Burger and Barrel
Sometimes you just need a boys night out where there just happen to girls to admire while you dine. And what better way to celebrate some quality time with the guys than with a standout burger and fries? Chef Josh Capon didn’t win best burger at the New York Wine & Food Festival for nothing. He’s crafted a serious list of burgers, including the “B & B Classic” topped with tomato, lettuce, American cheese, and their special sauce, and the “Bash-style” — code for Burger Bash winner — a cheeseburger topped with a caramelized onion & bacon jam, American cheese and pickles. There’s plenty more where that came from, including a mushroom & gruyere topped burger and even a seasonal $45 White Truffle burger. They don’t stop with burgers. Burger & Barrel’s got an iceberg wedge with roquefort &...
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Hill Country Chicken
What guy doesn’t crave comfort food? You know, the kind of that food that sticks to your ribs, so you have loosen your belt a little. Fried chicken is just one of those things that no man can deny himself. There’s something about a piece of fried chicken – golden brown and crispy on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside – that makes it ideal for a Sunday night feast with your buddies. And Hill Country Chicken is one of my favorite places to go in the city for a taste of crispy chicken goodness and they use extra-large, all-natural chickens to boot. Order a bucket to share with the table, either classic- or Mama Els-style (skinless), and pair it with a serious side of mac & cheese and fresh buttermilk biscuits. If you still have room for dessert,...
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Sparks Steakhouse
It’s hard to think of eating steak in New York without thinking of Sparks. This pub-turned-steakhouse has been serving some of the biggest and best steaks for over 35 years. We know there’s lots of competition, the likes of Peter Luger and Striphouse, but you’d be hard pressed to find a comparable steak fromage (topped with roquefort) or filet mignon. Not to mention how good the crabmeat cocktail and baby lamb chops are. (Just saying.) Sparks doesn’t mess around with over-the-top seasonings and sauces. They let the quality of their meat speak for itself and the final product is something that even the burliest steak lovers swoon over. If you’re looking for a classy, old school steakhouse to close a deal or lock in a client, this is the...
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Stella Manhattan Bistro
Located near the Financial District, Stella is the perfect (and convenient) spot to roll into after work for a couple of drinks or a bite to eat (or both). The atmosphere is sleek, yet relaxed, making it a great spot to unwind after a long day cooped up at the office. So loosen your tie and settle in at one of the bar tables in the lounge area. The menu is a unique and eccentric mix of French, Argentinian, and Asian food, but it’s all finger food-friendly and definitely better than your average bar bites. Where else can you order a Croque Monsieur with smoked ham and gruyere while your buddy gets the classic fish and chips with homemade tartar sauce? Even the burger guy in the group with be satisfied when he gets the Stella-R burger topped with goat cheese. ...
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Vic & Anthony’s Steakhouse
New York finally scored a Vic & Anthony’s all its own, the first-ever New York location for this Houston steakhouse (you’ll have to head to Vegas, Houston, or AC to check out the others). What was Angelo & Maxie’shas been transformed into a modern steak joint that’s not just about meat and potatoes (although those do make a solid showing here, too). Instead, the menu offers a unique take on classic steakhouse dishes, like seared scallops with crisp apple slaw (some heat added, thanks to a bit of Tabasco), maple-glazed quail and an artisan cured meat sampler. Oh, and did we mention they have some of the most tender filet mignon around? One of our favorite dishes is the Steak & Egg salad with prime beef carpaccio and a fried egg and a side of their addictive creamed corn. This would be the...
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Taproom No. 307
Looking for somewhere new to take your craft beer-loving bros? One night at the Taproom and you’ll never go back to your old, reliable dive bar. Over 40 beers on tap is reason enough to spend a night here. From their own House Lager to brews, like Koko Brown out of Hawaii, they’re pouring a wide, hard-to-find variety of ales. The best part? You can try a new beer every time you go since their selection changes almost daily. Plus, chef Stephen Durley believes that almost everything is better when cooked in beer. There’s beer-braised bratwurst, the beer-battered fried pickles, and beer-brined burrata cheese, and that’s just for starters. Sample Taproom’s tiger shrimp hush puppies or the pulled pork sandwich alongside a few daily beers on tap. Better yet, ask the bartender to pair a perfect beer with your...
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New York’s Best Chilled Soups
Who says you have to give up soup come summertime? Perhaps one of the most versatile, cross-cultural dishes, soup is a year round staple. Countries like Thailand and Vietnam actually eat hot, spicy soups to counteract the sweltering heat. We see summer as an opportunity to seize the tasty spectrum of cold soups from around the world.
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The Darby – The Fun Date
When all else fails, keep things lighthearted and simple. A good time doesn’t have to mean fussy tasting menus and knockout views. Sometimes, the best dates are just straight up fun… with great food, of course. What’s more fun than a live musical performance with music you can sing along to every night of the week? The Darby’s got their own, house band and most evenings end up on the dance floor, singing along with the band. That’s just the beginning. Then, there’s the raw bar, studded with oysters, and the menu, created by the talented Alex Guarnaschelli. If oysters aren’t your (or her) thing, share the Crispy Zucchini Blossoms with Heirloom Tomato Vinaigrette, or the Grilled Octopus with bacon and pickled jalapeños. But the real pièce de résistance is the 2.5 pound Maine Lobster cooked with dry vermouth,...
Read MoreThe Roof at NoMad – The Trendy Date
We know how much people love trying new restaurants, so we think it’s smart to kill two birds with one stone: Take a date to a hip, new spot. (Even if you don’t like your date, you still tried a new spot.) The newly opened Rooftop at the NoMad Hotel is one of the hottest new openings and perfect for the occasion on many counts. Head up to the roof and you’ll find phenomenal, panoramic views of the city and a terrific ultra-seasonal cocktail menu. With the Eleven Madison Park team behind the hotels many menus, you know the food is going to be exceptional. Nibble on Radishes with Butter-Dipped Fleur De Sel or Salmon Rillettes and see how the night unfolds. If it’s looking good, stay for dinner and try the Strawberry Gazpacho, the Black Bass with Summer...
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The City’s Great Cheese Chase
The thing about cheese is that it just keeps getting better. Once upon a time you had to go to Italy if you wanted fresh, homemade mozzarella. Nowadays, restaurants and shops are spinning their own freshly mozzarella. They’re buying domestic and aging cheese in-house, not to mention the incredible selection of cheeses from all over the world.
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Best Popsicles In NYC
If you haven’t noticed, popsicles have gotten quite the makeover over the past few years. It seems like we went from Push-Up Pops and Good Humor’s choco-dipped vanilla ice cream pops overnight. There’s a new batch of local shops with their own, innovative twists.
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Best Hot Dogs In Town
We promised more hot dogs and we’ve got some doozies. There’s plenty of franks to keep us busy well through fall. One of our favorite shrines, Bark Hot Dogs (474 Bergen Street, Brooklyn), takes every aspect of the hot dog seriously. That means oak barrel-aged sauerkraut, homemade pickles and heirloom baked beans toppings. If that doesn’t have your attention, their beef-and-pork frank should. Bark’s sausages are all made at Hartman’s upstate and basted in smoked lard butter before meeting their griddled fate. Bark’s specialties are the Bacon Cheddar Dog, and the Chili Cheese Hot Dog. Or you can design your own with bacon-braised sauerkraut, bark habanero sauce, or pepper relish. And they’ve got a vegetarian dog of their own — made from mushrooms and chickpeas — that comes slathered with a pickled garlic mayo. Pair your wiener with a local craft...
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Best Hot Dogs in Town
Like so many iconic American foods, the hot dog has a special place in the heart of New Yorkers. From the ballpark frank at Yankee Stadium to the food carts that line the city streets, the hot dog is a tried-and-true New York classic. And it’s come a long long way since Nathan’s Famous started its business back in 1916 with a small hot dog stand in Coney Island. The quest to be the proud server of ‘New York’s number one wiener’ has sparked dozens of new renditions and creative variations of the staple snack — from Japadog’s kurobuta pork dog to Asiadog’s curry and kimchi-topped beef dog. One of the largest hot dog menus in Manhattan belongs to Crif Dog (113 Saint Marks Place, East Village). If you respect the frank, you owe yourself a visit to this East...
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New York’s Best Pizzas
Pizza is high on our list of comfort foods, be it spring, summer or even winter (but let’s not think about that season right now). There’s just something about the right combination of gooey cheese and crispy crust that takes us to our happy place. Of course, we have Naples to thank for this ingenious invention, but Americans have had over one hundred years to perfect our own variations, and we like to think New York’s pizza joints take the cake (or pie). New York’s home to enough slices to try a different slice every week. But who wants to waste time on a mediocre slice? We volunteered our tastebuds and to share our favorites. From a classic New York-style slice at Joe’s Pizza to fried dough at Don Antonio by Starita or a more traditional Neapolitan slice at Keste, here’s...
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Best of New York Pickles
Did you know cucumbers, grown just for pickling, once grew all over Brooklyn? Yep. And they were sold from market stalls on Fulton, Canal and Washington Street. Americans consume over 5 million pickles a year, and New York is known for its pickles. While pickles aren’t exactly glamorous, they’re no longer relinquished to delis, sandwich shops and greenmarkets. Pickles of all sorts have come into fashion with all kinds of pickles far beyond cucumbers. There’s McClure’s killer Bloody Mary mix dosed with pickle juice, fried pickles at Tipsy Parson, and even a pickle-inspired restaurant called Jacob’s Pickles. From a spicy brine margarita to pickled asparagus at Mile End, we’ve sampled the city for you and picked a few of our favorite spots that feature pickles in all their glory… Momofuku Ssam Bar – Seasonal Pickles Address: 207 2nd...
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Sexy Spring Cocktails
We’ve been known to enjoy a cocktail (or three), and what better way to celebrate the warm weather than with a fresh from the garden libation? The city’s hottest bars and restaurants around the city have swapped out their stiff winter warmers for lighter, brighter concoctions in honor of spring. With fresh ingredients, like mint, muddled strawberries and cucumbers, seasonal libations are high on our radar right now. Especially the ones at the newly minted Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg. There, you can savor the waterfront views at The Ides, the rooftop bar, and sample a “Chihuahua,” a citrusy blend of fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice and tequila served in a highball glass with a salted rim. And there’s plenty more to enjoy all over town — from ABC Kitchen’s “Strawberry Royale,” an idyllic combination of fresh strawberry juice and sparkling rose, to...
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New York’s Best Oysters
The oyster is often overlooked as the quintessential New York food, but there was a time when oyster carts were as common as food trucks and hot dog stands. Times have changed, but there’s still plenty of oysters being shucked across the city, and they happen to be the perfect summer food. Still, a good oyster is like finding a good man, and you can’t eat just any old oyster. So what to look for? Well for starters, freshness. Walk into an oyster bar to find a pile of pre-shucked oysters and you’d be wise to head to avoid the raw bar and head toward another section of the menu. A good oyster arrives artfully shucked with no ragged edges or mangled bodies, no questionable coloring or offensive smells. The perfect oyster lies in a shell its own cool liquid, ready to...
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New York’s Best Spring Dishes
You know it’s spring when squash and parsnips lose their spots on the menu to asparagus, snap peas, beets, and ramps. And suddenly, it’s a whole new dining scene as restaurants reinvent themselves with the first signs of spring. We’ve spotted pickled ramps, rhubarb a briny spectrum of oysters, and even spotted our first, soft shell crabs of the season. Chefs are seizing the opportunity to do a little spring cleaning, shedding hearty comfort foods and sprucing up their offerings with vibrant, spring produce. There’s asparagus risotto and asparagus fries to boot at The Little Owl, soft shell crabs at Aldea, and a dramatic set change at Park Avenue Spring. Then, there’s the more unique offerings, like roof-to-table dining at Bell Book And Candle or Northeast Kingdom’s seriously seasonal dishes replete with a chef that gardens and forages for...
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Where to Fiesta On Cinco De Mayo
Technically speaking, Cinco de Mayo marks Mexico’s victory over the French at the Battle of Pueblo (blah, blah, blah). And while we can appreciate a little history, what we’re really after is the culinary celebration — salt-rimmed margaritas, tortilla chips, and mountains of guacamole. There are plenty of places to celebrate this year and an exciting new crop of Mexican joints to try this Cinco De Mayo. From taquitos to tequila, we’re keying you in to the best in Mexican fare… ToloacheAddress: 354 BoweryPhone: (212)937-4245Website:www.toloachenyc.com Chef Julian Medina isn’t taking Cinco de Mayo lightly. In fact, Toloache’s hosting its 5th Cinco De Mayo weekend with a celebratory French Invasion Margarita with a unique blend of tequila, tarragon, spring peas and lime, and a Mexican Passion Margarita with pineapple, horseradish and Valentina sauce. There’s a $50 menu with pork belly...
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Where To Dine Al Fresco
You won’t hear us complaining that spring has arrived early this year. We couldn’t be happier to trade eating hearty comfort foods for vibrant spring produce and dining in the great outdoors. From the Upper West Side to Carroll Gardens, restaurants are opening their back gardens, retracting their roofs, and setting up sidewalk seating for al fresco dining season. Spring is the perfect excuse to conquer new culinary ground. And if you haven’t been to Fette Sau, you’ll want to head to Williamsburg for barbecue and craft beers on Fette Sau’s picnic tables. There’s the back garden at Back Forty in the East Village or Maison Premiere for oysters and absinthe under the stars. Spring is in the air, and we’re taking it in one bite at a time. Maison Premiere Address: 298 Bedford Ave. btwn Grand & 1st Sts....
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