Restaurants in New York City

Q & A with Salvation Taco’s April Bloomfield

Cuisine: British | Featured in Chef Q&A

The term “Gastropub” gets thrown around pretty freely nowadays. It generally refers to bars that serve food far superior to the expected handful of beer nuts, meat pie, or run-of-the-mill burger. But the concept didn’t get much play outside of England until 2004, when British chef April Bloomfield burst onto the NYC scene with The Spotted Pig.

Q & A with Louro’s Chef David Santos

Cuisine: Global Fusion | Featured in Chef Q&A

There are some chefs that would much prefer to hole up in the kitchen with their sauces than interact with their customers. And that’s cool… it’s just not David Santos. On the contrary, the gregarious, heart on his sleeve chef is the kind of guy who invites patrons (and strangers at that!) into his home for supper club meals. Now, you can get a taste of Santos’s cooking, a unique mix of Portuguese, American and other globally inspired cuisines in one.

2013 Annual C-CAP Benefit

Cuisine: | Featured in Eating Events

Not all food events are alike. Some have great food and then there are some leave you with a bad taste in your mouth so to speak. Of course, they’re all for a good cause, which is what matters. But C-CAP’s annual benefit is one of our all-time favorites and not just because the food is excellent. (It is!) This unique organization provide scholarships to underserved youth who demonstrate talent in the kitchen.

The Marrow – Reviewed

Cuisine: European, Italian | Featured in First Bite, Restaurant, Reviews, What I'm Loving

There is marrow on the menu at Harold Dieterle’s new West Village eatery, of course. It comes roasted and topped with sea urchin, teeny nibbles of fried potatoes, a few wisps of baby celery greens, and a drizzle of meyer lemon aioli. Looking for a light bite? Consider eating elsewhere. But if you’re looking for some heart-warming (or stopping) cooking to cozy up to this winter, The Marrow has quite a few terrific options.

The Marrow

Cuisine: European, Italian | Featured in Hottest Newcomers

There is Marrow on the menu at Harold Dieterle’s new West Village eatery, of course.  It comes roasted and topped with sea urchin, teeny nibbles of fried potatoes, a few wisps of micro celery greens, and a drizzle of meyer lemon aioli.   Looking for a light bite?  Consider eating elsewhere.  But if you’re looking for some heart-warming (or stopping) cooking to cozy up to this winter, The Marrow has quite a few terrific options.  Perhaps you’d be interested in the  hand-cut Fettucini with Pork and Sage Sausage or the Pan-Fried Duck Schnitzel with Quark Spaetzle, Stewed Wolfberries and a Cucumber-Potato Salad?   And just what are Fettucini and Schnitzel doing on the same menu?   Dieterle’s newest venture was uniquely inspired by both his Italian and German roots, so expect the food to follow suit.  That means dishes as dichotomous as...

Le Bernardin

Cuisine: Seafood | Featured in RG's Favorites

There are some great restaurants in New York, and then, there’s Le Bernardin. It’s the kind of place people from all over the world travel just to sample Eric Ripert’s masterful (nearly magical) way with seafood. It’s that good. Ripert manages to tease out every subtle nuance of fish with his preparations and flavor combinations. I’ll never forget the just barely Sauteed Langoustines I had recently at Le Bernardin and I’ve had quite a few.

Zenkichi

Cuisine: Japanese | Featured in Best Of

There’s nothing that adds more to the romance of Valentine’s Day than a sexy atmosphere.  While it might be just a restaurant, dining at Zenkichi, a sexy izakaya in Brooklyn, is a Bond-like experience.   You’ll happen on a corner with an unmarked building in Williamsburg.  Slip inside and down the stairs and suddenly you’re in Japan (well almost).  There’s rocks on the floor, bamboo trim, and trickling water in the background to set the mood.  Oh, and each booth has a privacy curtains. Every time the server enters they have to ring a bell. Sound sexy? Damn right.   Start with a seasonal sake from their impressive selection and an order of  the Salmon with its own Roe, Lamb Chop Tataki with ginger onion soy sauce and Sweet Duck Salad with soft egg and baby greens.  For dessert,...

Mas Farmhouse

Cuisine: American | Featured in Best Of

Sure, going out to dinner might not be the most original idea, but eating is our favorite pastime and you never know what you’ll find at Mas Farmhouse.  That’s because chef Galen Zamarra changes his menu on a daily basis to include only the best ingredients from nearby local farms.  This paves the way for an innovative menu that’s included dishes such as Shrimp crusted with Spaghetti Squash and Brussel Sprouts Roasted with House-Cured Lamb Bacon.  Not that you need another reason, but the intimate space with its wood beamed walls and dim lighting is the ideal setting for February 14th.  It might be just dinner, but it’s a dinner your special someone won’t...

French Culinary Institute

Cuisine: French | Featured in Best Of

You do know you don’t have to go to a restaurant on Valentine’s Day, right?  You could take a cooking class together.   That’s romantic and useful.  And there are plenty of classes to choose from at the French Culinary Institute around the 14th.  This year, they’ve got a Artisanal Bread Baking class, and a Wine Class for beginners.  If you’re not looking to get your hands dirty, you could book a table in the Monte Bello Dining Room inside the school, where FCI students will prepare a meal just for the occasion with wine pairings to...

The McKittrick Hotel’s Valentine’s Dance

Cuisine: American | Featured in Best Of

If you’re looking to spice things up and do something a whole lot different this Valentine’s Day, The McKittrick Hotel is the way to go.    Constructed in 1939, the hotel was planned to be the most luxurious of its time.  Unfortunately, World War II prevented the hotel from ever opening its doors, but after seven decades, it’s being reopened as one of the most original theater experiences in history.  With an interactive performance of Shakespeare’s Sleep No More, you’ll be able to choose your own path and eat and drink plenty along the way.  And after the performance , they’ll be a Valentine’s Day ball with mandatory Jazz-era attire required and plenty of...

Astor Wine & Spirits

Cuisine: | Featured in Best Of

Maybe this is your first Valentine’s Day with your significant other, or maybe you just really need a casual, relaxing night this time around.  Either way, a wine or cocktail class at Astor Wine & Spirits is a perfect way to loosen up and learn a little something before dinner.  The night before Valentine’s Day, they’re offering a Red Wine Class and a Hands-On Cocktail Workshop, so take your pick.  There are plenty of great gastropubs in the East Village to end the night at, including one of our favorites, The...

The Four Seasons

Cuisine: | Featured in Uncategorized

Perilla’s Farro Risotto

Cuisine: American | Featured in Best Of, Winter Eats

This neighborhood spot from Harold Dieterle, Top Chef Winner Season 1, has plenty in the way of whole grain options, from wheat berries served with Duck Breast, to a side of Quinoa Salad with Golden Beets or Creamy Polenta with the Pork Chop.  But the best use of grains is the Farro Risotto, which breathes new life into traditional risotto.  A firm grain similar to barley, the farro is cooked with creamy blend of artichoke confit and parmesan, and served with a chili-grape salad on top — perfect for...

Yonah Schimmel Knishery

Cuisine: European | Featured in Best Of, Winter Eats

This Lower East Side knishery has been cooking whole grains for over one hundred years now.  Just what is a knishery exactly?   It’s a place that peddles Jewish knishes, big, pudgy dumplings filled with anything and everything, and often stuffed with kasha, which refers to a large family of grains eaten in Slavic Europe (make it plural and you get Kashi, thus the name of the eponymous cereal and snack bar purveyor).  The Kasha Knishes at Yonah Schimmel are round, baked shells of dough filled with a savory mixture of kasha and chopped onion.  It doesn’t matter if you lack Eastern European roots – these knishes are undeniably...

Pates et Traditions’ Buckwheat Crepes

Cuisine: French | Featured in Best Of, Winter Eats

This charming Williamsburg creperie has over 24 savory crepe options, but what sets them apart from traditional, white-flour crepes is that they’re made with 100% organic buckwheat flour.  That’s the way they make them in Breton, France, where they call them galettes.  Ground from buckwheat seeds, they taste bold and slightly bitter, with a dark whisper of mushroom.  We haven’t even gotten to fillings, like bacon, onions, eggplant, or potatoes.  And with fall options like the Bergere Crepe with goat cheese, swiss, fig, honey, caramelized onions, and rosemary, we can pretty much guarantee you’ll find something  to love.  Perhaps Trois Fromages with potatoes, camembert, roquefort and goat, or the Sultan with chicken, bacon, cumin and cream.   And there’s plenty of sweet buckwheat crepe offerings, so you can get your whole grains for dessert, too. Try the Bananas Flambe Crepe or Orange...

ABC Kitchen’s Kasha & Bowties

Cuisine: American | Featured in Best Of, Winter Eats

Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s been singing the praises of obscure grains since the mid-90’s and now they’re not so obscure anymore.  In fact, they’re collectively the “it” ingredient this fall.  At ABC Kitchen, Vongerichten and his executive chef, Dan Kluger, deliver a cheeky spin on a Jewish dish called kasha varnishkes, with veal, oats and bowtie pasta.  He swaps out veal for moist, mini veal meatballs delicious on their own and even better mingled with bowties and kasha grains.   Want more grains? Sample one of their whole wheat...

Union Square Café

Cuisine: | Featured in Uncategorized

Louro – Reviewed

Cuisine: American | Featured in Reviews, What I'm Loving

More people should be talking about Louro in the West Village. It opened in a space that was once home to Lowcountry, and before that Bar Blanc, which opened was ultimately a bust, too. (Ironically, Bar Blanc’s chef, Cesar Ramirez, went on to open one of the hardest reservations in town better known as Brooklyn Fare.) But the past is the past and the space now looks less flashy.

Louro

Cuisine: American | Featured in Hottest Newcomers

More people should be talking about Louro in the West Village.  It opened in a space that was once home to Lowcountry, and before that Bar Blanc, which opened was ultimately a bust, too.  But the past is the past and the space now looks less flashy.  There are white-washed brick walls, cushy, curved banquettes along one wall and tables with burgundy leather seating along the other with mirrored paneling hanging overhead.   Louro seems more like a neighborhood restaurant than the “hip, new place to eat,” but believe me, Louro is the place to eat right now.  It’s not hip per se, but it is warm and cozy, and the staff’s passion for the restaurant is infectious. More importantly, the food is exciting.  The chef, David Santos, worked at Bouley and Per Se before launching a secret and wildly popular supper club, called Um Segredo, out of his very own apartment...

Dish Spotting: Willow Road’s Mussels A la Plancha

Cuisine: American | Featured in Dish Spotting

Being “new” is the best thing a restaurant has going for it nowadays. Everyone loves to try new things afterall. It’s just human nature. We all like seeing a new movie, staying at a hip, new hotel, or trying a chef’s latest creation. I mean, who wants to eat the same thing at the same haunts week after week?