, we read about Pinos online and decided to try it out. We got delivery a few weeks ago, and this week stopped in for a slice in person.

We've stuck with traditional pizza pies for the most part, ordering fresh mozzarella for delivery and plain cheese slices in person. The fresh mozzarella is more similar to the Grimaldi's style with the slices of mozz spread out and less overall gooey cheese. The plain cheese slices were very comparable to our staple slices from Smiling Pizza on 9th/7th that I really love, and much cheaper than fresh mozzarella. The large mozzarella pizza was $18, much more of an investment for a pizza than a plain large cheese. BUT it is quite tasty. I am definitely a fan.

The crust tastes fresh, no floppy mushy crusts like Anthony's here, and the ends are a bit thicker/breadier than some (yes I made up the word breadier); the sauce was tasty and I loved the fresh basil scattered on the top. It is pretty big so I guess that's part of the $18 price-tag.

The atmosphere isn't memorable in terms of going in-person, so I think I'll stick with take out or delivery (very neon-lights, felt like the type of place only worth stopping in on later drunken nights or something). But I'll keep Pinos on my speed-dial list for delivery for sure!

Sweets in the Slope

Sweet Melissa's Patisserie
175 7th Ave (between 1st/2nd)
Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-502-9153

Is there anyone who does NOT love Patisseries?? To me the Patisserie is the ultimate in decadent sweet shop, many steps up from the average cafe/coffee shop or bakery in the intricacy, colors, sheer beauty of the treats they have in the gorgeous glass cases. One of my favorite parts of visiting Paris is always the joy of Patisseries around nearly every corner. Just "browsing" in these sweet shops is an awesome activity, with the fruit tarts and éclairs and colorful treats never before seen. There are a fair number of places around NYC that call themselves patisseries, but Melissa's hits the nail on the head. It feels like you are in a cafe in Paris, very cozy and European. They have table service or takeaway, and the gorgeous glass display of European-looking treats and tarts, souffles & florentines & truffles, plus a great pie and cake selection. They do have an outdoor courtyard/garden that we haven't tried yet as well. They also have a lunch menu and an afternoon tea that I'm dying to try.

It's hard not to walk by and not stop in for a treat. (Especially with the beautiful cakes in the window!) We've become particularly fond of the delicious fruit pies! We had a slice of sour cherry & rhubarb that was to die for (by the way is rhubarb a northern thing?? I'd never even heard of it growing up in Florida; not til I lived in England. But hubby loves it and used to grow it in his back yard in Wisconsin!). Oh and it had--get this-- Pistachio crumbles on top! Yum. This week I tried the "Jumbleberry Crumble pie" or something to that effect, with a great berry mix and yummy crumbles on top, it was heaven. You can tell I must have a thing for crumbles. Their cafe au laits are quite nice too. When you are craving a sweet and a coffee in Paris, stop by Sweet Melissa's and forget about the rest of NYC outside.

Nov, 2007 update-- just a quick post-blog note: had lunch at Sweet Melissa's and it was so tasty! So even beyond sweets, check them out. A lentil soup with roasted garlic & tomato was fabulous, and the salad with roasted pears and stilton cheese was so tasty too... :)

Red Horse Cafe

Red Horse Cafe
Corner of 12th St/6th Ave
Park Slope, Brooklyn
(718) 499-4973

When I started this blog, I mentioned how Magnolia is one of our favorite local restaurant options. During the course of the first year we lived here, we noticed a new coffee shop going up across the street from Magnolia, which ultimately opened up as "Red Horse Cafe." The entrance was done up very nicely and it looked very inviting. It took a while before we began to stop in, and usually we just got coffees to go. I really enjoyed their iced mochas, though they did vary tremendously depending on who made them. They always had a small selection of treats in the glass case and on the counter to choose from, and the dark cozy interior had various wooden tables & chairs and usually people on their laptops there. I like the bar by the windows, and the couches. There are also a few seats/tables outside often. I do remember a couple of delicious scones we had once-- blueberry and pumpkin spice, they were heavenly. We've also seen signs recently that they've started selling alcohol, and are staying open later on weekends.

This week we decided to stop by on a hot summer afternoon and get lunch here. It was hot and sunny but not too humid so we decided to see if we could bear it outside under a small touch of shade. (I always enjoy soaking up sun, being from the sunshine state and all!) We ordered a chicken and grape sandwich and gazpacho. The sandwich was decent, though probably overpriced, but the gazpacho was delicious, very tasty and refreshing, perfect for summer. It's definitely a nice local place for a coffee and a quiet hangout.

NYC events

This week I was slow at posting my weekly entry, as a lot went on in a short amount of time. Scariest was being at the Hyatt Grand Central when the steam pipe explosion happened, and being evacuated out of the building not knowing what was going on. People were running, we could see what we thought was smoke rising up to the tops of tallest buildings, it was a run-for-your-life moment and pretty terrifying. We ran about 10 blocks north or so until we slowed down, and no one on the streets knew anything yet in terms of what was going on. We began walking east with an aim to get home to Brooklyn, and ended up walking over an hour before we could get a subway home. Along the way we eventually learned what had happened. Important advice for a run-for-your-life situation: do not wear heels!

Friday night Sushi, Blue Ginger

Blue Ginger
106 8th Ave
Chelsea, Manhattan
(212) 352-0911


Friday nights vary between super-excitement for the weekend, and, on tougher weeks, sheer exhaustion from an endless week.... this past Friday was more of the exhaustion category, but we still craved a yummy meal after a travel day at work. We had thoughts of Mary Ann's margaritas and Mexican in the Chelsea, which is always tasty, but walked in and decided it was way too loud, couldn't hear each other talk. There's a nice strip of restaurants along that block, so we decided to check out Blue Ginger for some sushi.

Blue Ginger has a nice feel, classic sushi restaurant, sushi bar with chefs rolling and chopping at high speed. The windows and front were open for the warm summer breezes. We sat in a corner table in the front to get the breeze. It wasn't too crowded and definitely quieter, service was efficient.

We stuck with the classics (for us) sushi-wise, but all was very tasty. They do have a list of special (i.e. fancy and more expensive) rolls, which I'm usually very tempted by, being a woman who loves many flavors, but this night I decided to stick with those I know. So I had the Alaska, spicy tuna, and eel avocado rolls, plus some pork gyoza. Hubby had spicy roll combo that he always loves, with the salad. Their ginger dressing was particularly good. Eel was a tiny bit chewier than I'm used to; otherwise all was great. The presentation/plating was very nice. Nice cozy ambiance at night for a date. Lunch specials sound good for those who work nearby too!

Menupages menu

Italian & Cajun combo-- brunch at Two Boots

Two Boots Brooklyn
514 2nd St (between 7th & 8th Ave)
Brooklyn, NY 11215
(718) 499-3253

Lazy Sunday...hazy heat....zzzzzz! Oh yeah, wake up, it's blog time! What's with this heat anyway? Ok, yes I may be orig from Miami, but that does NOT make me immune to this sleepy heat-- where I come from, air conditioning follows you around like a personal-sized bubble-- a/c house (24 hours a day, always central), a/c car, a/c office, a/c stores & restaurants, none of this walking in the heat for miles to do anything with your day, no sir.

So this lazy Sunday we wandered to Two Boots on 2nd street. They obviously have pizza chains around Manhattan, and the once or twice I tried the pizza I wasn't in love, I admit. Something about the extra "cajun" spices in the sauce, wasn't for me.

But this location in Brooklyn is a full restaurant with many enticing-sounding cajun foods, plus the pizza selection. We've walked by when it's packed to the seams sometimes, and seems to be popular with the kids-- with alligators painted on the walls and a ride-the-alligator rocking-horse style attraction outside, you can see why. Very mardi-gras decor inside, we preferred the cute outside courtyard. It was slow this hot sunday afternoon.

We drank the "arnold palmer" iced-tea/lemonade combo which was sweet and refreshing. I had 2 eggs scrambled, which were average, though tasty with the hot sauce on the table, served with grits and homemade biscuits. The biscuits in particular were de-lish. Hubby had the Bananas Foster French Toast (ok so I also voted for him to get that one!), which was decadent and tasted like dessert! I do make a mean french-toast-with-bananas myself (if I do say so myself!), but this was heaven- the bananas are sauteed in Cointreau, orange juice, butter & brown sugar--yum! We are excited to come back and try the cobb salad, sandwiches, and dinner treats like jumbalaya. They also have happy hour 4-6 weekdays.
Stay cool!

Tastes of Tapas

Pipa (Tapas)
38 E 19th St
New York, NY 10003
(212) 677-2233

Well you may have guessed I would be a fan of tapas restaurants, given that I framed this blog as sampling the restaurants of NYC the way one would sample many dishes at a tapas restaurant...basically anything with many flavors is De-lish in my book! So much more interesting than a one-flavor meal... don't think I'll ever be a big fan of those one-dish casserole recipes!

Have been to a few tapas restaurants in Manhattan, and this was my 2nd time to Pipa on 19th St. I remember liking it a lot the first time, and still agree the 2nd. It's got a plus in the ambiance department right from the get-go given that it shares its space with a chandelier store, and the chandeliers hang throughout the restaurant (complete with price tags in case you get the urge!). Tables are lit by small candles and the chandeliers, it creates a cozy atmosphere, if a bit dark. We took the parents who were visiting, and they struggled to see the menu in the darkness, eventually a waiter brought over a small flashlight!

It can get quite crowded and loud at Pipa; if you can get a table up front near the window that's key as it's slightly set-off from the rest. Otherwise there are many long shared tables. At 7pm on a Friday it wasn't so crowded yet. Price-wise it's not cheap, but the quality is good. I HIGHLY recommend their sangria, and I can be pretty picky about Sangria. It was delicious with nice chunks of fruits such as plum, apple & mango in it.

Between 4 of us we got a lot of tapas to share, and enjoyed them all. The whole table LOVED the Gambas al ajillo--shrimp with roasted garlic & olive oil, so tasty; and the 'sauce' (olive oil & butter? with garlic) was amazing when the bread was dipped in it.

We tried two kinds of croquettes-- we liked the ham ones a lot; shrimp & crab were alright. Who would have thought spinach would be so good---Spinach w/ garlic & cranberries? yum! I really enjoyed the chopped chicken & fennel salad- nice size, good mixture of flavors, green apples, chopped salad, etc. We also tried stuffed piquillo peppers with shrimp & crab that were decent, and very good, rich scallops wrapped with serrano ham and topped with caramelized onions.

Service was good, though again it wasn't quite crowded yet. An interesting place to take guests, and a delicious and romantic place for sangria and snacks!

Click here for Blogsoop reviews of Pipa

Pizza thoughts- NY style Pizza

Joe's Pizza
7 Carmine Street, NY, NY
(212) 366-1182

So many lists and ratings of top pizza places in NYC! And different types-- fresh mozzarella, coal-oven, Sicilian, marinara, "street slices", plus all of the different qualifiers-- does it stay firm if you hold it from the crust? sauce-to-cheese ratio? homemade sauce? toppings? etc. Browse the web a minute or two and you will find it all.

When we had guests recently who asked for "NY-style pizza", particularly in our neighborhood of Park Slope, we realized we were hard-pressed to find exactly what they were looking for. Of course it doesn't help that we were also interpreting Floridian's views of what NY-style pizza meant.... "we don't like those goopy-pizzas at home that just pile on the cheese and sauce..." Ok, but then when we tried a fresh mozzarella-style pizza, they were confused by the "round circles of cheese" plopped on top. "We like the really thin crust." Ok, but then apparently not too thin that it becomes floppy, as we discovered. In the end, their visit was over before we could ascertain what "NY-style pizza" meant to them, or could be successful in presenting it to them. It DID set us off on a small quest to get to know the pizza joints in our neighborhood better though, as well as those well-known places in Manhattan. At home in Brooklyn we really end up getting Smiling Pizza a lot, and, looking back, that is PROBABLY exactly what our guests would have loved-- thin crust but firm/slightly crispy, thin later of both sauce and cheese, a regular "street slice" from NY. Oh well! We personally also love Grimaldi's after we tried it a while ago. And Anthony's in the Slope has good flavor but is often too soggy for me. So, what else is there....

We got the opportunity to have a slice from Joe's Pizza on Carmine Street this week, which definitely has some good PR for top slices in NY. A small hole-in-the wall where you stand to eat your slice, it seems perfectly positioned for those late-night slices everyone craves. The slices themselves were very good and hit the spot, big slice, delicious crust, great cheese... and very similar to Smiling Pizza after all of that!! But good to know.

More slice summaries to come.

Blog Soop reviews of Joe's Pizza

Grey Dog Cafe

Grey Dog Cafe
33 Carmine Street
West Village, New York City
(212) 462-0041

So we found ourselves in the West Village this sunny Sunday morning, and decided it was the perfect time to check out the Grey Dog Cafe, which the hubby informed me was "the place to brunch in Manhattan." Despite the fact that he used to live in this neighborhood, he'd never been there before, and it seemed the perfect suggestion to fight off the Sunday hangover headaches...

Most of the other places in the area weren't opened yet at 10:30am, so we were happy to see the Grey Dog already bustling. From the front it looked like a place that would fit in perfectly on Key West's Duval Street; open-air with painted carribean-style sign posts in the entryway and fence posts and ocean buoys lining the front entrance. Everyone waits in line, whether you are taking out or eating in, and hopefully tables open up as you wait. You put in your order and pay, and then orders are brought out by name. When you finish you just get up and leave, since you're all paid up; reminded me of an English pub or caf in that respect. Guess they get faster turnover that way. The interior was pretty cute, had a lot of character. The sandwich menu looked amazing, but we had breakfast in our sites. I do want to go back and try the hot pressed sandwiches though, with chicken, mozzarella, pesto, roasted tomatoes... and another with turkey, brie, and raspberry-mustard sauce!

The iced cappucinos we got were divine, I would definitely recommend their coffee. I noticed you can buy bags of it for home as well. I had a simple breakfast plate with scrambled eggs and "hash-mash" and toast. The eggs were fine, standard; the hash-mash was tasty crispy hash browns. Hubby got an omelette; each was about $7.50 (with a few dollars more for the omelette toppings). Helped ourselves to silverware and condiments, and scarfed in our low blood-sugar hunger, as it got more and more crowded.

Overall, glad we got to check it out; on Sundays if you're awake before 11, I suggest go then before it gets crazy, and love the coffees. Perhaps a hot pressed sandwich next time...

Blog Soop reviews of Grey Dog Cafe

Mexican in the Slope

Rancho Alegre
204 Garfield Place, at 7th Avenue
Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-369-2681
Menupages here

Oye, donde esta comida mexicana buena en la barrio de Park Slope?? Or some other attempt at a spanish search for good Mexican food round here! Mezcal is ok, Miracle Grill has good food but not exactly Mexican, and pricey. We'd walked past this upstairs place(Rancho Alegre) on 7th Ave many times and shrugged; looked kinda cheesey-tacky Mexican. On a recommendation we decided to check it out when a particular craving for margaritas and chips and salsa came on strong. A decent walk for us, but we made it and climbed the stairs, not very busy yet around 7:30 on a Saturday, got more so later on, and apparently a place many people bring their kids to. The cliche NY Mexican place in terms of style, and yes a bit cheesey-tacky in decor. But overall we enjoyed it and will be back.

We ordered a half-pitcher of frozen margaritas for $18, which filled our small margarita glasses multiple times. At first I was skeptical (which was a bit of a theme for this restaurant experience) because I'd never seen margaritas quite that color of green before, sort Nickelodeon slime-green or something, but they were actually very tasty, no complaints there once consumed. Then chips and salsa. Bit skeptical on the salsa at first because it looked so watery, but great cilantro flavor, we quickly consumed.

The highlight of our experience was the mole sauce. We had noticed a sign when we walked in--Award-Winning Mole Sauce. Now I'm not usually a big fan, despite being a lover of food in general, but my husband really likes a good mole sauce. He got the chicken burrito with the mole poblano sauce, and can I tell you we were both swooning over his plate. Possibly just a touch sweeter than other mole sauce I've had, and I was won-over by the rich flavor. My own dish was less exceptional, chicken fajitas that appeared orange in color from a flavoring that did not quite go with traditional mexican food in my opinion, and strangely-cut pieces that looked more like a chinese stir-fry than good grilled fajitas.

So skip the fajitas, enjoy the rich and decadent mole sauce, and bring on the margaritas and chips and salsa!

Cafe Steinhof

Cafe Steinhof
422 7th Ave, btwn 13th/14th
718-369-7776

Very nearby, we turn to Cafe Steinhof for a good German beer or some hot mulled wine on a winter evening. Have had brunch there a few times, hearty meals with meat and potatoes and eggs. We decided to take the visiting relatives there on a warm summer night, and most of the table ordered Jever pilsner. I admit it's not my favorite, a bit Heinken-like, but many others liked it. I had the meatloaf which was very good with a thick tomato sauce. Other favorites at the table were the Sauerbraughten-- I thought this was something "sour" but it's some kind of really good roast beef apparently (btw--huge portion, be warned!). And then the Cheese Spaetzle was like an elegant macaroni and cheese with great flavor, I have a feeling I'll be getting that next time I am craving comfort food.

2 "Bests" in Brooklyn: Pizza & Ice Cream

Yay for a 3-day weekend! Happy Memorial Day. For our memorial day, we thought we'd take this opportunity to check out a few flavor-favorites of New Yorkers that we had not yet experienced. Specifically Grimaldi's Pizza and the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. We'd heard of these favorite flavors, somewhere in the area of the "DUMBO" part of Brooklyn we hadn't really been to yet, so we decided to check it out.

Took F train to York St, walked a few blocks, East towards the water and then South past the Manhattan Bridge. Along Water Street, we stopped in at Jacques Torres Chocolate Shop, as we heard that's a place to check out. Tiny compared to say those Max Brenner chocolate shops in the city, but lots of yummy-sounding things, and many chocolate-dipped things such as corn flakes, cheerios, marshmellows, fruits and more. We wanted to try some of their fancy drinks but as we already had two treats in mind we held off. Bought small pieces of chocolate to try later.

We made our way to Grimaldi's and found that the lines we'd heard of were very true indeed. The outside doesn't strike you as a place you'd think hosts the "best pizza in NYC" according to some, but the crowds are up on this fact, and wait patiently. It was a hot day and we stood outside for 30-40 minutes, now wishing we had gone ahead with the frozen hot-chocolate idea at Jacques Torres after all. We read the stories in the window while we waited, and observed the sign letting us know that even for take-out we must wait. Finally we were able to order our pizza and go; you can only order whole pies here, no slices. It was $13 for a small mozzarella pizza, and we carried it to the "park" along the river at DUMBO, between the Manhattan & Brooklyn bridges. Thankfully it was worth the wait....

Great thin crust, the right balance between being thin but not crunchy-cracker crust; the sauce tasted like actual fresh tomatoes chopped up just for our pizza, great fresh mozzarella, bits of basil. Can you say happiness in pizza form??

We enjoyed our pizza in the park, observing everyone who had brought their kids or family out for Memorial Day weekend, and the people walking across Brooklyn Bridge. It was nice to relax, and though I'm usually a big fan of travel, it was nice to not travel this Memorial Day.

Soon it was time for dessert, our other "fav flav". We walked back over to the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, facing the pier where the ferry comes in. Yet another long line to test the patience of those looking for some yummy Brooklyn treats, and it doesn't help that every tour bus or circle line boat that goes by points out the place to all of the eager tourists!

We had heard that the Ice Cream factory uses all natural ingredients and is made right there in small batches. They are not trying to overwhelm with endless flavors, but offer a limited range of very good quality flavors, and amazing chocolate sauce. After another agonizing 30 min wait, during which every person who walked out with an ice cream was given evil eyes of jealousy by all who still continued to wait, we were able to get our treats. The strawberry shake tested fresh and subtle. The vanilla ice cream and chocolate-chocolate chunk rich and decadent, and the hot fudge amazing. Delicious end to the day, and you can count these in with our favorite flavors too!

Bar Toto

Bar Toto
Park Slope, Brooklyn
411 11th St
718-768-4698

Back in Brooklyn, for a 2nd try at the local Bar Toto. Italian food, dive-bar appearance from the outside. We avoided this one for quite sometime after moving to the neighborhood, despite its proximity to our apartment. Something about the hazy, rusty windows you couldn't quite see in and the beer signs out front, just figured it was another local bar, nothing special. Finally one day last year we went for their brunch, and it was actually quite good, and when you can sit outside along 6th Avenue there it can be a nice relaxing place for a weekend afternoon.

Well we hadn't been there since, so we decided it would be worth a Fri-night post-work try back in our neighborhood after a week of work. Convinced the hubby though he seemed skeptical, had to remind him that we did in fact enjoy brunch there before. Managed to get an outside table after a brief wait and got a couple of cold beers that were much needed. We started with the houmous plate with crisp warm pita (actually sort of grilled, different, very good). I really liked the houmous, with a nice drizzle of olive oil on it. Big plate, we were worried we would get too full from pita! Then ordered 2 pizzas to share. The plain I guess margarita was delicious. Thick gooey cheese, lots of tomato sauce (almost too much sauce if you don't like that, but I forgave that aspect), great flavor and strips of fresh basil. The other pizza was the vegetarian pizza, and we hadn't realized that there was no mozzarella on that one, only parmagian. Had lots of egglplant and zucchini, among other veggies. I liked that one as well, though the hubby was less thrilled, mostly because he doesn't really like eggplant and it wasn't quite "pizza" without mozzarella, if you thought of it as veggie flatbread it made more sense. The 2 pizzas were a lot for 2, we could have shared one. Leftovers for lunch the next day!

Miracle Grill, Park Slope

Miracle Grill (Click here for menupages)
(Southwestern)
222 7th Ave,
Btwn 3rd & 4th St
Brooklyn 11215
718-369-4541

It's so hard to be inspired to cook after work, right? Or is it just me? The other day after a drink with workmates, I figured my ambitions of going for a jog in Prospect Park were doomed, even though it was a gorgeous spring day. So I grabbed the hubby and we went for a "stroll" which wasn't much of a substitute for exercise given that the main purpose was to choose a delicious place for dinner! We decided to stop at Miracle Grill on 7th Ave between 3rd & 4th, as we had walked by before but never stopped in, and hey who's not a fan of southwestern or tex-mex or whatever exact variation this place serves (by the way is it truly a Bobby Flay creation??)

The atmosphere of the restaurant was fairly plain and un-memorable though the outside patio area was great for a nice day. The menu had a lot of great-sounding choices, though maybe slightly over-priced for what we wanted. Service was fine. We'd read something about great margaritas, so I tried the strawberry one. It wasn't the best; it was a lime margarita that looked like some kind of strawberry sauce was poured on top of. The lime part tasted good, but the strawberry didn't quite blend. Hubby's sangria was good.

I had the Barbequed pork & cheese empanadas, which I had interpreted to be different than it was (I thought it meant BBQ pork, plus a cheese empanada, but it was actually 2 empanadas, one with each filling). In any case they were EXCELLENT, really liked the flavors of the empanadas. There was a side of spinach that was ok, and a nice tomato sauce. Hubby got the shrimp & pinto bean burrito with rice and green salsa, which was tasy and his salad on the side had great dressing.

Not a bad place to check out from time to time in the slope. On the way back we ducked into the Cocoa Bar nearby for a chocolate cloud cookie, divine! Cocoa Bar has a garden area out back which looks like a nice place to hang out sometime.

Just found out, another parent visit is coming soon!! They've already said they're not so into shows and stuff, they'd rather save their show money for good food, so look out!

Brick Lane

Brick Lane Curryhouse
306-308 E 6th St
(212) 979-8787

Decided to try another Curry house on 6th St, hey why not. Again, we miss our curries from (no, not India itself) England. In London Brick Lane is famous for it's long row of curry houses, with everyone standing outside trying to entice people in to their particular restaurants. They keep adding more and more free "extras" to see if you'll bite... I was once out there for a girls dinner with about 9 or 10 girls, and wow was there a bidding war to see which restaurant would get to serve us... we ended up going to the one that offered 5 (yes 5!) free bottles of wine...

So anyway when we saw the restaurant aptly named "Brick Lane" on NYC's own curry-row, and it looked stylish, menu looked good, seemed to get good reviews, we decided we should check it out. We met up with some friends we went to school with in England, and the 5 of us took the round table by the window. On a weekday the place was empty, no trouble at all though we did make a reservation just in case. We had met the creator of Cobra beer during grad school, and some classmates even worked on a project for the company, so we've all become fans needless to say. I think they gave us all free beer at one point... but apparently they can't use the name "Cobra" beer in the US, so it's called "Krait" instead, which sounds a bit strange if you ask me. But hey we drank it anyway.

Great thing about 5 people is the potential of sharing curries. So we got 5 different options and shared, and overall they were very good curries.... chicken bhuna, lamb balti, chicken korma, saag, and chicken tikka masala (all were good, I think Bhuna was my fav!). Plenty of naan to go round, and some onion bhaji and samosas. Recommended!

Mary Ann's

Mary Ann's
(Mexican)
116 8th Ave (Chelsea)
New York, NY 10011
(212) 633-0877

Mexican. Always a favorite food choice (I just can't deal with the question of "what is your favorite food?", doesn't work for me, there's too many....)

Mary Ann's is always enjoyable, and part of the experience is trying to digest all of the endless menu options! Such good margaritas!! Their strawberry margarita was excellent, it has lime in it too so it's tangy, yum. So many options, each with so many flavors, so hard to decide. Specials always sound good too. We tend to devour their chips and salsa consistently.

Tonight's choices were Tequila lime shrimp, with plenty of red onion and artichoke, great flavors. The salad on the side had avo vinegrette, and the shrimp was served atop green rice. We also had the 'Alambre" I think, "Brochette" or skewer of chicken, shrimp, tomatoes, onions, peppers. Good, not outstanding. Served with black beans and green rice. The guacamole at the neighbors table was supposedly a small, but it looked huge! We saw a few tables leave with half the guac left a least. Something maybe to get with a bigger group. A good after-work staple.

Curry kicks

Angon on the Sixth
East Village
320 E 6th St
New York, NY 10003
(212) 260-8229

After living in England for nearly four years, you develop a keen taste for Indian curry. In England, curry houses are everywhere, and even run-of-the-mill pubs serve Indian or Thai curry. So yum. I don't think I'd had a proper curry until I moved across the pond, as my Indian house-mate in college tried only once, and not very successfully, to cook for us, somewhat disastrous. Now that I discovered that Indian curries are also about flavor, not JUST spice, well needless to say I became addicted. So many great places in London, one of my favorites was right around the corner from my last flat in Little Venice, Akash, on Edgeware Road, tiny little place with divine curries. Then there was the place we rode our bikes to in Cambridge.... sigh, memories. But that is all besides the point!

So my husband and I decided to re-live our UK fondness for curry and try out one of the many curry houses in the East Village. With so many to choose from, we took a page out of the Shecky's Best of NYC book (literally) and followed it to their vote for best Indian on "curry row", Angon on the 6th, on 6th St of course. We passed many other contenders, including a modern-looking place called Brick Lane, named after London's curry-row, with a great-looking menu (yup look for that one in future entries!).

We arrived at our destination and went down a short flight of stairs to the lower level restaurant. It was dimly lit with many hanging lanterns, candles and strings of lights which managed to distract you from the fact that they sure do cram a lot of restaurant-goers into a limited space! It was loud and busy, but fun and festive at the same time. Pappadoms came with the meal, the kind with pepper in them, and the various dipping sauces. I'm used to the thick mango chutney in London, which didn't seem to be an option, but the sauces were good. Indian beers were just right, Kingfisher for only about $4. The chicken curry and lamb bhuna were delicious, very reminiscent of our UK curries, with chunks of tomatoes, onions, and in the chicken curry potatoes as well. The basmati rice was great, with a sprinkling of caramelized onions on top. The bhuna was a bit thicker, and the sauce had great flavor. The naan bread was a highlight, so warm and buttery and soft; amazing and fresh. Great for dipping in the curries.
Service was slow at the end of the meal, it seemed no one wanted to bring us the check for ages, but we would go back for sure for some more de-lish curry!

Na zdrowie... Polish cheers from Teresa's

Teresa's
103 1st Ave,New York 10003
Btwn 6th & 7th St
(212)228-0604

My first pierogie ever! (Am I spelling that right??) Even with a Polish stepdad! Oh, yeah, and half-polish husband. Forgot that I now have a Polish last name... DEFINITELY about time I had a pierogie then!

We thought it'd be a good idea to take the parents out for a Polish culinary adventure, something you don't really find in their home in South Florida. Well they fell in love with Teresa's, another suggestion by the husband. We showed up for an early dinner and were seated immediately, though it filled up quickly thereafter. Simple decor, Teresa's does not try to be anything other than a good, traditional Polish restaurant (despite the trendy-appearance of their sign outside). We had the Polish beer they served, and started with potato pancakes and applesauce for the table. Very good, warm and crisp. I tried to eat SLIGHTLY lighter, got a salad with pear, arugula, and smoked turkey, which was good, though HUGE (it could have fed a family of 7).

The men got the "Polish platter", how could you not-- it featured, kielbasa, saurkraut, stuffed cabbage and potato pierogis. I'm not as into the kielbasa and all, but the saurkraut was excellent (much better than any saurkraut I've ever had). My mom's roast duck was caramelized with fruit and it was awesome. I was really impressed with my pierogies though! In addition to the mountain of salad, I got a selection of pierogies to try them out, boiled, with a side of onions, in flavors such as mushroom & saurkraut, cheese, potato, and meat. My fav was the potato, but they were all good. Now I feel like a real Polish wife! ;)

Flavors of Fabulous Fish: Blue Water Grill

Blue Water Grill
31 Union sq W
New York, NY 10003
(212) 675-9500

Well we really enjoyed our special night out, dinner (with my parents) at Blue Water Grill last night. I've heard it consistenly mentioned as one of (many) top NYC spots, and looking at the menu online ahead of time had me practically drooling in anticipation. I'm a sucker for anything that combines numerous delicious flavors on one plate, such as their
"Ginger-Soy Lacquered Chilean Sea Bass with Chinese Broccoli, Sticky Rice, Wasabi Vinaigrette" or "Organic Salmon with Truffled Leek Risotto, Fava Bean Vinaigrette."

So you could say we were looking forward to it! We were actually treating my parents as a thank-you gesture for all of their support for our wedding earlier this year, and hoping they would appreciate our reservations in the jazz room downstairs, since they enjoy listening to jazz and would not normally treat themselves to a dinner like this.

When we got there we walked past the crowds waiting to try and get a seat and were able to be seated right away with our reservation. We walked down the marble staircase which had votive candles on each step, to the rich red-hued jazz room downstairs. The band was playing, and they seemed quite good, although not QUITE good enough for us to take the host up on the first table he offered us which was RIGHT in front of the band. We wanted to enjoy the music, but also be able to hear one another. We found another table with a tall drippy candle and tucked in for some nice wine (they have an extensive wine list), and great bread that was brought out quickly.

I started the meal with the Baja roll (had to throw one sushi selection in there), and it was to-die-for. It features a great flavor mix (of course), of Tuna, Shrimp, Avocado, Jicama, Jalapeño. That may sound like a lot in one sushi roll, and I confess the rolls were massive to attempt to eat in one bite, but despite their size we wished for more. The parents got a shrimp cocktail with large, fresh shrimp and a cocktail sauce with a kick. The husband got the "Grilled bosc pear salad with goat cheese", which was also very nice.

The grilled shrimp & scallops entree was a top choice at the table, I had mine with lobster mashed potatoes and the chimichurri sauce (recommended, especially good on the scallops.) The grilled artichoke salad was another excellent side dish. The highlight at the table, however, was definitely the Blackened Swordfish, which was an amazing consistency with great crispy blackened seasoning, served atop a sweet potato-crabmeat-hash, a fabulous mix of sweet and savory again. I would get that meal any day! Given all of the delicious food at our table, I'm sure I'd love to go back again and again to try the rest of the menu. Many other flavors and restaurants in NYC to go though...

For dessert, the key lime sorbet was almost TOO tangy and tart. Dessert-- the caramelized banana ice cream tower, yum! Many layers, including marshmellow sauce, surrounded by hazelnut shell, so you had to, as the waiter suggested "knock the tower over on its side and break it up to get all the flavors!" Great cappucino. Very good service. Oh and I almost forgot to mention the extensive raw bar choices they have as well! We saw many multi-tiered raw bar adventures going out to patrons thoughout the night, I'm sure those are great as well.

Glad I got to experience Blue Water Grill, and treat the parents to some great seafood. Highly recommended!

Second flavor: Suzie's sweet caramelized garlic chicken

Aunt Suzie restaurant
Park Slope, Brooklyn
247 5th Ave
(718) 788-2868

So recently for St Patrick's Day, my husband and I wandered up 5th Ave in Brooklyn to a few fun bars we hadn't been to before, one of which was the Lighthouse. When I looked it up online, it said something about "all you Park Slopers will know Aunt Suzie's; we're right next door..." which made me say, hmmm, take mental note to check out Aunt Suzie's! I looked it up online later, and sure enough it got rave reviews as an Italian home-cooking, affordable Brooklyn establishment.

As it is still restaurant week (see my previous post), actually, last night was the FINAL night of restaurant week, we wanted to be sure and take part one more time. 3 courses for less than $22, at tons of Brooklyn restaurants, you can't go wrong! So we again wandered up 5th avenue. We passed Blue Ribbon, which had people pouring out onto the streets waiting, and went up to Aunt Suzie to check it out. We walked in and right away I said "ooh, this is very cute. Why haven't we come here yet?". It's not a huge place, not that many Brooklyn OR NY restaurants are, but it felt very comfortable. There were tables in a variety of different shapes, some square, some round, some rectangular, with different types of chairs and antique-looking benches. There actually were a lot of bigger tables, so I'd say it's a good place to bring 4 or more. Unique chandeliers, and walls covered with old black and white pictures of things such as "Coney Island in the 30's".

We waited only about 5 minutes or so and then were seated at a round table that would seat 4, even though there were just 2 of us. As we sat down, I had a flashback of staying at a cute B&B in Warwick, NY, where there are antiques and cozy grandmother-style elements all around. There were paper doilies under each place-setting and crystal-style glasses that looked like they were from an older time period, plus different cloth napkins that looked like they were from someone's home instead of a 5th Ave restaurant.

We checked out the menu, and were excited by the different Italian options with many flavors included, and at the very reasonable prices. I proclaimed that this was "my new favorite restaurant", despite the fact that we hadn't eaten anything yet! We definitely planned to come back again sometime to sample different things. The menu includes appetizers such as mussels, pasta fagioli, seafood salad, and egglplant caponata. The salads sound fabulous, such as one with "honey roasted pear, goat cheese, & walnuts over mixed greens." There is a HUGE pasta list, and all the pasta dishes are 10.90. Like literally over 20 different options. The entree list is where the sweet-spot is, with things like Chicken Vagabond (with mozzarella, onions, mushrooms, & prosciutto in a marsala sauce) and shrimp fortunata (with fresh tomatoes, prosciutto, and mozzarella in a white wine sauce). They have pork, veal, duck and steak options, plus shrimp, mussels, salmon and tuna. They over a few pizzas, as well as a "really cheap menu" with things like chicken parm if you like.

Well last night was the restaurant week as I said, so for $22 each, we got a decent sized salad to share, a pasta dish each, a main dish each, and a dessert and coffee each. Pretty great value. The salad was amazing, topped with roasted red peppers, a mixture of beans and chickpeas, some carrots and salami, it was a virtual antipasti platter atop a salad, with a great olive oil dressing.

OH-- almost forgot, before the salad, they bring everyone a bread basket AND a plate of red pepper pesto and bruschetta toppings....divine! The pesto was amazing, we definitely wanted to lick the plate. Aunt Suzie, you should sell that stuff in bottles!

Back to the meal. The pasta was well-prepared, and the feature of the evening was my main course--- Chicken Garlissimo. I've never had anything like it--- caramelized garlic atop butterflied boneless chicken breast. The caramelized garlic was prepared in a rich, sweet sauce, and there literally must have been a whole HEAD of garlic on my plate. Each clove of garlic was dark, sweet, soft, and succulent. It literally melted in your mouth. I had basically one clove with every bite of my chicken. I've never eaten whole cloves of garlic like that before, definitely never had caramalized garlic, and never eaten so MUCH at one sitting! I believe I am still reeking of garlic today. ;) Apparently garlic is great for you cholesterol and blood pressure, not to mention immune system, though, so hey rock on. The dish was excellent, I highly recommend it.

My husband had the grilled tuna, which was fresh and well-cooked, with a nice subtle flavor, if a bit plain. For dessert with the set menu I had a hot fudge sundae with EXCELLENT fudge (mmmm), and the husband got the chocolate mousse which was good if you like mousse (I'm more of an ice cream chick myself!). We had a bottle of Montepulciano de Abruzzo wine which was excellent and only $15 a bottle, as well as coffee.

We will be back at Aunt Suzie's I'm sure! AND they deliver in Park Slope, come on!
My parents are coming to town this weekend coming up, for Easter, and I think they'd really enjoy the character of it and the food, so we'll try and take them. They're actually staying on our floor (!) for 5 (yes 5) nights, it will be an adventure! But it is also an excuse to go on a culinary tour of NYC (not like I wasn't already doing that), so I'll keep you posted on our food delights.

June, 2007 addendum-- we have since gone to Aunt Suzie's for brunch, and it was great-- about $16 each, includes champagne mimosas and breakfast buffet-- they had 3 different kinds of sausages, bacon, eggs, omelettes made-to-order, crepes, waffles & pancakes, several kinds of pasta and salads, chicken piccata, and a whole dessert spread including rice puddings, chocolate mousse, peach cobbler & brownies. All felt very home-made and delicious, and the group we were with enjoyed the atmosphere.

The First Flavor... Magnolia, our local favorite

I decided to start my 52 flavor experience with the restaurant nearest and dearest to my heart (and to my apartment-- it's right around the corner!), in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Yes I've been there before, and most of my 52 flavors will be new ones for me, but it's always nice to start off with something special, and Magnolia is definitely that.

Magnolia is located on the corner of 12th Street and 6th Aveneue in Park Slope, in a residential area not too far from Prospect Park. When we first moved to the neighborhood, we spotted it quickly when taking a walk, and noticed that its candlelight and white lights outside at night just seemed to emanate the word "cozy." However we first tried it for their Sunday brunch that they advertise on chalkboard signs when you walk by the outside (not for the candlelit dinners) . For a set price of $8.95 (or $11.95 including a brunch cocktail-- mimosa or bloody mary), you get one of their brunch or lunch specials, their signature "breakfast bread" that I can never get enough of, juice and coffee. We thought that was a great deal for NYC brunch, and became regulars for Sunday brunch here, especially when guests came to town. I particularly enjoy the eggs florentine, and my husband adores their french toast. One day I got "crazy" and DIDN'T order breakfast food but chose a lunch option, the chicken sandwich, and it was DIVINE, with a pesto dressing and delicious focacia... so we decided to try it out for dinner as well!

Once we tried one dinner at Magnolia, we were hooked. And given the proximity to our house, it becomes the standard delicious option to stumble over to time and again! Who needs to go up 5th avenue when you've got Magnolia nearby. They do have a prix fixe weekdays which is a great value, $22 for 3 awesome courses! Whether we do prix fixe or not, we've found that we love almost every dish we try there. For appetizers, their mozzerella and tomato tastes extra fresh and with just the right touch of basil. The cornmeal-crusted calamari, served with "slow-roasted marinara" and "buttermilk tziki" (how can you not order it when you read that) is great, and tastes nice and lighter than other fried calamari. Even the spinach dip is excellent. And the magnolia salad, with the candied pecans, apple and ranch dressing is hard to resist.

How many of their dishes am I allowed to rave about before you get tired of reading??
They have great pizzas, very thin-crusted so a little lighter but great flavor (and pizza and pint specials on Monday nights). Their steaks are extremely memorable, love the hanger steak and the cowboy steak. They often have fabulous specials as well as special occasions. We were there for a great New Year's eve dinner as well as an autumn 7-course dinner and wine tasting that was out of this world. It is the restaurant we ate at the night my husband proposed to me (later on that night), and we decided to pay our respects again last night on our 1-month wedding anniversary.

This is actually restaurant week in Brooklyn, so there was a special prix-fixe last night which I partook in. I had the calamari, which as I said above, was great (I gave my husband the tentacle pieces though I admit.) For my main I had the Penne Romano, which amazed me with its simplicity yet wow-factor! It is what I picture true italian cooking to be like-- simple fresh flavors coming together to make memorable meals. Penne pasta with just a light olive oil sauce tossed with chopped tomatoes, chunks of fresh mozzerella, basil leaves, and toasted pine nuts, with some shredded parmesan on top-- yum!! My husband had a pasta special with shrimp that he enjoyed. For dessert the lemon cake, which was almost more reminiscent of french toast than cake, very good with rich berry sauce. (Next time-- the famous warm chocolate mocha cake!! Had it on our engagement night ages ago, it was amazing.)

Magnolia will always have a special place in our hearts (and tummys!), and I'm sure we'll continue to go there often. In the summer they set tables outside for a nice Sunday brunch along 6th Ave. I still like it best at night with the candlelight going, it strikes the right balance between charming and cozy but not over-the-top or cheesy. The staff are very friendly and most important, the flavors are fresh and fabulous!!! Check out their website at www.magnoliabrooklyn.com.

The 52 Flavors...

No, it's not all about ice cream, I promise.

This collection of food essays is my aim to dive deeply into the delicious variety of flavors on offer in New York City over the next year (that would be the next 52 weeks). In recent years, I've developed a strong affinity and passion for good food and fabulous flavors, which is expressed both through my improving attempts at cooking and through visiting restaurants which serve up fresh flavors that make me swoon, a la Rachel Ray style (see a collection of her swooning clips at: http://naomileibowitz.com/projects/rray/index.html). Living in Europe for nearly four years afforded me the pleasure of weekend trips to Paris and Florence and Rome, where my passion for flavors (or flavours for my European friends) increased exponentially. I still daydream about a particular bruschetta heaping with fresh tomatoes in Cinque Terre, Italy; my first tartufo in Rome; chocolate souffle at L'Epicerie in Paris; onion soup on a cold winter's day..... I could go on and on but I'll pause those thoughts, since this is meant to be about New York City!

So moving to New York is very exciting of course, and there is so much going on that I can't complain about spending a few years here, but I admit that I sometimes miss European life with the emphasis on enjoyment and the ancient architecture and romance of the older cities and languages. So I decided to focus on what I WOULD love most about New York, and I'm not sure any European city (including London, I must now admit!) can compete with NYC in terms of the enormous volume and variety of delicious food and restaurants.

If New York City were a restaurant, it would undoubtedly be an international tapas restaurant, featuring endless different flavors and decadent dishes. Tapas restaurants are my favorite type, I admit, due to their opportunity to sample so many different flavors in one meal. So, this blog is my version of sampling the tapas or flavor collection that is New York City! I propose to try and sample as many restaurants as I can while in New York for a short time. Of course, anyone who has been to New York would agree that you can in NO WAY begin to make a dent in truly "knowing" or tasting ALL the great food of NYC, and I in no way claim that will be possible. But in my own way I hope to try a good mix of flavors and have some fun along the way, both in Manhattan and in Brooklyn (my current place of residence, with many places in walking distance to my apartment, I can't neglect that!).

Good food is memorable, it is flavorful and makes me take note and say wow (or "mmmm" like RRay). It is the utmost celebration of the senses and what life is all about-- soaking up the flavors, experiences, feelings and tastes while we are in this world. I will try to seek out those places and dishes that capture those feelings, whether they be at more upscale or more casual restaurants, and share the experiences with you along the way. I welcome feedback and suggestions. Time to begin the tasting...