Al Di La

Al Di La
248 5th Ave, Brooklyn 11215
At Carroll St
718-636-8888

We finally made it to Al Di La! Considering how often it is mentioned, particularly in Park Slope foodie-lore, this was one restaurant we needed to check out. Famous for not taking reservations and ages waiting around, we'd decided against it multiple times in the past. This time we decided to go for it. There was an hour and 20 min wait even at 6pm on a Saturday (!), so we put our name in and took a walk, went to Union Hall for a drink (at least Al Di La calls your cell when your table is ready.) Al Di La also has a wine bar around the corner that you can wait in, so after Union Hall we headed there for a glass of Malbec which was very nice. A loud, somewhat cramped space at the wine bar, plus a small dining area too (wasn't sure if the menu there was the same). Eventually it was time, and they brought our wine glasses through to the restaurant since we were still mid-glass, while we walked around the corner outside and back into the restaurant, past the dark, velvet curtain into the loud dining room.

The vibe in the room was convivial and warm, though not as much character as rival Convivium Osteria in my opinion. Seats clustered together, lots going on given the popularity of the place. We waited a bit for our waiter but he was friendly and apologetic. I started with Casumzieei, which was ravioli with beets, ricotta, and poppy seeds, tossed in butter. It was simple, fresh, and richly satisfying. I never would have imagined ravioli with beets being so tasty. Hubby had carpaccio that he enjoyed, topped with capers, anchovies and parmesan.

For the main course I chose the hanger steak, which was tender and moist, served with arugula. It was very nice, though hubby’s pork stole the show—Saltimbocca alla Romana, with prosciutto and really nice golden potatoes. Pounded thin and tasty. For dessert a very memorable treat—vanilla ice cream and “almond prailine” (yum), “drowned” in espresso—different, and great mixture of flavors.

Overall very glad we went, and probably slightly better value than Convivium Osteria (I realize the food is slightly different there but the two do seem very comparable.). It was a nice date night, but may choose other options in the future instead of repeating the long wait. Recommended though!

Blogsoop reviews

Barbeque at Blue Smoke

Blue Smoke
116 E 27th St
New York, NY 10016
(212) 447-7733

Girls night out....restaurant week.... you might not think of barbeque as a top choice on a night like this, but we had a great time. I'd heard about how good Blue Smoke was supposed to be, and being somewhat of a southern girl I had an interest in checking it out. They had a restaurant week special this week too, alright I was sold...

Supposed to have a decent jazz bar there too, though we didn't make it to that. Reservations were booked but we showed up to wait. 45 min wait or so, and the "blood-orange margarita" made up for the wait in quality, though not quite quantity (small for a margarita). Very tasty though. The place was packed and the bar was full, but we got by chatting for a while. Eventually we were seated at a giant booth, and checked out the restaurant week menu. In the end I didn't even go with that menu since I saw the pulled pork platter on the menu. The pulled pork was awesome, a huge mount of it (not sure how anyone could finish that platter) atop a slice of sourdough bread, a side of tasty baked beans and some coleslaw. Top with sauces as desired and enjoy. A bit pricey for barbeque (or barbecue to be proper), but memorable pulled pork for sure. Fun place for something different and a night out.

Blogsoop reviews of Blue Smoke

Italian in Midtown: Felidia restaurant

Felidia
243 E 58th St
Btwn 2nd & 3rd Ave
212-758-1479

Last night's dinner was a treat for sure. We went to Felidia upon recommendation that the food was great, and we definitely agreed. The flavors were rich and layered, the service was excellent, and it was a memorable meal.

We made a reservation for a Saturday night, and it does seem that reservations a couple of weeks ahead is needed often. We arrive on time at the restaurant which has 2 levels and big glass windows. I spied a table in the window upstairs for two, and made a foretelling comment about that being our table up there. Lo and behold it was, and I always enjoy sitting at the window. Though I admit there was not a ton to look at on 58th St, and the lighting in the restaurant was a bit lacking. Candlelight might have been nice. The atmosphere was simple and understated upstairs. When we first sat down they brought out a sampling of 3 flavors of basically houmous, with a selection of breads and breadsticks. Those were some tasty flavors, one was a basil pesto flavor, one was garlic and kalamata olive, and one was orange and carrot. Loved them all. We also tried the Olive Oil sampler for $7, with additional tasty breads. You could certainly taste the differences in the 3 types of oils, though I cannot remember the details of any of them now unfortunately.

The wine list was extensive, and the Montepulciano perfect. What about the rest of the food? Probably my favorite of the whole evening was the rock shrimp appetizer (Gamberi al Limone)—melt-in-your-mouth amazing, really blew my mind. Served in an hollowed-out onion (pictured here), these were the most tender pieces of shrimp I’ve ever had, with a creamy butter, garlic, lemony sauce and caramelized onions, heavenly. I was ready to order a few more of those and be done. Also tried the 5 onion, fennel, and fluke soup which was very good. For main courses, the paccheri was large pasta noodles and the wild boar almost like a winter stew, with carrots and mushrooms. It was very well done and meat nicely cooked, though a bit too bland for my taste. Hubby’s plate included venison loin, nicely rare for him, and almost a moussaka-like bison meat and potatoes blend I quite enjoyed.

Finally for dessert! A fruit tiramisu with cranberries and orange, and “mini caprese cakes” with coconut served with 3 dipping sauces (pictured), passion fruit, chocolate and caramel. Complimentary plate of sweets and dessert wine for our special occasion dinner, we were certainly done at that point! It was very memorable and recommended!

One if by Land...

One if By Land, Two if By Sea
17 Barrow St
New York, NY 10014
(212) 255-8649


If you just happened to stroll down Barrow Street, between W 4th & 7th Ave, you would come across a white archway over windows that look like they peer into another city and time in some ways-- the ornate dining room with chandeliers that appear to be filled with real candles at first glance, and the pianist playing classy music to the bar patrons and couples cozying up by the fireplace. The candlelight and warm colors paint a timeless feeling across the scene, as though you were peering at a scene from Charles Dickens' inspiration for parties in the Christmas Carol. There is no large prominent sign out front, just a small posting of the menu, and I'm not sure I'd have gone in if I had just stumbled upon it given the exclusive feeling, but we had reservations after seeing the Restaurant Week specials they were offering-- $35 for a 3-course meal. We couldn't pass up the opportunity to see the restaurant renowned for marriage proposals at such a reasonable price (given their normal fares), and enjoyed a lovely romantic dinner for two, complete with our own taper candle on the table, and enough servers hustling around to ensure that you were catered to.

The feeling of the restaurant was very timeless, with brick walls inside and large windows near where we sat looking at some sort of courtyard, and of course the chandeliers. The table was a tiny bit big for sitting across from your love and having romantic conversation, but we did our best. The olive bread was wonderful, and the chef sent everyone a small cup of beet gazpacho with salmon cream that was different and tasty. I had a salad with a lite vinaigrette, walnuts, and pomegranate seeds, and the hubby started with a smoked ham soup with cheddar cheese foam that was warm, rich, and satisfying. I had hanger steak with mango/cumin sauce, served medium which was more like medium rare (but apparently everything there is a bit under, I still enjoyed it), and hubby had scallops with mushroom sauce and barley which were also rich and delicious. Portion sizes were tinier than expected, but the multiple courses made up for it. The desserts were divine-- a "liquid chocolate tart with salted caramel ice cream" and a "whiskey-caramel-sauce covered chestnut parfait". Both were amazing, rich, and memorable. Glad I got to experience it, felt very warm and romantic for an NYC restaurant, and no, didn't catch anyone busting out rings while we were there, though hubby decided to present me with notification that our house-loan was approved at the table-- a close second to another proposal; if not a ring, a house will do ;). No complaints here.

Blogsoop Reviews

Another vote: Best Pizza in NYC?? Patsy's

Patsy's
67 University, Greenwich Village
(212) 533-3500

Finally! Isn't this, at least according to some, where this whole pizza debate began? With a coal oven at Patsy's in Harlem, circa 1933? 2 years plus in NYC and I hadn't tried Patsy's until this past week. Given my recent tastes of Lombardi's, Grimaldi's, and more, it had to be done. Of course only now do I realize I worked a year not so far from this location, geez, could have been a detriment to my lunchtime health had I known.

We arrived around 6:30, and the place went from empty to slammed in a manner of minutes. Definitely felt the college student vibe. Not a lot to look at, tables crammed in to the very last inch, but I was there for one thing only. Pizzas were served up quickly on a convenient double-decker stack. One standard margarita, and one with pepperoni.

Not a lot was said during this meal.... I know it may seem like each new pizza place I go to is a contender for my fav, but I TRULY think that may be the case with Patsy's. Somehow the crust was just that much lighter than the others, and the tastes perfection. Even the pepperoni was delicious, though I prefer simple flavors of mozzarella, tomato, and basil. Before I moved here I really don't think I knew what NYC pizza meant....I just figured, yeah, good (decent) pizza, so what. But now I get how people can obsess over it... the coal, the temperature, the dough, the charring...yum.

When can I go back??

Blogsoop reviews of original Patsy's

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.

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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!