Sokerbit
Nordic cuisine has become one of the hottest and most pervasive trends on New York’s food scene, so it’s hardly a surprise that the obsession has extended to candy. This seriously modern West Village shop exposes a sweet side of Scandinavia way beyond Swedish Fish, with Lucite trays full of Banana Bubs (banana-caramel foam biscuits), Cocosar (coconut-covered licorice), and perfect for Halloween, 8 oz. jars of teeth-chatteringly sour Gummy...
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Yao’s Dragon Beard Candy
For a truly original treat, prowl the streets of Chinatown in hopes of spotting the elusive Yao’s Dragon Beard Candy cart (it’s most often parked outside of the subway on the corner of Chrystie and Grand). So named because they resemble a mythical dragons beard, the Vendy Award-nominated sweets are made by hand-pulling powdered sugar into gossamer-thin strands, twisting them into a ball and forming a sticky cocoon around a filling of toasted peanuts and coconut. We hunt them down year round, but Halloween is an especially good...
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Jason’s Lobster Shack
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Vini Da Arturo
The chef at this tiny, Venetian trattoria prides himself on the fact that, in a city laden with fish-focused restaurants, there’s no seafood whatsoever on the menu here. Instead, chef Ernesto Ballarin focuses on vegetables, meat and pastas and boy do they do justice to pasta!! You’d be wise to order more than one. We sampled the just made Pappardelle with Radicchio. The radicchio is simmered with cream for four hours until it becomes something that mimics the texture of creamed spinach. It’s the perfect foil for the perfectly al dente ribbons of pappardelle and a simple, yet tremendously satisfying bowl of pasta. Just as good is the Spaghetti alla Siciliana, which translated to a tangle of spaghetti mingled with eggplant, tomato and mozzarella.
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Osteria Da Fiore
First things first, request the one, precious two-top, overlooking the canal when you book a reservation here. It’s the best table in the house by far (though we did drop our credit card into the canal when we paid the bill, so watch out for that!). Known as Venice’s best restaurant, Da Fiore is perhaps the most universally recommended spot in these parts. What’s all the fuss about? Perhaps it’s the simply grilled Red Mullet, which tasted like it had just been plucked from the water, smartly paired with blood orange and olives. Then again, it could be the excellent Calamarata Pasta (shaped like calamari) tossed with calamari and peas along with a spring pea puree. If you want to sample the spectrum of fish Venice has to offer, try their Fritto De Mare, a salty, crunchy mix of lightly...
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Boutique Del Gelato
You can’t go to Italy and not have gelato. Seriously, that’s like a crime or it should be anyway. If you happen to be in Venice, this is THE gelato shop to visit. This teeny, standing room only shop doesn’t look like much from the outside, but it’s peddling some crazily creamy gelato. It’s no nonsense, sadly no sampling approach to frozen treats makes it hard core, but we’ll happily put up with it because the gelato’s just that good. Over the course of four days, we sampled a bevvy of flavors, but our favorites were the Banana, Zabaglione, Straciatella, Coconut and Dark Chocolate. The only flavor they’re missing is pistachio, but we’ll forgive them and order another scoop of Dark...
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Osteria Alla Testiere
If it’s fish you’re after, this teeny tiny restaurant with just nine tables is a terrific spot to sample Venice’s seafood traditions, albeit with a contemporary and creative touch. In fact, the fish is so fresh and dependent on the market that the menu is printed daily. We sampled Scallops baked with a lovely combination of tomato, leeks and orange, and a simple but splendidly fresh Steamed Spider Crab dressed with nothing more than salt, pepper and olive oil. And there’s a bevvy of whole fish to choose from nightly. While the atmosphere is laidback, the food is thoughtful as is the wine list, which is filled with an excellent variety of local bottles and half-bottles. The seafood is also used to good measure in the pasta section, like Broccoli & Ricotta Ravioli scattered with Shrimp and fresh Tomatoes and...
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Do Forni
This spot has been around for a long time and apparently for good reason. It serves solid Venetian cuisine with an emphasis on seafood. Just take a look at the ice display as you enter the dining room. While we noticed plenty of tourists at nearby tables (not always a good sign), we also observed just as many locals (a better sign) chatting away in Italian and feasting on baked whole fish served in a salt crust and bowls upon bowls of pasta. Spend a little time with the wine list here, which is extensive and filled with interesting, local bottles. And start with an order of Venice’s terrifically fresh Scampi. Here, they’re served boiled and dabbed with just enough herbs and olive oil to flatter the shellfish without adulterating its pure flavor. The Mussel Soup is another...
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L’Osteria Di Santa Marina
This charming restaurant takes a sophisticated, often modern approach to Venetian cooking without losing the integrity of the classics. Take the Squid Dumplings, for example, which aren’t dumplings at all. (We assumes they were ravioli stuffed with squid.) Instead what arrives is a delicate arrangement of grilled squid molded into the shape of dumplings and dressed with a flavorful duo of pistachio sauce and tomato sauce. I don’t want to get ahead of myself as the house always serves an appetizing amuse bouche, like a dish of sweet white polenta crowned with a salty foil of anchovies — a simple, satisfying dish that wreaks of Italy. There’s great attention to detail at L’Osteria Di Santa Marina where they make both the bread and pasta in-house as well as all the pastries. In fact, the bread comes right from the oven...
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Topping Rose House
Who knew one of the best new restaurants in New York would open in the Hamptons? Bridgehampton to be specific. I didn’t see that coming. The Hamptons are better known for their wide beaches, grand houses and lavish parties. Not food. At least, not til Topping Rose House came along. Just taste the Ravioli with Housemade Ricotta and you’ll see what I mean. It’s a game changer – a singular and mammoth-size ravioli cradling impossibly fresh Ricotta, scattered with slivers of Shitake Mushroom, tender green Asparagus and fresh herbs. It’s glossed in a Beurre Fondue that amplifies the richness of the dish without overdoing the dish.
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Roberta’s Pizza
This place singlehandedly put Bushwick on the map and we’re not even exaggerating. So what’s the big deal? Killer pizzas, for starters, and then there’s the seasonal plates, many scattered with freshly picked ingredients from Roberta’s very own garden. The best part is you’d never know it from the outside… or the inside, for that matter. Step inside this dingy-looking, converted garage and you’ll feel like you’ve just entered some roadside bar with loud music playing, long wooden tables with benches, painted cement walls and twirling ceiling fans. You’ll probably be inclined to grab a beer, or even better, a cider and you should order something to pass the time while you wait for a table, which is par for the course these days.
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Carbone
Rarely do you come across a buzzy, new restaurant that peddles in Veal Parmesan, Linguine with Clams, and Lobster Fra Diavolo. It sounds almost like a contradiction in terms, but Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi have made an art of Red Sauce Italian, and by doing so, have made Italian-American cooking hot. It all started with Torrisi Italian Specialties, which by day, was nothing more than a sandwich shop, albeit an excellent one, wheeling and dealing in Eggplant Parm, Heroes, Lasagna and the like. Come nighttime, this Soho shop morphed into a restaurant with one of the most exciting (and affordable) tasting menus in the city. Then came the more casual Parm and their newest venture, Carbone, is like something straight out of Little Italy… only with much better food. I used to love going to Little Italy with my parents when I was young. My brother, sister and I would pile into the car and travel into the city from our home in New Jersey all in the name of Veal Parmesan, Shrimp Francese, Gnocchi and Rainbow Cookies. We’d end the evening at Ferraro’s for espresso and scoops of gelati. When I moved into the city post-college, I returned to Little Italy for dinner, but the neighborhood seemed to be shrinking and the restaurants sadly deteriorating.
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Le Philosophe
Le Philosophe doesn’t look like the new “It” restaurant, but it’s as nearly impossible to get a reservation right now. So what’s all the fuss about? It could be their wondrously plump Bouchot Mussels, basking in an addictive broth that’s flavored with aleppo peppers, leeks, potatoes, creme fraiche and god knows what else, but it’s excellent. (And there’s plenty of bread to soak up any leftover broth with!) It’s a dish rivaled only by the Cured Foie Gras Terrine, sided by Quince Jam and thick, Toasted Brioche to smear the wonderfully unctuous, salt-cured paté on. You could easily make a meal of these two dishes alone, but pace yourself there’s more to come.
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The Nomad Hotel & Restaurant
Some restaurants just ride the buzz of their openings, becoming the hot restaurant by nature of being brand new. The mediocre and less than mediocre spots quickly peter out and fall off people’s radars while others settle into their groove. But few stay as hot as when they first opened. The NoMad is one of those delicious exceptions that’s managed to be as relevant and hard to get into now as it was when it opened just less than a year ago. It’s an undeniably sexy space with a series of rooms and scenes, including the bar with its killer cocktails, the library for light bites and several dining rooms to sample a taste of Daniel Humm’s much celebrated Roast Chicken with Foie Gras Stuffing or the equally as famous Milk & Honey dessert. There’s a fine wine...
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The Marrow
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...
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Le Bernardin
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.
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Zenkichi
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,...
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Mas Farmhouse
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...
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